How can social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter be used to improve knowledge sharing, build social capital, support innovation, and aid problem solving in multinational corporations Essay Example

How can social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter be used to improve knowledge sharing, build social capital, support innovation, and aid problem solving in multinational corporations? Essay Executive Summary: Social media has been successfully adapted by a few MNC’s as channels for research and innovation. They have also shown their potential in promoting knowledge sharing and team building. The value of social media technology to improving overall organizational effectiveness is borne by statistical and empirical evidence. The use of Twitter for professional enhancement is well established now. The educational philosophy of constructivism offers a strong rationale for greater social media integration within the organization. These days, just as the sweep and reach of social media has increased, so have the niche media spaces that facilitate the interaction. Hence, beyond the prominent household names of Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, we now have other specialized avenues for interaction like wiki portals and Youtube repositories of learning videos. In today’s competitive business environment, it is imperative for mutli-national companies to adopt social media strategies fo r external and internal communication We will write a custom essay sample on How can social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter be used to improve knowledge sharing, build social capital, support innovation, and aid problem solving in multinational corporations? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How can social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter be used to improve knowledge sharing, build social capital, support innovation, and aid problem solving in multinational corporations? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How can social media sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter be used to improve knowledge sharing, build social capital, support innovation, and aid problem solving in multinational corporations? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Introduction: Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc can be useful allies for managers in promoting knowledge sharing and team building. If applied selectively and appropriately, these media facilities can be sources of innovation and problem solving within the business corporation. The term ‘social media’ is a bit misleading and off-putting for managers, as it sounds as an avenue for recreation and time-pass. But when one understands the full scope of possible activities that could be carried out through these sites its utility for managers becomes clear. Another positive aspect of social media sites is their malleability/customizability to specific organizational purposes and goals. Beyond the prominent sites like Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, there are a host of more specialized sites for sharing pictures or bookmarks or applications have cropped up. There are also niche professional blogs and wikis which are seeing steady increase in patronage. (Zielinski, 2012) The objective of this essay is to argue in affirmation of the positive role of social media to improve knowledge sharing, build social capital, support innovation and aid problem solving in multinational corporations. Social media as a tool for innovation and research: A key area where social media sites differ from conventional sites is the content. The former generate their own content, â€Å"collaboratively creating, editing, sharing, tagging, and organizing information, reshaping the contributions of others and engaging in peer-to-peer discussion. These are emergent technologies, meaning that structure and content and even application emerge with use, from the needs and activities of the users.† (â€Å"The Revolution Will Be,† 2011) And it is in this feature of dynamic and contemporaneous content that best suits knowledge sharing exercises. This feature is as well suited to the organizational task of building social capital. Management thinker James Surowiecki has argued in his book, The Wisdom of Crowds, that by tapping the power of social media and in creating goal-specific discussion forums etc, substantial social capital can be built. In forums such as these, people from diverse backgrounds and opinions can bring to table â€Å"shrewd judgments and creative solutions†. The management can play a constructive role in this process by setting up apt mechanisms to collect and assimilate feedbacks, inputs and opinions. Surowiecki’s concept is closely aligned with that of ‘crowd-sourcing’, which is an emerging model of employee participation in the creative processes of business development. And social media outlets have been the backbone of prominent examples of crowd-sourcing. (â€Å"The Revolution Will Be,† 2011) For a company to excel in innovation, it must allow employees a convenient and affordable medium of communication for free exchange of ideas. Social media fits these requirements perfectly, for not only are it cheap, it operates real-time and the communication is virtually instantaneous. In most organizations (except those in high-end IT business) not all employees can be expected to have the talent or inclination to contribute toward innovation. In this scenario, the said potential of social media could be made available to select departments within the organization, like, say, the Research Development department. As an expert in this field notes, â€Å"Social media are helping to fulfill the demand for cheap, instant communication between researchers fueled by the growth of collaborative and interdisciplinary research. This is where the real breakthroughs are occurring, helping to make employees part of a global research community. These new tools make research sharing easier and a more natural part of one’s daily life.† (Brydon, 2010) The success of Twitter in aiding professional development: The use of Twitter for professional enhancement is well established now. While Twitter is primarily used to reach out to personal social circles, in recent years, managements have successfully built Professional Learning Network (PLN) through this medium. Through a PLN, employees follow other employees who have similar interests. Or they subscribe to set categories of tweets sorted via hash tags. For example, a company in the agricultural sector can identify and separate relevant tweets for its employees by setting appropriate hash tag filters. This is a great way to build profession specific knowledge and exchange of opinion. To illustrate, â€Å"In an effort to assist other agricultural educators, the creation of #AgEduChat surfaced. #AgEduChat is a weekly discussion that occurs on Twitter and/or Facebook. The purpose of #AgEduChat is for agricultural educators and supporters to come together and discuss current events or issues that surround the profession. #AgEduChat has been successful in providing a network for teachers and managers to interact and share ideas, opinions, and information that we can use to enhance our skills and profession.† (Bender Genson, 2012) Statistical empirical evidence in support of greater social media integration: To give an illustration of the pace in which social media and other IT enabled technologies are helping employees, let us consider the following statistics. For example, a comprehensive survey of 1,600 multinational companies across the globe was conducted by California based Palo Alto Networks. The survey found a 300 percent hike in social networking activity among employees in 2011 alone. This included such knowledge sharing activities a browser-based file sharing in company intranets. Another study by the American Society for Training and Development further validate these trends. This study was even more comprehensive, in that, it enrolled 3,800 participant companies spanning the globe. The results show that four in five managers are keen on consolidating these trends and have â€Å"planned to increase their use of social media for employee learning during the next three years.† (Zielinski, 2012) Moreover, these managers understand that providing the social media te chnological infrastructure is only a part of the task. Without a culture â€Å"that encourages knowledge sharing and staff dedicated to managing and promoting these initiatives, organizations can quickly lose traction as busy employees find little time or reason to use the tools amid the demands of daily work.† (Zielinski, 2012)

IBS essays

IBS essays IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) is characterized as a common disorder of the intestines with symptoms of cramps, excessive gas, bloating, diahrrea, and constipation. Many patients diagnosed with IBS, suffer from at least two or three of these symptoms. More people suffer from IBS than either asthma or diabetes. Doctors have misdiagnosed IBS for years, labeling it as a form of disease of the colon. Such a diagnoses is inaccurate because colitis causes inflammation and IBS does not. What actually causes ulcerative colitis is unknown, and while there are theories none so far have been proven. The most popular theory is that the body's immune system reacts to a virus or a bacterium by causing ongoing inflammation in the intestinal wall. People with ulcerative colitis have abnormalities of the immune system, but doctors do not know whether these abnormalities are a cause or a result of the disease. What we know about ulcerative colitis is that it is not caused by emotional distress or sensitivity to certain foods or food products, but these factors may trigger symptoms in some people. Such factors are also found among IBS sufferers. However unlike IBS, ulcerative colitis may also cause problems such as arthritis, inflammation of the eye, liver disease (hepatitis, cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis), osteoporosis, skin rashes, and anemia. Scientists think these complications may occur when the immune system triggers inflammation in other parts of the body. Some of these problems go away when the colitis is treated. The reason for this theory that IBS is a form of colitis is because the irritation takes place in the colon as fecal materials pass through on their way toward the anus. The contractions and movement of materials through the colon is called colon motility. These contractions are controlled by nerves and hormones, and by electrical activity in the colon muscle. Researchers have found that the colon muscle is more e...

Exam practice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Exam practice - Assignment Example Customers prefer inexpensive, slower performance and give a higher score to sensors in the 7 years range. The company should supply this market with cheap and well proofed products. The forecast sales are about $14500 with a capacity number of 7% High end segment: the customers seek cutting edge technology and new designs. Its age is 0 years, price of about $36 with a performance of 8.9 and market size 11.1. The customers at this segment demand cutting edge sensors with high performance and small size and give high scores to newer sensors. The company should therefore supply the market with high performance, small size and newer sensors to satisfy them. The forecast sales are $22500 with capacity number of 9%. Performance segment: they seek high reliable and cutting edge performance technology. It has an age of 1 year, performance 9.4, size 16.0 and price of about $27. Customers emphasize on performance and a 1 year range. The company should supply with sensors of high performance and of at least one year range. The forecast sales are about $16000 with a capacity number of 8% Size segment: customers seek cutting edge size technology and young designers. Performance is 4.0, size 10.6, and age 1.5 years. Customers look at size than performance and over 1.5 years range. The company should supply large size and young designs to the segment. The forecast sales are about $18500 with a capacity number of

The American Dream Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

The American Dream - Essay Example Activists like Martin Luther King also called for freedom that was more directed at the black Americans but not the whole America population. The variations listed shows that the dream is somehow different to the people (Kelly 20). Although the American dream is unique and it means different to various individuals, achieving it is completely a hard and demanding task. One of the challenges that make achieving the dream hard is the fact that the opportunities that exist in the country are hidden and they require a combination of knowledge and wisdom to access. Like in an example, there are limited job opportunities that call for high qualifications while majority of the individuals do not meet the requirements (Horswell 43) Again, most of the Americans still have a strong believe that their problems solution lies in the hands of the government and that big businesses will boost their economic growth without personal efforts, thus making it hard to achieve the American dream (Kochan 63). Finally, the American dream tries to inspire hopes and optimism to the American people that are not accompanied by the appropriate resource to achieve. The result of this is that most of the people come up with big dreams forget ting the fact that, to meet these dreams, there are infrastructure needed, resource mobilization and improvement that needs to be put into place. To achieve the improvements, people need to be engaged in well-paying jobs, have quality education and work hard which is not the case in the country (Kelly 21). The small business ventures are the spine of the economy of the U.S because it provides employment for tens of millions of the Americans. The businesses create most of the jobs that people in the U.S are engaged in. It, therefore, gets important for the government to come up with an adequate way of financing and giving credit to the small business to spur manufacturing and the expansion of the businesses (Ringer 80). The nature

Paper On Meno By Plato Learning Is Recollecting

Paper On Meno By Plato Learning Is Recollecting Meno is one of the Platonic dialogues, where Socrates and his student Meno talks about the recollection of knowledge (knowledge is learned from previous experience). The dialogue between Socrates and Meno starts when Meno asks What is virtue and can it be taught? Meno attempts to define virtue by saying that it is ruling over people justly and moderately. Socrates agrees that justice and moderation are a part of virtue but do not make up virtue as a whole. After trying to define virtue a lot of time, Meno eventually gives up saying that both my mind and my tongue are numb.(80b). Meno asks Socrates, How can you search for something when you dont know at all what the thing is?(80d). In such a situation how do you know even what to look for? Socrates continues by saying that there is also no way to search for something that you already know, since you already have that knowledge. Socrates reply becomes known as the theory of recollection. Knowledge is innate, and learning is recollection of facts once known but forgotten. . Socrates first explains the soul of man is immortal and has been born many times. So, we acquire knowledge before we are born. So, true knowledge lies in the soul and not in the body, because soul is immortal and it exists before a body is formed. This means that the soul (not body) has the ability to recollect information and knowledge from the past. The theory of recollection is the said to be the hidden knowledge from our past life. It can be used to explain logic, intuition, guesses and our ideas. For example, the intuition that something wrong will happen if someone comes or the logic that if x=1 and y=x+2 then y=3. Whenever we take decisions on matters of which we have no previous experience, we rely on our intuition, or our ability to guess. Is there any term that defines this sort of knowledge that we use? We cannot have learned it in our lifetime since we have had no experience of that action before. It is only reasonable to say that we recollect it. To illustrate it more carefully, when you put two books in front of an uneducated man he will still know that there are two books. When you add two more books next to them, he will understand that there are now four books. Furthermore, if you keep four pens to the side of those four books, he will still understand that the number of books and pens are equal. He may not be abl e to express this comprehensively, but he has the knowledge that the number of books has been doubled or the number of books and pens are equal. So can we say that the work of putting the books and pens in front of him makes him recollect that sort of knowledge? To prove his statement, Socrates asks a slave boy some questions about a topic on geometry which he is completely unaware of. Socrates presents this to Meno as strong evidence to prove that learning is a recollection: if the slave wasnt being taught, how did he come to know the relationship between the diagonal of a square and a square double the area? Socrates never gave him any new knowledge but through his line of questioning the slave boy recollected the answer. Therefore, Socrates believes the knowledge must already have been in him, which was recollected by the boy with the help of Socrates questions. But, I do not see how the question and answer with the slave boy supports his statement that Learning is recollecting. The slave boy knows what a square is. He also agrees to Socrates when Socrates says that a square is made up of four right angles and four equal sides. In addition to this we can see that he can perform simple calculations when he answers that 2 times 2 feet is 4. Therefore, we can see that the boy obviously had some previous knowledge on geometry. Socrates has guided slave boy towards the direction of the correct answer. When the slave boy is wrong, Socrates says that he is wrong and thus the slave boy starts all over again until he gets the correct answer. This shows that the slave boy has good intuition, logic or reasoning skills and through the proper questioning of Socrates, the slave boy is able to find out the correct answer. Socrates gives an answer within the question that he asks to the slave boy. His questions are like more of a statement. We can also see that the slave boy gave some wrong answers before giving the correct one. To illustrate it more carefully, if someone asks In which continent does Nepal lie if it is between India and China which are in Asia? Then the answer would obviously be Asia. Here, I was not given the answer straight forwardly but I analyzed the questions and gave the correct answer. Thus, I believe the slave boy has reasoned out the facts by the help of the facts that Socrates provided. Socrates says that he is not instructing but helps recollect by merely questioning the boy. But it seems like Socrates is in a way instructing the boy. In lines 82 c, Socrates asks the area of a square given the sides two feet but he immediately gives an extra hint that 2 times 1 is 1 which is an area if the sides are 2 and 1. So how can we say this is recollecting? Moreover, in 85a there is a line here from corner to corner, cutting the figure into two. And the boy is agreeing to whatever Socrates says because the boy already knows that a diagonal cuts the square from the corners. In 82c3-4, Socrates asks, Doesnt a square have lines through the middle equal? So in these passages, the slave boy has all his answers in Socrates question itself. Thus, the dialogue between the slave boy and Socrates is not a good example to say that the slave boy is recollecting which is based upon the boys prior knowledge. Some may also argue that a person is good at something while another person may be good at something else. Or some people learn some things quickly while others take a long time in learning the same thing. This may go again go back to the idea of recollection, where we can say if a person learn some thing quickly then, he/ she must have learnt it in his/ her past life. Thus, Socrates says that knowledge resides in our soul. So, there must be a time where the soul knew nothing and had to learn it at a point. How did the first men (soul + body) in the universe recollect the knowledge from the past? At that time, I believe the soul has not learned anything yet, but how did it recollect the unknown thing? To sum up, if a man doesnt learn new things but merely remembers knowledge from a previous life, then where did he get the knowledge in the previous life or the previous life before that? I believe that there are no explanations better than the theory of recollection when it comes regarding our ability to guess or use our logic or prior knowledge or intuition in the daily life. In conclusion, I would like to say that despite the attempts of Socrates to show that learning is recollection, I do not totally agree to his view or his supporting ideas. His logic and his explanations were not clear enough. To put it in a nutshell, there might be some things that can be recollected but I do not think that: knowledge is entirely recollection.

Biblical and Dantesque Imagery in John Comenius Labyrinth of the World

Biblical and Dantesque Imagery in John Comenius' Labyrinth of the World      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If any common ground can be found among the factions of Christianity, it is the belief that both Testaments of the Holy Bible serves as a roadmap for achieving salvation. Seeking to improve on the fractured narrative of the Bible, with its countless story arcs of Moses, Noah, and Jesus, Christian writers have often employed the allegorical and parable style of the Bible with the constant of a single character. Dante's The Divine Comedy serves as one example of ideas from the Bible presented into one straight story. This pattern set down by Dante is utilized equally well, albeit turned on its head, by Czech spiritualist John Comenius in his tome, The Labyrinth of the World.    A pioneering educator for children, Comenius expounds on the role of the Bible as a tool for education and does the same with his own work. Just as Biblical stories present life messages to help guide its believers in morality, his own work achieves the same in a fashion updated for his own time. Recalling Dante's use of Virgil, Comeius provides the pilgrim a guide at the offset of the narrative, Ubiquitous. In clever contrast to the Virgil's numerous examples of enlightening Dante, Comeius's traveler is soon saddled with a bridle over his mouth and distorting glasses. These obstacles to seeing the true world are not defeated until the second tract where the pilgrim is saved literally by an act of deus ex machina. Where Dante's story used the afterlife and specific people to showcase how one should live their life, Comenius keeps his narrative Earthbound ... ...ugh a journey-like narrative with a hero and mentor character. In the case of Comenuis, the premise of Dante's story is represented in a mocking manner with guides that are all wrong and deceptive and the hero seeming to know more then his mentors. In this difference, the essential contrast of the more individualistic faith of the 17th century versus the more group-oriented theology of earlier Christianity is seen explicit. Its searing indictment of many levels of authority in society, especially the clergy draws Comenius close to the likes Miester Eckhart and others who saw faith as a matter between the individual and God, without the middlemen of a church.    Works Cited    Comenuis, Jan, Laybrinth of the World. NY: Paulist Press, 1998. Holy Bible, King James Version               

The Scramble for Africa in Late 19th Century to Early 20th Century.

During the late 19th century and the early 20th century, European countries began their scramble for Africa which caused African to suffer from violence like wars, slavery and unfairness, but there was also a positive, peaceful and diplomatic consequences and events in Africa like fair trade system, new technology and the security given to Africans under European rule. An additional document written by an African commoner would help to further assess the African actions and reactions by telling what happened to them during that time period and their reaction towards that issue.European imperialism in Africa mainly caused violent acts and suffering to the African natives but there were positive event. Before European imperialisms, Africans lived their usual lives and attended their crops. However, during the imperialism, Africans had to attend European crops because they were treated like slaves and had to do the bearings for their colonizers (Doc. 4). There were also wars and rebelli ons against the Europeans to fight off their colonization deed because of the unfairness and suffering they had to endure.For example, machine guns, cannons and strategies and formation skills helped to efficiently kill people and cause suffering (Doc 5). Also the violence against Africans can’t be merely described in words, for Europeans took away their land and possessions. They burned their villages, killed and plundered and so their wickedness and injustice against the Africans were seen (Doc 9). A German officer said that the Africans had a magic medicine that would give them good harvest and invulnerability to Europeans.This would help them fight off the unfairness of slavery, under-wage labor, bulletproof ability and strength women and children from the hardships of war (Doc. 8). But by analyzing this document, we should take into account that this is written by a German officer. By interpreting this, we could see that the German officer is mocking the Africans for bei ng superstitious and using petty medicines to fight off their supreme power.Because the Germans saw themselves as a powerful nation through strong military tactics and improved technology, they are making fun of the Africans for using this medicine to win over their rule. However, Africans had a strong sense of nationalism, especially women, like Yaa Asantewa. As queen she saw the cowardliness of the chiefs and gave them a long speech about the bravery of Ashanti is gone and if they aren’t willing to go forward and protect the country, the women will. They would hold arms against the Europeans until the last of them dies (Doc. ). Also chief Maherero wrote a letter to another chief in order to help persuade him to take arms against the Europeans, to fight rather than die from weakly disease or maltreatment, etc. (Doc 7). This shows that’s strong sense of nationalism within Africa. Even though there were mostly war and violence, the source of suffering in Africa, there w ere also peaceful and positive means in colonization. Africans and Europeans signed a contract calling for equal trade, fairness, bettering of the people, no war and not interfering with native laws and customs. Doc. 1) However, because of the contact between African and Europeans through wars and other forms of contact, improved technologies were brought to African through the Europeans (Doc. 5). For example, machine guns, cannons and strategies and formation skills helped influenced the warfare in Africa, like the Battle of Adowa, where Ethiopians fought against the Italians and won. Also, Prempeh I declined British’s offer to become one of its protectorates, however he wants to stay under peaceful terms with them and traditional at the same time (Doc 2).When analyzing this document, we should take into account that Prempeh I is the king. So by interpreting this document, we could conclude that because he’s the king of Ashanti, if he became part of British’s p rotectorate countries, he would lose his power as king. Because by declining, it benefitted him, he decline British’s offer. The Emperor of Ethiopia also declined to become a protectorate under the Europeans because God had protected them and would continue to protect them for God doesn’t want to divide up Ethiopia (Doc 3).He also stated that God would help aid them in recovering their lost lands to Muslims. With this, we could conclude that Ethiopians during that time period is very Christian and believed in God. Europeans countries began to their imperialisms in Africa during the late 19th century and the early 20th century, where they caused violence and suffering like rebellions, slavery and unfairness to the Africans, but there was also a positive, peaceful and diplomatic events in Africa like fair trade system, new technology and the security given to Africans under European rule.