Of Personal Development, Critical Thinking and Enhanced Quality of Care Essay Example for Free

Of Personal Development, Critical Thinking and Enhanced Quality of Care Essay In this reflection paper, I would like to relate some unforeseen events during the course as well as my experience of being assessed. The medical practitioner assigned to me was a consultant of medicine for geriatric patients. The fact that he is not a physiotherapist may be considered an unforeseen occurrence. I did not really expect him to come from a different field. The similarity in language and way of thinking of practitioners from the same field would have facilitated the process. At first, similar to my feelings in collaborating with my nurse classmates, I had the same feeling of hesitation in associating with my DMP. However, as the course progressed, I realized that he could be a very good mentor. He patiently guided me throughout all the pertinent tasks that I had to carry out. I attended the clinic with him at Saint Pancrase Hospital for the morning Clinic, which finished at twelve o’clock, then the Ward round from two o’clock at Saint Pancrase hospital for two hours. I then went to University College London Hospital for My OSCE after four o’clock at the T10 ward. For the last fifteen years I have been working in a community, this is my first time to examine a patient thoroughly in a hospital, not only to examine the patient but also to perform my Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE). Since he wanted to examine me on COPD patient with some complications, he was right that it was hard on me. Yet I did it and enjoyed the experience despite the situation under pressure. It was very long observation from my DMP, which again for long time I did not observe, was indeed a complicated but a true learning experience. I am grateful to my DMP and the way he taught me. I enjoyed his teaching, his approach, and his skills as a consultant were excellent. I will miss his teaching. My experience with him made me see the value of having a competent mentor regardless of the field that one is interested in. The presence of a coach and mentor made learning easier because it made me confident that I can rely on someone who is an expert and possesses a learning attitude, as well as one who is willing to help me out in the process. Admittedly, there were some difficulties in relating with him at the beginning because we were from different fields of study. But again, this experience is a test of flexibility in adjusting to the demands of the situation. I my best to work with him and follow the guidelines and advice which he gave me. In the course of our interaction, I have learned to become more comfortable in dealing with him. There is value in having a good working relationship with one’s superiors and colleagues; it makes the learning journey so much easier. I also feel that I should further develop a mentoring relationship with an expert in this field to be able to reach my full my potential. Empirical research from both educational and industrial settings suggests that students and employees both have increased probability of success if they have had a mentor. While mentors are effective for everyone, sometimes organisations implement mentoring programs to support particular parts of their populations, often newer employees. And while mentoring programs are always established with the best of intentions, their results are often mixed (Werner, 2004). To make the most of my clinical exposure, I hope to establish a strong mentoring relationship with a doctor or a medical allied professional who will be able to coach me on increasing competence in my clinical practice. I have realised that coaching and mentoring are very effective ways of developing my leadership potential because it does not only develop me in terms of technical expertise, but it will also allow me to actually experience how these experts undergo the coaching and mentoring exercise. I have also realised that a novice in any medical allied field acquires clinical judgment and skill over time. Knowledge is refined through actual clinical experience; this moves her from a rule-based, context-free stage to a more analytical, logical and intentional pattern of thinking (Benner, Tanner, Chelsea, 1996). To effectively provide a conducive learning environment, these medical professionals need venues for examining and developing their problem solving and reasoning skills towards making clinical judgments (Miller, 1992). I realised that such venues transpire through numerous learning experiences. In particular, I am contemplating about being able to practice in a large hospital to permit such comprehensive clinical exposure. I have also realised that participating in varied learning experiences offers the chance to apply classroom theory in the clinical setting. This was a point that was shared with me by my DMP. Clinical experiences enable the formation of meaningful related information on the basis of what the nurse has learned in the classroom. There is an expectation that with more experience, this novice can move from the level of advanced beginner to the level of competence by program completion. Clinical judgment is defined as nursing decisions about which areas to assess, analyzing health data, prioritizing which task to do, and who should carry it out (Carnaveli Thomas, 1993). For clinical judgment to be assessed as sound, it should be arrived at using critical thinking and logical reasoning, that will enable the deduction of valid conclusions, and the decisions that may be borne from these. I am thankful for this experience as they have given me profound insight on the areas that I could further develop to become a more competent professional in this field.

History Of Dress Code Cultural Studies Essay

History Of Dress Code Cultural Studies Essay The UAE is the fast changing counties across the world. The UAE has dress code based on respect for the culture and religion. As globalization increases the UAE has been addressing its apparels more than ever. UAE dress code is based on the traditional cultural ethics. The UAE have varying degrees of forbearance to clothing styles from around the world. There are some legal guidelines for which dress code is acceptable perhaps in todays globalized world restrictions for clothing has been removed to some extent. Western expatriates, visitors and tourist have strong influenced the dress codes in the UAE, had diversified the clothing styles of people rather than conventionally dress code. Traditional clothing in UAE for men is a white Kandura (Dishdasha) and Black abaya for women (Dress code in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, UAE). Dress code plays an important role to understanding the customs and traditions of the country. The roots of culture prevails the religion of Islam which is more than belief. It considered as the aesthetic part of the living as per the cultural values and customs. The UAE apparels represent the importance of culture and tradition. Dubai is more advanced than the Abu Dhabi and other emirates. The provision for the dress code has been inspired by the real life story of Asma al-Muhairi has become worried about the increasingly number of foreigners and western attire. She often saw the inappropriate attire of the foreigners which distract the cultural values of the UAE. These incidents inspire her to take action regarding the apparels and enforcing the law against the western culture. History of Dress code: The UAE Federal National Council (FNC) has been set up for the law on the dress code in the Emirates to ensure and respect the customs and sensibilities. Residents and tourists should implement the dress modestly conveying the cultural values. The campaign appealed to set the dress code by proposing the federal law enforcing the dress code against the inappropriate dress code in the UAE. The agenda behind the implementing the dress code is to aware the residents and localities supporting to the Muslim culture and foreigners should respect the traditions and culture of the country. This law strengthens the nations atmosphere of tolerance. The campaign not only lies the clothing also stated the fearing the loss of the regional, social and cultural values due to the immigrants of other countries across the world. They stated that resident have to respect their local culture for transit the values to the next generation of Emirates. The UAE dress code has initiated by the two emirates women- Hanan Al Rayes and Asma AL Muhairi started the campaign at the prospect of foreigners dress in appropriate apparel. This campaign started in the Gulf countries of UAE and Qatar intended to spread awareness in the emigrant communities for appropriate dressing attire opposes to the western culture and supports to the Islam culture on apparels. The campaign aims to educating the people rather than the enforceable by law. The Qatari campaign initiated by the Najla Al Mahmud (Dress code in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, UAE). Importance of the dress code in the UAE: The UAE residents and expatriates need to implement the law of dress code in the context of conventional beliefs. The application of dress code in the country has strong influence on the people to transit the cultural values and Muslim religion. There are significant role of the code of dress code are as follows- Dress code represents the Ethical and cultural orientation. To maintain the discipline at the workplace. Helps to understand the conventional beliefs and values. The dress code is a matter of respect for the residents. Source: http://www.themuslimtimes.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/UAE-Dress-Code.jpg The UAE can be resembled its dress code to represent the country in disciplined manner, to make significant as per the cultural prospective. The dress code in the country that outlines the local traditions and supported the federal law by effectively enforce the law for tourist and residents against the wearing the non ethical attire. Some examples of dress code are as follows- Work place dress code- At the work place means are expected to wear the attire a smart shirt with trousers with a neck tie. Suits are suitable for the professionals of high profile. While women expected to wear knee length skirts or full length trousers and shirts with sleeves covers the upper arms should be dressed conventionally in moderate fashion to gain the attention at their respective workplace. An appropriate dress code in Muslim country is an important aspect and recommended to dress conservatively. In Bahrain men restricted to wear shirts and for women tops without sleeves are restricted (Ameri, 2012). Dubai male dishdasha Source: (Dress Code and Conduct in Dubai) Traditional dress code- Traditional clothing for the men is white Kandura (Dishdasha) and black abaya for the women. Different colors also accepted in Oman. https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSJ_KMXLWF_6MP-fLWnayy6YjziP39zp3Dv-xr9uc9FRez5DOPy Source: (Kipp Report) Dress code during the Ramadan- During the Ramadan men and women should wear the clothes covers knees and shoulders. The attire should be dressed respectful in the context of the cultural values. Dress code benefited for the people: The proper dress code resembled UAE diverse form other countries across the world and represent the country in disciplined manner. The dress code transits the conventional and cultural values for next generation. The aims of applying the dress code to aware the people with traditions and cultural values. If the dress code will be followed by the residents at the workplace in appropriate manner as per the professional prospective such as board meetings and professional tours of the company. Same attire will reflect the higher professionalism in disciplined manner. Opinions of people and Recommendation with respect of dress code: The UAE dress code has attracted several peoples in the supports the idea to implement the dress code. Some followers support the ideas and stated that dress code is the matter of respect to attire adequately in the UAE. Some followers state the religious prospective to expatriates to respect the culture of Islamic country in UAE. Some focused on the changing the traditions in the UAE asserting themselves not wearing the traditional dress code anymore. Some social media users against the restrictions and expatriate community. Recommendation: Adoption of the new laws makes facilitating the effective solution as per the diversified cultures in the country. Freedom of expression is an important aspect and freedom should also be given to the people not strictly enforced by the law. Conclusion: The dress code in the UAE has demonstrated the cultural values and beliefs in the UAE. The code of ethics in the context of the dress code ensures the tourist to adhere the local rules and regulations in respect of the regional values but the globalized scenario has been changing the traditional and conventional beliefs in Middle East in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Though as per the analysis it can be concluded that the dress code implementation has strong influence against the increasing western culture and supports to the cultural values and traditions.

rates of chemical reactions- lo3 questions

rates of chemical reactions- lo3 questions Rates of Chemical Reactions- LO3 Questions 1.1 Two Grand-Pa tablets would have the same effect as one Grand-Pa powder this is because Grand-Pa Headache Tablets each contain, Aspirin: 226,8mg, Paracetamol: 162,0mg and Caffeine: 32,4mg where as Grand-Pa Headache Powders each contain Aspirin: 453,6mg, Paracetamol: 324,0 mg and Caffeine: 64,8 mg thus to obtain the same dosage of ingredients, twice the dosage, thus one would have to take two tablets to equal one powder. 1.2 Drinking them with warm water will allow for a faster reaction rate thus allowing the effect of the pain killer to work faster. Also, if the powder is dissolved into a small amount of water then the solution will be more concentrated and will therefore be able to get to work in a more effective manner quicker, which will allow for the powder to work quicker in relief of pain. 1.3 The granules in the powder have a larger combined surface area than that of a tablet, which results in a reaction with the water to be done quicker with the powder for, resultant of the larger exposed surface area of the granules, more reactions occur/are allowed to occur at a quicker rate between the reacting particles. The tablet, being comprised of compounded granules together, the collisions between the reacting particles is limited for the surface area of one whole tablet is less than the combined surface area of granules. Therefore less reactions are allowed/do occur, therefore the powders provide faster relief than the tablets for they react faster with the water and thus will work faster in supplying pain relief. 1.4Total: 453.6mg+324.0mg+64.8mg=842.4mg Aspirin: (453.6mg/842.4mg) * 100/1=53.85% Paracetemol: (324.0mg/842.4mg)*100/1=38.46% Caffeine: (64.8mg/842.4mg)*100/1=7.69% 1.5 Symptoms of Overdose Aspirin: These include dizziness, tinnitus, sweating, nausea, vomiting, mental confusion, hyperventilation, respiratory alkalosis, metabolic acidosis, ketosis and depression of the central nervous system. In children serious signs of overdosage may develop rapidly. May include: burning pain in the throat/stomach, confusion, mental/mood changes, fainting, weakness, ringing in the ears, fever, rapid breathing, change in the amount of urine, seizures and loss of consciousness. Paracetamol: Liver damage which may be fatal may only appear after a few days. Symptoms of overdosage include nausea and vomiting. Acute intoxication causes kidney failure. Pallor, nausea, vomiting, anorexia and abdominal pain. Liver damage may become apparent 12 to 48 hours after ingestion. Abnormalities of glucose metabolism and metabolic acidosis may occur. In severe poisoning: hepatic failure may progress to encephalopathy, haemorrhage, cerebral endema (brain swelling), and death. Cardiac arrhythmias and pancreatitis have been reported. Caffeine: Large doses may cause restlessness, excitement, muscle tremor, tinnitus, scintillating scotoma, tachycardia, extrasystoles, restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, flushed face, dieresis (frequent urination), gastrointestinal disturbance, muscle twitches, rambling flow of thought and speech, tachycardia or cardiac arythmia (fluctuating heart patterns), periods of inexhaustibility (continuous awareness) and psychomotor agitation ( trouble sitting still and being calm). 1.6 I would advise them not to, because they are already coffee addicts they are probably taking in a lot of caffeine already thus to take the Grand-Pa powders would increase their risk of an overdose. It also has the ability to enhance the effects of paracetamol and aspirin so not only will the caffeine have an effect on the persons body in an overdose situation, but the other contents of the Grand-Pa powders, namely the aspirin and the paracetamol will also have an effect on the body, and the combination of all three of them in an overdose situation will result in certain kidney failure and death resultantly. 2.1 The surface area of wood flour is great, because it is composed of grains which are very small this would cause for a large, sudden explosive effect should the cigarette ignition come into contact with the wood flour. The concentration of the reactants (the wood flour) is great having the granules that are very small and in piles together. Should the ignition/flame from the cigarette come into contact with the piles of the wood flour an explosive effect, resultant of the concentration of the wood flour. The application of the heat to the piles of wood flour will result in the reaction, for the increase in heat will result in a reaction and will work in supplying the sudden reaction of the wood flour parts. The smoking of a cigarette is also banned because cigarette ash can serve as a catalyst and when coming into contact and mixing with wood flour it can become a highly volatile blend. The owners of these mills do not wish to lose their supply and suffer damages to their faciliti es thus; they prohibit people from smoking or bringing fire or ignited material into the mill. A dust explosion is the explosive combustion of a dust suspended in air in an enclosed location, which results in harmful effects of overpressure, thermal radiation, and ensuing projectiles. Many materials which are commonly known to combust can generate a dust explosion, such as coal, sawdust, and magnesium. However, many otherwise mundane materials can also lead to a dangerous dust cloud such as grain, flour, sugar, powdered milk and pollen. Mining of coal leads to coal dust and flour mills likewise have large amounts of flour dust as a result of milling. A similar problem occurs in saw mills and other places dedicated to carpentry. The dust must also consist of very small particles, where the surface area is very large, and so will support combustion. Dust is defined as powders with particles less than about 500 micrometres in diameter, but finer dust will present a much greater hazard than coarse particles by virtue of the larger surface area. There are five necessary conditions for a dust explosion: A combustible dust; (Flour or Wood Flour) The dust is suspended in the air at a proper concentration; (Possible) There is an oxidant (typically atmospheric oxygen); (Possible) The dust is confined; (Yes) There is an ignition source. (Provided by cigarette) Thus there is a high risk of a dust explosion already and the cigarette would just complete the necessary conditions by providing an ignition source. 2.2.1 Use of Oxidant Concentration Reduction Use of Deflagration venting through a dust retention and flame-arresting device 2.2.2 Use of Deflagration venting Use of Deflagration pressure containment Use of Deflagration suppression Use of masks to ensure the reduction of the inhalation of the wood flour. 2.3 1. As an absorbent Absorbent qualities are utilized in cleansers to remove unwanted water, oils, or greases from such articles as delicate machinery parts, jewellery, and furs, or to carry cleansing, poisonous, or other chemical agents to an object. In the manufacture of dynamite, the extreme sensitivity of the explosive agent can be reduced to safe levels by solidifying the liquid nitro-glycerine by absorbing it in a solid medium such a3 wood flour. 2. As decorative material Wood flour is used decoratively in the production of â€Å"oatmeal† and â€Å"velvet† wallpapers, where decoration by design and texture is provided by wood flour, coloured as desired, onto a prepared paper surf ace. 3.1Iron (a porous iron catalyst prepared by reducing magnetite, Fe3O4) Osmium is a much better catalyst for the reaction but is very expensive. 3.2 A catalyst such as an iron catalyst is used to speed up the reaction by lowering the activation energy so that the N2 bonds and H2 bonds can be more readily broken. The catalyst has no affect whatsoever on the position of the equilibrium. Adding a catalyst doesnt produce any greater percentage of ammonia in the equilibrium mixture. Its only function is to speed up the reaction. In the absence of a catalyst the reaction is so slow that virtually no reaction happens in any sensible time. The catalyst ensures that the reaction is fast enough for a dynamic equilibrium to be set up within the very short time that the gases are actually in the reactor. Catalysts lower the activation energy in a reaction by holding particles onto their surface and pointing them into the right direction for a product to form, which in this case is Ammonia. This catalyst, Iron (Fe3O4) , is used for it is ideal for allowing the nitrogen (N2 (g) ) and hydrogen (3H2 (g) )reactants to react and form the produ cts which entails Ammonia (2NH3 (l) ) rapidly. 3.3Ammonia; NH3 (l) 3.4 Fertilizer: Approximately 83% (as of 2003) of ammonia is used as fertilizers either as its salts or as solutions. Consuming more than 1% of all man-made power, the production of ammonia is a significant component of the world energy budget. Cleaner: Household ammonia is a general purpose cleaner that can be used on many surfaces. Because ammonia results in a relatively streak-free shine, one of its most common uses is to clean glass, porcelain and stainless steel. It is also frequently used for cleaning ovens and soaking items to loosen baked-on or caked-on grime. As a fuel: Ammonia was used during World War II to power buses in Belgium, and in engine and solar energy applications prior to 1900. Liquid ammonia was used as the fuel of the rocket airplane, the X-15. Although not as powerful as other fuels, it left no soot in the reusable rocket engine and its density approximately matches that for the oxidizer, liquid oxygen, which simplified the aircrafts design.

Benedict :: essays research papers

Monte Cassino proved to be a most difficult location for Benedict’s new monastic community as many obstacles and impediments were cast in his path along the way to success. But Benedict was able to overcome each obstacle found in his path and became a better man because of his troubles and eventual triumph.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first of Benedict’s plights on the way to the founding of Monte Cassino proved to be a slight obstacle, but a foreshadow of what was to come. Benedict’s monks had been hard at work building cells in the abbey of the community, in the way of the continuance of the building was a large rock. The monks tried and tried to remove the rock with their own strength, but the rock simply would not budge. The reason for this hardship was simple in the eyes of the monks; the devil was hard at work. They then sent for the man of God, Benedict. With a simple blessing Benedict was able to dislodge the rock, making it quite easy for the monks to continue the building of the cells. Not only did this help in the actual physical building of the community, but it also gave the monks a glimpse of what was to come and a reinforced faith in their God and their leader.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After this first obstacle it was clear that there were many more to follow. During the next stage of the building process the monks were hard at work building a particular higher. Benedict at the time was praying to God, when all of a sudden the Devil appeared to him and told Benedict that he was going to the monks. The monks unaware of this message continued to work when the next crisis occurred. The newly finished wall was toppled, and landed on a young child, who was a monk, instantly crushing him to death. The monks thinking this was an accident, reported the terrible news to Benedict. Benedict, a man of God, then bade the monks to bring the boy, in whatever state, to him. The monks obeying Benedict, did this and left Benedict to his prayers, and in that very hour, through prayer Benedict was able to revive the boy and set him and his monks back to work on the toppled wall! This recent triumph of Benedict not only proved to his monks that he was indeed an incr edible man of God, but it also proved to them that through the help of God Benedict would protect his monks and his community for the of the evil that is the Devil.

Supporting Ban on Pete Rose from Baseball Hall of Fame Essay examples -

What has the game of baseball meant for Americans? For many baseball is a game of integrity, honesty, and without a doubt skill. When one of these factors is allowed to overtake the other it leaves the game unbalanced with lost priorities. Like everything else in life, baseball has rules and regulations which should be followed and enforced. The Baseball Hall of Fame honors persons who have excelled in playing, managing, and serving the sport. Having ten years of experience in the game and five years of retirement players who pass a screening committee become eligible to be voted into the Hall of Fame. The main discussion now is whether or not to allow Pete Rose into the Baseball Hall of Fame, after betting on baseball while he was a player and manager of the Cincinnati Reds. There are several regulations which ban certain individuals from acceptance into the Hall of Fame such as Rule 21. Pete Rose wouldn't be the first person who has been banned from baseball. Allowing Pete Rose into the hall of fame would deface the integrity of the game. Pete Rose was with out a doubt an outstanding baseball player. Having the highest number of hits ,4,256, in the history of baseball while playing for the Cincinnati Reds making him a great candidate for the Hall of Fame. After retiring in 1986 he became the manager for the Cincinnati Reds during 1987 and 1988 (). While he was managing the Cincinnati Reds he was investigated and was found guilty of gambling on the game. Discovered evidence shows that Rose began betting in the fall of 1984. When Rose was first confronted with this offense he denied all charges and swore under oath that he had never bet on Major League Baseball or had any sort of affiliation with anyone w... ...the responsibility to manage a team of drug-enhanced players and pain-killer abusing pitchers. Until baseball finds its lost priorities it has lost respect and is going to represent a sport of players who would rather sell their souls, and get a way with it, than to be true honest ball players. Pete Rose should not be allowed back in baseball and definitely not in the Hall of Fame. He should at least have the mentality of a ten year old in having the ability distinct what is right from wrong. Not only has he degraded the game but allowing him back into baseball would degrade the sport and the Hall of Fame itself making it degrading as well as unfair for those who are already in the Hall of Fame. How has our nations favorite past time mutated into something that we can't even believe or even have enough trust in our player's integrity for the game to be honest?

Exploring Traumatic Brain Injury in Children Essay -- Medicine

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the leading public health concerns today. The Center for Disease and Control (2010) reported that 1.7 million individuals sustain TBI each year). Moreover, TBI accounts to a third (30.5%) of all injury related deaths in the United States. Those who are most likely to sustain TBI are children (0-4 years), older adolescents (15-19 years) and older adults (65+ years) (CDC, 2010). This analysis will examine the prevalence, diagnosis, treatments, and prognosis of traumatic brain injuries in children. Brain injuries can be classified into mild, moderate, and severe categories. The most commonly used assessment for classifying TBI severity is by using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). This scale assesses individual’s level of consciousness based on verbal, motor, and eye responses to stimuli. Researchers Kung et al (2010) analyzed the components of Glasgow coma scale (GCS) from 27,625 TBI cases in Taiwan. The correlation between the survival rate and certain eye (E), motor (M) and verbal (V) score combinations for GCS (scores of 6, 11, 12, ) were found to be statistically significant. The findings indicate that the three fundamental elements comprising the Glasgow coma scale (E, M, & V) separately and in some combinations are predictive of the survival of TBI patients. The researchers assert that this observation is clinically useful when a complete GCS score cannot be obtained when evaluating TBI patients. Confirmative neuroimaging scans plays a pivotal role in TBI diagnosis, prognosis, and deciding what treatments to give. CT is the preferred method of assessment on admission to determine structural damage and to detect (developing) intracranial hematomas (Maas, Stocchetti, Bullock, 2008). .. ..., Injury, Volume 42, Issue 9, September 2011, Pages 940-944, ISSN 0020-1383, 10.1016/j.injury.2010.09.019. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020138310006741) Tawfeeq, Mohammed M Halawani, Khulood Al-Faridi, Wa’el AAL-Shaya, Wa’el S Taha, Traumatic brain injury: neuroprotective anaesthetic techniques, an update, Injury, Volume 40, Supplement 4, November 2009, Pages S75-S81, ISSN 0020-1383, 10.1016/j.injury.2009.10.040. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0020138309005609) Yeates, Armstrong, Janusz, Taylor, Wade, Stancin, Drotar, Long-Term Attention Problems in Children With Traumatic Brain Injury, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Volume 44, Issue 6, June 2005, Pages 574-584, ISSN 0890-8567, 10.1097/01.chi.0000159947.50523.64. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0890856709616336)

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.