Principles of Insurance Essay Example for Free

Principles of Insurance Essay 1. Principle of Uberrimae fidei (Utmost Good Faith) Principle of Uberrimae fidei (a Latin phrase), or in simple english words, the Principle of Utmost Good Faith, is a very basic and first primary principle of insurance. According to this principle, the insurance contract must be signed by both parties (i.e insurer and insured) in an absolute good faith or belief or trust. The person getting insured must willingly disclose and surrender to the insurer his complete true information regarding the subject matter of insurance. The insurers liability gets void (i.e legally revoked or cancelled) if any facts, about the subject matter of insurance are either omitted, hidden, falsified or presented in a wrong manner by the insured. The principle of Uberrimae fidei applies to all types of insurance contracts. 2. Principle of Insurable Interest The principle of insurable interest states that the person getting insured must have insurable interest in the object of insurance. A person has an insurable interest when the physical existence of the insured object gives him some gain but its non-existence will give him a loss. In simple words, the insured person must suffer some financial loss by the damage of the insured object. For example :- The owner of a taxicab has insurable interest in the taxicab because he is getting income from it. But, if he sells it, he will not have an insurable interest left in that taxicab. From above example, we can conclude that, ownership plays a very crucial role in evaluating insurable interest. Every person has an insurable interest in his own life. A merchant has insurable interest in his business of trading. Similarly, a creditor has insurable interest in his debtor. 3. Principle of Indemnity Indemnity means security, protection and compensation given against damage, loss or injury. According to the principle of indemnity, an insurance contract is signed only for getting protection against unpredicted financial losses arising due to future uncertainties. Insurance contract is not made for making profit else its sole purpose is to give compensation in case of any damage or loss. In an insurance contract, the amount of compensations paid is in proportion to the incurred losses. The amount of compensations is limited to the amount assured or the actual losses, whichever is less. The compensation must not be less or more than the actual damage. Compensation is not paid if the specified loss does not happen due to a particular reason during a specific time period. Thus, insurance is only for giving protection against losses and not for making profit. However, in case of life insurance, the principle of indemnity does not apply because the value of human life cannot be measured in terms of money. 4. Principle of Contribution Principle of Contribution is a corollary of the principle of indemnity. It applies to all contracts of indemnity, if the insured has taken out more than one policy on the same subject matter. According to this principle, the insured can claim the compensation only to the extent of actual loss either from all insurers or from any one insurer. If one insurer pays full compensation then that insurer can claim proportionate claim from the other insurers. For example :- Mr. John insures his property worth $ 100,000 with two insurers AIG Ltd. for $ 90,000 and MetLife Ltd. for $ 60,000. Johns actual property destroyed is worth $ 60,000, then Mr. John can claim the full loss of $ 60,000 either from AIG Ltd. or MetLife Ltd., or he can claim $ 36,000 from AIG Ltd. and $ 24,000 from Metlife Ltd. So, if the insured claims full amount of compensation from one insurer then he cannot claim the same compensation from other insurer and make a profit. Secondly, if one insurance company pays the full c ompensation then it can recover the proportionate contribution from the other insurance company. 5. Principle of Subrogation Subrogation means substituting one creditor for another. Principle of Subrogation is an extension and another corollary of the principle of indemnity. It also applies to all contracts of indemnity. According to the principle of subrogation, when the insured is compensated for the losses due to damage to his insured property, then the ownership right of such property shifts to the insurer. This principle is applicable only when the damaged property has any value after the event causing the damage. The insurer can benefit out of subrogation rights only to the extent of the amount he has paid to the insured as compensation. For example :- Mr. John insures his house for $ 1 million. The house is totally destroyed by the negligence of his neighbour Mr.Tom. The insurance company shall settle the claim of Mr. John for $ 1 million. At the same time, it can file a law suit against Mr.Tom for $ 1.2 million, the market value of the house. If insurance company wins the case and collects $ 1.2 mi llion from Mr. Tom, then the insurance company will retain $ 1 million (which it has already paid to Mr. John) plus other expenses such as court fees. The balance amount, if any will be given to Mr. John, the insured. 6. Principle of Loss Minimization According to the Principle of Loss Minimization, insured must always try his level best to minimize the loss of his insured property, in case of uncertain events like a fire outbreak or blast, etc. The insured must take all possible measures and necessary steps to control and reduce the losses in such a scenario. The insured must not neglect and behave irresponsibly during such events just because the property is insured. Hence it is a responsibility of the insured to protect his insured property and avoid further losses. For example :- Assume, Mr. Johns house is set on fire due to an electric short-circuit. In this tragic scenario, Mr. John must try his level best to stop fire by all possible means, like first calling nearest fire department office, asking neighbours for emergency fire extinguishers, etc. He must not remain inactive and watch his house burning hoping, Why should I worry? Ive insured my house. 7. Principle of Causa Proxima (Nearest Cause) Principle of Causa Proxima (a Latin phrase), or in simple english words, the Principle of Proximate (i.e Nearest) Cause, means when a loss is caused by more than one causes, the proximate or the nearest or the closest cause should be taken into consideration to decide the liability of the insurer. The principle states that to find out whether the insurer is liable for the loss or not, the proximate (closest) and not the remote (farest) must be looked into. For example :- A cargo ships base was punctured due to rats and so sea water entered and cargo was damaged. Here there are two causes for the damage of the cargo ship (i) The cargo ship getting punctured beacuse of rats, and (ii) The sea water entering ship through puncture. The risk of sea water is insured but the first cause is not. The nearest cause of damage is sea water which is insured and therefore the insurer must pay the compensation. However, in case of life insurance, the principle of Causa Proxima does not apply. Whatever may be the reason of death (whether a natural death or an unnatural death) the insurer is liable to pay the amount of insurance.

Resource Based View Of Firms Competitive Advantage

Resource Based View Of Firms Competitive Advantage The nature of competition constitutes the basis of a firm s success or failure. Quality today no longer constitutes a competitive weapon. Organisations long term success in a market is determined by its ability to expand and maintain a large number of loyal customer bases. Innovation has always been at the focus of competitiveness. Innovation often occurs in sudden dynamic shifts. It is these sudden competitive changing innovations that open up and close out vast areas of businesses. A firm s core competences is dependent on its capacity to creatively combine core skills (Prahalad, 1993), from both within and out side the organisation. However, what matters is the creative bundling of a firm s core competency (Prahalad, 1993) and thus, the need for a focus on the factors that signal value to the customers. Firms are required not only to improve, but to innovate products and services and anticipate customer needs on a continuous basis. In order to maintain a long-term relationship with the customer, firms need to demonstrate their ability to think for the customer, and to conceive and implement new ways to serve them better. Table of contents Executive Summary 1 1.0 Introduction An Overview of the Resource-Based View (RBV) 2.0 Competitive Advantage and Innovation 3-7 3.0 International Business Machines Corporation IBM 4.0 SONY 8 5.0 Procter Gamble 11 6.0 Conclusion 14 References 15-18 Bibliography and Appendices 19-21 1.0 Introduction An Overview of the Resource-Based View (RBV) RBV is a strategic theory for understanding why some firms outperform others. It is a widely adopted analytical tool of assessing a firm s internal strengths and weaknesses and a business management tool used to determine the strategic resources available to a firm. The fundamental principle of the RBV is that the basis for a competitive advantage of a firm lies primarily in the application of the bundle of valuable resources at the firms disposal (Wernerfelt, 1984, p172). It provides an explanation of competitive heterogeneity between firms. To transform a short-run competitive advantage into a sustained competitive advantage requires that these resources are heterogeneous in nature and not perfectly mobile (Peteraf, 1993, p180). Classical RBV theory was contributed by Penrose (1959) almost half a century ago. She argued that a firm is more than an administrative unit. It is also a collection of productive resources. The disposal of the resources between different users over time is determined by administrative decision. Penrose contributed to our knowledge of the creation of competitive advantage, sustaining competitive advantage, isolating mechanisms, and competitive advantage and economic rents (Kor and Mahoney, 2004). Modern RBV theory of the firm was introduced by Barney (1986, 1991), Dierickx and Cool (1989), and Peteraf (1993). Their works assumed that each firm is a collection of key resources and capabilities that determines a firm s strategy. Above-average returns are earned when the firm uses its core competencies to establish a competitive advantage over its rivals. With the progress in the research on RBV, it has become clear that the RBV extends beyond the assets of an organization and reaches i nto its capabilities which have more relation with process and activities. According to Barney (1991), for a firm to have the potential to generate competitive advantage firm resources must have four attributes. First, the firm must be valuable, in the sense that it exploits opportunities and or neutralizes threats in a firm s environment. Secondly, it must be rare among a firm s current and potential competition. Thirdly, it must be imperfectly imitable. Finally, there cannot be strategically equivalent substitutes for this resource . Identify the firm s potential key resources. Evaluate whether these resources fulfill the following (VRIN) criteria: Valuable A resource must enable a firm to employ a value-creating strategy, by either outperforming its competitors or reduce its own weaknesses (:p99;p36). Relevant in this perspective is that the transaction costs associated with the investment in the resource cannot be higher than the discounted future rents that flow out of the value-creating strategy (Mahoney and Prahalad, 1992, p370; Conner, 1992, p131). Rare To be of value, a resource must be by definition rare. In a perfectly competitive strategic factor market for a resource, the price of the resource will be a reflection of the expected discounted future above-average returns (Barney, 1986a, p1232-1233; Dierickx and Cool, 1989, p1504;[1]:p100). In-imitable If a valuable resource is controlled by only one firm it could be a source of a competitive advantage ([1]:p107). This advantage could be sustainable if competitors are not able to duplicate this strategic asset perfectly (Peteraf, 1993, p183; Barney, 1986b, p658). The term isolating mechanism was introduced by Rumelt (1984, p567) to explain why firms might not be able to imitate a resource to the degree that they are able to compete with the firm having the valuable resource (Peteraf, 1993, p182-183; Mahoney and Pandian, 1992, p371). An important underlying factor of inimitability is causal ambiguity, which occurs if the source from which a firm s competitive advantage stems is unknown (Peteraf, 1993, p182; Lippman and Rumelt, 1982, p420). If the resource in question is knowledge-based or socially complex, causal ambiguity is more likely to occur as these types of resources are more likely to be idiosyncratic to the firm in which it resides (Peteraf, 1993, p183; Mahoney and Pandian, 1992, p365;[1]:p110). Conner and Prahalad go so far as to say knowledge-based resources are the essence of the resource-based perspective (1996, p477). Non-substitutable Even if a resource is rare, potentially value-creating and imperfectly imitable, an equally important aspect is lack of substitutability (Dierickx and Cool, 1989, p1509;[1]:p111). If competitors are able to counter the firm s value-creating strategy with a substitute, prices are driven down to the point that the price equals the discounted future rents (Barney, 1986a, p1233; sheikh, 1991, p137), resulting in zero economic profits. 1.1 Competitive Advantage A firm can attain competitive advantage if the current strategy is value-creating, and not currently being implemented by present or possible future competitors. Competitive advantage has the ability to become sustained, however, this is not necessarily the case always. A competing firm can enter the market with a resource that has the ability to invalidate the prior firms competitive advantage, which results in reduced rents (Barney, 1986b, p658). Sustainability in the context of a sustainable competitive advantage is independent with regards to the time-frame. When the imitative actions have come to an end without disrupting the firm s competitive advantage, the firm s strategy can be called sustainable. This is contrary to other views that a competitive advantage is sustained when it provides above-average returns in the long run. (Porter, 1985). 2.0 Competitive Advantage through Innovation A convenient definition of innovation from an organizational perspective is given by Luecke and Katz (2003), who wrote: Innovation . . . is generally understood as the successful introduction of a new thing or method . . . Innovation is the embodiment, combination, or synthesis of knowledge in original, relevant, valued new products, processes, or services. A content analysis on the term innovation carried out by Baregheh et al. (2009) within the organizational context, defines innovation as: Innovation is the multi-stage process whereby organizations transform ideas into new/improved products, service or processes, in order to advance, compete and differentiate themselves successfully in their marketplace.[3] Innovation typically involves creativity, but is not identical to it: innovation involves acting on the creative ideas to make some specific and tangible difference in the domain in which the innovation occurs. For example, Amabile et al. (1996) propose: All innovation begins with creative ideas . . . We define innovation as the successful implementation of creative ideas within an organization. In this view, creativity by individuals and teams is a starting point for innovation; the first is necessary but not sufficient condition for the second. For innovation to occur, something more than the generation of a creative idea or insight is required: the insight must be put into action to make a genuine difference, resulting for example in new or altered business processes within the organization, or changes in the products and services provided. Innovation, like many business functions, is a management process that requires specific tools, rules, and discipline. Innovation is an instinctive behavior in certain companies. It does not emerge overnight, and will not be developed unless the firm is placed in with the right structure. This means that the firms need to identify and address their weakness, decide upon a strategic direction and determine what type of growth innovation will stimulate. In order for firms to survive intensive competition that exist around the globe, firms must be innovative. It is essential to understand what makes a firm innovative and the kind of resources make a significant contribution to a firm s innovation capabilities. We do know that good technological resources and rich innovation resources result in stronger innovation capabilities. Companies need to introduce architectural or business- model breakthroughs in order to develop new strategies to attack competitors and enter new markets. They must identify the gaps in industrial organisation and go into filling these gaps by finding ways to turn them into profitable markets. They need to find new customers, new products or new ways of promoting, producing or distributing them. Strategic innovation goes beyond just product innovation. It links resources and efforts to an overall business strategy and involves making knowledge creation and innovative action a way of life. It seeks to create and expand markets, rather than to react to customer demand and then redirecting its resources from profitable lines to more potentially profitable lines. According to Abraham and Knight (2001), for those managers who know about the strategic innovation approach, the approach serves as a part of intelligence-gene transplant , enabling them to leverage resources to achieve superior growth or competitive advantage. Innovation remains a management dilemma long-term survival requires a commitment to alteration and change through disrupting growth, but it s a strategy few companies survive. In order to solve the dilemma, leaders must address its inherent conflict. The need to innovate is universally perceived as the key to organizational survival, but it s not enough for companies to merely get better. They need to be more differentiated not just through extensions of existing businesses, but mainly through a commitment to continuous growth. Such transformational innovation is a necessity, not an option Strategic innovation process has become such an essential element due to the speed of change and increased competition. According to Abraham and Knight (2001), The process is based on repetitions of the five phase strategic innovation cycle as illustrated in the diagram below. Source : Abraham, J.L, and Knight, D.J, (2001) Strategic Innovation leveraging creative action for more profitable growth. Strategy Leadership 29, pp 24 Abraham and Knight (2001), states that This cycle helps transform difficult-to-describe tacit knowledge and experiences into more explicit form and enables a leader to deliberately and systematically create results-oriented knowledge and innovative action. Abraham and Knight (2001) identifies the five phases as per of the strategic innovation cycle. It is illustrated in Appendix 1. Abraham and Knight (2001) also identified a strategic innovation cycle In the below diagram, the strategic innovation cycle is recurring, generating an increased knowledge and innovation, spiraling up and across an organization and even reaching outside the organizations boundaries Source : Abraham, J.L, and Knight, D.J, (2001) Strategic Innovation leveraging creative action for more profitable growth. Strategy Leadership 29, pp 24 2.1 Criticism of innovation It is often considered that firms often resist to change, both within and outside the organisation. Virtually every large company that has got into trouble has been criticized for not changing rapidly enough. Many firms fail to anticipate change and its subsequent ramifications renders them unprepared, reactionary and lacking the drive necessary to respond to the market s demands. It has become increasingly important for firms today to introduce innovation and flexibility into their core competence (Peters, 1987). Moreover, in order to influence an organisation s potential resources, Prahalad (1993) argues for the development of a proactive framework in which innovation can be planned and managed. 3.0 Over view of International Business Machines Corporation IBM. The building block of IBM reach back into the mid 1880s, however, the company was officially founded in 1911 by Charles F. Flint, as he engineered the merger of Holleriths Tabulating Machine Company, Computing Scale Company of America and International Time Recording Company. The agreed upon name was Computing- Tabulating- Recording Company or C-T-R. C-T-R soon found itself struggling do to over diversification of its product. In 1914 Thomas J. Watson, Sr. was brought in to help homogenize the company. Throughout the Great Depression IBM was able to continue to grow and innovate even when demand for their products began to drop. In the 1940s IBM completed the first ever Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator, also called the Mark I. In the 1950s IBMs computers became smaller and more practical for business applications such as billing, payroll and inventory control. IBM was the first computing company to sell computers without software bundled into the package, this move generated the multi-billion dollar software industry that exist today, of which IBM is still an industry leader. In the 1970s and 80s IBM worked to get the computer smaller and more convenient for the household format. Floppy disks were introduced to the public market as personal self storage devices. IBM also developed the first Intranet in the mid 80s and created the foundations for what would later become the internet. In the late 1980s and early 90s IBM was struck with turmoil as the PC revolution exploded IBMs long standing relationships with big business saw the company struggling to survive, averaging annual losses of 8 billion. Personal consumers were all the rage not big business consumers. Soon IBM was able to use their intranet experiences of the past and harness the emerging information age using their line of top end servers and integrated business solutions. Today, IBM is a world leading research organisation boasting a track record for breakthrough developments that many other envy and we can match. IBM has an impressive inventory of ideas due to their reliance on in-house expertise. The company has been forging closer links with a range of external technology developers due to changing market demands. To IBM, technology equals participation and interaction, whose prime motive is how it can be more widely applied. IBM employs a breakthrough tool to enhance the team creation process. IBMs future looks strong as they are the underlying producers of servers and business solutions for the e-business industry, which is growing at an incredible rate. 4.0 Procter and Gamble Procter Gamble is a company with more than 100 years on business, and is a clear example of a successful company. Procter and Gamble was founded in 1837 and incorporated in Ohio on May 5, 1905. It began as a small family operated soap and candle company, and now provides products and services of greater quality and value to consumers in over 180 countries. Procter Gamble has one of the largest and strongest portfolios of trusted brands. Procter and Gamble is the producer of products in nearly 50 categories. Because of this, they have been able to bond technologies within the categories in various astonishing ways. Over the years, Procter Gamble s Research and Development team has revolutionized home care. Many breakthroughs originate in the Procter Gamble s laboratories. Procter Gamble operates in more than 80 countries worldwide, which makes for one of the largest global companies around. Procter Gamble s strategy is mostly focused on innovation. They use this strategy to approach consumers more easily, and to obtain the most effective results towards the market share in the industry. Procter Gamble is also strongly committed to the concept of sustainable development, and continues to lead its industry in that regard. The company views sustainability as an opportunity to innovate products that improve the lives of the worlds consumers. Procter Gamble centers its sustainability efforts largely on its core activities. In particular, two key themes are significant to a number of Procter Gambles businesses: water purification technology products and sanitation hygiene. In that context, Procter Gamble emphasizes on innovation in products that serve basic needs of consumers in the least developed countries. The companys high scores in the criteria of product impact and strategies for emerging economies is a reflection of that fact. In developed markets, Procter Gamble focuses on environmental excellence, innovating in products such as cold-water cleaning technologies that provide good performance as well as energy savings and eco-efficiency Procter and Gamble s Innovation strategy is called Connect + Develop. This strategy is seeking to build a global innovation network. Through Connect + Develop relationships, the company continually searches for products, packaging, technologies and commercial opportunities that can be reapplied to brands and rapidly introduced to better meet consumers diverse needs. This strategy seeks to leverage the ideas, talents and innovation assets of individuals, institutes and companies around the world. Innovation Examples: Ready-to-go Technologies: Procter Gamble introduced Bounce, the worlds first dryer added softener, after acquiring the product technology from the independent inventor who developed the innovative fabric-care solution. Ready-to-go Products: In this instance, the deal was struck when Procter Gamble acquired Dr. Johns Spin brush business and added the Crest brand name to the innovation. Ready-to-go Packaging: Several of the Olay Skin Care products now utilize new consumer-preferred pump dispensers originally developed by a European packaging products company. Commercial Partnerships: Procter Gamble found the perfect complement to the Swiffer brand in a hand-held duster developed by a Japanese competitor. The VRIO analysis provides a deep look into Procter Gamble which helps to analyze what makes or does not make this company so unique. Procter and Gamble s physical resources are valuable but not rare, and are costly to imitate. The Procter Gamble Company has over 138,000 employees. Managing this many employees is not an easy task. Training these masses alone is an unprecedented task. Having all these employees work in conjunction is something that is not easy to imitate. Procter Gamble s research team is made up of 7,500 Ph.D.s and researchers. Within Research and Development, there is a strong commitment to find the best researchers, and retain them with a culture designed to reward success, stimulate learning, challenge complacency, and nurture innovation. It is this common goal, which in instilled in those who work in the department, that the company gets its extra vigor and motivation. Criticism Procter Gamble could focus more on the Research and Development department, which has the task of analyzing and preparing potential products for such a complex market. It is also important to mention that India and China are the fastest growing economies, and so this factor represents an opportunity for growth. In the marketing aspect, Procter Gamble has to focus more on demographics and how to target effectively the Asian market. Procter Gamble is a very strong competitive company within the markets that it resides. This company will most likely continue to prosper for some time but always has the possibility of a down fall. As long as Procter Gamble continues to implement their strategies and effectively revise them along with the changes in the markets Procter Gamble will continue to have a prosperous outlook. 5.0 Overview of Sony Corporation; Sony is a company which managed to become an established name in the electronics market. It exists of a mix of businesses ranging from Hollywood studios to high-definition televisions. It is the company which created the forever-famous Walkman, as well as the highly popular Playstation gaming devises. The Sony brand is often seen as cool , hip . It is a company with very high heights, but also very low lows. Not only on the subject of products, but also regarding management and structure. Sony s Play Station video game console is just one of a string of imaginative hit products that include the Trinition colour television and the Walkman personal stereo player. The company s creative, somewhat quirly, eccentric engineer-focussed corporate culture, where ideas and enthusiasm are valued over and above seniority, experience and university degrees, has been the main reason for its success. Consumer electronics industry is changing, competition is becoming intense and product lines are moving closer together. With complacency settting in at Sony, resources became stretched too thinly, managers becamse less demanding and creativity was made over complicated. The case of Sony questions whether efficiency and productivity really go hand in hand with creativity and innovation. Sony is struggling to find a balance between the drive to stay innovative and the cooperate need to not fall behind the competition in key markets. It must decide whether it is leading, following or simply standing still. Criticism Sony could afford to concentrate on product quality and can have a more rigorous project management structure. First mover advantage is active in evolutionary technological transitions which are technological innovations based on previous developments (Kim and Park 2006, p, 45, Cottam et al. 2001, p. 142). Late entrants may comply with the technological innovativeness and increase pressure of competition, hence, seek for a competitive advantage through making the existing competences and resources of early entrants invalid or outdated. In other words innovative technological implications will significantly change the landscape of the industry and the market, making early mover s advantage minimum. However, in a market where technology does not play a dynamic role, early mover advantage may prevail. 6.0 Critiques of Resource Based View. The RBV s lack of clarity regarding its core premise and its lack of any clear boundary impedes fruitful debate. Given the theory s lack of specificity, one can invoke the definition-based or hypothesis-based logic any time. Again, we argue that resources are but one potential source of competitive heterogeneity. Competitive heterogeneity can obtain for reasons other than sticky resources (or capabilities) (Hoopes et al. 2003: 891). Competitive heterogeneity refers to enduring and systematic performance differences among close competitors (Hoopes et al., 2003: 890). The limitations of RBV are mainly in two aspects. First, RBV alone does not capture all the essences of competitive advantage of the firms. RBV provides no perspective on why and how some firms rather than others accumulated valuable and inimitable resources, or indeed what made these resources valuable and inimitable (Lazonick, 2002). In order to explain competitive advantage, the RBV must incorporate the evolution over time of the resources and capabilities that form the basis of competitive advantage (Helfat and Peteraf, 2003). Second, RBV ignores the external elements and focuses on the internal. A complete model of strategic advantage should adopt both the internal dimension which is based on periodic reviews of the fitness of the firm s current resources and the external dimension which is oriented towards an appraisal of the resource endowments of outsiders such as competitors, customers, suppliers and so on. Furthermore, it is also important and relevant to briefly discuss the concept of resource and capability. A firm s resources can be classified into two categories: tangible resources and intangible resources. Tangible resources are assets that can be seen and quantified. Intangible resources are rooted deeply in the firm s history and that have accumulated over time. Barney (1991) and Grant (1991) classified tangible resources into four forms: financial resources, organizational structure, physical resources and technological resources. Grant (1991) and Hall (1992) identified three kinds of intangible resources: human resources, innovation resources and reputation resources. Priem and Butler (2001) made four key criticisms: The RBV is self-verifying. Barney has defined a competitive advantage as a value-creating strategy that is based on resources that are, among other characteristics, valuable (1991, p106). This reasoning is circular and therefore operationally invalid (Priem and Butler, 2001a, p31). Different resource configurations can generate the same value for firms and thus would not be competitive advantage The role of product markets is underdeveloped in the argument The theory has limited prescriptive implications However, Barney (2001) provided counter-arguments to these points of criticism. 7.0 Conclusion In order to maintain a sustainable competitive advantage, firms will have to out-innovate the competition continuously so that it is the customer who constitutes the ultimate beneficiary. All too often firms lose sight of their primary goal their customers needs, wants and values in pursuit of innovations that appear to promise improved efficiency and augmented financial benefits. Thinking for the customer , it is argued, implies that innovation derives from customer orientation: the firm s desire to serve and reward their customers. Furthermore, beyond a firm s technological innovations, what has become increasingly important is the firm s service innovations. Service innovation is the process through which a firm undertakes changes in its philosophy, culture, operations and procedures to add value to the result of the service/product for the benefit of the customer. It requires an understanding of the complex nature of customers needs and the values attributed to combined product and service offerings (service package). Essentially, therefore, service innovation depends on a firm s ability to use this understanding to evolve, collaborate and enter partnerships that effectively fulfil their customers holistic needs and, thereby, increase the opportunities for customer allegiance (relationship). A number of issues have emerged from this study which have important contributions in both innovation as a competitive advantage and how resource based view is applied in the real world . While the above arguments tender theoretical understanding and explanation, it is recommended that future empirical research need to be done to complement this study, particularly in terms of identifying the various analytical tools for understanding and developing competitive advantage.

Should Reality TV Shows be Banned?

Should Reality TV Shows be Banned? Reality TV is a programming sort that introduces unscripted or Silly circumstances, reports really occasions and generally offers conventional individuals rather than true performing artists. Normally includes adoration, roughness, and cash. Cases of these sorts of shows are, Bachelor, Real World, Idols, and so many others. As I would like to think I accept such reality shows that advance anorexia, celebrating, desire for cash, brutality, ought to be banned for Television. The reality shows that dont advance that ought to stay on TV, since they are not mischief to anybody. I believe that, reality shows these days fundamentally endeavor to persuade the crowd that the members of the show are continuously pushed to their physical, passionate or physiological points of confinement to finish their assignment. Most reality shows dont generally come clean or either speaks to reality and they have overlooked the fundamental idea of reality show and are concentrating all the more on the part of stimulation. I know all reality show will never be banned yet the greater part of them ought to, for example, Dating naked, sixteen pregnant and those specifically dont give any great illustration to the group of onlookers like beauty challenges, and so on. Shows that send a horrendous message like beauty challenges ought to be banned in light of the fact that it makes a perfect of female beauty that a minority of females can make. It places burden on ladies that need to get up to speed to these wonderful ladies on TV. More the less, these challenges urge models and candidates to look significantly slimmer than they as of now are, advancing anorexia and bulimia. Ladies are more judged by their physical appearance as opposed to some other qualities they may have (terrible ladies just arent going to win). Doesnt make a difference what number of Asian ladies win Miss World, they can just do so on the off chance that they take an interest in the bathing suit rivalry, and that basically is the entire purpose of beauty challenges, which may be viewed as unseemly in different societies. There have been a few challenges and showings and in addition viciousness in light of societies needing to experience the beauty rivalries. Murray and Laurie highlight that reality shows have lost their path from unique arrangement like survivor to the new unremarkable arrangement of two famous people living in a homestead yard for a week. Reality TV has joined the positions of day time stimulation and has lost the flash of spontaneous inventiveness from different types of scripted diversion. Furthermore, the most popular reality shows worldwide are big brother as well as Idols; these two are cases of scripted and overall practiced reality shows. In the recently finished up scene of icons a judge was set out to sing out of nowhere and it so happened just by happenstance that the band began playing a tune which the judge joined in earnestly without a second thought. The swarm cheered and acclaimed for the startling execution by the judge. Such reality Television shows give viewers and all the more so youngsters false any desire for a joyfully ever after reality were legends and courageous women live subsequently offending the sagacity of the viewers. On account of big brother viewers are subjected to sex as a manifestation of stimulation. Connections shaped in the big brother house give the member a finer shot of winning the opposition and build his/her evaluations subsequently the gathering of people invests time and cash voting in favor of the member so they can delight in seeing the members relationship develop. Whats more because of the full exposure nature of the show all exercises are telecasted and shown live on our Television sets uncovering and empowering our young people, youthful grown-ups and youngsters to sex, corruption and wanton practices. The arranged scripting and acting that happens in reality Television shows affronts the viewers insights. A decent sample of this is the most prevalent TV show on the planet, the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). Such shows give the viewers the misunderstandings that what is going on is spontaneous and indiscreet but then they are most certainly not. The physical ill-use that is involved in the WWE wrestling show is unfeasible, absurd and impracticable. No person can with stand such abuse and keep on showing hostility to his rival with full body quality. Dominant part of the group of onlookers realize that such reality shows are scripted and planned yet to the youthful and adolescent on a basic level, the level of conviction and assurance they have in reality shows is perilous to their mental capacity to recognize valid brutality from anecdotal exhibitions. According to another source (Pros and cons of reality TV shows), on the off chance that we have faith in opportunity and free discourse, then we need to acknowledge reality TV as a representation of prominent and law based taste. No one is forced to show up in reality TV projects, or surely to watch them. It is characteristically captivating to perceive how individuals talk and carry on in curious circumstances. This is the reason numerous insightful individuals end up grasped by Big Brother and other reality shows. They show us something about liberated intelligence along these lines widen our experience. Also, some individuals likewise contend that we live during a time of mass society. A larger number of individuals read tabloids than the broadsheets, and reality TV is a reasonable impression of this. Reality TV is safe fun. Just self important individuals and big talkers censure it. Individuals are no more eager to acknowledge just what supporters think is beneficial for them. Th ere is nothing wrong in giving individuals what they need. Murray and Laurie describes such reality shows influence the social collaborations of young people. They energize roughness as a type of excitement and not the abominable, hostile lead that it is. Such Reality shows have advanced roughness in youngsters which has therefore expanded group related gore in America and rough conduct schools. In spite of the fact that most vicious reality shows attempt and caution the crowd against performing their unreasonable physical fetes and bent, gatherings of people cant resist the opportunity to go for what they see on Television furthermore thusly wind up harming themselves as well as other people simultaneously. Conflictingly the banning of reality shows would provide for us false any desire for ensuring our youngsters from the awful part of sex and savagery in light of the fact that it is not just in reality shows that our kids are presented to sex and brutality, innovation has made it workable for our youngsters to get to sexual substance and rough recreations and features by means of the web. Despite the fact that banning reality shows would diminish the measure of sexual substance they would be presented to it would just clear approach to new manifestations of sexual and brutal diversion which would helpfully achieve our youngsters. Reality TV shows are one yet not the most sexually unequivocal types of diversion, so we ought not escape ourselves that banning reality TV would tackle the issue, it will just lessen it for an at some point, until different manifestations of express stimulation tag along. Murray and Laurie also highlight banning reality TV will be violating of worldwide laws . It would be an encroachment of fundamental rights, flexibility of discourse. Each and all human have the right to communicate in a manner they esteem fit thus by banning reality TV show we would repudiate with their popularity based right to pass on their grievances and perspectives. In light of this it would be wrong to boycott the shows since the vast majority of the makers know their rights and tail them to the recent, this will pass on the infringement of these rights and consequently it will be impracticable. The viewers excessively have unquestionably the right to watch these shows and entertain themselves; banning these shows will make a worldwide clamor from the viewers who get joy from these shows, it will likewise be in break of the viewers rights. However, at the end one can easily understand that how the Reality show affects on the people’s life and now they are losing the originality of the show. Nowadays, the Reality show doesn’t have any sense to produce or show any truth in front of camera. There are so many shows which are just expressing some entertainment rather than originality and sincerity as well. We can say that these types of TV shows are now showing lie, vulgarity, fraud and much more, so they should be banned. References: Murray, Susan and Laurie Ouellette. Reality TV: Remaking Television Culture. New York, NYU Press. 2008 Theweek. Pros and cons of reality TV shows. The First Post guide to the issue of the day. 2008

The Importance of a Calcium Rich Diet :: Health Nutrition Diet Exercise Essays

The Importance of a Calcium Rich Diet  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Calcium is essential to normal functioning in a healthy individual; this only leaves the question of where to get it. There are many sources available to meet daily requirements, two of which are dairy products and supplemental vitamins. Both of these options have qualities that make them appealing, so choosing might be difficult or even come to a middle ground. Some of the considerations to be made are: what calcium is, the types of calcium in each source, how much should be ingested daily, the body’s ability to absorb and tolerate calcium from the chosen source, and the interactions that might occur with other medicines and required daily nutrients. In both cases a decent nutritional diet still needs to be incorporated. It may seem like a simple choice between a couple of pills a day or 3-4 glasses of milk, but there is quite a bit more involved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Calcium is a mineral found in many foods that the human body cannot produce itself (National Osteoporosis Foundation). According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation it is used in the regulation of heartbeat, stimulation of hormone secretions, conduction of nerve impulses, stimulation of blood clotting, and maintenance of a healthy skeleton. They also state that we lose calcium every day through shed skin, nails, hair, sweat, and other bodily functions. Bones are also constantly being â€Å"remodeled† by removal of older pieces of bone and replacement with new bone. These losses make a daily source of calcium invaluable. Calcium has traditionally been thought of in conjunction to milk, but this connection is slowly being broken. Not only is calcium usable in the lactic form found in dairy products, but in forms such as calcium citrate and calcium carbonate (Calcium Supplement Guidelines). These two sources are the most common types of calcium found as supplements, and are usually in the form of a pill. Calcium citrate contains by mass 21 percent calcium, while calcium carbonate contains by mass 40 percent calcium. Calcium Carbonate can be found naturally in sources such as bone-meal, oyster shell, and dolomite, but these are all capable of containing toxins such as lead or mercury and should be avoided (Got Calcium?). Even when being careful to avoid such sources it is still important to check for a United States Pharmacopeia symbol to ensure purity of the source. When used to a source such as milk this may seem like extra work but it prevents toxins and other unnecessary ingredients from being accidentally ingested.

The Writing Style of The Catcher in the Rye Essay -- essays research p

Jerome David Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye is a truly unique novel in terms of writing style. The story is told in a second person narrative style by a character named Holden Caulfield, and is written loosely in a fashion known as 'stream of consciousness writing'. The stream of consciousness style of writing is that in which the writing directly follows the character's thought process in either an interior monologue or through the character's reactions to external occurrences. Stream of consciousness writing is not typically used in books due to its clearly-defined limits and its extreme demand for a talented and devoted author. In order for the writing to be effective, the story must revolve around only one character, and that character must be developed extensively as a believable person through realistic thoughts and actions. The following of Holden's stream of consciousness is the reason that many seemingly unnecessary facts find their way into Salinger's writing. They are a direct result of Holden's roaming teenage mind. Many other works of literature have used the stream of consciousness writing style, so this alone does not make Salinger's work unique. What makes The Catcher in the Rye a unique literary work is Salinger's combination o f stream of consciousness along with several other literary contrivances. One of these contrivances in particular is the way Holden?s thoughts are set up in a specific order so that one ostensibly random tangent relates, contrasts, or plainly contradicts another. A good example of one of Salinger?s very intelligent and slightly vague contrasts can be seen distinctly when Holden places his account of children directly beside his account of actors, showing the difference between the two.... ...er. All-in all, Salinger?s writing style is one of unique, masterminded inventiveness. Some may argue that Salinger has done nothing unique or inventive, but he has combined so many various and beautifully executed writing styles and devices of literature that no one on earth could argue against the fact that J.D. Salinger has masterminded a classic novel that has already lasted over sixty years as a great and controversial story. The examples of relationships, society, and life itself that Salinger has created in The Catcher in the Rye are so exquisite and so timeless that they have already reserved the novel a place in history as one of the greatest stories of all time. As simple and easily understood as the story is, the morals behind the plot and the subtle symbolism scattered all throughout Holden?s tale have turned the teenager?s journey into an epic excursion.

Behind the Sun

Behind the Sun (Abril Despedacado) was a thought-provoking and captivating work of art by Walter Salles, Sergio Machado and Karim Ainouz; who collaboratively derived the story from an Albanian book (Broken April by Ismail Kadare). Behind the Sun was set in 1910 in the Northeast region of Brazil. The movie unfolds with this line, â€Å"This is the story of me, my brother, and a shirt in the wind†¦ † The line was narrated by a charming young boy, Pacu (com/english-4-b-calpac/">Ravi Ramos Lacerda). He comes from a family of peasants, who grows sugarcane for a living.Pacu's oldest brother had just been murdered at the beginning of the movie. The setting was miserable, to say the least. The opening of the movie only matched this misery in the setting by showing a gory sight of a blood-stained shirt. The shirt belonged to Pacu's oldest brother, who was then the latest victim in their family's feud with the Ferreiras family. The two families had been warring over land and territ orial issues. Tradition dictates that the Breves family should avenge the death of their family member, but not long before the stain has turned from red to yellow.â€Å"When the blood on the shirt turns yellow, someone will die,† Pacu narrated further. The surviving eldest son of the Breves family, Tonio (Rodrigo Santaro), did what he had to do, according to their tradition — he killed the eldest son of the Ferreiras family. Tonio felt that the vicious cycle of killing and revenge, disguising as a noble tradition, had to end; but he felt powerless to end it, so he allowed it to continue by killing the eldest son in the other family. As a result, he was next in line to be killed.But the charming and much too adorable boy, Pacu, had a way of keeping Tonio alive. Pacu died for Tonio. He knew at a tender age that sacrifice, an act of love, was the key to end the vicious cycle that their family was caught in. In relation to Brazilian notions of ethnicity, the deep set often mysterious-looking eyes of the Breves brothers were captivating. Ironically, the softness of their looks couldn't match with the ferocious tradition they keep. The film is a story about a strong family bond, so strong in fact, that one had to be prepared to die in revenge of the other.Moreover, one was willing to die to let the other live and move on. The photography and sequence of shots in the movie are absolute astounding and even poetic in nature. It seemed that every beat of its music matched with every frame in the screen with grace and much respect to art. Their clothing was not far from imaginable, the family bonding was very plausible, considering how tight family bonding was (still is) in Brazil. If it were a movie set in this time and age, it wouldn’t have been plausible, with all the killings.But it was in 1910, when a lot of things, like respect for life, have yet to be discovered. Certainly, the work of art from the sounds to the overall direction and cinematog raphy helped in establishing the depth and heaviness of the movie. Truth be told, Hollywood cannot create movie that is as profound as this without resorting to much gimmickry. What Behind the Sun producers did that Hollywood won’t dare to try is to simply tell a tragic story in the most poetic way possible. It was a wonderful movie, overall. It was heavy in the mind, and it certainly will not be easy to forget.

A Little Literature: Reading, Writing, Argument Essay

â€Å"A Little Literature: Reading, Writing, Argument† is a book that spans across multiple genres of literature and allows the reader to get a taste of classical and contemporary issues regarding the different values of society and how they evolve amongst secondary cultures (Barnet). The man to send rain clouds, by Leslie Marmon Silko â€Å"The man to send rain clouds† was originally published in the late 1960’s. The story revolves around the culture of the native Indians and the significance of culture in every day domestic life. The story presents to the reader how external influences impinge on these domestic values and customs, and how these external influences continue to do so as time passes by. Using the characters of the Catholics and the Pueblos, Leslie Marmon Silko has narrated how an evolving culture is considered to be a fading culture and how the people of that culture attempt to keep it alive in its original form through their actions and preferences. This is a story about an old man and his grandsons and their wives. It begins with the death of the old man, the story implies, that the old man and his grandsons were shepherds and farmers. The old man being left to tend to the sheep dies peacefully under the shade of the tree. The grandsons when discover that he has died, they adorn his face with paint symbols similar to that of the native Indian rain makers. Then this group heads on home. However in the entire story, there is a lack of emotion and expression on the grandson’s part. The only emotion that can be ascertained is that of interest and anticipation on the grandson Leon. Leon seems to see the old man’s death as a means to send them rain, which also brings to mind the fact that perhaps the town was suffering the drought season. Anyhow the old man is buried without any religious preliminaries mandatory for a Christian burial, with the exception of the sprinkling of Holy Water on the old man’s body, which Leon insists on, giving the excuse that by doing this the old man will never feel thirst. However even though the Priest insists on full religious ceremony, the grandsons take no heed and proceed without. However when the old man is buried Holy water is sprinkled on his body and grave. At this point Leon exclaims that his grandfather will be able to send rain. From the above story, comes forth an in depth view of common town life that hold secret beliefs of the Native Indians and their power of Indian magic. In this case it seems that the grandsons are in a way almost excited by the fact, that their grandfather will be able to initiate rain for the town. Or rather they presented their dead grandfather as a sacrifice to the rain maker. It is for this reason that they paint his face with symbols and lines and bury the Christian parishioner without any rightful Christian rights. â€Å"Only approved Indians can play: Made in USA†, by Jack Forbes This historic piece of penmanship was published in 1979 and like all the other works of literature in the book â€Å"A Little Literature: Reading, Writing, Argument†, this too takes the reader In â€Å"Only approved Indians can play: Made in USA†, Jack Forbes writes about American Indians and how the modern day American society chooses to interact with them. Forbes has used characters of Indian descent to show how Indian Americans learn to visualize the change they long for even when it cannot be attained. Unique and struggling, the characters introduce the reader to the wide array of Indian American lifestyles. â€Å"The two†, by Gloria Naylor In Gloria Naylor’s, â€Å"The Two†, we see a metaphorical approach towards the sensitivities in the relationships of life. For instance, the yellow mist is observed to be a metaphor that presents to the reader the countless complicated and interrelated intricacies that swarm the lesbian couple. The Oriental Contingent, by Diana Chang Many books, articles and stories have been written about the influences of a culture upon a society or that of a society on a culture however few have been written about people of the same culture learning to live in a foreign country. One such is â€Å"The Original Contingent† by Diana Chang. The â€Å"Original Contingent† was published in 1989. In the â€Å"Oriental Contingent†, Diana Chang brings to light the ways in which the Asian populace measures up and compares each other. â€Å"The Original Contingent† achieves its purpose by taking us through a journey of two young women as they both consider each other to be of a better native heritage than the other. By portraying the two women pushed apart by the extent to which they have absorbed the cultural concept of being Chinese and having a Chinese heritage, the Original Contingent explores how the Chinese American culture evolves horizontally within the community and is passed down vertically. â€Å"Who’s Irish†, by Gish Jen â€Å"Who’s Irish† was first published in June 2000 by Vintage Publishers. Writer Gish Jen has been acclaimed by many critics to be an Asian American Writer with an east coast sense of culture and heritage. It is common knowledge that the process of migrating to America and often causes collisions in cultural respects and lead to much confusion. â€Å"Who’s Irish† by Gish Jen centers around the slow and painful process that people more than often have to go through after migrating to another land. Highly fascinating is the way Gish Jen has used a rare blend of Chinese and Irish cultures to demonstrate her point of view. â€Å"Who’s Irish† explores some of the most important avenues of the significance given to culture in the modern day society and how the process of transformation and adaption of culture influences the people directly as well as indirectly. â€Å"The lesson†, by Toni Cade Bambara Toni Cade Bambara’s â€Å"The Lesson† speaks about more than racial and economic inequalities but highlights a related subject that has been rarely given its due importance. Toni Cade Bambara speaks of beyond the injustice of life where man learns the importance of being willing to learn new things. Toni Cade Bambara uses his lead character in â€Å"The lesson† to portray the tendency people have to resist letting the process of learning shape their minds, yet choose to let the process take effect in their subconscious. At times, as Bambara shows us, the process takes place at an even higher level when we tend to accept the knowledge we are given but we choose not to show that we have accepted our error. By showing a stubborn little young girls journey through the process of learning and realization, Bambara speaks of how we learn new things as we live and how we choose to defend our pride as we learn that our perceptions of the reality we live in may be wrong. Works Cited Barnet, Sylvan. A Little Literature: Reading, Writing, Argument. Longman, 2006. A Little Literature: Reading, Writing, Argument Essay â€Å"A Little Literature: Reading, Writing, Argument† is a book that spans across multiple genres of literature and allows the reader to get a taste of classical and contemporary issues regarding the different values of society and how they evolve amongst secondary cultures (Barnet). The man to send rain clouds, by Leslie Marmon Silko â€Å"The man to send rain clouds† was originally published in the late 1960’s. The story revolves around the culture of the native Indians and the significance of culture in every day domestic life. The story presents to the reader how external influences impinge on these domestic values and customs, and how these external influences continue to do so as time passes by. Using the characters of the Catholics and the Pueblos, Leslie Marmon Silko has narrated how an evolving culture is considered to be a fading culture and how the people of that culture attempt to keep it alive in its original form through their actions and preferences. This is a story about an old man and his grandsons and their wives. It begins with the death of the old man, the story implies, that the old man and his grandsons were shepherds and farmers. The old man being left to tend to the sheep dies peacefully under the shade of the tree. The grandsons when discover that he has died, they adorn his face with paint symbols similar to that of the native Indian rain makers. Then this group heads on home. However in the entire story, there is a lack of emotion and expression on the grandson’s part. The only emotion that can be ascertained is that of interest and anticipation on the grandson Leon. Leon seems to see the old man’s death as a means to send them rain, which also brings to mind the fact that perhaps the town was suffering the drought season. Anyhow the old man is buried without any religious preliminaries mandatory for a Christian burial, with the exception of the sprinkling of Holy Water on the old man’s body, which Leon insists on, giving the excuse that by doing this the old man will never feel thirst. However even though the Priest insists on full religious ceremony, the grandsons take no heed and proceed without. However when the old man is buried Holy water is sprinkled on his body and grave. At this point Leon exclaims that his grandfather will be able to send rain. From the above story, comes forth an in depth view of common town life that hold secret beliefs of the Native Indians and their power of Indian magic. In this case it seems that the grandsons are in a way almost excited by the fact, that their grandfather will be able to initiate rain for the town. Or rather they presented their dead grandfather as a sacrifice to the rain maker. It is for this reason that they paint his face with symbols and lines and bury the Christian parishioner without any rightful Christian rights. â€Å"Only approved Indians can play: Made in USA†, by Jack Forbes This historic piece of penmanship was published in 1979 and like all the other works of literature in the book â€Å"A Little Literature: Reading, Writing, Argument†, this too takes the reader In â€Å"Only approved Indians can play: Made in USA†, Jack Forbes writes about American Indians and how the modern day American society chooses to interact with them. Forbes has used characters of Indian descent to show how Indian Americans learn to visualize the change they long for even when it cannot be attained. Unique and struggling, the characters introduce the reader to the wide array of Indian American lifestyles. â€Å"The two†, by Gloria Naylor In Gloria Naylor’s, â€Å"The Two†, we see a metaphorical approach towards the sensitivities in the relationships of life. For instance, the yellow mist is observed to be a metaphor that presents to the reader the countless complicated and interrelated intricacies that swarm the lesbian couple. The Oriental Contingent, by Diana Chang Many books, articles and stories have been written about the influences of a culture upon a society or that of a society on a culture however few have been written about people of the same culture learning to live in a foreign country. One such is â€Å"The Original Contingent† by Diana Chang. The â€Å"Original Contingent† was published in 1989. In the â€Å"Oriental Contingent†, Diana Chang brings to light the ways in which the Asian populace measures up and compares each other. â€Å"The Original Contingent† achieves its purpose by taking us through a journey of two young women as they both consider each other to be of a better native heritage than the other. By portraying the two women pushed apart by the extent to which they have absorbed the cultural concept of being Chinese and having a Chinese heritage, the Original Contingent explores how the Chinese American culture evolves horizontally within the community and is passed down vertically. â€Å"Who’s Irish†, by Gish Jen â€Å"Who’s Irish† was first published in June 2000 by Vintage Publishers. Writer Gish Jen has been acclaimed by many critics to be an Asian American Writer with an east coast sense of culture and heritage. It is common knowledge that the process of migrating to America and often causes collisions in cultural respects and lead to much confusion. â€Å"Who’s Irish† by Gish Jen centers around the slow and painful process that people more than often have to go through after migrating to another land. Highly fascinating is the way Gish Jen has used a rare blend of Chinese and Irish cultures to demonstrate her point of view. â€Å"Who’s Irish† explores some of the most important avenues of the significance given to culture in the modern day society and how the process of transformation and adaption of culture influences the people directly as well as indirectly. â€Å"The lesson†, by Toni Cade Bambara Toni Cade Bambara’s â€Å"The Lesson† speaks about more than racial and economic inequalities but highlights a related subject that has been rarely given its due importance. Toni Cade Bambara speaks of beyond the injustice of life where man learns the importance of being willing to learn new things. Toni Cade Bambara uses his lead character in â€Å"The lesson† to portray the tendency people have to resist letting the process of learning shape their minds, yet choose to let the process take effect in their subconscious. At times, as Bambara shows us, the process takes place at an even higher level when we tend to accept the knowledge we are given but we choose not to show that we have accepted our error. By showing a stubborn little young girls journey through the process of learning and realization, Bambara speaks of how we learn new things as we live and how we choose to defend our pride as we learn that our perceptions of the reality we live in may be wrong. Works Cited Barnet, Sylvan. A Little Literature: Reading, Writing, Argument. Longman, 2006.