Assignment for Week VIII: Case study Management Essay

Case Study
Name
Institution
Case Study
The essay question I chose centered on the idea of whether the world can be tipped if given the right nudge. This question tests the very essence of the book the Tipping Point. It asks a question which the author, Malcolm Gladwell, is trying to answer in the entire book. The main idea one draws from this is that can one’s world be changed or can one’s attributes be pushed to a new level if and when the right kind of motivation is applied. Well, as Gladwell writes, yes it can be changed.
I chose this question because I wanted to dig deeper into the book and to seek to understand Gladwell’s perspective. My aim was to read the book and seek to understand what lies underneath Gladwell’s views which are quite debatable. However, looking at the examples and illustrations provided, one is inclined to believe that on certain occasions and given the right push, the world could tip. This question helped me to acknowledge and to be observant of what happens around me because Gladwell informs me that nothing happens by chance. While it may appear as so, Gladwell helps me to understand that there are things and factors which are in play and that drive change in the world.
In the book, Gladwell makes use of a lot of examples which help to explain how he perceives things and the world around him. The examples are many but two of the examples he used to stand out including the suicide cases in the South Pacific islands of Micronesia (Ebeye to be precise) and the Hush Puppies shoes.
In the Hush Puppies example, Gladwell explains how the “classic American brushed-suede shoes with the lightweight crepe sole” went from being a flop to one of the most sought-after shoes in the country. Gladwell writes that “the brand had been all but dead until that point. Sales were down to 30,000 pairs a year mostly to backwoods outlets and small-town family stores.” However, almost all of a sudden, the shoes started to make a comeback and slowly the company started seeing radical changes coming from their sales department. Apparently, a group of young people had started wearing their hush puppies while going to clubs. These young men did not know how their sense of fashion would impact others but it did. The executives from Hush Puppies did not know that their...