Positive Effects of Television on the way People Understand Themselves

Television helps in building child cognition. Several studies have assessed children’s programs such as Sesame Street. All these studies find that young children who view Sesame Street often have more developed cognition in identifying shapes, numbers and letter than those who do not view the program (Fisch 2004). Besides, these children do extremely well in academics when they join high school.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Positive Effects of Television on the way People Understand Themselves specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Conversely, watching television may impair cognition in children. Williams (1986) evaluated cognition in children using a test called alternate uses. He found that the scores of the test dropped after children watched television. Although these findings might have been true, some factors that had no relationship with watching television could have influenced the findings of this study. Some of these factors could have been tiredness or boredom due to repeating the same test. The work of Williams (1986) is also disputable because children, who like watching, usually follow scenes keenly so that they can recall all the events that crop from week to week. Rather than impairing a child’s cognitive ability, such an activity should help in developing a child’s cognitive ability. This point can also be supported by the work of McLuhan (1964), who argues that television requires high levels of audience participation. Hence, watching television builds cognition as a child takes part by thinking actively in the entire program. Television acts as a valuable resource through providing viewers with the latest information about what is happening around them. For instance, a person gets to know when calamities such as Hurricanes strike some parts of the world, or when Iraq is fighting with America. Such information helps people to understand themsel ves more as they are able to tell why some leaders of the world may concentrate so much on some issues that other leaders, in other parts, may not consider. For instance, people can get to understand why the American government has to budget for so much money in security and disaster management as opposed to other governments. However, television does not act as a valuable resource in all topics. Essential topics such as employment openings receive little address from televisions despite the fact that most people are jobless. Hence, we can argue that televisions allow people to understand others, but it offers little when it comes to economic and personal development.Advertising Looking for critical writing on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Television helps people to understand and appreciate their gender roles. Men dominate most programs on television because few women have jobs. In efforts to investig ate the role that television has on making people understand gender, Williams (1986) conducted a study on how children classified men and women after watching some television shows. All children received a list of traits, and they had to classify these traits depending on whether they were common in boys or girls. After the study, Williams (1986) concluded that television influenced the understanding of men and women roles among children. Understanding gender roles is essential, but it can lead to gender stereotyping. For instance, girls may refuse to take up subjects that will develop them into media workers because they associate such jobs with men. Also, dividing jobs according to gender orientation promotes gender inequality as organizations place men on leadership positions that pay well while women work as their subordinates with little pay. Some television programs have made people realize that they can find pleasure in reading books as well as using different methods of inst ruction in learning. Most people move from one bookshop to the other searching for books that have life stories of characters that they admire in television shows. Also, some television programs like Discovery and History Channels contain lots of educational content. These channels show some events that took place long ago including wars, as well as evolution of human beings. People get to understand where they came from and why they relate with some societies in certain ways, through watching historical events. For instance, through watching about Germany armament on history channels, people can understand the roots of the tension between European and American countries. On the other hand, television shows may hamper the habit of reading books in children. Most children tend to concentrate on watching cartoons and other fun shows, rather than educational programs. Thus, televisions can influence reading and performance in schools, unless parents check what they watch.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Positive Effects of Television on the way People Understand Themselves specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Television shows enhance interaction among different people, thus enabling them to understand each other better. This is because television shows offer a platform from where office mates, who have little in common, can start a dialogue. People commonly watch television series like the Sopranos and sport channels and thus, they always have much to talk about them. Cartoon shows, also, form a ground for interaction as people from all demographic groups, including children watch them (Datta 2007). In fact, most grownups refer to cartoons when they want to start a dialogue with children, or when they want to cheer up sickly children. Some cartoon channels, which people watch commonly, are Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and Toon Disney. Television shows, which have characters with admirab le values, may impact the relationship between children and other people positively. On the other hand, some television shows may have negative impacts on society. Some examples of such shows are violent games and pornographic shows (Williams 1986). Both violent games and pornographic shows may have an effect on the moral values of children (Datta 2007). However, the issue of children watching unsuitable content is solvable through screening. For instance, parents can use technology to watch and control programs and content watched by their children (Hobart Schiffman 2000). Some programs that parents should restrict children from viewing are those that have rapid scenes, or those that show violent behavior. Monitoring what a child watches enables him to build a healthy relationship with the television (Hobart Schiffman 2000). Parents can as well choose shows that are rich in educational content, or children to view. Some shows for young children have no educational value, and pare nts should restrict such programs for school going children (Datta, A 2007). Weather channels make people understand the needs of their bodies since they offer guidance on what to wear. Most people watch television channels that forecast weather before deciding on what to wear. On the other hand, watching television often may harm the body through causing eye sight problems and malnutrition, in children who are frequent television viewers. Lastly, television helps people in a certain part of the world to understand how people in other countries live. There are people who like to know about others in oversea countries, but they cannot afford the money for travel. Television programs that focus on other countries help to bridge this gap.Advertising Looking for critical writing on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Such programs focus on people from different cultures and through watching them a person can realize how others behave. However, television shows may exaggerate, or give false information about lifestyles of people in other countries, thus creating false images among viewers. References Datta, A 2007, Effects of television and the viewers, Mittal Publications, New Delhi. Fisch, S 2004, Children’s learning from educational television: sesame street and beyond, Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah. Hobart, M Schiffman, Z 2000, Information ages: literacy, numeracy, and the computer revolution, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore. McLuhan, M 1964, Television â€Å"the timid giant†: understanding media, Routledge Kegan Paul, London. Williams, TM 1986, The impact of television: a natural experiment in three communities, Academic Press, Orlando. This critical writing on Positive Effects of Television on the way People Understand Themselves was written and submitted by user Georgia Schultz to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

buy custom Future Directions essay

buy custom Future Directions essay Netflix is an American company established in 1997 by Marc Randolph and Reed Hastings. It specializes in providing on-demand internet streaming media and serves the United States of America, Latin America and Canada. Its headquarters is in Los Gatos, California. By 2009, it had approximately 10 million subscribers and distributed a collection of 100,000 DVD titles. By April 2011, Netflix had 23.6 million subscribers. The company is famed for its excellent worker-oriented culture, which includes unlimited vacation time and enabling staff to take paychecks in stock options. Netflix rates as among the most successful technology based ventures serving the United States, Canada, and Latin America. The topic of change management is a sensitive one, especially for Netflix. This is given the company has a very large clientele who can be negatively provoked by any negative venture by the management. Netflix has recently had some problems and lost a big amount of subscribers because of the inc rease of prices among other things. This occurred during the companys shift from physical DVD rental to video streaming. Thus, extra caution should be taken in managing the activities of Netflix. There are various change management models proposed, for instance Kotters 8-step model, Bridges Change model, Kubler-Rosss 5-stage model among many others. Let us use Kotters 8-step model and Bridges Change model for this crisis audit. In its undertakings, Netflix has used some aspects of Kotters model that emphasize urgency. For example, Netflix management has been quick in responding to its market shift. This is through expansion of the DVD rental business to include video streaming. This made a lot of sense, as the firm kept the same customer base, fulfilled the same needs of the customers, but most importantly in a different format. This is outstanding when compared with, for instance, Blockbuster, which despite its physical retail locations could not make such daring market shifts Netflix saw the urgency of migrating to electronic video streaming from physical video DVDs. William Bridges, on the other hand, proposes a theory of change that involves a three-phase process. These are mainly based on contrasting the change with transition (Green, 2002). When looked at using Bridges ideas, Netflix is deficient in some aspects. The introduction of video streaming in the established DVD rental business was confusing to customers. This could have been done better through separating the two business ventures and supporting them fully. By not doing this, Netflix did not afford clients the transition envisaged by Bridges. The companys website became a mixed up entity of choices between getting instant services or joining long queues of waiting for physical movie DVDs. Netflix added the video streaming service for free. On one hand, the company used the Kotters idea that emphasizes the creation of short come wins. However, this was ignoring the expectations of customers, which are central to both Kotters and Bridges models. By introducing streaming freely, some customers were made to believe that future services of Netflix would be free. In essence, this would never happen. Kotter argues that it is important to convince the stakeholders that the proposed change is necessary. This was overlooked by Netflix by introducing a service for free (streaming)and offering incentives for them to move from physical to electronic, instead of taking the time to explain the need and advantage of the change. Netflix change management deficiencies even took a greater nosedive when the company hiked the price for DVD rental and streaming service. Customers could not understand this increment of price because of a service they did not originally ask for. Netflix further went on to introduce a separate website for the two services and made it clear that the Netflix brand only applied to the streamingg service. Instead of concentrating of removing obstacles (as proposed by Kotter), Netflix added more barriers. These careless decisions motivated customers to try out alternatives to Netflix. Change can make a firm remain relevant in todays dynamic world. Taking advantage of new trends may enable a company to earn more income and grow. Change may also enable a company to solve immediate problems or evade future troubles. This can be elaborated by the example of Netflix, whose decision to venture into a virgin field of DVD marketing enabled it make a lot of profit (Green, 2002). Netflix has remained relevant today because of adopting new technologies, for instance video streaming. Netflix should continue to shop for cutting age technologies in order to remain relevant. A good shift would be adopting model-driven development in providing on-demand internet streaming media. A decision to pursue positive change may bring Netflix out of its current mess. Applying Bridges and Kotters change models may bring the desired future in the company. The company should refocus on the expectations of its clientele. This involves determining and addressing their complaints. Key challenges faced in managing change are lack of support from stakeholders, lack of foresight and communication barriers. In the case of Netflix, the clients-who are the stakeholders in this case- did not get proper communication about the need for change, thus failed to support or resisted the change to video streaming. The managers of Netflix failed to foresee the problems of merging physical DVDs and Video streaming services. Netflix should learn from this oversight and in future, adopt public relations ventures before introducing new ideas to the market. Change and change management should be planned. There should be wide consultation with both managers and clientele on the change proposed. In addition, change should be looked at from the long-term benefits rather than the short term wins. Buy custom Future Directions essay

Marketing tools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing tools - Essay Example In this regard, the analysis focuses on a wireless mini Hair dryer market, competitive environment and the costs involved. This can only be achieved by continuous surveys of the product competitors’ actions in this market. Under an inventor’s strategic marketing plan/approach, it will continuously monitor potential benefits/opportunities offered by the new line of products/a wireless mini Hair dryer to ascertain its financial viability ((Errigo & Zempol 2011, p. 64). Ansoff’s Model In order to meet the above objectives, Knowledge Store can use the Ansoff’s matrix / model to make decisions regarding a wireless mini hair dryer marketing growth strategy. It will used to ascertain strategic priorities regarding the launch of this new product line to attract more customers, expand the existing market share and to increase sales revenue earnings (Errigo & Zempol 2011, p. 72). It helps in creating a logical platform on which the above objectives are developed, fo llowing different mix categories shown in the diagram below. Fig. 1.0: Ansoff’s Model Moreover, Ansoff’s matrix is employed to determine a wireless mini hair dryer marketing strategies that will help in meeting the objectives of increasing the customer base and market share. This will be facilitated by the use of internet services, which reach more customers segments in different geographic markets across the globe. SWOT Analysis of an inventor’s company An inventor SWOT can be analyzed in terms of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, as outlined in the following table. STRENGTHS 1. A company operates many stores across the globe, thus present in the global market. 2. Strong control over its distribution channels. 3. An inventor’s product has a strong brand identity/name. 4. Its diversification strategy has larger brands portfolio. 5. Expansive market product line. WEAKNESSES 1. Weak financial health caused by higher debts and decline in pro fitability margin. 2. Unstable management caused by family conflicts of interest. 3. Weaker brands portfolio from some items sold by an inventor. 4. Limited target customers, especially the professionals. 5. The prices of an inventor product are relatively higher. OPPORTUNITIES 1. An inventor has a higher market growth potential in other areas, especially in the UK and USA. 2. A company is capable of consolidating other brands for the establishment of a stronger competitive advantage in various segments. 3. Presence of e-marketing/e-commerce makes it possible for an inventor to carry out online transactions. 4. Presence of multi-media technology developments for marketing/advertising. THREATS 1. A company currently faces stiffer competition from other market players in a company, which are companies that offer medium brands that are capable of advancing towards the premium brands such. 2. An inventor is facing the threat of takeover that is likely to affect its capital ownership in a company. 3. Presence of both local political shakeups and economic slowdown. 4. Fake company’s products. PESTEL Analysis of an inventor’s company/business There are various factors that would affect the decision making processes. The PESTEL analysis technique has been used in an effort to analyze some of these factors. The PESTEL model usually covers the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental factors that are likely to influence the decision maki

Research, Theory and Practice Cycle Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Research, Theory and Practice Cycle - Assignment Example The relationship between research theory, and practice should be well understood because research without theory gives discreet information or data with no value to the discipline. The relationships are direct and positive which enables the experts to put the facts together providing tangible information. The transformation of nursing practice is possible by the incorporation of theory into the practice showing the evident excellent nursing care that the researcher should provide the patients (Tailor & Ranpenning, 2011). Since all the elements of nursing theory and practice are related. It is justified that entry can be done at any point because one element leads to the other and the cycle rotates. Nursing can be perceived both as a discipline and as a profession. Understandably, both the two entities are inherent since they can be applied correspondingly. It is noteworthy that nursing discipline requires a qualified and well-trained expertise to carry out because all the practical elements of research, theory, and practice are applicable to the daily health

Army Profession of Arms Essay Example for Free

Army Profession of Arms Essay The Profession of Arms Campaign is mandated by John M. McHugh, secretary of the Army, and Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, Army chief of staff, to assess the state of the Army and take a critical look at how the past decade of war has impacted the military and civilian workforce. â€Å"The overall objective of the campaign is for Soldiers and leaders to refine their understanding of what it means to be professionals expert members of the Profession of Arms after over nine years of war and to recommit to a culture of service and the responsibilities and behaviors of our profession as articulated in the Army ethic,† Dempsey said. Another Army leader talked about what the campaign means for all those serving in the Army, whether Soldier or civilian, and how it is designed to help transition from the past decade of continuous conflict into a still-uncertain future. â€Å"The Army has decided to introduce the campaign for the Profession of Arms to develop leaders of character and competence required to meet the dynamic challenges of the 21st century,† said Lt. Gen. Robert L. Caslen, U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth, Kan., commanding general. â€Å"This campaign is designed to define and reinvigorate what it means to be a professional in the Profession of Arms. As we embark on this mission, we must reflect on the values and traits that define and distinguish us as a unique profession.† Lt. Gen. Richard P. Formica, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command commanding general, has initiated a command-wide review of what it means to be in the Profession of Arms. This review is part of a broader Army wide effort and leaders across the command are getting involved in this open collaborative process to solicit and capture feedback from its Soldiers and civilians. This campaign will also be a teaching opportunity to help better understand what it means to be in this profession and what it means to be in public service that distinguishes a profession from a career. For the workforce at USASMDC/ARSTRAT, the Profession of Arms Campaign is a chance to give input to the Army on how the past decade has influenced, both good and bad, those serving their nation in wartime. â€Å"For the Army as a whole, this is a chance to assess a lot of what impact the last 10 years of being at war has had on our workforce. It is a chance to take note of what we need to do right now, what we need to do in the future and what direction we need to go in, and I think this could have a great effect on SMDC as a whole,† said Lisa Ratley, Concepts Division, Future Warfare Center-Battle Lab. â€Å"We will conduct some roundtable groups and town hall-type meetings with civilians, officers and noncommissioned officers that will take input from everyone. â€Å"This is a great opportunity for SMDC to gather input and have something to say to the Army as a whole,† she added. In the Profession of Arms Campaign, there are five ‘cohorts’ that the Army is looking at. They are officers, noncommissioned officers, warrant officers, junior enlisted Soldiers and civilians. The campaign focuses on three questions: What does it mean for the Army to be a Profession of Arms? What does it mean to be a professional Soldier? After nine years of war, how are we, as individual professionals and as a profession, meeting these aspirations? â€Å"The Army chief of staff and secretary of the Army are concerned about what effect the last 10 years of war is having on the Army,† said Donald Long, FWC-BL. â€Å"They want to assess the impact of it and to keep ahead of what has actually changed, and how do we implement fixes to any problems or issues that may come up so we can continue to be a professional Army. â€Å"The Profession of Arms Campaign was officially going to end in December but the commanding general of SMDC wants to extend it to include the next 18 to 24 months of professional development for the civilians, Soldiers and officers in the command to provide professional development on what it means to be a professional in this Profession of Arms,† Long added. The Army has also sent out 20,000 surveys to civilians across the Army to get an input from the workforce. â€Å"To me, working for the Army is not just a job, it is an understanding that we are here to serve the American people,† said Ginny Partan, FWC-BL. â€Å"I think the Profession of Arms Campaign is going to help us bridge the gap between 10 years at war and where we need to head in the future. It is going to help us take a hard look at ourselves, across the spectrum from Soldiers to civilians, to see what we are doing right and where we can improve so that we are better in the future.†

Hemophilia Manitoba :: essays research papers fc

Hemophilia Manitoba Hemophilia Manitoba, or hemophilia, is a sex-linked genetic disorder that is effecting about 20,000 Americans, most of which males. A person with hemophilia either has an inactive or inadequate supply of one of several blood factors needed for blood to clot. Because of this hemophilia can be mild, moderate, or severe. Severe hemophiliacs are at risk for bleeding during surgery, trauma, or even dental work. There are two types of hemophilia, A and B (Christmas disease). Hemophilia B is extremely rare. The majority of the people have hemophilia A. In hemophilia A, the particular factor missing is 8 for clotting. Because hemophilia is sex-linked disorder, it can be passed on from mother to child. This is because the gene responsible for making blood factors 8 and 9 are only found on the X-chromosome. If a female is a carrier that means that she has one bad gene and one good gene for this disease. There is a fifty percent chance that she would pass it on to her child because she can only pass on one of the two chromosomes. If a male has hemophilia, he will have normal sons and all of his daughters will be carriers of the hemophilia disorder because all he can pass on is the defective X-chromosome. Males mostly have hemophilia, but women can also have hemophilia. This is extremely rare though because two defective X-chromosomes would be needed. In fact, the first proven case of women having hemophilia was not until the 1950’s (Bornstein 89). Female carriers are also at risk. These women are known as asymptomatic carriers and may suffer excessive menstrual bleeding, bruising, nosebleeds, and problems during childbirth. One serious problem with hemophilia is joint bleeds. When a joint bleeds, a small amount of blood leaks into joint space and can not escape the joint because it is covered by a capsule of tissue. If the bleeding is not discovered by this stage, blood will continue to fill up the joint space. The joint begins to swell and become uncomfortable. Eventually, the pressure inside will be greater than outside and the bleeding stops. Fortunately, the blood makes digestive enzymes that eats up the trapped blood. Unfortunately, the digestive enzymes will also attack the cartilage that covers the bones. After several bleeds, the cartilage can become worn out and the enzymes can eat away at the bone. Hemophilia is either treated each time an internal bleed

Analysis and Review of Source Code Movie

Source Code with it's unique twist on the classic time-loop scenario, brings mystery, action and a refreshing sci-fi structure for the audiences amazement. This film, like many sci-fi thrillers of the past, plays on societal issues with technology and it's potentially dangerous implications to the world. The plot, although minimalistic at a glance, unfolds with twists and turns that carry this sci-fi thriller to places never before seen by the sci-fi genre. As film reviewer, Peter Bradshaw, put it, â€Å"with twists and turns, and at breathtaking speed, this film runs on rails. [1] Science Fiction is a genre that is almost entirely based upon societies complicated relationship with technology and it's potential implications on society. In the film, the main technology presented is a program unsurprisingly called â€Å"Source Code. † The program allows our lead character, Colter Stevens', brain to access the body of a man who is already dead. The technology works by accessing the last eight minutes of person's memory and turning it into an alternate reality. It is described by its creator, Dr. Rutledge, as a tool for revisiting rather than revising time. Through source code, Colter Stevens becomes Sean, a victim of a train-bombing outside Chicago. Although the train-bombing has already occurred, other acts of terror are imminent in downtown Chicago. If Stevens is to use source code as expected he is to find out who is responsible for the train bombing and relay his findings to the people of the present so they may prevent further incidents. Each time his eight minutes are up, Stevens finds himself within a pod wired with a video screen. This screen is his only link Dr. Rutledge's unit and Stevens' commanding officer, Colleen Goodwin. The pod is a metaphysical set created to explain Stevens' thoughts and feelings. The room is essentially his mind and all that is going within it. The environment of the pod changes as Stevens' comprehension of the situation increases. The metaphysical nature of this set seems extremely intentional as there are essentially only three different sets used throughout the films entirety. The use of this â€Å"pod like† set is very similar in nature to that of the sets from 2001: A Space Odyssey in the sense that they are combining wholly human elements nto technological environments. [2] Each time Stevens returns to the train, he gathers more information about the bomb, the bomber, and the other people on the train, including Christina, the love interest. Once Stevens returns with the name of the bomber his mission is over. At this point in the film, Stevens learns that he died in the helicopter over Afghanistan and now only exists within the source code. After learning this, he c onvinces Goodwin to allow him back in one more time to save everyone on the train and die knowing they were all saved. However, once everyone has been saved, he does not die and will live as Sean for the rest of his life. Source Code is similar to many movies from the 1950s and '60s because of its use of relevant political issues to strike fear within the viewer. Much like how the Cold War paranoia permeated science fiction through features like War of the Worlds (1954) and The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), the current fear of terrorism trickles through Source Code's plot. [3] An obvious manifestation of this fear is the bomber himself. Derek Frost appears to be a young, white, suburban male and because his appearance is not that of a stereotypical terrorist, Stevens overlooks him as a suspect initially. By using the least likely suspect as the antagonist, Source Code is challenging our current beliefs on terrorism that only non-American's can be classified as terrorists. By creating this unlikely villain, source code creates relevance to the disaster, and realism to the situation. The unlikely villain shows that through technology anyone can really become a threat to society. The introduction of this average citizen villain prompts us to question our responsibility with technology. Here technology's power is illustrated because it transforms our â€Å"average† Derek into a super-villain capable of catastrophic events. On the other hand, we are also confronted with the potential life saving ability of the source code. Dr. Rutledge believed source code was only capable of saving lives that had not been already lost. However, the program enabled Stevens to not only save lives on the train, but also his own. Stevens doesn’t just jump through action-flick hoops, he also confronts some Big Questions — Are we alone? Are we free? Do we have free will? — the importance of which become clear as the outlines of Stevens’s true circumstances are revealed. †[4] The implication of this notion is very apparent as Stevens becomes more aware of his situation. His initial experiences within source code are consumed by selfish tasks s uch as trying to locate his father and find out what has happened to him. However, as he begins to understand source code and believes that his life no longer exists, his motives quickly change. Once Stevens begins to use source code for the greater good, he himself is also freed. This is a direct commentary on our usage of technology itself in that we need to use technology for the greater good and not for selfish means. It is this notion that we the audience is left to ponder. Will technology bring humanity to a never before seen existence or destroy our being entirely? Bibliography Cook, David A. A History of Narrative Film. New York: W.W. Norton. 498-499, 925-927. Bradshaw, Peter. â€Å"Source Code Review.â€Å" The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/mar/31/source-code-review (accessed April 12, 2011). Dargis, Manohla. â€Å"Don't Know Who You Are, but Don't Know Who I Am.† The New York Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/04/01/movies/jake-gyllenhaal-in-source-code-review.html (accessed April 12, 2011).