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New Product Development

New Product Development

A successful idea generation process is part of searching for an idea that is superior and which has not been discovered. There are various methods that can be used in generating an idea for the new product such as Delphi and focus groups, brain storming. Ideas for the new product can be got from research using various aspects such as SWOT analysis, the trends of market and consumers, the competitors of the product, trade shows and so on. The basic approach is to ensure that full creativity is harnessed when developing the new idea. Open innovation will also be used in idea development where research will be conducted on the product. This research should be conducted in a speedy so that costs can be cut and at the same time generate new ideas that are innovative. Input can be got from internal sources like strategic planning and external sources like market information and customers (Boundless, 2013).

When brain storming on the new product we will start with the phase of screening the idea. Idea screening is aimed at eliminating any concepts of the product that are not sound before resources are devoted to them. Through the process of screening there are various questions that the screeners ask themselves this include if the customers in the target market will have benefits from the bottles, the size as well as growth forecasts of the target market, the expected as well as current competition of the new product idea, the feasibility of producing the bottle t and if the bottles will be profitable if manufactured and sold to the customers at the price which is intended (Sambandam,2010).Brain storming also involves a dimensional analysis of the new product which involves various aspects such as combination which involves looking at how the new product can be mixed with any other that exists. Another aspect is magnification which involves looking at how the new product would do if the numbers are increased and how its market can be magnified. It also involves modification which entails altering or redesigning of the idea of the new product as well as using old assumptions that existed. It also involves adopting which entails what processes can be copied or swipe technology when producing the bottles.

The other aspect is elimination whereby an analysis of what might weigh the idea of the new product down, what should be dropped from the idea are also examined for the new product. Once some ideas have been generated through brainstorming then 3 to 4 of them are produced for discussion. It is important to involve various people in brainstorming this are such as an engineer who has knowledge on the process of producing the bottles, a salesperson that has knowledge on the market and knows exactly what people need, the purchasing person who knows the raw materials that are needed, the customer who knows what exactly they need and if they can find it in the new product, all these are key when developing the idea of the new product (Garret, 2013).

The various techniques which can be used in generating the idea for the new product can therefore be selected on the basis of suitability of the task. Quantity of the idea is something which is wanted so as to develop an idea that existed before. therefore it will be encouraged to modify or combine one idea with another as well as development from one idea to another .all ideas are valid in the stage of development of ideas and none should be criticized After the ideas have been generated they will undergo valuation so that market validation can be done.

References

Chartered Inst. of Environmental Health..(2010). Product Strategy Development: Idea Generation and Screening. Retrieved April 4, 2013 from http://www.nzifst.org.nz/creatingnewfoods/idea_generation4.htmSambandam,R.(2010).New product development: stages and methods.Retrived April 4,2013 from http://www.trchome.com/about-trc/press-releases/223.htmlBoundless.(2013).Idea generation. Retrieved April 4,2013 from https://www.boundless.com/marketing/products/new-product-development-1/idea-generation/Garret, T. (2013).Marketing and NPD.

Death and Dying

Death and Dying

Name

Institution

Death and Dying

Introduction

The subject of death has elicited various debates across different cultures. Ideally, death is treated as one of the most personal and biological happenings and for that reason the wide area of death and dying creates a counterintuitive and therefore an appealing scenario to determine the rational legitimacy of sociology. Over the years, sociologists have pointed out repeatedly that each society produces its own suicide rate that relies on how people are assimilated and regulated. What this sociological viewpoint implies is that the idea of committing suicide has deep cultural origins that can be explored. In recent years, sociologists have tried to test their own theories concerning death and dying by gauging the society’s attitudes concerning the subject (Gire, 2002). This paper explores the viewpoint of various sections of the society regarding death and dying as well as the sociological theories that are available concerning the issue.

The Concept of Death

Over the years, sociologists have tried to get formal acceptance by conducting studies on the subject of death and dying. In the 1950’s, researchers declared the field of death and dying abandoned and yielding no fruit but this scenario changed in the early years of the 1960’s when various researchers undertook a study that sought to establish the relationship between dying patients and health care providers in several hospitals around the United States. These studies were critical since the attention that they created brought to light the wide gap that was existent between the living and individuals that were presumed to be on the verge of death. This was a time when doctors were not even willing to disclose to patients about the severity of their ailments. Research has repeatedly indicated that most patients were only rewarded with silence in their attempts to find out about the nature of sickness that they were suffering from. However, the attempt of researchers to uncover the issue together with an active social movement that was bent on introducing a human side to modern dying led to renewed interest of this rather important subject. This led to the publication of various books touching on the subject of death and dying. This interest had instant results in that it changed among other things how terminally ill patients were notified about the diagnosis of their ailments and served as a model for future research (Anspach, 2003).

Interviews on the Societal Perspective on Death and Dying

The concept of death and dying is viewed differently in different cultures. While dying is a universal happening in nearly every society, it is interesting to note that each community treats the issue differently from other communities. In the olden days, death was closely connected to birth and the birth of a child was a rather conscious reminder of the presence of death. At the late as the last part of the 19th century, some people believed that the birth of a child heralded the presence of death and therefore the birth of a child was seen as a doorway for the death of a family member for that particular community. However, the contrast between the two occasions is that people are excited about the birth of a child, but they are often reluctant to discuss about death. Ideally, although most people do not seem to think about death, they are actually afraid of it (Maynard, 2003).

In an attempt to establish how the previous generation perceived death and dying, I conducted an interview with an elderly member of our community who was born in the early part of the 20th century. After interviewing him, I realized that people are not supposed to think about their own death. Even though the senior member of the society that I interviewed is without a doubt in the last part of his life, I realized that he could not think about his own death to the extent where he had refused to write his last will and testament since he believes that doing so would be akin to hastening his own death. Apparently, this is the belief that dominated people’s thoughts in the last century. Even though dying was and remains a natural part of human life, it is seen as a mystery (Kentz, 2014).

Over the last thirty years, there have been numerous technological advancements that have led to the improvement of the quality of life. Most of these advancements have led to a scenario where people can be added even more days when they are clearly on the verge of death. While this can be lauded as a positive contribution into the history of science, it is nonetheless a clear indication of how people are scared of death. This fear has led to the development of a technology that can delay death for some time. In order to determine how people in the modern society perceive the subject of death and dying, I asked one of my closest friends how he felt about death. While he thought that he was too young to die, he admitted that he was always conscious of something bad happening to his parents or siblings. When I asked him if he supported the idea of using like support machines to elongate the life of a family member who was obviously going to die, he stated that he could adopt that approach as long as it guaranteed that the loved one would be around for longer even if he/she was in a vegetative state. What this means is that death for many people is something that must be resisted since it marks the end of the human life as we know it. Wherever an individual in the society dies, people see such an individual as having lost their battle to death. Although most people are religious, it is clear that most people do not prescribe to the school of thought that there is another life after death, and this explains why people invest much of their resources in bettering the quality of their lives and coming up with mechanisms that can elongate their lives (Suarez, 2014).

The ideas that I have established from other people did not surprise me since they are very close to my own ideas regarding death and dying. For a long time, I have seen death as something that has to be feared and resisted. If a family member or a close friend was faced with a severe illness that would threaten their lives, I would make every effort to look for a way that they could get treatment from their ailment. If such treatment failed to be effective, I would not mind if such a loved one was put in a life support machine as long as they are around me. To me, death is something that should not be discussed openly since it might lead to my own death. Just like my friend, I have always seen death as the end of human life and for that reason I should work hard to fulfil all my assignments before death. At times I have seen death as a sort of punishment that God places on his disobedient subjects and hence my endeavor to live a straightforward life at all times (Self, 2014).

From my research, I have also established that the misguided concept regarding death and dying is no more different among the professionals. In trying to complete this term paper, I asked a nurse in one of the influential hospitals how she would treat someone who openly identified/communicated with the dead either in her place of worship or in the hospital where she worked. From the interview, the nurse told me that she would treat such an individual with suspicion and would not even want to be assigned to such a patient. While the nurse is trained to act professionally, she stated that she would be afraid of someone who communicated with the dead either openly or in secret. Her admission was a clear indication that professional training did very little to erase the beliefs that people have on death and dying. People in the modern society are still afraid of death as this nurse notified me that she would not want to be assigned to a patient who was on the verge of death (Prandelli, 2014).

Although the West is in every aspect a modernized society, there are still many individuals who treat death as a very significant endeavor. This leads them to try and do everything within their power to be with the individual during his/last days on earth. Ideally, such individuals believe that the point of death is the most critical of an individual’s life, and every attempt should therefore be made to ensure that a connection is made between the departing soul and the living. Although the concept of modernity has dulled the beliefs of most people about life after death, many communities both in the west and in developing nations still hold on to the belief about life after death. Nearly all the world’s major religions promote the doctrine of life after death. In order to develop a sense of hope, even those individuals who are not necessarily religious still ascribe to the concept of life after death. While death is seen as a transition to another life, many people are rather skeptical about the existence of such a life, and hence the extreme fear about death in the society (Suarez, 2014).

In most cases, the concepts that people hold about life after death do not have any genesis. Instead, such beliefs are founded on the cultural concept of the eternal nature of the soul. In most societies, people continue to pay their respects to the departed soul years after the person has died in the belief that the person’s spirit would help them in their time of need. Today, it is not hard to see individuals offering prayers to their long departed ancestors since they believe that they are watching over their affairs. In some communities, there is belief that a dead person’s spirit is ever present, something that leads to the reverence of such an individual. This explains the reason why people try to create a link between the living and the dead in the form of mausoleums or holding on to items that remind them of the dead person. This belief is mostly passed on to the younger generations, and this explains why most people in the modern society are more conservative when it comes to the idea of letting their loved ones to die (Prandelli, 2014).

Although the subject of death and dying still remains mysterious, researchers have come up with studies geared towards realizing how dying and death take place. According to some research, when people are on the verge of death they demonstrate some traits, which are nearly universal. The researchers point out that comprehending such traits is critical since it makes it possible for the family members to ready themselves for the impending death. Research has repeatedly indicated that people who are about to die experience altered mood and make unusual requests to those around them. An individual who is about to die also becomes more withdrawn and meditative and a loss of interest for the affairs of those around him (American Psychological Association, 2014).

Explaining Death and Immortality

In recent years, much emphasis has been placed on institutional death management which deals with addressing the physiological facets of dying by applying medical technologies to increase the length of life or to hasten death if there is sufficient evidence that an individual is not likely to recover from a disease. Although there are numerous myths that are associated with death and dying, medical personnel are not supposed to align themselves with such beliefs, but they are instead supposed to stick to a medically acceptable notion of dying and apply the same to the family (American Psychological Association, 2014). In most literature, the dying ideals depend largely on how the death is expected, the duration it takes before dying as well as the resources and the sickness process. In most hospitals, the normative ideals that trigger action are in most cases focused in ensuring that the institutional routines are not disturbed (Armstrong, 2006).

In most hospitals, there is a lack of consensus on the issue of death mostly due to the varying opinions of clinicians as well as diverse staff cultures. In addition to this, there is the issue of patients who resist death while others are too willing to die. There is also the issue of relatives who abandon patients who are on the verge of death while others work hard to prevent the death of their loved ones. While death is inevitable, any death that deviates from the societal expectations is often met with suspicions of medical error and may be followed with litigations if the family members are aggrieved. However, there is no clear government position on such matters and if the patient’s family is disengaged on such a matter the staff is usually let off the hook. This means that death and dying still remain private issues that not even the government wants to get involved in (Carr, 2012).

Apart from institutionalized dying, the modern societies have also been placing much emphasis on methods of trying to explain death for the purpose of avoiding early death and to lengthen human life. Central among the actions in this area have been conducting autopsies as well as authorizing organ transplants. This field has also included stem cell research that is meant to give a new lease of life to human beings. While people were initially against the conduction of autopsies, this number has been rising steadily over the last few years. While autopsies were initially only restricted to medical research, this has changed and individuals are now taking a keen interest on this field all with the aim of understanding the cause of death for their loved ones. In recent years, the request for autopsies has reduced significantly as hospitals have been working hard to ensure that they do everything possible to avoid patient deaths for fear of litigation. This has left the forensic as the only area where autopsies are conducted mostly to resolve homicide cases (Bradshaw, 2007).

Although autopsies have revolutionized the ways of explaining death, there are still reservations from social and health scientists who argue that the technology is only ideal for official statistics. While people are now capable of understanding the causes of death, there has still been no explanation on why some people prefer to die instead of living. This has led to the number of suicide cases to keep going higher despite the concerted efforts by individuals and organizations to comprehend the death and dying process. This leaves death as one of the few remaining mysteries that are yet to be resolved (Finkler, 2005).

While scientific measures have been successful in reducing the infant mortality rates, the same efforts geared towards reversing old age have not been equally successful. The flurry of activity that have been witnessed in the area of creating ‘anti-aging’ medicine, stem cells and genetic modification are clear indications of the attempts by human beings to understand the death and dying process. However, despite the increased attempts by people to understand this issue, death and dying have remained one of the most formidable foes of humanity. Given that no technology has been successful in stopping death, it is therefore apparent that death remains a part of human life. In one study, scientists noted that cancerous cells keep on growing in a laboratory even after the person whom they have been taken from has died. This in itself gives the impression that the ‘thing’ that causes death is in itself immortal since it can outlive the person whom it has killed (McNamara, Charles, & Colvin, 2010).

While people agree that death is universal, there is no consensus on how the death is supposed to take place. In most cases, even health professionals are at a loss on how to react to requests for euthanasia either from their patients or their parents. This is because most people believe that the role of bringing about death should only be reserved to a supreme being. For this reason, euthanasia is considered to be ethically wrong and therefore remains as one of the issues that are highly debated in different cultures and in medical science in general (Lawton, 2010). The reason why people are reluctant to discuss euthanasia is that there is an unexplained fear of death which conjures up anxiety. In most cases, people talk of being haunted by the ‘spirit’ of the dead person and this prevents them from taking part in any activity that would hasten the death of a person. This explains why people have been keen on developing measures that lead to the lengthening of human life while critiquing any attempt to reduce the span of human life. Although medical practitioners are supposed to be guided by their own training when it comes to determining how to approach death and dying, the cultural background under which they operate usually has a great impact on the decisions they make regarding death and dying. Although numerous patients die in the hands of these doctors, very few of them are able to discuss the subject of death openly (Scheper-Hughes, 2012).

In the second half of the last century, social psychologist, Kubler-Ross came up with a theory, which was meant to explain the process that people go through after the death of a loved one. According to his theory, a person who has just lost a loved one first undergoes denial which is then replaced by anger, bargaining, hopelessness and then acceptance. These findings by Kubler-Ross were the results of a study that she had undertaken over the years as she observed her patients. The researcher noted that comprehending these processes was critical as it would make the subject of death and dying less painful than it is at the moment. This theory has been supported by other researchers who point out that the death of a loved one is followed by these five stages albeit in varied forms (Kubler-Ross, 1969).

Although there has been increased criticism of the Kubler-Ross theory, much of it has been directed towards the fact that the sequence doesn’t have to be as initially projected. However, what the critics fail to understand is that the suggestion by Kubler-Ross was hypothetical and was therefore open to developments. Regardless of whether the Kubler-Ross theory is flawed or not, one thing that is without doubt is that people whose loved one has departed go through a grieving period and should be helped to go through this period. Since grieving is often an emotional affair, psychologists should always be at hand to guide the grieving people through the process (Seale, 2000).

Although death is mysterious both in the traditional and the contemporary society, the manner in which people approach it has changed over the years. In the traditional society, people approached death in a celebratory manner since it was seen as a form of passage from one form of life to another. However, this has changed and today death is approached in a secretive manner. In the traditional society, the dead body would remain in the midst of the people, but technological advancements have considerably changed this concept. Today, bodies are preserved in special places and they are only allowed to mingle with human beings during the burial process albeit briefly. What this means is that the dead body is seen as a representation of death, and hence the reason why people are not keen to live with dead bodies. This gives the impression that death is feared in the modern society than it was in the traditional society (Dying Matters, 2014).

Although death is mysterious, research has shown that people actually realize when they are about to die. Learning these signs is a crucial since it prepares the loved ones to live with the reality of death. Once these signs are noted in a patient, all the efforts should be made to prepare the individual to transition in to the new life. Being prepared for the death is also crucial as people are able to prepare themselves psychologically to live without the person being around. In the event that the person was the breadwinner, people are given time to make financial arrangements on how to survive without the presence of the individual. In the event that a person is known to be in the last phase of his/her life, care should be taken to address that person’s wishes since the failure to do would bring about great retributions that the family or those close to the individual may have to live with for the rest of their lives. Although the world has become modernized, it is apparent that very little of the past concepts on death have changed thus making the idea of professionals on this matter to be dependent on the cultural climate to which they are based (Seale, 2000).

Conclusion

The subject of death and dying has been around for as long as history of humanity. Over the years, people have tried hard to determine why people die and where they go once they die but this question has so far generated no answers. The best answer to answering the question of death is offered by world religions, which point out that death is the transition from this state of life to another eternal one. Although many people have disagreed with this position, there has not been any other voice that has been authoritative on the matter considering that the professional position on the issue is shaped by the environment in which the professionals were brought up, and in which they practice. This has made death and dying to remain mysterious even for the modern society.

References

Type 1

Prandelli, K. (2014). Personal Communication. Nurse

Kentz, B. (2014). Personal Communication. Elderly Citizen.

Self (2014). Personal Opinions about Death and Dying. Self

Suarez, L. (2014). Personal Communication. Friend

Type 2

American Psychological Association (2014). Death and Dying. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://apa.org/topics/death/index.aspx” http://apa.org/topics/death/index.aspx

Dying Matters (2014). Understanding Death and Dying. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://dyingmatters.org/page/understanding-death-and-dying” http://dyingmatters.org/page/understanding-death-and-dying

Type 3

Anspach, R. (2003). Deciding Who Lives: Fateful Choices in the Intensive Care Nursery. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Armstrong, D. (2006). The invention of infant mortality. Sociology of Health and Illness, 8(3):

211–32.

Bradshaw, A. (2007). The Spiritual Dimension of Hospice: The Secularization of an Ideal. Social Science and Medicine, 43(3): 409–19.

Carr, D. (2012). Death and Dying in the Contemporary United States: What are the Psychological Implications of Anticipated Death? Social and Personality Psychology

Finkler, K. (2005). Family, Kinship, Memory and Temporality in the Age of New Genetics. Social Science and Medicine, 61: 1059–71.

Maynard, D. (2003). Bad News, Good News: Conversational Order in Everyday Talk and Clinical Settings. Chicago: University of Chicago Press

McNamara, B., Charles W., & Colvin, M. (2010). The Institutionalization of the Good Death. Social Science and Medicine, 39(11): 1501–08.

Type 4

Kubler-Ross, E. (1969). On Death and Dying. New York: Macmillan Press.

Gire, J. (2002). How death imitates life: Cultural influences on conceptions of death and dying. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://www.wwu.edu/culture/gire.htm” http://www.wwu.edu/culture/gire.htm

Lawton, J. (2010). Contemporary Hospice Care: The Sequestration of the Unbounded Body and

“Dirty Dying”. Sociology of Health and Illness, 20(2): 121–43.

Scheper-Hughes, N. (2012). Death Without Weeping. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Seale, D. (2000). Changing Patterns of Death and Dying. Social Science and Medicine, 51(6): 917–30.

New Product Development Process The Case of Uber and Netflix

New Product Development Process: The Case of Uber and Netflix

Student’s Name

Course Number and Name

Instructor’s Name

Due Date

New Product Development Process: The Case of Uber and Netflix

1. Introduction

New Product Development refers to the process of introducing a new product to the existing market. At times it also covers renewal of an existing product and the introduction of old products to new markets (Kim, Park, & Sawng, 2016). This involves the identification of market needs, product conceptualization, building the roadmap of the product, product launch, and feedback collection. New product development happens to be key part of product design and this process does not end unless the life cycle of a product is over. The companies can keep on collecting feedback from the users and iterate on newer versions by adding or enhancing newer features (Awwad & Akroush, 2016). This paper will discuss each stage in the product development process based on case studies of two companies: Netflix and Uber.

2. Opportunity Identification, Idea Generation and Screening

Ideas that are unique and meet consumers’ needs form the spine of the new product development. It is the most important step in developing any new product, and they arise from market opportunities that can be innumerable.

2.1 Opportunities Leading to the Development of Concepts and Products for Netflix and Uber

Netflix launched in the year 1997 when Blockbuster was already in the business of video rental for years. The aim of Netflix was to compete against Blockbuster but there were changes and disruptions to the home/video entertainment industry and that is where Netflix took a different direction (Elkawy et al. 2015). Contrary to Blockbuster, it did not have late fees. When the customers were done with the DVDs, they were required to return them to Netflix and rent another. Netflix did this because there was a marketing and technology and competed with Blockbuster (Elkawy et al. 2015).

The concept for Uber generated when two friends Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick were not able to get a cab. The idea of Uber came about when they asked themselves, “what if we could request a ride from our phones?” They saw an opportunity in the fact that customers always have a hard time finding a cab (Sharma, 2019). They thought it would be easy for them to get a cab if they were able to request one from their phones. The entrepreneurs however went their separate ways but later on, Camp returned to San Francisco and he was still fixated in that concept. He then purchased the UberCab.com domain name.

2.2 Product Innovation Charter

Netflix came about when VHS video was the standard within the industry so the founder and CEO of Netflix Reed Hastings saw an opportunity and introduced a monthly subscription service of DVD by mail. Netflix, in every step from DVD subscription services to online video streaming, to content creation continues to innovate. Its innovation charter was firmly held on innovation, and a continuous process of becoming better. Its competitors, on the contrary remained rigid to change, forcing consumers to move their preference to Netflix.

In Uber’s new product and service, the evolution of the internet was the main push behind the life-changing taxi app. The founders saw an innovation opportunity and a ready market based on the behavior of people, the frequency of the problem, and the demand that would drive the market. Uber’s technology focused on brokering a platform that would connect existing taxi drivers with a ready market.

3. Idea and Concept Generation

3.1 Product Idea Conception

Among the most vital reasons that Netflix developed into an exponential business model is the fact that its founders were able to view the product as outsiders. According to them, they were not impressed with the business model at that particular time but looked at where the market would be in a decade (Lotz, 2021). The founders combined a number of building blocks for exponential growth by constantly finding newer ways to solve the customers’ problems. They aimed to do that with digitized services by the use of lean approaches. For instance, in the year 2007 Netflix acknowledged that the rental business of DVDs was not as profitable as before.

The idea and concept generation of Uber on the other hand came about with the possible simplicity and ease of ordering a cab from one’s phone. This idea fueled the rising popularity of the app (Dudley, Banister, & Schwanen, 2017). With just a click of a button, customers could be able to order their ride and their location could be identified through the GPS and the cost is charged to the card automatically on the account of the user.

3.2 Building and Nurturing Creativity

At Netflix, the founders understood that consumers would want more than just renting videos. According to them, consumers would want to access a user-friendly and large offering (Lotz, 2021). They also wanted to order videos from the comfort of their home and not bothered with having to return them. The pair foresaw the impending change and used their background in Information Technology and created fitting digital solutions and it was rolled out in lean way. Creativity is built based on emerging problems and consumer needs. Then, creativity is nurtured through intrinsic and extrinsic motivation approaches. Here, a market driven approach is used to solve customer problems identified through gaps in the current market and a a need-technology, form sequence.

For Uber, the start-up based in San Francisco quickly became among the hottest firms and it grew very quickly. The first ride on Uber was requested in the year 2010 and a year later in 2011, it was already launched globally in Paris, the city in which the idea came about. Creativity is built through an agenda of continuous improvement. Developers must view the products and services from the perspective of the user. It uses a market driving approach that first develops interesting technology and later applies it to solve the customer problems using a technology-form-benefit sequence approach.

4. Concept Testing Process (Potential Customer Feedback and Full Screen Process)

4.1 Monadic testing

In concept testing, Netflix used Monadic testing in which they broke down the target audience into many groups in which they are shown the concept. With this type of testing, they wanted to gain more insights into the preferences of the customers and to create a fan base with fitting content for all at any given time (Chang & Taylor, 2016). The researchers asked follow up questions such as the product’s look and feel. Their algorithm was evolved to open source initiatives because they knew that with the consumers’ technological knowledge and more data, the consumers would find their experience with Netflix as much better. The Monadic test method enabled the Netflix researchers to be flexible and to ask many follow-up questions. Therefore, the results provided more context on why the Netflix concept was much better than renting DVDs on mail.

From the insights gathered from the Monadic testing, Netflix started developing their own shows and production based on the customers’ data analysis. This way, the company was able to understand better the future preferences of the customers and acted on it (Chang & Taylor, 2016). The first big Original movie by Netflix was House of Cards. While other production companies wanted to make a pilot, Netflix had more knowledge based on data and consumer insights that the series would be a hit and they signed up for two seasons immediately.

4.2 Proto monadic testing

Uber used a proto monadic test to test their concept. The test includes a sequential monadic test where the target customers are also divided into groups but rather than being shown a single aspect, each group is shown all the concepts and they randomized the concept’s order to avoid bias (Chang & Taylor, 2016). All the respondents were asked similar follow up questions in order to gain more insights. The respondents were asked to evaluate many concepts and then they had to choose their most preferred concept. This type of concept testing was useful to Uber because the results were validated. The researchers verified the selected concept and found out that the insights they had gathered were compatible with the selected concept. The findings were positive because most of the respondents stated that they would like it if they would be able to order a cab on their phones (Chang & Taylor, 2016). So the co-founders, Camp and Kalanick designed the Uber Mobile App for Android Smartphones and iPhone which enabled the users to get the driver’s estimated arrival time on their phone. This App was liked by the customers because of its ease-of-use and convenience. After downloading the App on their phones, users pay for the services via a third party called Transportation Network Company (TNC) that uses the UberX platform which takes a picture or scans the credit card with the camera of the smartphones.

5. Sales Forecasting

For sales forecasting, Uber used the Test-Market Analysis Forecasting which enabled the company to roll their product to their target audience based on their needs. The product was first tested in San Francisco to see how it would perform. After the product was first rolled out, Uber used the results to make more accurate forecasts of the market in the future (Baardman et al. 2017). Uber thought that this method was ideal because the product being rolled out was new and it wanted to test the response of the market. To roll out the Uber product, the market was divided into two regions. This implementation of this method happened without any form of advertising first and then later on, they started to promote the product to have a control market. The difference between the sales in the control market and test market is analyzed (Baardman et al. 2017). The gap analysis helps forecast the future sales of the product. All financial statements begin with sales estimates and they combined margin forecasts estimate income in the future and they combined the sales estimates to turnover forecasts to estimate assets in the future. This whole process was based on the sales forecasts of Uber.

In the case of Netflix, they used qualitative techniques for their sales forecasting because at the time, they did not have enough data. They used this technique also because they were introducing a new product into the market (Lau, Zhang, & Xu, 2018). Therefore, human judgment was employed and rating schemes used and were turned into qualitative estimates. Netflix’s objective was to systematically and logically bring together all the information and judgments regarding the estimated factors. The qualitative technique method was also used because market acceptance and rate of penetration was not certain. One component of this technique used was the expectations of the buyers. The Netflix researchers surveyed the market intents and buying intentions (Lau, Zhang, & Xu, 2018). Netflix wanted to survey the intentions of the buyers and a sample of potential buyers was selected for the company to gain information on their potential purchases of the Netflix in the future. Then, Netflix induced the information from the potential buyers to get a forecast on total demand that the translated into sales forecasts.

With time, Netflix incorporated information from two different sources of sales growth in the future— changes in the number of units that generate sales, for instance new subscribers and changes in the sales per unit rates, for instance the subscription fee charged by Netflix. The product is a subscription service and its sales are considered as a function of the number of subscribers the company can retain multiplied by the subscription fee charged. This was written in terms of growth of sales.

6. Product Design

6.1 Product Design-Netflix

Product design was very important to Netflix because it is a product that evolved from a DVD rental platform to an online streaming platform. A common theme occurring when one takes a look at the history of Netflix, their goal was to eliminate friction for their customers (Verganti, Vendraminelli, & Iansiti, 2020). At a key point in its evolution, a need was identified within the market and the Netflix product was developed to address that need. Whether it was easy to access the DVDs or to live stream videos, the decision to design the Netflix product was based on the insights of the users. In order to continue adding value it was important for Netflix to develop a user friendly product design that addresses the problems that users face. This tied Netflix’s product design strategy to both the needs of the customers and the business goals (Verganti, Vendraminelli, & Iansiti, 2020). The ability to anticipate the changing customer expectations and market trends is the way Netflix has developed a good product design causing it to become the most popular online streaming platform in the world. With time, the company has profoundly changed the way consumers interact with the media.

As the first internet television network, Netflix faces a variety of unfriendly and stringent distribution traditions established by years of schedule-specific and live broadcast and cable television realities (Verganti, Vendraminelli, & Iansiti, 2020). The future of video streaming industry is based on the ability to evolve such traditions to suit better the digital era’s consumer and technological realities.

6.2 Product Design-Uber

The product design of Uber on the other hand was meant to be simple because the founders wanted the users to have an easy time finding a cab on their phone. As a technology application in transportation, Uber was meant to be close to the users as far as they have the app installed and internet connectivity (Armitage, Cordova, & Siegel, 2017). The design of Uber App is important because it was built to offer safe transportation of users across distances. One of the issues encountered in Uber’s product design is the fact that not all areas have enough access to network to support maps. While America is used to having fast phone networks that can easily support the maps, many developing countries are using 2G, which is not fast enough. In order to ensure that users have a visual experience on the App, the design team developed a simple version of the “arrival time” screen. This features a simple line segment representing the average time limit it would take for the driver to reach the rider’s destination.

7. Product Use Testing

In practice, Netflix uses a wide range of testing techniques to tailor the products to client needs. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma testing, and other product testing protocols are therefore deployed in various stages of product development (Lobato & Lotz, 2020). For Netflix in particular, A/B Testing – a user experience research methodology that compares two versions of a single variable by typically testing a subject’s response to variant A against variant B and finding out which of the two variants is more effective, is utilized to predict and evaluate the performance of various shows on the platform (Lobato & Lotz, 2020). The objective is to design an experiment with a control group and one or more experimental groups referred to as cells in Netflix which receive a different treatment. All participants belong exclusively to one cell within a given experiment (Lobato & Lotz, 2020). One of the cells/groups is always labelled the “default cell”. This cell represents the control group, which receives the same experience as all Netflix members not in the test.

Once the test has been set and deployed, the test administrators track metrics of importance. This for instance could include data on streaming hour and use preference (Lobato & Lotz, 2020). Once participant provide sufficient meaningful conclusions and enough data has been collected, the test admins move the next stage and analysis the efficacy of each test before selecting a winner out of the various variation.

Initially, Netflix also used a different model of testing, when they sent their first DVD to one of the co-founders’ houses in California. They mailed the disc to Santa Cruz, to test the viability of their model, which aimed at selling and renting DVDs to customers across the United States (Lobato & Lotz, 2020).

Similarly, Uber conducted a beta launch in May 2010 before launching the ride-hailing application to users. In the test, the service conducted services with three cars in New York City to know the viability of the idea (Christofer & Sandström, 2016). Once the stakeholders were satisfied with Uber’s operations in New York, it officially launched in San Francisco and immediately began offering its services to customers (Christofer & Sandström, 2016). Thus, the service focused on beta tests once the application was fully integrated with city service provision mechanisms, allowing stakeholders to determine the viability of their service.

8. Product Launch and Marketing Strategy

Netflix launched its streaming services to customers in 2007. They introduced the availability of videos on demand on the internet, allowing Netflix subscribers with the necessary bandwidth to watch content online, without having to download it first. The product launch occurred gradually over the course of 2007 (Lobato & Lotz, 2020). Further, the platform availed the product to subscribers under different plans, offering buyers the opportunity to buy within their preferred price range. They availed 1000 films on Netflix at first, allowing customers to stream them according to the available number of films or hours they had subscribed to. Subsequent purchases were enabled by improvements to the Netflix and streaming technology (Lobato & Lotz, 2020). Noting the technological hurdles hindering subsequent customers and expansion, the service increased its film selection, and increased its connection capability to access personal computers, televisions and even smart phones.

The first sale on the platform sold as soon as the service released the TV show. Previous Netflix subscribers who used the DVD rental service had access to the streaming service product, as well as new subscribers. The company applied various strategies to increase sales after the launch, mainly performing modifications on their service. First, Netflix introduced partnerships with other film industry service providers to increase its content selection online. For instance, the service partnered with Relativity Media Company in 2010, to stream movies made by the production company. Further partnerships with Starz Inc., Paramount, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate increased the variety of films that consumers could access on Netflix (Lobato & Lotz, 2020). Secondly, availing the service internationally is the greatest modification made by Netflix. It enabled the service to expand worldwide, to all nations but a few like China and Syria (Lobato & Lotz, 2020). As such, these initial and subsequent modifications by Netflix increased sales by increasing subscribers to their online streaming platform.

Netflix utilizes various entrepreneurial marketing strategies to publicize its product worldwide. For instance, its use of a wide variety of social media and other online campaigns is a crucial strategy for multinational corporations (Yang, 2017). Moreover, Netflix offers consumers personalized content to keep their customers interested. The service offers location-specific content to allow users to access content based on their location (Yang, 2017). Further, Netflix monitors a customer’s watching habits and recommends content based on past history. These strategies allow consumers to keep interested in what the streaming service has to offer.

Uber’s product launch and marketing strategy began when Uber formally launched its ride-hailing service in 2011 in San Francisco. Its first service to customers allowed them to hail a luxury car for almost twice what local taxis charged per ride (Christofer & Sandström, 2016). Therefore, after initial complaints from customers over the high prices, the company modified its services to include UberX, which allowed drivers to use cheaper, less luxurious vehicles to offer rides. The company also modified its services by increasing its availability to many other cities throughout the world, despite legal challenges in most locations.

The company has applied entrepreneurial marketing strategies corresponding with the modern model. First, the marketplace is driven by technology, which is the single most determinant of business success in the current economy (Omunyala & Bett, 2019). Uber drivers and users must have a smartphone App of the service to access ride-sharing capabilities. Further, Uber emphasizes on customer satisfaction, even allowing customers to rate their drivers’ services on the Application (Omunyala & Bett, 2019). TThis strategy ensures customer retention, since most who feel well-served do not defect to Uber’s competitors like Lyft. Finally, the dynamic pricing offered by Uber allows the pricing strategies to change depending on location, distance and market forces. Therefore, this strategy allows both drivers and customers to receive fair pay and services respectively.

9. Public Liability and Environmental/Ethical/Societal Issues

When Netflix launched its online streaming service in 2007, many previous customers raised issues, stating that prices increased when the company decided to separate its DVD rental and streaming services online (Donato-Weinstein, 2015). Further, since its launch Netflix has faced criticism over its failure to adequately minimize risks to vulnerable viewers. For instance, support groups of people with disabilities note that the streaming service lacked captioning mechanisms, discriminating against most deaf and blind people (Donato-Weinstein, 2015). The company has had to blend its DVD hiring and streaming services to serve public interest, and minimize discrimination. Further, the service allows close captioning on its streaming service to allow the deaf to consume their content.

Uber has also faced various criticisms concerning the service’s effect on the environment. This egregious harm led to what was dubbed the “True Cost of Uber Campaign”. A report released by Euromonitor revealed that through its ride-hailing service was casing a hike in the carbon dioxide released in the atmosphere, contributing to global warming and climate change. Specifically, Uber was responsible for release of 515 kilotons of carbon dioxide within the span of a few years, which equates the addition of 250 thousand cars in the cities affected (Christofer & Sandström, 2016). Further, the most Uber drivers in European cities use diesel-fueled cars, hence the air pollution in those cities is always increasing tremendously. The pollution exacerbated by Uber also arises from increased vehicles on the streets. In the years since the company launched its product, the registration of private hire vehicles increased significantly. The registration of traditional taxis was capped, hence they could not increase past a specified number. However, that of private hire vehicles is not capped, hence the numbers doubled in most cities after the launch of Uber (Christofer & Sandström, 2016). This increase in vehicles corresponds to the increase in carbon dioxide emissions in major cities in the world.

The company launched a new campaign in its product launch to alleviate consumer worries about the environment. In this regard, Uber introduced the Clean Air Plan in cities like London (Christofer & Sandström, 2016). The aim of the Clean Air Plan is to make sure every car used on the Uber Application is fully electric, by the year 2025. They buttressed this goal by adding a Clean Air Fee of $0.19 per mile on trips in London (Christofer & Sandström, 2016), to support drivers who intend to shift from diesel-fueled to electric cars.

10. Conclusion

The current dicussion intended to describe each of the stages in the product development process based on case studies of Netflix and Uber. New product development involves the identification of market needs, product conceptualization, building the roadmap of the product, product launch, and feedback collection. As shown in the discussion, it is a key part of product design and this process does not end unless the life cycle of a product is over. The companies can keep on collecting feedback from the users and iterate on newer versions by adding or enhancing newer features.

References

Armitage, A., Cordova, A., & Siegel, R. (2017). Design-thinking: the answer to the impasse between innovation and regulation. UC Hastings Research Paper, (250). https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3024176

Awwad, A., & Akroush, M. N. (2016). New product development performance success measures: an exploratory research. EuroMed Journal of Business. DOI:10.1108/EMJB-12-2014-0043

Baardman, L., Levin, I., Perakis, G., & Singhvi, D. (2017). Leveraging comparable for new product sales forecasting. Available at SSRN 3086237. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3086237

Chang, W., & Taylor, S. A. (2016). The effectiveness of customer participation in new product development: A meta-analysis. Journal of Marketing, 80(1), 47-64. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.14.0057

Christofer, L., & Sandström, C. (2016). Analysing uber in social media – disruptive technology or institutional disruption? International Journal of Innovation Management. http://hj.diva-portal.org/smash/record.jsf?pid=diva2%3A1043806&dswid=-3645

Donato-Weinstein, N. (2015). Netflix seals big Los Gatos expansion. Silicon Valley Business Journal. https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/news/2015/09/04/netflix-seals-big-los-gatos-expansion.html

Dudley, G., Banister, D., & Schwanen, T. (2017). The rise of Uber and regulating the disruptive innovator. The political quarterly, 88(3), 492-499. DOI: 10.1111/1467-923X.12373

Elkawy, A. A., Lekov, A., Adhikari, K. R., & Portela, M. (2015). Netflix–the new face of the TV industry. Unpublished thesis, Denmark: Aalborg University. DOI:10.13140/RG.2.1.3867.4081

Kim, Y. H., Park, S. W., & Sawng, Y. W. (2016). Improving new product development (NPD) process by analyzing failure cases. Asia Pacific Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/APJIE-12-2016-002/full/html?fullSc=1Lau, R. Y. K., Zhang, W., & Xu, W. (2018). Parallel aspect‐oriented sentiment analysis for sales forecasting with big data. Production and Operations Management, 27(10), 1775-1794. https://doi.org/10.1111/poms.12737Lobato, R., & Lotz, A. D. (2020). Imagining Global Video: The Challenge of Netflix. The University of Texas Press, 132-161. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.cmstudies.org/resource/resmgr/59.3_infocus__1_.pdf

Lotz, A. D. (2021). In between the global and the local: Mapping the geographies of Netflix as a multinational service. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 24(2), 195-215. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877920953166Omunyala, W. P., & Bett, S. (2019). Effect of Competitive Strategies on Performance of Uber Online Taxi Firm. International Journal of Current Aspects, 80-92. 10.7176/ijcab.v3iIV.48

Verganti, R., Vendraminelli, L., & Iansiti, M. (2020). Innovation and design in the age of artificial intelligence. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 37(3), 212-227. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.12523Yang, M. (2017). International entrepreneurial marketing strategies of MNCs: Bricolage as practiced by marketing managers. International Business Review. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2018.03.004

Dear President Obama,

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

I am a concerned citizen interested to bring to your attention the public outrage about your frequent use of English in a non standard way. Kory Stamper points to your use of comparatives, where by you said, “madder” instead of “more mad.” Patricia O’Conner and Stewart Kellerman point to your use of pronouns, where by most people criticize you for using “I” instead of “me”. For instance, you said, “a very personal decision for Michelle and “I” and “the main disagreement with john and I.” Finally Michael Dowling point to your use of gerunds and participle. For instance, you said, “These goals can be achieved without us increasing troop levels” instead of “…without our increasing troop levels.” There are different reactions about the non-standard usage of language. Some people feel that the context in which you speak necessitates use of non standard words while some feel that it should not happen at all.

Other that what the authors above have reported, there are other grammatical mistake that the public has consistently pointed out. First is subject verb agreement. For instance, William Bigelow quoted you saying “Well, first of all, I do continue to believe that the greatest threat to United States security are the terrorist networks like al Qaeda …” instead of “Well, first of all, I do continue to believe that the greatest threat to United States security is the terrorist networks like al Qaeda …” Second is your mix-up of words or wrong vocabulary. An example reported by an American blogger is “They were fulfilling a central tenant of democracy envisioned by our founders” where you used “tenant” instead of “tenet.” Also Fan Oreilly noted your poor use of articles. For instance, your are reported saying “we are focused on a potential mission to a asteroid as a prelude to a manned mars flight.”

I agree with these critics that you do make grammatical mistakes. However, I do not agree with those who believe that the mistakes are an indication of you linguistic ability or intellect. Like I believe that you use of “madder” instead of “more mad” is for contextual purpose (register). I also believe that the use of I and me could be as confusing to anyone as it to you. For use of gerunds, I recommend Dowling’s advice that “gerunds ought to be preceded by possessive pronouns, not objective pronouns.

Sincerely

Citizen

New Preschool is Crushing Kids

New Preschool is Crushing Kids

Name:

Affiliation:

Course:

Instructor:

Date:

New Preschool is Crushing Kids

In my view, the new preschool is suppressing kids. Preschool is supposed to be a place where kids experience gentle transitioning as opposed to being crushed to things, they cannot figure out for themselves, and even though learning at that particular time. The new preschool curriculum is teaching children hard things, making it difficult for kids to learn. Imagine at kindergarten, the kids being forced to narrate and understand things such as classroom rules, bar charts, time table, motivational platitudes, among others. It sounds ridiculous and sickening. In other words, these kids are forced to learn things that are beyond their mental development. We understand that at preschools, children should be more accustomed to play-based learning as opposed to the present “seatwork.” Teachers tend to come up with scripted teaching and control the pace at which the children learn. Such a model should be used at the fourth-grade level and above. Parents and teachers are setting higher expectations for their kids. They expect the children to know how to read at a very tender age of which is not possible since their brains are not prepared for that.

Early childhood education was somewhat pleasurable and unhurried. Nowadays, the teachers in preschools expect or rather suppress kids to spend much time in books than creative play and arts. Perhaps, the teachers and other stakeholders think that they are preparing the kids’ foundation, but, they are holding the children’s development even before starting. There have been cases where a significant number of kids had failed to advance to the first grade, meaning there is a problem in learning models at preschools. Kids should not be subject to disqualification, nor should the preschools act as a barrier for kids to advance in their next development level. Preschools are indeed suppressing kids to execute tasks meant for six-year children, even without motor skills and attention span required to be successful. Teachers strain kids to attend to their scheduled work before going to play. Teachers need to understand that playing comes naturally to kids. Its part and parcel of their development.

Preschools should be pre-academic and should not engage children in learning earlier than they should know. The tendency of such practices makes kids become less interested and engaged and often result in deteriorating attitude towards the school and learning. The fact that they are not offered a chance to interact among themselves socially, these kids fail to display skills required to retell a simple story. They lack an essential foundation for understanding connecting words and prepositions. It goes on to haunt them in their advanced grades, and they end up performing even badly subject test skills. Kids fall victims to losing learning enthusiasm because of the insidious tasks. The old system of preparing kids is eroding faster, and perhaps; parents think that there is no place for the old system in today’s hypercompetitive world. The article suggests that preschools fail to offer kids anything essential for their learning development.

Dear human communication in society,

Name

Course

Professor

Submission Date

Dear human communication in society,

I am writing this letter to address a personal communication problem that I have. I noticed this problem when I had an issue with my younger sister, who had refused to go back to her boarding school, to continue with her elementary level of education. All these issues emerged, just because I was not a critical thinker. The moment she told me that she did not want to go back to school, I immediately concluded that she had started being indiscipline. My negative attitude towards her decision made me insist that she should go back to school or I’ll take her by force. Despite her efforts to resist my decision, she ended up going back to school due to her fear of the kind of punishment that I was threatening to give her.

At one point my heart was shaken, when she bid me bye while crying, though I did not pay much attention. During the vacation, she came home with fair results, though she had dropped compared to the previous vacation. I quarreled her thinking that it was indiscipline that made her drop in class performance. I could always notice the difference between her moods when she coming home for vacation and when she was going back to school. That is, she was always happy when coming home and sad when going back. Her results continued to deteriorate whenever they did an exam. This was a person who used to be the best in class, no matter how the other students performed poorly. She was someone I had built hope in. When her performance become worse her teacher decided to summon my parents and I decided to represent them. We tried to talk her but she remained sad and it was like we were not helping her.

I came home and advised my parent to reconsider her opinion of changing the school for her. On changing the school, my sister regained her normal moods of happiness and always having stories to tell. Her performance improved tremendously and she regained her position of being the best student always. One day, as we were having free chats with her, she narrated to me her ordeal situations in her former school. The way she used to have stomach problems, due to the kind of food in that school and the nurse used to ignore her, saying that she was pretending. The matron used to harass her for using the toilets most of the time, especially at night.

The evidence for not critically looking at my sister’s opinion can be seen clearly from how I insisted that she goes back to her school. The consequences of considering my idea correct and looking at my sister’s opinion negatively, without asking myself what other reasons could have made my sister to decide so. If I was a critical thinker I should have noticed the changes in the normal behavior of my sister and therefore link them to her request to be taken to a new school. The moment she cried while saying bye to me, should have made me widen my thinking and try to find out the reason behind. Failure to do all this is an indication that I am not a critical thinker.

It is more important that I was able to resolve the issue though after my sister going through tough situation. To resolve this personal communication issue I have been trying to consider every situation from a critical point of view. I have been trying to think critically by looking at every action with a broader mind, in order to make conclusions that cover almost all variables. I would like the class to help me on how to better my critical thinking.

where I noted earlier that a lot of the original blacks had come from

had long been a crossroads of the world where peoples and cultures were assimilated in warfare and the rise and fall of great empires. An essential feature of the cultural materials brought from Senegambia as well as from other parts of Africa was a willingness to add and incorporate useful aspects of new cultures encountered. This attitude was highly functional in a dangerous and chaotic world. New Orleans became another crossroads where the river

Dealing with my Back Surgery

Name

Instructor

Course

Date

Dealing with my Back Surgery

When I was a fresher in High School, I played basketball and enjoyed everything about it. While I cannot boast of how good I was, I thank God for blessing me with the talent. Primarily, my life revolved about basketball; most of my free time was spent training and practicing to make myself a better sportsman. This persistence and hard work not only helped me in the court but also molded me to become the person I am today. Somehow, it prepared me for the setback I was to face with back surgery in the future.

Since I was a fresher, I had always been in the starting lineup, unless, of course, there was a major problem. As usual, this went on for some time until I felt a pain that ran through my back for some time. Being a strong-willed and determined person, I did not tell anybody about the pain until it started to affect my daily activities. The fact that I had received numerous invitations to play basketball in many institutions made it difficult for me to admit that I had a problem. In due course, I spoke to my mother about it, and she took me to see a back specialist who explained that the aching I was experiencing was a sign of a major problem.

After numerous tests by the doctor, it was discovered that I have had raptured five disks in the lower lumbar part of my back. Further tests showed that I had a crippling disease of the spinal column called spinal stenosis. As I later learned, spinal stenosis is a narrowing of the spinal canal that causes compression of the spinal cord (Frontera, Silver and Rizzo). The doctor informed me that if the disease were ignored for any longer, it would lead to more complications and so he recommended immediate surgery. Because of the extensive damage to my back, the doctors recommended a number of operations.

After while, the surgery day finally came, and I was admitted to hospital for the surgery. The time I spent in the waiting bay, as I prepared seemed like an eternity for me because I did not know how the operation would go. My close family tried to comfort me because they knew I was frightened, but I was still apprehensive and fearful of what the operation would result in.As I settled in a room lying on the bed in my hospital gown, tears rolled down my cheeks as my family held me while we said a prayer. More interestingly, a part of me wanted to be strong and courageous, but at the same time, I felt fragile. All this time, my mother never let my hand go even as the nurses wheeled me into a room where the anesthesiologist was waiting. From the look on my parents’ faces, it was clear they would have switched places with me if it were possible. Eventually, the anesthesiologist pushed an injection into my arm and told me to count backward from 10; I can only recall going as far as eight.

It was seventeen hours later that I vaguely remember waking up with a piercing pain every time I breathed. Even opening my eyes left me feeling weak, and the pain was unbearable. At this time, most of my family members were there, but all I could hear was their murmurs; my vision was blurred. After a few minutes, the doctor visited my room and explained that the surgery had been successful. He explained how hard it had been for him and his team to maneuver around my spine because of the swelling and the decreasing size of my spinal column due to the disease. Even so, the doctor said, the surgery would not be the last and was only one in a series of operations to ensure my full recovery.

It has now been two years since that surgery and thankfully, there have not been more yet. While it would be incorrect to say that I do not experience any pain, I can now easily perform simple tasks with little or no struggle. Because of the surgery, the left sides of my legs down to the toes are now numb. Nevertheless, the doctor explained that the numbness would not go away immediately, but would decrease in intensity as time passes. Naturally, I have a three-inch scar on my lower back that is a continuous reminder that the pain is not gone forever. I hope that my body can withstand the trauma, and I will not need another surgery in the near future. However, I try my best to strengthen the body muscles by attending physiotherapy sessions, which I attend three to four times a week with permission from the doctors. Ultimately, this helps me control the pain by knowing which exercises to do because knowing what to expect and how to handle it will greatly help me recover in the future should I have to undergo another surgery.

Work Cited

Frontera, Walter R, J. K Silver, and Thomas D Rizzo. Essentials Of Physical Medicine And Rehabilitation. Philadelphia, PA: Saunders/Elsevier, 2008. Print.

and don’t let up until Ash Wednesday

remember

Dealing with Dual-Career Couples

Dealing with Dual-Career Couples

Author

Institution

Policies that can be implemented to deal with Dual career employees

The number of dual career couples in many organizations has tremendously gone up in the recent times. This has presented the human resource managers in such organizations with numerous challenges. Most of the companies are torn between employing these couples and enduring the costs that come with them, or not employing them and losing some of the best employees in the industry (Hall, 2008). This has prompted companies to come up with varied policies that would allow them to deal with this issue. Some of these policies include, providing day care assistance for the employees. In order to ensure productivity of the employees, the company can provide day care services for their children. Studies have shown that most of the dual career couples are absent from work so that they can be able to attend to their families, and especially their children. By providing day care services within the company, will ensure that employees can be able to see their children regularly during the day and, therefore, reducing the cases of absenteeism

In addition, the company may resort to providing employees falling in this category with flexible time off. To ensure that employees have adequate time with their families without necessarily affecting their productivity, the company can give the employees their normal leave days, and some percentage of their sick leave days that they do not use (Parker & Arthur, 2004). In addition, employees can also be allowed to carry the annual leave days to the following year. This will ensure that that the employees have more time to spend with their loved ones. In addition, the flexible time off can be crafted in such a way that it coincides with their partners leave off. This will ensure that such a couple will achieve a good work life balance.

On the same note, companies with such employees may resolve this issue by employing both partners, which would ensure continuity in the operations of the company and safeguard the employees’ productivity. Companies can employ both partners of dual career couples so as to ensure that both employees continue working in the company (Crainer, 2011). This also ensures that, there are no difficulties in the event that any of the employees is relocated to other places. It is necessary, however, to ensure that appropriate measures are taken when employing couples so as to prevent their relationship from affecting their productivity in any way.

In addition, companies facing the problem of dual career couples can solve it by incorporating telecommuting. This is where the companies allows increased flexibility of the employees in choosing where to work, as well as the time required to accomplish a given job (Crainer, 2011). This has been made possible by the increased use of technology and specifically internet. Telecommuting allows such couples to work from their home, therefore, leaving them with more time to spend with their families.

Job sharing is another policy that a company can adopt in order to ensure that dual career couple continue being productive. Job sharing occurs when two employees in a company agrees to perform a certain job of a full time employee on a part time basis (Hall, 2008). This would allow the productivity of the organization to continue uninterrupted while also ensuring that dual career employees have enough time for their families.

Explanation/ analysis of the policies recommended

Most companies in the world have recognized the issue of increased dual career couples among their working force. This has made them to develop appropriate human resource schemes policies that can help the couples to continue working without unnecessary pressure, therefore, ensuring that such employees are productive just like any other employees. Some of the above policies can be effective in ensuring that the company overcomes the various challenges associated with this issue.

Some of the above policies can be extremely expensive to implement, but they have long lasting benefits to the companies. For instance, it might be difficult for company especially small companies to establish day care services to their employees (Crainer, 2011). However, such a policy can ensure that dual career couple work without worrying about their children. In addition, providing a day care service to employees reduces the number of days that employees are absent from their workplaces or jobs. The company can charge the employees some fees for these services from their salaries.

Dual career couples employees have extra responsibilities of ensuring that they are able to balance their parental roles, as well as professional roles. Balancing these roles may sometime prove to be extraordinarily difficult, and may sometimes result to employees suffering from stress; this subsequently affects the productivity of the employees (Parker & Arthur, 2004). The implementation of the varied policies suggested above would not only come in handy in dealing with the issue of dual career parents, but they also help the company to save on some of its resources. For instance, when a company use telecommuting as a policy to deal with this issue, the company can save the money spent on such employees in terms of office since the employee carries out the responsibilities from home.

It is, however, imperative that a company carries out comprehensive research before implementing the above policies. This is especially considering that some of them may require large sums of money to implement and sustain. In fact, there exists no one-size fits all solution to this problem, in which case an organization has to determine which policy would suit its situation. Companies also have a choice of refusing to employ dual career employees especially if they think that the company cannot accommodate them.

References

Crainer, S. (2011). Changing direction: one person can make a difference. Business Strategy

Review , 22 (2), 10-16.

Hall, F. S. (2008). Dual Careers–How do Couples and Companies Cope with the Problems?

Organizational Dynamics , 6 (4), 57-77.

Parker, P., & Arthur, M. B. (2004). Giving voice to the dual-career couple. British Journal of

Guidance & Counselling. , 32 (1), 3-23.