Critical theory and professionalism Essay Example for Free

Critical theory and professionalism Essay In what ways can critical theory shed light on professionalism? This presentation explores how critical theory can provide a perspective for critiquing professionalism in education. In so doing the nature of the relationship between the professionalisation and social movement trends in education is addressed. An attempt at a definition of professionalism is going to be the focus of the first part of the presentation. Several concepts articulated within critical theory are discussed for their relevance to the issue of professionalism. The work of the Frankfurt School is underlined, drawing parallels to the work of Gramsci and Freire. In the final analysis, specific issues and questions raised by the perspective of Critical Theory are reflected upon as they apply to the professionalisation of education. The concept of professionalism Literature on professionalism is in its abundance. There have been many attempts at providing a clear definition, including the government-led agendas calling for higher degrees on professionalism in education. It can be noted at the outset that attempts at coming up with a definition of professionalism in education have struggled to agree on a particular one. Freidson (1994) has concluded that the use of the term professionalism is inconsistent. He argues that professionalism is ‘The Third Logic’, claiming that professions are occupational groupings that exercise relatively high degrees of control over the conditions as well as how they carry out their work. This kind of arrangement provides a mechanism for organising some aspects of social life in a way that properly deploys specialist knowledge. Professionalism is therefore viewed as a mode of social coordination and competes with, and provides some insulation from, both market and bureaucratic forms of organisation. It has also been viewed as â€Å"a state of mind† or ideology that reflects a way of thinking about the cognitive aspects of a profession and the characteristics that typify a professional (Van Ruler, 2005). In other words, in the case of teaching, professionalism is the cultural means by which we give meaning, purpose, definition, and direction to work as professionals and the place of practitioners in society. It can therefore be claimed that there is no universal agreement of the concept. It has been implored by some authorities for teaching to become evidence-based profession like medicine and law. Hargreaves, for example describes teaching as the â€Å"paradoxical profession†. He asserts that of all the jobs that are, or aspires to be professions, only teaching is expected to create the human skills and capacities that will enable individuals and organizations to survive and succeed. (Hargreaves, 2003). Carr (1992) has suggested that in this ‘extended’ view of educational professionalism, education and teaching are to be understood by reference to the elaborative network of public duties, obligations and responsibilities in which teaching as a social role is implicated. It can be asserted that if teaching is a profession, there has been an assumption that teachers should be equipped with capacities for autonomous judgement and the freedom to exercise this judgement. It could be considered inappropriate for politicians or employers to dictate to teachers what is or is not worthy of inclusion in the school curriculum, or what kinds of knowledge and skill are crucial for the professional conduct of teaching. It is with this view in mind that Flinders (1980) has argued that teaching is an open-ended activity. Helsby (1995) claims that professionalism is subject to geographical and cultural differences and it can be understood as relating to exceptional standards of behaviour, dedication as well as a strong service ethic. This view is supported by Bryan (2003) who argues that professional work can be seen to be increasingly influenced by politics. This can be justified by the claim that the policies of governments are ideologically driven, hence professionalism may be understood as constructs which develop in response to ideological influences. Thomas (2012) uses professionalism as a descriptor of a combination of teachers’ specific capabilities and knowledge, the purpose and ethical underpinnings of their work, the extent to which they are able to exercise independent and critical judgement, their role in shaping and leading changes in their field, and their relationship to other stakeholders. Despite the vicissitude of the notion of professionalism in education, standard analyses of how this concept can be applied in public services such as teaching and nursing have stressed the importance of specialist knowledge  and expertise, ethical codes as well as procedures concerned with training, induction and continuing professional development (Flexner, 1915; Larson, 1977; Langford, 1978; Eraut, 1994). Attached to this view of professionalism is the assumption that in exchange for a greater say in matters related to school and teaching, teachers are expected to submit to greater levels of scrutiny and work roles that go beyond classroom teaching (Stone-Johnson, 2013). In this exchange there is a shift of power whereby as the work of the teachers becomes increasingly professionalised, teachers appear to have surrendered degrees of professionalism. The critical project in education supervenes from the postulation that pedagogical practices are linked to social practices, and that it is the task of the critical intellectual to identify and address injustices in these practices. The Frankfurt School’s perception of Critical Theory was driven by an underlying commitment to the notion that theory as well as practice must inform the work of those who seek to transform the oppressive conditions that exist in the world. Their ideas influenced other great critical theorists such as Freire and Gramsci. If the notion of critical theory is to be linked to the debate on professionalism, it can be argued that the development of critical pedagogy out of critical theory has changed the way through which the role of the teacher is seen, particularly the professional position of the teacher in the society. It has been argued that there has been a widespread erosion of professional autonomy in recent years (Barton et al, 1994, Whitty et al 1998). This has been a result of the centralisation of control over all aspects of teacher’s work such as curriculum (National Curriculum, literacy and numeracy hours), assessment, (SATs, QAA/ Ofsted Inspections) and conditions of service (imposed by the employers in a controlled quasi-market regulated by centralist funding formulae, league tables and inspection regimes.) (Freidson, 2001). This can be corroborated by a survey of teachers carried by Helsby and McCulloch (1997) as it showed that the government onslaught of edicts and initiatives demolished professionalism. It has been argued the formulation of policy documents have positioned the teacher as fundamentally impotent in terms of curriculum design. The teacher  has been reduced to a mere curriculum deliverer. This is mainly to system of communication that is viewed as one-sided by educational critiques. Murphy and Fleming (2010) have attempted to deal with this issue by using the Habermas’ notion of communicative action. They argue that, for Habermas, the essential feature of communicative action is that it aims at reaching agreement. Furthermore in order for that agreement to be not only mutually acceptable but satisfactory, its participants must be willing to make and defend validity claims such as claims of truth, rightness and truthfulness. Habermas’ notion accedes to the fact that while validity claims are raised automatically in everyday communication, it is only when communication aims primarily at reaching consensus, and when participants provide reasons for their argument, that rationality actually manifests itself. It can be argued that in the case of professionalism, Critical Theory is meant to herald a liberatory education that empowers stakeholders, fosters curiosity and critical thinking, and provides a means for crucial successful bottom-up, top-down engagement in the political arena. The introduction of a prescriptive and centralised National Curriculum has greatly weakened the professional confidence of teachers, (Helsby and McCulloch, 1997). It has also left them uncertain of their ability to cope and of their right to take major curriculum decisions. This has resulted in the government having more control over the teaching profession, (Meyer- Emerick, 2004). Critical theory prefers to call this process ‘one-dimensionality’ of life. Thus this extended the existing understanding of power and its impact on the construction of knowledge. Gramsci was deeply concerned with the manner in which domination was undergoing major shifts and changes within the industrial western societies. He developed a theory of hegemony, whereby he sought to explain the manner by which these changes were exercised more and more through the moral leaders of the society (including teachers) who participated in and reinforced universal ‘common sense’ notions of what is considered to be truth in society. This is consonant with Foucault’s questioning of what he termed ‘regimes of truth’ that were upheld and perpetuated through the manner in which particular knowledge was legitimated within the context of a variety of power relationships within the society. Foucault’s perceptions of power is not  solely at play in the context of domination, but also in the context of creative acts of resistance and these are produced as human beings are interact across the dynamic of relationship and shaped by moments of dominance and autonomy. Such a viewpoint challenges the dichotomised standpoint of either domination or powerlessness of power as enticed by radi cal education theorists. Thus it can be argued that Foucault’s writing on knowledge and power shed light on a critical understanding of the teaching profession in relation to authority. More so it does open the door to a better understanding of power relations within the context of teaching practice.

Post War Developments of Pop Art and Consumerism

Post War Developments of Pop Art and Consumerism What were the most significant changes in consumer behaviour in America after 1945? In what ways did these changes have an impact on the production of art? INTRODUCTION The purpose of this essay is to outline the ways in which consumer behaviour changed in the United States after 1945, and the ways in which the production, and the content, of art reflected these times. These were the years following the Second World War, and advances in technology made during the war were now being used to change the ordinary way of life of American citizens during the new time of peace. National wealth had increased, and the population was very much looking to the future, which seemed more affluent, easier and more convenient than ever before. Buying and spending quickly became the main cultural preoccupation as corporations made use of war-time technology to bring consumers the products of the future today: television, processed food, vacuum cleaners, synthetic fabrics, and Tupperware. (www.ucalgary.ca) In this essay I will show how Pop Art developed in America, and how these newly fashionable artists drew on the consumerist culture of the time to create a kind of art that had not been seen before. CONSUMERISM IN POST-WAR AMERICA In postwar America, the public became more brand-conscious – advertising became much more advanced and was seen as crucial to business, and branding and company logos were part of the everyday landscape. There were technical devlopments in photography, broadcasting and the inventionof television. Sociology in the US was now more concerned with the masses, and pop art identified with this. (Alloway:1974:5) In 1960 the General Motors Corporation spent $66.3 million on advertising, the most of any corporation in that year, but in 1968 Proctor Gamble took the lead at $196.3 million a 200% increase in the top advertising budget in only eight years. Likewise, the advertising revenues for magazines between 1958 and 1968 increased 150%, while the advertising revenues for television in the same period rose nearly 250%. (www.ucalgary.ca) Lifestyle advertising was conceived – instead of pre-war adverts which would have simply described the product and what it literally did, now advertisers wanted to make people think that if they bought a certain product it would be central in changing their life, making them better, happier, more successful. Advertisements promise such abstract desires as beauty, success at work, success in relationships, or the ability to be a better person physically, mentally, and socially. Social historian Christin Mamiya has argued that the changes brought  about in America by the increased industrialisation and urbanisation were those that made the public more susceptible to the media’s influence: In the alienation and non-communal world of urban society it became increasingly important to rely on outward appearances to define self-worth and success, the tools of which advertising provided. (www.ucalgary.ca) John F. Kennedy, elected as President in 1960, fully endorsed the new consumerist ethic through his policy. Kennedy’s government followed the work of British economist John Maynard Keynes, who in earlier decades had written that the key to a nation’s collective wealth lay in the individual spending of individuals. The more money citizens spent, the greater the national wealth would be. The Kennedy government was the first to implement this theory into both domestic and foreign economic policies, thereby officially endorsing and promoting mass production, mass distribution, advertising, and inadvertently, the idea of keeping up with the Joneses. (www.ucalgary.ca) As a result of the war, America felt a new patriotism which was reflected in the all-Americanness of branding products and celebrities. As the wealth of the country increased, and people were inclined to celebrate their status (personal status reflecting the greatness of the country – the American dream) and also to celebrate having life easy in comparison to the hardship and compromises of the war years, products were designed to save time and effort. Advertising was particularly aimed at women in the home – household products, food, housekeeping, clothes, also things that made bored housewives feel more glamorous. During the 2nd World War, Hollywood had also taken the idea of the movie star to another level. Celebrity-watching therefore became a more significant part of the public’s lives, and the faces of celebrities were ubiquitous. The most frequently depicted face in art during this time was that of Kennedy, as he, more than anyone, had realised early on the importance of media marketing and image-creation. The consumerist ideology was therefore perpetuated by the mass media, in radio, television, cinema and print media. POPULAR ART IN THE US This was reflected in art both in terms of the content, and the methods of production and distribution of art. Pop Art originated in New York in the late 1950’s/early ‘60s, and intentionally subverted critical ideas of what constituted ‘art.’ Household objects and celebrities faces were the subjects: Suddenly, T.V. dinners and canned spaghetti, department store dresses and blue suede shoes, tailfins and tires were the subject of paintings and sculptures gracing the window fronts of art galleries. (www.ucalgary.ca) Claes Oldenburg, Tom Wesselmann, Roy Lichtenstein, James Rosenquist, and, most famously Andy Warhol were among the leading names of Pop Art. Most of the Pop Artists had previously worked in commercial advertising and printing. Printing presses were used to quickly produce hundreds of standardised images which could then be mass-distributed. Andy Warhol was one of the first to do this; instead of selling unique pieces of work for a high price, he preferred to produce multiple silk-screened copies which were sold for a low price but which together made up large profits. The ideas of mass and standardisation would be seen therefore both in the fact that one piece of art work contained dozens of cola bottles, and also that that piece was itself reproduced again and again. Therefore art became visible to greater sections of the population and to lower classes, because of its positioning – images were seen in conjunction with advertising and printed on clothing and accessories, instead of hidden away in galleries – and its content – where as traditional fine or ‘high’ art requires some academic learning for the viewer to know the correct ways of appreciating it, tins of baked beans were recognisable to all and needed little interpretation. Americanness had been expressed differently in the late 40s and 50s: Abstract Expressionism is characterised by splashes and rhythms of colours across the canvas, often with no subject other than the emotion that the finished image creates in the viewer. It celebrated the individual because it was highly personal. (www.ucalgary.ca) This art was critically acclaimed, but unapproachable to much of the general public, who found it difficult to understand and doubted its artistic credibility. Pop artists reacted directly against the assumptions made by the Abstract Expressionists; they believed that art should be ‘for the people,’ and so they celebrated every-day objects in a style of art that was easily approachable. Pop Art was first seen in a particular school of thought in Britain in the mid-50’s, invented by the Independent Group. This was a group of artists and intellectuals who were fascinated by the effect that post-war American consumerism was having on British culture. Therefore they focused on the trappings of a materialist, brand-conscious culture. The objects depicted in their art were often cheap and defied traditional notions of good taste. British artist Richard Hamilton is regarded as the first to expressly define Pop Art. He characterised it as: Popular (designed for a mass audience) Transient (short-term solution) Expendable (easily-forgotten) Low Cost Mass produced Young (aimed at youth) Witty Sexy Gimmicky Glamorous Big business. (www.ucalgary.ca) It has been argued that the work of the Independent Group probably did not influence the American Pop Artists as they started creating work later in the decade. American artists would likely be unaware of this small and avante-garde movement in Britain. If this is the case, it is evidence of the widespread influence of post-war consumerism and advertising, that people on both sides of the Atlantic begun to develop similar ideas about art. Critics were deeply offended Pop Art, believing that it was of no real artistic merit. No progress was made, they argued, in the use of colour or materials, and the subject matter was frequently in bad taste or simply banal. Unlike Folk Art, pop culture is created on a huge scale to please the mainstream. It is those emblems and messages that we all understand, meaning that we have one shared culture that obliterates other more local or personal cultures. (Alloway:1974:4) But Pop Art was light-hearted, quirky and tongue-in-cheek, even blasà ©, which appealed to a nation of people who after years of war and economic depression, did not want to be too reflective or melancholy. Thus, it was oddly ambivalent. Pop Artists played to these popular needs/desires, and yet bitterly criticised them at the same time. The tone of Pop Art in general was humorous, but artists seemed to be satirising a culture that had ‘dumbed down,’ becoming obsessed with convenience, speed, instantly recognisable iconic images and brand names. For instance Rosenquist painted images of rockets alongside plates of spaghetti, to draw attention to what he saw as the absurdness of modern concerns. Lichenstein painted huge versions of cartoon strips, using the stock themes of romance and violence, and the style of using hundreds of coloured dots to make up the impression of an area of block colour, in order to show how formulaic and non-individual this popular form of art w as. Warhol criticised the mass media in his work, such as his prints of Marilyn Monroe’s face, made after she committed suicide in 1962, which echoed what Steven Madorff describes as the â€Å"repeated, endless manufacture† of the celebrity. Similarly, Warhol created a print of repeated images of a crashed car and mangled corpses, in criticism of the way he believed news reports could reduce a terrible tragedy to a single throwaway image. He produced the painting 129 Die In Jet, after an article about 129 American tourists who were killed in a plane crash over Paris-Orlis. The book draws on Susan Sonag in saying that the more you see pictures, the less real the actual event is. (Museum Ludwig Cologne:1996:474) CONCLUSION The Pop Artists made their art out of drawing attention to the consumerist nature of American culture. To Art critics dismay, household objects such as tinned food, icons of the mass media and such low art conventions such as comic book drawing now became the subjects of high art. Pop Artists had correctly identified the things that were important to the average American citizen, and the content, means of production, and location of their art all reflected this. In many ways Pop Art seemed satirical, wry and at times outright critical. The images made at this time have immortalised an image of post-war America as superficial, image-obsessed and unconcerned with any real depth or subtlety. However the means of production meant that artists were reaping the benefits of this culture. Instead of labouring over an oil painting for months, artists now could print a simple image hundreds of times – money could be made for every print sold, and also galleries would now accept paying high prices for a piece of work that had taken very little time to complete. It was as though artists were portraying Americans as ignorant and lazy, but celebrating and taking advantage of just that. References Alloway, Lawrence (1974) American Pop Art, New York: Collier. Lippard, Lucy (1966) Pop Art, London:Thames Hudson Museum Ludwig Cologne (1996) 20th Century Art, Taschen. http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/popculture/PfourT.html

Personal Experience Of Social Cognitive Theory

Personal Experience Of Social Cognitive Theory The social cognitive theory refers to a psychological model of behavior that emerged primarily from the work of Albert Bandura. In todays psychological science, people are viewed as biological, psychological, and social organisms which entail thoughts, emotions, behaviors and social factors (Meyer, 1996). The social cognitive theory is a learning theory based on the idea that people learn by watching what others do and that thought processes are central to understanding personalities (. Since a fair amount of learned behavior that influenced our development, displayed in the environment in which one grew up, and as individuals, thoughts and feelings were just as important in determining moral development. Three main factors influencing our development is by observing others, with the environment, behavior, and cognition all as the main factors in influencing our development. These three factors dont stay the same or independent; rather, they are all reciprocal. We learn many of our b ehaviors by observing others and modeling our behavior after theirs (thats the social part). What we think about our situations affects our behavior (thats the cognitive part). One the environment refers to the factors that can affect a persons behavior. There are two types environment the social and physical environment. The social environment includes family members, friends and colleagues. The physical environment could be a room, the climate, the availability of certain foods, or the landscape, just to name a few. These factors play a part in affecting our behavior. Situations refer to the cognitive or mental representation of the environment that may affect a persons behavior. The situation is a person, perception of the time, activities or physical features. The cognitive part also deals with moral competence of an individual which is defined as the growth of cognitive sensory processes. Simply put, it is being aware of what is considered right or wrong. Behavior and people are constantly influencing each other. Behavior is not simply the result of the environment, just as the environment is not simply the result of the behavior. But the environment does provide models for behavior. Modeling sample in observational learning is when a person watches the actions of another person and imitates that action. The social cognitive theory is that we tend to model or copy what we observe. The situations we find ourselves in is processed and shaped in our minds. What the social cognitive theory focuses on how we and our environment interact. MEANINGFUL DEFINING MOMENT My defining moment was one of great significance to me. I believe that moment saved my life, because if I would have continued down the road I was going, I wouldnt be here to write this paper today. I really thank God for that defining moment day of when I decided to follow Christ and how he delivered me from alcoholism. I really I dont remember the exact date when my journey began with Christ. I had a lot of problems in my life: drinking problems, social problems, marriage problems, and many more. They didnt fall off right then and there when I accepted Christ, but they all would gradually fall off as I continued to follow Him. Being around the people in the church put me in a different environment that I started to model. The old environment was not a good one for me because the people there were getting high and drinking. But soon I was able to stand my ground even in that environment. Like I said before the corrupt things in my life started to fall off, things started getting bet ter and my wife and I started serving together in the church. We started taking our children to church every Sunday and through the week as a family. There were still some other things that needed to fall off, like the alcoholism, which still had its evil grip on me, even as I worked and served in the church. A few other corrupt things still had their paws in me too, but I stayed around the church, and kept going because I knew there was hope there in God for me. My children, my wife and I kept going to the church and growing closer together. I believe, no, I know thats what kept us together. The word of God taught me how to love and appreciate life, and the things that I had in life like my wife family and other close friends. I learned how appreciate whatever I had at the time as a blessing from God, because the church taught me that there were some less fortunate than my family and I. I had a roof over my head and there were some people who didnt even have that, those who were ho meless. Now to get back to the struggles that I had while still in the church. I began to feel that something was wrong with me and that everyone else seemed to have their life together in God with no problems. Others seemed victorious in their Christian walk and perfect. But I still had negative thoughts attacking my mind compared to the perfect people. My wife began singing in the church before I started playing the guitar there. I thought that since she had been raised in church and because her parents were pastors, that she had an edge over me with the church thing. Although that wasnt the case, I still had my problems to process. This went on for a while like a few years, but I still battled with my alcoholism and did seek help. I dont really remember how many rehabs I entered, but I know it was more than two probably three or four, but I really dont remember. My issues with rehabs were because I felt they were the same as alcoholism, bondage, but just a different type, one to meetings. They were telling me that I would have to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for the rest of my life. One of the last rehabs I attended asked this question: Do you know anyone that has made it without attending AA meetings or any other, drug-related meeting? He said it was possible, but very rare like only two out of every two thousand individuals. That scared me, but I stated that I would just have to be one of the two. So one evening while we were attending church service, a prayer line began and I went and asked for prayer for my alcoholism. The lady that prayed for me used to have a problem with alcohol and drinking. As she laid her hands on me and prayed for God to deliver me from the grip of alcoholism, my response to her was that I was scared and had been fighting this thing a long time. I also said that I didnt want to take another drink. She responded that everything would be all right and that God would take care of it, so not to worry because it was gone. That very same ni ght I went to buy a drink, and when I reached to pay for it, I got very sick at counter of liquor store. Afterwards, I went home and got in the bed, but was still feeling sick and very weak. I went to the bathroom and passed out. My wife convinced me to go to the hospital because I was literally bleeding from every opening, from my nose, mouth, and other places. That night at the emergency room, I remembered lying there, waiting for them to care for me and the doctors checking on me through the night asking me several questions. Finally, the next day, like five oclock in the morning they scheduled many tests. The doctor explained that he had to look inside, so he took a long tube with a camera, started down my throat and looked around and around but couldnt find anything wrong with me. I asked where the bleeding came from, but he said he didnt see anything. They asked me if I did drugs or drank to get high, and I responded yes. The doctor again said to me, I dont see anything that c ould be causing you to bleed internally. So when they discharged me, they gave me instructions not to get high or drink anymore. Why did they give me these instructions? I dont know to this day forward, but after receiving them, I never got high or took another drink. Now that one major problem that I had was eliminated, I could go forward in the things of God. Remember what I said I thought something was wrong with me. My thinking was that I had to be perfect. I soon learned that the people who were around me in that environment werent so perfect after all. I learned that God doesnt expect us to be perfect, but wants us to be willing to do right things. Afterwards, my mindset changed and I realized that I didnt have to be perfect, and I celebrated deliverance from alcoholism. I gladly played the guitar with my wife during church services, taught Sunday school, and participated in a number of other things. Theres much more to this story, but I cant share all the details, because it would take longer than I have to tell it. LIFE LESSONS LEARNED The social cognitive theory speaks about observation and modeling. Theres one part in my defining moment paper that shows an example that I would like to further clarify. Being around the people in the church put me in a different environment that I started to model. There were some things they were doing in the church that I liked, and respected. Its called observational learning when a person watches the action of another person and imitates it and learns from that observation making it a part of their behavior. There were also some cognition things going on. Like the part I wrote in my paper about how I felt that something was wrong with me. Even though it was not true, in my mind it was. I wrote that I began to feel that something was wrong with me and that everyone else seemed to have their life together in God with no problems. But having those thoughts and feelings affected my behavior toward others, which was another cognitive and behavioral factor. The main cognition was the moral thoughts. My thought processes were that I needed help. Staying at the church was good for the environmental setting of the church played a part to impact my thinking. Moral performance of the people in the church was influenced by possible rewards and incentives to act a certain way. Another cognitive process was that the people seem to have a peace of mind and that was one of my incentives. The conclusion is that people do have the ability to influence their own behavior and the environment in a purposeful, goal-directed fashion. The focus of the social cognitive theory is how we and our environment interact.

Policy issues - Geographic Information :: science

Policy issues - Geographic Information Policy issues and availability of Geographic Information Geographical Information is a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing things that exist and events that happen on earth. The major components of a GI are: a user interface; system/database management capabilities; database creation/data entry capacity; spatial data manipulation and analysis packages; and display/product generation functions. GIS technology integrates, via the Internet, common database operations such as query and statistical analysis with the unique visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps. These abilities distinguish GIS from other information systems and make it valuable to a wide range of public and private enterprises for explaining events, predicting outcomes, and planning strategies Public Sector:- Defense: The rapid development of technology has led to advancements that have had a direct impact on the improvement of our military. Weapons have become more effective and the use of satellite imagery has helped reduce the amount of lives lost during conventional warfare Banking and insurance Companies: GI technology provides financial users with insight about their customer's purchasing habits, financial behavior, and needs for additional products or services. As a result, banks are able to target their best prospects and not misdirect marketing and advertising resources. Power (Electricity Sector): GI can effectively manage information on the distribution of electricity to customers and information describing the attributes of each customer such as location and electricity use. It makes information easily updatable and accurate and hence can cater to the needs of maintaining large power infrastructure Police: In today’s world when there is so much crime all around and police forces need to be very efficient, GI help police department to plan and keep an eye on the crime & criminals. It helps to manage, number of Police Personnel required, starting point for each team / person while on patrolling, direction and length of path for each team. Telecom: GI systems within Telecom utilities can provide facilities for fault tracking, customer care, Planning and efficient management of a large distributive network and more importantly provide a framework for better integration and analysis of relevant facility information derived from several sources in graphics environment. Commercial Sector: Retail market and Distribution: It provides real world picture like which areas of the city are more than 2 km from any shop selling my products? How many households does a particular shop serve? What is average household income in the areas that this shop serves? What route should my distribution trucks take to minimize delivery cost and time? Policy issues - Geographic Information :: science Policy issues - Geographic Information Policy issues and availability of Geographic Information Geographical Information is a computer-based tool for mapping and analyzing things that exist and events that happen on earth. The major components of a GI are: a user interface; system/database management capabilities; database creation/data entry capacity; spatial data manipulation and analysis packages; and display/product generation functions. GIS technology integrates, via the Internet, common database operations such as query and statistical analysis with the unique visualization and geographic analysis benefits offered by maps. These abilities distinguish GIS from other information systems and make it valuable to a wide range of public and private enterprises for explaining events, predicting outcomes, and planning strategies Public Sector:- Defense: The rapid development of technology has led to advancements that have had a direct impact on the improvement of our military. Weapons have become more effective and the use of satellite imagery has helped reduce the amount of lives lost during conventional warfare Banking and insurance Companies: GI technology provides financial users with insight about their customer's purchasing habits, financial behavior, and needs for additional products or services. As a result, banks are able to target their best prospects and not misdirect marketing and advertising resources. Power (Electricity Sector): GI can effectively manage information on the distribution of electricity to customers and information describing the attributes of each customer such as location and electricity use. It makes information easily updatable and accurate and hence can cater to the needs of maintaining large power infrastructure Police: In today’s world when there is so much crime all around and police forces need to be very efficient, GI help police department to plan and keep an eye on the crime & criminals. It helps to manage, number of Police Personnel required, starting point for each team / person while on patrolling, direction and length of path for each team. Telecom: GI systems within Telecom utilities can provide facilities for fault tracking, customer care, Planning and efficient management of a large distributive network and more importantly provide a framework for better integration and analysis of relevant facility information derived from several sources in graphics environment. Commercial Sector: Retail market and Distribution: It provides real world picture like which areas of the city are more than 2 km from any shop selling my products? How many households does a particular shop serve? What is average household income in the areas that this shop serves? What route should my distribution trucks take to minimize delivery cost and time?

The Exploitation Of Children In Television Advertising Essay -- TV Med

The Exploitation Of Children In Television Advertisements Across America in homes, schools, and businesses, sits advertisers' mass marketing tool, the television, usurping freedoms from children and their parents and changing American culture. Virtually an entire nation has surrendered itself wholesale to a medium for selling. Advertisers, within the constraints of the law, use their thirty-second commercials to target America's youth to be the decision-makers, convincing their parents to buy the advertised toys, foods, drinks, clothes, and other products. Inherent in this targeting, especially of the very young, are the advertisers; fostering the youth's loyalty to brands, creating among the children a loss of individuality and self-sufficiency, denying them the ability to explore and create but instead often encouraging poor health habits. The children demanding advertiser's products are influencing economic hardships in many families today. These children, targeted by advertisers, are so vulnerable to trickery, are so mentally and emotio nally unable to understand reality because they lack the cognitive reasoning skills needed to be skeptical of advertisements. Children spend thousands of hours captivated by various advertising tactics and do not understand their subtleties. Though advertisers in America's free enterprise system are regulated because of societal pressures, they also are protected in their rights under freedom of expression to unfairly target America's youth in order to sell to their parents, regardless of the very young's inability to recognize the art of persuasion. In the free enterprise system, the advertiser's role is to persuade consumers to buy their products/services. They are given a product/service and are required to use their best creative effort to make this product desirable to the intended audience (Krugman 37). Because of this calculated and what many deem as manipulative way of enticing the target audience, the advertising industry is charged with several ethical breeches, which focus on a lack of societal responsibility (Treise 59). Child Advocacy groups and concerned parents, among others, question the ethicality of advertising claims and appeals that are directed towards vulnerable groups in particular, children (Bush 31). The fundamental criticism is that children are an unfair market. The Federal ... ...ng? 80% answered Yes 10% answered No 10% had no opinion Works Cited Brady, Diane. "The Power of Cowabunga." Maclean's Dec. 199250. Bush, Alan J., and Victoria Davis Bush. "The Narrative Paradigm as a Perspective For Improving Ethical Evaluations of Advertisements." Journal of Advertising 23.3 (1994)31-41. Carlson-Paige, Nancy and Diane E. Lerin. "Saturday Morning Pushers." Utne Reader Jan. 199268-70. Collins, Claire. "Fighting the Holiday Ad Blitz." The New York Times Nov. 19943-4. Guber, Selina S. and Jon Berry. Marketing to and through kids New York Mcgraw-Hill, 1993. Hernandez, Debra Gersh. "Unfair advertising defined for FTC." Editor and Publishing Oct. 199434. Kotz, Krista. "Food Advertisements during Children's Saturday Morning Television Programming: Are they consistent with dietary recommendations?" Journal of the American Dietetic Association 94.11 (1994)1296-1300. Krugman, and others. Advertising: It's Role in Modern Marketing. Fort WorthThe Dryden Press, 1994. Kunkel, Dale and Donald Roberts. "Young Minds and Marketplace Values: Issues in Children's Television Advertising." Journal of Social Issues 47.1(199

Global Communications Essay

While thanking you for the opportunity provided to research on Toyota company, there are several issues that neither be possible explained in detail in this letter nor directly in conversation. It is an agreeable fact that, Toyota is marginally successful in these global trade times in spite of stiff competition. A great strength of the company exists in its innovative and exchange of technology. There are several internal problems for the company in production process, workforce and even in marketing of cars. Toyota company is a middle class and commercial automobile company, which is meeting a great requirement of migrant workers and small businesses which are developing each new day especially in U. S, which is being cashed in by Toyota company. However there are major concerns of global crude oil price which has reached $100. 00 per barrel and a concern of global warming and emission of greenhouse gases, CO2, vehicle pollution are some of the major threats that Toyota has to work with in order to sustain in the market. Enclosing herewith a synopsis for your perusal and information. Sincerely, Paulbright Synopsis on Toyota Toyota company is a multinational company in manufacture of automobiles. There are millions of customers who are using Toyota cars on a daily basis for office going and for other commercial purposes. Especially in U. S. Toyota cars are extremely in use and even in the recent years, Toyota company has posted a rapid growth by its successful brand Prius Hybrid vehicle. Many experts in automobiles are of the opinion that Toyota has established â€Å"green image† in automobile market. Toyota company mark as a monopoly did not leave the company without problems in spite of its remarkable success. The problems are in various measures such as internal and external which the company’s management has to deal with. Although Toyota company is performing fairly well as compared with competitors there are problems of defective engines, designs and production problems which reflect in fall of sales. Particularly with regard to safety defects in Toyota vehicles is of a major concern to the company. Toyota company has a great experience in adoption of new technologies, innovation of technology and exchange of technology. However, with the emerge of globalisation, there is a stiff competition in the market, which brings in new kind of marketing problems, employment problems and other management problems to the company, whereas it is an agreeable fact that when there are problems, solution exists within the problem whether it is in production, workforce or marketing and these require proper identification of sources of problem, analysis and strategies to counter-attack the problem in order to keep the growth of the company. Especially with global fuel price rise in oil market, bringing a new major concern to Toyota company, which discourages customers to purchase petrol or diesel driven automobiles with the fact that fuel filling is quite expensive. Therefore Toyota company has launched Toyota FCHW which runs with Hydrogen have also entered consumer market as substitute vehicles for petrol and diesel. These hydrogen vehicles also help in less emission of CO2 into the atmosphere. In spite of the acute measure of problems, Toyota company has been endeavoring constantly pursuing comfort with technology aid and in introducing more outperforming and outstanding vehicles into the cars market. Running head: GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS 202, Chenoy Avenue St. Joseph’s street Las Vegas – 232 001 (xxx) (xxx xxx) paulbright@yahoo. com February 3, 2008 Mr. Noel Park Automobile Consultant 222, Business Trade center California – 452 005 Dear Mr. Park, Thanks indeed for the good opportunity to research on General Motors. It was a knowledgeable experience in finding some key facts about the company. General Motors is truly facing a halted position in U. S market and is doing very well outside U. S. However, retaining a proportionate share of domestic market is considered to be good at all times with the fact that â€Å"one does not lose battle on one’s own ground† . Have stated some of the alternative measures of strategies General Motors has to undertake with immediate effect and mode of change in operational methods. Enclosing herewith synopsis of General Motors for your perusal and for further necessary action. Sincerely, Paulbright Synopsis on General Motors Another multinational company General Motors with huge and massive successful track of business for several decades, has come to a stage of halt in U. S market as its competitors Toyota, Honda,Hyundai and Nissan have built a proportionate consumer market in U. S. It is an acceptable fact that, General Motors brands of cars are extremely of efficient functioning and due to changing times of global trade entering domestic market, GM has lost sales in an uneven field. This gives out another fact that losing U. S market does not mean that GM has lost consumer market in other countries viz. , Canada, Europe, Asia and many other parts of the world. GM luxury cars Chevrolet, Saturn, Pontiac, GMC, Saab, Hummer and several other models of car have to be made available in market with super special features of advanced technology with cost effective pricing. As a matter of fact, although middle class consumer market is extensive and wide, luxury cars have always retained a unique identity in the market such as in Benz cars, BMW and Lexus. In other words, General Motors must work on innovative manufacturing and marketing strategies in order to maintain its yester years reputation and to keep the sale of cars in high numbers even in losing ground of U. S. market. GM must also work to evolve new methods of marketing to prevent loss of consumer market in North America with the fact that North America has a huge market even if it is for luxury cars. Therefore, General Motors while pursuing other export market, a part of its concentration must also be ventured in North America consumer market. With an apparent fact of severe battle with competitors, General Motors has also been confronted with workforce problems by cutting 30,000 jobs and closure of a dozen plants due to company’s record of loss which posted nearly to $4 billion in 2005. â€Å"GM sought to destroy small dealers through their so-called secret Project 2000, which GM defined as the systematic elimination of small dealerships by the year 2000, and was designed to consolidate car sales at large auto malls,† (Horvath). Running head: GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS 202, Chenoy Avenue St. Joseph’s street Las Vegas – 232 001 (xxx) (xxx xxx) paulbright@yahoo. com February 3, 2008 Mr. Noel Park Automobile Consultant 222, Business Trade center California – 452 005 Dear Mr. Park, With regard to the synopsis of Toyota and General Motors, the following are some of the key findings. (a) The scenario of Toyota and General Motors is fair and competitive. Both the companies have internal, external and operational method problems. General Motors is partly facing a financial crunch due to its fall in sales and this can be prevented on undertaking of new marketing strategies in U. S as well in other parts of the world where GM branded cars are mostly in want. (b) Problems of production, workforce, management are plenty in Toyota whereas General Motors has slashed jobs and have closed plants in many countries as a precautionary measure. It can always be presumed that these plants would be restored to production as and when the company regains its market. (c) No company can meet every demand of a customer whereas every model of car has a particular design and technicality and with this fact, it can be concluded that branded cars always retain its reputation even though new entries are available in the market at low cost. The trend in market is never constant and it keeps changing and General Motors has an opportunity to watch this trend of consumer market and must restore its marketing strategies. References Michael Kowalski (2007), Rapid Growth has lead to problems for Toyota Accessed February 3, 2008 http://www. glgroup. com/News/Rapid-Growth-has-lead-to-problems-for-Toyota-18827. html Should President Bush be focused on moving forward with Hydrogen? Accessed February 3, 2008 http://hydrogendiscoveries. wordpress. com/ Books Cornelius Herstatt (2005) Management of Technology And Innovation in Japan Accessed February 3, 2008 http://books. google. com/books? id=KC7zgDeAnc8C&pg=PR22&lpg=PR19&dq=toyota+company+problems+and+solutions&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&sig=7ATxnpTUENdyS6Dd22CkmAh24ko General Motors GM: Solutions for effective change Accessed February 3, 2008 http://ezinearticles. com/? GM:-Solutions-For-Effective-Change&id=152642 General Motors problems are no secret, but few know why they exist: Insider provides answer in New Book ‘Project 2000’

Barriers to Critical Thinking Essay

Identify 3 barriers that influence your critical thinking and write at least 100 words for each, describing how you can overcome them. Barrier 1: The first barrier that influences my critical thinking is reliance on main stream television, newspapers, and other media for information. I feel this is a barrier many people have, especially in today’s society where it is very easy to upload something to the internet or how easy it is to edit information found on the internet. I am an avid user of google, however I have an issue with differentiating between what is actually true and not true in what I read. Some people believe everything they read on the internet is true, therefore being a barrier, and that is clearly not the case. In order to avoid this ignorance and to overcome this barrier we need to do our own research, check the reliability of our sources, and to use more sources than just one, i.e. internet, different websites, news stations, and newspapers, not solely rely on just one source. Barrier 2: The second barrier that influences my critical thinking is lack of relevant background information or ignorance. Without enough information it is hard to be a critical thinker, have thoughts on the matter, or base your opinion. With a lack of information you do not have the whole story, therefore having a gap in your critical thinking. An example of how lack of information could be a barrier is: you got into an argument with your sibling, your sibling told you parents their side, and without even hearing your side they had their decision made about what happened and the punishment. I feel that would prevent them from being able to critically think about it due to having a lack of background information, they only had one side of the story. To overcome this we can try to not rely only on the first thing you hear and to do our research and ask questions when needed to gather more information.