Project proposal Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Project proposal - Dissertation Example 3. Objectives: †¢ Determine Chinese students’ evaluations of themselves in student placement; †¢ Find out Chinese students' weaknesses in student placement performance from their perspective and their mentors’; †¢ Combine research data with employer's need to develop Chinese students' performance in the placement; †¢ Put forth recommendations for Chinese students to improve their performance in advance placement class. 4. Context: Ask any hospitality manager what their greatest challenge is, and they will probably reply, â€Å"Finding and keeping employees.† For many recent college graduates, who will have the job is the people with good degree and hourly work experience. - Jack E. Miller A Chinese student who has working experience abroad has greater chances of being hired when they apply for a job in China. These working experiences are also a good opportnity to practice English and understand the industry that he wants to be affiliated with . Moreover, the placement experience is helpful in the final year study, which can help the student link the theories with practice for better appreciation of what has been learned. This study is about Chinese students’ evaluations of themselves during placement experiences. ... 5. Literature Books: Colin, B & John P, W (2002). The Power of Experiential Learning. London: Kogan Page Limited Chapter 2 of this book explores experiential learning, which includes its definition and learning from mistakes. This may be used to discuss the benefits of placement. Jack E, M & John R, W & Karen, E (2001). Supervision in the Hospitality Industry. 4th ed. Canada: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The book is about first-line supervision. It introduces the responsibilities of supervision and their role in the hospitality industry. Moreover, it shows some information about what international students may learn from the placement. Mary L, T (2001). Human Resources Management for The Hospitality Industry. 2nd ed. Florida: Thomson Learning Inc. Training is an important and necessary part of placement, and in chapter 6, the hospitality orientation and training programmes introduced the reasons of training and what is training. Chapter 12 presents multiculturalism in the hospitality work place. Peter, A and Judy, S (1992). Managing Work Experience. Kent: London and New York. This book presents the educational purpose of placement and the ambiguous role of the student, the process of placement management and assessment and also included an outline of the Sheffield project which shows the terms 'visiting tutors' and 'placement tutors' refer to members of staff from the students' academic course who are responsible for the supervision of individual students during the placement period. Stipek, D. J. (1988). Motivation to learn: From theory to practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. It has been asserted by this author that there are factors which are not directly related to a student’s intellectual ability which contribute to his

Interview a parent on child culture,views,race etc Essay

Interview a parent on child culture,views,race etc - Essay Example On the other hand, development of language and self-esteem in children has also been attributed to social interactions. In addition to that, social interaction leads to a more cohesive community and families. The method chosen for this study was interviewing. This data collection method was preferred since it results to more data. Secondly, it gives respondents a chance to address the questions using as much information as possible. Thirdly, interviewing provides the researcher with an opportunity to clarify on issues since it is a one on one affair. The major setback of this method is the time taken to collect the data. It will take a researcher more time compared to when other data collection methods such as questionnaires are used. To understand the above themes, the respondent was subjected to the following questions. Interview questions and responses from the parent Do you think establishing a sleeping routine for children is important? Responses: Yes it is. It makes the childre n know when they are expected to sleep It is important in establishing a time that children must sleep. Parents need to realize that they play a big role in making this a success. How do you think parents can establish a consistent sleeping routine for children? Responses By setting a particular time when the children are expected to sleep and adhering to it By ensuring that children associate bed with sleep, that is, they should sleep as soon as they get to bed. How do parents or caregivers affect the sleeping routine of their babies? Response Caregivers affect the sleeping patterns of the children by allowing children to be involved in other activities such as watching TV instead of sleeping. How does play affect the physical and social growth in children? Response It plays an important role in the physical development of children. It also assists in identifying the talents and nurturing them Do you think play can encourage social interaction among the children? Kindly explain Res ponses Yes, it helps them to become more confident and develop communication skills. It should be encouraged to assist children especially who are shy to regain their confident. Play may make children more assertive and ready to confront any challenges on their way How do video games help in fostering development in children? Response It assists in fostering intellectual capacity in children. They assist in making children more creative and even improve in arithmetic What do you think contributes to poverty in families? Response Lack of quality education making it impossible for people to be employed Unemployment and unequal distribution of resources. How does poverty affect the relationship between children and parents? Responses It can cause family problems such as violence, which can affect the relationship between children and parents It denies children a chance to receive quality education and health How can families establish good relationship despite being poor? Response They should know that money is not everything, love and harmony plays a big role in the family. Therefore, the family should ensure poverty does not steal the good relationship important for development. What is the significance of language in a community? Responses It assists in conveying the norms of a given group of people from one culture to another It makes a given group of

Reflective Assessment of Holistic Wellbeing

Reflective Assessment of Holistic Wellbeing Introduction Health, like beauty, lies in the eyes of the beholder and a single definition cannot capture its complexity. To this end, this essay aims to explore what health means to me and how it has been influenced by the experience of coping with my mothers chronic illness. To me, health transcends the absence of disease to include the physical, psychological and social well-being of a person; it means the empowerment of the individual, and is the foundation of a fulfilling life; it also means caring about the people who care about you and whom you care about. Describe For a period of time, my mother has been complaining of pain in her joints, hips and more recently, her back. I always had a bad feeling that there was something sinister about her pain even though our general practitioner could not pinpoint anything serious after several differential diagnoses. However, as she has a family history of joint pains, I chose to be in a state of denial to her pain and attributed it to a genetic condition she had that would go away with time. However, that was not the case. My family observed that my mother was getting more emotionally irritable as time went by, and the nagging pain meant that she often found reasons not to take part in social activities that we organized. It got to the extent that she was constantly lying in bed and could not do her favourite activities, such as going to the market, without considering the amount of movements she would have to go through. The radiating pain also gave her sleepless nights and all these were taking a toll on her quality of life, among many other factors. It was debilitating. And as her daughter, I felt helpless. More so because I was studying medicine, and was plagued with the guilt of not being able to relieve the suffering of the person I loved the most. The persistent pain worsened and my family decided to consult a specialist for a second opinion. A tumour was suspected. While the specialist made his diagnosis, I was very worried for my mother. I tried to prepare myself mentally to cope with the worst case scenarios, and this affected me emotionally and psychologically. I had no one to turn to as I did not want to worry others, and was at a loss of what to do. The results later revealed that my mother was diagnosed with a benign tumour (spine haemangioma). The specialist said that it was the lesser evil because it was not malignant, but that she would feel chronic pain throughout her life. What provided comfort to my family was the knowledge that there were treatments available to contain the tumour through methods such as radiotherapy and physiotherapy. Reflect It pains me to know that the person I love would be put through suffering both from the disease and its treatment, and I wished I could be the one going through it instead. Upon reflection, I realize that I had not been dealing with my emotions effectively. The fear of finding out more and my escapist mentality had prompted me to create an internal barrier, such that I could not provide the care and support for my mother as I would have liked her to have felt. Health means the holistic wellbeing of a person Witnessing her chronic suffering has made me realise that health does not merely mean the absence of disease but it requires a more holistic view which encompasses the physical, psychological and social well-being of a person. I used to think of health as merely the absence of physical pain that arose from diseases, and to this extent, the physicians task of relieving suffering was merely to alleviate the immediate physical pain and discomfort. However the literature I was exposed to on the nature of suffering in ill persons made me come to the realisation of my limited understanding of the term suffering. Through my research to understand the multi-faceted dimension of a person, and what suffering entails, I hope to be able to better understand what my mother is going through (albeit only the tip of the ice berg). Health means the empowerment of the individual, and is the foundation for a fulfilling life As the Catalan proverb goes, from the bitterness of disease, man learns the sweetness of health. I have too often taken for granted the gift of health that empowers a healthy individual to pursue things that matter in life not only ones aspirations or happiness, but down to the little things that affects our everyday living. For instance, I have seen how the chronic pain influenced my mothers daily routine, and brought much discomfort when travelling or doing household chores. I have come to appreciate that health enables individuals to use their body as a vessel to fulfil their dreams and satisfy their needs without being tied down or be restricted by suffering. Health is thus the basis which enables people to pursue happiness and wealth, aptly worded by Elbert Hubbard, who said, If you have health, you probably will be happy, and if you have health and happiness, you have all the wealth you need, even if it is not all you want. It takes a loss of health to appreciate these words o f wisdom. Health means caring about the people who care about you and whom you care about I always thought of Health as merely a personal responsibility and a duty that an individual owed only to himself. However, this experience has prompted me to comprehend how the absence of health in individuals will affect the mental, social and physical health of their loved ones as well. Research, analyse and connect The academic literature available allows me to gain a deeper insight on what health means to me and allows me to make sense of my experience in a broader context through considering the perspectives of others. Through examining the concept of human suffering brought about by the absence of good health, I learnt about the distinction between suffering and pain. A person who is in pain may not feel a proportional sense of suffering it is similarly possible for one to suffer even in the absence of pain. (Sanders 2009) In light of my mothers chronic illness, I was prompted to examine the literature on human suffering which made me realised that my understanding of the word suffering was limited at best. While I had always aspired to be a doctor to relieve the pain and suffering of people, I was of the view that human suffering was synonymous with physical pain brought upon an ill person due to diseases. However, literature has shown that suffering goes beyond the physical pain, and suffering defined merely as pain, disregards the broader significance of the suffering experienced by the ill. (Charmaz 2008) Suffering includes physical pain, but it is not limited to it. It can be understood by examining the many aspects of a holistic person and when any of these aspects is threatened, suffering ensues. These aspects may include a persons past, his or her role in society, relationships with others, day-to-day behaviour, and perception of the future. (Cassell 2004) The persistent pain my mother experienced affected her ability to do things that she had long associated herself with, such as playing tennis or climbing the stairs. In addition, my mother may have seen herself as being defined by several societal roles, such as being a wife, mother, caregiver to her parents, and a useful member of society. If the pain overwhelms her and restricts her from fulfilling these roles, she may see herself as being less than whole, and this may contribute to her perpetual suffering. In considering the holistic person and the suffering which impacts upon the many aspects of a person other than physical afflictions, it confirmed my understanding that health should also mean the physical, psychological and social well-being of a person. By understanding the multiple aspects of a personhood, I now better appreciate why medical education is shifting its emphasis from the traditional reductionist biomedical model of medicine to the biopsychosocial model of health. The limitations of the biomedical model is that it treats diseases in terms of abnormal physical mechanisms (Engel 2002) and this is inadequate in relieving sufferings in patients, as we now understand it to transcend the physical mechanisms to also encompass the holistic well-being of a person. The implications of the failure of physicians to understand the nature of sufferings can lead to medical interventions that (though technically adequate) not only fails to relieve suffering but becomes a source of su ffering itself. (Cassell 2004) This reflective practice also gives me a timely opportunity to evaluate my emotions and thoughts against that of the wider community. Relevant academic studies have shown that chronic illnesses also has an impact of the lives of caregivers. (Jung-Won Zebrack 2004) The emotions and thoughts that I felt were validated by researchers that show that receiving news of the chronic illness of a loved one can provoke emotions such as sadness, denial, grief and guilt. This may be due to guilty feelings of not giving adequate support to the ill person or it could be due to the emotional pain of feeling the loss of a loved ones health. (McIntyre 2005) It is important to attend to the impact of chronic illness on caregivers as research has shown that the holistic health of a caregiver has the potential to influence the health outcomes of persons with chronic illness. (WE 1999) Suggested methods of coping with these emotions include talking to someone; being informed about the disease as it give s the caregiver a sense of control; and accepting that there is a limit to the relief that a caregiver can provide. (familydoctor.org 2010) Decide, act and evaluate In light of the reflective writing and the academic literature reviewed, I hope that this will help me to come to terms and cope with the negative emotions I felt since receiving news of my mothers tumour. I can approach this by confiding in someone I am comfortable with, confronting my escapist mentality by finding out more about my mothers spinal haemangioma, and being aware of the treatments that she is going through. Her treatment is likely to expand over a long period of time, and she would need much emotional support and love from me. I have to be open to discussions about her illness and not evade any conversation on the topic as I did before. This reflective practice has also helped me to be more understanding and sensitive to the suffering of patients and their families. As a medical student, I have been made aware that the suffering of patients extends beyond physical pain, and that it is necessary for physicians to focus on patient-centred medicine and attend to the biopsychosocial model of health. It is also important to be aware of the impact that caring for a chronic ill patient has on the caregiver. To this end, I can be proactive as a future practitioner in asking caregivers how they are coping, and provide them with support services that they can turn to. I have also realised the important roles that practitioners play in preparing caregivers for the transition of roles to care for the ill, and in helping them anticipate changes that may occur in their lives. This gives caregivers a better sense of control over the situation, and increases their confidence in caring for the patient. A major takeaway from reflecting on what health means to me has been my understanding of the importance of medical practitioner to focus not only on curing diseases but also to relieve the sufferings of patients, understood holistically. To me, health transcends the absence of disease to include the physical, psychological and social well-being of a person; it means the empowerment of the individual, and is the foundation of a fulfilling life; it also means caring about the people who care about you and whom you care about.

Using Resources Wisely Essay -- Environment Inconvenient Truth Agricult

In my English 130 class we watched the movie Inconvenient Truth and, for the first time, I saw the growing industrialization of China. After seeing China’s growing wasteful consumption of resources, I was reminded of a discussion that took place in my Anthropology 113 class last semester. In this discussion, my professor brought to light how our production of food is just as disturbing as our consumption of it. He presented a video that showed how the industrialization of certain areas led the farmers to abandon their tradition agricultural system and replace it with mass food production. This â€Å"small† change ended up having a huge negative impact on their society. Previous to change in their farming techniques, the farming system allowed for more social interaction between the generations and gave them enough food to feed themselves with still plenty left to generate in income. After the push for mass production, this system was destroyed, leaving the town wit h problems they had no precedent for. These events show how a change in production of goods (especially crops) can have disastrous effects on people and their environment. For my research I set my heart on further exploring this relationship between human’s participation in agriculture and its affects on the environment. Hence, I began my research trying to figure out what it is that people are doing to leave the world with fewer agriculturally usable lands. After reading a hand full of books, I found myself with even more unanswered questions and lots of contradictory information. Some books, like One with Nineveh: Politics, Consumption, and the Human Future, say that the unbelievable growth in population and the population’s consumption is at fault rather tha... ...in, Jon. â€Å"2.6 OBSTACLES TO BETTER LAND MANAGEMENT.† Better LandHusbandry: From Soil Conservation to Holistic Land Management. Enfield: SCIENCE PUBLISHERS, 2006. 62-72. Laegreid, Marit O.C. Bà ¸ckman and O. Kaarstad. â€Å"4.3 Soil degradation.† Agriculture, Fertilizers and the Environment. New York: CABI Publishing, 1999. 104-113. Lappà ¨, Frances M. â€Å"Diet for a Small Planet† Composing a Civic Life: A Rhetoric and Readings for Inquiry and Action. New York: Pearson Education, Inc.,2007. McMichael, Anthony J. â€Å"Introduction: techniques and issues† Planetary Overload: Global Environmental Change and the Health of the Human species. Great Britain: Cambridge University Press, 1993. 212-214. Raman, Saroja. â€Å"Ch 7: Land Management for Sustainable Agriculture† Agricultural Sustainability: Principles, Processes, and Prospects. New York: The Haworth Press, Inc. 2006. 93-140.

Foundations Of Mythology Essay

Foundations I think that the word myth gets used quite a bit these days, and in the wrong context. You often hear people say â€Å"it’s a myth† to refer to something that is too good to be true. Or some outlandish story such as a big fish story. Traditionally, a myth is a story that offers an explanation to something such as â€Å"enduring and fundamental human questions: How did the universe and the world come to be? How did we come to be here? Who are we? What are our proper, necessary, or inescapable roles as we relate to one another and to the world at large? What should our values be? How should we behave? How should we not behave? What are the consequences of behaving and not behaving in such ways?† (Leonard & McClure, 2004) In an academic context, according to the text, a myth is â€Å"the study of myth is a field of inquiry that ranges from the earliest known history of humanity up to and including contemporary cultures and societies and even our own individual senses of self in the world.† (Leonard & McClure, 2004) My interpretation of the definition is that they are stories that have been passed around for years about and forming our culture and beliefs. Commonalities â€Å"Some of the recurring themes include a Golden Age, a fall from a heavenly state, resurrections from death, virgin births, worldwide floods, creation stories in which â€Å"one becomes two,† and a future apocalypse.†(â€Å"Analyzing Mythology†, n.d.). Many different cultures have some of the same stories with different details or characters. Usually they have the same outcome though. These myths help form the society and culture that they live in. It is they view certain things. According to Rosenberg, â€Å"In their theory,  innate psychological characteristics, common to all human beings, determine how people throughout the world and throughout history experience and respond to the process of living. The contents of the collective unconscious are divided into archetypes—such as the mother, the child, the hero, the trickster, and the giant—but these are simply image frameworks.† When I think of mythology and how people use them to explain the unknown or how mankind is shaped, I think of the Illiad and Odyssey, two unbelievable journeys that have lasting themes. â€Å"Many famous heroes walk through the pages of Homer’s Iliad. Achilles and Agamemnon, among the Greeks, and Hector, among the Trojans, must choose between their own desires and the needs of their people. Their war is ancient, but their agony is modern. Once again, the courage with which they meet the challenges in their lives makes them impressive, yet very human, models of behavior for all of us.† (Rosenberg, 2006) Religion and Mythology Religion and mythology share a very thin line that often intersected. Religion is in a sense the same thing as a myth; it’s a story that explains origins. Many religions were based around the mythology of the people, such as Egyptians. They had many gods and goddesses and they believed in polytheism, which allowed them to worship more than one god/goddess. There isn’t a lot of research that has a specific answer as to what is the relationship between religion and mythology. It seems to me that there would be an argument that they are one in the same, while others believe they are completely different. Since mythology is often thought to be untrue, many would not want to believe their religion has anything to do with mythology. Relevance Many of the themes that are addressed by mythology are still very relevant today. â€Å"Rather, the American mythologist always saw myth as the story of the rugged individual who realizes his true nature through heroic struggle. Archetypal symbols and universals there may be, Campbell seems to say, but mythology is ultimately and always the vehicle through which the individual finds a sense of identity and place in the world.† (Leonard & McClure, 2004) People need to believe that the struggles they go through are common.  Everyone needs to believe in something. The Trojans were tricked by a giant horse that they thought was a gift. Almost everyone out there can think of a time when they were tricked. It resonates with them. Conclusion The foundations of mythology were established many, many years ago. Almost every culture of people has their own set of myths that they believed in. While they had their own stories, many of them had the same explanation of something, such as creation. The themes were and are still today very universal. While mythology offers explanation to life’s questions, many cultures still had their own set of religious beliefs. Many of those beliefs intertwined with their mythology but not always. As mentioned before, the themes of mythology are universal. They are also quite timeless. Many of the same moral dilemmas or questions of life are the same and can still be answered by myths. References Leonard, S., & McClure, M. (2004). Myth & knowing: An introduction to world mythology. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Rosenberg, D. (2006). World mythology: An anthology of great myths and epics (3rd ed.). Chicago, IL: McGraw Hill. Analyzing Mythology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.mythome.org/mythII.html

Mcdonald’s Business Type and Purpose Essay

McDonald’s was invented in the year 1940 and has currently about 34 000 restaurants in the whole world. Since McDonald’s was found they established loads of shops especially in Europe and America. McDonald’s is obviously a private company and is owned by a head of shareholders. It was found by Richard and Maurice McDonald’s and until today they don’t get any support by the government. Today, the company is leaded by Andrew J McKenna as chairman and Don Thompson as president and CEO of the organisation. These people are the main decision makers within McDonald’s organisational structure. This business is one of the main fast food companies in the world. This means they produce food, but get supplied by several other businesses. They are settled in the secondary and tertiary sector, cause they’re not actually producing each part of the food they sell, but they do combine products to another saleable product. McDonald’s is combining supplier’s goods to actual fast food products and I selling them. Therefore they’re settled in the restaurant sector. McDonald’s is a franchise and public limited company. Franchising a business means that the company, even though it is owned by a head of directors, they sell several shops to private people, who pay for using the companies name and selling the whole menu of this business. They still have restaurants which are actually controlled and managed by the McDonald’s company, but even the shops the franchised, they still own and control the actions and on- goings in each shop and restaurant. By franchising the companies name they give people, who want to be independent, the opportunity to find a quick start into the worlds market of restaurants. Loads of small business fail to get widely accepted and fail to make their name famous. McDonald’s is a name the public trust and it’s much easier to sell the services and goods. Independent managers of a franchised shop don’t just have to pay for using products and names, but have to stick to the companies rules and can’t produce or establish other products. Usually the franchisees are limited responsible and have limited liability for the on- goings in their shops. They are partly responsible for mistakes their employees do, but there are main subjects which lie completely on the actual business and their directeurs, McDonald’s. McDonald’s is basically raising money by selling produced fast food products and fro example franchise contracts. The owner of any franchise organisation earns money from each franchised shop. They get a fixed percentage of the income of each shop and McDonald’s gets paid for allowing other people to use their name and produce their products. Public limited company means that the organisation is owned and controlled by shareholders. They have a limited liability, because the concept of them is it to sell shares of the company. Therefore they’re no longer unlimited responsible for all their shops. They raise money by selling their shares, because the private people who buy them are able to use the product and the name of the company for their shop. In addition they raise funds by selling their products to costumers. They get profits from each franchised shop and obviously from the shops which are actually owned by McDonald’s. The profits are shared between the shareholders and the owners of the company. The percentage is fixed in a contract.

Effects of technology change on Sony Corp The WritePass Journal

Effects of technology change on Sony Corp Introduction Effects of technology change on Sony Corp IntroductionThreats of technological change:Opportunities associated with technology change:Implementation of theories of changeIndustry competitorsThreats of entryThreat of substitute productsBargaining power of buyerEffects of technological change on Sony CorpImproved research and development:Objective of Sony RD:Steps taken by Sony Corp to incorporate technological change to gain competitive edge: Conclusion and recommendationsReferenceRelated Introduction Sony Corporation is one of the world’s top electronic company, based in Tokyo Japan. Sony came in to existence in 1946 and since then well known for its quality products. The main products of the company are Audio: Home audio, portable audio, etc. Video: Video cameras, digital still cameras, and DVD-Video players/recorders, and Digital-broadcasting receiving systems Televisions: LCD televisions Information and communications: PC, printer system, broadcast and professional use audio/video/monitors and other professional-use equipment Semiconductors: LCD, CCD and other semiconductors Electronic components: Optical pickups, batteries, audio/video/data recording media, and data recording systems The changes undergone by businesses in different industry have been largely driven by technological change and globalization, and partly by changes in the regulatory environment. Consolidation in the industry continues, but it takes different forms as the dominant industries corporations have redirected their consolidation policy, shifting from diversification and horizontal integration to targeted expansion into the new technologies. Thus, companies in the media sectors are quickly embracing the new technologies through acquisitions or alliances/partnerships with new media start-ups.the following chart shows the company organizational data of Sony corporation. Sony is world’s one of the major electronic company which obviously involve a lot of technological change management.Technologcal change presents many opportunities as well threats that must be taken into account while planning strategies. Technological innovation can dramatically influence the organization’s products services markets, suppliers, distributors, competitor, customers, manufacturing processes, marketing practices, and a competitive position. Sony being an electronic company has a major challenge of technological up gradation at all time to maintain the market position. Technological improvement can open up new markets which result in propagation of new and improved products. It also changes the relative cost position in an industry and provides existing products absolution. Hence technological changes involve both opportunity and threats with it. Sony Corp have been calling on a great criticism to boost up its profitability as the company has facing extreme pressure from other companies offering lower cost and gained an edge in the key market segments as flat panel TVs. Sony is the pioneer that first introduced the portable music to the industry but now embarrassingly Apple Computer Inc took the technology edge over it by introducing iPod player and iTunes online store. Sony is only now coming out with competing portable players. Sony Corp now desperately needs a pace of innovation by changing itself to the changing trends to maintain its competitive position in the market. First it has to see deeply inside the characteristics of technological change and that are it is changing at a greater sale, it’s getting cheaper becoming easily available and touching lives in more and mare areas. These can also be seen as the challenges related to technological change in the businesses. Technological change has its effects such as A product life cycle is reduced. New things will make old products skills knowledge obsolete necessitating continuous change. Competition has become from unexpected quarters. Customer demand has been changed they are always after new and improved products. Threats of technological change: There are certain threats associated with the technological change that can be Technological change might need to change the structure of the company, if the company is attuned to the changes or are unwilling to change it can become obsolete. The characteristics of the international consumer are changing. These changes can influence industries by changing the types and quantity of products and services desired. Rapid change in demand and increasing number of competitors   is another threat for the company. Opportunities associated with technology change: â€Å"Perception is one’s reality†. Customer perception about the company that the company is good or has improved, product and service evolves the opportunity for its success. New Knowledge is a significant source of entrepreneurial opportunity. For example, developing a wide array of innovative products that keep the customer associated with the company products. Implementation of theories of change Schumpeter (1936) argued that economic development emerged when ‘new combinations New combinations might be new product, new method, new market, new supply source or industry re-organisation. Sony focus is towards continuous improvement of product development introducing new improved manufacturing methods finding new supplier sources to earn more over less spending. Michael Porter (1979) has provided a model to better understand the industry context in which the firm operates to develop the edge over the rival firms. According to him industrial firm is influenced by five forces that determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of a market towards it. These are as follows Threats of entry Industry competitors Bargaining power of supplier Bargaining power of buyer Threats of substitute. Now we will study the Sony Corp strategy around Porters five force model. Industry competitors The intensity of competitors is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. According to Porter, company should determine the extent to which the company’s value will be taken away by the head-to-head competition. When the competition among the firms is low the company is a sound company. To take the edge over the competitors the company can take several competitive moves. Temporary change in price for the time according to the demand and buyers ability. Improving product differentiation through innovation in manufacturing process or product itself. By effective use of distribution channel. Exploiting relations with suppliers. Technology advancement can reduce the level of competition. Companies that successfully introduce new technology, can easily charge higher prices and achieve higher profits, until competitors copy them or introduce substitute. Technological advancement can protect the company from competition. Threats of entry Potential and existing competitors can influence the profitability of the company. The threats of new rivals are based on the market entry barriers. Profitable business attract new firm which can result in new entrants and ultimately reduce the profitability. Therefore barriers should be placed for entry. Our strategy will be reduced pricing, brand equity and differentiation of product. Threat of substitute products The substitute product refers to the similar product introduce by other rivales.The threat of substitute product exist when the demand of the product is effected by the price change of substitute product. The company should observe the buyer propensity to substitute, number of substitute product available in the market and the quality and standard of substitute product to plan accordingly for the need of change. Bargaining power of buyer The determinants, through which buyer power can be judged, are the size and the concentration of customers. Other factors are the extent to which the buyers are informed and the concentration or differentiation of the competitors. So the company will focus to educate the consumer with necessary information. Effects of technological change on Sony Corp Innovation and advancements in technology open new path ways and provide new competitive advantages that are more powerful than existing ones. The latest trend in technological advancement is towards computers lasers, robotics, satellite networks, fiber optics, biometrics cloning, and other related areas that have paved the way for significant operational improvements. Moving forward, the company continues to make effective use of its brand, intellectual property and other assets, and to create and increase the value technology development. Intense competition and new market trends are the current threat for SONY.   There are new businesses entering in the industry so, company has to maintain its position and market share by proving new inventions to the industry at lower price. Technological shift is crucial for success for all businesses in the today’s competitive environment.Advances in computing and telecommunications have widespread implications changing the way we live and work in.above all globalization process has increased both the spread and the speed of change and the competitive pressures. There are five important factors for a successful technological shift. Levels of knowledge and expertise/ absorptive capacity Active RD to develop sufficient tacit knowledge Investment in RD to gain high value results. An open trading environment. Human capital investment. Technological improvements are need at all time if the technological change is not fast enough competitors will take the edge and you loss the potential profits. Company gain the profit when it will manage to introduce product before anyone else opportunity can come up in the various stages of the process as researchers and technicians continue to work for the monumental breakthrough. Improved research and development: The base for technological shift is to improve the research and development department of the company to the greater extent. There are certain strategically steps the company has taken to improve the research and development for the company’s products. The firms has decentralise their RD to benefit from different areas of excellence from the world. Developed the environment of knowledge sharing from different research institutes in the world. Built strong relations with leading economies of the world and receive implied knowledge transfers. Arranged many RD related events to search for the new ideas to flourish the company product. Objective of Sony RD: New ways of entertainment are emerging where people can easily share their personal content with others over the network or automatically organize their content according to their personal profile. Sony RD aims to create new value based on the linked concepts of inspiration and shared experience and to thus strengthen products and applications. Mission for Sony RD is Technology for Inspiration and Shared Experience.As we are moving into the era of connectivity and networking the need of technological shift is very important. The need is for inventing new applications that generate new kinds of inspiration and shared experiences. Steps taken by Sony Corp to incorporate technological change to gain competitive edge: Sony Corp is one of the largest movie, music and consumer electronics companies in the world but now they have planned closing down its Connect Music Store in Europe and the U.S. by keeping in view the technological change in these sectors. Instead Sony has planned to add Microsofts Windows Media technology to its new music players and allowing consumers to download copy-protected content from numerous Windows Media-compatible music stores on the Internet. The two new Sony players have video storage and playback capabilities and are the first in the digital players from the company not tied down to Sonys ATRAC (Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coding) audio format. Sony has improved Walkman products which offer great resolution, a bright screen, high-quality sound and a long battery life. The idea behind that is to provide the customers the choice to use multiple music sources. Sony Corporation today announced the commercialization of the worlds first demodulator LSI for high-definition television use conforming to the DVB-T2*2 (Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial 2) terrestrial digital broadcast standard adopted in the UK Conclusion and recommendations According to my research and analysis of the Sony Corp company strategy of continuous research and development is in the right direction. Company idea of invention and innovation and keep on improving things is what makes the company more powerful in terms of profit gains. It is a social process and increasingly dependent upon organised teams. Therefore company focus on developing efficient teams with new and innovative ideas. In the current market demand knowledge sharing is very important to bring about constant innovation to gain competitive advantage. The new source of competitive advantage rests on this ability to share knowledge and to innovate. Sony management of knowledge sharing between subsidiaries, between organisations and their customers and along and across networks is absolute. In my view the effect made by the company for technological transfer between the developed and developing worlds will prove to be profitable in the terms of economic gains and as well reputation of the company increase. In short Introducing new products with increased functionality and quality always get attention of the customer and it also helps in revenue generation. Despite of all the effects made by the company to focus on technology improvement and invention and innovation of new and improved products, company also needs to pay attention towards its competitors low price products which might attract the consumer. Companies coming from new markets are introducing new similar products at lower prices so educating customer about the product should also be the part of strategic planning of the company. Reference The Associated Press: New Sony CEO may signal strategy change Carlota Perez, 2001. Technological change and opportunities for development as a moving target: V S Rama Rao, January 1, 2010.Entrepreneurial opportunities- changes in technology: sony.net/SonyInfo/technology/rd/index.html smarthouse.com.au/iPods_And_Portable_Players/MP4_Players/C6W8Q5N9 quickmba.com/strategy/porter.shtml