Traditional Agricultural Technology in Sri Lanka

Traditional Agricultural Technology in Sri Lanka 1. Modern Agricultural sector plays a very important role in contributing to the economy of the country. Agriculture represents 13% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Rice is the main staple food in Sri Lanka. Paddy sector contributes 16.5 % of the GDP of the agriculture sector. Paddy farmers represent considerable percentage of the labor force of the country. Rice is the oldest crop on earth and rice is the main consumer food in Sri Lanka and the main substitute for rice is the wheat flour. Sri Lanka has two major agricultural seasons namely Yala and Maha. About 5.75 lakh hectares were being bought under paddy farming in the Maha season from October to February and another 3.5 lakh hectares under the Yala season from April to August. Sri Lanka is country which Agricultural sector plays a main role in the economy. Paddy is produce in two seasons in a year. Every Government has identified the importance of the Paddy industry and has been a political focus so far. Mahaweli P roject is the one of the most successive project done in the country to increase the land available for the paddy cultivation. However farmers in rural provinces faced many hardships to obtain adequate harvest and revenue from paddy cultivation and vegetable cultivation due to lack of new technology 2. There are three major economic activities which contribute to the Gross National Product (GNP) in a country, Namely Agriculture sector, Industrial sector and Service sector. Beginning of 1950s Sri Lankan economy was mainly based on agricultural sector and by mid 1950, service sector contribution remarkably increases and maintained the highest contribution to the GNP at present. With the change of political and security situation of the country, it is essential to develop agriculture sector to achieve the self sustainability of the country. In 2008 recorded the highest sectoral growth of 7.5 percent (%) over the growth of 3.4 % recorded in 2007. Output of domestic agriculture products were increased in 2008 mainly due the record increasing of paddy production during the year seasons. 3. Sri Lanka Rice Sector alone contributes 30% to the agricultural GDP which accounts for 16.8% of GDP in year 2007.The present Annual value of the rice production is Rs. 49 billion which is at an increasing trend, although the relative contribution of the rice sector to the GDP is diminishing. In 2008 paddy production increased by 24% recorded levels of 2.63 million metric tons of rice. This recorded target was archived through enormous difficulties faced by the farmers in rural provinces. It is essential to implement an effective government policy and an efficient mechanism to the development of the paddy sector in Sri Lankan in each province to increase income of the rural farmers. GENERAL OUTLINE 4. Paddy is widely grown in the all over Sri Lanka and it is a popular food crop among all communities in country. As the labor and other requirements of paddy are high it provides direct employment to a large number of people besides its contribution to indirect employment in input supplies and providing other services associated with the industry. However, there are several constraints that affect the development of paddy crop in Sri Lanka. Among the most important constraints are, high cost of the new technology, low productivity of paddy land, and high disease prevalence in paddy growing areas due to prevailing conductive environment for disease occurrences STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 5. The statement of problem can divided in to two major parts: a. Social Presently at the country most of farmers are using Traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka and it will effect for there personnel income with out using new technology b. Economic Without using new technology for traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka will not enable to increase of production in agriculture. Mal usage of the modern technology caused low productivity in local agriculture SCOPE OF THE STUDY 6 This research attempts to identify the relationship between the traditional agriculture and modern agriculture in Sri Lanka and the number of farmers who had abandoned the cultivating of paddy. The research will focus only on the paddy farmers in Sri Lanka and the benefits of using new technology in traditional agriculture. JUSTIFICATION 7. As it effects to the national income of the country it is reasonable to do a research on this topic. 8. As it effect to the loosing of jobs in agricultural field it is a responsibility of the government to look in to this problem. 9. As the agriculture is the oldest traditional occupation in Sri Lanka it is very much needed to research on this field and its out come. OBJECTIVES General Objectives 10. The general objective, this research is to study increase production by using new technology for traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka Specific Objectives 11. The following objectives are identified. a. To study what is the traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka. b. To study technology used for traditional agriculture and modern agriculture in Sri Lanka. c. To examine traditional paddy farming cultivation of paddy in Sri Lanka and its increase drastic production. c. Agro biodiversity and related traditional systems. d. Recommendations based on the findings. RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS 12. Use of new technology will enable drastic increase of the production of traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY 1. This study will be based on a survey. The data will be gathered from primary and secondary sources to analyse the situation and the data obtained from Agriculture department and other relevant source Primary Source 2. A literature survey will be carried out by referring various types of articles, books and World Wide Web to gather information on the field of the paddy cultivation and data gathered by agriculture department and other agriculture research centres ORGANIZATION OF THE PAPER 3. Since the main idea of this study in to analyze that there is specific relationship between the diminishing trend of yield and the trend of abundance of paddy cultivation in Sri Lanka, the paper analyses this relationship and its effect to the paddy farming. The first chapter introduces the subject and other details of the research. In the second chapter contains the History Methodology Organization of the paper Data collection method Limitation. In the fifth chapter all gathered data are analysed and the last chapter contains findings, recommendations and conclusion SAMPLING 4. Selected 10 paddy farmers randomly to represent every part of the country who are currently engaged in the paddy cultivation. DATA COLLECTION METHOD 5. The source of data collections is details gathered from the Government Officials those who are engaging in the cultivation. Further, past statistics were collected from the Hector Kobbekaduwa agriculture Research Centre in Colombo, and the Public Library in Colombo LIMITATIONS 6. a. proceeding with a research the following limitations was identified. b. The time available to carry out this research was only 3 months. c. Commonly most of the farmers were not in the position of giving accurate figures regarding their individual farm management. CHAPTER 3 WHAT IS TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE IN SRI LANKA 1. Rainfall and its variation Sri Lanka is a tropical country, but climate of the country shows variation across the Island due to differences in rainfall, elevation and soil factors. Further, the central hill masses, which act as an orographic barrier and the Indian Ocean, surrounding the Island also influence the climate of Sri Lanka. 2. The rainfall of Sri Lanka shows seasonal fluctuations and is dependent on mostly monsoon, Four precipitation seasons are clear in Sri Lanka, namely southwest monsoon from mid-May to September call Yala season, northeast monsoon from December to February call Maha season and two inter-monsoon periods, the first and second inter-monsoons last from March to mid May and from October to November respectively. Total annual rainfall of the country varies from 750 to 5000 mm two broad climatic regions, namely the dry and wet zones are recognized based on total annual rainfall and distribution of dry months. The rainfall is one of the significant factors for determining agricultural land use as well as use of various genetic resources. The distribution pattern of rainfall throughout the year is further important than the total annual rainfall. The rainfall distribution in the majority areas of Sri Lanka is markedly seasonal. Seasonal distribution of rainfall and distribution of wet and dry months in different climatic zones influence the type of paddy grown by farmers in different seasons. The bi-model pattern of rainfall distribution is characteristic of the wet zone whereas the dry zone exhibits a uni-model rainfall pattern. The rainy season of the wet zone lasts from May to November (7 months) which is much shorter in the dry zone (3-4 months; October to January). In the dry zone, southwest monsoon allows only a small crop (Yala season) whereas the main season (Maha) is effectively the wet season. Cropping patterns, farming practices and genetic resource utilization are markedly different according to this rainfall distribution patterns along with the other factors. 3. Agro ecological zones Agricultural land use and land management necessities at a given location depend on the climatic conditions together with soil properties and conditions. The areas with similar climatic and soil conditions are identified and demarcated as agro ecological regions. Twenty-four agro ecological regions based on rainfall, elevation and soil types are demarcated in Sri Lanka Agro ecological classification is very useful since it provides basic climatic and edaphic differences of the country for various agricultural productions and farming practice. 4. Agro biodiversity and related traditional systems Genetic assets or germplasm are biological resources of animal, plant and microbes that contain the hereditary information required for life and are responsible for their useful property and ability to replicate. Agro biodiversity can be defined as selection and variability of animal plant and microbial organisms on earth that are for main food and agriculture. It is a key subset of genetic resources as it is the basis of food security and an essential feature of farming systems around the world. People have managed genetic resources, selecting crops, harvesting medicinal plants etc. Genetic resources remain the basis for the improvement of agricultural crops, for medicines of about 75% of the world population that relies upon traditional, largely plant-based, treatments for its primary healthcare, and for a myriad of other products such as pharmaceuticals, crop protection products and perfumes. 5. Agriculturally used domestic plants have been basically altered from their wild relatives and they have been reshaped to meet human being needs and wants. Paddy genetic resources and agro biodiversity is the product of thousands of years of evolutionary process. There are two types of selection distinguish crop evolution in Sri Lanka namely natural and artificial. These evolutionary processes continue in order to agriculture systems to remain viable. Paddy evolution has been altered by our enhanced ability to produce, locate and access genetic stuff. Both farmers and scientists have relied on the store of genetic diversity present in paddy plants that has been accumulate by hundreds of generations who have observed, selected, multiplied, store, traded and kept variants of paddy plants. 6. Sri Lanka is well thought out as a valuable repository of crop germplasm and agro biodiversity. These varieties show great adaptability to a large range of climatic and soil conditions and pest and infection problems. They also exhibit difference in grain size and quality some with medicinal property and fragrance and others that are used for cultural and formal procedure reasons and also show differences in maturity period. The existence of genetic and species diversity has special significance for the maintenance and improvement of productivity in agricultural crops in Sri Lanka which is characterized by very varied agro-climaticand diverse growing situation. Such variety provides safekeeping for the farmer against disease, pests, drought and other stresses. The genetic variety also allows farmers to develop the full range of highly various microenvironments in the country, conflicting in characteristics such as soil, water, warmth, elevation, slope and fertility. 7. The occurrence of heterogeneous agro ecological situation with seasonal and inter annual difference, socio-cultural and ethnic differences, application of different traditional paddy farming practices including dry and wet land paddy farming, deliberate and inadvertent selection of variety and a choice of systems of beliefs allow to develop various indigenous and traditional paddy cultivation practices and techniques for selection, maintenance and utilization of planting materials. 8. Furthermore these traditional paddy farmers represent centuries of accumulated experience and skills of peasants who often continuous yields under adverse paddy farming environment using locally available resources. The establishment for such paddy farming is comprised of the traditional landraces. Landraces are crop plant populations that have not been bred as variety but have been modified throughout years of natural and artificial variety to the conditions under which they are paddy cultivated. Maintenance of species and genetic diversity in farmers fields is essential to sustainable agriculture, especially for resource-poor farmers practicing agriculture under low-input conditions in marginal lands. Aboriginal knowledge has been brought down from generation to generation and forms part of the information base for a culture. The indigenous knowledge can be defined as local information that is unique to a given civilization or society. Each society has a variety of type of aware ness systems. Indigenous people have a great knowledge of the ecosystem they live in and ways to guarantee that natural resources are used sustainably. Therefore, indigenous awareness which has been accumulating over hundred years has potential value for sustainable development. It can help other people to learn how to live in the natural world in a sustainable approach as well as to increase agronomic practices for paddy cultivation and utilization of materials. 9. The agricultural landscape of the country consists mainly cultivation of rice (780,000 ha), plantation crops such as tea, rubber, coconut, sugarcane, spices (772,000 ha), vegetables (110,000 ha), other field crops (128,000 ha) and home gardens (98,000 ha). Sri Lankas farming systems, particularly rice, other field crops and home gardening have evolved over thousands of years including a rich array of farming systems and cultivated plants such as grains, vegetables, fruits, spices and livestock. New local cultivars have been developed in the agriculture sector formally and informally. In addition, many farmers have selected local landraces. The long history of cultivation, presence of cultural diversity and wide range of eco-edaphic conditions present in the country have resulted in a wide variety of farming practices in Sri Lanka. The following section describes the traditional farming principles and systems reported in Sri Lanka during the survey. TRADITIONAL AND ORGANIC PADDY FARMING SYSTEMS 10. Lowland paddy farming. The most widely practiced farming system in Sri Lanka is lowland paddy farming. Lowland can be defined as areas, which receive enough water or which can be irrigated. The lowland also called Wel yaya and is mainly cultivated with rice. In lowlands, rice is the dominant crop both in terms of land use and dietary importance, and it has been the backbone of Sri Lankas agriculture over 2500 years. Lowland paddy farming is started with deep ploughing to create a hard pan at the onset of rain or with irrigated water. Harrowing and leveling under submerged conditions follow ploughing. Initiation of agricultural operations is begun at an auspicious time with special ceremony and rituals. Sowing, transplanting, weeding, pest and disease control, water management, manuring (with compost, cow dung and green matter from plant bio mass) and harvesting are other main operations involved in rice farming and each component has special traditional methods and performances. 11. Upland (organic) paddy cultivation. Upland can be defined as land above the water sources, which therefore can be cultivated only under rain fed conditions or by providing lift irrigation. Following ploughing, the land up to two inches using buffalo and traditional plough, seed paddy soaked overnight is sown when rain is expected. The soil is mixed using a fork. This method increases the soil nutrients and water retention / absorption capacity of soil. Sometimes, broadcast field is covered with straw as mulch, which enhances weed control, soil moisture and nutrient retention. When grasses and hedges are grown in the field, they are cut and allowed to dry for incorporating in the field. The field is turned using hoe. Two to three weeks after turning, harrowing is done. Then seed is broadcast during mild rain. Intensity of management practices such as chemical weeding, fertilising, chemical pest and disease control are very low in this system. Water management is entirely dependent on rainfall. Usually, only is Maha season cultivated with paddy. CHAPTER 4 WHAT IS THE MORDEN AGRICULTURAL POSSIBILITIES IN SRI LANKA 1. Utilization of modern technology in agriculture and related industries can be categorized in several ways. In this study it is being categorized according to the type of streams of technology used. The main areas of technology which are being using in Sri Lankan Paddy farming can be identified as follows: ELECTRO-MECHANICAL TECHNOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENTS 2. Mechanization of agronomic practices: This includes the crop cultural practices from seed sawing to harvesting In paddy farming the first main step is pre planting land preparation and that is been mechanised with tractors including two wheels and four wheels, ploughs, rotervators, harrows etc. In Sri Lanka this step is highly mechanised specially in commercial paddy farming.Seed sawing or crop establishment is the next main step in paddy farming. There are two main methods called direct seeding and transplanting. Sophisticated machines as well as simple machines are available for the both methods. Still Sri Lankan farming community does not use hi-tech methods for this step The next main step which is been mechanised in paddy farming is harvesting and harvest cleaning. Wide range of machines are using for this process. That includes very sophisticated machines like combine harvesters which harvest, thresh and clean the harvest at once in the paddy field itself 3. Mechanization of post harvesting activities Technology is been using in this step for storing, weighing, threshing, boiling, cleaning and polishing rice. 4. Biological improvements New paddy verities Almost all paddy farmers except very few isolated farmers cultivate improved varieties. The paddy verities been improved for high yield, to minimise lodging, to gain resistively for pest and diseases. This improved the per acre yield in the country over the last three decades 5. New breading technologies New breeding technologies like genetic engineering, germplasm transplants, mutations, selective breeding are extensively using for develop new verities 6. Biological pest and diseases control methods Biological pest and disease control methods are promoting extensively among the farming community to minimize the threat for the environment and as effective and sustainable control method. These include usage of plant extracts as repellents and insecticides, introduction of parasitic insects, introduction of insect pathogens, introduction of sterile technologies etc. 7. Chemical improvements a. Fertilizer This became one of the key inputs of farming and the new improved varieties are highly sensitive for fertilizers. Improvement of fertilizers including chemical components, slow releasing fertilisers like chelates, development of new fertilizer ratios, mixing methods can be considered under this. b. Insecticides Development of new environmental friendly verities like Aparathyroid, new types, new chemicals, new application methods, bio-degradable chemical developments comes under this. c. Herbicides Development of new environmental friendly verities, new types like selective weedicides, new chemicals, new application methods, bio-degradable chemical developments comes under this d. Fungicides Fungal attacks can be effectively controlled by application of fungicides. Development of new environmental friendly verities, new types, new chemicals, new application methods, bio-degradable chemical developments comes under this. There are no effective chemical control methods for bacterial and viral diseases CHAPTER 5 DATA ANALYZING Yield Statistics. Year Insecticides Fungicides Chemical Fertilizer 1985 415,638 221,164 32,542 1986 457,549 208,597 18,167 1987 368,498 158,651 15,590 1988 443,321 176,847 14,682 1989 413,378 156,547 30,020 1993 476,839 171,594 22,361 1994 540,838 192,340 32,204 1995 539,903 228,063 31,814 1996 434,967 144,959 26,426 1997 422,805 142,814 27,455 1998 514,241 224,636 49,147 1999 585,579 266,120 61,636 2000 629,275 238,987 74,975 2001 591,142 201,707 95,397 2002 633,964 256,770 104,992 2003 767,484 291,370 160,973 2004 630,014 243,375 156,232 2005 752,075 311,986 166,811 2006 717,539 282,688 166,434 2007 654,251 215,578 180,315 2008 840,024 345,890 237,490 2009 796,301 353,848 298,816 Figure 3.1 Annual local productions of Usage of new improved varieties during the period of 1985-2009 Figure 3.2 cultivation extent (Ha) of old and new varieties during the period of 1979-2009 Figure -3.3 growth in average (kg/Ha) paddy yield Technology statistics: Usage of Tractors etc. Figure 3.4 Annual local productions of Usage of Tractors etc during the period of 1979-2008 Agro chemicals usage over the time Figure 3.5 Agro chemicals usage over the timeduring the period of 2001-2007 CHAPTER 5 FINDING RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION FINDINGS 1. During the survey it was found that the main problem faced by farmers in Sri Lanka was the insufficient average of traditional agricultural yield. Further high cost of technology , lack of high quality seeds, cost of cultivation, Non awareness of technology and low market prices were the another identified problems in this area. Further I found that following strengths and weaknesses while observing the traditional and modern agriculture in Sri Lanka. a. Production possibilities and potentialities are tremendous in the country. b. Increase of local food production is an urgent need. c. It is pre requisites for acceleration of agricultural transformation and economic growth in the country. d. Production directly affects on the increase of farmers income. e. Increase of production will reduce the level of malnutrition. f. Production market is sensitive areas that affect the political and economical background of the country. 2. Weakness observed in the paddy farming System. a. Low production of traditional farming system and modern farming productivity has discouraged the farming system. b. Land and soil degradation are leading factors for the decision of abundance of paddy farming. c. High Cost of Production has discouraged the farmers. e. here is a wide gap between the potential level and farmer yields. f. Inadequate technology transfer at village level farms. CONCLUSION 3. The general tone of the conclusion of this paper identifies that there are many obstacles and problems in paddy cultivation as well as many opportunities and potentialities for improving the high average of yield in modern and traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka. Modern Agricultural sector plays a very important role in contributing to the economy of the country. Agriculture represent 13% of the countrys Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Rice is the main staple food in Sri Lanka. Paddy sector contributes 16.5 % of the GDP of the agriculture sector. Paddy farmers represent considerable percentage of the labor force of the country. Rice is the oldest crop on earth and rice is the main consumer food in Sri Lanka and the main substitute for rice is the wheat flour. Every Government has identified the importance of the Paddy industry in Sri Lanka. Mahaweli Project is the one of the most successive project done in the country to increase the land available for the paddy cultivation. Howeve r farmers in rural provinces faced many hardships to obtain adequate harvest and revenue from paddy cultivation and other crop cultivation due to lack of new technology. 4. Presently at the country most of farmers are using Traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka and it will effect for there personnel income with out using new technology. Also without using new technology for traditional agriculture in Sri Lanka will not enable to increase of production in agriculture. Mal usage of the modern technology caused low productivity in local agriculture 5. Thus hypotheses of this research can be proven. RECOMMENDATION 6. Implementing programme which can be help for the purpose of the training about new agriculture technology with an aim of encouraging the rest of potion of farming population for new method of farming. 7. Introduction a mechanize system through agriculture department and relevant authority for remote farmers to reach new technology writhing short period of time with its proper efficiency. 8. changing of attitudes in remote farmers towards use of new technology a they are in strongly believe that modern technology can harm there traditional system of agriculture and socio-culture values which they have being practicing for long time of period. 9. Arranging possible educational programme to educate many of farmers about positive impact on the harvest where they will not be reaching through traditional method of agriculture. 10. in order to prevent the risk of loosing traditional occupation in the field of agriculture by using new modern mechanization farmer should be encourage to change their box thinking and seek for positive and possible alternative job opportunities regarding and relevant to the field of agriculture as starting of business of chemical, agriculture equipment, machinery repair and ext. 11. Government should involve specially in this problem with the purpose of upgrading the productivity which can strongly correlated to the national economy as follows. a. implementing the infrastructure specially in remote area b. opening buying centre where farmers can obtain stable income through out the year c. government should provide to facilitate technical support relevant to agricultural industry on free or low cost basis BIBILIOGRAPHY 1. Activating All Powers in Sri Lanka Agriculture- G.K. Upawansa and Rukman Wagachchi 2. Handy guide to agriculture by Dr. Thilak T. Ranasinghe 3. Directory of Research Centers in Sri Lanka 4. National Agricultural Information Network 5. A Policy Rule for the Liberalization of Agriculture in Sri Lanka HN Thenuwara 6. Rice production on acid soils of the tropics by EN Ponnamperuma 7. Harti agricultural commodity review 2006 8. Harti agricultural commodity review 2007 9. Harti agricultural commodity review 2008

Ethics and Environment Essay

Innovation is said to occur when something is done in a radically new way. Apple has been frequently cited as the innovation leader in technological world. It, under the leadership of its CEO Steve Jobs, introduced products which were radically different as for as design was concerned. Compared to Apple, Dell’s computers have no innovative design or technical feature. The importance of innovation is such that most of the successful companies around the world are spending huge sums of their profits on innovation related projects. Many people confuse innovation with invention. Innovation and invention are different things. Invention is the first step toward the development of something new. It is the manifestation of an idea while innovation happens when that idea is put to use successfully. Invention can occur any moment while for innovation to occur, years may pass by as it takes a lot of time from researching to introducing a new product. It takes one person to invent and many to innovate as a lot of people are required to do research, test, and market a particular product. Following are the four types of innovation types as described by Oslo Manual: 1- Product Innovation. This type of innovation is said to occur when a significantly different product is introduced by a company. The difference may occur due to design, improved technical specification etc. 2- Process innovation. If a production process is novel and delivery system improved then process innovation is said to have occurred. 3- Marketing Innovation. When a product’s pricing, packaging, or positioning is done in a totally new way then marketing innovation is said to have occurred. 4- Organizational innovation. If organizational culture is changed bringing in a lot of value than organizational innovation is said to have occurred. Innovation is result – oriented, the two main outcomes of innovations as described in a report published by Boston Consulting group are: †¢ Tangible Outcomes: Tangible outcomes refer to new products and design that are achieved as a result of innovating. They are provided legal cover by various intellectual property instruments like copyrights. †¢ Intangible Outcomes: These are outcomes that cannot be quantified and legally protected. A new production process is a tangible outcome. Not every organization that engages in innovative pursuits succeeds. Many organizations complain that their money invested in innovation process is wasted. This does not mean that every organization fails rather there are various success factors that determine whether an organization will succeed and come up with innovative products or services or not. Idea generation is a first step where most organizations fail. If resources are not invested properly, bright ideas might not come to executive’s attention. Companies also need to look to their customers for ideas. Then they need to have proper processes in place to carry forward the best ideas and make most of them. Another success factor that many organizations lack is the absence of good leaders who can gauge the whole innovation process. Innovation process will be disrupted if an organization does not have enough skilled workers. In research and development labs of many successful companies, quality of employees is one factor which has played a big role. Importance to Innovation for Organizations Innovation is critical to any company’s success in these times because it is the main driver of competitive advantage. It is one of the factors that drives the growth and shareholder value of any organization. Every organization wants to come up with creative ideas which they can manifest and implement successfully. One study suggests that distinct products/services and novel business processes are the main competitive advantage that any organization can have. This is also the opinion of the 70 percent of the CEOs of the fastest progressing companies. Almost every organization has realized the value of innovation so much so they have not decreased their R&D budget in this time of recession. One Wall Street Journal report says that big US companies have not decreased their spending on R&D despite a fall of 7. 7% in their revenue. It is true that history teaches us great lessons. The same is case with business world. IPod was introduced soon after the incident of 9/11. Among those who plan to spend almost the same amount on R&D as they did in 2007 are Microsoft, Intel and 3M. Apple is a perfect example of a company which gained competitive advantage mainly by innovative pursuits. It realized that investment in innovation pursuits is the only way to boost profitability that’s why they increased their R&D investment by more than 42% during 1999 to 2000 despite a decrease of 6% in their revenue. This led to products like IPod and ITunes store. They have mainly relied on innovation in design. Apple has also succeeded in capturing a share in cell phone market by introducing another innovative product called IPhone. In the last century, people talked about efficiency and shareholder value. They applied various principles to reduce cost and achieve economies of scale. But their rivals in low- income countries could outclass them because of lower costs of production there. Now is the time to gain competitive advantage by innovation. Human resource of any organization is the best place for creative ideas. It is the people of any organizations that can help give it a competitive advantage by innovating new products and services. Google is another company which has gained significant competitive advantage over its rivals by introducing innovative products. More than 50 percent of internet users use Google as their primary search engine. It introduced the new way of targeting ads based on internet surfing behavior of its users. Google Voice is another of their innovation. Apart from that, they have introduced services like Google mail, Google News etc. The owners of Google have made fortune by indulging in innovation pursuits. Automaker industry also drives its strength from innovation. Toyota, ranked third by Business Week as most innovative company, has come up with cars with very innovative features. It will introduce the powerful Prius which will have solar- powered air conditioner. Microsoft is another company which has gained competitive advantage by rolling out innovative product. It recently introduced Windows 8. It can, therefore, be concluded that if any organization is to gain a competitive advantage, it should foster the innovative environment. This can be achieved by giving way to open culture at organization, empowering people at all levels, and encouraging employees to give their ideas about new products and/or services.

Social Ideals Of The Justices Of Society And Historical...

Having read the unique social ideals of both John Rawls and Karl Marx I intend to explain both philosophers points of view on the justices of society and historical class rankings. I would like to share their similarities and differences as each made valid points on history. Next, I intend to share the reasoning behind my findings and that of the philosopher s ideas. Finally, I will share my appreciation for Karl Marx, as he has influenced my views thus far. Original Position and Natural State John Rawls s social experiment known as the Original Position is an imaginative perspective on how we perceive society. In his experiment every person; regardless of race, creed, wealth, power, religion, sex, or orientation would set forth the basic rules of survival. Unbiased of social stature, ignorant of presumptions; it is expected that the rules set in place would be perfectly just. According to Velasquez, Rawls believed Utilitarian principles sometimes require some people to suffer for the sake of maximizing society s utility (Velasquez, 2007, Pg. 622). Therefore, these principles would be omitted from the experiment, any person taking part of this experiment would be at risk for suffering loss and easily persuaded to not fall into this ideal. Of the many principles Rawls believes people will subject themselves to under this experiment the foremost and important would be the equality of political freedom. Each person would want to at least be equal to everyone else in theShow MoreRelatedThe And Invisible Man By Toni Morrison And Ralph Ellison1726 Words   |  7 Pages The Un-American Race Throughout history, the African American race has battled great social injustices. From slavery to freedom, being property to owning property, African Americans have fought their way to be a part of equal justice. 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United States The History of the United States of America Stretching more than 3,000 miles fromRead MoreTracing Theoretical Approaches to Crime and Social Control: from Functionalism to Postmodernism16559 Words   |  67 PagesCaroline Trudel, and Alex Wilson; to my best friend Nicole Prime, your continuous friendship and educational assistance is appreciated more than words can express; to Dr. Jim Brittain for your influential insight into Karl Marx and the capitalistic social order; thank you to my second thesis supervisor, Dr. Anthony Thomson, for your unwavering patience, which afforded me a space of peace and tranquility that guided me through the thesis process; and finally, to my first thesis supervisor, Dr. Heather

What Does It Take to Earn a Masters Degree

Most college students who seek a graduate degree have a masters degree in mind. What is a master’s degree and what does it entail? Although your college professors probably hold doctoral degrees and they may suggest that you apply to  doctoral programs, recognize there are many more master’s degrees awarded each year than doctoral. Why Students Pursue a Master’s Degree Many seek master’s degrees to advance in their fields and to earn raises. Others seek master’s degrees to change career fields. For example, let’s say that you’ve earned a bachelor’s degree in English, but have decided that you want to become a counselor: complete a master’s degree in counseling. A master’s degree will allow you to develop expertise in a new area and enter a new career. It Takes About Two Years Typically, earning a masters degree takes about two years beyond the bachelor’s degree, but those additional two years open the door to many career opportunities that are personally, professionally, and financially fulfilling. The most common master’s degrees are the master of arts (MA) and master of science (MS). Note that whether you earn an MA or MS depends more on the school you attend than the academic requirements fulfilled; the two are different only in name – not in educational requirements or status. Master’s degrees are offered in a variety of fields (e.g., psychology, mathematics, biology, etc.), just as bachelor’s degrees are offered in many fields. Some fields have special degrees, like the MSW for social work and the MBA for business. Requires a Higher Level of Analysis Master’s degree programs tend to be course-based, similar to your undergraduate classes. However, the classes are usually conducted as seminars, with a great deal of discussion. The professors tend to expect a higher level of analysis in master’s classes than undergraduate classes. Applied programs, such as those in  clinical and counseling psychology, and social work,  also require field hours. Students complete supervised applied experiences in which they learn how to apply the principles of their discipline. Thesis, Research Paper, or Comprehensive Exam Most master’s degree programs require students to complete a master’s thesis or an extended research paper. Depending on the field, your master’s thesis may entail conducting a thorough analysis of the literature or a scientific experiment. Some master’s programs offer alternatives to the master’s thesis, such as written comprehensive exams or other written projects that are less rigorous than theses. In short, there are a great many opportunities for graduate study at the masters level and there is both consistency and variety in programs. All require some coursework, but programs vary as to whether applied experiences, theses, and comprehensive exams are required.