Innovation

CREATIVITY REATIVITY Report produced for the EC funded project INNOREGIO: dissemination of innovation and knowledge management techniques by Dr Eleni Sefertzi J A N U A R Y 2 0 0 0 CREATIVITY 1 Contents 1 Description 1. 1 1. 2 1. 3 1. 4 1. 5 What is Creativity Objectives of Creativity Description /structure of the methodology /alternative solutions Expected results /benefits Characteristics of providers 2 Application 2. 1 2. 2 2. 3 2. 4 Where Creativity development has been applied Types of firms /organisations concerned Implementation cost Conditions for implementation Implementation Brainstorming Story boarding Lotus Blossom Checklists Morphological Analysis Mapping Process The Excursion Technique Computer-based creativity techniques Artificial Intelligence models of creativity Idea processors software Visualisation and graphical systems Spatial representation tools 4 Bibliographic references Annexes Table 1: Stimulus to extend perspective to approach a problem Table 2: Brainstormi ng Phases Table 3: Osborn’s Checklist Figure 1: Lotus Blossom sample INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 1 1. 1 DESCRIPTION What is Creativity There are many definitions of creativity. A number of them suggest that creativity is the generation of imaginative new ideas (Newell and Shaw 1972), involving a radical newness innovation or solution to a problem, and a radical reformulation of problems. Other definitions propose that a creative solution can simply integrate existing knowledge in a different way. A third set of definitions proposes that a creative solution, either new or recombined, must have value (Higgins 1999).A novel idea is not a creative idea unless it is valuable or it implies positive evaluation. Also, according to dt ogilvie (1998), imagination, which involves the generation of ideas not previously available as well as the generation of different ways of seeing events, is important to achieve creative actions. To combine this variety of definitions, w e can say that creativity involves the generation of new ideas or the recombination of known elements into something new, providing valuable solutions to a problem.It also involves motivation and emotion. Creativity â€Å"is a fundamental feature of human intelligence in general. It is grounded in everyday capacities such as the association of ideas, reminding, perception, analogical thinking, searching a structured problem-space, and reflecting self-criticism. It involves not only a cognitive dimension (the generation of new ideas) but also motivation and emotion, and is closely linked to cultural context and personality factors. † (Boden 1998).According to Boden (1998), there are three main types of creativity, involving different ways of generating the novel ideas: a) The â€Å"combinational† creativity that involves new combinations of familiar ideas. b) The â€Å"exploratory† creativity that involves the generation of new ideas by the exploration of structu red concepts. c) The â€Å"transformational† creativity that involves the transformation of some dimension of the structure, so that new structures can be generated. Creative thinking in a disciplined manner can play a real role in innovation. Creativity and innovation are normally complementary activities, since creativity generates the basis of innovation, which, in its development, raises difficulties that must be solved once again, with creativity†¦It is not possible to conceive innovation without creative ideas, as these are the starting point. † (European Commission 1998). Innovation results when creativity occurs within the right organisational culture. The right organisational culture is one that provides through creativity processes (creative techniques) the possibilities for the development of personal and group creativity skills.We can define creativity IMT as the establishment of skills by implementing creativity generation techniques. 1. 2 Objectives o f Creativity Main objectives of a creative thinking process is to think beyond existing boundaries, to awake curiosity, to break away from rational, conventional ideas and formalised procedures, to rely on the imagination, the divergent, the random and to consider multiple solutions and alternatives (Candy 1997, Schlange and Juttner 1997). INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 3 The result of the creative thinking process is especially important for businesses.Managers and managerial decisions and actions, confronted with fast-changing and ambiguous environments in business, need to develop creative solutions and creative action-based strategies to solve problems, as they allow to increase understanding of problematic situations, to find multiple problems, to produce new combinations, to generate multiple solutions that are different from the past, to consider possible alternatives in various situations that could occur in the future and â€Å"to expand the opportunity horizo n and competence base of firms† (dt ogilvie 1998). . 3 Description / structure of the methodology / alternative solutions Creativity is not an innate quality of only a few selected people. Creativity is present in everyone. It can be learned, practised and developed by the use of proven techniques which, enhancing and stimulating the creative abilities, ideas and creative results, help people to move out of their normal problem-solving mode, to enable them to consider a wide range of alternatives and to improve productivity and quality of work. Creativity is thus constructed as a learned ability that enables us to define new relationships between concepts or events, which seemed apparently unconnected before, and which results in a new entity of knowledge† (European Commission 1998). Knowledge and information are the basis for creativity. The scientific research is recently oriented towards the development of creativity as an educational process. Many studies show that c reative abilities can be developed by the implementation of creativity techniques (see Mansfield, Busse and Krepelka 1978, Parnes and Brunelle 1967, Rose and Lin 1984, Taylor 1972).Concrete creativity supporting techniques, including also computer-based support tools (artificial intelligence models, computer software idea processors, information systems, etc. ), are developed to promote and generate creativity, to break fixed ideas, to stimulate imagination, as well as to define the conditions in which creativity takes place (the creative environment or climate). Using such techniques, a company aims to â€Å"incorporate the employees’ potential of creativity into the process of performance creation† (Bullinger 1999).There are numerous creative techniques, which are also classified in many ways (Higgins 1994). In general, a certain type of question or a certain area of application (such as marketing, product or service development, strategic and decision planning, desi gn, quality management, etc. ) often calls for a certain type or a certain group of creativity techniques. The description of some well-known and basic techniques and their implementation procedure is presented in session 3.A classification for these techniques can be made between analytical techniques and intuitive techniques. Analytical techniques follow a linear pattern of thought or sequence of steps, such as the â€Å"5 Ws and H† technique (it asks the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how) and have better application for very specific, analytical questions (Higgins 1999). They stimulate different ways of organising known information and help approach problems from new angles (Miller 1987). Intuitive techniques are less structured techniques.They tend to skip steps in a sequence and tend to provide a whole answer all at once, such as the â€Å"wishful thinking† technique (based on ideal possibilities and solutions), and they are more appropriate for ill-d efined questions (Higgins 1999). INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 4 Another classification can be made between techniques that are more appropriate to generate creativity in individuals, and techniques, which generate creativity in groups undertaken within work groups. Improving personal creativity for individuals involves enhancing the individual’s use of intuition and reducing mental blocks creativity, such as fear of failure. At the group level it requires team building and other efforts to enhance the use of group dynamics to achieve creativity and innovation† (Higgins 1996). However, this classification is not rigorous, since many group idea generation techniques can also be used by individuals. On the other hand, the individual and the group are two main agents that always interact in the process of creativity in business and industrial innovation. Creativity is an attribute of the individual, though generally it can only be developed efficiently when i t is tackled within a group of team. For this reason, most creative techniques are proposed and undertaken within the framework of specific work groups, within companies or other organisations† (European Commission 1998). A third classification might be between creative techniques that rely upon divergent thinking and techniques that rely upon convergent thinking.Divergent thinking is the generation and the free flow of ideas and it demands considerable discipline, which is aided by the introduction of rigorous techniques forcing divergence toward many alternatives. Convergent thinking, on the contrast, demands techniques of filtering and focus to identify the ideas that have a truly innovative value, to converge on an acceptable solution (Hall 1996). Divergent and convergent thinking are complementary phases of a procedure, since divergence helps forcing towards many alternatives and possible options before convergence on an appropriate solution.Fundamental concepts for all c reative techniques are: †¢ The suspension of premature judgement and the lack of filtering of ideas. †¢ Use the intermediate impossible. †¢ Create analogies and metaphors, through symbols, etc. , by finding similarities between the situation, which we wish to understand and another situation, which we already understand. †¢ Build imaginative and ideal situations (invent the ideal vision). †¢ Find ways to make the ideal vision happen. †¢ Relate things or ideas which were previously unrelated. †¢ Generate multiple solutions to a problem.Main points to increase or encourage creativity in a company are: †¢ to be happy, to have fun †¢ keep channels of communication open †¢ trust, failure accepted †¢ contacts with external sources of information †¢ independence, initiatives taken †¢ support participatory decision-making and employees’ contribution †¢ experiment with new ideas 1. 4 Expected results / benefits Crea tivity, through the generation of ideas with value, is needed in order to solve concrete problems, ease the adaptation to change, optimise the performance of the organisation and best practice manufacturing, and change the attitude of the staff of theINNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 5 organisation. Creative thought processes are also important at all stages in the R&D process. Some expected results of the creativity process are: †¢ innovation through new product and process ideas †¢ continuous improvement of products or services †¢ productivity increase †¢ efficiency †¢ rapidity †¢ flexibility †¢ quality of products or services †¢ high performance 1. 5 Characteristics of providers The implementation of creative techniques within work groups, requires the assistance and advise of external consultants.One or two consultants, experts in creative techniques, is normally enough to undertake the implementation process in a company. His/he rs job normally consists of presenting the different techniques and their application method, defining the problem to be studied for the participants, initiating and clarifying the rules of the technique, gathering the necessary data and information to approach the problem, stimulating the generation of ideas of participants, and evaluating the ideas before proceeding to put them in practice.Training of management staff by experts may also be very useful. Management staff must be trained to stimulate creativity in employees, to provide motivation, to facilitate a creative climate and to encourage the use of creative techniques. Managers can also be trained to implement creative techniques by themselves. 2 APPLICATION Creativity processes are used regularly by many private and public sector organisations of all sorts in manufacturing, services, banking, or construction companies.Big firms such as Xerox, AT&T, Frito-Lay, as well as car manufacturing firms, software development firms, railroad pharmaceutical firms etc. , use creativity techniques to increase efficiency and quality, especially in their research, strategic planning and marketing departments. Small firms and innovative R&D organisations, such as biotechnology companies (Arlington 1997), are also becoming to implement creative techniques in order to solve problems and to improve the use of skills, techniques and processes.Creativity techniques may be applied in almost any functional area of the company: strategic planning, corporate business strategy, product development, improvement of services, functional strategy, finance, human resources, marketing, management of collection of information, product design, software design, quality management, etc. 2. 1 Where Creativity development has been applied INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 6 Nearly all innovation management techniques that can be applied in companies (BPR, benchmarking, TQM, MRP II, employee involvement, marketing of innovation, etc. require also the implementation of creativity techniques. For example, in the Innovation Programme of DG XII of European Commission, besides other innovation management techniques, creativity techniques have been applied in the following IMT projects (see European Commission 1998): -INVENT (Pro. 006) – Implementation of a Method for Targeted Economic-Oriented Research in SME Invention Management. – IMPACQT (Pro. 008) – PARTNERS (Pro 010) – Promotion of Innovation Management Techniques in the field of Sub-Contracting. IDEAS (PRO 017 – Integrated Product Development Expertise Applied to SMEs. – PRIISME (Pro 029) – Promoting of IMTs in ISRAELI SMEs. – Programme to Create New Activities in SMEs (Pro 045). – MARKPRO (Pro 050) – Implementation of Market Oriented Product Innovation in Danish SMEs 2. 2 Types of firms / organisations concerned Creativity techniques can be implemented by all firms and public organisati ons that confront with problem solving and focus on innovation in processes, products or services.In case where the implementation of creative techniques is focused on the support of personal creativity, such as to support individual designers work for new product development, or to support individual scientists work in the laboratory, very small firms or a person can implement creative techniques for individuals. In case where the company focus is to increase group creativity and to create environments where a collaborating team work creatively together, the firm must have at least 20 employees, including 3 members as management staff. 2. 3 Implementation costThe application of creativity techniques is a continuum process. Sessions of creativity within work groups normally take place at company facilities during normal hours and working conditions. The implementation of a creative technique includes the following costs: †¢ The fee of an external consultant for 4-7 days work fo r undertaking a session of creativity (preparation, application, evaluation). †¢ The cost of software packages developed for personal computers or workstations (if necessary). Hardware and equipment must permit to deal with network communications. Training cost (2-4 days) (if necessary). Cost: from 3000 to 7000 Euro. 2. 4 Conditions for implementation Concerning the implementation of creative techniques, some of them are easy to apply, while others need some infrastructure, experts, work teams, training, collection of INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 7 information, resources, etc. In this case, the assistance of an external consultant is required. Besides the support of external consultants, the company itself must encourage creative environment.This implies the participation of all workers in the concerns of the company, and an open and flexible attitude on the part of management. According to Higgins (1999) factors to encouraging the creative work climate are: â₠¬ ¢ A secure environment with minimal administrative interference. †¢ An organisational culture that makes it attractive and easy for people to discover and solve problems. †¢ Rewards for employee performance and enhancement of intrinsic motivation. †¢ Managerial willingness to take risks for creativity and innovation, as well as an open and flexible attitude on the part of management. Providing people with formal and informal training to enhance creativity. Important conditions for implementation of creative techniques within work groups in a company are also the existence of well-trained human resources, a clear strategic definition of the company and to focus on the core competencies of the company (European Commission 1998). For solving complex problems requiring input by many areas, i. e. marketing, engineering, design, the company would preferably be one employing multidisciplinary teams. 3 IMPLEMENTATION PROCEDUREAs mentioned before, there is numerous creativit y supporting techniques. The description, in an illustrative manner, of some well-known creative techniques for problem solving will be presented here. See also Annex, Table 1, the use of some stimulus that can extend perspectives to approach a problem. Brainstorming This is one of the best known and most used in the business world group based creativity process for problem solving. It is a method of getting a large number of ideas from a group of people in a short time.It can be used for generating a large number of ideas or solutions for well-defined strategic or operational problems, such as for engineering design processes. It forms also a basic framework or constitutes the initial phase for the implementation of many other groups based on creative techniques. Brainstorming sessions take place in a group of 6-10 people. The presence of a leader is necessary to stimulate the generation of ideas, as well as a preparation phase to gather the necessary data and information to approa ch the problem. A recorder writes the problem statement and the idea generated by the group on a white board.Several guidelines for brainstorming are available, such as suspend judgement, free wheel, quantity, and crossfertilise. The whole process takes normally one hour and can be conducted through several stages. The session begins with stating the problem and calling for solutions by the leader. The following stages can be: restate the problem in the form of â€Å"How to†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , select a basic restatement and write it down as â€Å"In how many ways can we†¦Ã¢â‚¬ , warm-up session, brainstorming, and identify wildest idea. An evaluation method is additionally used for to identify the ideas that have a value for implementation.The four basic rules of brainstorming are: a) no criticism and no prior judgement of any idea, b) all ideas, INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 8 even the absurd, are welcome, c) quantity has value, the more ideas the better, if a larg e quantity of ideas is generated, then the idea pool very likely would contain high-quality ideas, d) sharing and combining ideas, and constructing ideas based on those developed by other members of the group for producing new ideas. See: Osborne (1963), Rawlinson (1981), Chen (1998), Higgins (1996), European Commission (1998).See also Annex, Table 2: Brainstorming phases. A special type of brainstorming tool is PMI in which the participants are directed to brainstorm the Plus points, then the Minus points and finally the Interesting points (De Bono 1992, 1993). Related to brainstorming, which is characterised by verbal communication, is also the hand-written communication as a brain-writing technique. The process is that ideas generated by individuals are written down on a piece of paper, and then exchanged and combined with those of the other individuals in the group.Written ideas are circulated and read by the other participants in the group each of whom, in turn, write down new ideas. A variation of this hand-written communication is the 6-3-5 method in which each of the 6 participants in the group generates and writes 3 ideas related to the problem on a piece of paper in 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, each participant passes the piece of paper to the person on the right, who reads it and adds 3 new ideas in 5 minutes. The process continues until each participant gets the original piece of paper back (European Commission 1998).Electronic brainstorming is also a hand-written communication technique, which employ computerised programs to achieve brainstorming. Story boarding It is a creativity technique for strategic and scenario planning based on brainstorming and used mainly by groups. It requires a leader, a secretary and takes place in a group of 8-12 people. The leader arranges the ideas generated by brainstorming in a logical order on a white board creating a story. This technique allows identify the interconnections of ideas and how all the pieces fit to gether.It can be used to identify issues, problems, solve a complex problem and determine ways to implement solutions. The story boarding process includes four phases: a) planning, b) ideas, c) organisation and d) communication. Each phase includes a creative session (it takes 45 minutes) and a critical session, in which participants critique their story board. †¢ The planning phase begins with the problem definition or the issue being examined the topic header. Purpose header, a miscellaneous column and other, normally 1012, headers (column titles) are laced and brainstormed in order to give Ideas and then items, which are listed under the headers (the purpose header is listed first). †¢ The second phase – the ideas board, is to take one column from the planning board, which becomes the topic header and the items of that column become headers of new ideas. †¢ In the third phase – the organisation board, participants identify who is responsible for imple menting chosen solutions, what has to happen, and when. †¢ In the last phase – the communication board, participants identify who must communicate with for all of the events identified in the organisation board to take place.Through the process, visual graphics to summarise or present relevant points are presented by the leader. These might be strategic models, places or things (Higgins 1996). INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 9 Lotus Blossom This technique can also be used in scenario planning and is very useful for forecasting strategic scenarios. It is designed for groups and is used to provide a more in-depth look at various solutions to problems. It begins with a central core idea surrounded by eight empty boxes or circles. Using brainstorming, eight additional ideas (solutions or issues) are written in these boxes.In the next step, each of these eight ideas becomes the core of another set of eight surrounding empty boxes, which are filled in by new ideas using brainstorming. The process continues until a satisfactory solution or a sufficient number of ideas have emerged (Higgins 1996). See Annex, Figure 1: Lotus blossom sample. Checklists This creative technique is used mainly for product improvement or modification. It involves applying a series of words, verbs, adjectives or phrases contained in checklists or tables to an existing product or service or its attributes.Osborn’s Checklist is the best known and includes the verbs: put to other uses, adapt, modify, magnify, minify, substitute, rearrange, reverse and combine. Each verb contains also an expanded definition in the form of questions. For example, the description of the verb substitute is: Who else instead? What else instead? Other ingredient? Other material? Other process? Other power? Other place? Other approach? Other tone of voice? (Osborn 1963). The method is to apply each of the verbs and its expanded description to a product or service. See Annex:, Table 3: Os born’s checklist).Another checklist technique is Van Gundy’s PICL (product improvement checklist). Used in the same way as Osborn’s list, gives many options containing 792 words, both standard and unique, that can be applied to existing products or services, and 102 stimulation questions (Van Gundy 1988, 1993). Morphological Analysis This method is another product improvement technique, permitting the in-depth analysis of products or processes. It involves applying a set of words to an item another set of words. Normally, one set of words is verbs and the other set are attributes of the product.Another way is that one set of words would be components of the product (breaking the product down into its parts) and the other set of words would be alternative solutions. The method is to combine each word of one set with each word of the other set. These two sets of words result in a two-dimensional matrix. A three dimensional matrix can be created by adding a third l ist of factors. The difficulty of this technique is the large number of ideas deriving of the multiple combinations that can be made (Higgins 1996, European Commission 1998).Mapping Process The use of maps is particularly useful in strategic management thinking in organisations, helping to organise discontinuities, contradictions or differences, and bring pattern, order and sense to a confusing situation, acting as a spatial representation of a perspective. There are many forms of mapping, including computer-based tools to support mapping: †¢ Mind Mapping It is an individual brainstorming mapping technique designed by Tony Buzan. It begins with a central focal point, a problem, an object, a name or issue, written inINNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 10 the centre of a piece of paper with a circle around it. Each major facet of the problem or the solution to the problem originating from the central idea is then brainstorming in order to generate new ideas. Each of those ideas are then written on lines drowned outward from the circle. The next step is to brainstorm those ideas in order to identify issues related to the problem, or solutions that are written on smaller lines that are drowned on the prime lines forming a branch.Additional perspectives such as implementation factors or further definition of the solutions could go on those lines. One branch may also be chosen in order to develop a whole new mind map based on that branch. When a mind map is completed, its possible interrelations and possible multiple appearances of issues, and its overall meaning in the context of the problem must be examined (Buzan 1983). †¢ Mapping for generate collective creativity The use of maps to support collective creativity is a more complicate process.It is necessary to introduce appropriate maps into a suitable type of organisation that would preferably be one employing multidisciplinary teams. It is also important that the participants find the maps use ful for organising and planning their work. The mapping process usually involves three phases: 1st phase starts with a brainstorming exercise in order to initiate a discussion around the problem or the product. Normally, the participants are asked to mention all aspects they regard as relevant to the problem to be dealt with.During this process a large number of visual references are used to elicit the perspectives of the members with regard to the potential new concept. It is emphasised to the participants that the maps are intended to enrich the conversation, and should not be perceived as representations of the concept itself, but more as the semantic terrain or space, which covers all potential strategies. The knowledge elicited is discussed, and in about 2 hours is organised and structured by the participants into a map that intuitively understand.This map is the initial cognitive map, which describes all the problematic areas in brief outlines. In the 2nd phase of the process, which serves to expose the individual participants’ perspective both to themselves and to the other members of the group, the participants discuss the values that they associate with a very large range of objects and images. A number of these images are then selected that are considered to metaphorically represent potential aspects of the product strategy.In the 3rd phase, these images and appropriate annotations are arranged in a twodimensional space, positioning the images depending upon how the values of these objects relate to one another. In doing this, the group is mapping out a terrain constituted by the differences between the images, expressing the range of different product strategies open to the group (Fentem, Dumas & McDonnell 1998). For creating maps, many software applications are available (see further down in computer-based creativity techniques).The Excursion Technique Is a very useful technique for forcing a group to have new thought patterns to formulate s trategies. The process involves five steps (see Higgins 1996): In the 1st step – the excursion – the consultant asks participants to take an imaginary excursion to a physical location (a museum, a jungle, a city, another planet, etc. ), which INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 11 has nothing to do with the real problem. After the excursion each participant writes down 8-10 images, which he/she saw during the journey (things, people, places or items) in the 1st of 3 columns.In the 2nd step, the consultant asks participants to draw analogies or express relationships between what they saw on the excursion and the problem as defined, and to write them in the column 2 next to each of the items identified in the first column. In the 3rd step, participants are asked to determine what solutions to their problems are suggested by the analogies or the relationships in column 2, and write them in column 3 beside the items and analogies identified in the other columns. In the 4th step, participants share their xperiences from the excursion: what they saw, their analogies and their solutions. In the 5th step, as with brainstorming, participants may discuss on each other’s ideas. Eventually the leader helps the group come to a common solution or a set of solutions to the problem. Computer-based creativity techniques Computer-based supporting techniques to stimulate the human creative process have an immediate and pragmatic aim, which is the implementation of computational models (computer software) for generate and organise ideas for creative work.They are used more frequently in research planning, product design, knowledge acquisition, decisionmaking, motivation, etc. We can distinguish groups of computerised creativity techniques, such as AI models, Idea Processors systems and visualisation and graphical systems. AI (artificial intelligence) models of creativity AI deals with solving non-quantified, unstructured problems. Its task is about kn owledge representation and reasoning and to built intelligent, rational, and autonomous agents. Current AI models of creativity involve different types and appropriate techniques of supporting the generation of new ideas.According to Margaret Boden (1998), in respect to the three types of creativity, there are also three main types of computer models that involve: a) The stimulation of the combination of ideas, mainly by using analogies in the sense that associated ideas shares some inherent conceptual structure. b) The exploration of structured concepts, so that novel and unexpected ideas result. It requires considerable domain-expertise and analytical power to define the conceptual space and to specify procedures that enable its potential to be explored. ) The transformation of a problem, so that new structures can be generated which could not have arisen before. New solutions to a problem can be created with transforming a problem into a new problem, solve the new problem and the n adapting the solution back to the original problem. AI employs symbolic approaches for creative problem solving and includes stimulus such as heuristics, search, weak methods, knowledge representation and reasoning to facilitate problem structuring and idea generation. The focus of AI creativity techniques in the form of computerised programs, is to help users to take a fresh look at roblems by guiding what may be a user’s otherwise undisciplined intuition through a series of INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 12 problem-solving exercises, and to think in non-linear et non-logical ways. The main advantage of computerised, guided problem solving is that the programs prompt a user for ideas in a thorough manner. Recent programs of AI include also knowledge-based approaches, using large-scale databases and narrative systems (Chen 1998). AI researches have also developed efficient search algorithms for problem solving.Some AI programs of creativity are: – The Co pycat program that looks for analogies between alphabetic letter-strings (Hofstadter, FARG 1995, Mitchell 1993). – The EURISKO program a transformational system with also an exploratory process that can be applied to a wide range of domains. – The AARON program for exploring line drawing in particular styles and colouring (McCorduck 1991). – The BACON program of exploratory AI-creativity designed to model scientific discovery (Langley, Simon, Bradshaw and Zytkow 1987).Idea Processors software Idea processors have a close relationship with artificial intelligence and use many artificial intelligence techniques. Idea processors are normally software packages developed for personal computers or workstations. They are used for idea generation and organisation in some specific stages of problem solving acting as knowledge-support systems (Chen 1998). In order to assist the human thinking, idea processors usually perform extensive search in large databases, knowledge bases, or text bases. For many idea processors the electronic brainstorming is the most important technique to generate ideas.The use of computer programs helps to de-structure and then to restructure thinking in a different way. The Idea Generator Plus program provide seven components to the user, that permit to go through a step-by-step problem analysis and solution finding process: examine similar situations, examine metaphors, examine other perspectives, focus on goals, reverse the goals, focus on the people involved, and make the most of the ideas (Nirenberg 1985). In another program, the IdeaFisher, using hypertext databases from Fisher Idea Systems Inc. , all entries in the database are cross-referenced by concept and association.It uses a giant cross-referenced text base of words and phrases representing concepts and images enhanced by a series of questions (see also spatial hypertext systems). The program also allows to generate new ideas based on combination of words by cr eating a list of people, animals, verbs, adjectives and phrases that are associated with the combination of two words that a user choose. Some other programs related to an idea processor are: The Ideatree system with an exploratory focus, linking laterally or hierarchically concepts that exist into the idea-boxes of the program.The Emergent Media Environment (EME), an interactive computer system that integrates facilities for supporting the generation, collection, organisation and presentation of ideas and advises about the divergence and convergence of the ideas. The GENI (GENerating Ideas) experimental system incorporates a variety of techniques to assist in making different types of connections: internal connections (between elements of the focal problem itself) and external connections (between the focal problem and external factors). INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 13There are also many idea processors programmes available on the Internet (most of them are commercia l products) including the following: http:/ideaprocessor. citi. doc. ca http:/www. maxthink. com http:/www. ozemail. com. au http:/www. inspiration. com http:/www. signet. com. sg/axon2000 Visualisation and graphical systems Computer support methods, such as visualisation of data and graphical techniques for marking up visual phenomena and expressing knowledge about data in rule form, are also available. Visualisation of data and graphical techniques are very important to support creativity.They involve working with visual data such as images, drawings, sketches, diagrams, charts, graphs, graphical objects, that are specific to the domain, and they take the form of expressing ideas and concepts through sketching, annotation and examining multiple or alternative views of the same data, all of which varies according to the domain of interest. There are many such systems giving various opportunities to the users. A visualisation system, the Inspiration (from Inspiration Inc. ) provides a blank canvas in which the user can quickly record and arrange ideas as they occur and allows a visual approach to organising thoughts.The system can also change the relationship between ideas and connect related ideas by dragging kinks between them to create a graphical map of the users thinking. Another visualisation system is Axon 200 used for creating complex flowcharts or concept diagrams and describes how different factors or events influence each other. It uses checklists and visual attributes such as colour, shape, size, scale position, depth, link and icon. It also creates relationship diagrams, which allow the user to represent multiple relationships between various visual objects on the screen (Chen 1998).Visualisation systems are also very important in design such as the Speech Knowledge Interface (SKI) system that support rapid graphical interaction with visual images, the Vehicle Packager Knowledge Support System (VPKSS) that aids designers at the conceptual stage of the design process (Candy 1997). Spatial representation tools In relation with visualisation systems, there are also computer-based tools, such as computer-based information and communication systems, for supporting representations and creating cognitive maps in two-dimensional spaces.Some representations use a specific notation, others use spatial proximity to indicate the relationship between objects (usually words relating to concepts) in the spaces, and others, used in marketing and design departments called â€Å"mood boards†, use collections of images as metaphors that reflect the quality aspects of the product strategy (Fentem, Dumas and Mcdonnell 1998). †¢ Kelly Repertory Grid technique is a knowledge elicitation tool used in the marketing, management and expert systems development. It analyses data using principal components analysis (PCA) software and produces a map by plotting the INNOREGIO project Dr E. SefertziCREATIVITY 14 first two components. The map pro duces a spatial positioning of text with respect to dimensions that are significant or correspond to the personal constructs that the participant member uses to categorise and evaluate the world (Kelly 1955). An Internet version of this tool is Webgrid. Available at http://www. cpsc. ucalgary. ca/ †¢ Spatial Information Systems These systems have been designed to support creativity by mapping objects (concepts, text objects, design requirements and parameters) into two-dimensional spaces, using various combinations of ‘knowledge processing’ and multivariate statistical analysis techniques.Users can also select an area of this space and to create a new space by reprocessing using principal components analysis (PCA) only the data associated with the objects lying within this subspace (Fentem, Dumas and Mcdonnell 1998). For example, one of these systems searches research papers for the frequency of certain keywords and uses a type of PCA to analyse the results of this search and represent these keywords and the papers within a common twodimensional space (Sugimoto, Hori, Ohsuga 1996). Another system named En Passant 2 stores researcher’s notes and triggers to recall and to reconsider.The users can browse their notes and view relations among them interactively (Aihara, Hori 1998). Spatial hypertext systems These systems have been designed for the â€Å"exploration of alternative structures for content, and applications in which the domain structure is not well understood at the outset, or changes during the course of a task†. In spatial hypertext, the links between nodes are conveyed implicitly by arranging the nodes in the space. â€Å"Nodes appear in different contexts through multiple spatial references to the same underling content† (Marshall and Shipman 1995).The users are presented with a window that acts as a work- space in which they organise their material. The nodes arranged in the space represent links to familiar objects such as documents, images, comments, and links to WWW hypertext pages, plus more unique structures known as ‘composites’ and ‘collections’. Marshall and Shipman’s VIKI spatial hypertext system, for example, was designed to support new product development, helping teams to make sense of the many diverse kinds of business-related material relevant to the new product, by assisting them in arranging it spatially. †¢ 4BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES (1) Aihara, K. , Hori, K. (1998), â€Å"Enhancing creativity through reorganising mental space concealed in a research notes stack†, Knowledge-Based Systems, No. 11, pp. 469-478. Arlington, S. (1997), â€Å"Accelerating drug discovery: creating the right environment†, Drug Discovery Today, Vol. 2, No. 12, pp. 547-553. Boden, M. A. (1998), â€Å"Creativity and artificial intelligence†, Artificial Intelligence, No. 103, pp. 347-356. Bullinger, H. J. (1999), â€Å"Turbulent times requi re creative thinking: new European concepts in production management†, Int. J. Production Economics, No. 0-81, pp. 9-27. Buzan, T. (1983) Use Both Sides of Your Brain, Dutton, New York. (2) (3) (4) (5) INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 15 (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) (11) (12) (13) (14) (15) Candy, L. (1997), â€Å"Computers and creativity support: knowledge, visualisation and collaboration†, Knowledge-Based Systems, No. 10, pp. 3-13. Chen, Z. (1998), â€Å"Toward a better understanding of idea processors†, Information and Software Technology, No. 40, pp. 541-553. De Bono, E. (1992), Serious Creativity, Harper Collins, London. De Bono, E. (1993), De Bono’s Thinking Course, Facts and on File, New York. t ogilvie (1998), â€Å"Creative action as a dynamic strategy: using imagination to improve strategic solutions in unstable environments†, Journal of Business Research, No. 41, pp. 49-56. European Commission (1998), Innovation Management Techniques i n Operation, European Commission, Luxembourg. Fentem, A. C. , Dumas, A. , McDonnell, J. (1998), Knowledge-Based Systems, No. 11, pp. 417-428. Hall, D. J. (1996), â€Å"The role of creativity within best practice manufacturing†, Technovation, Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 115-121. Higgins, J. M. (1996), â€Å"Innovate or evaporate: creative techniques for strategists†, Long Range Planning, Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 370-380. Higgins, J. M. (1994), 101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques: the Handbook of New Ideas for Business, The New Management Publishing Company, Florida. (16) Higgins, L. F. (1999), â€Å"Applying principles of creativity management to marketing research efforts in high-technology markets†, Industrial Marketing Management, No. 28, pp. 305-317. (17) Hofstadter, D. R. , FARG (1995), Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought, Basic Books, New York. (18) Kelly, G. A. (1955), The Psychology of Personal Constructs, Norton. (19) Langley, P. , Simon, H.A. , Bradshaw, G. L. and Zytkow, J. M. (1987), Scientific Discovery: Computational Explorations of the Creative Process, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. (20) McCorduck, P. (1991), Aaron’s Code, W. H. Freeman, San Francisco, CA. (21) Mansfield, R. S. , Busse, T. V. and Krepelka, E. G. (1978), â€Å"The effectiveness of creative training† Review of Educational Research, Vol. 48, No 4, pp. 517-536. (22) Marshall, C. C. , Shipman, F. M. (1995), â€Å"Spatial hypertext: designing for change†, Communication of the ACM, Vol. 38, No. 8, pp. 88-97. (23) Miller, W. (1986), The Creative Edge, Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA. (24) Mitchell, M. 1993), Analogy-Making as Perception, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. (25) Newell, A. and Shaw, J. C. (1972), â€Å"The process of creative thinking†, in A. Newell and H. A. Simon (eds), Human Problem Solving, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, pp. 144-174. (26) Nirenberg, G. (1985), The Idea Generator, Ex perience in Software, Berkeley, CA. (27) Osborne, A. F. (1963), Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Thinking, 3rd ed. , Scribner, New York. (28) Parnes, S. J. and Brunelle, E. A. (1967), â€Å"The literature of creativity†, Journal of Creative Behavior, Vol. 1, No 1, pp. 52-104. (29) Rose, L. H. and Lin, H. T. 1984), â€Å"A meta-analysis of long-term creativity training programs†, Journal of Creative Behavior, Vol. 18, No 1, pp. 11-22. (30) Rawlinson, J. G. (1981) Creative Thinking and Brainstorming, Gower, UK. (31) Schlange, L. E. , and Juttner, U. (1997), â€Å"Helping managers to identify the key strategic issues†, Long Range Planning, Vol. 30, No. 5, pp. 777-786. INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 16 (32) Sugimoto, M. , Hori, K. , Ohsuga, S. (1996) â€Å"A system to visualise different viewpoints for supporting researches’ creativity†, Knowledge-Based Systems, No. 9, pp. 369-376. (33) Taylor, C. W. (1972), †Å"Can organisations be creative, too? , in C. W. Taylor (ed. ), Climates for Creativity, Pergamon Press, New York, pp. 1-15. (34) Van Gundy, Jr. A. B. (1988), â€Å"Product improvement check list†, New Product Development Newsletter, New Jersay. (35) Van Gundy, A. B. Jr. (1993), Techniques of Structured Problem Solving, Chapman & Hall, London. INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 17 Annexes Table 1: Stimulus to extend perspectives to approach a problem †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ List the elements that would bring on success. List the elements that we visualise as failure. Visualise success seen from the viewpoint of fifty years from now.Visualise success seen from the perspective of one hundred years ago. Look for impossible and desirable ideas. Create analogies with other things that have been successful. Imagine and write down ideas that are wild, illegal, crazy, etc. Insert the problem from its present scenario to a totally different scenario. Return from the fantasy scenario to the present scenario and try to associate the ideas generated in the fantasy scenario, with ideas that might apply to the real problem. Imagine what people we admire would say. Search for pairs of ideas that are apparently unconnected and that can be associated by a third.Imagine that everything exists and all we have to do is find it. Change the level on which the problem is approached. Source: European Commission, Innovation Management Techniques in Operation, European Commission, DG XIII, Luxembourg, 1998. Table 2: Brainstorming Phases Phase Orientation Preparation Warm-up Production of ideas Application Define the problem to be studied for the participants, clarify the rules of the game. Gather data and information necessary to approach the problem in an efficient manner. Carry -out the exercise: redefine a problem different from the one to be studied, experiment with it for a few minutes. Generate the maximum of ideas without prior judgement – always ask â€Å"what else† – quantity of ideas is quality – no limits – no criticise – modify other’s ideas to produce new ones. Let the subconscious work. Gather the ideas generated – analyse them – work with logical thinking. Evaluate the ideas gathered and analysed – develop and combine them before proceeding to put them in practice. Incubation Syntheses Evaluation Source: European Commission, Innovation Management Techniques in Operation, European Commission, DG XIII, Luxembourg, 1998. INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 18 Table 3: Osborn’s Checklist Question Put to other uses?Adapt? Description New ways to use as is? Other uses if modified? What else is like this? What other idea does this suggest? Does past offer parallel? What could I copy? Whom could I emulate? New twist? Change meaning, colour, motion, sound, odour, form, shape? Othe r changes? What to add? More time? Greater frequency? Stronger? Higher? Longer? Thicker? Extra value? Plus ingredient? Duplicate? Multiply? Exaggerate? What to subtract? Smaller? Condensed? Miniature? Lower? Shorter? Lighter? Omit? Streamline? Split up? Understate? Who else instead? What else instead? Other ingredient? Other Material? Other process? Other power?Other place? Other approach? Other tone of voice? Interchange components? Other pattern? Other layout? Other sequence? Transpose cause and effect? Change pace? Change schedule? Transpose positive and negative? How about opposites? Turn it backward? Turn it upside down? Reverse role? Change shoes? Turn tables? Turn other cheek? How about a blend, an alloy, an assortment, an ensemble? Combine units? Combine purposes? Combine appeals? Combine ideas? Modify? Magnify? Minify? Substitute? Rearrange? Reverse? Combine? Source: J. M. Higgins, â€Å"Innovate or evaporate: creative techniques for strategists†, Long Range Planning , Vol. 9, No 3, pp. 370-380, 1996 (reprinted from Alex Osborn, Applied Imagination, Charles Scribner’s & Sons, Inc. , New York). Figure 1: Lotus blossom sample INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi CREATIVITY 19 1 by packaging 4 smaller / bigger 6 other material 2 by design A product differenti ation 7 change color 3 other uses 5 plus ingredient 8 change meaning A product differentiati on D lower cost F supply flexibility B product quality core idea: increase product consumption G product credibility C customer needs E service quality H competitors product strategies B C D E F G H INNOREGIO project Dr E. Sefertzi

Review of Related Literature and Studies Essay

The importance of the business educators is increasing as the business world becomes more complex. Through this program, the students are educated to become skilled individuals who can contribute meaningfully to the overall effectiveness in an office setting, teaching and learning in schools. According to Hornby (2006) he says, â€Å"Curriculum is a subject that is included in a course of study or taught in a school, college, etc.† On the other hand, Uwaifo (2006) stated that a close look at the current Vocational and Technical Education curriculum generally reveals some problems that border on inadequate course content. Uhumuavbi and Ebhomhen (2006) in their own vain statement, they said that irrespective of the level of education and training given during the pre-colonial days in Africa, it was functional because the curriculum was relevant to the needs of the society. Unemployment if it existed, at all was minimal and very few young men roamed the villages and towns with nothing to do. According to Snyder (2008), a flexible curriculum is important because there is no single curricular path to career success. We are giving students more flexibility; this is not a radical departure from our curriculum. While Robert and Booth (2008) stated that the curriculum changes allow students to increase the intensity of their studies. According to Hasan (2001) the current status of the Indonesians educational system is somehow affected by current academic performance, curriculum, and quality of teachers and level of education. The policy directions for curriculum development were very positive and there was a lot of challenge for the Ministry of National Education to follow-up in the implementation of policies formulated, design a curriculum that includes technological system and information system to uplift the academic  performance in every level of education. Updating of the physical facilities is needed to improve teaching and learning process. Wagan (2001) stressed that continuous evaluation of the school curriculum should not be overlooked. Time and development in the business call for change and modification. The suggestions of graduates maybe a rich source of information for authorities, curriculum makers and in-service training program coordinates for materials that need emphasis and innovations. The National Association for Business Teacher Education (NABTE) is the institutional division of NBEA. The primary purpose of the organization is to promote business teacher education by providing national leadership and services to its member institutions and business teacher educators. Membership is open only to such colleges and universities that offer business teacher education curriculums approved by their respective State Departments of Education for the certification of business teachers. NABTE highlighted the importance of professional development in its publication, Business Teacher Education Curriculum Guide & Program Standards (2011). It emphasizes that business teacher educators should be involved in continual professional development activities and highlighted the importance of the course itself for future reference. The education paradigm emphasized during the early part of the 21st Century clearly called for an emphasis on basic skills (No Child Left Behind, 2001). The term â€Å"basic skill† is widely recognized as skill in reading, writing, or math. In fact, the United States national assessment of educational achievement assesses students in two basic skill areas: mathematics and reading. The term reading refers to the ability of a subject to phonemically announce and comprehend written or symbolic material. A licensed teacher is even highly regarded, according to the No Child Left Behind Act 2001, â€Å"highly qualified means that teachers have passed the teacher licensing examination.† (Tileston, 2004, p. 8). Foreign Studies Earlier research studies into the professional development needs of business teacher educators felt they needed more preparation in the development of new teaching methods; it seemed to echo the same perception of practicing business teachers (Polkinghorne, 2006). As a result, Boatright (2005) reported that all teachers must receive â€Å"adequate preparation† to work with  an â€Å"integrated curriculum†. Most teacher education programs use students’ grade point average (GPA) as a criterion for admission (Mikotovics & Crehan, 2002). Some programs combine GPA with ratings of a written profile, which requires applicants to describe relevant experiences and why they are interested in teaching or with letters of reference (Caskey, Peterson, & Temple, 2001) or with ratings of applicants’ performance in an interview (Denner, Salzman, & Newsome, 2001). In the United States, standardized test results are commonly used. Results from specific pre-requisite education courses also may be utilized. Finally, for applicants intending to become high school teachers, most consecutive programs require university-level coursework in the subject areas to be taught. Grade Point Average. GPA is the most widely used criterion for admission to teacher education programs (Lawrence & Crehan, 2001; Mikitovics & Crehan, 2002). It is generally believed to measure academic ability and so is thought to predict success in the instructional parts of the programs. However, a more important reason for its popularity as a criterion is likely its ready availability from students’ transcripts and its use by other advanced degree programs. Written Profile. The second most widely used criterion for entrance into teacher education programs is an applicant profile, typically consisting of written responses to specific questions about relevant experiences and interest in teaching. Such a profile includes much of the same information that could be elicited in an individual interview. The responses may be reviewed by the teacher education program for evidence of appropriate preparation and genuine interest and for evidence of unsuitability for teaching (Caskey, Peterson & Temple, 2001). In Ontario, all but one teacher education program uses some form of profile or essay response for screening applicants (Teacher Education Application Services, TEAS, 2004). Interview. The interview provides a unique opportunity for the teacher education program to gather information about an applicant’s language proficiency, attitudes, and interpersonal skills, in addition to information similar to that which could be gleaned from a written profile (Denner et. al., 2001). Interview ratings have also been found to be of limited value for predicting student teaching performance (Byrnes et. al., 2000; Caskey et. al., 2001; Denner et. al., 2001). However, they found that ratings of applicants’ performance in a  group interview predicted student teaching performance and that this type of interview was a better predictor than academic criteria. More recently, Byrnes, Kiger, and Shechtman (2000) studied 65 pre-service teachers, comparing their university supervisors’ and supervising teachers’ ratings of their student teaching performance with their ratings from a group interview intended to assess applicants’ verbal, interpersonal, and leadership skills. The group interview ratings added significantly to the prediction of the university supervisors’ ratings of the pre-service teachers’ student teaching performance, after controlling for the contributions of GPA and ACT test scores, but not to the prediction of the supervising teachers’ ratings. Standardized Tests. Many teacher education programs in the U.S. use results from standardized tests in their selection processes. For example, 28 states and the District of Columbia require applicants to pass the Praxis I: Pre Professional Skills Assessments (Educational Testing Service, 2006), which tests basic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics knowledge. There does not appear to be a consistent protocol for the use of or selection of standardized tests in the United States, and none are used in Canada as the mandate for Education falls under the jurisdiction of provincial governments. Courses in Subject Area. Applicants for consecutive programs who wish to train to be elementary school teachers are often assumed to have adequate subject matter knowledge if they have a Bachelor’s degree (although some programs will require them to also pass tests of reading, writing, and mathematics). Applicants for preparation as high school teachers, however, typically must provide proof of adequate knowledge of the subject areas they intend to teach. Often, this requirement is met by providing a university transcript showing completion of the required numbers of courses in the specialization areas. More recently, Stotsky (2006) has suggested that the content of the course should be considered and that university academic departments should be held responsible for the content knowledge of elementary and high school teachers in their disciplines. Overall Success in a Teacher Education Program. A few studies have examined the ability of admission criteria to predict overall success in a teacher education program. Caskey, Peterson, and Temple (2001), for example, analyzed the admission data for 82 applicants who were subsequently admitted to a one-year consecutive teacher education program. They found  that ratings of reference letters and a writing test score were most highly correlated with overall program performance. The correlation has the GPA of: 11 with personal statements, 16 with the performance of problem-solving by group, and with a holistic rating of completion application with .03 GPA. Together, the six admission criteria accounted for 38% of the variance in program performance. Hamel and Merz (2005) indicated the potential positive impact on student achievement emphasized through legislation seemed â€Å"reasonable enough† (p. 158). In fact, they indicated that teacher education institutions should work with federal policy makers to find the best way to improve student achievement. A myriad of social science researchers indicated subject-matter knowledge is an important component of effective teaching (Draper, 2008; Kehe, 2003; Stone et. al., 2008). A teacher’s ability to contextualize abstract content-knowledge to authentic learning opportunities is essential to the student’s ability to retain and apply knowledge to unique situations. Contextualizing subject-matter knowledge in social context is supported in both content area reading and cognitive research. Early content area reading research focused on students’ ability to pronounce written materials. To achieve this, according to the National Policy on Education (2004), computer education was integrated into the primary school curriculum, a welcome development but sad to note that subjects like shorthand, typewriting, commerce, and book-keeping are integrated together to form business studies thereby losing their original identity. Local Literature In the growing demands of today’s modern world one should be aware of the striking challenges and complexities of life today. Being aware of these things can do a big contribution in terms of the development of the society as well as the citizen of the society. The test of the greatness of a nation lies on the quality of education of its people. Thus, education plays a vital role in developing and producing locally and globally competitive citizens. On the other hand, if Business Teacher Education program are aiming for quality education and successful teachers, they should consider the effectiveness of the courses and programs being offered as well as the competencies of the teachers in transferring the knowledge and skills to the  future educators of the country. While various schools and other institutions offering business teacher education are having difficulties on improving the performance rating of the graduates in the licensure examination for teachers, it is very interesting to know the admission policies of the schools and the quality of the business teacher education program in producing competitive educators of the country. On the article of Vea Reynaldo (2009) discussing about the World education news and reviews, she made mention about the Philippine educational system. She said that entrance to universities and other institutions of higher education is dependent on the possession of a high school Certificate of Graduation and in some cases on the results of the National Career Assessment Examination (NCAE), or in many colleges and universities the results of their own entrance examinations. The NCAE is administered to fourth-year high school students to gauge the quality of the individual institutions they are attending, it was not designed or intended as an admission test, but has nonetheless served that purpose for some institutions and helps students to choose their career paths. Privately administered testing programs through the Center for Educational Measurement (CEP) are also widely used by colleges for admissions purposes. The two most common ones are the College Scholastic Aptitude Test (CSAT) and the Admission Test for Colleges and Universities (ATCU). The Philippine Education Placement Test (PEPT) is a national examination designed to evaluate the grade level of students returning to the school system or seeking admission to college based on knowledge and skills gained through formal and non-formal methods. Paredes (2000) states that the task of universities, colleges, and other educational institutions engaged in teacher education is to produce teachers whose preparation allow them to possess not only a high degree of technical skills and a thorough education underlying the practice of teaching, but also to become persons qualified to assume the responsibilities of educational leadership in the communities in which they will work. Enriquez, (2000) gives importance on accepting students engaged in Teacher Education Program who would unselfishly devote their lives to the noble task of teaching, which the researchers think will do a great help in producing competent teachers that will help students to  become a productive citizen of the country. The admission policy at Polytechnic University of the Philippines on the year on school year 2011-2012 is on a FIRST-COME-FIRST-SERVED basis subject to the availability of slots. In addition to the general criteria set by the University, admission to an academic program depends on the satisfaction of the specific criteria such as PUPCET Score, High School General Weighted Average and High School final rating requirement in selected HS subjects.) In the College of Education, the specific criteria in admitting aspiring students should have a minimum PUPCET score of 99, on the high school general weighted average their minimum requirement is 82% and the final rating in the English subject should be 82%. The students should pass also in the final interview to be admitted at the College of Education. According to Basaen, et. al. (2005), he wrote about the results of licensure examinations have become measures of the quality of instruction, faculty, and students. Accrediting agencies as well as C.H.E.D. have used government board examination results as gauge in granting schools the university status, center of development, and center of excellence. Moreover, on the results of the licensure examination for teachers at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines from the year 2008-2013 the researchers had gathered. It had been showed from year 2008 that overall results were 63%, wherein 91 out of 144 passed the examination. While on the year 2009, the overall results were 56% wherein 267 out of 479 had passed. On the year 2010 there are 141 who passed out of 359 examinees equivalent to 39.25%. While on the year 2011, the overall results were 40.86 wherein 143 had passed out of 350. On the other hand, on year 2012 the overall results was 72.69% where in 330 out of 454 had passed the examination. Lastly, on the current year 2013, the results decreased from 72.69% to 60.33% wherein 146 had passed out of 242. Thus, there is varying results on the performance rating of the students at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines. It only goes to show that there is still a need of an improvement. Local Studies Licensure examination is a scholastic aptitude test designed to measure some intellectual abilities and skills and that will serve as a requirement for eligibility in the teaching profession. It is the last hurdle that a  candidate must face to acquire a license to work. A board has the ultimate responsibility to ensure that the examination meets the technical, professional, and legal standards, and protects the health, safety, and welfare of the public by assessing candidates’ abilities to practice competently in their chosen field. According to Ornstein and Levine (2006, p. 28) licensure and testing for teachers is one of the steps that improves public confidence in the teacher workplace. Panawidan (2000) found in her study of The Status of the Teacher Education Program of Higher Education Institutions in Region XII that the enrolment in Teacher Education was relatively high compared to other disciplines. She said that teacher education programs are found to be oversubscribed including courses in Business Education, Humanities, Social Sciences and Communication. There seemed to be resurgence in the demand for teachers here and abroad. She also said that teacher education program was well implemented by majority of the teacher education institutions because of compliance to CHED requirements. In addition, results showed that there were more LET passers in the elementary level than in the secondary level. There are several factors which could influence the performance of higher education institutions that are offering teacher education program. According to Tan C (2006) in her study of the Factors influencing the performance of teacher education program in selected state universities and colleges in Region IV-A, some faculty-related factors and dean-related factors influenced the performance of teacher education programs in terms of passing rate in the LET and employment rate of graduates. Supervision of the deans indicated by the dean’s activities towards the improvement of classroom instruction and dean’s supervisory practices for the development of better school and community relationship had significant and positive effect on the passing rate. The more often the deans did such activities, the higher was the passing rate in the LET. Another factor was the school climate since a good school climate results to higher passing rate in the LET, although this condition had a negative influence on the employment rate. The dean’s longer years of teaching resulted to lower passing rate in the LET but the dean’s education attainment positively influenced the employment of the graduates. Layba (2003) conducted his study on Evaluation  of the Quality Teacher Education Program in Higher Education Institutions in the Province of Laguna which consisted of 13 privates and public tertiary schools for school year 2002-2003. In his study, the researcher involves the administrators and teachers of selected tertiary schools as respondents. The results revealed several strengths and weaknesses of the education program among school respondents. According to Limo (2010) on his study about the Need-based Reviewer in Technology and Livelihood Education for the licensure examination for teachers, it is concluded that the reviewer in T.L.E. is a useful materials in preparing education graduates whose major are technology and livelihood education to take the LET. LET-T.L.E reviewer prepares graduates in the LET in the different components they are not trained in. It has a content update in each component or practice test items that guide the target user on how to identify the correct answer. Moreover, the reviewer was found highly valid as to objectives, contents, instructional materials and practice test items; hence they are expected to be able to assist the TLE graduates to pass the LET. Valenton and Dela Cruz (2007) found on their study about The â€Å"Performance in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) of Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Technology and Home Economics Graduates at Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology†, the batch passing rates of LET takers from 2003-2006 were all lower than 30%. Also, the LET takers had a satisfactory performance only in the Field of Specialization and did not perform well in the General Education and Professional Subjects. It might be implied that the BSE Graduates major in T.H.E. did not perform well the LET given in years 2004 to 2006. BIBLIOGRAPHY FOREIGN LITERATURE Books Delta State University (2006). â€Å"Business Education Unit Academic Programme for B.S. Degree in Business Education.† Abraka, Delsu. Thesis F.O. Ohiwerei and N. Azih (2010). â€Å"Comparative Programmes of Business Education In Nigerian Universities (A Case Study of Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma and Delta State University, Abraka)†. Polkinghorne, Frederick William (2009). â€Å"Reading Skill Integration in High School Business Courses: Perceptions of Business Teacher Educators in the United States† Journal Casey, Catherine E. et. al. (2007). â€Å"Teacher Education Program Admission Criteria and What Beginning Teachers Need to know to be Successful Teachers†. Webliography National Association for Business Teacher Education 2011, http://www.nabte.org/ http://www.nbea.org/newsite/curriculum/standards/ Red River College and the University of Winnipeg, http://me.rrc.mb.ca/Catalogue/ProgramInfo.aspx?RegionCode=WPG&ProgCode=BUSHF-DP Proquest, LLC, http://udini.proquest.com/view/reading-skill-integration-in-high-pqid:1879088921/ LOCAL LITERATURE Theses Paredes Enriquez Caseldo, Dante L. (2008). â€Å"Academic predictors of the licensure examination for teachers performance of the University of the Cordilleras BSED-MATH Graduates.† Webliogragphy Nick Clark, http://www.wes.org/ewenr/09jan/practical.htm LOCAL STUDIES Thesis Limo, Mark Raguindin (2010). â€Å"Need-Based Reviewer in Technology and Livelihood Education for the Licensure Exam for Teachers†. Valenton et. al. (2007). â€Å"Performance in the Licensure Examination for Teachers (LET) of Bachelor of Secondary Education Major in Technology and Home Economics Graduates at Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology† Umali, Severino E. (2009). â€Å"An Evaluation of Technology and Livelihood Education Program among Selected Secondary Schools in the National Capital Region (NCR)† Pajarillo, Marcela Bartolome (2012). â€Å"Evaluation of Private Higher Education Institutions in Bicol Region Based on Baldrige Education Criteria for Performance Excellence: Basis for Planning Institutional Improvement† Webliogragphy Hanz, http://www.dearhq.org/licensure_examination.htm/August2008

Auditing of Havelock Company Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Auditing of Havelock Company - Research Paper Example The company might be interested in recording such expenses in administrative costs of the company rather than inventory. This will help Havelock achieve the increase in loss and thus claiming tax refunds. Havelock might not be interested in paying taxes to improve its cash flows. Havelock operates in a dynamic industry, which comprises of retail customers as well (Havelock Europa, 2012d). The choices and demands from the customers change very often which may lead to a decline in NRV of the inventory. There is a risk that Havelock may ignore to lower down its inventory valuation to NRV. Though the current ratio of Havelock is 1.4, it is facing liquidity pressures. Payments to the suppliers have also been delayed. The average period of payment to the vendor is 52 days as compared to 36 in 2011 (Havelock Europa, 2012b). The company is under pressure to meet the tough deadlines of the financers on a quarterly basis. In case, it does not pay the interest and principal due, the bank would be entitled to the whole of the principal repayment on an immediate basis (Havelock Europa, 2012e). Due to such pressures, the company has not announced any dividend payments. Amounts on charities have also decreased from  £ 900,000 in 2012 as compared to  £2,443,000 in 2011 (Havelock Europa, 2012b). The company has resorted to additional overdraft facilities in order to meet its liquidity requirements. More credit facilities have been opted for by Havelock (Havelock Europa, 2012d). The fact that the company will increase its production is still remote. It has just entered into an agreement with HP financers to purchase a new plant, which will increase its production by 50% (Havelock Europa, 2012a).  

The Cost of Benefiting From Corporate Social Responsibility Essay

The Cost of Benefiting From Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example Because the field is a relatively new effort by business and the effects of their actions are so far reaching, it is necessary to quantify what benefits a company derives from CSR as well as demonstrate to the public the benefit that society gains from it. The cost of CSR, sometimes met with a negative response, needs to be examined with an understanding that the benefits in some cases may be mutual and what may be good for society may also be good for business. Measuring the benefit that CSR has to a company has been complicated by the reluctance of business to embrace the concept and provide reasonable reports and audits. A forthcoming report from St. Andrews University contends that less than 4% of the world's major corporations produce CSR reports, and the results have been characterised by Rob Gray, professor from St. Andrews, as, "at best useless and at worst highly misleading" (qtd. in Edwards, 2006). There are, however, some economic indicators that can be used when comparing companies that have a strong CSR reputation to those that do not. Profits, revenues, customer loyalty, market response, worker safety, and legal liabilities can be examined for the impact they have on a business. Societal benefits that arise from worker and product safety, a clean environment, and ethical practices are readily apparent. However, more intangible benefits may not be as readily quantified, but may be reflected in better company reputation, brand l oyalty, and public perception. When measuring CSR as an overall effect on a company, there is some correlation between good company citizenship and lower profitability. Indicators that can be measured indicate an overall negative effect on top CSR companies and their annual net income growth (Laffer, Coors, & Winegarden, 2004, pg. 5). It may be misleading to infer that market leaders also have the most ambitious CSR programs, for as Laffer, Coors, and Winegarden, 2004, conclude, "It is likely, therefore, that the businesses that are inclined to engage in CSR initiatives tend to be those that are already financially successful and that can afford the added CSR overhead" (pg. 6). Short-term benefits from CSR that are realised by society may take place at the expense of a company's core mission of generating profits. However, when CSR traits are examined on an individual basis, the results may reveal benefits for both the company and society. Worker safety is a paramount consideration for a company with strong CSR traits. The demand of a safe workplace is a mainstay of worker advocates and has, in many cases, been forced upon business through increased regulation. Workers have benefited greatly from these actions as the work environment continues to improve. But has business also reaped rewards from investments in safety Or has safety had a negative effect on profit Alcoa, the world's largest aluminium producer, made a strong commitment to safety in 1987. Since then its accident rate has fallen by 90% and is 10 times better than its industry peers (Jackson & Nelson, 2004). During this same period, Alcoa has been able to outpace the industry and its nearest competitor, Alcan, in both revenue and profitability. Safety contributes to profitability through a

USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere (War of 1812) Research Paper

USS Constitution vs HMS Guerriere (War of 1812) - Research Paper Example Secondly, an overview of both ships shall then be presented. Lastly, this paper will establish a critical analysis of the battle in the larger context of the war. Concluding remarks shall end this discussion. This paper is being carried out in order to establish a more thorough and critical understanding of the clash between the two aforementioned ships, including their place in the momentous War of 1812. Body War of 1812 The War of 1812 is considered a war between the US and Britain. The US declared war against Britain for many reasons, mostly related to the trade restrictions which Britain imposed on the US as an offshoot of its war with France1. The US was also declaring its protest against Britain for the latter’s practice in the impressment (seizing sailors into public service) of American sailors into its own navy. Britain was also supporting American Indians on their actions against American expansion2. The US was also outraged over the insults on its national identity following its humiliation on the high seas, and lastly, the war was also said to be brought on by the American desire to conquer Canada3. Initially, Britain employed defensive tactics on Upper and Lower Canada in an attempt to push back invading American troops. However, American troops soon successfully annexed Lake Erie in 1813, going on to control parts of Western Ontario, thereby ending any hope of an Indian confederacy and an Independent Indian country under British protection4. General Andrew Jackson was also able to overwhelm military troops of the Creek nation in 1814. When Napoleon was defeated in 1814, however, Britain employed more aggressive tactics, and deployed more invasion troops5. Soon after, British victories were seen, resulting in the capture and destruction of Washington, D.C. American troops were nevertheless able to push back British troops out of New York, Baltimore, and New Orleans. The war was fought at sea through British and American warships and through privateers who then proceeded to attack the merchant ships for either side6. Britain also implemented a blockade of the Atlantic coast of the US, thereby launching raids during the late stages of the war. American victories at sea were mostly single ship battles and battles against Britain provincial ships on the Great Lakes7. The land and the sea battles were seen on the frontier, covering the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence River. In the South and Gulf coasts, major skirmishes between the battling parties were seen, and the US troops successfully pushed out the British forces at New Orleans8. Invasions of each other’s territories were rampant throughout the war however, most of these invasions were temporary as neither side was able to establish more permanent annexations. By the end of the war, both sides were able to conquer each other’s territories9. In the end, the Treaty of Ghent restored the territories of either party. USS Constitution The USS Constitution was a battle ship of the US Navy. It was wooden-hulled and was a three-masted heavy frigate dubbed by President George Washington after the US Constitution10. It was also the world’s oldest commissioned naval ship. In 1797, the USS Constitution began its journey, joining six original frigates constructed under mandate from the Naval Act of 179411. It was built in Boston and her initial functions as a

Was President Eisenhower better prepared to make decisions about the Essay

Was President Eisenhower better prepared to make decisions about the developing intelligence community than most other presidents - Essay Example President Eisenhower was a good consumer. In relation to the intelligence data work; he could prefer to gather the information from the normal citizens rather than depending on the material gathered by daily reports, which he believed, had its errors in reporting. As a manger, he delivered outstanding views in regards to his management hence protecting national resources as well. During world cold war era, he was able to deliver and discuss the idea of producing a brief, all-source, daily current intelligence publication exclusively for the President During the world war two, Marine Corps developed and deployed Navajo Code Talker Program that was used to encode, transmit, and decode English messages that were delivered into complex languages. The machines were developed with encryption method that enabled successful transmission of communication within the corps. However, President Eisenhower used to read all his reports from separate reports originating from CIA, State, Defense, and joint chiefs rather than daily reports, which he believed that he was able to gather cognitive information at

Development of Adult Education Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Development of Adult Education - Research Paper Example Development of Adult Education He defined that educational learning that is reflective in nature was better obtained through meaningful experiments. On the other hand, the development psychology theory defines that adult are psychologically not the same to normal post-adolescent college students. Therefore, it is pertinent that the theories of Erikson, Havighurst, Kolhberg, Gilligan, Magolda and Bronfenbrenner be taken into consideration while dealing with adults. Ultimately, the theory of critical learning has it that sociological analysis of education holds that learning institutions are considered hazardous to the social life of individuals. Most of the people who go to school usually end up oppressed, and this is worsened in the case of an adult amidst teenagers. In this process, the adult are tough so that they may bring new changes to the society through a transformational model engineered by Lindeman. The above three theories explained are crucial in the process of understanding adult development. Based on cross theory, adult learners employ both formal and informal system of learning, in which they face serious predicaments. These issues are usually addressed by the CAL model, which is essential in linguistics. It has also been identified that dealing with adults largely depends how they passed the eight psychological stages of development proposed by Erikson (44). According to him, all the stages are crucial since they either impact an individual positively or negatively. The 8 stages range from toddler to late adulthood. Say during the life course of an individual, school age, one underwent an extremely hard time making him or she ingrains a negative attitude in oneself on education. For such a person, it will be hard for him, or her, to successfully undergo adulthood education. This is because the individual will continue suffering the effects of what he or she pass, anytime t he word education comes across. This will not be the case for an individual who never had problems during school age; he or she will be ready to learn because he has a positive attitude toward education. For adults to learn appropriately, a rather close relationship should be developed between them and their teachers. Through this, they will be able to share different experiences that they underwent through their learning process. This will make it easier for the teacher to assist them whenever necessary. Both teachers and learners should understand that, for the process of learning to be successful, a proper balancing between the needs for the learner and that of the learning process should be balanced appropriately. The famous Pedagogy wrote by Freire had it that there should be a mutual relationship between student, teacher and the society. In the light to the above ideology, it was discovered that since the oppression in schools is majorly contribute by teachers, thy also have t he power to make schools a better place. With the creation of a conducive atmosphere, many adult and normal students will find it easy to learn, since there will be better co-operation. With reference to the theory of experimental learning, it has been noted by Fosnot that people get to gain

Becoming a soccer fan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Becoming a soccer fan - Essay Example My team members and I were the main characters. The time of event was in my 4th grade days. i. Background and Setting This is where I introduce my thesis statement. I shall introduce how the whole story, which centers on how the impact of my role model and a victory in a street soccer competition started. BODY This part of the essay unfurls the main events that happened in the essay. In this case, the essay is a flashback narration of a particular moment of my life. The brief of the story is the victory my soccer team won in a street soccer competition and how I related the victory to the story of my role model and ever since developed strong passion for soccer with anticipation to becoming like my role model on day. I have divided the body of the essay into three sub-sections as detailed below ii. The Story of my Role Model I shall present how I was fortunate to tune in to a TV station one day to see my role model being interviewed and the story he shared in the interview. iii. Prep aration for the Competition I shall talk about a hitch that hit the team in the midst of our preparation. The strange replacement for our captain who was me. iv. The competition and Victory I shall talk about how the competition got under way. How my team surprisingly took the first position, wining the cup. The shock of my life when I was named the best player in the tournament. CONCLUSION The conclusion seeks to summarize the essay and talks about the changes that the entire experience of the street soccer brought on my life. There were lessons I learnt and all these have been factored in the conclusion. The lessons make the essay worth narrating to someone. v. Reflection on the Victory to the story of my Role Model I shall talk about how I came out of the competition, reflecting on the story I heard from my role model and the hope it gave me for the future vi. The changes my experience brought me This will be the concluding part of the essay, talking about the new lifestyle I ado pted after the competition. Planning the Essay INTRODUCTION – ? page i. Background and Setting This is where I introduce my thesis statement. Stories of our role models can have a great impact on our lives and change our way of life forever. I shall introduce how the whole story, which centers on how the impact of my role model and a victory in a street soccer competition started. Soccer had been my favorite game right from childhood. This should perhaps be because soccer was the first game I was introduced to. I grew up in a house where everyone loved soccer. My dad was so passionate about soccer that he would never miss a live soccer game on television for any other thing: especially when his favorite team, Manchester United was playing. My mum even tells me of how my father nearly lost his job because of soccer. She said my daddy once kept postponing working on some files he brought home on a weekend because he had a series of live matches to watch on TV. Even my mother wa s influenced to love soccer because she had to keep my father company whenever he sat behind the television to watch what he enjoyed most. For my elderly brothers, they had no other choice than to join community soccer teams. So when I ended up playing a justifier match for a local team, at 4th grade, it was not surprising. BODY – 3 pages ii. The Story of my Role Model – 1 page I shall present how I was fortunate to tune in to a TV station one day to see my role model being

Global Forces Essay Example for Free

Global Forces Essay Introduction This case highlights how the European Brewing Industry is striving to grow and gain competitive advantage worldwide. In line to achieve this there have been a lot of innovation, acqiusitions, mergers and of course rebranding of beer products in the Industry. Companies are further trying to reduce operational costs for improved profit. It is therefore imperative that we analyze the global forces in this industry. 1.A PESTEL ANALYSIS (i)PESTEL FACTOR: Political: Firstly I noted that there have been strong campaigns by Governments to stop drunken driving. This might affect the consumption levels for the beers. More especially when there are functions such as weddings and parties, because during such functions Drivers are tempted to drink as functions unfolds. Also people may start avoiding taking beer from Pubs and restaurants since they are required to drive home from such places. Political effects are further emanating from the Government campaigns against binge drinking or overindulgence on alcoholic beverages, hence discouraging consumers from pubs or any social clubs. This may act as catalyst in the reduction of business opportunities for the brewing companies. I further noted that Governments regulate on how packaging for beer should be done due to environmental issues. For example Denmark the use of Bottles is instead of cans. Politically some this may affect the profitability of some brewing companies in Europe. Economic: The Government’s regulations to restrict alcohol consumption in terms of drunken driving and excessive consumption have really helped in increased sales of beer in supermarkets. As indicated in the case statistics shows that sales increased to 66% in 2005. The shift to Chain Stores has worked to the advantage of the brewing industry as the use cut-price on beer which, attract people to buy the commodity. This scenario or should I simply economically the brewing companies would survive as they are assured of more sales though this is indirect business. However there have been little growth in consumption of alcohol or in a nutshell a shift in demand to the developing economies such as China and Brazil. This requires that the brewing industry in Europe should move its investments to overseas markets. Social Factor: Discouragement of binge-drinking affects some people socially as they are denied happiness that comes with alcohol consumption. Furthermore the highly publicized issues of alcohol effects on Health and fitness cause consumption levels to go down. Due to such awareness people chose to socialize without taking any alcohol in some set ups. Technology: I note from the case the due technological advancement has led to the introduction of new products tailored to peoples tastes such as fruit flavored beers and extra cool lagers. In European brewing industry, it is the technology that makes the products attractive as labeling on packages communicates how good the beers on sales may be and also changes to packaging styles is made easy with technology. It is also clear in the case that there have been economies of scale in brewing and distribution of alcoholic beverages as machineries as readily available due to advancement in technology in Europe. Environment: As stated above the Government’s regulations toward environmental protection affect the brewing industry in the European markets either positively or negatively as they have to change packaging to the preferred bottles than cans. The aim is to sustain the environment hence even consumers are always conscious of such laws as they buy beers. Legal factors: My analysis is that the Brewing Industry in Europe is affected negatively as there are laws to curb binge drinking and drunken driving. I have noted that brewing companies have had low sales a result as people are required to buy their products from chain stores and consume it from homes instead of social clubs or pubs. My conclusion after carrying out the PESTEL analysis is that the Brewing Industry in Europe has potential to grow as there are well established companies that able to merge with other organasations either overseas or locally. Also most brands are well known world over hence able to survive any effects that may impact them negatively due to PESTEL factors. (ii) FIVE FORCE ANALYSIS Threat of New Entrants: The threats of new entrants is low in the European markets due to the following reasons campaigns by governments to curb drunken driving and strong awareness about the effects of alcohol on people’s health makes the business an attractive. It is also a known fact that in areas where there are business leaders who are well established it is difficult for the new entrants to survive as customers switching costs maybe very high. Also the high packaging costs for the product makes it unpredictable as to whether the new entrant will be able to survive. Also the switching cost of customers may be high due to ready established relations and confidence that customers have in some existing brands. Further the upcoming economies such as China or Ukraine makes it very unattractive to establish such a business in Europe as there could less business opportunities. Threats of Substitutes: The threat of substitutes is very high. This is because raw materials are readily available such as barely and other fruits, therefore very is for any orgsanisation to come up a product that my act as substitute. Further Water Industry is taking its shape such that they are now supplying bottled water. This acts as substitute to quench someone’s thirsty, considering that there campaigns for health living and people are now avoiding alcohol to keep fit. Also Laws that govern drunken driving compel customers more especially motorists to take water as a substitute instead of Beers. Moreover due to technological advancement it is very easy to produce substitute products such as Juices that may be appealing to consumers and such is obtaining in the European Markets as these can be consumed in clubs and Pubs. Lastly the move to high consumption of wines in the United Kingdom than usual beers makes it very clear that the threats of substitutes are high. Supplier’s Bargaining Power: It is clear that the suppliers bargaining power is high. For example it noted that the Packaging industry is highly concentrated in Europe and is dominated by international organizations, as such there are no substitutes to packaging hence suppliers of such materials are on the advantageous side. In addition suppliers are on good side in Europe due to the fact that production costs in the Brewing Industry are there is need treat the supplier’s well in order to operate effectively and efficiently. This gives supplier high bargaining power. Buyer’s Bargaining Power: I can simply say buyers are consumers of the products under discussion. In this context their bargaining power is very. This is because they have a wide choice of such products, this means they able to choose which brand or change at any time. Since there are a lot of substitutes available the switching costs are low hence no impact on them. Further customers would survive whether they consume the product or not. They choose when to buy and when not to, this mean that there is no concentration of buyers. Hence their bargaining power is low. Competitive Rivalry: The competition in this industry in the European Market is high. This is due to the fact that consumption levels have been reducing hence all producers have to sell their products to a reduced number of customers. Furthermore there are a lot of new brands arising from emerging markets such as fruit flavored and other exotic beers from international markets. What make competition much high are the distribution channels. The beers are distributed through supermarkets and it’s up to the brewing companies to do a lot of advertising in order to catch the consumer’s eye while shopping in supermarkets. In my conclusion I have noticed the Brewing Business in Europe is very ugly for the new entrants. It is therefore incumbent upon the existing companies to take up survival strategies such merging with others or acquisitioning of shares in the emerging markets such as Russia, China and Baltic Countries. They should also endeavor to re-brand themselves and try to enter other international markets such as Africa where customers are easily attracted to beers from overseas and there are less entry barriers. 2.Impact of trends on the four companies (a)Heineken in Netherlands: This company is named the biggest in European Beer Industry. However in order to survive the flooded market its target is to go in to international markets and use the local companies that they may acquire to introduce their beer. Transferring of Knowledge and technology is another way it aims to strengthen its new markets. The impact is that this company would grow they take up survival measures in the manner outlined above. (b)It’s strength : It holds five percent of sales in Asia-Pacific and 17% in Americas this puts in a good position when it comes to business share in a market where there is high competition. Heineken is better placed in terms of strength has it is the producer of worldly known brands such Heineken and Amstel. Due to family controlled aspect it becomes stable and independent in terms of business growth even in international markets. Economies of scale gives makes it strong considering that brewing is costly in Europe and in a nutshell it is secondary to non in brewing industry in Europe hence claims its strength in these area. Form the case I have deduced that the other strength is that they have a vision or simply where they want to be regardless of the competition industry where they operate from. I also noticed that another strength that Heineken has, is financial capacity to implement new projects as fast as possible as funding is always available for such. Heineken’s Weaknesses: Firstly weakness that, I have picked that they are unable to be innovative due family controlled. This means they may lack new ideas as the family may always influence decision making to suit their investments thus may be compelled to do things in the same manner hence lagging behind. This may result in non existence of new product development in the organization. A high price of Packaging Materials is another weakness at Heineken. They have no control or other sources for such materials this more reason why they complained of 11% price escalation. (ii)Grolsch (The Netherlands) (a)The impact if these existing business trends will cause Grolsh to push for mergers with other international organizations as it commands other brands such as US Miller and flavored beers such as grapefruit. It is also clear that it may require channeling much of resources to branding and innovation since that’s its strategy in line to survive. They believe that better looking product will attract a lot of business such green bottles and swing tops. (b) It’s Strength and Weakness One of its strength is long existence. It is on record that it was established in 1615 hence experienced hence may attract customer royalty as issues of closure may not easily arise. It has further embarked on centralization hence increase in terms of production volume which results in reduced cost. Grolsch also supplies variety of products this is strength as it gives it competitive advantage in the market in which it operates. Furthermore the other strength is its innovation in order to achieve its strategy. It’s Weakness Though its brewery is centralized it is single, thus pose a high risk in that in case of any challenges there can be no production at all. It also lacks financial muscle for example in 2005 when their colleagues Heineken made amassed 11.8 billion British Pounds Grolsch’s income from sales was only 313 Million Pounds hence very easy to fold. (iii)InBEv (Belgium/Brazil) (a)Impact of these trends: Even though InBev is the largest brewer in the world with a huge financial power it cannot survive with the existing trends in European markets. How can it survive? For it to stay alive it should strive to acquire other well established companies in the world. Since the world is more global now its strategy should be to built more global brands and increase it efficiency via purchasing and technology. The trends have impacted positively on InBev has it now sets its direction to growth through the above. (b) InBev’s Strengths The first strength is that it is the largest in the world; it is ranked either number one or two in about twenty lands. It has a sound financial position hence able to establish businesses anywhere in the world. In addition InBev is already established in emerging markets such as Chine and Brazil though acquisitions. It has well known brands such Beck’s and Stella Artois InBev’s Weaknesses Lack of analysis before acquiring other companies, for example it acquired a certain company whose brands were declining in terms sales, such acquisitions may turn out to be loses. (iv)Scottish and Newcastle (UK) (a)Impact of trends on the organization: Due to the business trends Scottish and Newcastle should be able to a lot of acquisitions in the UK being the market in which it operates; this would act as a point of growth. In line to gain competitive advantage the changing trends has pushed this company to invest in the fast growing markets such as Baltic Beverages where it has put fifty percent and China in CBC twenty Percent. (b) Scottish and Newcastle’s Strengths: It gains its strength by possessing strong brands such as John Smith, Baltika and Fosters. The strength are also drawn from its investments in fast growing economies such as China and Baltic nations, this may result in profitability regardless on competition in Europe. They are also market leaders in France, the United Kingdom and Russia as observed this is a very good strength for Scottish and New castle as competitive advantage is not easily achievable in these areas. It’s Weaknesses: Scottish and Newcastle’s financial position is not adequate for the high completion it is exposed to in this industry. My conclusion in to this assignment is that the Brewing Industry in the European Markets is highly competitive hence the need for companies to be innovative them to survive. There is also need for bigger companies to adopt strategies of acquisitioning of small ones so that they may expand their brands. Companies in this industry also need to spread their web to other countries if they are to gain competitive advantage. Bibliography HUNGER DJ/WHEELER TL (5th ed) (1992) Essentials of Strategic Management Global Forces. Online available from: www.opp.com. [Accessed 13 September 2012] 3H Strategy and international business. Online available from: www.dur.ac.uk. [Accessed 13 September 2012]