The Law of Diminishing Returns says that continuous practice creates continuous

Question

The Law of Diminishing Returns says that continuous practice creates continuous improvement, even though improvements may be in smaller and smaller increments. If this is true, should anyone receive a grade of 100% on test, paper or demonstration of skill? Obviously, with Diminishing Returns, none of us every gets it perfect. Are such scores counterproductive in that they create a sense of “being done” or “right” that stops our learners for continuing to practice? Should we eliminate tests and scores because they are artificial and deter continuous development? Take a position and write a two to three paragraph position statement. Support your opinions by referencing sources such as the textbook or internet research.

Explanation / Answer

Law of Diminishing Return indicates continuous process of improvement. It is doubtful if this law can be used to judge the examination system. But let us assume that we do.

If somebody receives 100% on a test, paper or demonstration of skill, the question that we need to ask is “Is that the final test for the subject?” In all likelihood the answer is “No”. Since a test does not imply the mastery over a subject, the general understanding is that there are still scopes of improvement. The score of a test cannot be considered counterproductive just because somebody receives a perfect score. It simply implies that the person was either well prepared or have gained all required knowledge for that section.

For example, let’s assume a MBA student appearing for an exam on Marketing Management at 1st Semester. If he receives 100% marks in the test it does not mean that he has become a master at Marketing Management. There are many other aspects of Marketing Management rather than a test. In addition, there is no way that the test would have been so exhaustive that every aspects and scenarios of marketing was covered in a single test. In his next semester he may be required to take another marketing management test on a different type of topics.

As another example, let us consider a famous marketing book by Philip Kotler. His book on marketing management is one of the most popular books. Some of his frameworks (such as 4Ps of Marketing, STP framework, etc) are widely used. However, these frameworks are now being modified by various organizations to suit their need. On one hand we could consider Philip Kotler to be the master of marketing, but we see that at the current market scenario, his frameworks still need modification or improvement.

This is the reason test and assessment cannot be eliminated. Law of diminishing return is applicable for constant concepts. For example, a product development process. However, as time changes, and market dynamics change, so will the product, its features and its offerings. As a result with new change and new development, new assessments will be required.

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