AT THE MOVIES



centercenterA SHOWCUJO PUBLICATION 601 SPRING 2014AT THE MOVIESFLASH OF GENIUS MOVIE DISCUSSION GUIDEShannon Moser, Owen Simpson, Curtis Wright, John Ray1000000A SHOWCUJO PUBLICATION 601 SPRING 2014AT THE MOVIESFLASH OF GENIUS MOVIE DISCUSSION GUIDEShannon Moser, Owen Simpson, Curtis Wright, John RayEntrepreneurial Innovation & Critical Thinking questions for “Flash of Genius”.3521710154051000“Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear stars in this inspiring true story about an ordinary man and his extraordinary fight against one of the most powerful corporations in the country. Dr. Robert Kearns (Kinnear) and his family are on their way to achieving the American Dream when he invents a device that can be used in every car in the world. But when an auto giant steals his idea, Robert does the unthinkable: He takes on the corporate titan in a battle nobody thinks he can win. Co-starring Alan Alda, Dermot Mulroney and Lauren Graham, it’s the remarkable, feel-good journey critics are calling “hugely entertaining!” (Pete Hammond, )”?Universal City Studios Inc.PROGRAMMING SUGGESTIONSThis film analysis has been originated to assist in developing a curriculum after viewing the film FLASH OF GENIUS. The analysis is designed to generate discussion based on entrepreneurial and innovative issues found within the movie and for program participants to reflect on themes that may be pertinent to them. Some of the objectives to focus on in this assignment are Kearns choice for the direction of his company and his family, Kearns’ concept of innovation and the creativity elements that he brought to the table, and have the students discuss innovation and ethics in business. There are no correct answers to questions in this analysis, the questions are meant to serve as a learning guide.Invite human resource professionals from local corporations or businesses to train students on ethics in their respective company or business.Create an exercise similar to “innovation on a napkin” where students can create their own ideas. The class can discuss the problems that the innovations are used to overcome, how the ideas can be improved, and how to implement each idea into the market.Set-up a mock trial where students can play the parts of Kearns, Ford Motor Co., and the jury. See how each student would approach being the plaintiff or defendant differently. Have the jury of students decide if any different scenarios might produce a different outcome.“Dividing Lines”, discuss the sacrifices of Kearns with respect to his family. Have each student discuss whether he did what he should or went too far. Have each student put on a card what it would take for them to give up time with their family in the same way. Show cards and discuss.DISCUSSION QUESTIONSHow does innovation and ethics combine in this movie and in engineering fields in general?Kearns is given specs to manufacture, and Ford gets to see under the Hood for a “safety inspection” to make sure that the electrical device will work. Ford then uses un-ethical practices and takes Kearn’s design as their own, with no credit given to Kearns.After Kerns had his “Flash of Genius”, what method was used to get his idea across to his family?While trying to convey his idea for variable speed windshield wiper, Kearns decides to shows how unsafe or aggravating just 1 speed can be. The wiper was either on or off, Kearns had innovative idea for a better way to do it. He scares his family into submission by turning off wipers and driving head on into traffic with heavy rain falling on to the windshield making it impossible to see.How did an injury early on in life contribute to innovative thinking? Kearns was on his honeymoon, popped a bottle of champagne, and launched the cork into his eye. He began to wonder how the human eye worked. This led to his “Flash of Genius” moment where he conceived the idea of the intermittent windshield wiper. ?“Why can't a wiper work more like an eyelid? Why can't it blink?” The idea of the intermittent windshield wiper entered his mind.In what ways does our hero “break the mold” during his process of creating a new business.He analyzes the wiper problem: mechanical vs. electronic. He is the first one to go with the electronic answer.He gets his kids involved to be his board of directors.He re-arranged current electronic components that into a never before used schematic.He teaches his kids research & development, they become a learning community. They understand enough of what they have learned to be able to contribute to the proto-type process. Kearns decided he wanted to do the entire manufacturing process on his own.Collaborates with Motorola with the electronics.Is experience in a particular field necessary to have innovative ideas? Kearns had no prior automobile experience, or no technical business experience, yet he was able to invent an automobile part and start his own business. In what ways does innovation affect this family socially?At first, the innovation puts a strain on the family because the children do not believe that their father is spending enough time with them.Innovation opens up a different class of society to the family; they are invited to a nice dinner on a country club for one of the business meetings.How did Kearns’ innovation help him solve a problem that 3 major companies had been working on?He used a novel and non-obvious combination of electronic parts that was new to industry. ?“A transistor, a capacitor, and a variable resistor were the three basic components of Kearns' circuit. The resistor and the capacitor together were the timer, and the transistor worked as the switch. The resistor, which the driver could adjust with a knob, controlled the rate of current flowing into the capacitor. When the voltage in the capacitor reached a certain level, it triggered the transistor; the transistor turned on, and the wipers wiped once. The running of the wiper motor drained voltage out of the capacitor; it sank below the threshold level of the transistor, and the transistor turned off. The wipers dwelled until the capacitor recharged.” (, 2/24/2014) What innovations were involved in the demo for Ford?He put his product in a Ford for the Ford demo (smart & savvy). Fuse blows and he quickly saves the day and he replaces it.Backs up vehicle out of view so people can’t steel his secret.He even coins the phase “variable speed” when Ford calls it something else.What gambles does Kearns take in everyday business life?Kerns gets a loan for production despite being broke, then has inventory begin to come in just before Ford decides to cancel the contract.Sacrifices his family time to create the wiper in the hopes that it will pay off with Kearns Corporation. Kearns gambles on being able to prove that Ford infringed on his patent, he keeps the case in court despite multiple attempts by Ford to settle out of court. Family sacrifices, but research pays off so they can get Ford into court.Wife and 2nd lawyer leave because of his pushy style of wanting to get things done at his pace. He also wants to continue to pursue things against the advice of his wife and lawyer. This leads to Kearns being on his own.What tactics was the Ford motor company using in the beginning to try and keep Kearns out of court?Ford lied and told Kearns that they were going with another inventors design.Ford tried stallingThey tried to bury Kearns in paperwork.Ford tried to wait for the patents to run out.Ford tried many times to settle with Kearns for escalating amounts of money.Ford tried to bribe Kearns.What court room tactics did Kerns engage in to make his points?Kerns explains Flash of genius and when it happened.He used self-cross examination and self- representationHe used comparison tactics when talking about his invention and A Tale of Two Cities to show that the order of things can be what makes them unique.What did Kern’s innovative ‘Flash of Genius cost him? What did he gain? Was it worth it?LostHis wifeTime with his children12 years of his life Untold number of new inventionsGainedRight to claim his inventionHe is closer to his childrenHe gained nearly $30 million in settlementsA victory for the “little guy”Did the extent of Kearns’ work to keep his design a secret seem like a small case of paranoia before Ford took his idea?Kearns did get his patent first, he then followed his design every step of the way.He wanted to oversee the production so nobody else would get their hands on his plans.What was Kearns intention for suing Ford? Money? Fame?Kearns was driven by a deep belief in justice and a spirit of fighting for what is right, especially for the “little guy”. During the movie, Kearns said, "I want you to understand that I am wearing a little badge here, and that badge says that I am an inventor, and it says I am a net contributor to society. And it is like maybe you can't see the badge, and these other gentlemen can't see the badge, and I don't think anybody is going to be able to see the badge until my trial is finished in this courtroom and I will find out whether I am wearing the badge or not."What was Kearns’ ambition for his family by naming them the “Board of Director’s” of the Kearns’ Corporation?He wanted to start the Kearns Corporation to do something that included every member of the family, to bring everybody together and develop a true family spirit.How was Ford’s idea of manufacturing the intermittent wiper different from Kearns?Kearns wanted to manufacture the wipers himself; Ford wanted the manufacturing of the wipers sent to a larger company with a more established set-up.Why do you think Kearns stole the parts from the person’s vehicle? Do you think he had a moral battle at this point or did he care?He stole the motor for the windshield wiper.He appeared to not care about anything except proving that he was right.How did Kearns save his relationship with his kids?He did everything he could to keep them involved every step of the way. How does Kearns and Gil’s relationship diminish and grow throughout the movie? Do you feel like they reconciled their differences in the end?The relationship seems to follow the path of the deal with Ford. In the beginning, as the deal is a positive one, the relationship grows. When things fall apart with Ford, the relationship with Gil and Kearns also begins to crumble. As the light draws near at the end of the tunnel for Kearns’ battle, we see them draw together again. They seem to reconcile their differences in the end.Would you have taken the $30 million dollars and settled or would you continue to push for the rights of your invention?Seabrook, John. "John Seabrook | Stories | The Flash of Genius."?John Seabrook | Stories | The Flash of Genius. , 2003. Web. 25 Feb. 2014."Flash of Genius."?IMDb. , Feb. 2008. Web. 25 Feb. 2014center0Shannon Moser, Owen Simpson, Curtis Wright, John Ray are all current graduate students at Western Carolina University. Shannon, Owen, Curtis, and John are currently pursuing a Masters of Technology Degree. Webmasters and other article publishers are hereby granted article reproduction permission as long as this article in its entirety, authors’ information, and any links remain intact. Copyright 2014 by Shannon Moser, Owen Simpson, Curtis Wright, John Ray00Shannon Moser, Owen Simpson, Curtis Wright, John Ray are all current graduate students at Western Carolina University. Shannon, Owen, Curtis, and John are currently pursuing a Masters of Technology Degree. Webmasters and other article publishers are hereby granted article reproduction permission as long as this article in its entirety, authors’ information, and any links remain intact. Copyright 2014 by Shannon Moser, Owen Simpson, Curtis Wright, John Ray ................
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