Vygotsky’s Theory

Vygotsky’s Theory Explain and Evaluate Vygotskys Theory of the Role of Language in Childrens Cognitive Development Vygotsky described developmental changes in childrens thinking in terms of cultural tools; they use these to make sense of their world. Generally, they use technical tools to change objects or gain mastery over the environment. Moreover, they used psychological tools to organise behavior or thought. According to Vygotskys view, society shapes a childs mind through the transmission of tools which are appropriate for their culture. Both the culture and the childs experiences are necessary to understand childrens cognitive development (â€Å"Social Development Theory,† n.d.) Vygotskys theory was an attempt to explain awareness the product of socialization. For example, in the learning of language or first words, peers or adults are noticing the first utterance and the purpose of communication but after they recognize that they become internalized and allow â€Å"inner speech† (Bransford, Brown, Cocking, 2000). Vygotsky believed that language was one of the most important psychological tools that effects childrens cognitive development. He identified that there are three different stages in the childrens use of language. Firstly, language is an essential factor for communication (social speech). Next, children begin to use egocentric or private speech to control their own thinking. The last stage is language development. Children use verbal thoughts to guide what they are thinking and their actions. (referance). Vygotsky also believed that language and thought first become independent after them being interdependent. He suggested that attainment of a new word was the beginning of the development of a concept. This is supported by a classic study by Carmichael (1932) who gave participants one of two labels for certain drawings. A kidney shape was described either kidney bean or canoe. Following that participants were asked to draw the shape. If the drawing was different form their label according to which label they had been given. As a result of this words can help us to remember things. On the other hand, Sinclair- de -Zward (1969) tried to teach children who could not use comparative terms that were not in their vocabulary. (p116). Such as, bigger or shorter, she found that there was very little improvement in their ability to conserve. The major theme of Vygotskys theoretical framework is that social interaction plays a fundamental role in the development of cognition. Vygotsky (1978) states: Every function in the childs cultural development appears twice: first, on the social level, and later, on the individual level; first, between people (interpsychological) and then inside the child (intrapsychological). This applies equally to voluntary attention, to logical memory, and to the formation of concepts. All the higher functions originate as actual relationships between individuals. (p57). Moreover, Vygotsky also identified three concepts in particular for cognitive development to proceed effectively. â€Å"The zone of proximal development is the distance between what children can do by themselves and the next learning that they can be helped to achieve with competent assistance† (Raymond, 2000, p.176). The scaffolding teaching strategy provides individualized support based on the learners ZPD (Chang, Sung, Chen, 2002). The first is the Zone of proximal development. This zone describes the range of difficult tasks or it is very hard for the learners complete this task alone. However, learners can complete this task with appropriate assistance or someone who is more knowledgeable. Thus according to Vygotsky, cognitive development will occur when a learner is confronted by a task that lies within the zone, if a task is easy to complete for task learners then no cognitive development will occur. Also if the task is too hard for a learner to complete the task alone or even with assistance then no cognitive development will occur. (Bransford, Brown, Cocking, 2000). Evidence for ZPD was produced by McNaughton and Leyland (1990). They observed young children working with their mothers on jigsaw puzzles of increasing difficulty and then after one week the child was working on their own. The children reached higher difficulty when working with their mother. Thus it is explaining their ZPD. The Zone of Proximal Development was related to a kind of scaffolding which is used by the mothers. The mothers were worried about keeping their child on task. During this time generally mothers were focused on helping the children solve the puzzle for themselves, Previous studies looked at middle- income families. Researchers suggested that using different ZPD â€Å"region of sensitivity to instruction,† this term using for mothers and preschoolers in a copying task and it is help to predict childrens subsequent skills on this task. Furthermore, researchers found some differences in how well mothers change their level of encouragement style based on the childs performance (â€Å"i.e., providing less support after the child succeeded and more support after failure† and these differences were also helping to predict a childrens ability to gain understanding and learn information . (Wood et al., 1976; Wood Middleton, 1975). The second concept is that the scaffolding which describes the nature of the assistantce given by the more knowledgeable person. In this time the learner completes the task with the Zone of Proximal development (with assistance). Infants cognitive development depends on the assistance level. If the assistance is great at first and then it is slightly reduced as the learners skill improves, ultimately, the learner will be able to complete the task but the cognitive development will only continue if the task is replaced with another task or a more complex task which is modified to the new zone. (Bransford, Brown, Cocking, 2000). Vygotsky defined scaffolding instruction as the â€Å"role of teachers and others in supporting the learners development and providing support structures to get to that next stage or level† (Raymond, 2000, p. 176).An important aspect of scaffolding instruction is that the scaffolds are temporary. As the learners abilities increase the scaffolding provided by the more knowledgeable other is progressively withdrawn. Finally the learner is able to complete the task or master the concepts independently (Chang, Sung, Chen, 2002, p. 7). Therefore, the goal of the teacher when using the scaffolding teaching technique is for the student to become an independent and self- regulating learner and problem solver (Hartman, 2002). There is one study which examined the relation of maternal scaffolding and childrens attention regulation abilities in preschool children from low-income families within the context of a parent-child interaction task and in a child-alone task. According to this maternal scaffolding behaviors are different between mothers of children with attention regulation skills. For example, whose children show poor attention regulation skills, it emerges that parent and child interactions are more likely to engage verbally with their children, more strategic questions, â€Å"verbal hints and verbal prompt† (Olson and Platt, 2000, p.180). The amount of childrens attention regulation skills is related to the mothers level of scaffolding to predict child performance when they are alone to complete a task. Attention regulation skills are also related to independent performance when contexts including high maternal scaffolding. Findings provide important information parents promote attention regulation skills in children especially who are at risk for poor academic outcomes (Blair, 2002; Sethi, Mischel, Aber, Shoda, Rodriguez, 2000). The current study focused on a parent-child puzzle matching task to understand how children regulate their attention process when with their mother and when alone. How specific mothers behavior are related to childrens abilities to understand to regulate their own behavior and transfer these abilities to independent tasks. Researchers especially focused on verbal behaviors of mothers which are related to childrens attention regulation skills. (Norman, Breznitz, 1992) Researchers have focused on different socioeconomic status in families. An empirical research has exposed that there has been significant differences in interactional characteristics in families of different socioeconomic levels (Gottfried, 1984; Hart Risley, 1992, 1995; Heath, 1989). According to research results show that different socioeconomic status has been shown to influence the nature parent-child interactions. Another research was done by Wood (1976) who observed children aged 4-5 who were working with their mother on problem solving tasks. Some mothers gave verbal encouragement and others more specific help including demonstrations of what to do. The most effective strategy was combined both general and specific instructions, the mother was adapting to the learners achievement and failures. The mother gave instructions when the learner had difficulty but mothers gave general encouragement when the child was coping well. Kopp (1987) reported that specific types of control technique used by caregivers affected childrens self regulation skills. For instance, middle income families who encouraged their children to be independen,t their children were more likely to have low rate on impulsivity, problems of cconcentration and hyperactivity, and high on self-control measures. Similarly, Grolnick and Ryan (1989) have found that high levesl of parental support of independence was associated with more self regulation and they are more likely to less acting behavior. Based on these studies, the amount of caregiver control affects childs behavior and it is also related to childrens self- regulation abilities. When children get older parents give their children a number of responsibilities for example, children become independent regulators of their own thinking processes. According to Vygotsky (1978) view of socio-cognitive transaction makes it easy to improve childrens cognitive development is the ability to become same structure situation like an adults, it is depends to the childs ability levels. The third concept is psychological tools give another reason that â€Å"social interaction† is an essential factor in cognitive development. Psychological tools are â€Å"intellectual mechanisms or operations† which people use to examine their environment and interact with others. Here is some examples of psychological tools â€Å"written language, symbols, maps and scientific method and oral language† (Gredler and Shields, 2004). Evaluation of Vygotskys theory; There has been very little empirical investigation research on Vygorskys theory however there are much more research on Piagets theory. Further limitation relates to Vygotskys social emphasis. Whereas Piagets give minimise attention to social influences, Vygotskys give too much weight to social influences. There has been also some strengths, for example, Vygotskys approach provides an association between social and cognitive domains. (Vygotsky, 1978) There are a number of important distinctions between Piagets and Vygotskys theories. The most important ones are that teachers worry about the role of language and learning in development. But Piaget believed that egocentric speech is not a useful function in young childrens development. Vygotsky argued that egocentric speech is the way children recognise and regulate their thoughts and actions. Piaget claimed that childrens development is limited and it is associated with what children are able to learn from social experiences (Vygotsky, 1978) Vygotsky( 1934/1986) disagree with Piagets conclusions. Language helps children to think about mental abilities, behaviors and select courses of action. He believed that it is the foundation for all higher cognitive processes including controlled attention, deliberate memorization, recall categorization, planning problem solving, abstract reasoning and self reflection. Vygotskys view is that children speak themselves for self guidance. When they get older they find some tasks easier, their self directed speech isinternalised as salient in inner speech and the internal speech verbal dialogs people always carry on while thinking and acting in everyday situations. ( Vygotsky, 1986) To conclude vygotskys theory of socio-cultural theory is important to understand child cognitive development. Especially, he divided into three concepts which gave more clear information and each zone gives completely different information. However there have been some negative aspects of this theory, it does not tell how children internalize social experience to advance their mental functioning. He just gave a little information about biological contributions to childs cognition. However, his theory emphasised cognitive change Vygotsky theory leads up to expect diverse path of development. ( Vygotsky, 1978) References: Blair, C. (2002). Integrating cognition and emotion in a neurobiological conceptualization of childrens functioning at school entry. American Psychologist, 57, 111−127. Bransford, J., Brown, A., Cocking, R. (2000). How People Learn: Brain, Mind, and Experience School. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Chang, K., Chen, I., Sung, Y. (2002). The effect of concept mapping to enhance text comprehension and summarization. The Journal of Experimental Education 71(1), 5-23. Hartman, H. (2002). Scaffolding Cooperative Learning. Human Learning and Instruction (pp. 23-69). New York: City College of City University of New York. Hart, B., Risley, T. R. (1992). American parenting of language-learning children: Persisting differences in family-child interactions observed in natural home environments. Developmental Psychology, 28, 1096−1105. Hart, B., Risley, T. R. (1995). Meaningful differences in the everyday experiences of young American children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co. Heath, S. B. (1989). Oral and literate traditions among Black Americans living in poverty. American Psychologist, 44, 367−373. Kopp, C. B. (1987). The growth of self-regulation: Caregivers and children. In N. Eisenberg (Ed.), Contemporary topics in developmental psychology (pp. 34−35). New York: Wiley. Gredler, M., Shields, C. (2004). Does no one read Vygotskys words? Commentary on Glass Commentary on Glassman. Educational Researcher, 33(2), 21 25. Gottfried, A. W. (1984). Home environment and early cognitive environment. Integration, meta-analysis, and conclusions. In A. W. Gottfried (Ed.), Home environment and early cognitive development: Longitudinal research (pp. 329−342). Orlando, FL: Academic Pres Grolnick, W. S., Ryan, R. M. (1989). Parent styles associated with childrens self-regulation and competence in school. Journal of Educational Psychology, 81, 143−154 Norman, G., Breznitz, Z. (1992). Difference in the ability to concentrate in first grade Israeli pupils of low and high socioeconomic status. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 153, 5−17. Olson, J. and Platt, J. (2000). The Instructional Cycle. Teaching Children and Adolescents with Special Needs (pp. 170-197). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc Raymond, E. (2000). Cognitive Characteristics. Learners with Mild Disabilities (pp. 169-201). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn Bacon, A Pearson Education Company. Sethi, A., Mischel, W., Aber, J. L., Shoda, Y., Rodriguez, M. L. (2000). The role of strategic attention deployment in development of self-regulation: Predicting preschoolers delay of gratification from mother-toddler interactions. Developmental Psychology, 36, 767−777. Social Development Theory. (No date). Retrieved November 3, 2002, from http:// tip.psychology.org/vygotsky.html Norman, G., Breznitz, Z. (1992). Difference in the ability to concentrate in first grade Israeli pupils of low and high socioeconomic status. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 153, 5−17. Vygotsky, L.S. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in Society. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Vygotsky, Lev. 1986. Thought and Language (translated by Alex Kozulin). Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press. (Original work published 1934.) Wertsch, J.V. (1985). Cultural, Communication, and Cognition: Vygotskian Perspectives. Cambridge University Press. Wood, D., Bruner, J., Ross, G. (1976). The role of tutoring in problem solving. Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, 17, 89−100. Wood, D., Middleton, D. (1975). A study of assisted problem-solving. British Journal of Psychology, 66(2), 181−191.

Political and social changes in Rome as a result of the wars

The most obvious were the increased role of the senate, the influx of wealth that arrived in Rome and the introduction of Hellenize. It is believed that these changes were not just the beginnings of the downfall of the republic, but of the entire Roman Empire. Indeed, Assault, writing in the first century BC states that although â€Å"every land and sea lay open to her. It was then that fortune turned unkind and confounded all her enterprises. The senate was already a powerful body in Romeos government, these events, forever greatly increased its power. Constitutionally, the senate was an advisory body; the Alex Horniness, passed in 287, gave the power to make decisions to the Continuum Plebes. In practice, however, the senate was the governing body of Rome and It ruled unchallenged throughout the second century. This power was obtained through Its successful control over Romeos wars of expansion. In fact, the crisis caused by the Second Punic War helped the senate's rise to power m ore than any other single factor.The senate consisted of ex-magistrates who had an enormous amount of experience in government. These senators took control of Rome and showed real leadership, particularly after Canaan. They provided loans, slaves for the army and food and arms, thus ending the war successfully and increasing their prestige. The Influence the senate held over the magistrates was another factor In their Increased power. Even though Roman magistrates were not obliged to seek or follow the senate's advice, they would usually submit all important issues to the senate before showing them to the assemblies.The senators would have been able to keep a tight control on the actions of the magistrates even if they didn't volunteer heir plans. The senate could find another magistrate to veto any unsatisfactory motion they put forward. The Alex Villa Annalist was passed in 181 as a check on any over-ambitious magistrate, It gave the senate the power to control the actions of cons uls and procrastinates such as Gossip Africans who ruled unchallenged in Spain for 10 years.The influx of wealth that arrived in Rome led to the deterioration of traditional values. The booty and riches from the successful wars against Hannibal and Macedonia allowed the upper classes to spend lavishly on food, houses, works of art and other expensive goods. This led to a gradual decline In morals as their wealth led to increased greed and laziness. The upper classes â€Å"treated their wealth as a mere plaything† according to Assault.There were attempts from the conservative faction of the senate, specifically from Coat the Elder, to limit the extravagance of the ruling classes. The laws they put in place were, however, very difficult to enforce and, unsurprisingly, quite unpopular. An example of this is the Poplar law which was passed In 215. It attempted to restrict the amount of Jewelry and expensive clothing o the civilized society he expected of Rome, especially during o ne of the most taxing wars in Romeos history.As the nobles of Rome competed for popularity among the masses, they poured more and more money into the public games. This is another example of the deterioration of the moss moratorium as the new events became more violent and brutal, this had an adverse affect on the character of those who watched them. The money that flowed into Rome as a result of these wars was therefore a huge factor in the deterioration of the traditional Roman way of life. The wars with Greece exposed the Romans to the cultural influences of the Hellenic world.Perhaps the most important outcome of the wars of expansion was the introduction of Hellenize to Rome, the extent to which the Romans were affected by the Greeks is shown in the writing of Horace who states that â€Å"captive Greece had captivated her barbarous conqueror†. Greek culture influenced many things about Roman daily life but the most predominant aspects were religion and education and the reaction to those changes was twofold. Plutarch says that many upper class citizens were happy to see their sons educated in Greek culture and religion, two of these philistines were Gossip Africans and Flamingos.The conservatives, such as Coat, were worried that the ambitions of the younger generations were tainted by Greek learning and that their new ideas would undermine the existing customs in Rome. The result was a widespread blend of traditional Roman values and the new Hellenic ideas which produced a Graces-Roman society. The wars of expansion were a massive event in shaping the political and social structure of Rome. This is shown through the increase in the power of the senate, the influx of wealth that flowed into Rome and the introduction of Hellenize to Roman society.

Factors that Impact Demand for an iPad

Internal: Pricing decisions Unique features (Apple's iPad was one of the first tablet to have the app world where user can download applications such as games or books and use it right away after download has been completed. ) External: Availability of competitors' products Price of substitute products Incomes of potential customers There are several essential factors that impact the demand for iPads, these are: price of the product (internal variable), price of substitute products, and incomes of otential customers (external variables).As the primary principle of the demand function stated, that if price of a certain product or service increases, the quantity of that same product will decrease. Most, if not all, customers make their purchasing decision of a product based on its price (all other things held constant). If there are two similar products but one is more expensive than the other, it is rational to choose for the cheaper product. Now, how can an expensive product such as iPad still reate a lot of demand in the market?The answer that I could think of is product uniqueness and product loyalty. When Apple's iPad first came out in 2010, this product was not cheap. But it was due to its unique features that the competitors did not have that made iPad successful. Today, there are a lot of tablets that have about the same features as the iPad and offer a lower price. I would say that product loyalty is also one of the reasons why there are still demands for ‘Pads.

Melting Point Vs. Freezing Point

You may think the melting point and freezing point of a substance occur at the same temperature. Sometimes they do, but sometimes they dont. The melting point of a solid is the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid phase and the  solid phase are equal and at equilibrium. If you increase the temperature, the solid will melt. If you decrease the temperature of a liquid past the same temperature, it may or may not freeze! This is supercooling and it occurs with many substances, including water. Unless there is a nucleus for crystallization, you can cool water well below its melting point and it wont turn to ice (freeze). You can demonstrate this effect by cooling very pure water in a freezer in a smooth container to as low as −42 degrees Celcius. Then if you disturb the water (shake it, pour it, or touch it), it will turn to ice as you watch. The freezing point of water and other liquids may be the same temperature as the melting point. It wont be higher, but it could easily be lower.

Who Else Wants to Learn About Good Argumentative Essay Topics about School?

Who Else Wants to Learn About Good Argumentative Essay Topics about School? The above-mentioned topic selection may give you a crystal clear comprehension of what things to write about. The important thing is to locate a very good topic to write about. The topic has to be interesting, the topic has to be essential and finally the topic has to be informative. Learn which of the topics, you presently have a fairly good background on which will make it possible for you to have a relative edge. In choosing your topic, it's frequently a good notion to start out with a subject which you already have some familiarity with. Unique-make the topic so distinctive and captivating that an individual reading the title would want to go through the whole paper. Actually, you can make up any topic you want all on your own, as long because there is unlimited amount of those. When you are requested to pick a great topic for your argument, start with something you're familiarized with. Introducing Good Argumentative Essay Topics about School The thesis gives you a guideline on how best to go about with writing the essay. Writing a thesis is actually quite simple if you follow a fundamental formula. Researching the topic will permit you to find out more about what fascinates you, and should you pick something you really like, writing the essay will be more enjoyable. Argumentative essay topics are so important since they are debatableand it's essential to at all times be critically c ontemplating the world around us. The trick to the top quality essay writing is, obviously, TIME! It's important to select debatable argumentative essay topics since you need opposing points you can counter to your own points. When you finish your research notes you can begin writing with confidence that you have all of the pieces you have to create a fantastic essay. To compose a strong argumentative essay, students should start by familiarizing themselves with a number of the common, and frequently conflicting, positions on the research topic so they can write an educated paper. In this kind of situation, it's more convenient to locate ready-made essays and use them as an example. You may continue to keep your argumentative essays for your upcoming job portfolio in case they're highly graded. You don't need to acquire super technical with legal argumentative essays, but make certain to do your homework on what the recent laws about your preferred topic actually say. Before you commence writing an argumentative essay, you're supposed to conduct a comprehensive research that will make it possible for you to prove that it is possible to think in a crucial way on the subject you're assigned with. Where to Find Good Argumentative Essay Topics about School Whatever the topic that you're exploring in your argumentative essay, following principles of the structure needs to be maintained to have a decent level. Always keep in mind that you're not just arguing about your stand but in addition counter the potential stand of the opposing standpoint. Prior exposure or knowledge about a specific subject provides better hindsight that may bring much better arguments on the issue. Even if you think in a specific argument very strongly, if you lack the evidence to show your point, then your argument might just be as great as lost. It is preferable to grow up in a family with plenty of brothers and sisters. There's no problem in discussing sex now, but there's hardly anyone who can speak about cheating with no embarrassment. Moreover, at a young age, twins need each other since they give each other a feeling of support and security. The twins become married and become involved with their very own new families. By way of example, in college, you might be requested to compose a paper from the opposing viewpoint. Lastly, the original article argued that kids in high-risk areas don't have enough time to cope with personal finance in school since they're only trying to survive. Even when you ultimately decide it isn't for you, you will find o ut more about what a terrific school board can do in order to improve high schools and get ideas for how you're able to contribute. English language classes usually take a lot of writing. The Bizarre Secret of Good Argumentative Essay Topics about School You may also get several discounts on our site which will help you to save some more money for future orders or anything you want to spend them on. Innovations in businesses should be cautiously thought out since they don't only make positive alterations but also carry a wide selection of risks. Droz If the money doesn't serve you, it is going to rule over you. Very good news is that we've got a solution.

Business Values And Ethics Differ With Every Company Essay

Business values and ethics differ with every company. They are formed by the behaviors and good ethics that is required in a professional environment. Values. Company values are used to guide and inspire individuals within a business in order to help them make appropriate decisions that align with company’s principles and policies and business practices within its industry. Strategic management is important to understand the position of the organization. It allows the company to accomplish goals by performing business ethics and values to gain success. (McQuerrey, 2015) Kroger Corporation.: Kroger ‘s set of principles consists of six core values: Honesty, Integrity, Respect, Diversity, Safety, and Inclusion. Honesty: Kroger encourage honesty from everyone who is part of the company, whether they are employees, customers, or vendors or suppliers. Integrity: Kroger sticks to its values even in the most difficult and challenging situations. Respect: Kroger’s treats everyone with dignity and value the opinions of others. Diversity: Kroger admires and value differences in the backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities of all associates, customers, and vendors. Safety: Kroger wants to ensure a safe and secure workplace and shopping environment for its employees, and provide its customers protection against injuries. Inclusion: Kroger encourages and expects collaboration, teamwork and the active involvement of all associates (The Kroger Company, 2014). Kroger takes their valuesShow MoreRelatedEthics As A Key Term Essay939 Words   |  4 PagesINTERESTED IN IT This paper will discuss ethics as a key term in cross boarder business. This topic is of interest because ethics are present in every day’s activities. For Christians, ethics is an important concept because it represents the image of the creator, God. As ambassadors of His world, Christians have the responsibility to edify others by living a moral and ethical life style. 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Newell Company free essay sample

The CEO John McDonough oversaw for Newell Company during 1998 oversaw two acquisitions. First was the acquisition of Calphalon and second was the acquisition of Rubbermaid. Calphalon was a privately held manufacturer of anodized aluminum cookware whereas Rubbermaid was a manufacturer of plastic consumer and commercial products. It was decided that the new company would be named as Newell Rubbermaid and would have a greater global presence and a broader product offering. These acquisitions were viewed as part of the next Newell’s strategy and McDonough identified a need to develop and buy stronger brands because of increasing market power of Newell’s primary customers. Their customers were big store like Wal-Mart, K Mart etc. Wal Mart alone accounted 15% of the sales for Newell. They key strategic perspective of Newell was to focus on the profitability perspective not on sales perspectives. Newell followed an aggressive marketing strategy by acquiring 30 businesses in the next 20 years, to act upon it they focused on those businesses which were relatively weak, have obsolete technology, lessened production and below average production, efficiency and effectiveness. McDonough thought that the company had to grow and also said that the research showed that companies with over $10 billion in market capitalization commanded higher price/earnings multiples and that it was important for Newell to reach this level of optimization. 1. Does the Newell have a successful corporate-level strategy? Does the company add value to the businesses within its portfolio? If so, how? Yes, Newell have a successful corporate level strategy and it does add value to the business within its portfolio. Newell company corporate strategy was primarily based on the rationale that the company has to continue to grow to the extent that it could cross the threshold of over $10 billion in market capitalization so that it could command higher price/earnings multiples in the market. To achieve this goal Newell Company follows the strategy to make a high-volume/ low cost product and target towards large retail institutions, the larger mass retailers. â€Å"Newell is a manufacturer and full-service marketer of consumer products serving the needs of volume retailers†. (Mission statement) Besides just sticking to the parent company, Newell management adopted some aggressive strategy and started acquiring related business to its business portfolio. By doing so, the executives thought to leverage and capitalize the relationships of the target companies in the market in order to sell other items as well. The broader corporate strategy besides these acquisitions was to add value to its already powerful multiproduct offering and make Newell a more important supplier for the world largest retailers. The company acquired companies to round out its existing product lines and consolidate industry capacity to achieve efficiency rather than pricing power. The acquisitions also provide Newell with an asset of shelf space at different retailers. The two pronged strategy however does not provide a solid base for a continual growth pattern. Besides on focusing on just volume retailers the company starts acquiring businesses that supply to small independent customer. However as the basic strategy of Newell promotes multi brand offering the aggressive strategy of acquiring related businesses that volume retailers would keep on their shelves year in and year out somehow add value to its business portfolio as long as the company stick to its major strategy of serving mass retail customers rather than small independent retailers. 2. What are the company’s distinctive resources? Newell has a heritage of resource-based culture. Since its inception in 1902, Newell has grown from a small metallic curtain rods supplier to a giant consumer and commercial products with a very diverse and decorated portfolio comprising of renowned brands across globe. From the time of company president Dan Ferguson, who formulated the core corporate strategy and laid out the strategic focus of the company, Newell has done business based on one simple yet defining philosophy â€Å"build on what we do best†. Their core competency laid in high volume, low cost production and ability to establish a strong bond with large scale retailers. Carrying forward this philosophy, Newell’s distinctive resources comprise of its strong HRM, particularly senior management, extremely focused acquisition approach and its robust alignment and restructuring process. Newell is blessed with a dynamic management that has adopted a foresighted and holistic approach. The management has held close the philosophy of building a strong empire around ‘brands that matter’ while sticking to its core competencies to sustain a global competitive advantage. From the time the company realized its vision to produce high volume/ low cost products that were recognized globally, it ensured that all the companies it acquired over the years were streamlined according to the company’s fundamental, core strategy. The management played an instrumental role by cutting down the costs and increasing profit margins of the acquired companies effectively. This process called ‘Newellization’ took place within the short period of 6-18 months because of the commendable efforts of the management. All the companies taken over by Newell were allotted presidents and controllers brought in from outside of acquired firms in order to align the processes and administration with that of Newell’s. Second distinctive resource is Newell’s acquisition strategy- smooth and focused. Newell thrived by acquiring 30 major businesses in just 20 years, bringing under its banner major brands like Calphalon, Black and Decker, Rubbermaid, Kirsch and so forth. The company had a well defined mission; to produce and supply volume merchandise to merchandise retailers, and for this purpose, it only targeted those companies that could help pave Newell’s presence in large and reputed retailers. It intended on acquiring companies that had fundamental similarities with Newell but had low operational efficiency and low profitability so that after acquisition, the performance could be easily juxtaposed via financial statements analysis and critical areas identified. Also, Newell only took over companies that added to its prestige and did not dangle its strategic focus. For instance, Newell divested any business that did not have a strategic fit with Newell’s main focus. When Wm. E. Wright, acquired in 1985 by Newell, lost share with large scale retailers and moved to the individual retailers segment, despite the solid performance of the former, the latter divested and sold the company to better utilize the resources on alternative businesses that connected Newell to mass retail customers. The last distinctive resource identified is the Newellization process itself carried out by the company. As mentioned above, Newell was able to streamline the practices and major functional activities like administration, accounting etc as well as cut costs by identifying flaws in the company’s value chain, quite successfully. Usually the process took about 18 months but for most cases, it was able to undertake this challenging job within 6 months. 3. Does the acquisition of Calphalon make sense? Calphalon was established in 1963, indulged in production of high quality aluminum cookware. It was a privately held company. It entered the food industry in 1973. It was in premium product line; produced six major products. In 1987, its sales went very high; in 15 years it rose from $6million to $120 million. But its profit margin declined. In 1997, Calphalon failed to keep pace with the time, a younger fashion oriented age originated which the company did not follow. Its distribution channel was the main reason. Calphalon had two strengths; (i) pull strategy of sales process and (ii) strong customer relationship. Newell was attracted towards it due to its success in the company and potential to grow further, its declining profit margin was the major reason for the acquisition to take place. History has it, Newell is attracted to companies with lower profit margin; Anchor Hocking can be taken as an example. Its sales equaled to $757 million but had a profit margin of 0. 5%. Newell on the other hand, had a sales of $350 million but a profit margin of 11%. In 1987, Newell did a takeover and applied its Newellization process and was very successful. The acquisition took place in 1998 when Calphalon was already in a contract for manufacture of kitchen essentials. The acquisition of Calphalon does not make sense due to the following reasons: The mission statement of Newell â€Å"Newell is a manufacturer and full-service marketer of consumer products serving the needs of volume purchasers† describes its focus on mass retailers rather than small independent retailers. The acquisition of Calphalon does not make sense as it was operating on micro level by concentrating on final consumers as well as retailers and this was not compatible with the Newell strategy. Newell’s goal was to achieve efficiency by enjoying economies of scale as it was targeting to mass retailers, Calphalon management however never focused at the volume opportunity but at the opportunities the relationship can deliver to the overall objective of the brand. Calphalon was facing strong competition in the market from some solid brands and was facing the pressure of price wars from them which makes its position quite risky. Newell on the contrary was a risk averse company and avoid indulging in price wars. 4. Was the Rubbermaid acquisition a good move for Newell? Acquisition criteria of Newell’s Rubbermaid fits within this company because this has strong brand equity with significant shelf space at mass retailers but its operations were inefficient. The rising costs with service problems have diminished its (Rubbermaid) potential profits. By controlling Rubbermaid costs Newell can improve Rubbermaid deteriorating position. The acquisition costs looks to be overvalued according to financial forecasts post-â€Å"Newellization†, The net present value of future cash flows of Rubbermaid at time of acquisition less than half of the actual acquisition price. This makes any kind of potential value creation irrelevant since Newell would need to overcome the market premium in terms of either future savings or increased growth. The degree to which this acquisition adds value depends on Newell’s ability to absorb Rubbermaid into its existing corporate structure. The sheer size of Rubbermaid (75% of Newell’s revenue in 1997) points to a longer â€Å"Newellization† process than the standard 6 month period. If the â€Å"Newellization† process drags out, Newell will be forced to invest more of its time and resources into integrating Rubbermaid. This may leave less time to focus on new acquisitions. There is also a strong chance that absorbing Rubbermaid is the incorrect approach to integration. Newell will need to work with the majority Rubbermaid’s existing workforce and management team, there are simply too many to replace. In addition, Rubbermaid’s excellence in new product development adds value to Newell. If Newell were to absorb Rubbermaid, it could risk alienating the new work force and destroy the processes that promote new product development.