Relationship between Academia and Practice Essay

Relationship between Academia and Practice - Essay Example In a clear scenario, it is supposed that a person needs academic training in Medicine to be a doctor; whereas another person needs training in Education to be a teacher. However though, the issue of whether or not people explicitly apply the knowledge they acquire in school to their occupation is a debate that will continue for good. The same phenomenon exists with the conduct of research. A lot of people argue that a person does not need personal experience or academic knowhow to conduct research in a particular area of operation. To others though, without personal experience and academic qualification, it is not possible to undertake a research in a said area of practice. This essay seeks to examine these two points of view. Do you have to have personal experience of a specific area of practice in order to be able to conduct research into it? According to the Cambridge Dictionaries Online (2003), a research is â€Å"a detailed study of a subject, especially in order to discover (n ew) information or reach a (new) understanding.† From this definition, it can be established that research is conducted purposely to come out with or identify new area of knowledge. To this effect, it can be said that there would not be the need for a research if the researcher embarking the research is sure of what the result of the research would be. This therefore makes it logically right to argue that research is in itself an act of learning as learning also concerns itself with the acquisition of new ideas (Boateng, 2001). For this reason, it is possible to conduct research in a specific area of practice even in the absence of personal experience. This is because we all start learning specific concepts without any person experiences in the said concept. However though, the need to have some level of personal experience in the area of research only gives the researcher additional benefits though it does not serve as prerequisite condition to enable one undertake a research in a particular area. With personal experience and having learnt about a specific area of practice, the researcher is put in a position to easily understand occurrences in the field of research. Personal experience in the conduct of research also makes the handling, analysis and use of data collected very easy, meaningful and useful. Do you have to fully understand the theory of research in order to conduct research in a business environment? It has been said earlier that research is in itself an act of learning and so as we all start learning without any foreknowledge of the concepts to be taught but we most of the time end up excelling in the courses we started learning about. However, there can be a school of thought that would argue that one also needs to know how to learn because successful learning can take place. Going by the latter argument, it can be said that if one does not have total understanding of the theory of research, conducting research in the business environmen t would be a fiasco especially as the business environment has been identified to be very volatile. It must be noted that business research involves a lot of technical calculations and manipulation of figures, which require only people with background. As noted by Jenlink (2009), â€Å"There is a blurring of boundaries in the knowledge-practice and inquiry-practice relationships that define both the learning to lead and the practice of leading in the educational setting.† Therefore, the absence of a full understanding of the theory of research (as an academia) would make research in the business environment (as practice) extremely challenging. Does research that is designed by practitioners, with little or no influence of academic theory incorporated, of any value in assisting practitioners

Business Strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 3

Business Strategy - Essay Example to remain progressive and contemporary with the changing business environment and has always tried to meet the consumer demand (Hitt, Duane and Hoskisson, 2012, pp.76-77). The company carries extensive research on the needs and tastes of the customers and at the same time constantly changes their advertising campaigns. The main aim of the company is to develop their products in the best possible way and give their customers a great place to socialize, eat and have a great experience. McDonald’s has achieved its competitive advantage through charging low price for its products and increasing the volume. McDonald’s attracts the consumers on a regular basis and at the most affordable prices. It aims at regular visits of the customers and hence does not display very high priced products on their menu. The product prices of McDonald’s are not standard for all the countries. It differs according to the location or rather the pricing strategy of McDonald’s depends on the local competition and promotions. McDonald’s has even changed the eating habits of the customers and attracts people at the peak hours by offering very low rates. McDonald’s follows an aggressive pricing strategy. McDonald’s products taste the same whichever country they operate, but they try and indulge some local taste so as to make it more appealing to the local consumers (Jeannet and Hennessey, 2005, pp.213-214). The company expands its operations internationally through franchising. They even aim at being the quick service restaurant and give their customers a good experienc e in terms of product quality, taste and cleanliness. The business strategy of McDonald’s comprises of the franchisee model, product consistency and act like retailer think like a brand strategy. The franchisee model that is adopted by the company helps it to maximize on the returns and minimize the investment. According to this model only 15% of the total number of restaurants of McDonald’s is actually owned by

I used to live here once by Jean Rhys Discuss how this visit reflects Essay

I used to live here once by Jean Rhys Discuss how this visit reflects her feelings of displacement, taking into - Essay Example The story is thus more of an autobiography where the author talks about her life. The title of the story is symbolic as she wrote many literary works about the Dominican Republic during her school in Britain. The short story I Used to Live Here Once is a small story in a collection of stories Sleep It off Lady. Therefore, the story is symbolic as it amplifies the despair, loneliness, and psychological trauma that come along with isolation in the persona life as she lacks a real identity and people to identify with. Frickey (100) explains that the story being very short has been symbolically placed in the novel to signify a case of finale, which may signify the return of Rhys after many years of exile to Dominican Republic. The strong emotional presentation of the persona’s return in the story is crucial because of an important incidence in her life. The story is presented in a third person presentation, implying the narrator is not part of the story, which may signify lack of identity as the narrator was removed from her ancestral home, she lost her identity and she presents herself as another person in case of duality. The title signifies the narrator is the main actor, but the use of third person may reflect loss of identity as explained. The story is an emotional reflection, where the persona recalls her past life, and the developments that had occurred with her absence, recounting the mysterious journeys in life and the effects they had in her life. The fragmentation is the main style employed in the narrative: the author balances the present and past throughout the story, in connecting memories and the present until the end. Symbolism is another major stylistic device employed by the author. At the beginning, the author describes her surroundings as a â€Å"blue day,† and that the sky looked â€Å"glassy† (Rhys 358). The blue day is symbolic of the clarity that the narrator remembers all events and her past life in the place she used t o call home. However, glassy represents the new ‘unremembered’ life that signifies the new life as she closes the river to search for her lost heavens. The sky looks glassy therefore signifies the unclear that she steps into after closing the river. This glassy and blue sky looks portray the reflections of the persona between the past that she clearly remembers, and knew, and a new life that is not clear to her. Frickey further argues that â€Å"she† is extraordinarily happy walking alone, recognizing the previous settings and noting the changes (100). Everything was thus much clear the persona, making her happy. The novel starts as she is standing at the bank of a river, watching the flowing water, remembering each stepping stone (Rhys 358), and everything was as she remembered. Flowing water is symbolic of the rolling wheels of life. The persona is reflecting on how life has passed, and she clearly remembers each detail of her life as symbolized by stones. The unsafe stone was perhaps what had caused her disconnect and removal from her ancestral home; as agitation by the natives increased symbolized by overflowing water, they were forced to exile. Wilson (68) explains that Rhys was just like other people who were forced to exile and disconnected from their ancestry, and their past. The session at the river therefore signifies reflection of how life has passed and the events that have happened since they were removed from their land. The theme of isolation and

Innovative Change Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Innovative Change - Research Paper Example There is need for these stakeholders to communicate and collaborate effectively for there to be efficient innovative change in the sector. The US Department of Department has taken centre stage in supporting the ‘Flagship Initiative, Collaboration: Open Innovation Web Portal’. This is an online initiative that allows identification of areas of need in the education sector, suggests improvements to solutions and areas that need funding (Open Government Plan: Department of Education, 2012). Through this initiative the Department seeks to create an infrastructure that promotes transformative innovations that are aimed ensuring that every student has the opportunity to get world class education that the system should rightful provide (ED. Gov., n. d.). The initiative aims to provide more insight into the decision making process in the education sector. Additionally, the strategy aims to promote the participation of the public and other stakeholders in the decision making pro cess (Open Government Plan: Department of Education, 2012). ... Redefining the curricula entails the vast expansion of technology and schools are starting to acknowledge the need for modernization in the sector (Hobcraft, 2012). Innovative technologies open the doors to creative applications within the education field (ED. Gov., n. d.). Owing to this, re- imaging of the traditional education system is indispensable. There are educational experts who hold on traditional values. If any change is implemented in the system, the impact will be felt by the students and will lead to improved efficiency in the learning process. Success as an Innovative Change In October 2009, Secretary Duncan announced that there will be a $650 million grant that will be directing towards funding of new promising ideas that are aimed at benefiting all students across the country (ED. Gov., n. d.). In March 29, 2010, the initiative had over 2850 members, 76 innovative ideas had been submitted and most of them have received positive response (ED. Gov., n. d.). In 2011, the budget for the Fiscal year 2011, President Obama and Secretary Duncan requested a $500 million grant to fund the ideas that did not get funding in the previous year (ED. Gov., n. d.). Additionally, an active network is operational and has received immense publicity over time. The Department of Education is motivated by the early success of this initiative. This investment represents the most significant investment that has been made to the Department of education to date. Yet, the department acknowledges that sustaining efficient innovation in the education sector requires more than successful grant completion but also how the innovation is implemented (ED. Gov., n. d.). It is clear successful implementation of innovative ideas in the education sector is affected by lack of a