Tipping Point Ever Wondered Why Term Paper

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By using these and other examples such as Wunderman's use of the "Gold Box" in the TV commercials for Columbia Record Club, Gladwell drives home the point that the Stickiness Factor can help create and tip an action trend in favor of envisaged goals. As he points out, "We all want to believe that the key to making an impact...lies with the inherent quality of the ideas we present. But in none of these cases did anyone substantially alter the content of what they were saying. Instead, they tipped the message by tinkering...." (p. 131)

Gladwell brings out the importance of small, but significant, detail in addressing the Power of Context as well, which he says is important because epidemics are sensitive to environmental conditions and circumstances (p.139). In fact, he theorizes that the factors, which worked in bringing about a reversal in New York City's horrific crime rate, were steps such as scrubbing off the graffiti on the subway and arresting fare-beaters. Using the Broken Windows theory as support, Gladwell states, "...what really matters is little things.... The Power of Context says you don't have to solve the big problems to solve crime...crime epidemics have Tipping Points every bit as simple and straightforward as syphilis in Baltimore...." (p. 151)

Thus, Gladwell effectively establishes that it is the attention to detail or the little things that can make all the difference in successfully setting off a trend or tipping an epidemic. Such attention to detail also includes meticulous attention to the tracking and understanding of human behavioral concepts and trends. Indeed, without the latter, it would not be possible to engineer the tipping of any positive epidemic either in business or in social life. In fact, herein lies the value of Gladwell's theory of the "Tipping Point." for, it explains why the best laid plans often fail to work. They fail because they rely on big ideas and preconceived notions to solve problems.

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Whereas, as Gladwell has shown, the world does not always act in accordance with our intuition. Therefore, it becomes important to test our theories and intuition: "That no one responded to Kitty Genovese's screams sounded like an open-and-shut case of human indifference, until careful psychological testing demonstrated the powerful influence of context." (p. 258).

The Tipping Point has important ramifications for both academics and professionals in fields such as business, psychology, sociology, criminology, and, indeed, in any area that pertains to human affairs. for, it suggests a different way of looking at the world. And what's more builds a highly persuasive case for doing so! However, it is important to perhaps inject a note of caution here. While it is hard to refute the points that Gladwell makes, the fact is that the evidence he uses as support come from examples, which appear to be more a case of wisdom in hindsight. True, Gladwell does attempt to make up for this deficiency by suggesting two possible stickiness factors that could be used to address the problem of teenage smokers. Nevertheless, the fact remains that the "tipping point" theory has yet to be tested in practice. Further, Gladwell's theory by its very nature may be hard to apply on a global scale without a great deal of localization. In other words, the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context may need to be applied very differently across cultures.

Overall, however, the Tipping Point contains some very thought provoking ideas on how social power can be harnessed to improve the quality of life and the chances of business success.

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