Final Project Essay Example for Free

Final Project Essay To turnaround an unprofitable company, Joan imposed new management ideas despite her father’s business practices and culture. With her leadership, Joan will lead and motivate Invitations Inc. employees, and the company will become more profitable. This leadership void threatens Invitation’s Inc â€Å"sustainable pattern of customer focus and profitable growth† (Millikin 9). Invitations Inc. needs to continue the momentum and motivation to accomplish growth. Replacing Joan with as the new CEO by use of a search committee represents the obvious solution to the problem. However, this assumes a replacement could and would be Joan’s equal, including leadership and management style, vision, and knowledge. Garrett could allow Joan to transition the leadership role to a replacement of her choice, with approval of Invitations Board of Directors, after a mentoring and trial period. On the other hand, Invitations Inc. could negotiate with Garrett to extend Joan’s stay as CEO to ensure the status quo. This would allow Joan to continue her successful leadership and strategies, or run the company as CEO of Invitations Inc, while decreasing redundancies and increasing operating efficiencies. Analysis of the Alternatives Search committees often replace the traditional hiring of upper management and leadership. The committee must define present conditions and develop a consensus of criteria used in evaluating candidates, including the leadership qualities needed at this stage in the company’s revival plan. Next, the committee can identify, screen, and interview candidates. Afterwards, the committee can recommend candidates to the board for consideration and their eventual decision (Poston 1). Alternatively, if one exists, Invitations Inc. should implement their succession management plan. Evaluation criteria are critical to the search committee. To build consensus, the committee should examine the past and the present to understand the future. With her recent success and credibility, Joan might become a benchmark for the search committee. An  examination of Joan would reveal her background and multicultural experiences, which have enabled her to embrace the cultur al differences between her dad and her. She fervently believes that â€Å"cultural conflict, if paced and channeled correctly, could provide opportunity for rapid innovation† . In hindsight, as the case suggests, Joan recognized the primary need to focus on corporate culture without passing judgment, recognizing its pros and cons. As an example, Joan confronted her dads method of performance evaluations and employee advancement. In US, factors like age, education level, and years of service to an organization determine career advancement. Except for those whose actions reflect poorly on the group and its members, seniority is the key factor for recognition and promotion. This paradigm often resulted in delays to the decision making process in an effort to achieve consensus,† thereby impeding the company’s decision-making (Millikin 3). To address these corporate cultural issues, Joan successfully balanced eastern collectivism and teamwork with western individualism. First, to develop a trust with employees, Joan displayed her strong interpersonal skills; she was the first manager to walk around the entire company and meet every employee in perso n (Millikin 5). Next, she developed systems for employee opinions and recommendations instead of hiring outside consultants. She also exposed managers to unfamiliar cultures, different areas of the business outside their boundaries, and more information through transparency and cross-functional teams. Nevertheless, she demanded personal commitment within the team environment by demanding accurate work, playing off the strength uncertainty avoidance (Millikin 8) Joan felt could use adjustment is the extent to which the people focus on the past, present, or future. Joan recognized that Invitations Inc. employees did not have a sense of urgency about the future, a potential bankruptcy. It makes sense for employees not to worry about such financial matters when the government bails out large employers. Thus, after careful detailed analysis, Joan recognized management did not have a vision for employees to follow. Therefore, he developed a long-term plan focusing on profit and listening to the customer. By mixing the cultural norms, Joan capitalized on the strength of the Invitations Inc. employee. As a leader, she understood cultural behaviors while appreciating their differences. Her cultural sensitivity coupled with her people skills helped turnaround the company. These skills  and decision-making ability are not mutually exclusive to Joan’s normative decision model, which assumes decision-making styles are learnable. Therefore and a possible near-identical substitute could exist. One major problem with search committees are the significant amount of time and effort necessary by the members, who are often upper management, might produce less than ideal candidates (Poston 1). Although best practices exist for search committee, Joan’s replacement might not harmonize with the company. The replacement might undue the corporate cultural changes under Joan, reverting to old habits, or tip the balance of cultures too far in the other direction. According to the case’s timeline, Joan would continue as CEO of Invitations Inc. for as long as needed. This could be time spent by Joan to mentor a successor of her choice. Joan should follow the succession management system, if one exists, to find the future leader for the company. If such a system does not exist, Joan will need to follow a similar process to that of a selection committee: identify, screen, and interview candidates, and make the recommendation of a candidate to the Board of Directors. There must be full confidence and trust in Joan’s decision by the board and the company, and in return, Joan needs to be fair and as objective as possible, using the same criteria and documenting all steps during the selection process. During her time with the company, Joan stablished relationships with other managers and leaders, some of high-quality, some of low-quality. According to the Leader-Member Exchange model, â€Å"those followers with high-quality relationships are in the in-group (Nahavandi 87). Applying this model would assume Joan’s in-group enjoyed her attention, support, confidence, respect, and more favorable job performance ratings, often leading to promotions. Remember, Joan moved away from the cultural norm of the seniority promo tional system to a pay for performance system. Moreover, Joan might know those in the in-group intimately from non-work related social networks. Since she developed employee-based programs to eliminate the hiring of consultants, using the in-group as a pool of replacement candidates seems the most logical. However, should Joan feel her option, the entire company, are not suitable, she could use this time to search outside of the company, maybe her personal in-group. As part of Joan’s selection criteria will be support for her change management principles, including establishing cross-functional teams to address silos; focusing on key basic  metrics of quality, cost, and customer satisfaction; ensuring transparency and communications that connect all levels of employees across the company. Additionally, Joan believes the CEO should align employees with company goals and strategies through the leader’s vision, which initially would be the revitalization plan established by Joan. Once Joan chooses her successor, she can personally groom and mold this individual. However, as Fiedler and his Contingency Model suggest, leadership effectiveness is a function of the match between a leader’s style and the leadership situation (Nahavandi 70). Essentially, Fielder proposes the leader cannot change his style but can change the situation. As such, unless Joan wants significant change within the company, she should not tolerate candidates lacking the core values necessary to meet leadership needs, like respect for employee buy-in. LEADERSHIP VERSUS MANAGEMENT From these definitions, it should be clear that leadership and management are related, but they are not the same. A person can be a manager, a leader, both, or neither. In the company, there are many different activities, the manager and leader would have different function in the activities. On create an agenda, the manager needs to planning and budgeting. The manager establishes detailed steps and timetables for achieving needed results. The manager needs to allocate the resources necessary to make those needed result happen. The leader needs to establish the direction. The leader develops a vision of the future, often the distant future, and strategies for producing the changes needed to achieve that vision. On develop a human network for achieving the agenda, the manager needs to organizing and staffing. The manager establishes some structure for accomplishing plan requirements, staffing that structure with individuals, delegating responsibility and authority for carrying out the plan, providing policies and procedures to help guide people, and creating methods or systems to monitor implementation. The leader needs to align the people. The leader communicates the direction by words and deeds to all those whose cooperation may be needed to influence the creation of teams and coalitions that understand the vision and strategies and accept their validity. On executing plans, the manger needs to control and solve the problem. The manager needs to monitor the results vs. plan in some detail, identifying  deviations, and then planning and organizing to solve these problems. The leader needs to motivating and inspiring. The leader needs to energize people to overcome major political, bureaucratic, and resource barriers to change by satisfying very basic, but often unfulfilled, human needs. On outcomes, the manager needs to produces a degree of predictability and order and has the potential to consistently produce major results expected by various stakeholders. The leader needs to produces change, often to a dramatic degree, and has the potential to produce extremely useful change. Joan and her father will need to establish a knowledge of the above to strengthen their relationship. Works Cited Face Value: The $10 Billion Man. The Economist World News, Politics, Economics, Business Finance. The Economist Newspaper Ltd, 24 Feb. 2005. Fonda, Daren. CARLOS GHOSN, RENAULT: He Did So Well, Lets Give Him Two CEO Jobs TIME. Breaking News, Analysis, Politics, Blogs, News Photos, Video, Tech Reviews. Time, 1 Dec. 2003. Moffett, Sebastian, and Mike Ramsey. Renault CEOs Image Takes Hit. MarketWatch. Wall Street Journal, 12 Apr. 2011. Millikin, John P. The Global Leadership of Carlos Joanat Nissan. Publication no. A07-03-0014. Thunderbird, 2003. Muller, Joann. The Impatient Mr. Joan- Forbes.com. Information for the Worlds Business Leaders. Forbes, 22 May 2006. Nahavandi, Afsaneh. The Art and Science of Leadership. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. Poston, Muriel E. AAUP: Presidential Search Committee Checklist. American Association of University Professors.

My Thoughts on Writing Essays -- Writing Education School Essays

My Thoughts on Writing The only thing I care about; the only thing I hope to get from this course, is some improvement in my ability to write what I think -- explain ideas and feelings to other people. I don't give a damn about anything else, and so far I haven't been disappointed. At the beginning of the course I was informed that we were going to be discussing exposition, which isn't so much a kind of writing as a purpose or attitude behind it. This purpose is to explore, unfold, or develop an idea or issue. And the sense I've gotten from our discussion is that the attitude is one of intellectual honesty, of dedication to learning something and reporting what's there , instead of protecting preconceived notions or projecting agendas or otherwise following some kind of "safe" path. "Themewriting" is what we've been calling everything which does the latter. The first example paper we read, the "3 E-Z steps to achieve success" one, is a perfect example of what I've come to consider themewriting. It takes on "success," which it acknowledges in the first paragraph is a complex and abstract concept open to many interpretations. It then says that whatever it is, success is something we can easily achieve by following a simple formula. The elements of the formula itself -- "set goals," "set achievable goals," and "achieve your achievable goals" -- are things we've all heard from self-help videos, counselors, and tea tins. So, cliche -- reliance on stuff the writer already knows and thinks is so True nobody can dispute it -- is a hallmark of themewriting. These reams of term papers are written in response to all sorts of assignments. I wrote one last year for meteorology about weather control which I constructed entirely as ... ...s absolutely necessary. In other words, they have little or no personal commitment to their writing. And why would they? This isn't a piece of writing which boiled up from inside them, driven by some artistic imperative. I got VERY good at the method I was taught in high school, and I've suffered for it. I am acutely aware of a "lost" feeling when faced with the need or desire to succinctly put my own thoughts down on paper -- in a personal letter, in a letter to the editor of the hometown newspaper, or one to a politician to tell him what a weenie he is -- or to write this paper expressing my ideas about writing. I find I have to concentrate hard to write what I want to say without resorting to cliches, bluffing assertions of alleged facts, and the printed equivalent of mumbling-and-hoping-people-get-it, but at least that means I'm learning what to watch for.

Phil Alden Robinsons Field of Dreams :: Film Movies Field Dreams Essays

Phil Alden Robinson's Field of Dreams Was Ray Kinsella a triumphant hero who dared to live his dreams, or merely an insane lunatic who blindly followed voices that could only be heard within the confines of his mind? Although either of these theories could be argued successfully, the idea that this intrepid man was indeed a hero is supported by a list of characteristics that generally indicate a classical hero. In the movie, Field of Dreams, Ray Kinsella was introduced to the viewers as an ordinary man, living an ordinary life, in an ordinary town. Conversely, he was given the extraordinary supernatural ability to revive a number of celebrities from both the world of baseball and literature who had been dead for many years. Kinsella related to common people, but possessed powers that are not only uncommon, but ultimately inhuman. Although not a fool, Ray Kinsella was also not invincible. For example, he was forced to deal with defeat and hopelessness throughout his travels. Once, he misunderstood a message given to him and journeyed to a place that he was not called to go to. But, being the bright and resourceful person he was, he was not discouraged and continued to persevere. Ray Kinsella was called upon by forces left unknown to the viewers and himself to go on both a physical journey as well as a journey of the heart. After hearing voices proclaiming, "If you build it, they will come," Ray risked the economic and emotional stability of the family he loved dearly to build a baseball field. At first, Ray Kinsella was highly skeptical, but eventually he realized the significance of his obscure calling. Upon the completion of the baseball field, "Shoeless Joe Jackson", the baseball player who had been his father’s hero before he passed away, suddenly appeared in the field to talk with Ray and to play baseball. As the plot progressed, Ray continued to receive messages. After each new message, Ray was called upon to further his journey. This journey involved traveling to various cities around the United States, as well as facing issues within himself that he has successfully hidden from for years. The reason for his journey, and the path to follow were never clearly manifested to Ray Kinsella.

Maternal Health and Child Health Systems Assessment Tool Essay

A tool for assessment of health service systems to support maternal health and child health Health during early childhood and pregnancy has long term and wide ranging impacts on the general health of populations. Promotion of good health in pregnancy and childhood are therefore critical activities of primary health care services. Health service systems need to be organised to meet the specific needs of maternal and child care alongside the other major aspects of these services, such as acute and chronic illness care. Health care organisations require practical tools to guide efforts and evaluate changes in maternal and child health. This ABCD Systems Assessment Tool was originally designed for assessing primary care systems support for chronic illness care. The tool is based on the structure, content and principles of the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) survey (Bonomi et al. , 2002) and on the Innovative Care for Chronic Conditions (ICCC) Framework (WHO 2002). We have now adapted the Systems Assessment Tool for use in quality improvement activities directed at maternal and child health (MCH). This adaptation is based on key policy reports and research papers relevant to the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander primary care sector (see list on last page). As for the ABCD Systems Assessment Tool for chronic illness care, this MCH Systems Assessment Tool has been designed for use with health services for Indigenous Australian populations. However, it is expected to be appropriate with minor adaptation for many other settings. The intended purpose of the tool is to support ongoing quality improvement initiatives through systematic assessment of a range of elements of health service systems that have been demonstrated to be important. The tool provides for an assessment of the state of development of health service systems; †¢ guidance on next steps in planning improvements in maternal and child health care; assessment of progress in achieving system improvement. As for the ABCD Systems Assessment Tool, this MCH Systems Assessment Tool incorporates the guiding principles of the ICCC Framework: evidencebased decision making; population focus; prevention focus; quality focus; integration; and flexibility/adaptability. Version 2. 1 Last Updated 30/03/07 Activities and programs relevant to maternal and child health care can be considered in three areas: a) Clinical Services for maternal health through individual health promotion advice, clinical preventive care and the early detection of illness (includes antenatal and post natal clinics/screening, case finding, brief interventions/counselling – generally health centre based, one-to-one activities) b) Clinical services for child health through individual health promotion advice, clinical preventive care and the early detection of illness (including child health clinics, screening, growth monitoring, case finding, brief interventions/counselling – generally health centre based, one-to-one activities) c) Community or Population based programs/activities, ancillary programs for maternal and child health (eg programs or activities designed to promote nutrition, breastfeeding, physical activity, oral/dental health, mental health, environmental health, and to reduce harm from cigarette smoke or alcohol) Each of these three areas of activities is important in the effective prevention and management of maternal and child ill health and the prevention of chronic illness in later years. The quality of systems in place to support each of these three areas of activities or programs may differ quite markedly within the same health centre or health service. The scoring form for this tool provides for distinct scoring of how systems support each of the areas. The prompts provided in this tool are intended only as guidance to some of the sorts of system issues that one might consider for scoring each item of the tool. These prompts are not intended to cover all relevant issues for all services. While there may be some overlap, the elements of the MCH Systems Assessment Tool can be applied separately to the assessment of systems to support a) services for maternal health; and b) services for child health. The use of this tool provides a score for the state of development of different aspects of health centre systems. These scores may be used as a guide for where improvement efforts might be focussed. The scores should be seen as a guide only, and services should base their priorities on the range of information available and the opportunities for improvement in different areas. We will welcome suggestions or feedback from services which use this tool.

HARRIS Surname Meaning and Origin

HARRIS Surname Meaning and Origin Harris is generally considered to mean son of Harry. The given name Harry is a derivation of Henry, meaning home-ruler. Like many patronymic surnames, the surnames HARRIS and HARRISON are often found used interchangeably in early records - sometimes with the same family. Harris is the 24th most popular surname in the United States according to the 2000 census and the 22nd most common surname in England. Surname Origin: English, WelshAlternate Surname Spellings: HARRISON, HARIS, HARRIES, HARRISS, HARRYS, HARYS, HERRICE, HERRIES Fun Facts The popular Harris Tweed cloth takes its name from the Isle of Harris in Scotland. The cloth was originally handwoven by islanders on the Isles of Harris, Lewis, Uist and Barra in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, using local wool. Famous People with the Surname HARRIS Arthur Harris - Marshal Arthur Bomber Harris, Commander in Chief of the Royal Air Force Bomber Command during World War IIFranco Harris - NFL running back, Pittsburgh Steelers. Best known for his immaculate reception during a 1972 AFC divisional playoff gameBernard Harris - 1st African-American to walk in spaceJillian Harris - star of the reality TV show The Bachelorette, 5th seasonNeil Patrick Harris - American actorMary Harris - early 1900s labor organizer; best known as Mother Jones Genealogy Resources for the Surname HARRIS Harris Y-DNA Project: If you are a male and have the Harris (or a variant spelling of the) surname, then this Y-DNA project invites you to join to help establish as many Harri lines as possible.HARRIS/HARRIES/HERRIES/HARRISS Genealogy: Genealogist Glenn Gohr has compiled a nice collection of information and genealogy on Thomas Harris (c. 1586 of England and Virginia, as well as general information about the Harris surname.Harris Family Genealogy Forum: Search this popular genealogy forum for the Harris surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Harris query. There is also a separate forum for the HARRISON surname.FamilySearch - HARRIS Genealogy: Find records, queries, and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Harris surname and its variations.HARRIS Surname Family Mailing Lists: RootsWeb hosts several free mailing lists for researchers of the Harris surname.Cousin Connect - HARRIS Genealogy Queries: Read or post genealogy queries for the su rname Harris, and sign up for free notification when new Harris queries are added. DistantCousin.com - HARRIS Genealogy Family History: Free databases and genealogy links for the last name Harris. Cant find your last name listed? Suggest a surname to be added to the Glossary of Surname Meanings Origins. Sources: Cottle, Basil. Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Menk, Lars. A Dictionary of German Jewish Surnames. Avotaynu, 2005.Beider, Alexander. A Dictionary of Jewish Surnames from Galicia. Avotaynu, 2004.Hanks, Patrick, and Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick. Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Smith, Elsdon C. American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Color Cosmetics Essay Example

Color Cosmetics Essay Example Color Cosmetics Essay Color Cosmetics Essay The color cosmetics category can be complex the number of products, claims, and the Introduction of multitasking formulas can overwhelm even the sallowest of make- up users. As a result, women are looking for guidance from a variety of sources including both online and in-store. Browse Full Report With TCO: towpath. Nonrepresentational. Biz/analysis-details/ color-cosmetics-us-July-2014 Table of Content Scope and Themes What you need to know Definition Data sources Sales data Consumer survey data Abbreviations and terms Abbreviations Terms Executive Summary The market Figure 1 : Total US sales and fan chart forecast of color cosmetics, at current prices, 2009-19 Market factors Figure 2: Use of color cosmetics, by household income, April 2014 Segment performance Figure 3: Total US retail sales of color cosmetics, segmented by type, 201 2 and 2014 Key players To Get Download Full Report with TCO: Nonrepresentational. Biz/sample/ sample/212312 Figure 4: MULL sales of the top five mass market color cosmetics companies, rolling 52 weeks 2013 and 2014 The consumer Lip make-up and mascara are most used products Figure 5: use of color cosmetics, April 2014 Women seek long-wearing, lightweight facial cosmetics Figure 6: Top five benefits sought when selecting facial cosmetics, April 2014 Volumes ranks as most Important mascara benefit 18-24 age group, April 2014 Women want lip products that moisturizer and are long- wearing Figure 8: Top five benefits sought when selecting lip cosmetics, total respondents and 18-24 age group, April 2014 What we think Issues and Insights Mass market is struggling The issues The implications: Leverage technology, creative retailing Multi-benefit products stealing share from foundation, skincare The issues The implications: Offer spectrum of coverage, highlight new usage occasions Shoppers seek different benefits depending on product, lifestyle The issues The implications: Implement targeted marketing efforts, customize product offerings Trend Application Trend: Secret, Secret Trend: Non-standard society Trend: Make it Mine Market Size and Forecast Key points Sales and forecast of color cosmetics Figure 9: Total US sales and forecast of color cosmetics, at current prices, 2009-19 Figure 10: Total US sales and forecast of color cosmetics, at inflation-adjusted prices, 009-19 Future looks solid for color cosmetics Figure 1 1: Total US sales and fan chart forecast of color cosmetics, at current prices, 2009-19 Forecast methodology To Read Complete Report with TCO: Nonrepresentational. Is/analysis/ 212312 Market Drivers Wealth disparity benefits both prestige and budget brands Figure 1 2: University of Michigan index of consumer sentiment (CICS), 2007-14 Figure 13: Use of color cosmetics, by household income, April 2014 Trend-driven nature of category drives market Technology impacts how women interact with make-up Competitive Context Segment Performance Facial make-up sales remain strong Lip cosmetics see optics in growth Sales of color cosmetics, by segment Figure 14: Total US retail sales of color cosmetics, segmented by type, 2012 and 2014 Figure 1 5: Key purchase measures for color cosmetic products, by household penetration, 52 weeks ending DCE. 30, 2012 (year ago) and DCE. 9, 2013 (current) Segment Performance Facial Cosmetics Sales are solid for facial cosmetics Sales and forecast of facial cosmetics Figure 16: Total US sales and forecast of facial cosmetics, at current prices, 2009-19 Segment Performance Eye Cosmetics Slow growth expected for eye cosmetics Sales and forecast of eye cosmetics Figure 17: Total US sales and forecast of eye cosmetics, at current prices, 2009-19 Segment Performance Lip Cosmetics Lip cosmetic sales are on the rise Sales and fo recast of lip cosmetics Figure 18: Total US sales and forecast of lip cosmetics, at current prices, 2009-19 Contact US: Office: United States State Tower 90 state street, suite 700 Albany, NY 12207 United States Toll Free: 866-997-4948 Tell: +1-518-618-1030 E: [emailprotected] Biz

Americanization of Global Media

Americanization of Global Media Summary The boom in the global media in the recent years owes much of its success to the integration it has made possible on the cultural levels. The paper tries to gauge the extent to which media has become global with special references to the web based media and then takes up the Americanization that the social fabric of the world has become enmeshed in. The paper also seeks the reasons for these phenomena. Introduction â€Å"A Literature Review is a systematic examination of knowledge available on a topic†. It is further opined that as far as academic literature review is concerned â€Å"it involves the use of appropriate peer-viewed articles† (Dawidowicz, 2010). The paper therefore examines and categorizes various texts that fall under the purview of global media studies and analyses the context and magnitude of influence of Americanization on the media in particular and the general masses in general. Today, in the wake of globalization, the world is no longer a di screet entity but is to be taken as an organic whole. The metaphor of a â€Å"melting pot† could have aptly described the situation (Storey, 2000). People across the world are in a state of constant drift and are trying to become world players.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Americanization of Global Media specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Still, the indigenous cultures of these people and their roots can never be entirely annihilated and hence the world has become a â€Å"salad bowl† implying that though people from various cultures reside in a particular area, they still retain their individual characteristic features as in a salad bowl the various vegetables, though mixed, can be separately identified (Campbell Kean, 1997). At the same time, one cannot deny the fact that people are more akin to see the world as a single stage and this has been made easy with the help of the proliferation of th e media under the garb of globalization. This, in turn, has been possible because of the advancements in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) throughout the world and the leading contributor being America. The proliferation of world markets was perhaps understood couple of decades back when Prof. Levitt opined that the â€Å"Globalization of Markets† is about to take place at hitherto incredible rates (Levitt, 1983). This has been supported by another stalwart of the field Prof. Ohmae who has proposed the concept of a â€Å"borderless world† (Ohmae, 1989). So it is highly likely that we, as a people, are converging rather than diverging with time and the day is not far when we would be actually able to do without borders and boundaries. But this phenomenon could never have been successful without the role of the global media. The boom in use of computers and the internet and eventually becoming a necessity rather than being a luxury has led to increased connectivity among people across the borders and has contributed meaningfully to the growth and sustenance of globalization. But this has been accompanied by various other changes in people who have given in to the advances made by globalization and the global media. Changing lifestyles and attitudes, lingua franca, desires and aspirations, more reliance on digital platforms and ultimately a general tendency towards Americanization characterize today’s youth all over the world. The paper reflects upon these issues and tries to highlight the impact of global media and the extent to which Americanization has given global media the much acclaimed thrust. ICT and its influence The world has become globalised because of the boom in ICT, as mentioned above. But the impact of ICT on our daily lives has made us more technologically oriented Huizinga (2006: 37). Nowadays, it is rather difficult to imagine a world and trade and commerce without computers and the internet.Advertising Looking for assessment on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The unprecedented growth in ICT has also led to make these technologies easily available and affordable as well. Other digital platforms are equally important and foster the life we currently lead. Our needs, desires and aspirations are heavily dependent on the information provided by these digital platforms – be it the internet or the satellite channels we watch on television. Moreover, as per Lester (2002: 124), ICT has been instrumental in changing the way we learn and communicate since reaching out to other parts of the world at almost no cost and no time has become a reality. As far as education is concerned, Couldry (2007: 253) opines that the introduction of digital learning methodologies in school has only bettered the way students across the world learn. This has also led to the integration of global learning in the true s ense of the term. Classroom pedagogy is being supported by digital learning objects and this integration is thought to be more conducive to increasing the concentration of students and therefore advancement in pedagogy as a whole. Marjorie (1992: 69) is also of the same opinion when he suggests that the increase in international web based pedagogy has been possible because of consolidation of data on websites and subsequent facilitation of various tutorials and other learning programs. The impact of ICT on education has been recorded by many a scholar and Hafez is no exception. Hafez (2006: 67) feels that the latest integration of knowledge forums and the ICT has helped facilitate the transformation of public libraries into digital learning platforms wherein knowledge can be accessed globally and by individuals across borders. Also the use of web browsers as a part of acquiring knowledge has slowly but surely seeped in to the education system. Hafez sees this as a cultural transform ation – one that has made us more prone to technology and ultimately let us break ourselves free of the shackles of borders and frontiers. On the other hand, trade and commerce is also deeply influenced by the advent of ICT. Huizinga (2006: 39) has noted that global commerce is deeply rooted in information technology. E-commerce has come up as a pertinent measure that traders and MNCs are opting for in order to maintain ties and trade relations with clients and customers throughout the world. In comparison, Eric (2005: 679) has opined that ICT has helped increase the international cohesiveness and accord in society. On the one hand, there has been an integration of the world on various fronts like education and business and on the other, the cultural diversity has also been comprehended and that too successfully via the ICT and various digital media. The various cultural aspects of the world have been enmeshed into an organic whole through a common system of knowledge-based e xperiences as a result of globalization.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on Americanization of Global Media specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Today’s age is also known as the age of information. This has also been made possible through the proliferation of ICT. As per Boyd-Barrett (2006: 64), the way various data is stored and incorporated as well as used has helped the world prosper more than ever. Meta data storages and other technologies has been instrumental in increasing access to information across the various regions of the world and thus has successfully enhanced togetherness in almost all social and other aspects. But the most astounding fact that has surfaced is in the research of Huizinga (2006: 39) is that the more global economies are being integrated, ICT is more and more becoming an inevitable strategy. Moreover, media and its globalization in terms of developments in ICT have now taken the dr ivers seat since a lot depends on technological superiority. Internationalized Media Couldry (2007: 255) is of the opinion that global digital media has been instrumental in augmenting internationalization. This process has been carrying on for quite some time and international or global media has created a global platform for the masses who nowadays share common values and beliefs to a great extent. Authors like Baym (2007: 347) take the point further when they talk about the social networking websites – ones that have changed the world for good and obviously the way we communicate with the rest of the world. Social networking websites act as a very popular medium in todays world and that they conjoin multicultural aspects across the continents is known to all and sundry. But what is more important is that these websites like Facebook or Orkut are bridging the gap between the cultural diversities and creating a multicultural society – one that relies heavily on Americ anization. Also, there are hundreds of satellite channels operating in all countries and most of these channels can be accessed from other parts of the world as well. Moreover, these channels are also reason enough for the internationalization of media and its being transnational. Eric (2005: 572) in his seminal text reveals the impact of global media on lifestyles throughout the world. Especially the web media has changed the way we lead our lives. More than any other media, the web media is all the rage and it has patronized multicultural interaction at a hitherto unseen rate and that too on a global level.Advertising Looking for assessment on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Americanization The discourse on global media and its effects on society would not be complete until we discuss the impact of Americanization on the media and society at large. Of course there are various reasons for such a huge impact of Americanization on society and the media. 80% of the US citizens are computer literate and operate computers on a regular basis Huizinga (2006: 37). Moreover, the global hub of computers is undoubtedly the US. And so is the internet. Since both the computer and the internet stems from the US and have flourished in that country, the effects of Americanization on the computer and anything related to the internet is verily evident. As noted by Baym (2007: 349), the impact of America is immense since the massive usage of integrated global media has been momentous in the way world’s previously diverse knowledge has been incorporated into a common form of acquaintance. Particularly, the American culture has become widespread largely, since there h ave been a cohesiveness in communication among the people. As mentioned earlier, that the latest media is trying to create a single lingua franca throughout the world – a language that is spoken or atleast understood by majority of the web media users. This common medium of communication happens to be English – the language used by Americans. The reason for this is obvious – most of the companies that are known to be successful in the web business hail from America and therefore keen on the usage of English. Conclusion Global Media and its subsequent proliferation as well as its impact on the social fabric of the world are not only inevitable but also desirable. It has helped the world integrate on a common platform and has been instrumental in reducing the problems associated with such integration. Furthermore, what was found that the most potent form of media in todays world is indubitably the web media. The web media has actually crossed borders and created a platform wherein all other digital and media converge, to the extent that our social lives converge – irrespective of our nationality, culture, creed, values and needs as well as aspirations. In this context the impact of Americanization cannot be ignored and requires proper and individual attention. As mentioned earlier, most of these companies that have thriving businesses either on the media or on the web are from America. Naturally, the inclination to Americanize not only the websites but the entire experience is obvious. Nonetheless, we are on the verge of cultural integration via the global media in general and the web media in particular. One cannot ignore the fact that America is one of the foremost and most formidable economies to reckon with. The influence they can wield on trade and commerce is immense and like no other. So the impact of Americanization on media is but obvious. However, the way in which various authors have interpreted the flourishing of global me dia is different and this is of paramount importance. The reason is that these differences in perception or reason can be taken for as varying points of views that accumulate to form the entire experience or set of causes and effects that is known as global media or to be more specific – Americanized global media in todays world. References Baym, N. 2007. The New Shape of Online Community: The Role of the Media in Cultural Transformation. Social Integration Review, 12(3): pp. 341-359. Boyd-Barrett, O. 2006. â€Å"Chapter Four: Cyberspace, Globalization and US Empire† in, J. Libbey. Communications Media, Globalization and Empire, (pp 53-79). Eastleigh, Indiana University Press. UK. Campbell, N., Kean, A. 1997. American Cultural Studies: An Introduction to American Culture. Routledge. Oxon. p. 65. Couldry, N. 2007. New Media for Global Citizens? The Future of the Digital Divide Debate. Journal of World Affairs; 14(1): 249-261 Dawidowicz, P. 2010. Literature Review Made Easy – A Quick Guide to Success. Information Age Publishing Inc. 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