The Construction of the Postmodern Subject in Professional Writing

Entering the time of postmodernism, all circles of social and political life have been influenced by this development, including music, workmanship, writing, and instruction (Woods 9). Because of the presence of the Internet, the way toward composing has additionally experienced critical changes. It has gotten needy from the PC screen being another option, postmodern technique for information securing and proficient composition. In this regard, the issue of subjectivity has significantly added to the development of the postmodern subject.Advertising We will compose a custom article test on The Construction of the Postmodern Subject in Professional Writing explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More what's more, the postmodern development has likewise influenced the style and character of the composing kind, making it progressively questionable and objective. The postmodern subject, hence, is presently increasingly centered around the association among subjectivity and prin ted practice. The presence of the purported trendy expressions as the consequence of the internet expansion has adjusted the elements of writings that significantly influenced the development of the postmodern subject. Specifically, the electronic content has become the ideological supporting of the virtual reality where individuals go about as anecdotal characters (Lee n. p.) By changing the nature and the character of composing and content introduction, the matter of postmodern subject has experienced significant changes also. To be increasingly exact, the belief system of the internet gave new methodologies and strategies to examining distinctive part of political and public activity (Turkel 155). Furthermore, the unrest of PC innovation has likewise affected the nature and the character of the subject development (Bolter 16).Therefore, while building the postmodern subject, the consideration is bolted on unveiling the association of this present reality and the virtual world. Th inking about the issues of character in postmodern time, the subject development is to a great extent foreordained by the misshaped personalities made in the internet. In this regard, the internet way of life as the premise of building a postmodern subject mutilates the current reality. Because of the way that language in the internet additionally serves to veil the truth, the progressions happened to it likewise create an impressive move and building a significance and subject of expert composition (Warschauer n.p). The ascent of postmodern period has affected the language and presented new topical regions for conversation. The development of postmodern subject is, in this way, firmly associated with annihilation of authentic implications (Lyotard 154.). Despite the fact that the reasons and shows of significance development are still connected with uncovering the theme, the presentation of postmodern effect has changed the semantic grounds of topical composition (Dowson and Earnsh aw 3). Specifically, the fundamental topic of postmodernism is limited to connecting among subjectivity and literary practice.Advertising Looking for exposition on history? We should check whether we can support you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This contentions lead to the formation of postmodern subject that negate the established truths by delivering the thoughts that item to the self-evident (Lyotard 129). It ought to likewise be noticed that the postmodern composition and postmodern content specifically has now obtained the new significance and capacities. Concerning this, the postmodern subject is nothing more except for phonetic stunt identifying various parts that sometimes fall short for one another and, in this manner, can't be assembled into a lucid entire (Dowson and Earnshaw 60). Taking everything into account, the issue of subject development in postmodern time is basically foreordained by the presentation of the internet correspondence. Specifically, t he way to deal with proficient composing is regularly guided by the modifications presented by online correspondence and the web. The issue is that the postmodern subject is worried about unveiling the thoughts that frequently articles to the real world, which is regularly clarified by over the top use of the Internet. Furthermore, impressive move in significance drastically impacts the expert composition and development of postmodern subject development. It has gotten concentrated on the association between the subjectivity development and literary practice. Works Cited Bolter, Tay David. The Computer as a New Writing Space. Composing Space: The Computer, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. Hillsdale NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1991, pp. 15-31. Dowson, Jane, and Earnshaw, Steven. Postmodern subjects, postmodern writings. Rodopi, 1995. Lee, Erik Chia-yi. Thinking Cyber-Subjectivity: Ideology and the Subject. Division of Foreign Languages and Literatures. Web. https://web.arc hive.org/web/20160103053908/http://www.isoc.org/inet96/procedures/e3/e3_4.htm Lyotard, Jean-Francois. The Postmodern clarified: correspondence, 1982-1985. US: University of Minnesota Press, 1993.Advertising We will compose a custom paper test on The Construction of the Postmodern Subject in Professional Writing explicitly for you for just $16.05 $11/page Learn More Turkle, Sherry. Life on the Screen: Identity in the age of the Internet. NJ: Simon Schuster, 1995. Warschauer, Mark. Language, Identity, and the Internet. Race in Cyberspace. US: University of California, 2000. Woods, Tim. Starting Postmodernism. US: Manchester University Press, 1999. This exposition on The Construction of the Postmodern Subject in Professional Writing was composed and presented by client Yasmin Mendoza to help you with your own examinations. You are allowed to utilize it for research and reference purposes so as to compose your own paper; in any case, you should refer to it as needs be. You can give your paper here.

Types Of Database Management Systems

Sorts Of Database Management Systems As we probably am aware databases are being utilized like never before to store and to get to data. Because of the simplicity of upkeep and remarkable execution of databases, the development of database advances has been expanding quickly. Besides DBMS had flourished over World Wide Web. Diverse web-applications are recovering the put away information and the appropriate responses are shown in a designed structure utilizing web dialects like XML. This paper discusses the various Data Models for databases, and examines their relative qualities and shortcomings. I will introduce the most widely recognized methodologies for information demonstrating that are utilized by DBMSs (RDBMS, OODBMS, ORDBMS and XML ) giving a brisk prologue to every one of them we will looks into the methodology treating them nearly. Information MODELS Database Model can be arranged by the information structures and administrators they present to the client. (Bloor, 2003) (1) E-R Model (2) Hierarchical Data Model (3) Network Data Mode (4) Semi Structured Data Model (5) Relational Data Model (RDBMS) (6) Object Oriented Data Model (OODBMS) (7) Object Relational Data Model (ORDBMS) (8) Semi-organized information (XML) Among all information models referenced beneath, social model followed by object arranged and object social models appreciated most ubiquity, we will characterize individually and simultaneously we are going to show their preferences and inconveniences. Social DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (RDBMS) In RDBMS, all the information is as straightforward sections and lines in a table. Each table is an individual and autonomous element and we need not to utilize any physical pointers or physical connects to interface the substances like what we used to have in arrange and progressive models. All information is kept up as tables comprising of lines and sections. Information in two tables is connected through normal segments. Administrators are given to working on lines in tables. Along these lines, questioning turns out to be simple. This was one of the fundamental purposes behind the social model to turn out to be progressively mainstream with software engineers. The RDBMS structures information into relations (tables) which structure a two-dimensional portrayal of the information into lines and sections. A connection contains tuples (columns) and each tuple speaks to an unmistakable record in the table. A tuple comprises of a lot of sloppy characteristics (sections) giving subtlety to the record. Columns are doled out a remarkable identifier, otherwise called an essential key, by which the record can be gotten to, controlled, and referenced by different tables or applications. Sections store the traits of a record, all the more ordinarily known as fields, and each characteristic is allocated an information type. Organized Query Language (SQL) is recognized and acknowledged as the standard question language and exchange instrument for RDBMS. SQL inquiries can be utilized to access and return information from tables, characterize records and their properties, and to see information from numerous tables through activities, for example, a join.(Dolk, 1998) Two of the most mainstream instances of RDBMS as of now available are Oracle and Microsoft Access. Focal points of RDBMS In RDBMS framework, the tables are basic, information is more obvious and speak with others. RDBMS is adaptable, clients don't need to utilize predefined keys to enter data. Programmed enhancement of looking through is conceivable in RDBMS Structure Query language (SQL) is simpler to learn and actualize. It underpins enormous and exceptionally huge databases. RDBMS are increasingly profitable in light of the fact that SQL is simpler to learn. This permits clients to invest more energy contributing as opposed to learning. Impediments RDBMS Very little proficient and successful coordinated help. Need more stockpiling territory to deal with information, for example, pictures, computerized and sound/video. Social tables are level and don't offer great help for settled structures, for example, sets and clusters. And furthermore particular sorts of connections, for example, sub-composing between database objects are difficult to speak to in this model. RDBMS innovation didn't exploit Object situated programming idea, which is mainstream as a result of its methodology. All the information must be as tables where connections between elements are characterized by values. 2.2 OBJECT ORIENTED DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (OODBMS) As you know, web and Internet utilization is quickly expanding these days. To address the difficulty of the web and to conquer the constraints of RDBMS, OODBMS was created. OODBMS represents Object arranged database the executives framework, which we can characterize as; it is a blend of Object Oriented Programming and Relational Database Management System. (Fong, 1997) Legacies, information embodiment, object personality, and polymorphism are the fundamental attributes of item arranged programming. By characterizing new items, we can create answers for complex issues in legacy. Articles are connected and shared inside a system and have an autonomous personality. The article personality (OID) works in the background to guarantee the uniqueness of the tuples, which is undetectable to the clients. Additionally, no constraints are required on the qualities. In the event that we take something very similar in RDBMS, at that point we need to stress over particularly recognizing tuples by their qualities and ensuring that no two tuples have a similar essential key qualities. Then again, polymorphism and dynamic restricting are helpful to make items to give answers for the mind boggling ones and to abstain from coding for each article. These articles might be transient or diligent. By steady article we mean the changeless item put away inside the database to endure the execution of information process and so as to in the long run reuse it in another procedure. OODB manages these articles in a uniform way. To make, update, erase or to recover the relentless information, information definition language and information control dialects are significant in OODBMS. These dialects are additionally valuable to characterize a database, including making, modifying and dropping tables and to guarantee the respectability imperatives in tables. Item Query Language (OQL) is the standard inquiry language for OODBMS. OQL utilizes sentence structure like SQL and is once in a while utilized since the essential usefulness of inquiries in natural for object-arranged programming languages.(Chaterjee, 2005) Points of interest of OODBMS Increasingly semantic data Backing for complex articles Extensibility of information types May improve execution with proficient reserving Forming Reusability Legacy speeds improvement and application Potential to incorporate DBMSs into single condition Burdens OODBMS Solid restriction from the set up RDBMSs Absence of hypothetical establishment Return to old pointer frameworks Absence of standard specially appointed question language Absence of business information structure and the board apparatuses Steep expectation to learn and adapt Low market nearness Absence of similarity between various OODBMSs 2.3 OBJECT RELATIONAL DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ORDBMS) Item Relational Database Management System (ORDBMS) is an all-encompassing improvement of existing social database framework. To defeat the specific restrictions and to expand the presentation level, and to accomplish the advantages of social model and article model, ORDBMS innovation advanced by consolidating the social databases and item arranged ideas. We can fuse our custom information types, capacities, administrators and techniques with the database and we can store pictures, geological data and sight and sound articles, for example, sound and video, it permits us to raise the degree of reflection at which we need to see the difficult area. In ORDBMS constrained help of item situated highlights, for the most part to new information types. Besides, it bolsters unique information types (ADTs) and complex connections. ORDBMSs have a similar inquiry driven way to deal with information the board as we have in RDBMS. Through explanatory SQL proclamations, we can deal with the information access and there is no procedural or article at once, navigational interface. ORDBMS permits us to keep utilizing our current frameworks, without rolling out significant improvements. In straightforward words, we can say that ORDBMSs orchestrate the highlights of RDBMSs with the best thoughts of OODBMSs. (Cigler, 1999) Preferences of ORDBMS Capacity to inquiry complex applications and capacity to deal with enormous and complex applications Decreased Network Traffic inquiries and complex guidelines can be executed on the server (rather than customers) Application and Query Performance Parallel server innovation can be utilized Software Maintenance information and strategies are put away on the server and makes upkeep simpler Coordinated Data and Transaction Management. The database motor handles all exchange uprightness, reinforcement, and so forth., issues Weaknesses of ORDBMS Displaying and handling backing of complex articles and their renditions, enormous items, semantic-rich connections, and so forth is just simple or in any event, missing in current ORDBMSs ORDBMSs must be supplemented by sufficient customer side information the board and long-running plan exchanges exemplifying the customer preparing model, so as to offer good help for specialized applications Low execution in web applications 2.4 XML To comprehend XML is critical to comprehend its underlying foundations as a markup language reports. The term trademark is any component in an archive that it isn't planned to be a piece of the printed yield.. In an electronic report handling a markup language is a proper depiction of what is contained in the record, which part is brand and what the brand depend on. Just as database frameworks advanced from the physical handling of records to give a consistent separation, the markup language particular created from the guidelines demonstrating how to print portions of the report for the substance.. Such utilitarian brand permits the archive to have various arrangements in various circumstances. It likewise helps various pieces of a long archive, or various pages in an enormous Web website, have a uniform configuration. The brand wo

Management Control System Definition, Characteristics and More

Management Control System â€" Definition, Characteristics and More If you’d have to name a single function in the organization that can make or break it, you might mention management. The control of the operations and the people behind them is what management is about and it can be a tougher task than many imagine.So, what could make it easier and guarantee results that are more effective? According to a number of proponents, management control systems can help provide plenty of benefits to organizations of all shapes and sizes.What are these management control systems? Let’s examine the definition, the function, the characteristics and the benefits of it. We’ll also venture a little into the implementation process and the factors that can help or hinder when applying the system to your organization. DEFINING MANAGEMENT, SYSTEMS AND CONTROLOne of the best ways to understand management control systems or MCS is by examining the different components that make it. The concept is built on three distinct elements: management, systems and control.ManagementAs you know, management is about organizing people and processes in a manner that helps the organization achieve specific objectives. The management process wants to ensure different parts work together to attain these goals.How can this be done? Well, this in most instances means dealing with different resources and allocating them to correct roles and purposes. Management includes guidance and monitoring of these resources as well. You are essentially managing how other people perform a specific role and use resources, instead of doing it yourself. As a manager, you are essentially a facilitator â€" if A needs to be done, you find B to do it and provide him the strategy and the resources to do it.OK, so that explains the core conce pt, but what about the functions of management? You need to identify and understand the key components of management as well. The first component is the different functions of management. The definitions can be different depending on the situation, but generally, five functions are identified as the core functions of management. These are planning, organizing, staffing, leading, and controlling. You can watch the YouTube clip below to learn more about the functions and the specific processes they entail. The other key part of management is the resource types it entails. The most common forms of resourcing include: human resources, financial resources, technological resources and natural resources. You could use the above functions to allocate, control and monitor the different forms of resources. In essence, you are combining the functions you have at hand â€" planning, staffing and so on â€" with the resources, such as financial resources. The clearest example is having the functio n of staffing and using the human resource funding to hire in new staff.The definition of management in the context of MCS is important because of how organizations can be viewed. Think of an organization as a system. Now the role of management is therefore facilitating the production of beneficial outcomes from the system. If you want the system, i.e. the organization, to produce a result A, you use management to gather the resources, i.e. the human and other resources, to guarantee A gets done. You are essentially the engine, which gathers the other parts together to move the car forward.SystemsWhat about systems? As mentioned above, you can view organizations as systems. The Business Dictionary gives two definitions to systems, which are both good to understand in the context of MCS. Systems are:“a set of detailed methods, procedures and routines created to carry out a specific activity, perform a duty, or solve a problem”or you could view them as:“an organized, purposeful structure that consists of interrelated and interdependent elements”The key to systems, especially in the case of MSCs, is the structure of which they are formed and often perform. Every system comes with input, output and feedback mechanism. The system is able to maintain itself even when the surroundings are changing and it has a specific set of boundaries within which is operates. The picture here illustrates the idea of a system in a business context perfectly.You have an input, the business system and the output. You also have the feedback mechanism. The business system would be the strategy the business uses to create a specific output. If the output is to provide cheap shoes, the business strategy is manufacturing of the shoes with the specific elements this entails.The input, therefore, is the resources (materials, labor, equipment) you need to achieve the output. So, you take the resources, you implement them with your chosen strategy and you get the results. The results then provide feedback to inputs on the performance of the system. Perhaps you didn’t receive as many shoes as you wanted and so, you can increase input. For example, buy more materials, hire more people and so on. Source: Based on SlideShare presentation by Paul TurnerThe objective of the system is to achieve a pre-determined result each time it is executed.In a business environment, the sale process can be viewed as an example of the process. The organization has a set of policies and processes in place to guarantee the sale effort would always lead to a same result (i.e. the sale). As mentioned in the above section, management would be one of the methods used to guarantee the result occurs in the system each time.In the case of the example above, your pre-determined result might be to have 1,000 good quality shoes with an individual shoe costing $50 to make. The feedback might show you that occasionally the cost of shoes rises to $70 and you know you need to tweak the input or the processes you use, as you’ve deviated from the wanted results.ControlFinally, you have the concept of control. As stated above, control is one of the functions of management. In this context, it refers to the pro cess of analysis and corrective action. When controlling, you are essentially monitoring whether you are receiving an expected result of a process (or during it) or if the outcome deviates from the expectation.If there is a deviation, you take corrective action to ensure the expected results occur. Previously, the concept of control was mainly focused on correction after an error had occurred. In the example of the shoe production, you would notice there was a deviation when you count the shoes and instead of getting 1,000, you’ve made 999.But with the rise of modern technology, control can be used to foreseeing an error. This has changed the function and made it increasingly important part of the management process. For example, your shoe production facility might have monitoring systems that help you realize the shoes are not being finalized as quickly as they should in order to make 1,000 pairs. You are essentially able to see that you would encounter a problem; instead of just realizing a problem has occurred.If you consider the process in the forms of steps, control in relation to management would look like this:Setting a goal and establishing desired objectives.â€" “I want to create 1,000 pairs of shoes in a month.”Measuring the achievements of goals and objectives.â€" “I’ve made 999 pairs of shoes in a month.”Comparing the achieved goals and objectives with the original goals and objectives. â€" “I wanted 1,000 and I got 999. I wanted to do it in a month and I’ve spent a month.”Analyzing variances and reporting on them. Determining the underlying causes for the variations.â€" “I’m one pair of shoes short, but I’ve met the deadline. I did not have enough materials on day two and I got behind in my goals.”Taking corrective action to eliminate the variations.â€" “I’ve recalculated the requirements for fabrics and I’ve ordered enough for next month.”Following up and repeating the process.â€" “I’ve now created the right amount of shoes every month.”WHAT IS A MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEM?The above has hopefully started your mind to process the concept of MCS, as you are aware of the special meaning and interconnectedness of the specific concepts that make it. But let’s look a bit closer to what MCSs are and how they are defined in the modern context.One of the first definitions of MCSs is from 1972 when Ernest Anthony Lowe, professor at the University of Sheffield, published an article called On the Idea of a Management Control System. According to Anthony Lowe, an organization would need to establish a specific system to control and plan the different operations it is going through. He identified four reasons for the necessity of the systematic management control:All organisations have definable organisational objectives.Management has hierarchy, with managers being in sub-units. Each manager has to define personal goals, which are aligned with the organisation’s objectives.Organisational situat ions, together with human behaviour, create an uncertain situation and this uncertainty is present in internal and external circumstances.Objectives must be economised and the human endeavour must be a variable in these objectives.Anthony Lowe also described in his book how management control systems are the processes “by which managers ensure that resources are obtained and used effectively and efficiently in the accomplishment of the organizations objectives“. Nonetheless, he felt the MCS to be different from strategic planning or the operational control businesses conduct.In essence, while strategic planning is about giving your organization the direction in which it should go, and operational control provides the management the authority to perform the strategic functions, MCS is about ensuring the above two happen in the first place. Without proper MCS in place, you don’t know if the business can achieve its goals and if the strategies you’ve chosen will work according to plan. You might notice a pattern here: the management control system is about providing the check and balances to the system.Other theorists began building on top of Anthony Lowe’s writings. Horngreen, Datar and Foster have defined MSCs “as means of gathering and using information to aid and coordinate the process of making planning and control decisions throughout the organization and to guide the behavior of its managers and employees”.Essentially what they are saying is that a management control system is a tool businesses can use to measure its performance and to compare its desired objectives against its actual objectives. By establishing a management control system, the business makes it easier to align individual decision making with the larger organizational objectives. The system is rather comprehensive, creating a framework in which not only are the internal aspects controlled and monitored, but the external behaviors and environments are also looked after.An exam ple of both would be the control of internal actors such as accounting and human resources as an internal factor, with external changes represented by industry developments like new regulations for products. At this point it must be said that theorist don’t always agree on the definitive definition of MCSs. If you are looking for a quick, few sentences, you probably won’t have much luck. While the concept in the broader sense is clearly outlined, the finer definitions can be muddled.So, what can you actually do with such as system? It essentially allows you to perform the following functions:Document operational objectives â€" You are able to outline what the organization wants to achieve in terms of short- and long-term goals. This could be directly related to financial performance, but it could also entail social objectives such as waste reduction, for example.Document the operational strategies and policies  â€" Of course, you also need to ensure you are aware of the how. How will you achieve the above? You will need to document the policies in place in the organization, the different equipment and resources needed, and the strategies you implement. This could deal with things like employee management (salary, working hours, etc.)Assess the performance of organizational processes â€" You then need the tools to assess the performance of what you are trying to achieve and how. This includes gathering information from different sources, whether financial or non-financial. We’ll look at these more in the next section. At this point you are looking closer to the organization and checking what it is doing and how. You are detailing and outlining what the result of your policies and strategies are.Compare performance in relation to the objectives and policies â€" Finally, you compare the actual performance to the objectives you set at the start. You can clearly notice this is the essence of the business system. You have the structures in place, you add the r esources, and you see what the result is, after which you can check what you got in comparison to what you wanted to get. Another great analogy would be cooking food with an oven. Consider you want to make a crispy baked potato. You take the input (the potatoes) and you use the strategies (oiling the potato, adding salt, putting it into the oven for a set amount of time). You take out the baked potato and you check if you have the right result (is it crispy?).THE CHARACTERISTICS OF MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMSSo, you now can understand the functions of MCS and the purpose of the system, but what about the characteristics? What makes something a management control system?As the above showed, MCSs generally describe the design, installation and operation of different planning and control frameworks within management. But there are two distinct control systems within the concept. While these are different from each other, they are also interrelated and sometimes hard to separate from eac h other.First, the MCS refers to the structure, either organizational or the relationship of different components, of the different responsibility structures within the company. It further outlines the performance measures and how the information moves within and between the different responsibility structures. For example, in a complex and large organization, such as a production facility for creating different car parts, the responsibility would be divided into multiple units. The management would therefore be in charge of different aspects of the organization, and there would be a number of sub-units. On the other hand, a small business, like a family bakery, is unlikely to have many responsibility centers. MCSs core characteristic is the organizing and planning of the relationship between these different structures and centers of responsibility.The other core characteristic, on the other hand, is about the processes or set of activities the organization takes in order to achieve its objectives. This part of the system refers to the steps the organization, and especially its management, needs to perform in order to set objectives, allocate resources to achieving these objectives, and to achieve the objective. The different processes that MCS performs and monitors is essentially looking at these phases and creating the right ways of going about the processes. This could involve things like monitoring the budgeting, measuring the performance of subordinates and so on.Essentially, the first characteristic is about the structure of the MCS and the second characteristic refers to the processes. To understand it, you can consider it like this:The system’s design is about the structure of your management control system.The system’s performance is an indicator of the process of your management control system.The other key thing to realize about the characteristics of MCSs is about two separate natures the system has. MCS essentially has an informal and a formal control system. Let’s examine them in detail:Formal control systemInformal control systemThe organization has clear procedures, rules and guidelines in place to explain the different managerial requirements. These guide, motivate and direct the management, as well as the subordinates, to perform their tasks in a manner that helps achieve the operational goals. They are also used to co-ordinate behaviors of superiors and subordinates.The organization will also have informal and unwritten processes in place for management control. These are aimed to provide higher motivation amongst the employees and ensure organizational goals and strategies are appropriately implemented. Informal control systems also boost goal congruence.An example of a formal system would be the rules and guidelines used by the human resource department in terms of functions such as hiring and developing staff.An example of informal control system would be the good behavior expected from managers and subordinat es, such as loyalty towards the organization and respect of the organizational culture.Finally, you should notice the distinction between financial-based functions and non-financial functions. Most of MCSs are actually use accounting and other financial metrics as the key evaluation metric. This means you have an emphasis on financial measures, such as how many sales were made or what it cost to hire a new person.The reason for using these as the basis is rather obvious. Measuring performance with a real data set, such as a financial metric, is easy and straightforward. The management can tell a lot about performance by understanding the underlying financial factors of a specific behavior. If you were to sell 1,000 pairs of shoes, while your other peers sold only 400, the manager would want to focus on your specific behaviors to boost overall performance.But there are certain essential non-financial factors at play as well. These can be measured with surveys and other feedback forms , and they include things such as customer satisfaction and product quality. The management can learn more, improve planning, and enhance control with information they receive directly from the customers. What makes them happy? What has disappointed them in the past?Knowing, for instance, how customers continuously complain about waiting times will help the management direct the organizations resources much better. The other example of these non-financial functions of MCS would be product quality. This can be an important tool for managers, as it reveals how well certain development strategies are working. If your products are constantly breaking down, you can take corrective action and find out where in the production line the quality is compromised.CORE ELEMENTS OF IMPLEMENTING MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMSNow if you were to implement an MCS at your organization, you would, just as with most systems and strategies, need to focus on certain essential factors to guarantee efficiency. F or MCS, three core elements can determine the success and the effectiveness of this framework. They should be at the heart of your strategy from the start. The three are:The MCS is aligned with the organizations strategies and goals. Before the implementation of the system, you need to understand and outline the current strategies in use, as well as define the objectives the organization wants to fulfill. These need to be the overall operational goals and not simply the aims you have for the MCS. It’s crucial to ensure the framework you choose to implement is in harmony with these existing processes and objectives. If the processes are not aligned, then your MCS will end up being ineffective or insufficient for your needs. It’s important to understand that the implementation of the system does not require the organization to change its core policies or redirect its objectives, but that the system can be made to fit within the current system.MCS is not there to transform the orga nization, but ensure it operates with maximum efficiency!Designed to fit the organizational structure. Furthermore, the MCS must consider the current organizational structure carefully. You want the management control system to fit the how the company operates and how it has structured these operations, especially in terms of its management. The key part of this is the understanding of the decision-making structures currently in place. It’s essential to create a management control system, which understands these decision-making structures and enhances them, instead of turning them around or hindering them. This can easily be done through the study of management structures and aligning the new model by dividing the responsibilities according to these structures. The control shouldn’t shift from the current models; it just will become more focused under the new system.Motivate people through different reward systems. The final key element of the implementation should be focused on the reward structures you will use as part of MCS. The idea of the system is about motivating the managers, as well as the subordinates, to work towards attaining the organizational goals in place. The effectiveness of the motivation can be improved by tying a variety of rewards to the achievement of these goals. The rewards themselves can change and include a variety of different types, depending on the task achieved or the performance the person displays. They can be purely monetary rewards, such as bonuses or increases in salary, or have a more material benefit, such as access to gyms or health clubs or updates on tools and other equipment. Furthermore, you should also have clear promotional structures in place to reward and motivate those people that show the highest productivity and creativity.Later in the article, we’ll discuss some of the other factors that influence the implementation of MCS. But the above are the elements you need to focus on when applying the system wit hin your organizations and the key factors, which can guarantee a successful implementation. If you focus on the above factors during the implementation process, you can start enjoying some of the benefits management control systems provide for organizations.THE BENEFITS OF MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMSSo what about the benefits? What are the tangible reasons for using MCSs? The benefits of implementing the framework focus largely on different ways operational efficiency is enhanced and improved.First, implementation of an MCS can reduce risks. The organization will remove non-conformity by ensuring the actual performance and results relate to the main objectives of the organization. The organization doesn’t just set goals and then pursue them blindly, but has systems in place to ensure the processes are moving the organization towards the objectives.Since you are aware of the effectiveness of your systems, you can notice problems quicker. You reduce risk as you notice problems befor e they turn into a disaster. Consider you are aiming to boost sales to increase the organizations bottom line. Due to having an Management Control System in place, you’ll be alerted if the cost of production goes up and the targets become harder to obtain.In even simpler turns, imagine you are driving down the road. Now if your car just stops suddenly because it ran out of fuel, you are in trouble and you didn’t have a warning system in place. On the other hand, if you have a system in place monitoring your fuel levels, you can have an alarm notify you when you are running low on fuel. This allows you to take corrective action (find a gas station), before you are stuck on the side of the road.The framework also improves your organizations ability to plan future actions. The information flows faster under the MCS system, as each part of the organizations process is being monitored and analyzed. The enhanced information flow makes it easier to plan and organize future processes an d ensure objectives are set properly.Without the kind of information MSC provides, you would find long-term planning difficult, as you wouldn’t have the right facts or the control to guarantee you are aware of the current situation and on top of future predictions. In the car example, knowing how much fuel you have in each moment and the distance you need to travel, will make it easier to plan when you need to stop to refuel.Organizational efficiency also improves in the form of better facilitation of co-ordination. For any business to succeed, a good communication between the management and other parts of the business is the key. With MSC in place, the workers, their tasks and objectives are aligned with the management’s tasks and objectives.The control systems in place create a middleman between the management and the employees and feeds information to both directions. As you, the manager, become more aware that sales numbers are increasing due to a specific result, you can us e the information to tweak and perfect the system further. On the other hand, this also improves employee motivation and gives them feedback on the things they are doing right.MSC naturally provides benefits in a pure managerial point of view. The first is how managerial problems are much easier to notice. Each organization will face problems related to the other managerial functions of planning, staffing and organizing, but with a proper control system in place, the impact of these can be limited. You gain more information, you receive early notifications when the management is not working to its standard, and you are able to remedy the situation before it gets worse.Furthermore, supervision becomes much easier under the systematic control system, since the deviations are easier to spot. The data and information you receive as a manager will make it easier to notice the issues, instead of having to monitor each employee constantly. Supervision is smoother and more focused on spotti ng the actual problems and deviations in the system.Finally, MCS supports organizational decentralization, without the loss of control. The system creates an environment of knowledge and understanding of the objectives. A key part of the framework is the proper communication of the goals and policies in place to subordinates. Since the subordinates and lower level managers are on top of the current situation and are fully aware of the expectations, they can have more confidence in doing the right things.Since the framework doesn’t require constant monitoring by the manager, the subordinates are able to make decisions and solve problems on their own. The motivation and the belief to know you can do it is much deeper under the system, since you know the MSC will pick up any key deviations and help you correct them.ELEMENTS INFLUENCING MANAGEMENT CONTROL SYSTEMSSo, we talked about the key factors to focus when implementing the system, but it’s also a good idea to figure out the ele ments that have an impact on the implementation. These are essentially the elements that make MCS work for your organizations benefit and smoothen the process. You want to focus on these factors, as they can impact the cost of implementation and the effectiveness of it. There are four key factors to look out for:The size, the reach and the structure of the organization. Larger enterprises are naturally different to smaller organizations in terms of operations. The nature of control and the content specifics of the MCS. The larger the enterprise, the more complex the MCS will be. Each organization also has its own statutes and conventions, which need to be taken into account when implementing the system. The management philosophy of McDonald’s will be different to that of Apple. The difference might also be even steeped when you have a small family business or a large international corporation. The organization will also have its unique delegation and decentralization strategies in place, which must be considered as an influence on the MCS.The nature of the operations and their divisibility. Management is influenced by the nature of the operations it is supposed to manage and this will impact the implementation of MCS. Part of the nature of operations deals with their divisibility into sub-sections. Depending on the industry, you might not have a lot of division. For example, if you are working on a single product industry, such as oil, sub-units are relatively unimportant. The management of the production and the product cannot, therefore, be divided into a variety of sub-sections. The less divisibility there is, the different the MCS process will be.The variety of responsibilities within the organization. MCS is also driven by the different responsibility centres an organization might have. The more responsibilities, the more different control systems are needed to keep operations flowing. Control of different responsibilities in terms of results can vary. You might measure the success by expenses, profitability or return on investment. MCS need to be implemented with the specific criteria of performance in mind and therefore, the variety of these responsibilities will be a key determining factor.The people of the organization and their perceptions. The final factor influencing the implementation of MCS deals with the people within the organization. People’s perceptions of the MCS need to be taken into account and considered before you implement the framework. Different people might have a varying view in terms of the effect the system has on their work, job satisfaction and security, and the general well-being and motivation to perform tasks. The perceptions might change from department to department, but understanding them will help ensure the system has the right impact. When you are designing MCS and implementing the system, consideration of these perceptions can help you monitor performance, implement the right type of system, and ensure people’s perceptions are either fulfilled, if positive, or changed around, if negative.In broader terms, effective control systems have a broad variety of factors that are required for successful implementation. When you are implementing a management control system, you should also keep those in mind. The below video clip is a good summary of the essentials of functional and effective control systems. FINAL THOUGHTSTo recap the above, management control systems are designed to gather information and to use this information in order to help the organization to reach its objectives. The system focuses on the performance of the different organizational elements from human performance to financial performance.The informal and formal MCSs will ensure the organizations resources perform as efficiently as possible. Whether it’s about finding ways to cut down production cost through performance or ensuring your employees don’t suffer from burnout, an MCS will help direct re sources into the right places and monitor performance level.The system can provide real benefits to organizational efficiency â€" you are more able to notice problems, plan your strategies and ensure better co-ordination amongst the different departments and units. Not to mention it can make the world of management easier.We all know how hard it can be to be a manager, but with an MCS, your workload is reduced, you’ll become better at communicating and controlling the different functions, and you can ensure other people take responsibility to get things done. Management control systems smoothening out the process of being a manager and anything that boosts performance is a good thing!

My Experience On My Life - 953 Words

The wind was slicing through my hair as my sweat was dripping off my metallic purple frames. I placed each foot on each of the pedals and took off. My whole world was filled with the rattling sounds coming from the dreaded training wheels. Everything would always come to a stop whenever I would hit each bump. â€Å"I need to get these thing off!† I thought constantly. The training wheels were such a nuisance because they gave me a wobble that kept me off balance, and they provided no extra speed. There was nothing graceful about my riding. My neighborhood was always filled with kids. Everyday there were kids laughing with joy left and right. I had been riding my bike with my training wheels of course, and a girl with cocoa brown hair zoomed by me leaving my face in awe. I knew right away that I had to get my training wheels off. As I continued to roughly pedal my way up and down the neighborhood, I ponder about if I was making the prime choice for myself. I parked my bike back into the garage, and I bursted into the house and hollered, â€Å"I want to get my training wheels off!† My parents came rushing into the room as if I was screeching in tremendous pain. I saw that their faces are left in shock with their mouths wide open. From their expressions, my hope had started to diminish. Therefore at school the next day, one of my closest friends came to me at recess and excitedly expressed, â€Å"Guess what? I got my training wheels off! It’s so much faster!† My face had reddened slightly asShow MoreRelatedMy Experience In My Life742 Words   |  3 Pagesone has a perfect life or even a perfect family. At times I have experienced what losing someone or something that meant so much to me. I always wondered to myself about why these situations happen to me, which also led me to put myself in a depression stage. My father was diagnosed with liver cancer and infection in his stomach area in March 2015. As he was in and out of the hospital. First, Growing up I never had a good life but I was lucky to have both of my parents in my life. It was a bond withRead MoreMy Experience In My Life1013 Words   |  5 Pages At this point in my life , if i review my previous experiences i would say that i am fairly pleased. Ive been able to gain numerous life and academic skills through hard work and determination. Though many of my experiences havent been pleasant ,in a way it has helped me grow and build my character as a person. As individuals we all go through many harsh obstacles , obstacles we sometimes think we will never overcome . but eventually we do . right ? think about it evenRead MoreMy Experience With My Life1356 Words   |  6 Pagesdo not have an abundant number of passions myself. In fact, as I think about it there are really only two subjects of interest that I feel rise to the level of passion for me; my God and sports. These two areas have been integral parts of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the church and much of my young life was spent either there or on a sports field of some sort. These two institutions, I feel have shaped me into the adult that I have become and the career I feel myself called toRead MoreMy Experience On My Life1202 Words   |  5 PagesAll I could think of sitting at my desk at work was about the conversation me and my husband had the night before. I sat there staring at my computer screen wondering if it was the right thing to do, or was I just wasting my time on a hope long forgotten. The hours slowly ticked by, and everything I was working on with my customers and their loans were a blur. I couldn’t get that thought out of my head. It was eating away at me. This is something that I have wanted for a long time. I put it on holdRead MoreMy Experience In My Life942 Words   |  4 PagesThroughout a person’s life, there can be many things, such as friends and family, education, or sports, that help them develop skills to turn them into the person they are today. Without these different skills, it can possibly lead to a lower standard of living, which is not what we strive for. The thing that helped me develop my unique skill set that I can use through the rest of my life, which is also my cultural artifact, is a football. Football has taught many different things that I am ableRead MoreMy Experience Of My Life703 Words   |  3 PagesFor the majority of my life, I had been shy, even thoug h it didn’t seem like it most of the time, I was scared to death when I met new people. I know that it sounds extremely trivial, but I feel that when you first meet someone, you’re ultimately giving them their first impression of yourself and that is a lot of pressure. It seemed almost certain that I would lead a life of being a social wallflower until March 2017, more specifically, March 28th, 2017. This day was and still is important to meRead MoreMy Experience In My Life905 Words   |  4 Pagesmajority of my life I have belonged in the little world, stretching from Chicago to Cleveland and South Bend to Nashville. The boundaries of my known world have always felt like a limiting factor in my life. While my friends ventured to far away lands every year, I would spend the night at my grandparents house or we would make a day-trip to a city. With spring break approaching my family and I were going to change that, we were going to South Carolina. One dreary cold Indiana morning my family andRead MoreMy Personal Experience : My Experience In My Life1003 Words   |  5 Pagesdifficult to write about my life—not because I do not know what to say, but because I am often fearful of sharing my experiences and having them impact how people view me. My identity and upbringing are not necessarily unique, but I have been in situations that society tends to be uncomfortable with. Repeated sexual assaults, psychological abuse, neglect, and financial hardships are factors in my life that I tried to forget when I started college. Now that I am at the end of my undergraduate educationRead MoreMy Writing Experience : My Experience In My Life921 Words   |  4 PagesAs a Human, throughout life there are many skills that are critical to acquire, during childhood and as you become older. One of the most important and useful skill you will need is writing. From first, learning to write words and sentences, to more advanced writing like essays. Everyone learns to write a little differently, some ways are learning from your parents or learning words and letters in kindergarten. As you get further down the path of life you develop higher skills of writing. As peopleRead MoreMy Experience In My Life718 Words   |  3 PagesS most of my life. When I came to the United States I was two years old. I have gone back to Pakistan only a few times, but my most recent visit was in 2012 when I had just finished 8th grade. One of the fun parts was traveling, because it is always fun to go to different airports and cities, but once you were inside of the plane there wasn’t much to do on the long flights. The flight was 12 hours long so I ended up sleeping a lot to make time go by. It was also pretty hard leaving my parents because

old age problem - 3598 Words

PROBLEMS 0F OLD AGE SHIJO RAPHEL CONTENTS Introduction Definition Characteristic of old age Social cause of old age problem Current statistics related to the old age problem Solution and remedial measure to solve old age problem Action taken by trainee for solving the problem Comments and suggestion Conclusion Introduction The elderly population in India is continuously increasing and also the problems faced by these people are increasing simultaneously. The number of people in old age homes is constantly increasing and also most of the parents are now deciding to live in old age homes rather than living with their children. Nowadays†¦show more content†¦As far as possible, elderly who are capable, should be encouraged, and if necessary, supported to be engaged in some economically productive manner. Others who are incapable of supporting themselves should be provided with partial or full social welfare grants that at least provide for their basic needs. Families and communities may be encouraged to support the elderly living with them through counseling and local self-governance. Neglect The elderly, especially those who are weak and/or dependent, require physical, mental and emotional care and support. When this is not provided, they suffer from neglect, a problem that occurs when a person is left uncared for and that is often linked with isolation. Changing lifestyles and values, demanding jobs, distractions such as television, a shift to nuclear family structures and redefined priorities have led to increased neglect of the elderly by families and communities. This is worsened as the elderly are less likely to demand attention than those of other age groups. The best way to address neglect of the elderly is to counsel families, sensitise community leaders and address the issue at all levels in different forums, including the print and audio-visual media. Schools and work places offer opportunities where younger generations can be addressed in groups. Government and non-government agencies need to take this issue up seriously at all these levels. In extreme situations, legal action andShow MoreRelatedProblem of Old Age1000 Words   |  4 PagesThe Problems of Old Age The old age is an integral part of human life. It is the evening of life. It is unavoidable, undesirable, unwelcome and problem- ridden phase of life. But it is really interesting to note that everybody wants to live a long life, but not to be old. It is ironical that however undesirable the old age, it is bound to come in life. A man is compelled to go through the pains and pleasures of this age like the other phases of life before making an exit from this mortal worldRead MoreBullying Is An Old Age Problem Essay1680 Words   |  7 Pages Bullying has been an old age problem since the beginning of time, which is still a problem till this day in age. No matter what stage someone might be in life, there is a possibility that you may have been in the position of a victim, bully, and/or bully-victim? An aggressive behavior of bullying might be seen as an act that begins in early childhood and decreases around late adolescence years, but that isn’t the case. Regrettably, being ha rassed or tormented by aggressor can continue in a higherRead MoreAgeism Essay924 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscrimination a person may encounter is ageism. Ageism is defined as prejudice against a certain age group. Whether that a young age such as teenagers, or an older age such as senior citizens. Ageism is everywhere. In the media of today’s world and in jobs. A common belief is ageism only targets those who are older in age, but this is not true. Teenagers and younger can face discrimination as well because of their age. The time between childhood and adulthood can be looked at as the teenage years. The groupRead MoreEssay about Mumbais Elderly Issues1433 Words   |  6 Pagesmetropolitan areas in India, Mumbai is the second largest metropolitan area with lots of population. It is estimated to have population of 13 million people. The population pyramid of Mumbai is â€Å"young† shape which means it has more children and adults than old age people. It has a population density of 55,794 people per square miles. So it is very dense and crowded city where one can see lots of people moving around, vendors on the streets selling their product, cars and buses, rickshaw on the roads. AlthoughRead MoreThe Effects Of Health Literacy And Socioeconomic Status On Older Adult s Ability1462 Words   |  6 PagesHealth care systems these days a re very efficient. Everyone accesses the health care system if there is any health related problem. But the extent to which people in society can access health facilities available to them can vary depending on various factors such as health literacy and socioeconomic status. ‘Health literacy represents the cognitive and social skills that determine a person’s motivation and ability to gain access to, understand, and use information in ways that promote and maintainRead MoreThe Dangers of Road Life1421 Words   |  6 PagesPeople think teenagers are the only horrid drivers. What they don’t think about is that there’s an age group of drivers who are far worse than teenagers. Statistics show that people over the age of seventy cause more accidents and are in more accidents than teenage drivers. In 2008, more than 5,500 elders were killed in car accidents, and more than 183,00 were injured in car accidents(Older Adult Drivers). There are many reasons why elderly drivers are more likely to get into accidents that teenagersRead MoreEssay on Ageism: A Constant Disregard in Society1714 Words   |  7 PagesAgeism, as defined by Oxford dictionary, is â€Å"prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of age,† and generally, in society, is thought of as discrimination against elders more so than children. This differs from other forms of discrimination such as racism, or sexism, because ageing is an inevitable part of life, and therefore everyone will be discriminated against in time. In present-day society, old age is commonly feared, and often times evaded altogether. Dying grey hairs and procedures suchRead More An Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences Essay1474 Words   |  6 Pagesdetrimental to the development of the human life. But not all societies have these stages of life; ergo different cultures define stages differently. The stages of the life course are childhood, adolescence, adulthood, young adulthood and middle adulthood, old age and death. Society thinks of childhood as the first twelve years of life. In most cultures it is known as the time of autonomy from the weight of the grown-up world. But in other societies, such as Taiwan and Indonesia, childhood is seen as anotherRead MoreAn Overview of Aging and Existing Cultural Differences1477 Words   |  6 Pagesto the development of the human life. But not all societies have these stages of life; ergo different cultures define stages differently. The stages of the life course are childhood, adolescence, adulthood, young adulthood and middle adulthood, old age and death. Society thinks of childhood as the first twelve years of life. In most cultures it is known as the time of autonomy from the weight of the grown-up world. But in other societies, such as Taiwan and Indonesia, childhood is seen as anotherRead MoreAging And Its Effects On The Aging1360 Words   |  6 PagesAlso spelled as ageing, this is generally the process of becoming old. It is the in a way the opposite of immortality. In a broader aspect, it may occur to single cells in an organism also called cellular senescence or the population of a species, known as population ageing. This process primarily affects human beings and fungi. In humans, it signifies the accumulation of various changes which occur over time. The changes include physical, social and psychological changes. Causes of aging are very

Role of Youth Free Essays

[pic] Prepared by: Jennifer Corriero Date of Release:January 2004 Lead Organization: TakingITGlobal Special Thanks: Advisors: Professor David Wheeler, PhD Joseph Amati, Masters Student Ellen Ratchye, Research Analyst, Fallon; Shelley Smith and Robert Bernard, DCODE Technology Support: Martin Kuplens-Ewart Data analysis and research support: Jacob Bleakley, Noor Alibhai, Hugh Switzer Final Edit: Huss Banai and Michael Furdyk Table of Contents: |1 |Executive Summary |3 | | | | | |2 |Introduction |5 | | | | | |2. 1 |Demographic Force |5 | |2. |Democracy on the Rise |5 | |2. We will write a custom essay sample on Role of Youth or any similar topic only for you Order Now 3 |Culture of Leadership |6 | |2. 4 |A Shift in Power Dynamics |7 | |2. 5 |TakingITGlobal Online Community and Vision |8 | |2. |Youth as Key Stakeholders |9 | |2. 7 |Youth as Engaged Citizens |10 | |2. 8 |From Student to Teacher |10 | |2. 9 |Young Employees as a Source of Innovation |11 | |2. 10 |The Interactive Consumer |12 | |2. 1 |The Need for a Holistic Perspective on Youth |13 | | | | | |3 |Role of Youth Survey: Key Objectives |14 | | | | | |4 |Role of Youth Survey: Methodology |15 | | | | | |4. |Promotion of Survey |16 | |4. 2 |Analysis of Survey Results |17 | |4. |Demographic Profile of Respondents |20 | | | | | |5 |Defining Youth |22 | | | | | |6 |Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Youth |26 | | | | | |7 |Issues of Importance to Youth |29 | | | | | |8 |Participation in Decision-Making |31 | | | | | |9 |Factors Influencing the Changing Roles of the Youth |34 | | | | | |10 |Youth as Agents of Change |37 | | | | | |11 |Conclusion |40 | | | | | |12 |General Referen ces |42 | 1. Executive Summary This report is the outcome of a larger process, building on months of reading and research of secondary materials, years of personal experiences meeting with and understanding the issues and perspectives of young people around the world. This research seeks to demonstrate that globally, young people today have more power and potential to create change than any previous generation of youth. It seeks to discover the ways in which young people define themselves, how they are perceived by society, how they are best engaged in decision-making, and the role of technology in facilitating the shifting role of youth. This report is based on a survey designed by Jennifer Corriero, based on five prevalent categories: Defining Youth, Perceptions and Attitudes towards Youth, Youth Participation in Decision-Making, The Role of Technology, and Youth as Change Agents. Conducted in partnership with an international NGO, TakingITGlobal (TIG), the electronic survey was promoted and filled out by over 1,400 respondents, after which qualitative and quantitative questions were separated, organized, grouped, and analyzed, with the assistance of a number of individuals. Finally, this report was created to communicate the values and trends underlying the statistics and statements of respondents from around the world. The question of how youth is defined resulted in an interesting array of suggestions. Age led with over half of the responses, followed by suggestions that youth represents personality characteristics or outlooks on life. A young female in India suggests that youth are those who are vivacious, full of energy† – people who â€Å"want to make a mark in life†. The idea of youth being a life stage between dependant and independent was another major grouping of responses, suggesting that youth are â€Å"starting to enjoy freedo m for the first time†, according to a young man from Zimbabwe. As the perceptions and attitudes towards youth were investigated, it was discovered that the majority of youth (62. 3%) have a lot of reasons for hope for the future. In regions such as Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, a stronger sense of optimism could perhaps be attributed to the need for a positive outlook to survive in many of the developing countries in those regions. Consumer culture was consistently felt around the world to have too much influence of today’s youth, according to 76% of respondents. Education was seen as meaningful and important by 89% of survey participants, with 62. 2% feeling that youth are not equipped with the skills they require for jobs. Education, employment, friends, music and various social issues were stated as the top areas of concern and interest of youth within their communities. Sustainability only made it into the top 10 in Africa and Asia, suggesting that the rest of the world has yet to make sustainable living a priority, or even something that people are aware and confronted with as an important issue. Employment was in the top 3 in every region, and was first in South America, with many young people expressing concerns about ensuring that they have the necessary skills and experiences to be employed in their field of interest at a sustainable wage. As youth participation in decision-making was explored, it was discovered that the highest area of youth participation takes place within local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), with national NGOs close behind. Youth were least involved with national governments, which in most countries have yet to engage in meaningful strategies to encourage or facilitate youth participation, evidenced by the low voter turnout rates amongst youth, especially in North America. As Jesse Ventura, governor of Minnesota put it once on CNN â€Å"Youth don’t vote because they say politicians don’t care about their issues. Politicians don’t care about their issues because youth don’t vote! † It appears that NGOs have the best relationships with youth and thus are best positioned to meaningfully engage youth in various political processes. Respondents were very positive about the role of technology in transforming the role of youth in society and organizations. The majority see technology as an enabler for information to be shared and meaningful communication to be had. A variety of concerns were also brought up such as the digital divide, and how technology helps those who have access to it. Many examples were highlighted discussing the various ways that young people have made a meaningful impact in their communities and how they would change or improve the world, their countries and the role of youth in their communities. Overall, the sample of youth in this survey uncovered an optimistic, forward-looking generation encompassing young of age and youth-minded individuals. They are comfortable with and enabled by technological progress and change, interested in engaging in local and global decision-making, and they are already having significant impacts in their communities, countries, regions, and around the world. They want to be educated, they recognize gaps in their skills, and in many cases they can clearly identify the needs of not just themselves but of their peers. The sample was respectful of the wisdom of the elders that have led them to where they are, but also ready and willing for the challenges that await them as they mature and discover the complexities of our global ecosystem. 2. Introduction Young people growing up today have far more power and potential to create change than any previous generation of youth growing up. Much of this shift is a direct result of the information revolution and access to opportunities that have been provided to people of all ages, especially to those growing up in the information age. This report will discuss prevalent demographic and political trends, the nature of youth in today’s global information society, and will provide reflections on the changing roles and responsibilities of youth in this new setting. A discussion concerning youth as stakeholders will look at how traditional perceptions of the role of youth as passive citizens, students, employees, and consumers are actively challenged and questioned today. An empirical narrative providing background on my experiences most relevant to this trend, moreover, will be shared to provide personal context to this research. Lastly, the results and key findings from a survey conducted on the Role of Youth will be shared. 2. 1 Demographic Force Young people are also an ever-growing demographic force. According to UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund), there are more than one billion people between the ages of 15 and 24 on the planet. [i] In the developing world, where 80 percent of young people can be found, youth comprise up to 70 percent of some nations’ populations. ii] In the United States of America, the baby boom generations of the 1940s 1950s made possible the subsequent echo boom (those born between 1977 and 1997), of which today’s young people are a substantial part – 80+ million strong[iii]. 2. 2 Democracy on the Rise The transformation of many authoritarian states to democracies (as shown in figure 1 below) has further improved and provided the essential conditions and environment for young people to explore their interests, express themselves, take action on issues they care about, and access information. [pic][iv] As a result of the Internet, population growth, and rise of democratic societies, a new paradigm in the role of young people is beginning to emerge, resulting in the recognition of youth as citizens, students, employees and consumers. As many as 620 million people have access to the World Wide Web and related information and communications technologies (ICTs) worldwide, with the majority of Internet users based in the non-English-speaking countries. [v] English comprises 36. 5 percent (230. 6 million) of the world online population language, while the non-English-speaking world represents 63. 9 percent (403. 5 million). [vi] According to 2000 statistics from Forrester Research, 56 percent of 16-22 year-olds are online in the United States. They spend an average of 9 hours online, 38 percent more than the average wired adult and are involved in a wider variety of online activities compared to adults – 20 percent more. vii] The same survey found the majority of Internet users in the United States to be in the 18-49 age-group (63 percent), with only 37 percent of users in the 50+ age-group. [viii] 2. 3 Culture of Leadership The culture of leadership for much of the twentieth century was influenced, and modeled after, centralized structures of governance and rigid forms of authority. The onset of the Industrial Revolution unleashed a series of uncontested norms and universally-accepted orthodoxies that associated centralized management systems and constant decision-making with effective leadership. The social consequences of mass production and centralized management of many industries reduced the traditional family into solitary unit of production. As observed by one of the foremost theorists of management theory, Peter F. Drucker, the massive standardization of production methods and operating procedures (‘machine bureaucracy’) also served to loosen the some conventional familial characteristics, ultimately culminating into the â€Å"crisis of the family†: On the farm and in the artisan’s workshop husband, wife, and children worked together. The factory, almost for the first time in history, took worker and work out of the home and moved them into the workplace, leaving family members behind — whether spouses of adult factory workers or, especially in the early stages, parents of child factory workers. [ix] This centralized view of management in latter half of the past century, however, gradually conceded to more diffused and informal structures of governance; as more theorists and practitioners arrived at the common conclusion that â€Å"the better a business firm [organization] is organized, the more naturally decision rights gravitate to the spot where the best information is available about the specific decision that has to be made. †[x] The emergence, and mainstream influence of, the Internet in the past decade, moreover, has had a profound impact on the way a given society manages its daily affairs – socially, politically, and economically – bringing with it new, and never-before-heard-of industries, such as biotechnology and IT telecommunications. Whereas we may make the case that the rigid structures of the industrial age had a number of indirect negative impacts on families as a result of its emphasis on standardization and mass production, many believe that the information age, with its focus on integration and wide-scale distribution of information, has served the family by highlighting the importance of local communities and inter-cultural communication. [xi] Under the centralized form of governance, and prior to the Information Revolution, those with the most power and experience effectively possessed a monopoly over access to sources of information, and, therefore, tended to act as leaders within their communities. The â€Å"decision rights† of the younger and more inexperienced people were virtually non-existent and often viewed as being connected to those of women and the less advantaged in the society. In many ways, this paradigm still persists today in the sense that young people are seen by many as having passive roles in society, such as the student who is there to learn rather than teach, the young employee who needs to do what he/she is told rather than provide a source of creative and innovative input, the consumer who is viewed as a target to influence rather than to truly support, the child who needs to learn how to ‘grow up’, and the citizen who is disengaged because he/she either cannot vote or is part of a population whose voice matters little. In addition, because young people (defined as those between the ages of 13-30) are at the frontlines of change from being dependent on older generations to being independent, they have been especially vulnerable to external influences and often lack a sense of empowerment because they suffer from the lack of essential resources, and limited involvement in decision-making. 2. 4 A Shift in Power Dynamics The emergence of the Internet and other ICTs (Information Communication Technologies) has been a catalyst for change, especially within the context of shifting traditional power dynamics. Increasingly, leadership is based on effective networks of collaboration and knowledge-sharing. Transforming leadership strategies from what they were during much of the past century has, to state it mildly, a challenge for most organizations and companies. More inclusive methods of governance, be it in the corporate world or the bureaucracy of the state, have been implemented in order to encourage, or project the image of, socially responsible behaviour. [xii] This transition, however, has almost been a foreign concept to youth growing up in the digital age. The advent of the Internet offered an opportunity to young people – most of whom are much well-versed in using computers and digital devices than their parents’ generation – to develop new virtual interests, relatively unknown and foreign to previous generations. This new medium no longer involved complex and rigid forms of management and communication that were associated with previous power-centric models of governance. The diffusion of the hierarchies and power structures also meant the decentralization of information and the formation of simple, and easily-managed, networks of people, accessible at the click of the mouse worldwide. In this new environment, sources of influence do not simply come from the top, but are inspired or affected by the views, ideas and perspectives of many stakeholders who are affected by the decisions being made. Governments and other formal decision-making bodies have been challenged to hold higher levels of transparency and accountability in order to gain institutional trust. Companies are increasingly interested in what their employees, customers and general public think about their business practices and increasingly aspire to become more socially responsible in order to address the needs and concerns of their stakeholders. [xiii] Instantaneous access to information and online resources has enabled the ‘common person’ make a contribution to organizations and society at large, while being able to demand a greater level of participation and involvement in decision-making. More than ever, young people growing up with technology have the opportunity to empower themselves using their unprecedented access to real-time information and knowledge sources that can be attained through ever-expanding social networks, new alliances, businesses, protests and advocacy campaigns, and websites expressing divergent views and perspectives. 2. 5 TakingITGlobal Online Community and Vision The TakingITGlobal. org Online Community provides: †¢ A pathway to support local action †¢ A platform for the voices of young people to be heard †¢ A framework for understand global challenges and issues †¢ A connection to resources and opportunities †¢ A network of interesting, dynamic and diverse young people †¢ A virtual space to showcase cross-cultural perspectives and expressions. In addition to engaging members of the online community, TakingITGlobal supports the needs of youth-led initiatives, educators and international organizations through its thematic, educational and organizational engagement strategies. TakingITGlobal’s 2010 Vision includes the following: †¢ To realize the potential of at least 5 million young people as leaders for the benefit of their local and global communities. †¢ To bridge the ‘continuity gap’ enhancing the effectiveness of youth action by connecting all major youth activities, events, programs and initiatives in a global network. †¢ To mainstream recognition that young people are key stakeholders in all national and international policy making. †¢ To produce the world’s most comprehensive and powerful knowledge resource – pushing the boundaries of online community and technology as a tool for social empowerment. To instigate significant evolution in the present concepts of sch ool-education by increasing global connection, meaningful use of ICT’s (information, communication technologies) and inspiring student engagement. †¢ To demonstrate innovation, excellence, creativity and professionalism in the management of a new style of international organization that is entrepreneurial, technology-enhanced, and youth-driven. 2. 6 Youth Are Becoming More Engaged as Key Stakeholders When key stakeholders are brought together to share a vision for the future, it is critical to recognize that although most young people are unable to formally represent a business, government or non-profit institution as a key stakeholder, they do have the largest stake in the future and can often help to revive and refresh various perspectives being shared. Youth participation often requires changes in the way adults perceive and deal with adolescents, since the rights of young people and their capacities to make decisions for themselves are often unrecognized and underval ued. †[xiv] Increasingly, institutions are recognizing the importance of bringing the voices of young people to the forefront. On a global level, there are numerous summits that have brought together various leaders and decision-makers and have included young people as a key stakeholder or ‘major group’. For example, as a participant at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa, I was part of what the United Nations considers to be a ‘Major Group’ within the overall process of the summit along with women, indigenous people, farmers, business etc. According to Agenda 21, involving each of the major groups in the decision-making process was recognized as being a â€Å"fundamental prerequisite for the achievement of sustainable development†[xv] The Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development states that the process is inclusive of youth: 34. We are in agreement that this must be an inclusive process, involving all the major groups and Governments that participated in the historic Johannesburg 170. Promote and support youth participation in programmes and activities relating to sustainable development through, for example, supporting local youth councils or their equivalent, and by encouraging their establishment where they do not By promoting, supporting and involving youth as a major group, a statement is made about the importance of recognizing youth as key stakeholders. At the recent World Summit on the Information Society Preparatory Meetings which have been held in Geneva, Switzerland, the Youth Caucus is one of the strongest and most active groups, participating in the process alongside government, industry and other NGO groupings. 2. 7 Youth as Engaged Citizens On a national level, one of the basic conditions of a healthy democracy is having a population that votes. However, those under 18 are unable to participate – and not effectively inspired to vote once they’re able to, which has been leading to a large decline in youth voter turnout. In the US, only 60% of eligible voters under 25 have registered, and only 24% of those eligible to vote and over 20 say they â€Å"always vote† during elections. At the same time, many young people are civically engaged in many other ways – 40% of U. S. outh 14-24 have volunteered, 38% have participated in a boycott, and 44% have done some type of fundraising for charity, all within the last year. [xvi] There is a need to increase awareness and trust in political process, while also validating and supporting other forms of civic participation. There are a growing number of regional, national, and local youth councils and networks sprouting up due to interest, support, and demand. Increasingly, different youth councils are strengthening their efforts through forging more partnerships and raising their profile. An example of this is the European Youth Forum, ‘a platform organization, it is the representative body for its members towards the institutions and partners active in the youth field. The 89 member organizations of the European Youth Forum represent a wide range of interests: student organizations, political organizations, organizations concerned with environmental protection, minorities, young rural organizations, conscripts organizations and many more. The European Youth Forum has member organizations including both national youth organizations and international youth organizations, drawn from throughout the European continent. The highest decision-making body is the General Assembly, which elects a Bureau made up of volunteers every two years. The Bureau meets monthly to assess political priorities, implement its work plan and advises the Secretariat in its work. ’[xvii] Increasingly, youth councils are being formed and strengthened in order to provide opportunities for young people to have a stronger voice. 2. 8 From Student to Teacher Due to the rapid revolution in Information and Communication Technologies over the last decade, young people growing up as these technologies evolved have become innately comfortable using them, and have become neighborhood authorities on computer technologies. As the education system began to introduce computers in the classroom, young people were often frustrated as they were forced to re-learn skills they already had developed, such as BASIC programming and keyboarding. Over time, students’ expertise with technology has become accepted by teachers, and a variety of programs, such as Generation YES, have been developed to harness the skills and enthusiasm of students for technology to assist teachers in more meaningfully integrating it into the classroom. Young people are also learning from a wide variety of sources, and are increasingly deriving knowledge from their peers and non-school sources. As Don Tapscott cites in his 1998 book â€Å"Growing Up Digital†, many young people growing up in the late 80’s and early 90’s have learned basic skills from educational software like â€Å"Reader Rabbit† and video games. Thanks to online communication tools like ICQ, students are able to collaborate in real-time with their friends and peers across town or across the ocean, and share knowledge and ideas with each other. All told, this amounts to quite a challenge for the average teacher to cope with – a variety of students all with varying levels of technology access and external influences – as early as junior kindergarten! Of course, to meet the needs of these wired students as they progressed through the school system, Universities began to experiment with online course delivery and some now offer complete degree programs using a combination of ICTs. The role of a teacher has also evolved in these situations to more of a mentor and coach as needed, versus needing to hand-hold students through courses, enabling them to provide maximum value in supporting the course content versus needing to focus on content delivery. This generation of youth also enjoys sharing opinions – and teachers can’t escape! Websites like RateYourTeacher. com and RateMyProfessor. com showcase the ratings of teachers by thousands of students, opening up the previously untouchable teacher relationship to transparent feedback and criticism by ‘consumer’ students. 2. 9 Young Employees as a Source of Innovation There are a variety of implications for human resource departments in companies and organizations as they begin to hire and integrate new talent into their workforce. Because there is a large population of youth who are entering the workforce and who carry a range of unique skills and perspectives (especially technology-related), the existing strategies that attempt to attract, retain and develop the next generation of talent need to adapt to a different set of needs, expectations and opportunities. Young employees, especially those doing internships, can provide an incredible source of innovation, entrepreneurial spirit and creative potential. In an organization where having many years of experience is valued, young people can be an overlooked, untapped resource. In the context of trying to solve problems in new ways, it is important to engage those who have not yet been institutionalized and are unfamiliar with the way that things have always been done. It is critical for organizations to develop new strategies that can allow them to more meaningfully involve young people in both problem-solving and decision-making processes, in order to respond to the complex and evolving organizational challenges being faced. As it was mentioned above, the onset of the Information Revolution, coupled with the period of massive decentralization across-industries, had a profound impact on the way young people identify with the work environment. In the knowledge-based industries, rigid and strict structures of the past are largely associated with inefficiency, and are largely thought of as counterproductive to personal development. Having grown up with this mindset, young peoples’ perceptions toward decision-making and effective problem-solving are mainly derived from their experiences in the digital world, where interaction and inclusion of perspectives are essential, if not required, for achieving common goals. Therefore, in dealing with this new technologically-empowered demographic, new knowledge-based industries will have to reinvent many of the old approaches toward this new generation. This, in fact, means that they (industries) would have to appeal to their knowledge-workers â€Å"by satisfying their values, and by giving them social recognition and social power† which they have grown accustomed to. [xviii] 2. 10 The Interactive Consumer Due to the nature of the Internet as a medium which allows for and is based upon networks and interactions, young consumers have the opportunity to be creators of media and content rather than simply consume what is produced for them. â€Å"Broadcast technology, like television, is hierarchical. It depends upon a top-down distribution system. Someone somewhere decides what will be broadcast and our role is limited to what we choose or do not choose to watch. There is no direct feedback from the viewer to the broadcaster†¦The internet depends upon a distributed, or shared, delivery system rather than a hierarchical one. The distributed, or shared, power is at the heart of the culture of interaction. [xix]† (p79) Due to the nature of the medium that young people are enabled by, they are able to demand a greater level of information, interactivity and involvement when it comes to products, services and the overall customer experience. Shopping comparison websites such as MySimon. com and BuyBuddy. com allow for intelligent and informed purchasing decisions to be made based on product-reviews and price comparisons. As a result, consumers are more empowered and can make more informed purchasing decisions. The Internet has provided other opportunities for consumers to be empowered by providing a vehicle for complaints to be expressed to large numbers of people. An example of this includes websites that are developed to discuss how a particular company ‘sucks’. Many URL’s have been purchased that say CompanyNameSucks. om and provide an avenue for disgruntled customers to share their complaints and concerns. Over half (55%) of survey respondents report boycotting a company or pr oduct at some point in their life, with 38 percent saying they have used their stick as a consumer in the past 12 months. And boycotting — buying a product or service because they like the social or political values of the company which produces it — is only slightly less prevalent. Just under half (45%) report having done so at some point in their life, while 35 percent have used the consumer carrot in the past 12 months. [xx] Bad experiences for unhappy customers can quickly become devastating experiences for a company’s image. This demonstrates that consumers have the opportunity to become more engaged and influential through the opportunities for interaction that the Internet provides. Because 85% of teens in Canada have Internet access and are online for over 9 hours per week[xxi], young people are especially in a position to become empowered consumers, as they frequently and simultaneously combine the process of learning, working, and play/entertainment, allowing them to constantly observe and share opinions and best practices. 2. 11 The Need for a Holistic Perspective on Youth as Stakeholders While looking through various reports, studies, books and other secondary sources – all of which offer a variety of insights related to the interests, needs and experiences of young people, a clear research gap became evident. Much of the research that exists on young people does not involve a global perspective, and often focuses on youth in the context of consumers in order to support business decisions, or youth who are ‘at risk’ and are a segment of the population vulnerable to a variety of social problems. Rarely are youth examined in the context of having the potential to be agents of change, problem-solvers, or leaders of the information society. In addition, major studies do not involve youth in the process of survey design, which can affect the potential bias of the research. In trying to examine if and how the role of young people has changed as a result of technology, the need for a unique study involving youth leaders and influencers from around the world who have access to technology became clear. 3. Role of Youth Survey: Objectives In order to gain a deeper understanding of how the role of young people is currently perceived and how it has changed over the last 100 years, a survey was designed to explore the following: Defining Youth ? How is ‘youth’ defined? Are notions of ‘youth’ associated with positive or negative connotations? What are key differences between the perceptions of youth vs. perceptions of adults? Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Youth ? Is this generation of youth perceived to be enabled and engaged or disadvantaged and disengaged? Are they optimistic or pessimistic about the future? What other perceptions and attitudes towards youth exist and are there regional differences? Participation in Decision-Making ? How important is it for young people to be involved in decision-making? What is the current perceived level of youth participation in decision-making on local, national and global levels? The Role of Technology ? Has technology played a role in transforming the role of youth in society at large and within different organizations and institutions? What impact has technology had in transforming the role of youth? Youth As Change Agents ? Are there interesting examples of young people having a meaningful impact in their communities? If so, what factors appear to enable this to take place? What are the hopes and ideals held by today’s generation of youth leaders? What recommendations can be offered in terms of the conditions that must exist for youth to become leaders? 4. Role of Youth Survey: Methodology The following is an Overview of the Survey Questions: Demographic Information: for people to fill out their gender, date of birth, city, country, educational background, employment status, volunteer status and Internet usage. Defining Youth: open-ended questions about what images and phrases come to mind when they hear the word ‘youth’ and ‘adult’ and a question asking how youth is defined. Key Issues and Interests: participants were asked to identify the key issues and interests of youth in their community. They had to select from drop-down lists and rank the top 3 in order of priority. Words included: Arts, Business/Entrepreneurship, Community, Education, Employment, Environment, Friends, Fundraising, Globalization, Health, HIV and AIDS, Human Rights, Leadership, Media, Music, Peace, Political Action, Religion, Romance, Sports, Sustainable Development, Technology, Travel, Volunteering, War. Attitudinal Characteristics: respondents were asked to rate 14 statements related to whether or not people agreed or disagreed with statements about youth on a scale of 1-5. Statements explored whether or not youth are perceived to be motivated, connected to opportunities, knowledgeable, inspired, informed, skilled, interested in being involved, focused, influenced by consumer culture, supported or lacking support from adults, optimistic or pessimistic. Additional questions about education and age were asked. Role of Youth – Today: participants were asked to give their opinion on the role of youth in their community. They had to select from drop-down lists and rank the top 3 in order of priority. Words included: Students, Workers, Members, Mentors, Trend-Setters, Activists, Citizens, Victims, Leaders, Criminals, Technologists, Volunteers, Artists, Role Models, Soldiers, Children, Innovators, Peace-keepers, Consumers, Trouble-makers, Employees, Entrepreneurs Participation in Decision-Making: a question about the importance of being able to participate in decision-king was asked (on a scale of 1-5). The second part of this question asked how involved young people are in decision-making on local, national and global levels for Business, Government and Non-Profit Organizations. Meaningful Impact: participants were asked to identify an example of how a youth within their community was effective at having a meaningful impact. Role of Youth – Historically: respondents were asked to identify whether or not the role of youth has changed over the past 100 years, and if so, has it been positive or negative. The response was based on a scale of 1-5. They then explained their response. Impact of Technology: respondents were asked to identify whether or not technology impacted youth in their community, and if so, if the impact has been positive or negative. They were given a scale of 1-5 and were then asked to explain their answer. Creating Change: A series of open-ended questions were asked about how survey respondents would create change in the world, their country, and the role of youth in their community, along with what conditions need to exist for youth to become leaders 4. 1 Promotion of Survey On December 23, 2002, the survey was sent out to over 15,000 people from over 190 countries. There were a variety of ways in which the survey was promoted. An automated, personalized e-mail was sent out to all members of the TakingITGlobal online community (which included over 13,000 people from over 190 countries at the time). The e-mail explained that as a ‘valued member of TakingITGlobal’, they were invited to participate in an ‘online survey to help determine their view on the role of youth in society’. The e-mail stated that it would take approximately 10 minutes to complete and that all of the information shared would be kept confidential and anonymous (meaning that their name would not be used without their permission). Although the survey was completely voluntary, an incentive for participating included having their name entered into a draw to win TIG t-shirts and mouse pads. In addition, each survey respondent would receive a free electronic copy of the final results once compiled. All survey participants were given until January 21st 2003 (approximately 4 weeks) to fill out the survey. In order to avoid an overwhelming amount of replies to the e-mail, the letter was signed from TakingITGlobal’s Research Team as opposed to coming from a specific individual. A modified version of the e-mail invitation to participate in the Role of Youth Survey was created and sent out to all of the organizations listed in the TakingITGlobal organizations database (over 1,000), along with youth mailing lists for various organizations and youth caucuses, and other personal networks. People were invited to pass the information along and invite others to participate in the survey. In order to maintain high levels of integrity, survey participants did not need to become a member of TakingITGlobal in order to fill out the survey, and did not need to fill out their name. If they were interested in receiving a copy of the final results, they were invited to provide their e-mail address. It is important to note that due to the nature of how the survey was promoted, all survey respondents have access to the Internet and are connected to existing networks that attract youth who are engaged. Thus, there exists some bias in the sample of survey respondents. In addition, there was no age restriction in order to participate which means that people of all ages were invited to fill out the survey, which was done for the purposes of comparison between different age groups. The views, opinions and perspectives that have emerged as a result of the survey findings are not a representation of international youth in its entirety, but rather, a reflection from a targeted sample of engaged youth who have some access to the Internet and are able to read and write English. With this in mind, based on the goals and objectives of this study, it is an appropriate audience to survey as the focus is on trying to better understand the views and perspectives of youth who have access to technology. If there were greater resources available for this study, an offline component would exist and the survey would also be made available in multiple languages. This may be something to consider as a follow-up opportunity in the future. Once the survey responses were sent in through the online survey application, Martin Kuplens-Ewart exported the compiled responses into various files for analysis. The quantitative responses were sent in SPSS format for graphs and frequency tables to be generated. The extensive qualitative responses were formatted and printed in charts and tables. 4. 2 Analysis of Survey Results The process of analyzing the survey data was far more extensive, complex, lengthy and overwhelming than what was initially expected. A variety of people were involved as part of the research team in order to assist in the initial process of compiling, reviewing and making sense of various sections of the survey. A special thanks goes to Noor Alibhai, Jacob Bleakley, Hugh Switzer and Huss Banai who were all part of the research team at TakingITGlobal. Much of their involvement was in the initial phase of reviewing the thousands of responses which were given for the various qualitative questions. They helped sort responses into various categories and tallied up similar responses in order to generate graphs which provide a glimpse at the nature of the responses. Once initial pie charts were generated, the results were discussed as a team and I was able to continue further analysis. The following is an overall break-down of the data analysis process: ? Phase 1 – PowerPoint Presentation Including Initial Graphs The program used to analyze the quantitative survey results was the SPSS Educational Version. After an initial tutorial session with Joseph Amati who has a lot of experience in working with SPSS, a 44 page PowerPoint presentation was put together with support from Noor, which included graphs for each of the survey questions. The deck of slides was presented to advisors for feedback. The key learning was that all the labels which included N/A or 0 as the description needed to either be removed or modified. In most cases, the information provided by this column was one that reduced the quality and overall effectiveness of the graphs. This decision meant that all the graphs needed to be regenerated. Various other lessons were learned including analysis of frequency tables. ? Phase 2 – Regional and Age Break-Down of Graphs After a great deal of experimentation and technical support from Martin at TIG, appropriate labels were modified and new forms of categorization was implemented within the survey file to allow the data to be sorted by region and age. Graphs were regenerated for each of the questions in order to include the appropriate break-down. All of the new graphs compiled were put together in a Final Results word document. Since Microsoft Word and SPSS are not entirely compatible, a lot of time was wasted in regenerating and reformatting new graphs for the final results document. In addition, certain graphs involved greater levels of complexity. Those questions which asked survey respondents to rank words on order of priority involved three sets of data which had to be added up in Excel prior to being able to generate the graph. Appropriate steps were taken to generate these graphs for global and regional responses. ? Phase 3 – Qualitative Results Initial Categorization of Responses ? In total, the survey involved over 10 open-ended qualitative questions which each had their set of over 1,000 responses per question. The overwhelming amount of data collected through these questions involved extensive hours of interpretation and results compilation. The first phase of this process involved a team of researchers from TakingITGlobal tackling a specific question and developing different categories for the responses based on frequent responses. The categories established are quite subjective and as different people were involved in the process, certain categories were modified. Initially, a larger ‘other or inapplicable’ section existed for the various categories. A second review of questions involved breaking-down the ‘other’ responses into further sub-categories in attempt to further identify key patterns and occurrences. In addition to categorizing responses and generating pie graphs in Excel to reflect the overall responses, a series of summaries were created for each of the qualitative questions. Each summary included a description of the category identified and a general overview of the responses that were placed in the category. Beneath the description included a few selected quotes which offered a general idea of the types of responses included within the identified category. A variety of challenges were encountered throughout this process, including the fact that many responses could have easily been placed in multiple categories. To adequately deal with this challenge, in the final tally, they were often placed in both categories and the total number increased. In the final graphs, the ‘other’ category has been removed from the pie chart in order to leave room for smaller categories which emerged from the initial other category. Rather than view the final pie charts as conclusive or statistically accurate, it is important to see them from the perspective of general categories of responses from highest to lowest frequency. ? Phase 4 – Advice, Suggestions and Feedback from Advisors The compiled graphs for quantitative results and qualitative survey results summary pages became the first version of the Final Results document which was 60 pages. This document was then shared with a variety of advisors including Robert Bernard and Shelly Smith from DCODE, a strategy and market research firm based in Toronto. A variety of suggestions and recommendation were provided by D*CODE in order to strengthen the overall impact of the survey results. Many lessons were learned through the feedback shared. Some of the advice was integrated; however after then speaking to my academic advisor, I was able to distinguish which changes were most appropriate to make for the purposes of my final report. One of the suggestions made included grouping the age categories differently in order to have fewer categories. The suggested age groupings include 14-19, 20-24, 25-30 and 31+. This proposed grouping addresses a few issues. Since there is a very small sample under the age of 14, it eliminates their responses from the results. Since youth is defined as up to the age of 31 and there are a smaller number of respondents over the age of 31, it helps to create one category of ‘adult’ or the purposes of comparison. This change was not made due to time constraints and in order to avoid over-simplifying the results. Another suggestion included removing the ‘neutral’ responses from graphs and clumping the ‘somewhat’ and ‘very’ categories together. Alth ough this would have helped to provide clearer contrast between how the responses were weighted, it would have also reduced opportunities of noticing situations where many people were ‘neutral’, which is an observation in itself. In reviewing the charts which identify the top issues and concerns of youth, D*CODE suggested that it would be helpful to have them listed from the highest to lowest priority. Additional tables were created which identify the top 10 issues in each region in order of highest to lowest. In addition, percentages were added on existing bar graphs. Another major distinction was made between what was necessary to include in the results compared to the discussion about the results. The results of the survey are presented in the order that the questions were asked. Each graph includes a brief description. The discussion of the results is categorized in a way that makes the most overall sense, especially in terms of the flow. In addition, only the most interesting patterns, trends and observations are highlighted in the discussion about the results. ? Phase 5 – In-Depth Reflection and Analysis of Qualitative Responses The amount of qualitative responses meant that several ‘passes’ at reviewing the data were necessary. Members of the research team who were initially involved with analyzing particular questions were involved in a discussion about the results and each had an opportunity to present their findings to one another in front of an audience of other TakingITGlobal staff members. As a group, general patterns and trends were discussed and further areas of exploration were identified. After that, I spent quite some time re-reading and reviewing all of the raw qualitative results along with survey summaries. I tried to extract patterns and conclusions from the categories f responses, to better explain the impact of the data. A variety of new charts and summaries were developed for questions based on an additional review through the various responses to qualitative questions. These were then shared with a few other groups of people for feedback. ? Phase 6 – Written Descriptio ns for All Graphs Presented in Final Results After evaluating the many graphs included in the report, I looked through the data in greater detail and produced written descriptions to accompany the graphs, both to provide additional information and insight, but also to help the reader more quickly discover the wealth of data each chart had to communicate. Throughout this process, certain graphs were regenerated in order to further improve the quality of labels, the ability to view responses from both age and regional break-downs, and to include percentages where appropriate on selected graphs. ? Phase 7 – Review Final Results for Key Findings ? With the final compilation of updated graphs, descriptions and survey response summaries, a comprehensive overview of the Final Results document took place. With the editing assistance of Hussein Banai and Michael Furdyk, this final report was created. 4. 3 Demographic Profile of Survey Respondents Region: The Role of Youth Survey involved a total sample of 1443 respondents from 126 countries. The majority of respondents reside in North America (29. %) and Africa (27. 4%). There were 16. 9% of respondents from Asia and the Middle East, 14. 3% of respondents from Europe, 7. 1% from Oceania and 4. 3% from South and Central America. Gender: A higher number of respondents were male (58. 7%) compared to female (38. 7%). There were notably more female respondents compared to male respondents in North America and Oceania, whereas in Africa, there were a greater number of male participants. This may be because it is less culturally appropriate for women to have access to computers in Africa. Age: A larger number of survey respondents were under the age of 30 (75%) compared to those who are age 30 and over (25%). This is likely because the survey was about youth and was promoted throughout many networks that are specifically intended to connect youth. The average age (mean) of the sample was 26 years old. Employment Status: The majority of survey respondents are currently employed (63. 7%), while 36. 4% are unemployed. Many of those who identified themselves as unemployed are in the under 25 age-group, while those with a job are mainly in the 26 and up age category. Volunteer Status: There was a relatively even number of respondents who identify themselves as volunteers (53%) compared to non-volunteers (47%). There were more volunteers in the under 30 age category compared to the 31 and up age category. Educational Status and Background: Only 40% of the respondents identify themselves as students compared to 59% of respondents who are not currently students. The are a higher number of respondents who identify themselves as students in the 16-20 age category. The survey sample is fairly educated in the sense that they are literate, they are able to speak and write in English (many also speak other languages fluently), and a large number of respondents have completed primary and secondary education. 55. 2% of respondents have completed or are attending University or College and 20. 9% of respondents have completed or are pursing Post Graduate Studies. Online Activity: All survey respondents have basic access to the Internet, whether it be through an Internet cafe, library, school, work or home computer. 46% of the respondents stated that they are online between 1-10 hours per week. 22. 9% of respondents are online between 11-20 hours and 24. 5% are online for more than 21 hours each week. When asked what they do online, they key reoccurring themes involved communication, research information searching (including working on projects and employment), music, games entertainment. The following is a summary of the major online activities respondents are involved in: †¢ Communication: Almost every response made reference to checking e-mail, if not instant messaging and/or chat room use. †¢ Research and information: Most users identified reading various newspapers, searching background information on their interests and using online information resources to aid completion of their work and/or homework as frequent uses. †¢ Work – on projects, employment: Work was often cited as NGO involvement, general employment and the development and maintenance of personal web-pages. †¢ Music, games and entertainment: On-line time is shared among downloading music, playing games and generally related to any other media/entertainment purposes. 5. Defining Youth In looking at how the concept ‘youth’ is defined, there are different notions and interpretations that can be grouped into three major areas. The most common conceptions present youth in the context of having bountiful energy, a sense of leadership, curiosity and vision for the future. â€Å"Period of the life when we are still dreaming;† said a 30-year-old male, Skopje, Macedonia. Just over half of the survey respondents expressed that ‘youth’ is defined by the age of a person; with most of the respondents in the 13-30 age-group. The next major interpretation of how youth are defined was expressed through various personality characteristics and outlooks on life. â€Å"Vivacious, full of energy, want to make a mark in life, impulsive and one who are not scared to take risks;† said a 19-year-old female, Pune, India. Many descriptions shared by survey respondents clearly define ‘youth’ in a positive and idealistic light. The third major category defining youth focuses on the particular life stage that people are situated in while in transition from being dependents to being independent. â€Å"A person who is starting to enjoy freedom for the first time†¦;† said a 26-year-old male, Harare, Zimbabwe. A key theme that is frequently repeated throughout this stage of transition is the freedom and lack of constraints that exist compared to older adults who are weighed down by greater responsibilities and societal pressures. Societal institutions develop various mechanisms to train and nurture the development of young people who are at a life stage that allows them to be open-minded, free-spirited, creative and imaginative. There exists a clear correlation between the social conditioning of young people who need to prepare to become adults and the aspirations of adults to re-connect with their ‘youthful creative energy’ in an age where creativity and innovation are highly valued and a scarce resource in large bureaucratic institutions. However, there is both a strong contrast and a connection that exists between notions of ‘youth’ and ‘adult’. A common thread is that both involve age as part of the definition. The following chart highlights the contrast that exists between the most frequent expressions that emerged in response to the questions ‘What words, images and phrases come to mind when you hear the word ‘youth’ and then asked the same question for ‘adult’: Associations with the word ‘Youth’ |Associations with the word ‘Adult’ | |Lack wisdom, need guidance |Caregivers, Standard Setters | |Dreamers, Vis ionary, Hope for the Future |Critical, Dream-Killers, Few Idealists | |Freedom, Experimentation, Playfulness |Burdened, Busy, Responsibilities | |Open-Minded, Flexible, Innovative |Rigid-Thinking, Stuck, Conservative | |Rebellious, Free-spirited |Professional and traditional | |Innocence, Naive, Potential |Greedy, Corrupt, Selfish | |Disadvantaged, Vulnerable, Unheard Voice |Decision-Makers, Positions of Authority | In reflecting on the nature of the responses to this question, it is important to note that the overall perceptions of ‘adults’ are negative compared to perceptions of ‘youth. ’ This bias may exist as a result of the sample size which involved 75% of people under the age of 30. It is possible if more adults were surveyed, especially those adults who are less involved and connected to youth networks, there may have been more negative categories for youth. It is also important to keep in mind that certain words and phrases can have both a positive and negative interpretation. For example, depending on the context of the situation, being rebellious can be seen as something that involves creating trouble or struggling towards positive change. Being a dreamer may imply that one has a strong sense of imagination while at the same time, having the potential of being caught up in a fantasy which is never actualized. A variety of the characteristics which describe adults involve ideals which youth often aspire towards attaining such as being a decision-maker or someone in a position of authority. These are perceived attitudes however there may be more instances where adults feel powerless and that they are not in a position to make decisions. This may help to explain the sense that people have of ‘adults’ being busy and burdened with responsibilities. Overall, there appears to be an interesting generational relationship and potential communication gap that exists which involves both tension and aspiration. The survey results suggest that ‘youth’ can be a great source of energy, vision, hope and potential, while at the same time being vulnerable, voiceless and rebellious. The results also demonstrate that although ‘adults’ can be conservative, critical and rigid in their thinking, ultimately, they are relied on as care-givers, decision-makers and sources of knowledge and authority. The challenge for youth is to find their voice and become empowered without losing their sense of spirit and optimism. The challenge for adults is in finding ways to handle increasing amounts of responsibility and power in a way that doesn’t exclude, ignore or disengage youth, while also reconnecting their own sense of youth. While exploring and more deeply understanding the role of young people in the context of today’s society, it is important to note that generational barriers have existed and persisted throughout the course of history. It is possible that this generation of youth will have greater opportunities to empower themselves to have a voice as a result of the many forums which are emerging, however it is also clear that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done in order to allow for positive intergenerational partnership. When we asked the survey respondents to identify the role that they saw youth having within their communities, the most common response across all regions was youth having the role of the student. This makes sense for a variety of reasons. Those participating in the survey are either currently students or have graduated and feel that since a great deal of time as a young person is spent on learning, whether it be in school or in other contexts such as the home or workplace, it is appropriate that the role How to cite Role of Youth, Papers