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Innovative Thinking for Organizational Development Project

Innovative Thinking for Organizational Development Project

Slide 2

The Issue At Hand

To start off, I will first present the issue at hand. The chosen issue is getting employees in Kash Money Logistics offices to subscribe to the idea of using only recyclable materials and to reduce the consumption of single use plastics both at home and in the office.

Slide 3

Reasons as to why I chose this specific issue

I will now provide reasons as to why I chose this specific issue. First, there are single-use plastics all around us and there seems to be no incentive to reuse or recycle these plastics. Secondly, I feel like everyone is waiting on the government or the big corporate platers and manufacturers to do something without them lifting a finger. Third, the natural environment is suffering tremendously as a result of our inactivity and less involvement in the fight to reduce the presence of single-use plastics. Fourth, reducing single-use plastics in the workplace is one step closer to establishing a global culture of awareness and concern for the environment.

Slide 4

How does this relate to me?

So, how does this relate to me? For this, I have 4 reasons. First, I have read and been a part of a community that believes that the world can be made a better place if plastics are eliminated from the natural world. At the moment, marine wildlife is at the mercies of the decisions we make today as humans. As a result, I found that we use a lot of plastics during the day in the workplace, a starting point for an innovative idea to reduce single-use plastics available. From my own experience, people want the convenience of using plastics for single uses without thinking about the consequences such actions have on the natural environment. I also have a desire to contribute positively to the betterment of the natural environment, a goal I can achieve by helping to reduce plastic waste in the environment.

Slide 5

Research

I now move on to the research section. The following is the research I have done in order to attain a final solution to the aforementioned problem: The use of single-use plastics is increasing in popularity across the world. These plastics are toxic to the natural ecosystems that they damage, and they are a disagreeable sight to see. About 43% of the plastics consumed is discarded after only a single use, as per the findings of (Borrelle et al., 2020). Bags, bottles, trays, and food packaging are examples of items that we use on a regular basis. It’s readily available at supermarkets and other retail outlets.

Slide 6

Further Research

It is also important that I mention the following. The use of these plastics has a significant impact on global warming (Haward, 2018). Consumer demand for action on plastic pollution has reached previously unheard-of levels as a result of the disastrous impact of plastic waste on our seas and natural environments. Every day, fresh pledges to minimize plastic waste and enhance product design in order to address “end of life” issues are made by businesses in response to public outcry. Despite the efforts of companies to reduce trash and promote recycling (Jia, Evans, and Van der Linden, 2019), the contents of rubbish bins frequently reveal a different story. It is become an addiction for individuals from all walks of life to engage in plastic pollution, despite the fact that it is a terrible threat to the health of our world.

Slide 7

Research Data

This slide shows a global map of parts of the world where single use plastics have either been fully banned, partially banned, banned under consideration, or not banned at all. It is important to note that Africa and some parts of Europe are leading in the fight, despite being some of the lowest consumers of plastic by volume.

Slide 8

More Research

The global production of plastics versus laws introduced to check and monitor the same and the population increment over time is presented in this chart. The chart shows that global production has increased steadily over the years surpassing the population growth. Laws introduced to curb plastic production have only started to be effected from 2008 to date.

Slide 9

Market Survey

Next, I explain how I arrived at my idea. A market survey in the workplace with 40 employees in different age groups and gender in an attempt to discuss the commitment and interest on people to have less single-use plastics and to contribute to the idea by reducing individual consumption while in the office and at home. About 60% of the participants were highly interest and eager to begin. About 20% were somewhat interested. 15% showed sight interest. 5% were not interest at all.

Slide 10

Empathy Map

Here, I will show how people conceptualize the problem and the proposed solutions.

In the THINK AND FEEL category:

Sustainability is very important

Recycling will make a difference in the world

Single-use plastics are worse than any other forms of plastics

Guilty when there is no opportunity to recycle

In the SEE category:

Climate change and environmental issues disregarded by policy makers

Confusing recycling labels and policies

Not enough people recycling

Organizations encouraging manufacture and use of single-use plastics

Images of marine life affected by plastics

In the HEAR category:

Confusing and unclear recycling labels and rules

Very hard to recycle plastics in the workplace

Climate change issues is a bit confusing

Individual efforts not enough to help reduce single-use plastics

Corporates have a bigger role than individuals

In the SAY & DO category:

Shares posters and news information regarding conservation

Reads rules on recycling

Avoids single-use plastics

Recycles all the time even when unsure

Sometimes goes for convenience above recycling

The PAINS are summarized as:

Recycling rules

Recycling labels

Cost involved

Inconvenience

Time consuming

Hard to find recycling facilities and tools

The GAINS include:

Renewed interest

Help in reducing pollution and waste

Encouraging others to join in creating sustainability

Better understanding of need for recycling

More ways to help the natural environment

The above came from all the surveys and past literature on the subject of single-use plastics and why people continue to choose convenience of using these plastic products over sustainability. An emerging issue is that recycling is still unclear and the rules are confusing.

Slide 11

Problem Definition

In this section, I will provide information on the problem. The overall purpose is eliminating single-use plastics in the workplace and the primary design is to increase recycling and show the need to reduce the use of plastics. The secondary design is to promote a culture of sustainability through recycling and care for the natural environment. The main differentiator is the organizational culture. The organizational culture will impact how and why employees engage in the proposed culture of recycling and reduction of single-use plastics.

Slide 12

Ideation Process

The process involved a rigorous exercise to come up with ideas to implement the proposed cultural change. We were able to narrow down to the following main ideas: Technology, organizational culture, social media, conventional recycling tools and equipment, and social influencers.

Slide 13

Mind Map

Here, I present some of the rigorous and difficult process of thinking and rethinking different ideas to come up with an acceptable solution.

Slide 14

Conventional Ideas

We decided to use technology and mobile apps because of its ability to reach more people and to remain a constant in individual’s life. It also presents the advantage of lower cost, highest impact, innovativeness and uniqueness., and is aligned to organizational goals. Conventional ideas have generally failed to be effective.

Slide 15

Prototyping

This was another very time consuming and high intensity section that saw us come up with ideas and basic functions for the mobile app. We settled on: the use of a dedicated single-use plastic monitor app (iRecycle), specially designed for the organization and its affiliates. The way this will work is that the iRecycle app will help reduce individual plastic consumption and give open-display results for members of the organization to see. The app will then provide calculations and estimates for the entire organization compared to global figures. It will also provide sustainable alternatives that factor in cost and effectiveness given each users individual usage statistics. The idea is to create a culture of recycling and consciousness around the issue of reducing every user’s personal plastic footprint.

Slide 16

Homepage

Here is an improved homepage and the start page in the app showing a user all of the available reuse, recycling, and reducing options.

Slide 17

Description of Prototyping Process

In this slide, I show how we arrived at a suitable idea to link the iRecyle app with the need to reduce single use plastics.

Slide 18

Improvements to the Prototype

After prototyping and testing, we made improvements by synchronizing individual information with the company in order to tally our efforts and come up with performance metrics.

Slide 19

Implementation

Owing to the fact that the iRecycle app already exists, we only saw the need to hire a developer to reprogram the application in order to send individual statistics to the organization and to prioritize a recycling map over other forms of alternatives provided by the mobile app. The developer will provide more directions on how to make the app smoother for people to use it not just for the organizational aim but also for individual journey towards helping the environment. The funding for this would be provided by the organization as a part of its CSR journey and to fulfil its role in the community.

Slide 20

Follow Up

As a part of the follow up, it is expected that the overall culture of the organization will change to include more awareness to individual plastic footprint in the future.

Slide 21

Conclusion

To sum up, a simple every-day problem was taken and converted to an opportunity to make a difference through innovative designs. The prototype mobile app aforementioned will help many people and organizations to realize a vision that many hold dear yet have not been able to achieve. In the entire process, my experience has shown me that if we put in the effort and inventiveness, everything may be converted into something beautiful.

Thank you all for your time. I hope we all benefit from making our spaces better than we found them. I will now take any questions you may have.

Innovative Practices in Social Media Marketing

Innovative Practices in Social Media Marketing: Exploring the Recent Emerging Trends on Four Points Auckland

Name

Course

Code

Instructor

Submission Date

Executive Summary

The tourism industry in New Zealand has experienced considerable growth over the past five years and it is projected to maintain an aspect of growth. This presents opportunities for hotels operating in this region to increase the number of customers that they serve, and ultimately increase their sales revenue. One of the hotels that is looking to take advantage of the market growth in New Zealand in the hospitality industry is Four Points Auckland. The best approach that it can take in relation to marketing is using the social media platform. It is currently using Facebook and Instagram as part of its social media strategy. However, the company is not active on both platforms, and therefore has a low interaction level with its clients. In future, it needs to post regularly, and reply on the comments made by their followers. In addition to that, it needs to utilize the services of influencers, and create content that resonates with its target market to increase the level of interaction and engagement with its clients. The effective utilization of the social media by Four Points Auckland will improve the engagement level with the hotel’s customers and also contribute to an increase in the revenue level of the company.

Table of Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u 1. Background PAGEREF _Toc79082639 h 4Marketing Environment (current industry climate/trends) PAGEREF _Toc79082640 h 4Brand image and values PAGEREF _Toc79082641 h 4Target market PAGEREF _Toc79082642 h 5Market segmentation PAGEREF _Toc79082643 h 52. Analysis of the Organization PAGEREF _Toc79082644 h 62.1 Marketing Mix PAGEREF _Toc79082645 h 6Product Element PAGEREF _Toc79082646 h 6Place Element PAGEREF _Toc79082647 h 6Price Strategy PAGEREF _Toc79082648 h 6Promotion PAGEREF _Toc79082649 h 62.2 VRIO Analysis PAGEREF _Toc79082650 h 62.3 Digital Competitive Review PAGEREF _Toc79082651 h 82.4 Digital SWOT Analysis PAGEREF _Toc79082652 h 93. Review of Social CRM Strategies PAGEREF _Toc79082653 h 103.1 Speak PAGEREF _Toc79082654 h 103.2 Serve PAGEREF _Toc79082655 h 113.3 Sizzle PAGEREF _Toc79082656 h 114. Social Media Response Protocol PAGEREF _Toc79082657 h 12

1. Background

1.1 Marketing Environment (current industry climate/trends)

The tourism industry is reported as the largest export industry in New Zealand. In 2017, it was reported that the domestic, and international visitors expenditure was NZD$36 billion, and it is reported that by 2025, the revenue from tourism will have increased to NZD$41 billion (Kandampully et al., 2018). However, in 2019, it was reported that the country had recorded a slower growth rate of visitors in comparison to the previous years. An important point to note is that, in the year that ended March, 2018, New Zealand hospitality industry reported a total of $16 billion in terms of international visitors’ expenditures, which was a 9.6% increase from the revenue that was collected in 2017. On the other hand, the revenue generated by domestic visitors in 2018 was $23 billion, a 6.5% increase from 2017.

According to the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment (MBIE), it was forecasted that the hospitality industry could experience a 4.25% average growth in terms of international visitor expenditure from 2019-2025. An important point to note is that, the drivers in relation to the increase of expenditure by international visitors will be a 3.98% increase in the visitors, and 4.28 in the number of days that international visitors stay in New Zealand (Michopoulou & Moisa, 2019). Even though the revenue collected, and the number of international visitors dropped in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is expected that the hospitality market in New Zealand will pick up in accordance to the projections that were provided by MBIE.

1.2 Brand image and values

Four Points by Sheraton is a multinational hotel brand that is operated by Marriott International. Presently, it has 295 hotels in more than 45 countries, and territories. The hotel’s ambience, and amenities are designed to suit independent travelers who are looking for timeless style and comfort. An important point to note is that, each of the hotels under this brand offers its customers with a sense of familiar, and authentic sense of the local people, while also according them high-quality services that meet their overall needs (Social Hospitality, 2021).

The company’s core values include honesty, uncomplicated services, and comfort. An important point to note is that this is upheld through the provision of high-quality amenities, friendly and genuine services that are meant to ensure that all the guests have a great experience during their stay in one of the Four Points hotels. The style that is offered at this hotel is modern, practical but never trendy. This ensures that the customers in these hotels will find it easy to enjoy the services and amenities offered regardless of whether they are travelling for business, or pleasure purposes.

1.3 Target market

The target market for this hotel are international business travelers. The Four Points hotels are designed in such a manner that business travelers will be in a great position to improve their overall productivity even as they travel. This is facilitated by the hotel providing them with amenities that will increase their level of productivity such as in-room and public space Wi-Fi, and in-room water.

1.4 Market segmentation

The business mainly targets business travelers. This means that from a demographic segmentation, it mainly focuses on single, or independent middle aged travelers (25-50 years) who will stay alone and will mainly spend a few days in one destination for business purposes before traveling to another location (Gil-Soto et al., 2019). It is important to point out that a majority of their rooms can accommodate families, which is an indication that it is also a family-oriented hotel.

2. Analysis of the Organization

2.1 Marketing Mix

Product ElementFour Points by Sheraton is a full service hotel. It mainly offers familiar and friendly services, which ensure that the guests relax and unwind during their stay in their hotels. The range of services that it offers are extensive such as conference rooms, in-room and public Wi-Fi. In addition to that, the hotel provides its guests with locally brewed beers and authentic local flavors for them to sample.

Place ElementAll of the Four Points by Sheraton hotels are located in large cities and the suburbs, near airports or by the beach. This ensures that they are easily accessible for international travelers. The hotels are also close to various amenities that the travelers may require to use such as airports and beaches. The customers can also easily travel to different urban places during their stay in the hotels.

Price StrategyThe hotel mainly utilizes the skimming strategy in relation to their pricing strategy. This means that the products and services are offered at a higher price than the competition (Solnet et al., 2019). The reason for this is that, the hotel associates its products and services with an aspect of high quality and exclusiveness. It is one of the main reasons that they mainly target business travelers.

PromotionIn the digital age, Four Points by Sheraton is mainly using the social media platform for its advertising, public relations and promotional strategy. The main platform that is utilized is Facebook. On its official Facebook page, it has over 166,000 likes and on its Instagram page it has 15,700 followers.

2.2 VRIO Analysis

Resources Value Rare Imitation Organization Competitive Advantage

Four Points has access to cheap capital Yes No Can be imitated by competitors It has not been entirely exploited It is not significant in terms of creation of competitive advantage

Pricing Strategies Yes No They can be imitated The company has an effective pricing analytics system It provides it with a competitive edge over their rivals mainly on its target customers

Attracting consumers in the local and global markets that it operates A successful strategy in terms of successful innovation and localization of products It has been critical for the company’s growth It is difficult to imitate Yes It provides a unique competitive advantage

Brand positioning in relation to its competitors Yes No It can be imitated by its competitors Positioning of the brand is mainly based on the consumer behavior Provides the company with a temporary competitive advantage

Customer Loyalty A majority of the revenue is generated by local customers Firm has invested in creating a strong customer loyalty Difficult to imitate The leveraging of customer loyalty is a good effect It provides the company with a unique competitive advantage

The company has specific resources such as its pricing strategy, customer loyalty, brand positioning and localizing its products that have provided the company with a competitive advantage over its business rivals. An important point to note is that the hotels provides local brews and a state of local ambience for the customers to experience a local, yet unique feel as they travel to different parts of the world (Moro & Rita, 2018). The company has over 45 hotels, and this means that for customers who regularly travel and stay in the different Four Points hotels, then they will have different experiences, which will add to the overall value of their traveling experience. In terms of pricing strategy, Four Points prices its products and services in such a way that they are associated with quality (Stokes, 2018). This means that the customers feel that there is a sense of class in terms of staying at the hotel. These two resources that have been mentioned have contributed to the brand positioning and customer loyalty. In terms of brand positioning, a majority of the customers associate Four Points products and services as being of a relatively high price and of a high quality. This has positively facilitated to the overall increase in the loyalty level of the customers.

2.3 Digital Competitive Review

The Grand by Sky City is located in Auckland, New Zealand. In its Facebook page, there are 13,678 likes, 13,915 people follow their page and 51,447 have checked their Facebook page. The company posts regularly. Its latest post was posted yesterday at 9:30 am, and had nine likes and one share. On the other hand, in its Instagram page it has 389 posts and 2,242 followers. Its last post was three days ago and has 19 likes. The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort has 54,880 people who liked their page, 55,893 followed their page, and and 39,092 people have checked their page. It seems that they post once per month on their Facebook page based on the assessment of the frequency of posting (Unmetric, 2021). However, their pinned post on August 4th has 409 likes, 38 comments and 158 shares. On the other hand, it has 828 posts on Instagram and 94,800 followers. Its last post was made on August 4th and it has 951 likes.

2.4 Digital SWOT Analysis

Strengths Weaknesses

Four points has official pages in different social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, and this has enabled the company to interact with hundreds of thousands of people (García, 2021). For instance, its official page in Facebook has over 166,000 likes.

There are brand-consistent messaging and imagery and the use of the company assets such as their brewed beer, and hotel rooms, which can act as incentives and increase the likelihood of customers visiting their hotels.

There are well-written captions above the different images that are meant to encourage engagement with their customers, or potential clients. Four Points does not consistently make posts on its social media platforms. In Facebook in particular it seems to post once per month.

Four Points has failed to scale, or maintain their efforts using its social media campaigns (Pirnar, 2020). Its posts on Facebook, or Instagram do not get a high level of response in terms of likes, or followers commenting on them.

The company lacks the right social media analytics tools that are vital in terms of assisting them to track and monitor their campaign results.

Opportunities Threats

There are opportunities to engage the existing follower base. Facebook has over 166,000 people who have liked the page and Instagram has 15,700 followers, which means that the company can strive to engage them more.

The company can spend money on influencers and social media campaigns to gain new followers whom it will actively engage in their different platforms (Powell et al., 2011).

Four Points by Sheraton should read, and either reply or react to all the comments on their posts. This will increase the overall level of engagement between the company and their followers in different platforms (Yadav & Roychoudhury, 2019).

Social media campaigns such as photo shoots and temporary naming rooms according to fans who have the most likes can increase the interaction between the company and its customers online (Sigala, 2017). Rival competitors can use their social media platforms to provide new offerings to the clients and this could reduce the market share of Four Points by Sheraton.

Failing to understand the customers’ needs and what incentivizes them, and making posts that may not resonate well with them, which can contribute to a decline in the market share for Four Points by Sheraton as they do not understand their customers.

3. Review of Social CRM Strategies

3.1 SpeakFour Points by Sheraton has pages two social media platforms Facebook and Instagram. However, it seems to be more active on Facebook than is the case on Instagram. This is based on the number of posts, and frequency of posts that are made on Facebook in comparison to those on Instagram. However, even though it maintains pages on these two social media platforms, it is not active. For instance, on Instagram, the last post was on July 7th, 2021. The post had 165 likes and eight comments. On the other hand, in Facebook, the last post was made on July 16th and it had 26 reactions and three comments. An important point to note is that in a majority of the posts that its followers have commented on, Four Points by Sheraton did not react, or reply to the comments, or acknowledge the reactions that it has received. Failure to interact with the customers could be an indicator of the low response rate to the posts that they make on the different social media platforms (Chaffey & Smith, 2017). However, if they make regular posts and interact with customers such as by reacting to their posts, answering their questions, and even requesting for their insights and feedback, then they will be able to understand their needs, build a positive relationship and reputation with them, and ultimately improve their brand growth. They should also be involved in the creation, or development of content that their target audience finds appealing and will react, or comment on it, and this will increase the overall interaction level between the customers and the company.

3.2 ServeThese are the different activities that a company will normally engage in to ensure that it is able to actively engage its target customers. For instance, providing the customers with additional information will particularly be beneficial to them, and will result in adding value into their lives. To assist the target audience identify with the products and services that the company offers, they should provide them with regular information of the culture, cuisine and local drinks that are served in different regions (Chaffey & Smith, 2017). It not only provides the customers with information on a range of products and services that the company deals with, but it also assists the customers to gain new information. New offers, or discount rates can also contribute to increased interaction levels between the company and the clients. Furthermore, they should provide their followers with information about the importance of traveling, updates on events in different regions where they have hotels and even new areas that they are expanding to.

3.3 SizzleThis is the last stage in the digital marketing strategy, and it focuses on how a business can be able to build, or enhance its brand name online. An important point to note is that, the aspect of sizzling mainly focuses on the creation, broadening and the establishment of the brand presence in a digital platform. Four Points by Sheraton can use the social media to build its brand presence in the New Zealand market. For instance, it can sponsor different business events to resonate with international travelers who come to New Zealand (Chaffey & Smith, 2017). It can also sponsor sporting teams and individuals who have a global presence such as the Kiwi National rugby team and Israel Adesanya to increase the global presence of this hotel’s brand.

4. Social Media Response Protocol

These are the guidelines that should influence social media response strategy of Four Points by Sheraton. The first step is to read all the posts, or comments that have been made by people in relation to the company’s brand. The next step is to deduce the intention of the individual who posted. If it is a genuine post, or comment, the social media strategists at the company can either respond, or react to it. On the other hand, if there is an aspect of negative feedback, or miscommunication, the social media strategists will respond by providing a clarification, or highlighting how the issue at hand will be dealt with (Sigala, 2018). Finally, if a post was made with malicious intent, the company will choose to address the allegations with facts so as to not ruin the reputation of the company.

3829050-381001724025-485775Social Media post about company’s brand

Social Media post about company’s brand

2657475219710

2381250181610No

0No

2657475191770481012539370Positive Posts or Feedback

Positive Posts or Feedback

1828800106045Are they trolls?

Are they trolls?

5695950211455

19526257545Are they misguided?

Are they misguided?

2907547208958

25412384779No

No

285733885326

19929853800Are they complaints, or unhappy posts?

Are they complaints, or unhappy posts?

2989075121732762250281940No

No

5198713142553Respond appropriately

Respond appropriately

-219075368300Dismiss false allegations with facts if any

Dismiss false allegations with facts if any

3276600920751952625320675Final Verdict (Valid Post)

(Unworthy Post)

Final Verdict (Valid Post)

(Unworthy Post)

87630092710417195092710

References

Buhalis, D., Harwood, T., Bogicevic, V., Viglia, G., Beldona, S., & Hofacker, C. (2019). Technological disruptions in services: Lessons from tourism and hospitality. Journal of Service Management, 30(4), 484-506. https://doi.org/10.1108/josm-12-2018-0398Chaffey, D., & Smith, P. R. (2017). Emarketing excellence: Planning and optimizing your digital marketing. Routledge.

García, C. (2021). Case studies. Best social media strategies for hotels. Inbound marketing Mallorca – E07121 | Amara, ingeniería de marketing. https://www.amara-marketing.com/travel-blog/examples-social-media-hotelsGil-Soto, E., Armas-Cruz, Y., Morini-Marrero, S., & Ramos-Henríquez, J. M. (2019). Hotel guests’ perceptions of environmental friendly practices in social media. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 78, 59-67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.11.016Kandampully, J., Zhang, T., & Jaakkola, E. (2018). Customer experience management in hospitality. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(1), 21-56. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-10-2015-0549Michopoulou, E., & Moisa, D. G. (2019). Hotel social media metrics: The ROI dilemma. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 76, 308-315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.05.019Moro, S., & Rita, P. (2018). Brand strategies in social media in hospitality and tourism. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(1), 343-364. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-07-2016-0340Pirnar, I. (2020). Innovation management in the international hotel industry. The Routledge Companion To International Hospitality Management, 296-308. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429426834-29Powell, G., Groves, S., & Dimos, J. (2011). ROI of Social Media: How to improve the return on your social marketing investment. John Wiley & Sons..Sigala, M. (2017). Collaborative commerce in tourism: Implications for research and industry. Current Issues in Tourism, 20(4), 346-355. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2014.982522Sigala, M. (2018). Implementing social customer relationship management. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 30(7), 2698-2726. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijchm-10-2015-0536Social Hospitality. (2021, January 9). Social media and hotels: Four Seasons leading by example. https://socialhospitality.com/2013/03/social-media-and-hotels-four-seasons-leading-by-example/Solnet, D., Subramony, M., Ford, R. C., Golubovskaya, M., Kang, H. J., & Hancer, M. (2019). Leveraging human touch in service interactions: Lessons from hospitality. Journal of Service Management, 30(3), 392-409. https://doi.org/10.1108/josm-12-2018-0380Stokes, R. (2018). eMarketing: The essential guide to marketing in a digital world (6th ed.). Red and Yellow.

Unmetric. (2021). Social media analytics & intelligence dashboard by Unmetric. https://unmetric.com/brands/four-seasons-hotels-and-resortsYadav, M. L., & Roychoudhury, B. (2019). Effect of trip mode on opinion about hotel aspects: A social media analysis approach. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 80, 155-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.02.002

 

Innovative Maori Product Improvement An Analysis of Tohu Wines

Innovative Maori Product Improvement: An Analysis of Tohu Wines

By Name

Date

1. Introduction

Tohu Wines is a Maori-owned wine enterprise established over 20 years ago in Marlborough, New Zealand. The company is an organic-based business that gets its competitive advantage from using home grown raw materials using cultural and traditional values of the Maori people. Tohu Wines has attracted global attention from this business model, including an emphasis on using organic products and a supply chain that is chiefly founded on the Maori way of life. The company prides itself of bearing the responsibility to uphold the legacy of the forefathers and founding members of the Maori community, who believed in the value of hard work, fairness, creativity, and being one with the natural environment ( ). Tohu Wines focuses on creating internationally recognized products while keeping true to the deeply held values of the Maori including kindness, excellence, and guardianship (manaakitanga, rangatiratanga, and kaitiakitanga). The bottle design is one of the most important selling points for the company, bearing a logo derived from the koru pattern that symbolizes the natural world, growth, and life. Tohu, meaning signature, is the brainchild of several Maori families working to craft a path for other business people in New Zealand.

Even with the elegant design and a focus on being one with nature, Tohu Wines has not performed very well in the international wine market. Therefore, an issue emerges to combine the creative design, the focus on nature, the emphasis on a traditional approach, and a supply chain of handcrafted solutions with better and innovative market approaches in an attempt to steer the company forward. The aim of this current report is to identify a gap in the company’s market to introduce the proposed innovation to solve customer problems. It will also develop a market evaluation of the proposed improved innovation process using relevant evidence to support the launch of the proposed improved innovation. These elements will all be applied and integrated with relevant Maori values to generate enhanced value for the new improved innovation. Lastly, the report will undertake a business risk assessment for the introduction of the new/improved innovation for the business enterprise and adopt the Lean Canvas model to give innovative suggestions through analysis.

The current report is divided into several sections. The first section, the introduction, focuses on giving a brief introduction of the product and the company. The second section is an analysis of the current problems that Tohu Wines is facing, including a perspective of the solutions from a customer’s positioning and a review of its alignment to Maori values. The third section performs a deep analysis of the proposed solutions. The fourth section then gives an analysis of risks. The last section will conclude the analysis giving a restatement of the major issues found within the discussion.

Problem Solution Unique Value Proposition Unfair Advantage Customer Segments

Conventional bottling that is not unique to the brand positioning

Similar composition of wines to those in established international market

Zero application of an eco-friendly design in packaging

Green Marketing

Use different fruits unique to New Zealand (Kiwi fruits) to make the wine

Use sustainable packaging away from the conventional wine bottling Eco-friendly packaging in line with the uniqueness of the product thatis made in alignment with Maori values of caring for the environment and excellence,creativity, and kindness Eco-friendly and sustainable packaging

Unique fruit use in wine making

Organic products

New Zealand wine market

Australian food and beverage sector

Organic-inded consumers

Populations conscious on health consumption

The upper middle class

Existing Alternatives Key Metrics Channels Early Adopters

Going Green

Green Marketing

Sustainable production

Organic products Consumer satisfaction

Customer retention

Sales

International market expansion Social media

Website

Supermarkets

E-commerce websites High disposable income

Eco-conscious

Organic product enthusiasts

Upper middle class

Health-conscious consumers

Cost Structure Revenue Structure

Product cost

Tax

Storage cost

Delivery cost

Promotion cost B2C

B2B

Figure 1: Lean Canvas Model for Tohu Wines

2. Analysis of Entrepreneurial Opportunities

The section will identify the gaps and opportunities available for Tohu Wines through an analysis of the company’s business activities. It will also provide business innovation proposals in line with the Maori values.

Identifiable Problems

Tohu Wines has a major problem when it comes to its decision making capacity. The company is run on a trust comprised of more than 4000 Maori families. Decision making and policy formulation takes a lot of time and every member of the decision making unit must be considered. From a consumer’s perspective, this means that some critical requirements of the customers, including small decisions on pricing strategies or distribution, take a lot of time before they can be approved. In other wine companies, the decision making process is fast and efficient. Another major impediment to an improved product is the use of a conventional packaging that is not unique to the brand positioning. Tohu Wines uses the same bottling design as any other wine company. While this can be seen as an advantage in maintaining conventionality to the wine culture, it is a problem to the company’s competitive advantage. The customer interprets this design as a reference to every other wine company or brand. As shown in image 1 below, the bottling design employed must not be 100% similar to the industry standards, in order to create uniqueness and to attract customers’ attention as a part of the promotional strategy.

Image 1: Sample Tohu Wines bottling compared to other wine brands

Another major issue with Tohu Wines is that the company uses the same raw materials applied in international and domestic wine making techniques. The only difference is that Tohu Wines uses organic products harvested and grown in line with Maori values of gentleness and kindness as well as guardianship to the natural environment. However, these values cannot be distinguished from every other brand available in the market. Therefore, the consumer is not able to differentiate Tohu’s products from those of the competition because the botting design and he composition of the wines are similar to the industry standards. The main competitors of Tohu Wines in the New Zealand domestic market, including those that already have footing in the Australian market, include: Chard Farm, Matariki Wines, Stonecroft, Martinborough Vineyard, Canterbury House, and Gibbston Valley Wines. To stand out from the competition, Tohu Wines must differentiate its product, suggestively by using the same Maori culture and planting traditions to grow kiwis for use in the wine making business. Because the traditional wine is in more demand, the kiwi wine suggested can be grown as an alternative product, to create uniqueness and to ensure that Tohu’s value proposition remains intact and noticeable.

The third problem is how the company, despite its value proposition of remaining true to the environment and the consumers, uses zero application of an eco-friendly design in packaging. ( ) highlights an ever increasing number of consumers demanding environmentally friendly products. Tohu Wines markets itself as an organic brand, conscious about the natural environment from the way it grows its raw products to the production process. However, these elements are not reflected in its packaging. For a company to be seen as having exceeded consumer demands and expectations in relation to remaining true to environment-related issues, a critical part of the strategy must include packaging of products ( ). In agreement to this position, ( ) and ( ) found that packaging is now a global communication tool and a way to market a brand. A customer is more likely to purchase a prduct that adheres to environmentally friendly packaging compared to brands that use the traditional packaging. As such, eco-friendly designs in packaging as a way to add value to the customer, because they include a need satisfaction in a design/packaging that meets expectations on environmental conservation ( ). Tohu Wines must consider the use of eco-friendly packaging and design in order to cater to a market that is increasingly driven towards conservation of the environment.

2.2 Discussion of Customer Segmentation Relevant to Tohu Wines

2.3 Suggested Solutions to the Problems Identified

3. Tohu Wines Market Evaluation

This third section analyses innovation at Tohu Wines using four main aspects that include; unique value proposition, unfair advantage, channels, and cost structure and revenue.

3.1 Unique Value Proposition

3.2 Unfair Advantage

3.3 Channels

3.4 Cost structure and revenue

4. Risks and Key Metrics

The following section evaluates the possible risks of the proposed improved product in Tohu Wine’s business process and provides solutions to use key metrics to avoid or reduce risks.

4.1 Inventory Risks

4.2 Customer Satisfaction Risks

4.3 E-commerce operation risk

5. Conclusion

Tohu Wines has a very attractive value proposition. However, it lacks uniqueness because of how it conforms to industry standards in terms of packaging and the composition of wine. The packaging is not in any way reflective of the carefully-crafted product that is made from organic plants that have been grown and produced in line with the Maori values of manaakitanga, rangatiratanga, and kaitiakitanga. Therefore, the present report gives a number of suggestions on how to make an improved and innovative packaging design as well as crafting an alternative product to solve these problems.

References

Innovation Management

Innovation Management

Critical Thinking Writing

Management of Innovation

In an innovation focused companies there is huge problem in managing the innovative and creative ideas generated at an instant. Companies dealing are not able to manage properly due to hurdles they are facing due to their working strategy and human resource structure. These companies need to change the management strategy of their company which depends on the business of the company or the kind of innovation. Different companies face different issues in their planning and information sharing management. For example a company like Pixer which is based on creative arts must have a mobile computer enabled everywhere else the employees working in the company will not be able to produce their idea at that instant and they will lost their unique thinking style for the art while companies which are based on innovation must monitor and record each and every information carefully as any information can be the milestone of the innovation. So it is an established facts that a proper planning and strategy is required for effective sharing of information and innovation ideas in an organization and there is no hard and fast rule for making those plans and strategy, every company has think about it on their own.

Key Issues in Innovation Management

Reinvention of our Business Model

One of the biggest key issue companies are facing in their re-innovation. For making their information system better for innovation they need to reorganize their structure and their employees. Every company needs to think and decide about the rules and regulations for their employees. While most companies have proven processes for product innovation in place, only few follow process models for innovating business models. If companies want to survive this 21st century then most of the business houses need to do a re-innovation in itself. For example the Biggest Mobile handset manufacturing company lost its shine from the last 4-5 years because of lack of innovation in their products and organization as well while the other manufacturers like Samsung or Apple on the same period rises to their fortune due to fall of the giant Nokia.

Innovation through Open and Social Connection

Growing complexity in tools and technology developed, organizations are finding it increasingly impossible to be successful when entirely working and depending on their own employees and services. For making better innovation environment they collaborate with other institutions for the same cause which helps in sharing the burden and sharing the same information in a broad region and among the masses. To move innovation forward more effectively and efficiently, they aim at building appropriate networks and partnerships. Recent research shows that the employees are doing better in shared environment because of the competitiveness between the employees of the two companies. If we combine both internal and external capabilities only then companies can thrive in this environment where each and every company struggling for their survival.

Culture of Innovation within Organization

Organisations need to develop a collaborative environment culture as well as innovative culture. Innovation capability is in our hand and can be improved through practical knowledge and experimentation. Practical training given to the employees enriches their understanding of the concept and they perform better. We often think that great businesses are built basically on great ideas but the story is very different from our belief that great businesses are usually built by great innovative ideas and unique concept. Experimentation is considered as an organizational skill so only an organization is responsible for the experiment that’s why atmosphere within the organization must be creative and motivational which will help in making employees more productive so that they can give their best during work. It can be solved using incentive approach. Best idea chosen must be given award.

Integrated and Differentiated Concepts of Innovation

Sustainable innovation means which is beneficial for both human and environment and does not produce pollution in any case cannot be achieved by only a single person approach. It requires a common understanding among all the people within the organization on particular products and its variables. Only then product can be realized. Further, innovation is about balancing complementary, and often opposing, variables. Therefore, integrative frameworks may help to gain a more realistic perspective. For example, innovation matrix can tell us about the problems faced by the company and it helps in assigning a particular task to a suitable individual. Depending on the characterization, a tailored approach can be developed in order to define where innovation should sit in the business model and how to drive growth.

Other people may well come up with other innovation issues that are important. There can be other issues with innovative organization as everyone’s work culture and environment is different from each other. But In addition to all these companies should focus on security of their innovative ideas as these ideas can be beneficial for other companies as well so they may try to steal it from your database or offices. So companies must also care for the security and integrity of the ideas they are generating during office hours. At individual levels we face the same issue in idea management as each and every person is different from each other so it becomes very difficult for companies to give different direction and job profiles to the right candidate and most of the time it happens that the employees are not in their right position at the right time. So we need to take care of this problem as well so that employees can give their best. Now we just need to start making progress on them! Therefore, we’ll try to elaborate on these issues in the time to come, in order to provide further ideas to help make innovation more successful.

Reference

BIBLIOGRAPHY l 1033 Andrew. (2010). Central Problems in the Management of Innovation. inForms.

Lynch, R. P. (2002). Four Critical Skills for Managing High Performaance Alliances. Netherlands: Imperiel College Press.

Margaret Alice White, G. (2010). The Management of Technology and Innovation: A Strategic Approach. In G. Margaret Alice White, The Management of Technology and Innovation: A Strategic Approach.

White, M. (2014). The Management of Technology and Innovation: A Strategic Approach (2nd ed). South-Western.Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781285214573/Root/0

White, M. (2014). The Management of Technology and Innovation: A Strategic Approach (2nd ed). South-Western.Retrieved from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9781285214573/id/ch3

Innovation – Mobile Key card

Innovation – Mobile Key card

Course Name

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Date

Abstract

Technology and Innovation has changed the face of the global world today, the companies are focusing on building innovative products across the market. ‘Smart phones’ are one of the most innovative products that have been developed by the organizations so as to fulfill the needs and requirements of the consumers across the globe.

In this paper, we will focus on the opportunity to develop a ‘Key card’ at a cost of $4M for a US banking firm to supply their customers as a security measure for mobile banking by Sony. A ‘Key card’ is a small handheld device (like a calculator) that provides a unique PIN in real time that you read from your device and use when making a mobile banking transaction.

Innovation – Mobile Key Card

IntroductionThe companies are strongly focusing on innovation with a strong focus on innovation and change, the development, application, and enhancement of new technologies are occurring at a breathtaking pace, and innovation is determining the way business is being conducted. With the increasing number of new ventures, products, technologies, and patents the companies have to have a very strong focus on innovation and change with the help of which the companies are able to survive in the competitive world today. The companies are focusing on redefining their markets, restructuring their operations, and modifying their business models so as to cope up with the competition. With a focus on innovation and change the companies are moving ahead and attaining competitive advantage so as to survive in the competitive market. With a focus on innovation the companies are able to focus on different opportunities and taking the advantage of the opportunities.

The business environment in today’s time is strongly filled by ambiguity and discontinuity, to evade from this the companies needs to strongly focus on improvising and experiment different things so as to as attain sustainable competitive advantage, Innovation does not result into immediate result, the innovation undertaken takes time to produce effective and productive results.

Mobile banking technologyMobile banking is for people on the move who want to access their bank accounts and transfer funds anytime, anywhere through their phones without visiting banks in person. Mobile applications provide the advantage that can be accessed from anywhere and anytime. The nowadays companies have many branches in different locations from the world. Their employees need to move from a location to another, in order to fulfill the company needs. They are using mobile applications in order to access resources from different locations. Mobile applications are defined as internet applications that fit very well in the mobile computing environment. The mobile computing can be viewed as an extension of distributed computing types adding mobility to host computers.

Mobile banking provides a means for the rural poor, in particular, to access much-needed banking services. It is enhancing incomes and offering an important avenue for saving. With operators scrambling to establish a foothold in the market, we expect to see the continued expansion of mobile banking in the global world.

For people who do not have access to traditional banking services, mobile banking is an attractive solution, offering services at any time. Apart from managing their bank accounts, customers can pay for goods and services, settle utility bills and pay for mobile phone top-ups. Any low-cost handset can support these services. These factors make mobile banking particularly suitable for low-income households and people in rural areas, who may be unable to get to banks during opening hours. In addition to the pure convenience of the service, it is cheap compared to traditional money transfer service operators such as Western Union. Furthermore, it offers a relatively safe means of transporting and transferring sums of money, and is therefore attractive to small-scale traders.

Innovation ReviewMobile commerce, in layman’s terms, refers to the exchange of goods and services using a mobile device such as a mobile phone or a PDA. M-commerce is slowly and steadily gaining on popularity due to many reasons – the increasing ubiquity of mobile devices and the anywhere, anytime connectivity offered by mobile clients being a few of them. Mobile banking is an important application of mobile commerce and involves conducting banking transactions through a mobile device.

This may include account balance and statement enquiries, fund transfers, paying bills, etc. The sensitivity of the data transferred is evident and hence, is the need for security. Use of SMS can be seen commonly in m-commerce, for instance, in m-banking where banks send the last transactions in the user’s account through SMS to the user. Security is an important concern in such a scenario along with the limited range of services that can be offered. Security is also a concern with WAP where the WAP Gateway presents a weak link in security with the need to incorporate the mobile operator in the trust chain. An end-to-end security solution is a better alternative for secure m-commerce architecture. .

The mobile banking has one of the major concerns which relate to the security of the bank account, with the introduction of the key card, the banks will be able to provide high end security on the Mobile banking with which the company will be able to have enhanced security and mobile banking transactions.

Customer Acceptance

Technology acceptance model is the model which helps in bringing into picture different casual relationships between system design features, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, attitude toward using, and actual usage behaviour. It is particularly an informative mechanism and representation of different mechanism by which the one accepts the information and adopt to the technology that has been brought forward by the user.

External variables: With the changing needs and requirements of the market, as the consumers are focusing on technology and innovation and want everything at ease, they want to adopt m-commerce technology and m-banking. The changing technology and innovation is the main external variable which has influenced the consumers to adapt for the changes that are needed and required. Technical support is one of the major constraints that affect the mobile banking services.

Perceived usefulness: Mobile banking has become the integral part of the banking activities, mobile banking helps the consumer to do financial transaction and stay connected with the bank account, it gives consumers the feasibility to access the bank and do the transaction anytime, anywhere. Thus for every transaction, the consumers do not have to go to the bank to do the particular transaction.

Perceived ease of use: With mobile banking, the customers will have the flexibility to use mobile banking anytime, anywhere. Mobile banking is for people on the move who want to access their bank accounts and transfer funds anytime, anywhere through their phones without visiting banks in person, with this they are able to take the advantage of banking at their finger tips.

Attitude towards using: There are different factors which affect the attitude of the consumers which relates to usage, accessibility, speed and security. With usage one is able to analyze the degree of usage for the services that are provided to the customers for mobile banking, accessibility is concerned with the time and location of different accessibility and the corresponding tools and hardware capability and availability of the software which is required to employ for the services that can be perceived from the mobile banking. For accessing the Mobile banking it is important for the consumer to have adequate accessibility of the internet and wireless connection for the mobile with which they are able to connect online to the mobile banking and do the required transactions. Security is one of the major concerns of the customers across the globe, as they consider that with mobile banking, others can have unauthorized access to their personal information during the service usage and any transactions that incur by them. They have high concern about the privacy and security in terms of banking.

Behavioral intention to use: As per the study it is analyzed that more customers uses mobile banking and mobile internet as they have positive relationship between the uses of the mobile banking. Technical support is one of the most important aspect which triggers the behavioral aspect of the consumer.

The research has been conducted on the basis of the technology adopted model, which has been represented by:

With the increasing use of mobile internet and mobile banking, the companies are able to have a strong focus on adapting to the changes in the technological field in terms of mobile usage.

Mobile experience is considered as the internal constraint which affects the mobile banking service of the consumers whereas technical support is considered as an external factor which stimuli the consumers.

H1-1: The higher the level of mobile experience, the greater the positive relationship between customers’ perceived usefulness and their intention to use mobile banking.

H1-2: The higher the level of mobile experience, the greater the positive relationship between customers’ perceived ease of use and their intention to use mobile banking.

H2-1: The higher the level of technical support, the greater the positive relationship between customers’ perceived usefulness and their intention to use.

H2-2: The higher the level of technical support, the greater the positive relationship between customers’ perceived ease of use and their intention to use.

Considering these factors, the interaction effect of the intension to use is highly dependent on the technical support and security measures.

In the end it can be said that both mobile experience and technological support are important factors in analyzing continuous intention to use (i.e., whether or not consumers would continue to use mobile banking services). Thus it is important for the companies to provide high end security and analysis to the consumers which will attract them to use the particular mobile banking feature.

Understanding customersConsumers are the main people who buy the product they are the ultimate market of a product. It is important to know the buying behavior of the consumers as it helps in analyzing and designing the marketing strategy of the organization. So as to maintain the product that satisfies their present as well as future needs, the consumers indulge themselves in different problem solving or purchasing decision making process. There are different kinds of level of involvement which varies with kind of product that is needed to be purchased.

Product attributes:

Considering different attributes of the products we can say that the consumers choses a service as per the attributes that the product offers.

Attribute Hierarchy protocol

Considering the attributes that the key card will provide to the consumers includes the high end security and technological support with which they will be able have flexibility and ease in accessing the banking. There are different options that the consumer can choose from which relates to traditional banking, internet banking and mobile banking. Mobile banking is considered as the best option if provided adequate security and technical support so as to have secure banking across the platform.

Attribute rankingThere are different attributes which needs to be considered in the use of mobile banking by the consumers.

No. Attribute Rank Weight

1 Security 1 .25

2 Technical support 1 .20

3 Mobile experience 2 .10

4 Flexibility in transactions 2 .10

5 Connectivity to the bank 2 .10

6 Hardware and software support from cellphone 2 .15

7 Availability of the access 2 .10

These are some of the most important attributes that needs to be considered by the company when developing the product for the US bank and with this the consumer will be able to analyze the product and use those accordingly.

Market ForecastWith the changing needs and demands of the consumers and enhancing technology, the consumers are trying to adopt to the changes across the market and to try new products which are launched in the market.

“A fifth of current account holders in the US state that mobile banking facilities are an essential feature of a current account, according to a Datamonitor consumer survey. The use of the mobile channel for conducting banking activities remains low, but there are clear signs for the future popularity of this channel.

Despite a small minority of US consumers currently using the mobile channel to conduct banking activities such as checking their balance or viewing a statement, 20% of current account holders believe that mobile banking facilities are an essential feature of a current account product (Datamonitor Financial Services Consumer Insight survey, June 2011). Mobile applications are frequently used by consumers in everyday life, with 18% of consumers stating that they use mobile apps several times a day and 19% using these daily, demonstrating that consumers are accustomed to this channel. Ofcom has also reported that 27% of adults and 47% of teenagers in the US now own a smartphone.

Currently the key limiting factor for consumers is the availability of mobile banking applications in the US, especially those which are fully transactional. Current account providers should be looking to develop mobile banking apps to meet consumer demand, which is forecast to grow further due to increased use of smartphones and high smartphone holding among today’s teenagers.” (Datamonitor report, 2011)

Considering the consumer adaption curve we can say that there will be about 2% people who will be considered as the innovative consumers who will focus on adopting to the new key card for secure mobile banking and more than 10% people will be early adopters, as mobile banking is a way which will provide easy access to bank and will have added flexibility in doing any kind of mobile transaction, this will save time and travel of the consumers and all their major banking transaction will be at their finger-tips. About 15% people will be considered as early majority and 12% consumers as late majority. The remaining people will be considered as the laggards.

The number of American consumers using a mobile phone to manage their finances is estimated to have grown at an annual rate of 25% in 2011. Mobile banking is projected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 30% during 2011–14. Mobile banking usage is expected improve significantly. Increasing mobile banking usage will help the group bring down operational cost per branch and also attract more customers.

Revised forecast

Considering the revised forecast with the increasing trend of mobile banking, with secured banking and high end technical support by the company like sony, the use of mobile banking is expected to increase by about 40% in the near future.

Inter-project learning:This is the age of innovation and technology which focuses on enhancing the technology and innovation. The key descriptive words used about this new “innovation challenge” of the twenty-first century are: Dreaming, Creating, Exploring, Inventing, Pioneering, and Imagining! The companies need to have a strong focus on the “innovative vision, courage, calculated risk taking, and strong leadership”. It is simply answering “the innovative challenge of the twenty-first century.” Thus, the “I-Challenge” confronts all organizations today.

The need for the change is concerned with:

Trends: The changing needs and demand of the consumers and the environment is one of the biggest aspect of change for the organization. The company focuses on observing the change in society, technology, economy, and government.

Unexpected Occurrences:  There are times when the company faces different unexpected successes or failures, at that point of time the company needs to focus on change and innovation.

Incongruities: With the difference in the expectation and the reality the company needs to focus on change.

Process Needs: When the company faces different changes in the process, in that case the company needs to focus on changing its process.

Industry and Market Changes: With the change in the market and industry the company needs to focus on innovation and change, continual shifts in the marketplace occur, caused by developments such as consumer attitudes, advancements in technology, and industry growth. Industries and markets affects the working of the company which calls for the innovation.

Demographic Changes: With the shift in the demographic needs and trends the company needs to reevaluate its strategies.

Perceptual Changes: Changes which occurs due to people’s interpretation of facts and concepts.

Knowledge-Based Concepts: When the company focuses on inventing something new in that case the company focuses on innovation. Culture for innovationOrganization culture fosters an organization to achieve its business goals and objectives. The culture of the organization helps in increasing the efficiency of the organization as well as the employees.

The corporate culture of the organization brings out the value and norms of the organization as well as the organizational behavior in respect of technologies, strategies, products and services that are used in the organization.

The organizational culture also fosters changes in the organization like downsizing, technological advancement which is important for the growth of the organization.

The company focuses on building a strong environment and culture for innovation and change with a strong focus on building a friendly based environment which is based on promoting safe and positive workplace. The company follows and regulates appropriate health and safety concerns and procedure, the company focuses on innovation with a strong focus on open communication, the company values honesty, trust and respect. The company focuses on creating an environment which fosters growth and innovation.

In establishing the drive to innovate in today’s corporations, the company focused on investing heavily in innovative activities that allow new ideas to flourish in an innovative environment. This concept, when coupled with the other specific elements of a strategy for innovation, has helped in enhancing the potential for employees to become innovation developers. The company has also focused on providing more nurturing and information-sharing activities to its employees. In addition to establishing innovative ways and nurturing innovators, the company has strongly focused on developing a climate that will help innovative-minded people reach their full potential. The perception of an innovative climate is critical for stressing the importance of management’s commitment to not only the organizations’ people but also to the innovative projects.

Learning for innovationInnovation is a process that needs to be managed within an organization. This includes activities such as encouraging ideas, defining goals, prioritizing projects, improving communications, and motivating teams. In addition, entrepreneurs must “learn” from their experiences as well. An organization that can continuously learn and adapt its behavior to external stimuli does so by continuously adding to its collective knowledge store. Researcher Andrew C. Corbett has identified the importance of acquiring and transforming the information and knowledge through the learning process. His research was able to lend credence to the theories about the cognitive ability of individuals to transform information into recognizable opportunities. So, how an organization acquires, processes, and learns from the prior knowledge that it has gained is critical to the complete innovation process.

Conclusion:The company has a strong focus on creativity and innovation with a strong focus on innovative environment to work in. Organizational change and a systematic approach to it-organization are to change at every step in the dynamic changing world. The factors can be internal or external like the carbon credit an external factor while growth target changed an internal factor. The change can affect the organization as well as the employee at large so; a good decision needs to be taken taking care of all the aspects of the organization. Organization change should foster the change that is targeted on the improving the performance of the working staff as well as the organization as a whole. The foundation of an systematic approach is that when a resource whether that is a person, function, or a product or service that is a part of the organization as an whole. A change in one thing will bolster the need to change something/s related to the former thing. System thinking helps the managers to seek the need of doing a research analysis to monitor the effect that a change will have on the board perspective on the company. Taking a broad view of the things that needs to be changing this will help them to identify the concern areas and issues this whole will help to quickly resolve the issue at hand. Systematic approach does not guarantee that the change will be without the ill affects this its guarantee that this will help the organization to integrate he aims of the changes within the organization.

ReferencesData monitor, available at: http://www.datamonitor.com/store/News/mobile_banking_facilities_are_essential_to_current_account_choice_in_the_US?productid=87815A21-F94C-4B4D-B3C9-33F55941130BThe Korean economic daily 2004 value innovation. From <http://ebookbrowse.com/gdoc.php?id=356885438&url=34e221bb2f55527f38225f623dcdfe78>.

Minhyung Kang, (2010), The mobile big bang, October 2010 | SERI Quarterly Regional Business News, 7 Reasons Why Apple iPhone 4S Has Upper Hand Over Samsung Galaxy S3 By: International Business Times, International Business Times, Mon, 25 Jun 2012

C.K. Prahlad and Gary Hamel, (1990), The core competency, Harvard Business Review, 1990

Dedrick, J., K. Kraemer, and G. Linden (2009) “Who Profits from Innovation in Global Value Chains? A Study of the iPod and Notebook PCs”, Industrial and Corporate Change, June, pp. 1–36.Clarkson, M.B.E. 1995. A stakeholder framework for analyzing and evaluating corporate social Performance. Academy of Management Review, 20, 65-91.

Davis, F.D. (1989). “Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology”. MIS Quarterly, 13 (3), pp. 318-340.

Davis, F.D. (1993). “User acceptance of information technology: system characteristics, user perceptions and behavioural impacts”. International Journal of Man-Machine Studies 38, pp. 475-487.

Inmates Infection Rate for COVID-19

Inmates Infection Rate for COVID-19

Name:

Name of Institution:

Overview of COVID-19

COVID-19 is caused by a viral particle named SARS-CoV 2 that is crown-shaped. It belongs to a family of viruses that mainly infect mammals and birds. They are characterized by respiratory infections in their hosts.

Data on COVID-19 infection rate for prisoners and staff:

Michigan prisons

The overall infection rate is 3% or 1,178 positive cases among roughly 38,000 prisoners

Staff cases have increased to 247, or 2% of employees. ( Jackson and Tanner, 2020)

B. Federal Bureau of Prisons

1917 out of 2700 inmates tested.

343 bureau of prison staff.

C. Two other States as a point of comparison

Ohio state- As of April 22, 2020: 3792 inmates infected 307 prison staff. (Bates, 2020)

New York- As of April 8, 2020: 287 inmates, 441 employees. (Stockler, 2020)

D. Two Foreign Countries

Kenya: 0 inmates, 0 prison staff members.

England: 1783 inmates, 487 prison staff members. (Shaw,2020)

3. Disruptions or protests due to COVID-19

Inmates at a state facility in Washington protested on April 8, 2020. They were concerned for their health after six inmates tested positive for COVID-19 (Mansoor, 2020).

What Safety protocol would you recommend for the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC)?

MDOC should institute home confinement for some inmates on petty offenses.

MDOC should conduct mass testing of all inmates in their custody.

MDOC should conduct thorough sanitization drives for the prisoners and prison facility compound.

MDOC should isolate all inmates as soon as they test positive, perhaps in solitary confinement wings before being processed for treatment.

MDOC should restrict prison staff movement in and out of the facility.

Strategies recommended as solutions by other local, state, and federal correctional departments to reduce COVID 19. (according to PPE training)

Provide recommended Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for inmates and staff

Enhance sanitization drives across all prison blocks and compounds

Encourage social distancing measures

Create awareness about coronavirus among all detained persons

References

Stockler, A. (2020). More than 700 people have tested positive for coronavirus on Rikers Island, including over 440 staff. Retrieved 30 April 2020, from https://www.newsweek.com/rikers-island-covid-19-new-york-city-1496872

Shaw, D. (2020). Thousands of Covid-19 cases in prisons, says study. Retrieved 30 April 2020, from https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-52449920Bates, J. (2020). Retrieved 30 April 2020, from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiyl4qk2JDpAhWy3OAKHXMYDFQQFjAAegQIARAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5825030%2Fohio-mass-testing-prisons-coronavirus-outbreaks%2F&usg=AOvVaw0wnLLSkIxAcgCEkG0eL8OR

Jackson, A., & Tanner, K. (2020). Retrieved 30 April 2020, from https://www.sentinel-standard.com/news/20200425/coronavirus-cases-at-michigan-prison-surge-as-widespread-testing-begins/1Mansoor, S. (2020). Retrieved 30 April 2020, from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiTnKuczJDpAhWSlxQKHa8zADwQFjAAegQIAhAB&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftime.com%2F5818309%2Fwashington-state-prison-protest%2F&usg=AOvVaw08qqYpcQlLxLpKB46fXKrB

Training, P. P. E. Interim Guidance on Management of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Correctional and Detention Facilities.

Injustice happens in many different ways and it has deep rooted effects which make the society lose its shape and form

Injustice happens in many different ways and it has deep rooted effects which make the society lose its shape and form. Injustice is referred to as the treatment of a person in a manner that is not deserved (McCoubrey et.al. 129). Therefore injustice is a detrimental practice in any society which makes the life of a person or a group of people to be unwanted in that particular society. For example when the black lives matter movement is hated by white supremacists that can be referred to as injustice even though most of the times there is more action into injustice more than just talk.

Other types of injustice especially in the united states of America is the systemic racial discrimination, redlining, police versus a citizen etc. this type of injustice is what has led to many people living miserable lives. This applies mostly to black people because they are the people considered not worthy of the privileges obtained by the white people. According to (Heinze, 200), the core elements of traditional justice were unity and measurement. Therefore I these two qualities were not present there was a very high likelihood of injustice.

This paper will look into injustice as well as justice. The paper informs the audience about the different injustices in the whole country and how some groups are still being denied justice in the courts of all. Justice explained as a group of people or a one person who get what they are supposed to get can be referred to explain the manner in which people are not treated in the right manner. An example here would be a white lady who buys bread exactly of the same size and shape as that of the black lady. In this case the black woman is treated as the change.

Uber Technologies

Informative Speech about Uber Technologies

Student’s name

Institutional affiliation

Topic: Uber Technologies

General purpose: To inform

Specific purpose: To inform my audience about one of the most successful and globally renowned black-car service company, Uber technologies.

Thesis statement: This speech highlights the challenges and ethical issues experienced by Uber Technologies. It further proposes innovative policies and strategies to address the challenges as well as strategies that can be employed in achieving an equitable, cross-cultural, and multicultural work environment.

Introduction

Attention Getter: Although Uber came into existence in 2009 and started as a black-car hire, it has expanded widely across many continents and countries. What makes the Uber industry stand out is the fact as opposed to traditional car hire services, it employs a digital approach to ensure a win-win situation for the client, the driver, and the company. In short, Uber Technologies runs all its services on an application that connects riders to clients. The most intriguing part of the business is the simplicity of the business. The Uber services took the ridesharing services to the next level because it capitalized on convenience. Think of it this way, people are always on the move, traveling to a different destination, the store, to work, and even tending to emergencies. Uber Technologies stands out as it was the first company to develop an application that uses GPS to link a client to a driver. The fact that one can log in into an application request for a ride and have the rider pick them from their location is very attractive to my clients.

Reason to listen: Over the years, Uber has faced many disruptive challenges and fought many rivals transforming the company from a black-car service to an empire for self-driving cars and food delivery.

Thesis statement: This speech highlights the challenges and ethical issues experienced by Uber Technologies. It further proposes innovative policies and strategies to address the challenges as well as strategies that can be employed in achieving an equitable, cross-cultural, and multicultural work environment.

Credibility statement:

I have always been interested in matters pertaining to how technology has revolutionized the transportation industry over the years.

At every opportunity I get, I try to learn as much as possible about the million dollar black-car services in the world.

Preview of main points:

First, I will discuss the challenges and ethical issues experienced by Uber Technologies.

Second I will discuss innovative policies and strategies to address the challenges.

Finally, I will discuss strategies that Uber can employ in achieving an equitable, cross-cultural, and multicultural work environment.

Although both the Uber drivers and clients face challenges, there are hardly any downsides for customers.

One of the greatest challenges facing the industry is safety concerns

In many states and cities that have lax transport industry regulations, average citizens can easily infiltrate the system as service providers.

Although it has a positive impact on the number of drivers, there is no way to guarantee that the drivers will maintain professionalism and safety.

Another issue is surge pricing, which controls free markets by lowering and increasing pricing based on demand

This hurts customers as sometimes the fare could triple or double during peak hours.

Low fares also impact negatively on drivers due to low earnings.

According to Kovoor-Misaram in cities like New York, drivers are encouraged to get luxury cars and the latest models to keep with their customers’ needs.

Price competition has had a negative impact on the transport industry. This has to do with the fact that Uber and other e-hail taxi services are always competing to provide the cheapest service. Further, they are also in competition with traditional taxi- services.

Another challenge facing the Uber business is the lack of accessibility features for people with disabilities

In some countries, car hire companies are mandated by the law to have a given number of wheelchair accessible vans for use.

This is not always the case as most drivers don’t have access to the resources making it difficult to comply with the law.

Maheshwari notes that over the past few years, Uber has found itself at the center of unethical scandals ranging from sexual assault, sabotage, the issue of multi-tasking, and privacy.

There have been cases of customers raising sexual assault accusations against Uber drivers. This is because the process of bringing drivers on has been negligent. Word is, Uber does not meet with drivers before approving their applications. It is expected that such a multi-billion company can afford to run background checks on their drivers as it is the only way to ensure clients’ safety.

Furthermore, Uber has been found to employ techniques of sabotage against their competitors to ensure they remain in business.

Several Uber drivers were found to request rides from Lyft, their main competitor, only to cancel them.

This causes the Lyft drivers to waste gas and have low availability leading customers to request Uber rides instead.

The fact that Uber bases its operations on using GPS to reach potential clients presents a drawback from a safety perspective.

This is because drivers have to keep checking their mobile drivers while driving, increasing the chances of causing accidents.

Uber has also been accused of disregarding its clients’ privacy as it has an application used in tracking their customers’ location.

Transition: Now that I have discussed the challenges and ethical issues experienced by Uber Technologies, I will now address the innovative policies and strategies that can be used to resolve them.

B. One of the strategies Uber can employ to avoid scandals is putting safeguards in place.

Putting sufficient safeguards provides a way of nullifying the negative publicity that faces them.

Uber has been accused of sexual violations and drivers cheating their clients. While some of the allegations were true they lead to negative implications on the company’s brand.

Another strategy would be to offer its employees more flexible schedules to attract more people in need of additional income streams

Another strategy is adjusting its income claims by reducing commission.

Currently, Uber collects commissions ranging from 20%-28% of earnings.

According to Wong, Uber should develop a grievance handling and sexual harassment policy in its company to help address cases of sexual harassment against its customers.

Implementation of such a policy can help address the issue and improve their brand image.

To maximize profits, Uber must recognize the changing nature of its business by diversifying its services. Recently, Uber has started leveraging technology for optimal driver allocation and cab bookings.

Moreover, with the current situation, Uber should continue to scale up alternative businesses, including Uber Eats and Uber Freight.

Transition: Now that I have discussed about the innovative policies and strategies to address the challenges, I will touch on the strategies that Uber can employ in achieving an equitable, cross-cultural, and multicultural work environment.

C. A multi-cultural environment must consider not only race and gender but also sexual orientation

1. Uber Technologies recognizes that having inclusive and diverse teams is their greatest asset.

a. It drives innovation which provides them with a competitive advantage.

b. Uber technologies have doubled its commitment to create a work environment where people from all backgrounds can thrive and function.

c. increasing the representation of underrepresented groups, including women by increasing women workforce to 50%, increasing women’s representation in technology and leadership positions.

d. This means including people who identify as LGBTI in the workforce to ensure a diverse and equitable workforce.

Conclusion:

Review of main points:

First, I discussed the challenges and ethical issues experienced by Uber Technologies.

Second I discussed innovative policies and strategies to address the challenges.

Finally, I discussed strategies that Uber can employ in achieving an equitable, cross-cultural, and multicultural work environment

Restate Thesis: This speech highlights the challenges and ethical issues experienced by Uber Technologies. It further proposes innovative policies and strategies to address the challenges as well as strategies that can be employed in achieving an equitable, cross-cultural, and multicultural work environment.

Closure: To address these problems, Uber Technologies must realize the need to keep their employees happy, reduce commissions, run background checks on drivers, and have safeguards.

References

Kovoor-Misra, S. (2019). Crisis management: Resilience and change. SAGE Publications.

Maheshwari, N. (2017). Uber taxi cab-handling crisis communication. Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies.

Wong, J. C. (2017). Uber concealed massive hack that exposed data of 57m users and drivers. The Guardian, 22.

S Curves and TOE Theory

In technology management, discontinuity refers to the remarkable positive inventions and advancements of a technological function characterizing an industry or sector that dominate prior technologies leading to improvements and creative disruption or destruction. Examples of discontinuity include cellular telephones that have completely displaced land line technologies, online and mobile banking that has rendered a majority of physical institutions less important, and the replacement of the postal mail by the internet and other modern delivery systems.

Q2

The TOE theory explains how technological, organizational, and environmental contexts of a firm influence the decisions on adoption.

Nokia

Nokia failed because it lacked innovative leadership in its industry, lost its agility, and saw its excessive growth rate as invincibility in the technology industry. In terms of technology, the internal and external technologies relevant to Nokia were available, yet under-utilized. In the organizational context, the size, structure, and resources available to Nokia were unmatched at the time, yet were incorrectly focused on further expansion relating to the technology of the time. What really caused the fall of Nokia was the environmental context relating to the structure and size of the technology industry and the competitors. Nokia was unable to leverage its technological and organizational advantages to create an opportunity for the environmental context leading to failure to adapt to changing industry trends.

Kodak

Kodak failed because of the immense success it had enjoyed over time leading to a product oriented structure instead of a focus on the needs of the consumer. The success that Kodak saw at the time made the organization resistant to change. The TOE framework points to the need to keep innovation at the top of an organization. Kodak had a large organization structure with immense resources, yet could not adapt to new technologies and environmental trends that were quickly moving to the digital space. Kodak’s rigidity to adapt new technology and the decision not to follow the competition cost the company its name and brand.

HD-DVD

HD-DVD failed because the competition, Sony’s Blu-Ray, leverage its organizational strength including the firm’s size, centralization, band name, and resources to convince movie makers and film studios to use the Blu Ray format to release movies. Sony used its large organizational resources to dictate technological movement and environmental trends by getting Warner Brothers to exclusively adopt Blu Ray, a strength that Toshiba’s HD-DVD lacked. Blu Ray’s strategy was aggressive in terms of using its large organizational context to support the technological and environmental aspects.

Question 3

One of the reasons why the healthcare industry is slow to adopt innovations is because of the act that barriers digital technologies facing patients are incomparable to barriers in other sectors. In essence, people prefer to be treated by other people as opposed to AI generated healthcare. It is also true that software fail may have severe outcomes compared to other workplaces. The technological context of the healthcare industry does not match any other including the need for discontinuity and creative disruptions. The organizational context means that hospitals are slow to adopt changes because of the risk issues and compliance requirements. In terms of the environmental context, it is safer for the competition and other external players in the industry to adopt technologies that have been certified and approved, leading to slower response and adoption times.

Sociocultural-Philosophy-of-Mathematics-Teaching

Improvement of mathematics learning is basically linked to development in teaching, and that teaching develops through a learning process that involves teachers and the ones who receive knowledge. Teachers and educators can make use of inquiry as a tool to promote the involvement critically with key questions and issues in question. This method involves addressing mathematical tasks in classrooms, developing approaches to mathematics teaching or creating methods of working with teachers for promoting mathematical teaching (Jaworski, 2004)

Teaching Mathematics as Learning in PracticeIt has been noticed that mathematics education has addressed philosophical and epistemological perspectives with respect to mathematics and to mathematics learning over the past few decades. Theoretical considerations that involve knowing nature of mathematical knowledge, what it means to know mathematics and to come to know it, how mathematics knowledge is related to knowing in social settings more widely, has been a topic of consideration and debate .

It has been seen that constructivism and sociocultural theories have been highly influential in addressing mathematical knowledge and its learning. But unfortunately the position of mathematics research, teaching and learning has always been seriously anomalous and underdeveloped.

Theories lead to analysis, explanation, but they fail to provide the plan for action; rarely do they provide direct guidance for practice. We can promote mathematics learning from theoretical perspectives. Research has shown that the sociocultural setup of the society in which mathematical learning and teaching takes place are too complex. It is always reasonable that teaching mathematics should drive us to the better gain of knowledge of mathematical learning, but to theorise teaching is a big issue that most teachers seem to be dealing with. (Cooney, 1994)

The process of growth in knowledge especially in the field of mathematics continues throughout practice. E. Wenger also conceptualises learning as developing identity (as a teacher, for example) through participation in practice and learning is a “process of becoming”. To learn the science of Mathematics one must engage themselves in the ideas through involvement in communicative practice, polish those ideas through exercising his/ her thinking and align it to the proper thoughts. Alignment of imagination in a community of practice leads to the individual members aligning themselves with characteristics of the practice. With the exercise of broader thinking during engagement, it can be a vital process in which one questions the reason and consequences of aligning with norms of normal practice.

If the community of practice is the school, it is seen as a process of becoming a teacher within this community, hence, looking at any school community, one would identify teachers as aligning themselves critically with respect to a broad and rich picture of the world.

On analysing the work of Brown and McIntyre’s in social practice theory, we will find that the process of legitimate peripheral participation, for any teacher being drawn into this community, might be seen as one of learning to develop the normal desirable state and maintain it for the well-being of all those involved as ‘normally’ perceived in the school setting. Thus participation here looks more like a perpetuation of the practice – an alignment that lacks a critical dimension – although I recognize that we might debate the meaning of these terms.

A main reason of mathematics method courses is to help pre-service teachers develop the means to facilitate the knowledge of mathematics. These method courses differ from each other in institutions in structure and philosophy; however, mathematics teacher education programs tend to emphasise the development of both mathematics content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. (Shulman,1986)

The research in the field of – Learning Communities in Mathematics is structured to develop inquiry communities amongst teachers and didacticians to promote inquiry at all levels. It puts into practice, and simultaneously the research, the ideas expressed in this article. Analysis of data of the didacticians, focuses on tensions, and brings to light the considerable learning opportunities in creating inquiry communities with teachers.

Analysis of mathematical thinking in schools:

If we analyse the mathematical study culture in school, ‘How do we know whether a student in class actually understands what’s taught in mathematics class? This cognitive state if could be judged there would have been ‘understanding’ of mathematics within the classroom.

The ‘understanding’ of mathematics can be judged by observing behaviour of particular kinds – written, verbal, diagrammatic or symbolic forms of maths..

It can be said through the result of studies that a competent participant in the school mathematics who understands will display the behaviour that will lead to recognition of that understanding.

This leads to many further questions about what it means to be a‘competent participant’, what might determine ‘appropriate circumstances’.

In assessing maths education the main factors needs to be considered-

One is categorized as ‘psychological’ that stresses on the design of tests to be used as research, diagnosis or evaluation instruments to measure or describe student’s achievement or understanding within the mathematical domain of interest.

No matter how mainstream research has become but a ‘curriculum reform’ focus, analysing traditional forms of assessment from the point of view of validity and often proposing new forms of assessment more aligned with curriculum objectives.

Both these factors aim to focus at what students produce and to attempt to devise instruments that will cause them to produce fair representations of their knowledge.

It should be taken care that in classroom education – assessment practices and its consequences should become more transparent that allows opportunities for teachers and students to resist them and take control. We should look at the ways in which ‘being mathematical’ is constituted in the school education by various evaluations made by teachers of their students or any contestatations.

STATUS OF MATHEMATICS EDUCATION AS KNOWLEDGE FIELD

We need several answers to critical points mentioned below–

Basis of mathematics education in the field of knowledge

Mathematics education a discipline, a field of enquiry or interdisciplinary area

Relationship with other disciplines such as philosophy, sociology, psychology or linguistics

Research methods and methodologies are employed and what is their philosophical basis and status

Mathematics education research community judge knowledge claims

The role and function of the researcher in mathematics education

The status of theories in mathematics education

Impact of modern developments in philosophy (post-structuralism, post-modernism)

These abovementioned factors are most important for the philosophy of mathematics education which needs to considered and explored.

Controversies in the Philosophy of Mathematics Education

The philosophy of mathematics education by certain set of people can be considered to be a dry and overly academic domain. Other issues could be as follows:

1. Mathematical Philosophy:

Mathematics is one of the oldest sciences and it is also a field of certain and cumulative knowledge, mathematics and its philosophy seems an unlikely area for controversy. Recently issues are emerging about philosophical views of science and mathematics. Foundationalists and absolutists are in support of the view that mathematics is certain, cumulative and untouched by social interests or developments beyond the normal patterns of historical growth whereas Fallibilists, humanists, relativists and social constructivists, have been arguing that mathematics is through and through historical and social, and that there are cultural limitations to its claims of certainty, universality and absoluteness.

2. Aims of Mathematics learning:

Five aims of Mathematical education identified are as follows:

Industrial Trainer aims – ‘back-to-basics’: numeracy and social training in obedience

Technological Pragmatist aims – useful mathematics to the appropriate level and knowledge and skill certification,

Old Humanist aims – transmission of the body of mathematical knowledge

Progressive Educator aims – creativity, self- realisation through mathematics

Public Educator aims – critical awareness and democratic citizenship via mathematics

These aims are best understood as part of an overall ideological framework that includes views of knowledge, values, society, human nature as well as education.

3. Theories of Learning Mathematics:

The Constructivist theories of learning are considered very old, a number of distinguished speakers in the 80s tried radical constructivism, most notably the strong version due to Ernst von Glasersfeld (1995).

It was seen that the attacks on radical constructivism at that conference, that were intended to expose the weaknesses of the position fatally, served instead as a platform from which it was launched to widespread international acceptance and approbation. This is not without continuing strong critiques of constructivism from mathematicians and others (e.g., Barnard and Saunders 1994).

It led to further controversy between different versions of constructivism, most notably radical constructivism versus social constructivism (Ernest, 1994)

4. Mathematics Teaching

The teaching of mathematics is also an area in which there can be substantial clashes of philosophy or ideologies. Some of the areas of issues are as following:

1. Mathematical pedagogy – problem solving and investigational approaches to mathematics versus traditional, routine or expository approaches

2. Technology in mathematics teaching – whether electronic calculators be permitted or they interfere with the learning of number and the rules of computation, computers be used as electronic skills tutors or as the basis of open learning?

3. Mathematics and symbolisation – whether mathematics should be taught as a formal symbolic system or emphasis be put on oral, cognitive

4. Mathematics and culture – whether traditional mathematics with its formal tasks and problems be the basis of the curriculum, or it is to be presented in realistic, authentic contexts.

5. Research Methodologies in Mathematics Education

Traditionally research in mathematics education used the methodologies of

Psychological,

Agro-biological and

Scientific research paradigm.

Linking Philosophies of Mathematics and Mathematical Practice:

The link between philosophies of mathematics and mathematical practices is a central issue in philosophy of mathematics. It has been established that there is a strong and complex link between philosophy and pedagogy.

2 philosophical views of mathematics have been described. It is far from uncommon for teachers and others and the experience of learning itself to confirm this view. Such an image is often, but not always, associated with negative attitudes to mathematics.

We see a counterexample arose in a study on student teacher’s attitudes and beliefs about mathematics. A subgroup of mathematics specialists was identified who combined absolutist conceptions of the subject with very positive attitudes to mathematics and its teaching. However amongst non-mathematics-specialist future primary school teachers there was weak correlation between fallibilist conceptions and positive attitudes to mathematics and its teaching (Ernest 1988, 1989b).

A research on children’s attitudes towards mathematics in the past two decades shows strong liking of the school subject, mainly in the years of elementary schooling .But in the later years of academic career attitudes is disconnected to negative are relatively rare. This change in attitudes is due to many factors as adolescence, peer-attitudes, the impact of competitive examinations, and most importantly the image of mathematics conveyed in and out of school.

The most important issue for mathematical education is the relationship between mathematics and values, as the popular image of mathematics is undoubtedly value laden.

Finally, it is possible that the social context of schooling to be so powerful that a teacher with connected values and a humanistic view of school mathematics is forced into ‘strategic compliance’ that results in an evolved modern mathematics classroom practice. This practice may originate with either an absolutist philosophy, or a fallibilist philosophy, but in both cases ‘crosses over’. The research has confirmed that teachers with very distinct personal philosophies of mathematics (absolutist and fallibilist) have been constrained by the social context of schooling to teach in a traditional, separated way (Lerman 1986).

It is suggested that values as well as beliefs and philosophies play a vital role in determining the core fundamentals and philosophies of mathematics classroom practice. This is not surprising as these values are typical of teacher-pupil relations, the degree of competitiveness, the extent of negative weight placed on errors, the degree of public humiliation experienced in consequence of failure.

A lot of work on the philosophy of mathematics education is related to exploring the link between the philosophies of mathematics implicit in teachers’ beliefs, in texts and the mathematics curriculum, in systems and practices of mathematical assessment and in mathematics classroom practices. A lot of progress has been made in impacting such influences, and it is clear that the relationships are complex and non-deterministic.

Also, light has been thrown on a number of dimensions of the philosophy of mathematics education, what it is, and its implications for the classroom. Major concern that still lies is that of inquiring into and questioning some of the presuppositions underlying theories and research in mathematics education and the practices of teaching and learning mathematics.

REFERENCESAssociation of Teachers of Mathematics (1987). Teacher is/as Researcher. Derby: ATM.

Banwell, C. S., Saunders, K. D., & Tahta, D. S. (1972). Starting Points. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Bassey, M. (1995). Creating Education Through Research. Edinburgh: British Educational Research Association.

Bartolini-Bussi, M. G. (1994). ‘Theoretical and Empirical Approaches to Classroom Interaction.’ In R. Biehler, R. W. Scholtz, R. Strässer and B. Winkelmann (Eds.), The Didactics of Mathematics as a Scientific Discipline (pp. 121-132). Dordrecht: Kluwer.

Bauersfeld, H. (1995). The Structuring of the Structures: Development and Function of Mathematizing as a Social Practice. In L. P. Steffe & J. Gale (Eds.), Constructivism in Education. Hillslade, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Bauersfeld, H. (1988). Interaction, Construction, and Knowledge: Alternative Perspectives for Mathematics Education. In D. A. Grouws & T. J. Cooney (Eds.), Perspectives on Research on Effective Mathematics Teaching. Reston, Va: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.