Upwardly Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Upwardly - Essay Example For instance, the people of Muruguru village have been for a long time suffered because of impassable roads; thus difficult to reach customers in the market easily. However, the introduction of the mobile phone use has significantly changed their lifestyles because they are nowadays able to reach their customers in the market easily; thus improving their business activities. Ewing (380) argues that the mobile phone use can dramatically improve the living standards through saving time on wasted trips, offering information about prices of the products and even conducting banking services. It also affects the living standards of people through changing the developing markets faster. There are many millions of mobile subscribers across the globe and the effect of mobile use is more dramatic than in Africa, where mobile technology represents the modern infrastructure (Ewing 380). The increasing research evidence reveals that access to communications boost the income levels and makes the local economies efficient; thus improving the standards of living (Ewing (381). The mobile phone use has also fueled the growth of financial services in the global market. This is because many subscribers have nowadays started using mobile money transfer services. Hence, the mobile phones have extended the financial services to billions of poor citizens, who do not have acces s to the bank (Ewing (381). For instance, the M-Pesa services in Kenya, that was launched by Safaricom Company has enabled many clients to make money transfer effectively; thus contributing to economic growth. However, the mobile phone use in Africa differs from that of the U.S and Europe because it is widely used in developing nations for money transfer more than in the developed nations. This has encouraged many investors from developed nations to invest in poor nations. The local operators operating communal phone services for money transferring business

Explaining the role of effective communication Essay Example for Free

Explaining the role of effective communication Essay There are wide ranges of ways that communication can take place for example one to one conversations, group conversations. This can either be informal or formal depending on the individual’s outcome. An example of effective communication that can take place in a health and social care setting is a hospital, for example a nurse and her colleague are talking about how much they enjoy their jobs, and this is a form of effective communication. One- To –One communication – A one to one happens when a person speaks to a individual, or writes to the individual to form effective communication. In a one to one communication, it is always effective as both of the people in the one to one work together effectively and interacts well, as both individuals are relaxed and are listening to each other, in a result the communication works effectively and both parties leave with a resolved matter and everything is positive. One to one communication can be formal or informal. An formal one to one communication can take place in a GP, where the patient is discussing their personal problem with the Doctor and the doctor is helping the individual out with their problem, this is part of effective communication as the one to one interacting is working effectively. An informal one to one communication, can take place in a health and social care setting, where two colleagues are on their lunch break and are discussing about how their day has gone so far and etc. , this is a part of effective communication as both parties are interacting effectively. Group communication In a group communication, there is often more going on as it is a wide range of people within the group. During the group communication, each individual will try and get their points and ideas across to the people within the group and the rest will listen and be considerate towards the person speaking. That is a way of effective group communication, as the interacting between the group is working well and effectively. A group communication can be a great benefit, as it’s easier to make decisions and problem solving a ituation as you have various people giving different views and feedback to a matter, and that’s a great way of effective communication. A group communication can include multi- professional working, multi-agency, which happens with professionals and people using services. A multi-professional working involves numerous professionals working together in order to meet the needs of an individual. This will include doctor, police, and social worker to meet the needs of a young adult in a bad situation. Multi-agency is when different organisations work together effectively to the best possible service to families, children and young people. Formal communication Formal communication is a form of communication used by professional to communicate with clients and individuals. This form of communication is important because it shows the professional is showing professionalism within the work their doing to deliver the best possible care for the individual as well as the communication working effectively. An example of formal communication can be, ‘ good morning Sir/Mrs, this shows respect towards the individual. It is important not to use jargon or slang whilst communication formally, because you will come across as you’re not serious about your work, and also the client my not be pleased, also jargon can be a barrier because it can affect the communication between the client and professional due to not understand the technical words. Informal communication Informal communication is a casual exchange or letter that doesnt follow to all of the rules of formal communication. Its like saying hey instead of hello and also writing to your friend and talking about personal things. These are things youd never do in a business environment because it can be considered as formal communication. Informal communication is good way of communication as it can make a individual more relaxed and effective as it’s more easier and complex for the person to interact, as they don’t have to worry about being proper and correct. Interpersonal interaction Interpersonal interaction is how people relate towards each other in a verbal nteraction or non-verbal interaction. Verbal interactions include speech, tone of somebody’s voice, listening and language. Non-verbal interactions include a person’s body language and the way they express it for example their posture, facial expression and their proximity. Interpersonal communication can take place in a health and social care setting, for example: at a care home, there is a new career and she does not s peak English properly, so therefore it is hard for her to interact with the residents, which makes this is a language barrier. P2 – Argyle’s Theory of the Communication Cycle Michael Argyle is a social psychologist who developed theories about interpersonal interaction and human communication. He carried out experimental theories of non-verbal and verbal communication to develop and test he’s theoretical ideas. He has a communication cycle which explains and predicts how communication can occur in a one to one situation. 1. An idea occurs. A resident wants to go to the library and is trying to convince her carer. 2. Message coded. She talks to her carer about the books she used to read and how much she misses reading them. 3. Message sent. The carer says to the resident, ‘what was your favourite book’ this shows the message is sent and the carer understands what the resident is talking about. 4. Message received. Now the carer know what the resident’s favourite book is the resident is happy and is smiling. 5. Message decoded. Then the carer says to her resident would you like me to take you to the library so we can have a look if they have your favourite book and other books your interested in? 6. Message understood. Here the resident is happy and so is the carer because now they both understand each and the communication between the two has worked effectively. Bruce Tuckman defined a model of group development based around numerous stages, sequences or group activity. Tuckman suggested that these stages should happen in order for effective communication to occur in the groups interaction as well as the four stages being completely different. Forming – it is the start of the year and new infants have started the nursery, they tend to be shy and well reserved as they are not used to each other. Storming – as they start to settle in for about a month, they because more comfortable and relaxed with each other, in some cases this might not happen, someone would want to be dominant out of the bunch and this may cause conflict between the infants. Norming – in this stage everyone had built a strong bond between each other, and is working together well. Performing – in this final result the infants become mature and tend to realise that working together effectively can be a positive thing. M1 – Assess the role of effective communication and interpersonal interaction in health and social care with reference to theories of communication. The roles of effective communication in a health and social care setting, is to ensure that if communication with a resident, you must make sure to talk clearly and slowly, face to face make sure the person understands you and you’ve got your message across in the right way, in order for the communication to work effectively. The types of reference to communication are sign language, makaton and braille. These are part of effective communication as they are used by people with a hearing or blind impairment and leaning difficulties in order for them to communicate with others around them. Effective communication is a two-way process in which a person tries to understand the viewpoint of the other person. Communication is a cycle because when two people communicate they will need to make sure that they got their ideas across towards each other and they are understood. There are also barriers that can occur in a communication due the individual’s circumstance, for example: a person using slang, jargon o complex technical terminology can be heard, but their message may not be understood. Scenario I’m going to give a scenario between doctor and a patient, showing communication working effectively. Nurse : did you rest well last night Mrs Jones? Patient: yes I did nurse, I’m feeling slight better. Nurse: that’s a great improvement then, I’m glad you are. Patient: thank you very much nurse. Nurse: I am always here to help my dear. This is a very good way of effective communication, as the nurse and patient are interacting well and both parties are happy as they have understood each other. References (http://www. businessdictionary. com/definition/informal-communication. html) (http://wiki. answers. com/Q/What_is_formal_communication_in_business_organization)

My American Dream :: American Dream Essays

It seems that so often the subject of economic standing and wealth, are said synonymously with the phrase "The American Dream". It seems that it takes money to be happy and economic stature to be accepted; however, many people who fall into this trap out of ignorance will never achieve "The American Dream" they strive towards. The clichà ©, "In America, you can be whatever you want," always brings a smirk to my face. I am not a cynical person, but this just isn't true. If I decided I wanted to be the star of the next Academy Award winning hit, no matter how much I "want" it, it is not guaranteed to happen. In defense, many people will argue that one shouldn't take the remark so literally, that it just means that the avenue's and highways to success exist, it is the person's choice weather they take them or not; unfortunately, that is not the case. In the Great Gatsby Nick Carroway explains his love as, â€Å"†¦it was full of money-that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbal’s song of it†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (127) Hundred's of people start off with the Idea of becoming someone, and as their life progresses, they must completely adapt to a change of pace and ideas. How many people have gone out, and achieved the correct degrees, met the right people, been hired at the perfect job-only to be let go for a reason they could not have controlled. This is the Idea that I discussed on the first day of class. The idea of the Mesa being like the American dream, â€Å"You climb and climb, only to reach a plateau, that you will eventually fall over the other side of.†(first day notes) To me the "American Dream" is not just a dollar sign, or desk nametag, but the ability to walk into a room or a home, and know that your presence is welcomed and looked forward to. The dream is realizing that in America, we have the resources to make an honest difference. Unfortunately there was no reading that really embodied my version of the American dream. The closest book that came to it was, Their Eyes Were Watching God, because Janie did eventually realize that their was so much more to life than money, status, and material things.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

Existential consumption and irrational desire Richard Elliott University of Oxford, Oxford, UK If marketing is truly the â€Å"ultimate social practice of postmodern consumer culture† (Firat, 1993) then it carries the heavy burden of â€Å"determining the conditions and meanings of life for the future† (Firat and Venkatesh, 1993). Certainly, social theory is now focusing on consumption as playing a central role in the way the social world is constructed, and it can be argued that marketing is too important just to be left to marketers as it plays a â€Å"key role in giving meaning to life through consumption† (van Raaij, 1993).Marketing has been criticized from within as being a â€Å"technique† without moral regard for the consequences of its actions, and there is no shortage of critics of its most public face: advertising. This paper aims at identifying some of the issues raised by postmodern and poststructuralist accounts of consumption. In particular, it is argued that consumption can be conceptualized from cultural, social and psychological perspectives as being a prime site for the negotiation of conflicting themes of freedom and control.It is proposed here that in postmodernity the consumption of symbolic meaning, particularly through the use of advertising as a cultural commodity, provides the individual with the opportunity to construct, maintain and communicate identity and social meanings. This use of consumption as a resource for meaning creation and social transactions is a process that involves the making of choices that are sufficiently important to be considered as existential.This is not an attempt at rehabilitating the practice of marketing, but is intended to demonstrate that the consumer is far from being a passive victim but is an active agent in the construction of meaning. In part this can be seen as a response to Olander’s call for â€Å"consumer research for the consumer’s sake† (Olander, 1993), but also as providing theoretical underpinning for concepts such as â€Å"advertising literacy† (Ritson and Elliott, 1995a) which attempt to build new socially located and meaning-based-models of advertising.Exploring some consumption dialectics As a heuristic device to help unpack some of the complexity of the consumption experience, five dialectics will be explored and their (sometimes polar) tensions used as analytical frames for reviewing competing discourses on the meanings of consumption: My thanks to Geoff Easton and Rolland Munro for discussions which improved the ideas in this paper, some of which have been explored in Elliott and Ritson (1995). Existential consumption and irrational desire 285 European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 1 No. 3/4, 1997, pp. 285-296.  © MCB University Press, 0309-0566 European Journal of Marketing 31,3/4 286 (1) the material versus the symbolic; (2) the social versus the self; (3) desire versus satisfaction; (4) rationality versus irrationality; and (5) creativity versus constraint. It is acknowledged that binary oppositions are essentially structuralist and thus in danger of betraying the complexity of the poststructuralist accounts they are being used to elucidate here, and that they are inevitably reductionist.However, postmodernism is riven with contradictions, even Baudrillard’s account of postmodernity is itself a totalizing â€Å"meta-narrative† (Hebdige, 1989), so we must learn to participate in the â€Å"tolerance of incompatible alternatives† (Lyotard, 1984) and â€Å"the juxtaposition of opposites and contradictions† (Foster, 1983) called for by postmodern theorists in the hope that it can develop our understanding(s) of the meaning(s) of these complex ideas.As a heuristic device, these bipolar oppositions should not be read as posited structures but merely as aids to coming to grips with the sometimes mind-numbing interrelations between what are often incommensurable co ncepts. The binary opposition is false and should, of course, be allowed to â€Å"melt into air† (Berman, 1983). The material versus the symbolic As soon as a product’s ability to satisfy mere physical need is transcended, then we enter the realm of the symbolic and it is symbolic meaning that is used in the search for the meaning of existence (Fromm, 1976).Central to postmodern theories of consumption is the proposition that consumers no longer consume products for their material utilities but consume the symbolic meaning of those products as portrayed in their images; products in fact become commodity signs (Baudrillard, 1981). â€Å"The real consumer becomes a consumer of illusions† (Debord, 1977) and â€Å"the ad-dict buys images not things† (Taylor and Saarinen, 1994). This semiotic perspective of products as symbols raises difficult questions about the location of cultural meaning.The term symbol itself can relate to the product that carries meaning or to the meaning it carries, and the interpretation of meaning is a complex product of what is contained in the representation and what the individual brings to the representation (LeVine, 1984). Symbolism can be analysed semiotically by examination of the system of signs and what they signify. It has been realized, however, that this leads to an infinite regress as one sign leads to another without there ever being anything â€Å"real† outside the system.All meaning is socially constructed and there is no essential external reference point, so ultimately â€Å"There is nothing outside the text† (Derrida, 1977). To complicate matters further, symbolic interpretation is essentially non-rational improvisation that does not obey the codes of language but operates at the unconscious level (Sperber, 1975). A Jungian analysis goes even further and suggests that the full significance of a symbol cannot be Existential grasped in purely intellectual terms, if it becomes fully definable in rational consumption and terms it is no longer a true symbol (Storr, 1973). rrational desire But even for the sign-dependent human being things are never purely material nor purely meaningful, there is always a mediated relation between matter and meaning. This mediated process operates through the materiality 287 of language as a dynamic force in the transformation of an indeterminate range of human possibilities into a restricted moral economy of meaning, in which we are simultaneously authors of and authored by the language with which we try to communicate (Pfohl, 1992).This relationship is partly a function of the individual’s ability to understand and control the interaction between the material and the symbolic, and material objects themselves are always in transit and their meaning is likewise on a trajectory (Appadurai, 1986). The social versus the self The functions of the symbolic meanings of products operate in two directions, outward in constructing the social world – social-symbolism – and inward towards constructing our self-identity: self-symbolism (Elliott, 1995).Consumption of the symbolic meaning of products is a social process that helps make visible and stable the basic categories of a culture which are under constant change, and consumption choices â€Å"become a vital source of the culture of the moment† (Douglas and Isherwood, 1978). The meanings of consumer goods are grounded in their social context and the demand for goods derives more from their role in cultural practices rather than from the satisfaction of simple human needs (Douglas and Isherwood, 1978). Consumer goods, then, are more than just objects of economic exchange, â€Å"they are goods to think with, goods to speak with† (Fiske, 1989).Consumption as a cultural practice is one way of participating in social life and may be an important element in cementing social relationships, while the whole system of consumption is an unco nscious expression of the existing social structure through a seductive process which pushes the purchasing impulse until it reaches the â€Å"limits of economic potential† (Baudrillard, 1988). It is within this social context that the individual uses consumer goods and the consumption process as the materials with which to construct and maintain an identity, form relationships and frame psychological events (Lunt and Livingstone, 1992).The self-symbolic role of material goods is long established in social anthropology and the individual’s attachment to objects may be a culturally universal function which symbolizes security, expresses the self-concept and signifies connection to society (Wallendorf and Arnould, 1988). Consumer goods are not only used to construct our self-identity but are also used by others to make inferences about us that guide their behaviour towards us (Dittmar, 1992). But now in postmodernity we are able to use consumer products to become any of our â€Å"possible selves† (Markus and Nurius, 1986) inEuropean Journal of Marketing 31,3/4 288 which we utilize consumer goods to construct pastiches of others we have been exposed to via the media or more directly. â€Å"In cyberspace, I can change myself as easily as I change my clothes† (Taylor and Saarinen, 1994). But the choices as to which self to construct and present are attended by the possibility of social consequences which may be very negative for example, a failure of a young person to utilize symbolic capital in the form of knowledge of the appropriate meaning of advertising can lead to rejection by the peer group (O’Donohoe, 1994).Desire versus satisfaction The symbolic gratification promised by advertising manages to recode a commodity as a desirable psycho-ideological sign (Wernick, 1991), and the operation of advertising at the unconscious level is driven by the search for an imaginary self which motivates the individual with desire for cohere nce and meaning (Lacan, 1977).Advertising feeds the desire to achieve the unobtainable unity of the self with destabilized meanings (Featherstone, 1991), images which separate commodities from their original use and offer the possibility to reconstruct the self by purchasing the symbolic meaning of goods and constructing a â€Å"DIY self† (Bauman, 1991). For as Williamson (1978) points out, â€Å"The conscious chosen meaning in most people’s lives comes from what they consume†, and this is energized by the attachment of bodily desire to symbolic meaning where the inchoate needs of the pre-linguistic self are channelled into language.Central to Lacanian theory is the mirror-phase, where the child recognizes itself in a mirror and assumes an image through a transformation from the imaginary to the symbolic. The symbolic for Lacan is linked with absence, in that symbols represent a world of people and things that are not there. The â€Å"real† can only be ap proached through the symbolic medium of language, yet language itself contains the contradictions and fragmentations of gender, power and meaning (Kristeva, 1980).The symbolic focus of much promotional activity in postmodernity is desire, and for Lacan desire exists in the gap between language and the unconscious. â€Å"Desire does not desire satisfaction. To the contrary desire desires desire. The reason images are so desirable is that they never satisfy† (Taylor and Saarinen, 1994). Postmodern consumption is inextricably linked with aspects of sexuality, both conscious and unconscious, as it promises the satisfaction of previously taboo desires through imagery and representations (Mort, 1988).These desires are constructed through the symbolic linkage between consumption and the human body (Kellner, 1992), and operate in large part through the consumption imagery with which we are surrounded and which makes even mundane consumer actions, such as looking in shop windows, high ly significant in our psychic lives (Bocock, 1993). Thus meaning is created through a search for links between identity (the social) and the self and the pursuit of sexual satisfaction through consumption, both of which are doomed to failure.Rationality versus irrationality Existential This postmodern fragmentation of the experience of self has been termed the consumption and condition of â€Å"multiphrenia† by Gergen (1991), who points out that the new irrational desire opportunities for exercise of choice are almost unlimited and so bring with them a â€Å"vertigo of the valued† where the expansion of â€Å"wants† reduces our choice to â€Å"want not†, a multiplicity of competing values and beliefs which make â€Å"the very 289 idea of rational choice become meaningless†.The mass media, and advertising in particular, are responsible for an â€Å"expansion of inadequacy† which is encouraged by a barrage of new criteria for self-evaluation. Cushman (1990) argues that we are in an era of the â€Å"empty self† in which alienation and loss of community can be solved by the â€Å"lifestyle† solution in which the consumer constructs a â€Å"self † by purchasing and â€Å"ingesting† products featured in advertising, a behaviour which can be construed as, at best, of limited rationality.In the Lacanian perspective there is a stress on the individual subject as being fragmented and incoherent, and this leads to the framing of the consumer as simultaneously both rational and irrational, able to both consume and reject what is being consumed, to desire and yet consume without satisfaction (Nava, 1991). â€Å"Identity becomes infinitely plastic in a play of images that knows no end. Consistency is no longer a virtue but becomes a vice; integration is limitation† (Taylor and Saarinen, 1994).The consumption of meaning, even the meaning of supposedly unambiguous television soap operas, is always am bivalent and contradictory (Ang, 1985), and the modes of rationality which operate in the space between the unconscious world of the imaginary and the symbolic world of language are little understood as they are constrained by the â€Å"despotic signifying semiologies† which limit the possibilities for other forms of semiotic systems and other forms of rationality (Deleuze and Guattari, 1983).The conceptualization of other modes of (ir)rationality is paralleled by the recent development in social cognition of the theory of motivated choice, which emphasizes the role of emotion in decision processes (Forgas, 1992; Kunda, 1990). Motivated choice is where judgement is driven by an emotional desire to arrive at a particular conclusion, where biased information search and reasoning processes are used â€Å"to arrive at those conclusions they want to arrive at† (Kunda, 1990).From these perspectives, cool, rational, informationprocessing choice is at least uncommon, and may i n fact be very rare, for â€Å"the real, the really real, is irrational, that reason builds upon irrationalities† (de Unamuno, 1962). Creativity versus constraint The dialectic between freedom and control in the consumption domain is typified by the influence of advertising. The ability of consumers to resist the influence of advertising and thereby exercise freedom has been minimized by the Marxist analysis of its central role in the maintenance of capitalism (Leiss etEuropean Journal of Marketing 31,3/4 290 al. , 1990) which operates through the creation of â€Å"ideological hegemony† (Goldman, 1992). Marxists have also portrayed advertising as a â€Å"magic system† (Williams, 1980) of magical inducements and satisfactions which validates consumption, if only in fantasy, by association with social and personal meanings and thus transforms goods which had rational use-value into irrational symbols.This focus on the power of the symbolic is further developed by Williamson (1986) who argues that advertisements function at an unconscious level at which the consumer is unable to resist latent meaning transfer. More recent post-Marxist analyses have weakened their deterministic stance and recognized that â€Å"the meanings and uses of products cannot be entirely controlled† (Williamson, 1986).However, hegemony still exists, but now depends on affective gratifications provided by mass-mediated popular culture where â€Å"everyday life in amusement society proceeds within a dialectic of enfeeblement and empowerment† (Langman, 1992). From a post-structuralist perspective limited freedom is allowed to the individual through consumption choices: â€Å"for most members of contemporary society individual freedom, if available at all, comes in the form of consumer freedom† through which the individual must take responsibility to invent and consciously create a self-identity (Bauman, 1988).Through the â€Å"new existentialism† (Laermans, 1993) consumers can exercise the freedom to create new meanings for goods through their own idiosyncratic performance of everyday life (de Certeau, 1984). This freedom can be used for collective and individual resistance against the imposed meanings of the dominant cultural categories, particularly through the choice of style and the use of bricolage tactics (Fiske, 1987; Hebdige, 1979).A sustained argument for the active exercise of freedom through consumption is developed by Willis (1990), who characterizes the consumption choices of the young as the behaviour of â€Å"practical existentialists†. The young are seen as exercising choice through consumption-related symbolic creativity which operates via the concept of â€Å"grounded aesthetics†, a process which builds higher-level symbolic meaning structures from the mundane concrete experiences of everyday life.This allows the young a small creative space for making the received social world, to some ext ent, controllable by them. This process is very similar to the marginal â€Å"tactics† (de Certeau, 1984) by which the powerless make sense of consumption, and in relation to advertising would allow them some control over the meaning of a text, but not control over the agenda within which the text is constructed (Morley and Silverstone, 1990).This is a limited freedom where we â€Å"make our own spaces within the place of the other† (Fiske, 1989) but yet it is potentially liberating in that to escape from dominant meanings is to construct our own subjectivity (Condit, 1989), and can therefore be conceptualized as â€Å"authentic† existential choice, rejecting the â€Å"bad faith† of accepting the dominant consumption meanings as inevitable or unproblematic (Sartre, 1969). Advertisements can be seen as cultural products in their own right, and Existential young people consume them independently of the products and have a creative consumption and symbolic r elationship with them.Although Willis (1990) sees advertising as irrational desire manipulative to some extent, he emphasises the scope for individual choice and creativity in meaning and identity construction, as individuals use advertising images as personal and social resources. These are invested with specific 291 meanings anchored in everyday life, via the process of grounded aesthetics, which are then used to construct or maintain personal and social identities. These creative practices are particularly prevalent amongst young people of â€Å"Generation X† (O’Donohoe, 1994; Ritson and Elliott, 1995b).The construction of social identity through â€Å"styles of consumption† is referred to in terms of lifestyle membership of â€Å"neo-tribes† by Bauman (1990), where one may join the tribe by buying and displaying tribe-specific paraphernalia. The neo-tribe is informal, without authority and only requires acceptance of the obligation to take on the iden tity-symbols of the tribe. The consumer may thus exercise the freedom to choose social groupings through existential consumption.The exercise of choice through consumption now flows across national boundaries in a global cultural economy through the operation of advertising â€Å"mediascapes† which are image-centred strips of reality which offer the consumer a series of elements â€Å"out of which scripts can be formed of imagined lives, their own as well as those of others living in other places† (Appaduri, 1990). If aspects of advertising imagery can be appropriated at will by â€Å"practical existentialists† then they may, as Baudrillard (1983) suggests, â€Å"live everywhere already in an ‘aesthetic’ hallucination of reality†, in which the real and the simulated are indistinguishable.However, the extent to which, in a â€Å"mediacratic† age, advertising reflects reality or actually creates it is problematic. Are the â€Å"practica l existentialists† using advertising or is it really using them? Schudson (1984) suggests that advertising is â€Å"capitalist realist art† and that although it does not have a monopoly of the symbolic marketplace, different social groups are differentially vulnerable especially during transitional states of their lives. This form of art idealizes the consumer and portrays as normative, special moments of satisfaction.It â€Å"reminds us of beautiful moments in our own lives or it pictures magical moments we would like to experience† (Schudson, 1984). This suggests that young people in particular, who are at a transitional state in their lives, may be subject to excessive influence by â€Å"buying-in† to advertising’s depiction of a false reality. In contrast, young people may be exercising (limited) freedom in their use of advertising as a cultural commodity for â€Å"even as the market makes its profits, it supplies some of the materials for alte rnative or oppositional symbolic work† (Willis, 1990).This dichotomy between creativity and constraint (Moores, 1993) in the context of advertising is represented by the problematic of hegemony, which sets parameters on the freedom to construct meaning (Ang, 1990). Hegemony European Journal of Marketing 31,3/4 292 does not dominate from outside but is a â€Å"thick texture† which interlaces resistance and submission, opposition and complicity (Martin-Barbero, 1988) and which therefore poses difficult problems for ethnographic analysis to unpack.Structuration theory (Giddens, 1984) offers a solution to the dualism of structure versus agency, by positing that the â€Å"structural properties of social systems are both medium and outcome of the practices they recursively organise†. Thus the consumption of advertising can be both an active and creative practice yet is carried out within constraints imposed by material situation and ideological hegemony. Desire, irrati onality and choice Desire develops from physical need through a growing awareness of the existential choice between a desire to have and a desire to be, desire being defined by absence or lack of being (Sartre, 1969).Lacan’s identification of language as the symbolic order which develops from the pre-verbal imaginary order accompanied by increasing anxiety about the self has been reframed by Kristeva (1980) as the two orders of the semiotic and the symbolic. The imaginary/semiotic order is unconscious whilst the symbolic order is rational, but there is potential for â€Å"slippage† between the two orders of meaning, with a regression to the unconscious and irrational order of the imaginary where desire for the unattainable comfort of the perfect mother holds sway.The gap between the fantasy world of consumption day-dreams of perfect pleasure and the disappointments of reality is the basic motivation for Campbell’s (1987) â€Å"autonomous imaginative hedonismâ⠂¬  which results in limitless wants and a permanent state of frustration. The limited resources of the individual consumer must therefore require choices to be made, choices of which desire to feed and which to deny, which meanings to consume and which to reject or avoid. This vital act of consumer choice may not be to choose that which is most pleasing, but to reject that which is most distasteful.Bourdieu (1984) suggests tastes that â€Å"when they have to be justified, they are asserted purely negatively, by the refusal of other tastes†. We may define ourselves not by what we like, but by what we dislike, and it is strong negative emotional reactions to the consumption practices of others that may structure our social categories. This â€Å"refusal of tastes† seems to operate at the level of the imaginary/semiotic and be driven by pre-verbal inchoate emotion. While consumption may often operate at the level of the imaginary/semiotic or day-dream, it can also have â€Å"real† effects in facilitating the construction of self-identity (Falk, 1994).Phenomenological descriptions of the everyday consumer experiences of women (Thompson et al. , 1990) have surfaced a dominant theme of being in control/being out of control which reflected an anxiety about not buying in the â€Å"right† way, so that women felt guilty when they perceived themselves as not making rational purchase decisions. However, they nevertheless admitted to making purchases in a â€Å"dreamlike† way when they were â€Å"captivated† by a product. In this situation, to act in a self-perceived rrational fashion, to surrender to the symbolic, is itself an authentic existential Existential act of creating meaning through choice, the choice to be irrational. consumption and But to what extent is existential consumption the conscious exercise of irrational desire freedom through choice as idealized by existentialism? Certainly there are severe limits to the fr eedom contained in consumption choices due to individuals having unequal access to the necessary resources, so existential 293 consumption may only exist for some people in some societies.However, the lived experience described by consumers (Elliott and Ritson, 1995; Thompson et al. , 1990) conveys a strong sense of Sartre’s â€Å"engagement† even if not at the level of decisional seriousness discussed by Kierkegaard (Macquarrie, 1972). Marxists may dismiss an individual’s claim to be making conscious choices about consumption as â€Å"false consciousness† but this is to deny the â€Å"situated meaningfulness of everyday consumer experiences† (Thompson et al. , 1990). The freedom of practical existentialism is authentic, even if it is constrained by inequalities in the economic system and by ideological hegemony.The emotion-laden experiences of the consumer – irrational, incoherent and driven by unconscious desires; constrained by the market economy yet obtaining limited freedom through existential consumption and symbolic creativity; able to build a DIY self through consumption yet suffering an expansion of inadequacy through advertising – this constructs the subjectivity of the postmodern consumer with whom postmodern marketing (Brown, 1995) must deal. References Ang, I. (1985), Watching Dallas: Soap Opera and the Melodramatic Imagination, Methuen, London. Ang, I. 1990), â€Å"Culture and communication: toward an ethnographic critique of media consumption in the transnational media system†, European Journal of Communication, Vol. 5, pp. 239-60. Appadurai, A. (1986), The Social Life of Things: Commodities in Cultural Perspective, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Appadurai, A. (1990), â€Å"Disjuncture and difference in the global cultural economy†, Public Culture, Vol. 2 No. 1, pp. 1-24. Baudrillard, J. (1981), For a Critique of the Political Economy of the Sign, Telos Press, St Louis, MI. B audrillard, J. (1983), In the Shadow of the Silent Majorities, Semiotext, New York, NY.Baudrillard, J. (1988), â€Å"Consumer society†, in Poster, M. (Ed. ), Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings, Polity, Cambridge. Bauman, Z. (1988), Freedom, Open University Press, Milton Keynes. Bauman, Z. (1990), Thinking Sociologically, Blackwell, Oxford. Bauman, Z. (1991), Modernity and Ambivalence, Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY. Berman, B. (1983), All That Is Solid Melts into Air, Verso, London. Bocock, R. (1993), Consumption, Routledge, London. Bourdieu, P. (1984), Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgement of Taste, (trans. Nice, R. ), Routledge & Kegan Paul, London.Brown, S. (1995), Postmodern Marketing, Routledge, London. European Journal of Marketing 31,3/4 294 Campbell, C. (1987), The Romantic Ethic and the Spirit of Modern Consumerism, Blackwell, Oxford. Condit, C. (1989), â€Å"The rhetorical limits of polysemy†, Critical Studies in Mass Communication, No. 6, pp . 103-22. Cushman, P. (1990), â€Å"Why the self is empty: towards a historically situated psychology†, American Psychologist, Vol. 45 No. 5, pp. 599-611. de Certeau, M. (1984), The Practice of Everyday Life, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. de Unamuno, M. 1962), The Tragic Sense of Life, (trans. Crawford, J. ), Collins, London. Debord, G. (1977), Society of the Spectacle, Black and Red, Detroit, MI. Deleuze, G. and Guattari, F. (1983), Anti-Oedipus, University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, MN. Derrida, J. (1977), Of Grammatology, (trans.. Spivak, G. ), Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore, MD. Dittmar, H. (1992), The Social Psychology of Material Possessions: To Have is to Be, Harvester Wheatsheaf, Hemel Hempstead. Douglas, M. and Isherwood, B. (1978), The World of Goods: Towards an Anthropology of Consumption, Allen Lane, London. Elliott, R. 1995), â€Å"Consuming symbolic meaning: methodological implications†, European Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 2 . Elliott, R. and Ritson, M. (1995), â€Å"Practicing existential consumption: the lived meaning of sexuality in advertising†, Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 22, pp. 740-5. Falk, P. (1994), The Consuming Body, Sage, London. Featherstone, M. (1991), Consumer Culture and Postmodernism, Sage, London. Firat, A. F. (1993), â€Å"The consumer in postmodernity†, Advances in Consumer Research, No. 18, pp. 70-6. Firat, A. F. and Venkatesh, A. (1993), â€Å"Postmodernity: the age of marketing†, International Journal of Research in Marketing, No. 0, pp. 227-49. Fiske, J. (1987), Television Culture, Routledge, London. Fiske, J. (1989), Reading the Popular, Unwin Hyman, Boston, MA. Forgas, J. P. (1992), â€Å"Affect in social judgements and decisions: a multiprocess model†, Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, No. 25, pp. 227-78. Foster, H. (1983), â€Å"Postmodernism: a preface†, in Foster, H. (Ed. ), The Anti-Aesthetic: Essays on Postmodern Cultur e, Bay Press, Port Townsend, WA. Fromm, E. (1976), To Have or to Be, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London. Gergen, K. (1991), The Saturated Self: Dilemmas of Identity in Contemporary Life, Basic Book, New York, NY.Giddens, A. (1984), The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration, Polity Press, Cambridge. Goldman, R. (1992), Reading Ads Socially, Routledge, London. Hebdige, D. (1979), Subculture: The Meaning of Style, Methuen, London. Hebdige, D. (1989) â€Å"After the masses†, Marxism Today, January, pp. 48-52. Kellner, D. (1992), â€Å"Popular culture and the construction of postmodern identities†, in Lash, S. and Friedman, J. (Eds), Modernity and Identity, Blackwell, Oxford. Kristeva, J. (1980), Desire in Language, A Semiotic Approach to Literature and Art, Blackwell, Oxford.Kunda, Z. (1990), â€Å"The case for motivated reasoning†, Psychological Bulletin, No. 108, pp. 480-98. Lacan, J. (1977), Ecrits: A Selection, Tavistock, London. Laermans, R. (1993), â€Å"Bringing the consumer back in†, Theory, Culture & Society, No. 10, pp. 153-61. Langman, L. (1992), â€Å"Neon cages: shopping for subjectivity†, in Shields, R. (Ed. ), Lifestyle Shopping: The Subject of Consumption, Routledge, London. Leiss, W. , Kline, S. and Jhally, S. (1990), Social Communication in Advertising: Persons, Products and Images of Well-being, Routledge, London. LeVine, R. 1984), â€Å"Properties of culture: an ethnographic view†, in Schweder, R. and LeVine, R. (Eds), Culture Theory: Essays on Mind, Self, and Emotion, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Lunt, P. and Livingstone, S. (1992), Mass Consumption and Personal Identity: Everyday Economic Experience, Open University Press, Buckingham. Lyotard, J. (1984), The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge, Manchester University Press, Manchester. Macquarrie, J. (1972), Existentialism, Pelican Books, Harmondsworth. Markus, H. and Nurius, P. (1986), â€Å"Possible selvesâ₠¬ , American Psychologist, No. 41, pp. 954-69. Martin-Barbero, J. 1988), â€Å"Communication from culture: the crisis of the national and the emergence of the popular†, Media, Culture & Society, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 447-65. Morley, D. and Silverstone, R. (1990), â€Å"Domestic communications: technologies and meanings†, Media, Culture & Society, Vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 31-5. Moores, S. (1993), Interpreting Audiences: The Ethnography of Media Consumption, Sage Publications, London. Mort, F. (1988), â€Å"Boy’s own? Masculinity, style and popular culture†, in Chapman, R. and Rutherford, J. (Eds), Male Order, Lawrence and Wishart, London. Nava, A. (1991), â€Å"Consumerism reconsidered: buying and power†, Cultural Studies, Vol. No. 2, pp. 157-73. O’Donohoe, S. (1994), â€Å"Advertising uses and gratifications†, European Journal of Marketing, Vol. 28 Nos. 8/9, pp. 52-75. Olander, F. (1993), â€Å"Consumer psychology for the consumer’s sake? †, Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 14, pp. 565-76. Pfohl, S. (1992), Death at the Parasite Cafe: Social Science (Fictions) and the Postmodern, Macmillan, London. Ritson, M. and Elliott, R. (1995a), â€Å"A model of advertising literacy: the praxiology and co-creation of advertising meaning†, Proceedings of the European Marketing Academy Conference, ESSEC, Paris. Ritson, M. and Elliott, R. 1995b), â€Å"Advertising literacy and the social signification of cultural meaning†, European Advances in Consumer Research, Vol. 2, pp. 113-7. Sartre, J. P. (1969), Being and Nothingness, Routledge & Kegan Paul, London. Schudson, M. (1984), Advertising, The Uneasy Persuasion: Its Dubious Impact on American Society, Routledge, London. Sperber, D. (1975), Rethinking Symbolism, (trans. Morton, A. ), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Storr, A. (1973), Jung, Fontana, London. Taylor, M. and Saarinen, E. (1994), Imagologies: Media Philosophy, Routledge, London. Thomps on, C. J. , Locander, W. B. nd Pollio, H. R. (1990), â€Å"The living meaning of free choice: an existential-phenomenological description of everyday consumer experiences of contemporary married women†, Journal of Consumer Research, No. 17, pp. 346-61. van Raaij, W. F. (1993), â€Å"Postmodern consumption†, Journal of Economic Psychology, No. 14, pp. 541-63. Existential consumption and irrational desire 295 European Journal of Marketing 31,3/4 296 Wallendorf, M. and Arnould, E. (1988), â€Å"‘My favorite things’: A cross-cultural inquiry into object attachment, possessiveness and social linkage†, Journal of Consumer Research, No. 4, pp. 531-47. Wernick, A. (1991), Promotional Culture: Advertising, Ideology and Symbolic Expression, Sage, London. Williams, R. (1980), Problems in Materialism and Culture, Verso, London. Williamson, J. (1978), Decoding Advertisements: Ideology and Meaning in Advertising, Marion Boyars, London. Williamson, J. (1986), Cons uming Passions: The Dynamics of Popular Culture, Marion Boyars, London. Willis, P. (1990), Common Culture: Symbolic Work at Play in the Everyday Cultures of the Young, Open University Press, Milton Keynes.

A Comparison of a Brave New World and 1984 Essay

Brave New World and 1984 have many similarities and differences in their systems of government. They ways the government view people as humans, life, and families are similar. Both distort the minds of people to make them believe they are a higher or lower class. They make them feel they are not equal and cannot get out of their class. Both governments do not want it’s people to be very smart. Both governments do not have a high percentage of people in the upper classes. The differences in the governments are how people are born, how they maintain control, and howthey keep people from rebellion. Brave New World is more scientific and uses more religion. 1984 is more political and uses force, power, fear, and anger to keep people in line. This paper will show the differences and similarities between the two types of governments. Both governments do not view people as important individuals. They do not care whether they live or die. The government uses the majority of the people for their benefit. The people do all the hard work so the government doesn’t have to do much. Both governments do not believe in a strong family relationships. (1 BNW) â€Å"Just try to realize it, try to realize what it was like to have a viviparous mother. Try to imagine what ‘living with one’s family’ meant.† They tried; but obviously without the smallest success. â€Å"And do you know what a ‘home’ was?† They shook their heads.† 1984 children go against their own parents and turn them in to the thought police if they suspect them of thoughtcrime. Some parents were terrified of their own children. Brave New World does not have families because people are made synthetically. They never know what it is like to have a family or to really love someone. Both books do not view e ach other as important. There is no real love f! or each other. 1984 the governments is the highest class, and they expect the lower classes to treat them with respect. The middle class are the people that have better jobs than the lower class, live in a different area than the lower class, and they aren’t really allowed to associate with the lower class. Both governments only cared about the well-being of the people in the highest class, themselves. Both governments use brainwashing to keep people in line and no to have no real free thinking. 1984 rewrites history and makes everyone believe that the government is always right. They have â€Å"wars† against other countries so the people will support their government and hate the other countries. This gives the government more power because the people are angry towards the other countries, and feel the government will take care of them. It gives people pride in their country and they love their leaders and will support them. In Brave New World, from the day that they are born, they are watched over. The people are never alone when they are babies. When they sleep they have speakers under their pillow that says things to them every night so they believe things that aren’t true about their importance and the lack of importance the people in the other castes have. Both forms of government do not want the people to be very smart. If the people had free thought they would rebel against the government because they would realize they were being taken advantage of. Brave New World makes babies hate books and nature by shocking them when they touch them. Naturally, when they grow up they hate books and traveling far. 1984 they ruin all types of history and rewrite it according to what they want to happen. They get rid of books from the past because they don’t want people to get any ideas to rebel.

Socrates-Plato-Athens essays

Socrates-Plato-Athens essays The social and cultural conditions in the city of Athens between 440 and 370 B.C.E., a time when philosophers and military leaders such as Aristotle, Socrates and Pericles were at the height of their powers, can be compared to the current situation in the United States in three important ways. First, in the decades just before the Peloponnesian War, the city of Athens reached the pinnacle of its power and prosperity, often referred to as the Golden Age of ancient Athens. Economically, the city was much like any of a number of modern American cities like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, due to society being divided into classes based on economic income. For example, the wealthy citizens of Athens lived in private homes, either in the city or in the countryside; the middle class, usually those that did the hard work to support the activities of Athens, lived rather modestly in the city or in villages on its outskirts, while the poor were forced to live in rented houses or in tenements runs by the Athenian government. Second, following the end of the Peloponnesian War, the city of Athens re-established its democratic principles and became a major force in international politics. In the first half of the 4th century B.C.E., Athens and other city-states experienced shifting alliances among its citizens and political leaders. By the mid 350s B.C.E., Athens efforts to extent its power over all of Greece, with Sparta standing firmly in the way, ended in failure. This struggle for supremacy finally ended in a stalemate and allowed the kingdom of Macedonia, the stronghold of Alexander the Great, to expand its influence in Greece. This situation is very similar to what is now happening between the U.S. and Iraq, namely, that the U.S. is attempting to spread its influence and power in order to fight terrorism, something closely akin to Athens attempts to destroy Sparta and the Persian Empire (the current location of Iraq and...

An Analysis of The Wild Geese essays

An Analysis of The Wild Geese essays In the early 1900's Japan and author by the name of Ogai Mori wrote a novel that reflected a realist romanticism of the late 1800's Japanese society. This novel, entitled The Wild Geese, enveloped a wide array of characters and stories that, progressively and logically congeal into one major plot. Many characters and themes were constantly introduced through Mori's simplistic clarity of style. With these themes he reflects the issues of the past society in Japan, particularly involving the treatment and honor of woman. He depicts one woman's life, Otama, and the circle of men around that intervene all in unique ways that shape her life. Through this process the author builds this passionate and ardent romanticism that diminishes completely with the closing pages of the novel. The major theme revolves mainly within the plane of realistic romanticism. Romance exists between two characters, and realism hinders their bondage. Throughout the first part of the story the author begins his story with his first person point of view. Within this narration, he reveals the first theme of romanticism. Mori reveals his character Okada, a young student, very handsome and diligently persistent. He mysteriously comes upon this lady that later transforms into a sort of discrete infatuation. It is not until further in the novel's progression that we see the woman to possess congruent affection. The author reveals this through insinuating minute proverbs of Okada. For example in the third chapter we discover Okada's thoughts on the female realm: She is the woman who makes beauty her sole aim in life so that, with perfect ease, she goes through an elaborate toilet even while the angel of death waits outside her door (Mori 20). Mori does not, in fact, blatantly disclose Okada's love for this women. Instead he positions these words as so to bestow these facts without actually physically articulating the essential fact that Okada had feeling...

A Reminder About Crowdfunding

A Reminder About Crowdfunding Most emails I receive from readers about finding funds, request sources of grants. Grants to pay them to write, travel, or research. Most of the time, these are first-time book creators, calling from the great sea of the unpublished. And each time I have to tell them that unless they have other skills, experience, or notoriety about the subject matter, nobody wants to issue a grant to a novice to write. Remember, the grant provider needs to sparkle from your success, and ride on your coattails. They dont just write checks for the fun of it. Then I suggest crowdfunding as an alternative. Why? 1) Crowdfunding teaches you how to promote yourself. 2) Crowdfunding teaches you how to build a platform. 3) Crowdfunding teaches you how to develop a following. 4) Crowdfunding teaches you how to budget. 5) Crowdfunding teaches you entrepreneurialship. Where can you find crowdfunding? Start here: 10 Crowdfunding Platforms for Writers    As a matter of fact, you can see a very simple crowdfunding campaign And take a look at a more complicated campaign at Kickstarter.com where Crystal Sully wants to publish The Untamed Beastiary: A Field Guide to Marvelous Monsters. She has 780 pledges with a week to go. She requested $7,535, and the pledges to date amount to $47,625. And there are every size, shape, and subject to learn from in visiting these crowdfunding sites. Look under publishing. See what makes for a successful campaign. Find fund projects to support. I adore perusing crowdfunding sites and aiding others. I might not give each one more than $10, but Ive aided a writers creative endeavor.   Its a great way to give back AND learn how to manage a campaign of your own.

Report on various features of the data Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Report on various features of the data - Essay Example Further, some of the sources of revenues are interrelated as they may stimulate one another under their macroeconomic effects in the economy. This paper, based on a data set on United Kingdom government’s borrowing and received taxes, reports the data set’s features to the senior management office. Analysis of borrowings and received tax over the two fiscal years One of the important approaches to understanding the data set is an annual comparison of the data to understand the country’s progress in the period. This involves a comparison of the borrowings over the two fiscal years and a comparison of received tax over the period. The following table summarizes descriptive statists of government borrowings for the two fiscal years. ... The difference between mean and median for the yearly borrowings could also be explained by the negative borrowings in the two years and the borrowings were more dispersed in the year ended 2013 that the year ended 2012. The graph bellow compared the annual borrowings and indicates higher borrowings 2012 Graph 1: Comparison of yearly borrowings The nation’s received tax over the two periods can similarly be compared using descriptive statistics that are shown in the table below. Table 2: Descriptive statistics for the fiscal years ended 2012 and 2013 received taxes Fiscal year ended 2012 Â   Fiscal year ended 2013 Â   Mean 12701.91667 Mean 12716.5 Standard Error 1259.548407 Standard Error 1323.836 Median 11077.5 Median 11057.5 Mode #N/A Mode #N/A Standard Deviation 4363.20367 Standard Deviation 4585.903 Sample Variance 19037546.27 Sample Variance 21030504 Kurtosis 5.931301194 Kurtosis 5.685588 Skewness 2.311375522 Skewness 2.248221 Range 15364 Range 16611 Minimum 9578 Minimu m 8881 Maximum 24942 Maximum 25492 Sum 152423 Sum 152598 Count 12 Count 12 Confidence Level(95.0%) 2772.24735 Confidence Level(95.0%) 2913.744 The two periods reported an almost similar trend in received tax with means that are almost equal, 12701 and 12716. Medians for the two years similarly close with 11077.5 for the year ended 2012 and 11057.5 for the year 2013. Close similarity in standard deviation, Kurtosis, skewdness, minimum and maximum values and sums of received taxes further indicates similarity in the two periods’ trends and suggest consistency in the economic stability. The following graph shows a comparison of tax received in the two years with a similarity. Graph 2: Tax

CASE STUDY Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Case Study Example When the respondents were given beer without the labels, they were unable to discern their favorite label from the 6 provided. This shows that most consumers do not have a preference for a particular taste of beer. Rather, their preference was biased towards the label rather than the taste. This shows that people make beer buying decisions based on labels rather than taste. Native Advertising is becoming increasingly popular in todays world. In this form of advertising, the advertiser depends on the internet where the ad is placed in the context considering in mind the users experience. An example of this is Pinterest where the advertiser places the ad as a pin rather than the traditional advertisement. Ads as pins are content placed in the context of the users experience. Such form of advertising are more likely to get the attention of the users because most users zone out the traditional forms of advertising but are unable to differentiate advertising from the usual pins. This then increases the impact of the advertising. This form of advertising also generates word of mouth through sharing of the advertisements. Pins are more likely to be shared by users as compared to normal

Egonomics Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Egonomics - Assignment Example The nature and pattern of human consumption has evolved significantly over the years with a significant move away from goods produced under mass production (initiated by the car maker Henry Ford) towards specialized production and finally customized production. It is not surprising that the focus of many companies today is no longer just the provision of an exceptional quality product or service but one which caters to niches and has the capability of being adapted as per individual requirements of the customer. In other words, personalization and the creation of unique customer experiences has become the new source of gaining competitive advantage in the midst of largely undifferentiated products and services. To set themselves apart from the crowd, consumers are increasingly flocking towards products that others do not have. This is because, as humans, our behavior is more often â€Å"irrational† than rational and that various purchases cannot be explained in the light of ae sthetics, utility of performance. In other words, the fact that most of engage in building and sustaining our self-esteem and self-confidence means that we often pay a price much higher than the actual worth of the product just for the sake of its exclusivity or limited availability. One such example is that of the recent launch of limited number of exclusive Apple iPhone 24 carat gold handsets that cost a fortune ($2853) to consumers (Trivedi).The pricing reflects the exclusivity of the product which, most consumers may find as a cushion to their self-image. Similarly, the LeBron James Limited Edition watch by Audemars Pigue is designed to cater to enthusiasts who would like to own this $51,500 watch (Adams) as a status symbol and to set them apart from the crowd. The high price reflects the (monetary) worth of the owner/consumer which is consistent with psychology that suggests that human beings are prone to engaging in impression management or casting favorable impressions of one self in the society. Furthermore, considering that humans have imperfect knowledge about themselves, they constantly strive for feedback from others (through praise of appreciation) to boost their perception of themselves. An example is of a customer who is praised by his friend for wearing a $51,500 watch and who receives increased attention from others by virtue of this valuable possession. This can be referred to as â€Å"personal branding† or differentiating yourself from other brands or individuals. In other cases, the same may be considered as a â€Å"requirement† as per social benchmarks (Benabou and Tirole). For instance, an individual attending high profile dinner of delegates may consider it as a disgrace to his self-worth to wear anything less than a custom-made designer outfit or designer shoes. Keeping these trends in view, it is no wonder that companies are looking towards the personalization of their service offerings as well. This is commonly known as o ne-on-one marketing or micro-targeting whereby promotional tools such as the e-mail, internet, direct mail, special events and others are used to target customers with specific psychographic profiles or lifestyles. For instance, HSBC posted banner ads on its websites that were highly personalized meaning that the bank offered special â€Å"offers† depending on the account balance of the customer and the content

Management Information Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management Information Systems - Research Paper Example In this project, the basic idea is to automate the traditional business practices and improve the overall capability and performance of corporation. Business Overview The scenario of the business is that my best friend has bought a small retail business in Central Florida and its name is Bright Moon Store. The business has been doing fairly well but my friend has just found out that the accounting system consists of cash and receipts in a shoe box and there are no reports of anything since everything was kept in the prior owner's head. So in this project, my friend has hired me as a consultant to help him get things organized. Markets The Bright Moon Store deals in general household products that are used in our daily lives. The basic intention of this store is to provide customers with more convenient and easy access to daily used products. Bright Moon Store has a long business history in the market and with the passage of time its overall reorganization has improved. As a result, B right Moon Store wants to improve its overall market reorganization and performance. With the passage of time the business customers are increasing so the business needs to adopt some effective tools and techniques to deal with these growing requirements. Mission/Business Need In order to run its business effectively Bright Moon Store has to fulfill its basic business needs. The effective fulfillment of these needs will effectively support all business areas. In this scenario Bright Moon Store’s basic business needs are outlined below: (Laudon & Laudon, 1999; Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2005) Automated product management Rapid management and processing of business resources Staff management Effective supply chain management and automation Efficient and effective customer record management Back-office information management Purchasing management Data security Finance management Data sharing among all store areas like store, purchase counter, etc. Improved inventory ma nagement Timely and accurate business reporting Effective decision support HR management Problems with Current Information Processing Bright Moon Store is currently completing its business tasks using manual ways. In such scenario the overall workload and working style are more rigid, which ultimately causes less effective business performance. The present business data is paper based or semi automated. In this scenario problem is that the amount of data is huge and it cannot be handled without using an appropriate information system. According to (Hoffer, Prescott, & McFadden, 2007; Laudon & Laudon, 1999), â€Å"an information system is a collection of organized components that work collectively, process, store, and distribute information to a variety of departments with the purpose of supporting decision making and control in an organization†. Thus, in the absence of an information system we connect retrieve some valuable information from this data. This data is presently w orthless because the extraction of the valuable facts and figures is much harder. In addition, business of Bright

Creating a good system to report medical errors Thesis

Creating a good system to report medical errors - Thesis Example The best solution of the problem is to have comprehensive approach for different aspects of reporting of medical errors and related adverse episodes. The culture of reporting medical errors should be inculcated at all levels including hospitals, clinics, outpatient surgery centers, nursing homes, pharmacies and patients’ home. All the issues associated with reporting should be sorted out. The reporting of medical mistakes can provide invaluable advice to improve medical systems. Building a robust database error reporting system is the step towards delivering quality healthcare. Medical error reporting system should involve both adverse events and close calls nationwide. This will held healthcare providers responsible for any mishap leading to serious injury or even death of the patient. The reporting is automatically going to reduce negligent healthcare errors. This ultimately is going to reflect healthcare system to reach at the highest standard. NYPORTS system of New York de livers information to the state and hospital by identifying, analyzing medical errors and recommends strategies to ameliorate them. IOM has reported that the analysis of errors is very informative. The analysis of deadly mishaps which land up patients to bear life time fatal disabilities might be able to figure out the patterns of system flop. IOM recommends two types of reporting systems: voluntary reporting system and mandatory reporting system. These systems will able to identify potential precursors to errors and it will eventually focus on identifying threats to safety of the patient. The data of the error records should be kept confidential to protect privacy of very individual involved in dealing with particular treatment from patient to healthcare providers. Healthcare providers should be encouraged by their organizations to report committed or observed medical errors during the course of the service to patients. Learning from the mistakes is the

Management Information Systems Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Management Information Systems - Research Paper Example In this project, the basic idea is to automate the traditional business practices and improve the overall capability and performance of corporation. Business Overview The scenario of the business is that my best friend has bought a small retail business in Central Florida and its name is Bright Moon Store. The business has been doing fairly well but my friend has just found out that the accounting system consists of cash and receipts in a shoe box and there are no reports of anything since everything was kept in the prior owner's head. So in this project, my friend has hired me as a consultant to help him get things organized. Markets The Bright Moon Store deals in general household products that are used in our daily lives. The basic intention of this store is to provide customers with more convenient and easy access to daily used products. Bright Moon Store has a long business history in the market and with the passage of time its overall reorganization has improved. As a result, B right Moon Store wants to improve its overall market reorganization and performance. With the passage of time the business customers are increasing so the business needs to adopt some effective tools and techniques to deal with these growing requirements. Mission/Business Need In order to run its business effectively Bright Moon Store has to fulfill its basic business needs. The effective fulfillment of these needs will effectively support all business areas. In this scenario Bright Moon Store’s basic business needs are outlined below: (Laudon & Laudon, 1999; Turban, Leidner, McLean, & Wetherbe, 2005) Automated product management Rapid management and processing of business resources Staff management Effective supply chain management and automation Efficient and effective customer record management Back-office information management Purchasing management Data security Finance management Data sharing among all store areas like store, purchase counter, etc. Improved inventory ma nagement Timely and accurate business reporting Effective decision support HR management Problems with Current Information Processing Bright Moon Store is currently completing its business tasks using manual ways. In such scenario the overall workload and working style are more rigid, which ultimately causes less effective business performance. The present business data is paper based or semi automated. In this scenario problem is that the amount of data is huge and it cannot be handled without using an appropriate information system. According to (Hoffer, Prescott, & McFadden, 2007; Laudon & Laudon, 1999), â€Å"an information system is a collection of organized components that work collectively, process, store, and distribute information to a variety of departments with the purpose of supporting decision making and control in an organization†. Thus, in the absence of an information system we connect retrieve some valuable information from this data. This data is presently w orthless because the extraction of the valuable facts and figures is much harder. In addition, business of Bright

Identity analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Identity analysis - Essay Example This is something significant in that the difference is nothing more than just race and colour. Statistics constantly brings in the fact that women are more likely to be poor than men. In fact, women are more susceptible and more exposed to hunger because of the universal subordination and gender discrimination they contend with in education, healthcare, employment, and in controlling resources and political authority. Although violence against women is existent across all economic groups, women who are suffering from poverty experience it more frequently and they have less possessions or means with which to deal with the situation. Poverty among women is a global truth that reveals itself differently from one country to another; nevertheless, the factors and figures in global gender discrimination are blindingly comparable: gender disparities in wages, work-related discrimination, dangerous employment conditions, and uneven necessities in household and childhood care among others. B y and large, this social development in terms of gender has aided in the explosion of feminist movement. My case is not only a contention of how Hispanic women are being represented – and just because I am a Mexican – but it is about the subordination of women on the sole basis of gender and how this has caused social stratification and elitism. Rummaging through the vast array of literature, I have found a strong resemblance in Hua Mulan, a fictitious character who made a resounding message throughout the world by proving that women can do what men can do. Hua Mulan disguised herself as a man to be allowed to join the Imperial army in order to protect their community. Hua Mulan then became an icon not just within the context of the text in which she has been storied, but even in various forms of media. Her valiant determination to join the army despite her femininity – she’s short, skinny, and very demure – was an index to the changing roles of wo men during her time. Women during her time were expected to stay at home as wife or helper and nothing more. For someone who has no background or anything about the character and the film in general, Hua Mulan may appear to express connotations beyond Chinese traditions. Her figure encourages an act to decode the essence of translatability. Today, an increasing proportion of the world’s population suffering from poverty signified women. Women as an object of gender criticism, extreme subordination, and social stratification established the specious ontology of women, which happens to have defined the belief of the kind of society dominated by paternal mentality. This implies a striking reality that the feminization of poverty continues to become a concerning truth. The mainstream media has described women in myriads of way. As aforementioned, these descriptions have formed the false ontology of what is supposed to be the bearer of burden and icon that signified bravery and ch ange. Violence According to various studies, a great majority of women are victims of human trafficking that is manifested in various forms such as prostitution, which is considered to be the most common and widespread form of human trafficking (UNICEF 11). This then contributed to the way women became interpretant of weakness. Worsening of living conditions usually forces children to quit school in order to help the family survive, placing them susceptible to exploitation and violence. For instance, some young girls in Zimbabwe are trading sex in exchange for food for

Frederic Edwin Church Essay Example for Free

Frederic Edwin Church Essay Frederic Edwin Church was born on May 4, 1826 in Hartford Connecticut. He passed on April 7, 1900 at the age of 73. (Bereading for pleasure. blogspot. com/ /Fredrick-Edwin-Church-Twilight) Frederic was a talented nature artist. He painted many beautiful scenes of the countries wilderness. The painting I have chosen to write my analysis on is â€Å"Twilight in the Wilderness. † This painting was done in 1860 right around the civil war time period. At the same time peoples minds were set on manifest destiny. Manifest destiny was the belief that Americans would own coast to coast in America and flourish in wealth by creating new jobs and using their new land to do so. Churchs intention, by painting these scenes of nature, was to draw more attention to the wonderful scenery and away from the monetary element of this new land. Although there have been many different opinions and views on his paintings, they all seem to point in the same direction of his views on â€Å"Nature† and the future of our great nation. Now that I have given you a little history on Frederic Edwin Church and his painting â€Å"Twilight in the Wilderness,† I will give you my formal analysis on this painting. Based on what I have learned from the history of this painting I will elaborate on the attention to detail that Frederic has put into this painting. The first thing that I notice is the focal point seems to be the mountains in the background. The sky around these mountains is bright with yellow and white that fades away into the darker sky and dim landscaping. The forefront of this painting had dying trees and a broken tree stump. As the river flows away from the forefront, it gets smaller as do the trees and mountains. Attention to detail gets less from the forefront to the background. These things combined gives the painting depth. With the clouds and mountains rolling soft edges gives the viewer a sense of relaxation and comfort. But yet when you think of the history of the painting you can draw a different view. It is interesting that Frederic not only uses the normal colors of nature but, uses the influence of red, hite, and blue to illustrate the patronage of the time period in which it was painted in. In conclusion I feel that the composition that Church uses in this painting gives his views in motion. In the forefront is dying trees. This shows the struggle that is occurring at this time. The skyline is red with water reflecting that color, an illustration showing the blood that is being shed. As the painting fades off from the forefront to the background the skyline clears up and gets brighter. This shows that his belief is that times will get better and the country will be beautiful once again.

Howard Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences

Howard Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences Title: How Gardeners Multiple Intelligence Theories Can Aid Adolescents Learning in A Design and Technology Secondary School Workshop Main Topic : Education Education is a key stone to one’s future. One of the stages involved in education is the adolescent stage. The education in this period is vital. There are various theories put forward in education to aid the teachers to understand the young students and take them in the right way of educating them to build their future which ought to be bright. There are a whole host of theories about intelligence, none of which really agree with each other. Every approach to thinking or the mind comes up with its own different theory of what intelligence is, each from its own different perspective, with its own assumptions. Views and thoughts should not be thrusted on the young minds without understanding the mental capacity of the students, as this may lead to improper training imparted to them, and not bringing out their essential talents in the field of education, and not making them achieve their goals. Each adolescent intelligence should be identified and teachers should enable them in bringing out their talents and helping them to discover what they are good at and what can really make them use their potential in education. One such author who put across his theories for the welfare of the students and teachers, especially helping the teachers to aid the adolescents learning in the secondary school level using various designs and technologies in the secondary school workshop is Howard Gardner Ph.D who is a professor at Harvard University and the author of many books and articles. His theory of multiple intelligences has challenged long-held assumptions about intelligence especially about a single measure of intelligence. His theory of multiple intelligences makes people think about IQ, about being smart. The theory is changing the way some teachers teach. When Howard Gardners book, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Basic Books, 1983) burst on the scene, it seemed to answer many questions for experienced teachers. There were students who didnt fit the mold though they were bright, but they didnt excel on tests. Gardners claim that there are several different kinds of intelligence gave us and others involved with teaching and learning a way of beginning to understand those students. We would look at what they could do well, instead of what they could not do. Later Gardner books, such as The Unschooled Mind: How Children Think and How Schools Should Teach (Basic Books, 1991) and Multiple Intelligences: The Theory in Practice (Basic Books, 1993) helped us understand how multiple intelligences could help us teach and evaluate our students in new and better ways. THE ORIGINAL SEVEN INTELLIGENCES Howard Gardner first identified and introduced to us seven different kinds of intelligence in Frames of Mind. Linguistic intelligence: a sensitivity to the meaning and order of words. Some students are more sensitive to the meaning and order of words. Their intelligence is based on this. By telling the appropriate meaning of the objects and the order of the words make them understand better about the subject they are learning. Logical-mathematical intelligence: ability in mathematics and other complex logical systems. Some students are clever in mathematics and the logic they implement in solving the mathematical problems effectively is based on this intelligence Musical intelligence: the ability to understand and create music. Musicians, composers and dancers show a heightened musical intelligence. Some students are very creative and more involved in music and they tend to be more intelligent in that manner. They might be less drawn towards theory part of their study, the subjects have to be selected in such a manner pertaining to their musical area. In different countries the education techniques and modes of education are not the same. In certain countries the adolescents are forced to study their theoretical subjects eventhougjh they may have other intelligences. So they are forced to develop their skills of intelligence outside the education arena. Spatial intelligence: the ability to think in pictures, to perceive the visual world accurately, and recreate (or alter) it in the mind or on paper. Spatial intelligence is highly developed in artists, architects, designers and sculptors. Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence: the ability to use ones body in a skilled way, for self-expression or toward a goal. Mimes, dancers, basketball players, and actors are among those who display bodily-kinesthetic intelligence. Interpersonal intelligence: an ability to perceive and understand other individuals their moods, desires, and motivations. Political and religious leaders, skilled parents and teachers, and therapists use this intelligence. Intrapersonal intelligence: an understanding of ones own emotions. Some novelists and or counselors use their own experience to guide others. Eighth intelligence the naturalist intelligence : Gardner identified an eighth intelligence, the naturalist intelligence. Gardner discussed the eighth intelligence with Kathy Checkley, in an interview for Educational Leadership, The First Seven and the Eighth. Gardner said, The naturalist intelligence refers to the ability to recognize and classify plants, minerals, and animals, including rocks and grass and all variety of flora and fauna. The ability to recognize cultural artifacts like cars or sneakers may also depend on the naturalist intelligence. †¦(S)ome people from an early age are extremely good at recognizing and classifying artifacts. Gardner identified Charles Darwin as a prime example of this type of intelligence. Based on his theories workshops are designed for the adolescents in order to achieve the goals in education and make them come out in flying coloiurs so that they might be successful in the future career. Each student mind varies. Some of them are very active, yet they do not fair well in studies. Some of them are good in creative subjects, this happens due to the frames of mind and intelligence as Howard correctly states in his theories of multiple intelligence. So a teacher cannot expect all students to be alike and be of the same calibre. It is the teacher’s duty and responsibility to identify the kind of intelligence of the students. So Gardner’s theories have helped the current curriculum to design different workshops which train and aid students and implementing various techniques for the adolescents to bring out their intelligence skills based on their IQ. When the educator comes to know that a particular youth is having more of spatial intelligence, then things must be explained to him on the basis of picturesque techniques in the workshop at their secondary school level. The behaviourists contradict the concept of high level intelligence. The entire mind is built from the ground up from simple Stimulus-Response pairings, building higher and higher level functioning out of this simple technology. The surprising thing is that it seems to work as a model for some types of tasks Every adolescent basically has General intelligence where the intelligence was composed of a single component that was easily measured on inteliigence tests. While they proved to be partially right (about 70% of your IQ is this factor usually referred to as g), the improvement of the testing methods, combined with the direct measurement of g by a technique called Evoked Potential proved that they could not be totally right. This lead Howard Gardener, by 1980 to extend the theory of general intelligence to include a set of Specific Intelligences which make up the other 30% of your IQ score. There has been some sucess in finding evidense to support some of gardeners seven catagories, and the general technique of spotting extra components that go to make up your IQ is extendable to a lot more than 7 categories. Design and Technology (in the UK) as a mainstream subject since curriculum began. When the term the 3Rs was coined in Parliament in 1840, Hansard recorded that it stood for Reading, Wroughting and Arithmetic. Designing and making is an intelligent activity. It can stand comfortably at the centre of any curriculum. It is entirely compatible with high levels of numeracy and literacy the design process itself draws on areas such as maths, science, technology, communication and art. Designing is a truly creative and intellectually challenging activity; developing divergent and creative abilities is a basic function of education. One of the main aims of the department is to inspire and empower our future designers and engineers and excite passion in our teaching so that they can develop products they love with sensitivity to an ever-changing world market. The youth are offered through well Designed workshops a series of simple design and make tasks. These introduce the students to the design process, basic graphics skills and introductory workshop practice. they will then gain a sound insight of the breadth and depth of subject content including a range of manufacturing skills in woods, metals and plastics control systems and design history. The course builds on these skills and knowledge, and the students are required to design and manufacture a product supported by a portfolio of design work. The Education then becomes challenging and satisfying and builds significantly allowing students to specialise in key areas of study including CAD and CAM, graphics and product design philosophy/history. Students at this level need to liase with industry on product briefs so that the prototypes they produce are developed fully and satisfy the demands of the consumer in the market place. IMPLEMENTING GARDNERS THEORY IN THE CLASSROOM When asked how educators should implement the theory of multiple intelligences, Gardner says, (I)ts very important that a teacher take individual differences among the youth very seriously . The bottom line being a deep interest in them and find how their minds are different from one another, and in helping them use their minds well. An awareness of multiple-intelligence theory has stimulated teachers to find more ways of helping all students in their classes. Some schools do this by adapting curriculum. In Variations on a Theme: How Teachers Interpret MI (Multiple Intelligence ) Theory, (Educational Leadership, September 1997), Linda Campbell describes five approaches to curriculum change: Lesson design plays a major role for the adolescents in education Lesson design. Some schools focus on lesson design. This might involve team teaching (teachers focusing on their own intelligence strengths), using all or several of the intelligences in their lessons, or asking student opinions about the best way to teach and learn certain topics. Several workshops using different design techniques aids the students by identifying their area of expertise and to which type intelligence category they fall into based on Howard Gardner’s theories of multiple intelligence. Interdisciplinary units. Secondary schools often include interdisciplinary units. Discipline plays a major role in one’s all-round development of every adolescent to the words pertaining to the saying â€Å"Man is a social animal†. Student projects. Students can learn to initiate and manage complex projects when they are creating student projects. Assessments. Assessments are devised which allow students to show what they have learned. Sometimes this takes the form of allowing each student to devise the way he or she will be assessed, while meeting the teachers criteria for quality. Apprenticeships. Apprenticeships can allow students to gain mastery of a valued skill gradually, with effort and discipline over time. Gardner feels that apprenticeships †¦should take up about one-third of a students schooling experience. With an understanding of Gardners theory of multiple intelligences, teachers, school administrators, and parents can better understand the learners in their midst. They can allow students to safely explore and learn in many ways, and they can help students direct their own learning. Adults can help students understand and appreciate their strengths, and identify real-world activities that will stimulate more learning. Bridging the generation gap between the teachers and students in the workshops leads to successive results in educating the adolescents. The profile of new teachers entering schools today varies much more widely than the profile of veterans hired in the 1970s did. Many more beginners are coming from alternative routes, and many are not necessarily committed to making teaching a lifetime career. The question for administrators becomes, How do we encourage promising new educators and help them become highly qualified? This issue investigates which conditions—from mentoring and induction programs to the amount of time spent observing in other teachers classrooms—help improve new educators practice. According to certain suggestions of Educators Working in a school with an integrated professional culture is strongly and positively related to job satisfaction.. Standards-Based Mathematics Workshops are designed on the basis of Multiple intelligences for the adolescents. For example publishers called Hopes Books designs workshops that integrates the best mathematics from the past with the mathematical needs of the new millennium. Hope Martin has over 30 years of experience teaching mathematics at the primary, elementary, middle school, and college levels. Her books bring hands-on, active learning to the mathematics classroom. They encourage integrating mathematics across the curriculum and applying the cognitive theories of Howard Gardener’s, Multiple Intelligences, into mathematics pedagogy The learning Workshops are tailored to meet the needs of teachers at three levels of instruction: inclusive of Middle School/High School Levels. Any of these workshops can be tied to the mathematics goals and objectives developed by one’s districts maths committees. Nowadays All workshops can be designed as one-day (5 hours) or two-day (10 hours) workshops. The workshops are designed to meet the unique needs of the youth in their secondary schools. Middle School/High School Level Workshops Certain Learning design techniques at the workshops currently used are Using Computers in the Mathematics Classroom Integrating Mathematics across the Curriculum–Skills Concepts Manipulatives Activities through the Standards Multiple Intelligences and Mathematics–Ties to Technology Art in the Mathematics Classroom: Using Both Sides of the Brain Using Manipulatives Activities to Teach Algebra Using Manipulatives Activities to Teach Geometry Mathematics for the New Millennium Rethinking Our Beliefs about Mathematics Multiple Intelligence and Mathematics Using Computers in the Mathematics Classroom Integrating Mathematics across the Curriculum–Skills Concepts Manipulatives Activities through the Standards Multiple Intelligences and Mathematics–Ties to Technology Art in the Mathematics Classroom: Using Both Sides of the Brain Using Manipulatives Activities to Teach Algebra . Using Manipulatives Activities to Teach Geometry In addition to designing and manufacturing a product or system to satisfy exam board, any project brief should be targeted allowing pupils to design and manufacture something that exist in a viable market place. In conclusion Howard Gardner’s theories have been highly encouraged the adolescents to develop their own personal identities within the design activity that they follow. They are encouraged to work in a range of materials and must be able to communicate well on paper in both written and sketched form. An understanding of industrial design, development and history (supported where appropriate by organised external trips to design companies and exhibits both nationally and internationally) is a prerequisite and they must also recognise when it is pertinent to liase with industry. So there goes the saying â€Å"Teaching is a Noble profession† in moulding and casting the future of education amongst the adolescents. Howard Gardners Theory Of Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardners Theory Of Multiple Intelligences Howard Gardner, born on July 11th, 1943, is one of modern days greatest psychologists. (Smith) He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania to parents who escaped from Germany because they were Jewish. (Winner) The holocaust was an influential factor in his life. (Gardner) Another great influence in his life is the death of his brother Eric, although his parents rarely talked about the matter, it significantly impacted his thinking and development. (Smith) In other words, his family and peer greatly shaped who he became today. (Myers 118) He was a brilliant young child, who ended up going to Harvard University with a degree in Law but his interest in psychology and the social sciences grew. (Gardner) Eventually he developed his theory of Multiple Intelligence in 1983 in his book Frames of Mind: theory of multiple intelligences. (Gardner) During that time period psychology was increasingly popular. For example, a prominent field during the 80s and 90s is cultural psychology which assumes the idea that culture and mind are inseparable. (Cultural Psychology) Also that time period contained a lot of economic, social and general change which makes his new idea more acceptable. More importantly the fact that he is American means that he grew up in a free thinking society so he can take from what he learned and transforms it into what he believes is true then pass on his opinions. Three other psychologists who influenced him greatly are Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner and Nelson Goodman. (Gardner 3 of 7) Jean Piaget who deals with the nature of knowledge and how humans can gradually to obtain it, create it, and use it. Also, Jerome Bruner contributed to cognitive psychology and cognitive learning theory in educational psychology. Goodman dealt with inductive reasoning based on human habit. (Gardner 3 of 7) The three of them goes along with Gardners argument of how children learn knowledge. Also their works caused Gardner to become more interested in social science. Waldorf education developed in the early 1900s by Rudolf Steiner was similar to Gardners ideas. (Why Waldorf Works) It was about integrating practical, artistic and conceptual elements into learning. This education emphasizes imagination and creativity so that students can develop into free, morally responsible and integrated individuals. The first Waldorf School was opened in Germany in 1919 and now there are many schools starting to use methods of Waldorf education. (Why Waldorf Works) Lastly an idea credited to be developed by Jerome Bruner in the 1960s is discovery learning which promoted hands on leaning where learners draw from his or her own experience and prior knowledge. (Discovery Learning (Bruner)) So there were many factors that influenced his thinking and that pushed him to develop his theory. His theory deals with how humans have many different ways to learn and process information. (Howard Gardners Multiple Intelligences theory) He believes that everyone has different levels of intelligence in each category which is why some children learn some things faster than others. Gardner believes that intelligence is commonly defined by psychometrics but it does not adequately describe peoples wide assortment of cognitive abilities. IQ tests can sometimes be taken too seriously but it can not determine future success (Gardner 3). Even college aptitude tests are thinly disguised intelligence tests. (Myer 432) For example a child that takes longer to learn multiplication does not mean the child is dumb but that the child is more intelligent in other areas. In the aspect of education, Gardner wants to prioritize because he believes the knowledge we learn is superficial, a mile wide an inch deep. (Guignon) He recognizes that Students learn in ways that are identifiably distinctive so he promotes more student centered as opposed to teacher centered learning which is a very practical idea. According to Garner, there are 8 possibly 10 intelligences; spatial, linguistic, logical, bodily, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic. Spatial is the ability to visualize with the minds eye. (Chapman) Linguistic intelligence deals with words, spoken or written. These people learn best by reading, taking notes, listening to lectures, and discussion. (Chapman) Logical-mathematical is about logic, abstractions, reasoning, and numbers, reasoning capabilities scientific thinking and investigation traditional concepts of intelligence or IQ. (Chapman) Bodily-kinesthetic is the control of ones bodily motions and the capacity to handle objects skillfully. Musical intelligence deals with sounds, rhythms, tones, and music sing, play musical instruments. (Lane) Interpersonal intelligence is about interaction with others. They are mostly extroverts, characterized by their sensitivity to others moods, feelings, temperaments and motivations and cooperate well with others. (Lane) Intrapersonal is the introspective and self-reflective capacities. Those people are introverted but good at deciphering their own feelings and motivations. (Lane) Lastly is naturalistic who deals a lot with nature relating information to ones natural surroundings. The ninth intelligence is not fully confirmed yet but it is existential which is about contemplating phenomena or questions beyond sensory data. And finally, the tenth is moral intelligences dealing with ethics and the value of life. (Chapman) His theory greatly changed the minds of many and started the development of more encompassing schools. Traditionally, schools have highlighted the development of logical and linguistic intelligence but many students do not learn well in that environment. (Lane) Gardners theory argues that students will be better served by a wider vision of education, wherein teachers use different methods to teach all students not just the few that are intelligent logically or linguistically. (Guignon) Although, many teachers see the theory as simple common sense and some even say they already know that student learn in different ways, Gardners system has not been accepted by most academics teachings. (Guignon) Some schools however, have developed to better fit Gardners ideas. For example, one of the most famous schools that implement Gardners theory is the New City School in St. Louis, Missouri. This school has been using the theory since 1988 (Why New City School) There has been much criticism for his theory though. Some say he uses the word intelligence in place of ability. (Gilman) Others say that he has not settled on a single definition of intelligence though he admits himself that he has no fixed definition. (Gilman) Lastly and most importantly, he has no empirical evidence for this theory. (Smith) In fact, some neurological research disproves his theory and his previous works has major flaws. (Smith) Recently, the current No Child Left Behind act passed by the Bush administration does not encompass his theory at all because the Act is about having students all pass standardized tests while he wants to get rid of those tests in order to reach out to every childs needs. (No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) | ESEA) His theory affects us so much today because it relates to education; Gardner goes into how schools only teach superficial knowledge meaning schools teach a lot of everything but not in depth into anything so some kids may excel in one area but not the other. (Gardner)There is too much shallow knowledge so he suggests that children should learn and actually understand concepts not just learn for taking a test. (Smith) If he obtains more support for his theory, the whole education system will have to be changed. But his idea of an education system should work well because this will help make the education system more fair and encompassing for all kids. Right now, some children that may seem like they are failing school but their failure is not because they are dumb but because the way subjects are taught in school is not how he or she can comprehend and utilize. (Gardner) Even though Gardners theory is appealing, it will probably not work because there is no widespread support especially from government. (No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) | ESEA) Also, individual teachers especially in lower grades have unconsciously adapted parts of his theories but because in higher grades there is more lecture style teaching, his theory rarely applied to higher education. (Guignon) Furthermore there is so much controversy over this theory because it keeps on changing and there is no proof which makes it hard to completely believe this theory. (Smith) Additionally, since Gardner is still alive, he can keep on changing his theory and getting more evidence and support. (Gardner) Lastly, some schools have already adapted his theory such as the New city school. This school published many books about implementing this theory in more classrooms such as the schools teachers have produced two books for teachers, Celebrating Multiple Intelligences and Succeeding With Multiple Intelligences and the principal, Thomas Hoerr, has written Becoming a Multiple Intelligences School in addition to many articles on the practical applications of the theory. (Multiple Intelligences Resources)The school has also hosted four conferences, each drawing over educators from around the world. (Why New City School)The school remains a valuable resource for teachers interested in executing the theory in their own classrooms. It is clear that Howard Gardner has had an important impact on todays psychology world and education. His persistence to challenge an educational system that assumes that everyone can learn the same materials in the same way has definitely made an impact in the world as many schools have recognized the different ways children learn. (Lane) Should his theory become more prevalent, who knows what out education system will be like in the future.