How Creativity Has Been Applied to a Business Idea or Problem Essay

To make a business grow and achieve productive and efficient results you need to invoke creativity which has always been an essential business skill. Since long time creativity has been applied to a business world as companies seek to use it in all parts of the organization to make it gain more profits and to be exceptional from others. A business person has to find unique solutions every day and he has to know how to react to situation creatively. Richard Florida (2002) stated human creativity is the ultimate economic resource. The ability to come up with new ideas and better ways of doing things is ultimately what raises productivity and thus living standards. Every individual is creative. Creative person is defined as curious, optimistic, imaginative, hard – working. He enjoys challenges, are able to accept problems easily and see them as new opportunities also he does not give up easily. Each of us see things in different way people are used to see or do, we come up with c reative ideas and solutions which make us to explore our creativity in more depth. Creativity is a process from where creative ideas come from and creativity is personal skill which is essential in this process. Creative thinking skills and attributes explain how people are dealing with various problems or ideas. Skills such as imagination, problem – solving, taking – risks and reasoning help us to identify problems, find right solutions, generate and improve ideas also realize them and apply to business process. Intuition, motivation and flexibility make us to select a proper idea, explore different ways to combine and achieve it, improve attitude towards risk and eliminate boundaries. In order to achieve his purposes person has to be self– confident, determined and persistent. There are many ways how individual can improve or develop these skills. For example, JAV company ‘Sysco’ organized creative education seminars for their employers and results were stunning – every participant sales increased about 25 – 30 % bu t this is just one example how creativity has been developed in companies there are more ways to do that. First of all, we need to evolve ideas and understand that there is more than one problem solution also we have to perceive that each problem can be solved in a better or different way. The second way to improve creativity is called synthesis. Using this method more than to ideas are compared and from them combined into completely new idea. Also, in this report I would like briefly identify some of idea generation techniques which help to realize ideas in a particular business area. Smith (1998) identified 172 idea generating techniques which he allocated to smaller groups which tell us about each technique further. Idea generation technique is essential process of creativity. Brainstorming probably is the most important technique which involves generating a lot of ideas and solutions. Brainstorming was the first technique and it is called ‘the mother of all idea generation techniques’. Also, it can be used for both groups and individuals. Second technique is collaboration when group of people are working together on purpose to achieve a particular result. They share creative ideas between each other and make a final decision in order to improve the whole process. Reflection is third idea generation technique which concentrates on previous work when designers reconsider projects, schemes, plans or documents from where they can find a particular idea and develop it further. A fourth method is called socializing. It is about communicating with others about particular subject totally unrelated to the current work. Sketching similar to documenting reflects on drawing approximate scheme or plan of an idea. â€Å"In order to help individuals in the idea generation process, researchers have identified methods to stimulate creative thought, generate more ideas, and expand on the solution space.† Nowadays more and more organizations are using personality tests to evaluate their employees’ character, to find their motivations and goals, to understand their work techniques and creativity level also to discover their barriers which they need to improve in the future. Companies have started to use personality tests in the past five years so that they can find a potential employee’s strengths and weaknesses. If questions and answers are quite accurate and test is done properly it can help an employer to find more about person’s advantages and disadvantages. It is very important to know because one of the most important points is that most of personality tests help to recognize unqualified candidates. â€Å"Although experts warn that many personality assessments don’t deliver what they promise, legitimate scientifically validated tests are helping employers evaluate job candidates to select those best suited for particular positions. Other tests are designed to measure intelligence, honesty, management aptitude and other qualities.† Napoleon Hill stated ideas are the beginning points of all fortunes. When you have a great business idea it is not enough just have it somewhere in your brain, the second thing to do is to rea lize it in other words it is called idea feasibility. Same as this American author stated by having a successful idea you can open doors to new opportunities and attract fortune. The idea is like a new product which can be applied to a new business. The more successful the product is the better results it will give in the future. In this case creative thinking helps to discover new and useful ideas also it leads to new business opportunities. Realize your business idea is possible in many different ways. For instance, you can start networking with various potential business people from all over the world also you can organize a highly creative team and start working on a particular idea. Opportunities and ways are endless it is belong to you, your creativity level and idea success. The final step after idea feasibility is action planning. Once the idea is considered and discussed you need to think about the way how it will work and how long it will takes to you to achieve your aim. â€Å"Action planning is a process which will help you to focus your ideas and to decide what steps you need to take to achieve particular goals that you may have. It is a statement of what you want to achieve over a given period of time.† As every planning process it involves some of basic steps which I would like to identify in my further research. Before you start setting a plan you need to be self-motivated and innovative because our goals have to motivate us to achieve them, but not to be too difficult and unreal. Also, you have to think about all possible ways which can make you closer to your aim. Do not forget to think about barrier which you may meet during a working period and try to find solutions how to cope with them effectively. When you start working on your plan you need to identify the main objectives. The second step is to prioritize each task, what need to be done first and what after. Once the list is done, you have to start working and use your own initiat ive, some people prefer working individually others may like to work in a team, it is important to choose your preferable work technique then work will be done quicker. Also, one of the most important steps is to finish the work to a deadline. To sum up, effective planning gives us basic steps so that we would be able to reach our objectives and it helps us to realize our ideas. In this report I have considered the main topics of creativity and it process. I explained how creativity has been applied in business process and organizations. Which personal qualities make individuals be more creative and how they can apply these skills to realize business ideas or solve problems creatively. Which part personality tests take in a business companies and what is the main meaning of them, why employers use this technique when they want to select the right participant to take a place in the organization. As well as, I considered the main factors about idea feasibility and explained techniques which are essential to idea generation. I identified the basic steps of action planning also described them in more depth so that it would be more easy to understand and try it in practice. If you consider yourself being creative you have to start setting a plan how to realize your ideas and you may have considerable results in the future. Creativity is a substantial tool which lead people to find right decisions and solve problems using their own initiative or special methods which are unusual for those who are not creative. It helps to set new strategies and products that employers apply to business. â€Å"It is highly likely that your creativity has been diminished by social norms and life experience, but it can be fostered and revived. You may not even think you are creative, but that is not true. â€Å"Creativity is our birth right it is part of what makes us human.† List of References University of Kent (2010) Action Planning [online] available from < http://www.kent.ac.uk/careers/sk/skillsactionplanning.htm> [26 December 2010] The CBS Interactive Business Network (2002) Personality counts: Psychological tests can help peg the job applicants best suited for certain jobs – Cover Story [online] available from < http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3495/is_2_47/ai_83058907/> [27 December 2010] SCORE Counselors to America’s Small Business (2010) How to Incorporate Creativity into Your Business Practice [online] available from < http://www.score.org/article_how_to_creativity.html> [27 December 2010] The IEEE Computer Society (2008) Idea Generation Techniques among Creative Professionals [online] available from [28 December 2010]

Heroism and cowardice in the Odyssey Essay

The most respected and venerated social group in Homeric times was that of the heroic warriors and kings. These were the people who lead their armies into battle and won accolades for their valor or courage displayed on the battlefield. The cowardly on the other hand, were subjected to strong prejudice. Their existence was considered a burden on the earth and they were ignored and ridiculed by everyone. This is evident in the Odyssey when Homer describes the incident of Elpenor’s death. â€Å"There was one called Elpenor, the youngest of the party, not much a fighting man and not very clever. This young man had got drunk and gone to sleep on the roof of Circe’s palace. Roused in the morning by the bustle and din of departure, he leapt up suddenly, and forgetting to go down the ladder and take the proper way down, he toppled headlong down the roof. † As is clear from this description, Elpenor’s death was never much of an issue for Odysseus or his crew, who laughed it off and ignorantly left his body unburied in their haste to go to Hades, because stupid and cowardly Elpenor was not worth mourning for. However the unparalleled sorrow expressed at the deaths of Agamemnon and Achilleus was justified because they were great heroes who deserved to be lamented. Elpenor’s body was only buried when he himself reminded Odysseus to bury him lest he (Odysseus) incurred the wrath of the Gods, at leaving a human corpse unburied. The suitors on the other hand were considered fine men in their own right-handsome and brave. It was only their wanton misuse of Odysseus’s property in his absence and their disrespectful attitude towards Penelope that turned many of the Gods against them. The suitor’s willful insolence directed at the property and wife of an absent man was seen as an act of cowardice and thus excited the wrath of the Gods. The suitors in truth were no more than mere cowards as was evident when they tried to make truce with Odysseus in the following lines-â€Å"So spare us, who are your own people. And afterwards we will make amends to you by public levy for all the food and drink that has been consumed in your house. † Thus they truly deserved their end and there were to be no tears shed in their memory because their cowardly acts had subjected them to an ill-fated end. Homer thus defines a hero not only to be handsome and brave but also god fearing, hospitable and one who never takes unfair advantage of others, especially in their absence. This is also evident in the Iliad when Paris’s abduction of Helen in Menelaus’s absence seals both his fate and that of his homeland- Troy. Odysseus is the only character in the Odyssey who thus comes closest to the ideal of the ‘hero’. He is strong, handsome, brave, and also intelligent and witty. In Homer’s world, no hero is complete without being endowed with the gift of intelligence and astuteness. Odysseus displays his acumen on many occasions-the encounter with Polyphemus the Cyclops and Circe, just to name a few. Odysseus also seems to be the master of deceit as is evident from the countless tales of trickery he tells people in order to avoid detection. In Homer’s eyes, this treachery on the part of Odysseus is justified as he is only trying to protect his own interests without harming anybody else’s. However despite these heroic qualities, Odysseus fails to live up to the ideal of the true hero. In the final conflict with the suitors, Odysseus thinks nothing of shooting a whole quiver full of arrows at unarmed men but his knees go weak the minute he sees the defenseless acquire some form of defense. This is evident from the following lines: â€Å"when Odysseus saw them putting on armour and brandishing great spears in their hands, his knees quaked and his heart failed him. † Odysseus also disguises himself as a beggar instead of appearing in his original form before the suitors because he is scared of their numbers. But despite his infrequent acts of cowardice the Gods still support him and help him in his endeavor to rid his house of the suitors. This is because the very idea of his returning home after twenty years to restore his house and rescue his wife is very heroic and thus the means by which he achieves this end can be ignored. One cannot also help but think that it is more of the Goddess Athene’s help than Odysseus’s courage and bravado, which ultimately wins the day for him. This is evident from the following lines: â€Å"the six did as he ordered and threw with all their might. But Athene made the whole volley miss. † Athene herself made the suitors’ aims miss, but rather partially helped Odysseus’s lances meet their targets. Hence the impartial help of the Gods was the main reason behind Odysseus’s success. But this supernatural aid can be seen as a reward for past bravery and suffering on the part of Odysseus and as a punishment for cowardly insolence on part of the suitors. Hence the theme of cowardice and bravery plays a big part in the Odyssey. The book does take a certain amount of interest in the fate of the cowardly, but its primary focus rests with the heroic. Even the Gods favor the brave over the cowardly. The Gods take a supreme interest in the death of the heroic be it through noble (e. g. Achilleus fighting on the battle field) or poor means (e. g. Agamemnon killed by his wife and her lover) but as long as the cowardly are given a decent burial, the Gods don’t care about them and their name is never mentioned in their premises. (E. g. Elpenor’s death) People who have behaved in a way not suiting their status are also condemned to a coward’s death (e. g. : the suitors) and the Gods do not lament their end.

Boston Massacre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Boston Massacre - Essay Example tle distance† while he avoided any subjective sentiment which might be necessary as the captain further testified that the boisterous crowd threatened them with increasing riots and exclamations of insulting phrases from the civilians. Pictures of the ‘Boston Massacre’, however, exhibit an opposing view presenting how armed soldiers line up as if due to a deliberate scheme of firing at the townspeople in protest. A primary witness Theodore Bliss attested â€Å"I did not hear any order given by the captain to fire – I stood so near him I think I must have heard him if he had given an order to fire before the first firing.† On the contrary, another witness Robert Goddard claimed â€Å"I saw no person speak to him – I was so near I should have seen it – After the captain said ‘Damn your bloods! Fire! – They all fired one after another.† Apparently, these are quite contradictory statements indicating that one of them must be fabricating a story in order to conceal the real truth and save the side in his favor. This likely puts the credibility of such testimonies shown under question, granted that they depict uncertainties, emotional tone of accusation in exa ggerating detail, and surprisingly missing information about logical links between occurrences told. Based on the historical timeline demonstrating how one act led to another, the American Revolution was at its reasonable heights having originated from imposition of additional taxes on common products by the British Parliament, pressing the colonists to struggle with their already burdened state of economy and standard of living at the time. Hence, truth may seek its way to justice through it and Preston’s calm explanation of the matter that the captain can be judged to have truly not committed the crime with the shooting order. He ought not to be labeled as guilty of commanding to fire, nevertheless, he should still be held responsible for not attempting to suppress his subject troops from firing

Nationalism and Sectionalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Nationalism and Sectionalism - Essay Example This was a mighty issue which would generate much debate and ultimately foster sectionalism, which was so fervent until the label of Federalist (those who supported a strong central government) and anti-federalist (opposed to the watering down of state sovereignty created substantial followings. James Madison and John Tyler served together in the Virginia General Assembly. They devised a plan for a state's convention to be held in Annapolis, Maryland in September 1786. At this convention, the two men proposed that macro commerce is controlled and regulated by the Continental Congress. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton issued a report on the Annapolis meeting. The meeting amplified the urgency to reverse the economic trends. In their report to Congress, including an appeal addressed to Congress, to have the states appoint delegates for a gathering in Philadelphia. Further, that the announcement of purpose to all delegates, was to be a revision of the Articles of Confederation. Thou gh some members of Congress viewed this move as a stepping on their Congressional â€Å"toes†, nonetheless, the delegates from each state were summarily notified by Congress. â€Å"Rhode Island viewed the gathering as an attempt to circumvent their strong state sovereignty. The men of the state had a strong attachment to paper currency; they had low taxes and a state government which was supportive. Many other Americans also had misgivings, which were aligned with the men of Rhode Island. Patrick Henry was rumored to have said.† I smell a rat†. ... strong central government) and anti-federalist (opposed to the watering down of state sovereignty created substantial followings. James Madison and John Tyler served together in the Virginia General Assembly. They devised a plan for a states convention to be held at Annapolis, Maryland in September 1786. At this convention the two men proposed that macro commerce be controlled and regulated by the continental Congress. James Madison and Alexander Hamilton issued a report on the Annapolis meeting. The meeting amplified the urgency to reverse the economic trends. In their report to Congress (Madison and Hamilton), included an appeal addressed to Congress, to have the states appoint delegates for a gathering in Philadelphia. Further, that the announcement of purpose to all delegates, was to be a revision in the Articles of Confederation. Though some members of Congress viewed this move as a stepping on their Congressional "toes", nonetheless, the delegates from each state were summarily notified by Congress. "Rhode Island viewed the gathering as an attempt to circumvent their strong state sovereignty. The men of the state had a strong attachment to paper currency; they had3 low taxes and a state government which was supportive. They sent no delegates to Philadelphia. Many other Americans also had misgivings, which were aligned with the men of Rhode Island. Patrick Henry was rumored to have said." I smell a rat". (Quinn) Patrick Henry articulated his belief in the "sanction of place". It was the precursor of the adage or

BHS 328 B.S. Health Sciences Team Building (Mod 4 SLP) Essay

BHS 328 B.S. Health Sciences Team Building (Mod 4 SLP) - Essay Example When there is no effective communication then conflicts arises between people and we have to manage conflicts. Conflict resolution is the process by which an organization handles and resolves conflicts within the organization and within the organization and the community (Bill Warters 2000). There are various methods to manage conflicts: In health care delivery, team working is very important because you have to coordinate each and every thing. If your work is not coordinated, then their will be less coherence amongst the employees and therefore everyone will be working with their own interest and with their own feasibility. For example in a hospital, when a doctor is doing an operation, he has to work with his colleagues as a team so that a successful operation is done. If for example if the doctor is not communicating with the nurses for example during the operation, then they might do some mistake in understanding the doctors orders and could lead to problems. For resolution of conflicts, first of all you should have the skill to solve problems for example active listening, formulate the desired outcomes, identify the underlying interests and develop and analyze options. Your attitude should be such that it demonstrates knowledge of ethics of collaborative conflict resolution. You should be having the appropriate knowledge to solve conflicts. For example you should be having knowledge of cross cultural considerations when dealing with conflicts because a manager might have to deal differently with a western worker as compared to the south eastern (Bill Warters 2000). Conflicts are handled differently with different types of people but responses to conflicts fall generally under four broad categories including attack, avoid, soften and resolve. It depends on the situation in which you are handling the conflict and you take decision according to that. For example if there is a conflict between the government and the masses and the masses are violently reacting, then the government will also have to take violent reaction in response to it to solve the conflict. Suppose that I am the administrator in charge of oversight for an emergency unit at a hospital. A nurse administers the wrong medication dose to a patient. A second nurse wants to write-up the first nurse immediately. But I don't think so that writing up to her at this stage is a good option to resolve the conflict. In this case it is an emergency situation and writing to her and then getting the reply will take a lot of time and during this time the patient's life can be in danger. The second nurse should directly go to the first nurse and talk to her face to face and tell her that the dose which she gave to the patient

Korean and Japanese Americans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Korean and Japanese Americans - Essay Example History, Generations, Immigration and Length of U.S. Residency Koreans are one of the largest, fastest growing Asian groups in the United States (Jackson, 2006; library.ca.gov, N.D.a). During 1903-1905 came the first wave of Korean immigrants to the United States. Around 7,000 Korean came to Hawaii as farm laborers in sugar plantation. Within a few years 1,000 of them returned to Korea. About 2,000 of the early immigrants left Hawaii and came to the continental United States. In less than one century the number has grown to an estimated one million (Lee, 1995). Many more began to immigrate after the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965. As of 2000, ethnic Koreans living in the United States are largely concentrated in California, New York, Texas, Washington, Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. Los Angeles, with its Korea town district, is home to the largest concentration of Koreans outside of Asia (Wikipedia, 2007a). The Census 2000 recorded an additional 151,555 Americans of part-Korean ancestry. There are 56,825 adopted children of Korean nativity and place of birth. (2000 US Census) 99,061 Koreans were adopted into the U.S. during 1953-2001. (Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare, 2002) According to the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade 2,157,498 ethnic Koreans live in the United States in 2003. However a large number of these are students or temporary workers and hence do not have permanent residence status. A number of US states have declared January 13 as Korean-American Day due to their impact and contributions to the American society (Wikipedia, 2007a). ... The population of Korean Americans is high when compared to the Japanese Americans. Japanese Americans have historically been among the three largest Asian American communities, but in recent decades have become the sixth largest (at roughly 1,148,000, including those of mixed-race or mixed-ethnicity). Japanese Americans are a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans. The largest Japanese American communities are in California with roughly 395,000, Hawaii with roughly 297,000, Washington with 56,000, and New York with 45,000 according to the 2000 Census. In addition there are large numbers in Texas, Illinois, Oregon, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Florida. Each year, about 7,000 new Japanese immigrants enter United States ports, comprising about 4% of immigration from Asia; however, net immigration is closer to zero as some older Japanese Americans emigrate back to their homeland. Hence, there is a constant outflow and inflow of this population (Wikipedia, 2007b). On of the uniqueness of Japanese Americans community is that they have special names for each of its generations in the United States. The first generation born in Japan or Okinawa, is called Issei. The second generation is Nisei, third is called Sansei, fourth is Yonsei and fifth is Gosei. The term Nikkei was coined by Japanese American sociologists and encompasses the entire population across generations. Issei and many Nisei speak Japanese or Okinawan in addition to English as a second language (Wikipedia, 2007b). This shows the community is open towards learning and adapting to their new environment. Religion and Spiritually For Koreans, religion traditionally has been important. In fact their religiosity has become all the more evident

Curriculum Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Curriculum - Essay Example teaching), the information which is used to facilitate such a process is the second most important determinant on the extent and scope to which education will indeed take place. In this way, designing a curriculum necessarily involves the attention and participation of several key participants. Although it is rarely the determination of the end educator as to the precise means by which he/she will attempt to engage the students and effect the determined end, the educator has no small part in engaging with the other shareholders within this process and voicing his/her concerns/beliefs/desires with reference to seeking to provide a better and more fully nuanced vehicle for the impartation of knowledge to the student (Hinde 2005). With regards to how this student approaches the issue of curriculum, this can be understood as a function of two distinct responses. Firstly, the curriculum that I am faced within my own institution is something that is outside of my control and something that has been predetermined by shareholders to impart the very best level of education and knowledge onto me the student. In much the same way, it is my eventual intent to seek to have at least some stake in this process as I complete my degree and begin to practice teaching as an educator. In this way, I will then be able to exact a small amount of direction upon the way in which my students will be introduced to certain key elements of