An Exploration of Careers in Information Technology

At the beginning of my computer information course I was presented with challenge of writing a research paper. We were given several topics to choose from and I chose the topic of careers in information technology. The focus will be on the computer support specialist, the database administrator, the network and computer systems administrator, the computer, office machine and automated teller technician, the programmer, the software engineer, the cryptographer, the computer trainer, and the desktop publisher. I will explore what each profession is, the duties, the work environment, the education required to be in each profession, the earning potential and the future employment outlook of each field. Computer support specialists may also be called technical support specialists or help-desk technicians. A computer specialist provides technical assistance, support and advice to organizations and individuals. â€Å"They resolve common networking problems and may use troubleshooting programs to diagnose problems. Most computer support specialists are hired to work within a company to provide support for other employees and divisions. (O'Leary ; O'Leary, 2008) Much like the computer support specialist a technical support specialist provides support within an organization and oversees the daily performance of their company’s computer systems. The help-desk technician works directly with the customer responding to phone and email correspondence from them to ascertain their dilemma and pro vide them with assistance in solving their problems. These workers typically work in well-lit office settings or in computer labs. Because many skills are needed for these positions the education requirements vary. A college degree is required for some computer support specialist positions, but an associate degree or certification may be sufficient for others. Strong problem-solving and communication skills are essential. † (Labor, 2010) A computer support specialist can expect to earn an annual salary of $26,000 up to $76,000. â€Å"Median annual wages of wage-and-salary computer support specialists were $43,450 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $33,680 and $55,990. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $26,580, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $70,750. (Labor, 2010) The future employment outlook for workers in this position is good and expected to rapidly increase. A slight slowing may occur due to outsourcing however the job prospects remain positive. Those possessing bachelor’s degrees and relevant experience will have an advantage with employers. The database administrator is one who works with database management software to determine ways to stor e, organize, analyze, use, and present data. â€Å"They identify user needs and set up new computer databases. In many cases, database administrators must integrate data from old systems into a new system. They also test and coordinate modifications to the system when needed, and troubleshoot problems when they occur. An organization’s database administrator ensures the performance of the system. † (Labor, 2010) Their duties also include adding users and they may have to help with security measures. The work environment for these workers is ideally a comfortable well-lit office setting. With the expansion of computer networks they are often able to telecommute from home. The level of education requirement in this field largely depends on the employer. Workers can enter this field with many different levels of formal education, but relevant computer skills are always needed and certification may improve an applicant’s chances for employment. † (Labor, 2010) A worker in this field can expect an annual salary ranging from $39,900 to $91,850. The future employment outlook for the database administrator is good with a projected increase of 20% over the next eight years. Network and computer systems administrators are workers whose duties are to design, install, and support an organization’s computer system. They are responsible for LANs, WANs, network segments, and Internet and intranet systems. They install and maintain network hardware and software, analyze problems, and monitor networks to ensure their availability to users. These workers gather data to evaluate a system’s performance, identify user needs, and determine system and network requirements. † (Labor, 2010) The work environment for these workers is ideally a comfortable well-lit office setting. With the expansion of computer networks they are often able to telecommute from home. The education requirement for these workers is typically a bachelor’s degree but a professional certification may be adequate for some employers. â€Å"Experience with network security and maintenance is preferred. Because network administrators are involved directly with people in many departments, good communication skills are essential. † (O'Leary ; O'Leary, 2008) Network and computer system administrators can expect to earn an annual salary ranging from $41,000 to $104,070. â€Å"Median annual wages of network and computer systems administrators were $66,310 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $51,690 and $84,110. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $41,000, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $104,070. † (Labor, 2010) The future employment outlook for the network and computer systems administrator is good and projected to increase by %23 over the next eight years. The computer, office machine and automated teller technicians are workers, who repair, install, fix, and maintain many of the machines that are used by businesses, households, and consumers. The computer technician is also known as a computer service technician or data processing equipment repairers. Duties include servicing mainframes, personal computers, servers, printers, installations and hands-on- repairs. The office machine technician repairs and maintains company machinery on site or for smaller machinery they may have a repair shop. The automated teller technician installs, repairs, maintains automated teller machines and electronic kiosks. These workers are often in the field. The work environment for these three technicians is most commonly are clean well-lit surroundings. Because computers and office machines are sensitive to extreme temperatures and humidity, repair shops usually are air-conditioned and well ventilated. Field repairers must travel frequently to various locations to install, maintain, or repair customers' equipment. ATM repairers may have to perform their jobs in small, confined spaces that house the equipment. Because computers and ATMs are critical for many organizations to function efficiently, data processing equipment repairers and ATM field technicians often work around the clock. [ (Labor, 2010) ] The education required for these positions is certification in computer repair or an associate degree. Employers also require knowledge and experience with electronics. Workers in these fields can expect to earn an annual salary ranging from approximately $23,000 to $43,000. The future employment outlook for these positions is projected to decline by 4% over the next eight years. As new innovations emerge with new machinery they require fewer repairs. The duties of a computer programmer is on who writes programs. The duties include converting the design of computer software design into a logical series of instructions that the computer can follow. Depending on the need, they code these instructions into any number of programming languages. They also update, repair, modify, and expand existing programs. Computer programmers usually work in an office environment or in a laboratory. Usually a bachelor’s degree is required to work in this field however some employers will accept a two year degree or professional certification. They can expect to earn an annual salary ranging from $40,000 to $111,450. Median annual wages of wage-and-salary computer programmers were $69,620 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $52,640 and $89,720 a year. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $40,080, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $111,450. † [ (Labor, 2010) ] The future employment outlook for the computer programmer is expected to decline slowly by 3% over the next eight yea rs. This decline is due to outsourcing and advancements in programming languages. A software engineer analyzes users’ needs and creates application software. They apply the theories and principles of computer science and mathematical analysis to create, test, and evaluate the software applications and systems that make computers work. † [ (Labor, 2010) ] Some of the types of software they design are games, applications and operating systems. They typically work in office environments or telecommute from home. Most employers require a bachelor’s degree and extensive knowledge of computers and technology. â€Å"Those with specific experience with networking, the Internet, and Web applications may have an advantage over other applicants. Employers typically look for good communication and analytical skills. † [ (O'Leary & O'Leary, 2008) ] Software engineers can expect to earn an annual salary of approximately $53,000 to $128,000. â€Å"In May 2008, median annual wages of wage-and-salary computer software engineers were $85,430. The middle 50 percent earned between $67,790 and $104,870. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $53,720, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $128,870. † [ (Labor, 2010) ] The future employment outlook for workers in this position is good. It is projected to increase by 21% over the next eight years. Cryptography is the study and practice of encryption and decryption. Encryption is the conversion of data into a form, called a cipher text that cannot be easily understood by unauthorized people. Decryption is the process of converting encrypted data back into its original form, so it can be understood. â€Å"Cryptographic technicians are responsible for operating cryptographic equipment that is used to code, decode, and transmit secret information. Such equipment is used in law enforcement agencies, armed forces, and business organizations. (University, 2010) The work environment for the cryptographer is a stressful one. They typically work at large corporations, as professors or for the government. Usually the education required in order to become a cryptographer is a PhD. â€Å"All cryptographers must have broad experience in both mathematics and computer science or information systems. † (O'Leary & O'Leary, 2008) They can expect to earn an annual salary ranging from $60, 000 to $101,000. The future employment outlook for workers in this field is good. Because cryptography is very specialized there is a large demand for workers. A computer trainer is a type of training specialist that teaches new users how to use the latest software or hardware. â€Å"Responsibilities typically include preparation of course materials, grading coursework, and continuing education in the field. † (O'Leary & O'Leary, 2008) The type of instruction they provide depends on what setting they are in. Some of the different types of settings they work in are corporations, schools, seminars and consultations. Their working environments are typically offices, classrooms, or conference rooms. The trainer who works in a school is usually required to have a bachelor’s degree and teaching certification. â€Å"Corporate trainers and consultants may only need experience using the software being taught. Many software trainers are self-taught and rely on the knowledge they have gained working with various programs. † (University, 2010) Workers in this field can expect to earn an annual salary ranging from $26,000 to $54,000. The future outlook for employment in this field is expected growth of faster than average over the next four years. A desktop publisher uses computers to format and create publication-ready material. â€Å"Ways in which they create this material are to use computer software to format and combine text, data, photographs, charts, and other graphic art or illustrations into prototypes of pages and other documents that are to be printed. They then may print the document on a high-resolution printer or send the materials to a commercial printer. Examples of materials produced by desktop publishers include books, brochures, calendars, magazines, newsletters, newspapers, and forms. (Labor, 2010) Some may write and edit, as well as layout and design pages. Their work environment is usually an office setting, well-lit and quiet. Most have a traditional Monday through Friday work schedule though they may have varying shifts where needed. Generally there is no formal education required to be a desktop publisher however employers prefer a degree or certification. They can expect to earn an annual salary rang ing from $21,000 to $43,000. â€Å"Median annual wages of desktop publishers were $36,600 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $28,140 and $47,870. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $21,860, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $59,210 a year. Median annual wages of desktop publishers in May 2008 were $39,870 in printing and related support services and $33,130 in newspaper, periodical, book, and directory publishers. † (Labor, 2010) The future employment outlook for the desktop publisher is expected to rapidly decline. Many workers have the added responsibility of publishing along with regular duties thus reducing the need to hire the desktop publication. Having explored all of these positions I found that many of them are similar. They have overlapping duties in some situations or work very closely together like the software engineer and the programmer. They work in a variety of settings; corporate offices, classrooms and laboratories. Almost all of them require a higher degree or certification. The cryptographer was the only position that required a doctorate while the desktop publisher does not require formal training. The overall average annual salary for these positions was approximately $52,000. The overall future employment outlook was good with most of the positions having projected growth before the next decade. References Labor, U. D. (2010, January). Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-11 Edition. Retrieved January 25, 2010, from Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/oco O'Leary, T. J., & O'Leary, L. I. (2008). Computer Essentials: Introductory Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. University, S. (2010, January). Cryptographic Technician Job Description, Career as a Cryptographic Technician, Salary, Employment – Definition and Nature of the Work, Education and Training Requirements, Getting the Job. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from State University: http://careers.stateuniversity.com/pages/7758/Cryptographic-Technician.html

How to Right a Paper

ppendix D: Individual Skills Assessment Questionnaire for the Instructor Directions: The following questionnaire contains the Individual Skills Assessment that must be administered to each student individually as a panel interview. Print enough copies of the ISA Questionnaire so that each interviewer has one copy per student before the panel interview begins. Please see the Instructor Guide section of this courseware for complete instructions on how to conduct the interviews. For each topic, start with Learning Level 3. Circle each of the response criteria that the student successfully includes in his or her response.You may use the scoring table at the end of the questionnaire to tally the student’s score. Note: Each topic includes questions at three levels: o Level 3: Synthesis/Evaluation (Most-challenging questions) o Level 2: Application/Analysis (Medium-level questions) o Level 1: Knowledge/Comprehension (Least-difficult questions) Appendix D: Individual Skills Assessment Questionnaire for the Instructor  ©ITT Educational Services, Inc. 104 Date: 01/12/2010 Individual Assessment Skills Questions with Correct Response Criteria Topic 1: HardwareLearning Level 3: Synthesis/Evaluation Question: 1. You are building a LAN in a company that develops insurance management software. What hardware requirements should be taken into consideration? (TB143, IT1220) Correct Response Criteria: The student addresses why each is important: PC resources needed: Memory, disk drive size, processor size Networking resources: Category 5e cable, hub, switch, bridge, router Learning Level 2: Application/Analysis Question: 1. Describe how the memory manager divides up and allocates memory. (TB143, IT103) Correct Response Criteria:The student identifies the following memory concepts and describes how each works: Virtual memory Shared memory Paged memory Contiguous memory Non-contiguous memory Multi-programming Learning Level 1: Knowledge/Comprehension Question: 1. Identify a ll of the different types of input ports is available on a modern computer? (TB143) Correct Response Criteria: The student identifies the following ports: USB Serial Parallel Video /audio RJ45 FireWire Appendix D: Individual Skills Assessment Questionnaire for the Instructor  ©ITT Educational Services, Inc. 05 Date: 01/12/2010 SCSI Topic 2: Programming Learning Level 3: Synthesis/Evaluation Question: 1. Explain the difference between passing a piece of data â€Å"by value† and passing a piece of data â€Å"by reference. † (IT104) Correct Response Criteria: The student identifies the following data types and describes how each piece of data is passed: Parameter Argument Parameter list Data type Compatibility Reference address Learning Level 2: Application/Analysis Question: 1. Explain the â€Å"scope† of a data statement. 2. What are the implications of misidentifying a l

Sangeet

Ganga action plan was, launched by Shri Rajeev Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India on 14 Jan. 1986 with the main objective of pollution abatement, to improve the water quality by Interception, Diversion and treatment of domestic sewage and present toxic and industrial chemical wastes from identified grossly polluting units entering in to the river. The other objectives of the Ganga Action Plan are as under. Control of non-point pollution from agricultural run off, human defecation, cattle wallowing and throwing of unburnt and half burnt bodies into the river . Research and Development to conserve the biotic, diversity of the river to augment its productivity. The ultimate objective of the GAP is to have an approach of integrated river basin management considering the various dynamic inter-actions between abiotic and biotic eco-system. First phase of GAP it has generated considerable interest and set the scene for evolving a national approach towards replicating this program for the other polluted rivers of the country. New technology of sewage treatment like Up-flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) and sewage treatment through afforestation has been successfully developed. * Rehabilitation of soft-shelled turtles for pollution abatement of river have been demonstrated and found useful. * Resource recovery options like production of methane for energy generation and use of aquaculture for revenue generation have been demonstrated. * To act as trend setter for taking up similar action plans in other grossly polluted stretches in other rivers. Notwithstanding some delay in the completion of the The Government of India proposed to extend this model with suitable modifications to the national level through a National River Action Plan (NRAP). The NRAP mainly draws upon the lessons learnt and the experience gained from the GAP besides seeking the views of the State Governments and the other concerned Departments/Agencies. Under NRCP scheme the CPCB had conducted river basin studies and had identified 19 gross polluted stretches and 14 less polluted stretches along 19 rivers, which include 11 stretches situated along 7 rivers of M. P.

E-Mail, Internet Use, and Privacy Policies Assignment

E-Mail, Internet Use, and Privacy Policies - Assignment Example When employees are at the workplace, the main emphasis is normally given on improving the overall productivity and employee performance. E-mail and internet use among employees at the workplace have created issues that it is merely a time consuming and moreover, there can be issues of misuse as well. Employees may share the company matters with others or through social media like twitter or facebook and this adversely affect the company. Telstra, an Australian Carrier, and media company with 49000 employees have become an example of an organization that brought set of rules and regulations for employees regarding internet use (Peter Williams, July 2009). Internet policy is guidelines and instructions given to the employees regarding the use of internet facilities including surfing of the web, e-mail use, and social media and chatting etc. The main objective of internet policy is to increase employee productivity and reduce legal liabilities that may happen due to the employee misuse of the internet. Noonan (2004) emphasized that an internet policy must be able to define who is allowed to access the internet in the workplace and what types of access are permitted (p. 34). One of the main issues related with the internet is the misuse of social media like twitter.com, linkedin.com etc. according to Solis and Breakenridge (2009), public relations are ever changing and social media sites are empowering new domains of authoritative voices that should never be ignored. Social media can alter the entire media landscape because the power of influence can be placed in few hands if they have goods commenting power (p. 1).

Brief history of the telephone and communication network highlighting Term Paper

Brief history of the telephone and communication network highlighting major events and technologies from 1845 to the present including the major impacts of regulation - Term Paper Example ercial telegraph, the code used by the transmitter and receiver was still the Morse code but in this case a telegrapher closed a switch or telegraph key in a particular pattern of short and long closures that represented a letter of the alphabet at the transmitting end. A person’s distance of communication increased into thousands of miles, the time taken to deliver a message reduced to seconds and the amount of information was maintained in the limit of five to a hundred words per minute with the entrance of the electric telegraph and laying of the transoceanic cable in 1858. The first telephone was the magneto-telephone on which both transmission and reception were done using the same instrument. A speaker’s voice was converted into patterns of electrical energy that were sent over fairly long distances through wires to a receiver. The receiver would convert the energy patterns back to the original sound waves that the listener could understand. This system was more efficient and advanced than the telegraph since apart from providing long distance communication capabilities, speaking and hearing could be done directly making its use suitable for everyone. Its information transfer rate was only limited by the human speech rate. Today telecommunication uses the telephony technologies related with the electronic transmission of fax, voice and other information over long distances using systems that were initially associated with the telephone. The radio was invented in 1901 by Guglielmo Marconi. This was after Heinrich Hertz discovered the electromagnetic wave in 1888. Marconi had begun experimenting with wireless telegraphy in 1895. In 1906, the radio was built in the United States of America as the first commercial voice transmitting device that utilized electromagnetic waves. The invention of the radio opened up new opportunities for wireless communications. A wartime ban on nonmilitary broadcasting delayed acceptance of the radio until in 1920 when the

Case Study 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study 6 - Essay Example The most probable symptoms exhibited by the community people living with AIDS include swollen glands growing in the throat and groin. Further, the individuals may also witness muscle aches and fatigue. Normally, the fatigue and tiredness period are usually unexplained in this people. It is worth noting, that everyone in the New York community is susceptible to contracting the virus. In which case, anyone who involves in unprotected sex and sharing of infected equipments is at risk of contracting the disease especially if any of those involved another party who is HIV positive. Considering AIDS is transmitted through body fluids, sharing of the sharp equipment and having coitus with the infected person is a most certain way the virus can spread. The virus normally presents itself in blood, semen and breast milk of infected people (Timberg & Halperin, 2013). These are the most common ways that AIDS presents itself in New York city, where there are people from all walks of life. Once the virus is introduced to the bloodstream, it affects the immune response thereby reinforcing its symptoms on the body of the infected. Apart from New York city, other communities that have witnessed the same include Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia. This is because of t he higher population growth in this areas. Even though AIDS has manifested itself as pervasive in the above communities, the involved subjects have been able to manipulate strategies for preventing the disease. Naturally, the pervasiveness of the disease arises because the communities have failed in their attempts to get a cure or vaccine. However, the efforts put have given rise to such strategies such as the need to avoid the high-risk behaviors, including unprotected sex and sharing of sharp instruments. Further, the subject healthcare providers in this

Temporary agencies in organisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Temporary agencies in organisation - Essay Example Generally, client organizations divide its workforce between core and peripherals. Core workforces are derived within the organization, while peripherals are obtained outside the organization. Literature indicates those firms are responsible in making the decision on the jobs that should be retained for the permanent employees and tasks to outsource (Booth, Francesconi and Frank, 2002). Outsourced tasks require less organizations skills and knowledge such as routine. Based on this model, firms distinguish core labour in order to reduce turnover of skilled workers. In other words, the addition of the temporary agency staff in a firm helps to make quicker adjustments of the number of staffs when need arises. Therefore, during economic contraction, firms hire the temporary agency workers. The firm will no longer have the need to sack the permanent members of the workforce (Forde, 2000). In addition, the firm may opt to use temporary staffing agencies to reduce the increasing labour costs. Research indicates that most temporary agency workers receive less pay compared to the permanent members of the workforce (Booth, Francesconi and Frank, 2002). However, this may differ between the bottom and top end of the labour market. In addition, firms are able to reduce operation costs by reducing liabilities such as holiday pay sick pay and maternity cover, although this may differ in various countries. In some countries, the temporary agency workers are entitled for payments. Moreover, the use of the temporary agency workers reduces the fixed cost of hiring permanent staffs. Outsourcing some functions allows a firm to reduce their non-core proficiencies. Therefore, the firm has more time to focus on its main functions. The client organizations get opportunity for screening the temporary workers for potential permanent employees at low cost. Hiring core workforce from a pool of temporary staff can be

Evaluation of the educational needs of 3rd and 4th year medical Essay

Evaluation of the educational needs of 3rd and 4th year medical imaging students for fostering specialized radiographers - Essay Example The initial search terms that were used were medical imaging, radiography, and students. At this time, the search was limited to these words, to see what articles could be found. As I was interested in the evolution of medical image teaching, in that my interest is in what techniques have been used within the last 30 years, the articles that I reviewed and researched were from 1979 to present. The articles were narrowed down to 50 articles by eliminating articles and studies that essentially duplicated other, very similar studies. If a study did not provide a strategy that was novel, it was eliminated. The goal was to find diverse articles that represented slightly different aspects of the issues. Also, in the interest of diversity, articles that examined medical imaging in the context of medical student education were examined as well. Of interest were the most innovative strategies for teaching medical imaging students, including those who are in medical or dental schools, along wi th those seeking a 4 year degree. Also of interest were articles that focused on radiographers, and the kind of training that makes specialty radiographers competent and well-versed. I was also interested in finding articles that provided a comprehensive look at some of the basics that need to be understood, as well as articles that speak on policy issues surrounding medical imaging education. Combining the focus of these lines of inquiry came up with the best overall view of the question at hand. The articles that were selected were global. Thus, the articles are representative of global strategies. Of interest was whether certain countries are using techniques that are effective and might not be as well-known in this country, and whether these techniques can be imported to this country or whether the techniques would work best because of the culture of the country from where the study originated. When choosing the five articles that

Computer supported collaborative learning Literature review

Computer supported collaborative learning - Literature review Example The emergence of new technologies in the 21st century is forcing educational institutes to work out new patterns of learning where computers can play vital roles. In order to cope with the modern world requirements Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) systems concentrate on refining, facilitating and incorporating the learning process with the support of collaborative partners (Kobbe et al, 2007). CSCL has now become an essential component of the learning environment. CSCL could be defined as a system promising innovations and tools for restructuring teaching-learning processes to prepare students for the emerging knowledge society (Stahl et al, 2006, p409). CSCL has aim to improving the process of teaching and learning through the use of modern communication technology. CSCL is an instructional technology that encourages students to learn together and jointly solve problems. It is the opposite of the traditional concept of learning where learners are solitary receivers of knowledge. CSCL ensures that students are learning in a vigorous, stimulating and socially enriched framework (Nelson and Ketelhut, 2008). CSCL technology focuses on collaborative learning support, to enhance peer interaction and working in groups; to facilitate sharing and distributing knowledge and expertise among community members. CSCL address the issues of concept learning, problem solving and designing (Ioannidou et al., 2010). The system not only functions to communicate ideas and information but also works to impart feedback on problem solving activities. The technology is based on the belief that computer supported systems can effectively work to achieve objectives which may not be possible in face-to-face communication. CSCL concentrates on refining and incorporating the learning process of collaborative partners in a technology-based environment. It allows students to

Contrast of Carrefour and Wal-Mart Essay Example for Free

Contrast of Carrefour and Wal-Mart Essay Since the American entrepreneur, Clarence Saunders, opens his first Piggly Wiggly store in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1916, the concept of self-service store has swept the globe. With the largest population in the world, China is expected to be the world’s biggest retail market which is now already the world’s fastest-growing market. ( Anon, 2011:1) As the world’s first and second largest retail groups, Carrefour and Wal-Mart are one their way piling in. However, with 5000 years of traditional history and 30 years of planned economy, china has already formed its own market tradition. Though, the two giants both need to face the special Chinese market, in some aspects, they use different strategies and have different market feedback. This essay will illustrate the similar strategies the two retail groups have been using and also analyze the ways they use to adapt to the Chinese market differently. To begin with, for opening the Chinese market, Carrefour and Wal-Mart both choose to cooperate with the local commercial. $1 billion was given to Wal-Mart’s 100 hypermarkets’ supply chain, ranging from food to electronics (Shu-Ching, 2010, P. 1). Similarly, Carrefour also tried to adapt to local conditions, i. . cooperate with Lianhua Supermarket Company in Shanghai. The reasons why they cooperate with local partners is not just because of the legal considerations, but also to have a deep understanding of the difficult and complex Chinese market (Peter, 2006, P. 6). Nevertheless, they use different strategies according to different company development plan. Wal-Mart focuses more on the long term partnership nationally or even internationally. Considering the different regional culture and local policy, Carrefour changes partnerships by local markets (Peter, 2006, P. ). Furthermore, Carrefour adopts different strategy throughout all its global market, focusing on locally sourced products, as well as its local management teams, which are almost comprised of domestic employees to be more familiar with the local tastes. Also, on purchasing larger market shares, expansion strategy is common used by the two retail market giants. Since Carrefour opened its first store in china in 1995, it has already operated 73 hypermarkets in 29 cities which makes about $2 billion profit (Peter, 2006, P. ). Likely, 338 shops in 124 cities makes Wal-Mart $7 billion annually which is just a little bit lower than whole Carrefour shops’ profit (Anon, 2011, P. 2). Moreover, they both regard second- and third-tier cities as a good growth opportunity, and have already built shops in western cities which are not so developed. Even though, they perform different strategies in expanding their market. Firstly, Wal-Mart aims at making central distribution center, while local distributors are more considered by Carrefour. Secondly, hypermarkets often constitute larger shopping and entertainment complexes, therefore, a large amount of Carrefour stores are built at the city center for customers to go by foot or by bike. Comparing to this, edge-of-town is where Wal-Mart outlets often located, where customers can have large parking facilities or even shuttle bus provided (Moreau, 2008, P. 1). Last but not the least, Carrefour builds its stores based on the organic expansion primarily. By contrast, Wal-Mart combines organic growth with large-scale acquisitions, which leads to its Chinese revenues doubled. Lastly, to perform well in Chinese tradition market, Carrefour and Wal-Mart both have their changes in shops and marketing. On the one hand, for saving a million yuan in electricity and water costs, two retail chains’ common aim is to achieving â€Å"zero-carbon† stores by next year, which forces them to open a range of new energy saving stores in China, such as using waste gas to heat water and fluorescent lights, making use of natural lighting and integrating energy-saving technologies (Anon, 2009). On the other hand, to discover new growth areas in retail profit, selling medicine has been put on the agenda. The two giants have already been in close contract with the Ministry of Commerce on the medicine retail business and affirming that world’s largest retailer’s distribution network will be covered by medicine sales (Anon, 2005). Although there are a lot of similar strategies in market development, the two retail groups also have their different development focus. In the first place, Wal-Mart awards its employees based on profit-sharing stock, which will improve employees’ skills, trust and constant work, while Carrefour focus more on salaries. In addition, Carrefour adopted a multi-format strategy, i. e. open smaller outlets in the discount format to create another profit growth, while Wal-Mart develops its presence in the hypermarkets format exclusively (Moreau, 2008, P. 3). In details, proved to be a dynamic format competing against hypermarkets operators, department stores get a CAGR increase of 9%, 2002-2007. Therefore, department stores sales continue to be boosted by the expansion period decided by Carrefour (Moreau, 2008, P. 2).

The Effects Of Transformational Leadership Education Essay

The Effects Of Transformational Leadership Education Essay In recent years, educational leaders have been voicing concerns about higher burnout rates among special education teachers as compared with teachers in general education (Fore, Martin, Bender, 2002). Many factors contribute to burnout in special education. Increased teaching workloads, shrinking school budgets, increasing demands for accountability, and disruptive students are often blamed (Byrne, 1994; Fore et al., 2002). The recession that took place in the United States in 2007 has significantly exacerbated these issues. Teachers, including special educators, must cope with the issues that come from difficult economic times. As budget tightens, teachers have to face layoffs or are being forced to take pay cuts and unpaid furlough days (Oliff Johnson, 2010). They have to worry about providing for themselves and also putting in the time and effort to promote a conductive learning environment for their students. This makes them stressful and reduces their morale to teach to the be st of their capabilities (Reeves, 2010). Furthermore, special education teachers are asked to do more with less than before this includes rising teacher pupil ratios (Center for Public Education, 2010). In special education, this means teachers have to teach students with a broader range of disabilities and grade levels. Moreover, teachers are unable to use as many of the same resources that they used before, and the school supplies, materials, and other resources that have previously been given are slowly being taken back (Center for Public Education, 2010). With the end of the federal stimulus funds that helped prevent severe education cuts, many school districts will face a more stressful budget shortfall in the next few years (Husch, Banton, Cummings, Mazer, Sigritz, 2010). All these problems can make special educators more vulnerable to burnout. Burnout has been defined as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment (Leiter Maslach, 1988, p. 297). Emotional exhaustion refers to the feelings of being drained or used up by the clients (Maslach Jackson, 1981). Emotional exhaustion also is identified as feelings of strain, particularly chronic fatigue resulting from overtaxing work (Hakanen, Bakker, Schaufeli, 2006, p. 498). Teachers who have experienced this sense of emotional exhaustion report feeling dread at the thought of having to put in another day on the job and often put distance between themselves and coworkers and students (Schwab, Jackson, Schuler, 1986, p. 15). This distancing of oneself from the students is the second aspect of burnout, depersonalization (Schwab et al., 1986). Leiter and Maslach (1988) defined depersonalization as developing an unfeeling and callous response toward clients. Depersonalization is also referred to as cynicism, indifferent, or a distant attitude toward work in general and the people with whom one works (Hakanen et al., 2006). The third aspect of burnout is reduced personal accomplishment (Leiter Maslach, 1988). Workers tend to have a negative appraisal of themselves as well as their work with clients (Maslach Jackson, 1981). Teachers who suffer from burnout are unable to function effectively in their jobs, unable to give much of themselves to students, and frequently exhibit negative, cynical, and callous attitudes toward their jobs (Byrne, 1993). A number of studies have shown that teacher burnout may lower student achievement. Teachers who experience job burnout are more likely to criticize students, which in turn reduce students self-efficacy, motivation to learn, completeness of understanding, and creativity (Huberman Vandenberghe, 1999; Maslach Leiter, 1999). Researchers found teachers who experience burnout have reduced motivation, impaired performance, and higher rates for leaving the teachi ng profession (Byrne, 1993; Fore et al., 2002; Schwab et al., 1986). The vital role that supervisors play in affecting teachers propensity towards burnout was observed in research (Russell, Altmaier, Van Velzen, 1987; Sarros Sarros, 1992; Zabel Zabel, 2001). Supportive supervisors are likely to provide positive feedback concerning supervisees skills and abilities, which may make them less vulnerable to burnout. Russell et al. (1987) reported teachers who felt support and received positive feedback from supervisors were less vulnerable to burnout. Zabel and Zabel (2001) showed special education teachers were less likely to experience burnout when they receive more support from administrators, peers, and parents. According to Sarros and Sarros (1992), the importance of supervisor and principal support cannot be underestimated as a critical resource for addressing teacher burnout. Rose (1998) found that incidence of burnout can be reduced by high-quality leader-member exchange relationships. Positive contact with supportive supervisors is also a strong deterrent to the factors that lead to burnout. According to Leiter and Maslach (1988), unpleasant contacts with supervisors were associated with all three aspects of burnout. Their research showed that stressful interactions with supervisors lead to emotional exhaustion that causes depersonalization, which in turn leads to diminished feelings of personal accomplishment. However, little research has focused on the relationship between transformational leadership style of supervisors and burnout dimensions, and the empirical evidence is inconclusive. One possible reason for the inconclusive evidence is that previous literature overlooks a psychological mechanism that may be a powerful mediator to account for the relationship. In addition, very few studies have investigated the effect of transformational leadership style of supervisors on burnout among special education teachers. The purpose of this paper was to fill the gap by examining the relationship between transformational leadership style of supervisors and teacher burnout in special education while accounting for the mediating role of teachers calling. Literature Review Transformational Leadership and Job Burnout Transformational leadership. Transformational leadership theory is central to understanding the relationship between transformational leadership style of supervisors and the levels of burnout among special education teachers in this study. According to Fry (2003), transformational leadership is an intrinsically based motivational process whereby leaders engage followers to create a connection that raises the level effort and moral aspiration in both (p. 702). Northouse (2004) proposed transformational leadership refers to the process whereby an individual engages with others and creates a connection that raises the level of motivation and morality in both the leader and the follower (p. 170). Transformational leaders inspire followers to achieve positive outcomes by giving meaning to their work and understanding their personal needs (Boerner, Eisenbeiss, Griesser, 2007). The transformational leadership theory identifies four behaviors such as inspirational motivation, idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration that motivate followers intrinsically to give their best efforts and change their attitudes toward their work (Bass, 1999). Bass described idealized influence as shown by leaders whose behaviors can serve as an example to be emulated by followers and encourage followers to perform their best (Bass, Avolio, Jung, Berson, 2003). Furthermore, transformational leaders provide one with a sense of making a difference through service to others by emphasizing the importance of purpose, commitment, and the ethical consequences of decisions. Such leaders are admired as role models; they generate pride, loyalty, confidence, and alignment around a shared purpose (Bass, 1997, p. 133). Bass (1997) described that inspirational motivation is displayed by leaders who articulate an appealing vision of the future, challenge followers with high standards, talk optimistically and with enthusiasm, and provide encouragement and meaning for what needs to be done (p. 133). In doing so, transformational leaders lift up the efforts and work morale of their followers through enhancing the sense of calling, which in turn help improve individual productivities and organizational outcomes. Transformational leaders empower their followers by developing them into high involvement individuals (Bass, 1999, p. 9) and followers will transcend their own self-interests for the good of the organization (Bass, 1985, p. 15). Individualized consideration is described as leaders [who] deal with others as individuals; consider their individual needs, abilities and aspirations; listen attentively; further their development; advise; teach; and coach (Bass, 1997, p. 133). Transformational leaders pay attention to followers needs and support and coach their growth through individualized consideration. The leaders can help followers analyze their work-related problems and seek possible solutions. As a consequence, the transformational leadership helps prevent the feeling of being strained (i.e., emotional exhaustion) or distancing themselves from coworkers and students (i.e., depersonalization), and increase the assessment of their personal accomplishment. Intellectual stimulation is demonstrated when leaders [who] question old assumptions, traditions, and beliefs; stimulate in others new perspectives and ways of doing things; and encourage the expression of ideas and reasons (Bass, 1997, p. 133). Transformational leaders stimulate followers to be innovative and creative in approaching old situations in new ways through intellectual stimulation (Bass et al., 2003). This transformational behavior lessens the burnout symptoms such as cynicism and negativism and a tendency to be rigid, and inflexible in thinking (Freudenberger, 1977). These four transformational leadership behaviors can ease followers the feelings of emotional depletion and loss of motivation and commitment. Transformational leadership and burnout. Research is mixed on the relationship between leadership styles and burnout. Seltzer, Numerof, and Bass (1989) showed that transformational leadership style helped reduce burnout, while management-by-exception leadership did the opposite in a sample of employed MBA students. Corrigan, Diwan, Campion, and Rashid (2002) found that transformational leadership had a negative relationship with burnout among mental health professionals. However, Stordeur, Dhoore, and Vandenbergh (2001) contended that transformational leadership and contingent reward had no relationship with emotional exhaustion among hospital nursing staff. Hetland, Sandal, and Johnsen (2007) found that transformational leadership was not related to emotional exhaustion, and transactional leadership had no relationship with any of the three dimensions of burnout. Existing literature indicated a need for further study of the mechanism through which transformational leadership had an impact on burnout, particularly in the school setting (Gill, Flaschner, Shachar, 2006; Griffith, 2004; Hetland et al., 2007). Calling and Burnout Calling. Calling, as defined by Fry (2003) is the experience of transcendence or how one makes a difference through service to others and, in doing so, derives meaning and purpose in life (p. 703). Fry posits that calling is a critical part of workplace spiritual well-being that provides one a sense of making a difference and therefore that ones life has meaning (p. 714). Followers who experience a sense of calling are more committed to their organization and more productive in their workplace. Markow and Klenke (2005) defined calling as work performed out of a strong sense of inner direction (p. 12). Calling is often described as something that pertains to careers that an individual sees as promoting the greater good or being meaningful to society (Duffy Sedlacek, 2007). Baumeister (1991) discussed the job-career-calling concept in Meanings of Life. Baumeister stated that those who view work as a job perform tasks solely to obtain things that they want. He also stated that this att itude is often prevalent among lower classes, who tend to be people with less education. In contrast, a person with a calling feels compelled to perform a kind of work, whether it is from a higher calling (as is often stated in association with religion) or a calling to meet a societal need (for example, higher military enlistment rates after Pearl Harbor). A calling might also come from an individuals inner sense of having a special talent or gift. A calling satisfies the need for being valuable to others and society. A calling engenders a great deal of personal meaning, linking a vocation and an individuals value base. According to Bellah, Madsen, Sullivan, Swidler, and Tipton (2008), a calling is when work becomes inseparable from the individuals life and character. The person works for the fulfillment that doing the work brings to the individual. A calling links a person to the larger community, and the person is making a contribution to the entire community. In Fry, Nisiewicz, Vitucci, and Cedillo (2007) study, calling can be enhanced by giving employees recognition can do this, along with giving them a sense of worth through service and a positive attitude (p. 20). Transformational leadership and calling. Transformational leadership is a motivation-based theory of how to move the organization toward its desired future. Transformational leaders motivate followers by raising their levels of consciousness about the importance of goals (Northouse, 2004). The most important role that the transformational leader plays is to paint a vision of a desired future state and communicate it in a way that causes followers to believe and have faith in the vision of organizational transformation to make the pain of change worth the effort (Fry, 2003, p. 702). A literature review revealed that the vision exhibited by spiritual leaders is predictive of ones sense of calling (Fry, 2003; Fry et al., 2007; Fry, Vitucci, Cedillo, 2005; Malone Fry, 2003). Fry (2003) suggested creating a compelling vision that has a broad appeal to key stakeholders, defines the destination and journey, reflects high ideals, encourages hope/faith, and establishes a standard of excellence provides followers with a sense of calling that motivates them to believe that they make a difference to other people (p. 695). A transformational leader who also possesses these qualities develops a vision and communicates it effectively through exemplary leadership behaviors such as idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation to their followers. Consequently, followers have hope and derive meaning and purpose in their experiences. For example, Fry (2003) explained that the vision displayed by a spiritual leader incl udes establishing a standard of excellence which builds followers confidence and trust in leaders. As mentioned earlier, this behavior is a characteristic of idealized influence. Transformational leadership moves followers beyond immediate self-interests to a shared vision and mission in the organization through idealized influence. The vision also vividly portray a journey that, when undertaken, will give me a sense of calling, of ones life having meaning and making a difference (Fry, 2003, p. 718). This quality is a characteristic of inspirational motivation that awakens intrinsic motivation of followers (Boerner et al., 2007). According to Bass (1999), followers under transformational leaders are generally more self-assured and find more meaning in their work. Consequently, teachers will find personal meaning in their work or feel called to their work. Coladarci (1992) posited that teaching is viewed as a profession with high initial commitment and is a calling for many entering the profession. Teachers who find personal meaning in their work or feel called to their work have a deep commitment to their profession (Hakanen et al., 2006). The great value they find in teaching and the feeling that they are helping others and working toward the greater good of society may reduce the feelings of strain and distancing of themselves from the students (i.e., depersonalization), and raise the evaluations of their personal accomplishment. Fry proposed a causal framework that the followers sense of calling is predictive of the organizational outcomes, such as commitment and productivity. Based on the theory of calling, the present study hypothesizes that teachers who have a high level of calling will experience low emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and high personal accomplishment. Mediating effect of calling. Though existing literature indicated a direct effect of transformational leadership on levels of burnout, this study proposes that the linkage between transformational leadership and burnout may be indirect, or intervened by the sense of calling. According to Fry (2003), the followers sense of calling mediated the relationship between the vision exhibited by a spiritual leader and the organizational outcomes, such as commitment and productivity. Fry et al. (2005) examined a newly formed Apache Longbow helicopter attack squadron and found strong empirical evidence that calling is a mediator between the qualities of spiritual leadership and organizational outcomes, such as loyalty and productivity. Followers who have a higher sense of calling are more committed to their organizations and more productive. Malone and Fry (2003) conducted a longitudinal field study of elemental schools and found that spiritual leadership had a significant impact on organizatio nal commitment and unit productivity mediated by the sense of calling. In Markow and Klenkes (2005) study, calling mediates the relationship between personal meaning and organizational commitment. Fry et al.s (2007) study of a municipal government revealed that ones sense of calling is a mediator of the relationship between the vision of a leader and organizational commitment and productivity. Fry, Hannah, Noel, and Walumbwa (2011) found that organizational commitment and unit performance were fully mediated by the sense of calling by studying a sample of cadets at the United States Military Academy. Therefore, this study hypothesizes that transformational leaders exert their effects on job burnout among special educators through the sense of calling. Given that teaching is a field where many express a sense of calling, the extent that calling accounts for the relation between transformational leadership and burnout among special educators needs to be explored. One of the most powerful influences that transformational leaders have on followers is to create a compelling vision that provides one with a sense of calling through service to others, and therefore find meaning and purpose in life. Transformational leadership fosters a positive work attitude and provides followers with a sense of meaning in their work, which in turn boosts their intrinsic motivation and energy and enables them to perform their best. Control Variables and Burnout Studies on demographic variables, i.e., gender, age, and race, and their relation to burnout have shown differing outcomes. Maslach (1982) stated that women tended to experience more emotional exhaustion, yet men are more likely to exhibit depersonalization behaviors. Brewer and McMahan (2004) also reported that women were more prone to job stress and burnout than men. However, Maslach and Jackson (1981) reported no relationship between gender and burnout. Several studies have associated burnout with age, with burnout usually affecting the younger employees (Brewer McMahan, 2004; Maslach Jackson, 1981; Russell et al., 1987). No findings have supported a difference in burnout among ethnic groups (Brewer McMahan, 2004; Maslach, 1982). In Kilgore and Griffins (1998) study, they found less experienced special educators had more burnout. Method Hypotheses Based on the above discussion, the following hypotheses were formulated for testing the mediating effect of calling on the relationship between transformational leadership and burnout of special educators: H1: Transformational leadership is negatively related to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is positively related to personal accomplishment among special educators. H10: Transformational leadership is not negatively related to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is not positively related to personal accomplishment among special educators. H2: Transformational leadership is positively related to the calling. H20: Transformational leadership is not positively related to the calling. H3: Calling is negatively related to special educators emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is positively related to personal accomplishment. H30: Calling is not negatively related to special educators emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and is not positively related to personal accomplishment. H4: Calling mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and each of the three dimensions of burnout. H40: Calling does not mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and any of the three dimensions of burnout. Participants and Data Collection The sample in the study consisted of special education teachers who exclusively teach special education students in Maryland non-public and public separate day schools in Anne Arundel County. Separate day schools refer to those that enroll students between six and 21 years old who spend greater than 50% of the school day in a separate day facility that does not serve students without disabilities (Maryland State Department of Education, 2010). These schools are primarily self-contained facilities, not residential facilities.  The subjects were recruited through the MANSEF (Maryland Association of Nonpublic Special Education Facilities) network of non-public private special education schools as well as public separate day schools in Anne Arundel County. This population of teachers works with students with disabilities that preclude them from receiving education services in regular education classrooms within public schools. Initial contact was made through the MANSEF director and th e Director of Special Education of Anne Arundel County. Further contact was made with the educational directors of these schools to discuss the proposed study. The directors were informed of all of the information that would be required of the teachers (e.g., signature on Informed Consent, a short demographic questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Teachers, the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, and the Calling Scale). Once the directors agreed to have the study conducted in their schools, the survey packets were disseminated to the directors for distribution to the teachers. Each packet had a cover letter that provides an introduction of the research project and invites teachers to participate in the study. Teachers were asked to sign the Informed Consent prior to their participation of the study. Stamped addressed envelopes were provided in each packet for teachers to return their completed surveys. Teachers who declined to participate or partially complete the survey s were not included in the study. Each of the surveys was distributed and collected in the same manner to ensure consistency in data collection. According to Gall, Gall, and Borg (2003), consistency in data collection procedures is essential for reliability. It was estimated that it would take approximately twenty minutes to complete these three measurements and the short demographic questionnaire. To ensure confidentiality, all questionnaires were completed anonymously, and only a coding number rather than a name was used to designate each respondent. No other personal identification information such as social security numbers, telephone numbers, and addresses were solicited on these questionnaires. All survey forms were locked up in a safe place. The size of the population was estimated at 700 non-public special educators in MANSEF schools and an additional 100 special educators in Anne Arundel County separate day schools. That makes the total estimated population of 800 special educators. Although all of the directors granted permission for the survey to be administered in her or his school, actual teacher participation was voluntary. As a result, a total of 256 teachers from 35 MANSEF schools (n = 250) and two Anne Arundel County separate day schools (n = 6) returned their completed surveys anonymously, which yielded a 32% response rate of the estimated population. Measurements Maslach burnout inventory for teachers. The construct of teacher burnout was measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory for Teachers (MBI Form Ed: Maslach, Jackson, Schwab, 1986). The MBI consists of 22 statements regarding attitudes and feelings about work (Maslach Jackson, 1981). There are nine items relating to emotional exhaustion, five items relating to depersonalization, and eight items relating to personal accomplishment (Maslach Jackson, 1981). The participants responded to the statements based on a 7-point frequency scale (0 = never, 6 = every day). Examples of statements included in the survey include I feel emotionally drained from work and I feel very energetic (Maslach et al., 1986). The MBI produces three areas of scores: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment (Leiter Maslach, 1988). As discussed earlier, these factors have been identified as major indicators of burnout and the MBI has been used extensively in studies examining burnout ( Byrne, 1993; Fore et al., 2002; Gill et al., 2006; Hakanen et al., 2006; Leiter Maslach, 1988; van Dick Wagner, 2001). Maslach and Jackson (1981) reported that the reliability of the subscales range from .71 to .90 using Cronbachs coefficient alpha. The test-retest reliability ranges from .53 to .89 (Maslach Jackson, 1981). Multifactor leadership questionnaire. The construct of transformational leadership was measured by the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ Form 5X-Short) developed by Avolio, Bass, and Jung (1999). The subordinates rated their leaders on 45 leadership items on a 5-point frequency scale (0 = never, 4 = frequently if not always). The MLQ is comprised of nine subscales, which assess a full range of leadership styles such as transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leaderships. Although measured, the constructs of transactional and laissez-faire leadership behaviors were not included in the regression analyses as the preliminary analysis did not show a correlation between these two leadership styles and job burnout. According to de Vaus (2001), a correlation between two variables is a pre-requisite for establishing a causal relationship (p. 179). The five subscales used to identify transformational leadership style are: (1) idealized attributes, (2) idealized behaviors, (3) inspirational motivation, (4) intellectual stimulation, and (5) individualized consideration (Bass et al., 2003). For the subscale idealized attributes, an example item is (my supervisor) goes beyond self-interest for the good of the group. An example item pertaining to the subscale idealized behaviors is (my supervisor) specifies the importance of having a strong sense of purpose. An example item that measures the subscale inspirational motivation is (my supervisor) articulates a compelling vision of the future. The subscale intellectual stimulation includes items such as (my supervisor) seeks differing perspectives when solving problems. An example item for the individualized considerations subscale is (my supervisor) spends time teaching and coaching. The supervisor received a score on each of the five subscales, and together, those allowed for describi ng how frequently he or she engaged in transformational leadership behaviors. For example, high scoring supervisors displayed transformational leadership behaviors more frequently than those low scorers. Bass and Avolio (2000) reported reliabilities of the subscales ranging from .74 to .91 based on Cronbachs coefficient alpha. Calling. The construct of calling was measured by the Calling Scale developed by Markow and Klenke (2005) based on Baumeisters (1991) work. Respondents provided ratings on twelve items that assess three subscales such as job, calling, and career on a seven point Likert scale (1 = not at all, 7 = a great deal). As discussed earlier, the major purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of teachers calling on the relationship between transformational leadership and job burnout, therefore, only the calling subscale was included in the analysis. The subscale of calling was measured by six items, such as I feel that I must do the work I do it is part of who I am and the work that I do expresses truths and values that I believe are important (Markow Klenke, 2005). Markow and Klenke reported that the scale demonstrated an internal consistency reliability of .88. Control variables. Teachers were asked to fill out a short demographic questionnaire. It included items asking about gender, age, and years in teaching. There was also a question asking whether the teacher was a public or non-public employee. Based on the research, demographic variables do not have a consistent relationship with burnout. Data Analysis Data were analyzed using one SPSS file combining all instruments to examine the effects of transformational leadership and calling on job burnout among special education teachers. Descriptive statistics were produced to summarize the demographic data as well as survey measurements in this study. Pearson Product-Moment Coefficients were also computed to determine the correlation among study variables. To determine whether transformational leadership has an indirect effect mediated by calling on the various dimensions of teachers burnout, a mediation model was tested (Baron Kenny, 1986). A mediation model is to identify the mechanism through which an independent variable accounts for the variation of a dependent variable. To clarify the meaning of mediation, a path diagram was used to describe the relationship among independent variable, mediator, and dependent variable. Panels A and B in Figure 1 illustrated the designated paths of a direct effect and a total effect, where transformational leadership is the predictor variable, burnout is the outcome variable, calling is the mediating variable. a is the pathway from transformational leadership to calling, b is the pathway from calling to burnout, c (Panel A) is the direct effect of transformational leadership on burnout, controlling for the effect of the mediator, calling, and c (Panel B) is the total effect of transformational le adership, without controlling for the effect of the mediator. R2 was reported to measure the faction of the total variance explained by the model. To get over the overestimation problem of R2, adjusted R2 was also reported to measure the variability in the outcome that the model explains in the population rather than the sample (Tabachnick Fidell, 2007). This study conducted two methods to examine the extent to which calling accounts for the relationship between transformational leadership and burnout. First, this study followed the four-step procedure recommended by Baron and Kenny (1986) to assess the mediation hypothesis of calling. Second, this study performed a more statistically rigorous bootstrapping method to examine the mediating effect of calling on the relationship between transformational leadership and job burnout. Bootstrapping is a nonparametric approach to effect-size estimation and hypothesis testing that makes no assumptions about the shape of the distributions o

Where are we Headed in Cyberculture? Essay -- Computers Technology Ele

Where are we Headed in Cyberculture? According to Sven Birkerts in his essay, Into the Electronic Millennium, â€Å"a change is upon us – nothing could be clearer. The printed word is part of a vestigial order that we are moving away from – by choice and by societal compulsion† (Tribble and Trubek, 63). It is impossible to disagree with this statement given the technological evolutions that have occurred over the years. The availability and preference of what is involved in the change is what is called into question. Although we are moving toward a computer-centered society, I do not believe this change can occur for everyone. There are several factors to consider other than simply the presence of technology. Reflecting on the history of print culture, Birkerts writes that â€Å"the dominant oral culture was overtaken by the writing technology† and the art of physically writing was â€Å"effected in the late fifteenth century after Gutenberg invented moveable type† (63). Naturally, people were wary of accepting such changes because they preferred the old, familiar way of doing things. They liked what they were used to and were proficient at doing. The same is true for people of our day. Students are much more likely to prefer a computer to a book, because we have little to no choice in the matter. All of our work must be complete on a computer and we are required to search scholarly journals within databases to complete research papers. There are a few groups however, who I can imagine are less likely to put down a book and grab a keyboard. First, there is a generational issue to consider. People whose youth came before computers were introduced to the general public probably are not as familiar with them and may be less likely to c... ...is way would not be the preferred method. Coinciding with my belief is Wendy Lesser in her essay, The Conversion, states that she â€Å"wouldn’t want to read a novel or even a ten-page story on e-mail† (228). In summary, yes, I do believe that we are moving towards a more computer-orientated society, but I do not see this change happening for everyone. I will believe a change will be more widely available when the cost of a new computer significantly drops and when the ease of use significantly rises. For those of us who are computer-saavy and who have spent years in front of a computer, we welcome the change and may even wonder what has taken so long, but for those children whose student-to-computer ratio is thirty-five to one, they will dread the day when they will be forced to use something they can not afford and wouldn’t know how to use if they could afford it.

The Law Enforcement Profession :: essays research papers

The Law Enforcement Profession Abstract In order to understand comptemporary law enforcemment, we should recognize the conditions that impact our profession. It is agreed upon by many scholars that major changes in law enforcement occur every five years. Policing is sometimes characterize"... like a sandbar in a river, subject to being changed continuously by the currents in which it is immersed..." (Swanson, Territo and Taylor, p. 2). However, in recent years some major changes have occurred in a shorter time period. Innovations in law enforcement During the past two decades, I have observed major changes in the viewpoint of society towards police officer's as the symbol of trust and dignity, the technological advances of communication and information systems in law enforcement, and the revision of selection and hiring practices for police officers. Organizational change occurs both as a result of internal and external agents (Swanson, Territo and Taylor, p. 664). These changes have manifested both positive and negative reverberations in the way we perform our job. Police officials have contemplated for years over the key to maintaining a positive image for their organization. Unfortunately, several incidents in the past years have altered society's perception of police in some communities. Police in America are no longer strangers to innovation born of scandal. Law enforcement agencies nationwide have repeatedly been shaken by controversy and forced to make undesirable concessions. Has law enforcement failed to maintain the high standards required by the profession? The cost of public trust is high. It increases each time faith must be regain. Historically, law enforcement agencies throughout the nation have experienced periods of low confidence in communities preceding episodes deemed to be a breach of trust. Early pioneers in law enforcement history such as August Vollmer (1902 - 1932). Berkeley Police Department and J. Edgar Hoover (1924) the Federal Bureau of Investigation made numerous advancements towards improving the professionalism of law enforcement (Anderson and Newman, p. 119 - 120). Other attempts were made in 1956 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police adopted "The Law Enforcement Code Of Ethics" (Wilson and McClaren, p.8) Examples of several historical events locally have attributed to society's decline in respect for police. For example, nine members of a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department special narcotics squad were charged with misappropriating tens of thousands of dollars confiscated in drug raids (L. A. Times, p. 4, Sept. 9, 1989). Another local incident involved 80 Los Angeles police officers stormed and wrecked an apartment and allegedly beat several residents on "Dalton Street." The city was forced to settled in a civil law suit by the resident with a settlement of $3 million dollars of taxpayers money

Dances With Wolves Essay -- Film Movie Dances With Wolves Papers

Dances With Wolves In his movie Dances With Wolves actor Kevin Costner tries to do away with any preconceived notions that the viewer might have had about the Native American Indians being a savage and inhuman race. He does this by first unraveling the mysteriousness of the Indians then he brings the viewer to a point of connectedness with the Indians and their culture. We then come to a sincere appreciation for them as human beings and individuals and find ourselves siding with them in matters of allegiance. This movie accomplishes this goal with several tactics and strategies. As the story unfolds we follow the life of John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) and take on his emotions and therefore come to the same realizations that he does. From the very beginning of the film we have a sense of compassion and empathy for John because he is injured and tries to die heroically. This form of justifiable suicide gives us a sense of his aimlessness and loneliness. Since most of the viewers have experienced some form of these feelings before we naturally want to hop on board with John's emotions and hold on for the ride. The first introduction we have to actual Indians themselves is when we find the Pawnee Indians discussing the idiocy of white men and how they should be destroyed. This band of Indians kill Timmons, a wagon driver who takes John to his new fort, and therefore we feel that our initial stereotypes are justified, however we do not see this through the eyes of John and therefore we are still susceptible to a reforming of our opinions. It is only through John's experiences and feelings that we feel truly attached to what is going on in the film. Throughout his encounters with the Indians, specifically the Sioux, John begin... ...s of the Indian, or have they. There is one last task that must be completed in order for the viewer to complete the enlightenment that was intended. When John is rescued by the Sioux we see that they are capable just like any other tribe of being both brutal, savage, and primeval in their attacks when they are passionate enough about what they are doing it for. In this action we see that the Sioux are therefore not the exception but merely our exception. They show us that the Native Americans were a people unlike any other with a very rich culture, a strong sense of family, and a passion for life that meant you worked hard and played even harder. They were not savages or barbarians in the typical sense they were individuals living together in harmony and strife the only way they knew how, which coincidently worked very well for them until the white man came along.

Credit Creation Essay

1.0INTRODUCTION With introduction and use of money, credit also came into existence. Credit is created when one party (it can be person, group of people, firm or an institution) lends money to another party, the borrowers. The act of borrowing creates both credit and debit. Debt means the obligation to pay the finance borrowed and credit means the claim to receive this money payment from the other party. Every credit involves debt, that is obligation to pay money and therefore creates claim. 1.1 Definition of important terms 1.1.1 Credit is generally understood to mean the finance provided to others at certain rate of interest (Mudida 2003).The act of borrowing and lending and there by the creation of credit is a special type of exchange transaction which involves future payments of the principle sum borrowed as well as rate of interest on it. The lending and borrowing of money and institution of money lending came into practice since money was invited by man (ibid). 1.1.2 Commercial Bank is a business organization which deals in money, it borrow and lend money in with purpose of generating profit Ahuja 2008). 1.1.3 Central Bank, Reserve Bank or Monetary Authority is a public institution that manages a state’s currency, money supply, and interest rates. Central banks also usually oversee the commercial banking system of their respective countries. In contrast to a commercial bank, a central bank possesses a monopoly on increasing the nation’s monetary base, and usually also prints the national currency, which usually serves as the nation’s legal tender (www.en.wikipedia.org). 2.0HOW BANKS CREATE CREDITS The source of money supply in the form of currency is circulation in Central Bank. It ensures the availability of currency to meet the transaction needs of the economy. The total volume of money in the economy should be adequate to facilitate the various types of economic activities such as production, distribution and consumption. The commercial banks are the second most important source of money supply. The money that commercial banks supply is called credit money. The process of credit creation begins with banks lending money out of primary deposits. Primary deposits are those deposits which are deposited in banks. Bank cannot lend entire primary deposits as they are required to maintain a certain proportion of primary deposits in the form of reserve with the Central bank and Banking regulation act. After maintaining the required reserves, the bank can lend the remaining portion of primary deposit and here the process of credit creation starts. Suppose there are a number of commercial Banks in the banking system – Bank 1 is required to maintain a cash reserve at let say 10% (which is decided by BoT). Bank one has to keep 1000 which is 10% of TZS10000. The remaining TZS9000 can be lent to another customer let say b, where bank 1 will open an account in the name of borrower cheque for the loan amount. At the end of deposits and lending, the balance sheet of bank 1 will be as follows:- The amount advanced to D will return ultimately to the banking system as described in case of B and process of deposits and credit creation will continue until the reserve with banks is reduced to zero. The final picture that would emerge at the end of the process of deposits and credit creation by the banking system is presented in the consolidated balance sheet of all banks are as below:- It can be seen from the combined balance sheet that a primary deposits of TZS10000 in a bank 1 leads to the creation of the total deposit of TZS100000. The combined balance sheet also shows that the banks have created a total credit of TZS100000 and maintained a total cash reserve of TZS10000 which equals the primary deposits. The total deposit created by the commercial banks constitutes the money supply by the banks. This process can be explained with a formula Total credit created = Original deposit x credit multiplier co-efficient. Credit multiplier co-efficient = 1/CRR = 1/10% = 1/10/100 = 10 CCR = Cash Reserve Ratio (10%) Total credit created = 10000 x 10 = 100000 NB: For the case of Tanzania, the reserve ratio (CRR) is 10% it may differ with other countries, for stance, India is 5%. The higher the CCR the lower the credits will be created and vice versa. 3.0FUNCTIONS OF CREDITS Credits play important roles in the economy, for as we all know that resources are scarce, it is impossible for a firm to have abundant of resources so in solving this problem of scarcity, individuals may opt to find loans or credits from various sources. Credits can be important in the following ways; Helps in transfer of money (resources) from those with surplus to those with deficit and want to spend more than they have. This help to relieve the constraint imposed by balanced budget on economic agent, to the financial requirement of investors who have to spend more on trade and investment than their own savings. It ensures better allocation of financial resources and there by encourage economic growth in the economy. Credit is of outstanding significance in the modern economic system. It plays a vital role in business finance. A major portion of the capital, particularly short-term capital is provided on credit. There is no question that credit can provide a smoother flow of money through an economy to ensure that periodic starts and stops are not affected by variations in the cash flow. This is particularly important to ensure smooth operation in many companies as well as for individuals. Furthermore, Purchasing Assets is one of the primary functions of loans is to help borrowers purchase assets. For individuals, this usually means buying a piece of property or a car or a similar large purchase. Businesses, on the other hand, have a wide variety of assets that they need, ranging from factory equipment to expensive computer software and hardware. Both individuals and organizations usually need to take out loans to buy these larger assets. In addition to that, credit helps in Investment; loans are made specifically for investment in stocks, bonds or other types of securities. Investment loans can come from a variety of sources. Sometimes brokerage firms will make loans available to investors so they can purchase extra securities. At other times, banks will make investment loans themselves, especially to businesses that are interested in growth or acquisitions. 4.0LIMITATIONS OF CREDIT CREATION The followings are the limitations or problems in credit creation; Amount of Cash: The power to create credit depends on the cash received by banks. If banks receive more cash, they can create more credit. If they receive less cash they can create less credit. Cash supply is controlled by the central bank of the country. Cash Reserve Ratio: All deposits cannot be used for credit creation. Banks must keep certain percentage of deposits in cash as reserve. The volume of bank credit depends also on the cash reserve ratio the banks have to keep. If the cash reserve ratio is increased, the volume of credit that the banks can create will fall. If the cash reserve ratio is lowered, the bank credit will increase. The Central Bank has the power to prescribe and change the cash reserve ratio to be kept by the commercial banks. Thus the central bank can change the volume of credit by changing the cash reserve ratio. Banking Habits of the People; the loan advanced to a customer should again come back into banks as primary deposit. Then only there can be multiple expansions. This will happen only when the banking habit among the people is well developed. They should keep their money in the banks as deposits and use cheques for the settlement of transactions. Nature of Business Conditions in the Economy: Credit creation will depend upon the nature of business conditions. Credit creation will be large during a period of prosperity, while it will be smaller during a depression. During periods of prosperity, there will be more demand for loans and advances for investment purposes. Many people approach banks for loans and advances. Hence, the volume of bank credit will be high. During periods of business depression, the amount of loans and advances will be small because businessmen and industrialists may not come to borrow. Hence the volume of bank credit will be low (Maliyamkono, and Bagachwa, 1990). Leakages in Credit-Creation: There may be some leakages in the process of credit creation. The funds may not flow smoothly from one bank to another. Some people may keep a portion of their amount as idle cash. 5.0 CONCLUSION The central bank of a country has responsibility of controlling the volume and direction of credit in the country. Bank credit has become these days an important constituent of the money supply in the country. The volume and direction of bank credit has an important bearing on the level of economic activity. Excessive credit will tend to generate inflationary pressure in the economy while deficiency of credit supply may tend to cause depression of deflation. Therefore, there must be balance in credit creation in order to have strong and growing economy. REFERENCES Ahuja H. L (2009); Macroeconomic Theory and Practice, 15th Revised edition, Rajendra Ravinda Printers PVT Ltd. New Delhi. Mudida, R. (2003). Modern Economics: Nairobi Focus publication Ltd. Maliyamkono, T.L. and M.S.D. Bagachwa, (1990), The Second economy in Tanzania Villiers Publications, London. http://www.ehow.com/info_7746614_functions-loans.html#ixzz2IBFRqK1bhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_bank.

Marketing Debate

Is Consumer Behavior More a Function of a Person’s Age or Generation? MKT 6661 Strategic Marketing Management Troy University Introduction A heavily debated issue between marketers is what drives consumer behavior? There are two noted positions in this debate, one that believes that age differences are the deciding factors of a consumer’s wants and needs and others make the case that cohort and generation effects are better suited to uncover the consumer’s desires. Marketers have a major responsibility to identify and reach out to the marketplace and find out what influences an individual’s purchasing decisions.Rather these decisions can be sorted based on a group of individuals shared experiences or by simply bunching these individuals into their respective generations but a system has to be in place to provide insight to what is the best way to channel into the consumer’s buying methods. So what’s all the Fuss About? The question that we ar e trying to answer is, is consumer behavior more a function of a person’s age or generation? There has been inclusive research on the driving forces of what drives consumer choice.A pattern has been discovered that people who make similar purchases may also share other specific social-economical similarities. This gives way that there is some background to be learned about these purchasing groups. Cohorts, or Aged-Based Marketing, tend to share a significant number of experiences, goals, and values. (Bidwell 2009) The main principle behind a cohort is that individuals make purchasing decisions based on events that they experienced through their lives, such as their childhood, adolescents, early adulthood and so forth.These events, called defining moments, influence attitudes, preferences, values, and buying behaviors, and these attitudes, values, and buying-behavior motivations for each cohort remain virtually the same throughout their lives. (Bidwell 2009) In contrast to coh orts, on the other side of the debate, the method of evaluating consumer behavior by placing consumers in a group of individuals born and living about the same time. This is the practice of multi-generation marketing. Each generation has unique expectations, experiences, lifestyles, values, and demographics that influence their buying behaviors.Multi-Generational marketing has a broader platform in which individual consumers are placed. Some specifics of these two marketing segments can draw some contrast between the two. To use the cohort model most effective there must be a combination of people’s ages and information about their particular life stages. Some examples of different life stages are empty nesters, retirees, young families, and your careerist. (Bidwell 2009) Most consumers’ life stages are fairly predictable so it provides for their purchasing habits to be predictable.There can be contrast amongst different cohorts as well, depending on the unique events that an individual shared with others in the same cohort. According to Charles D. Schewe, a professor of marketing at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and consultant to numerous companies, there are seven American cohorts. The first cohort being the Great Depression cohort, born between the years of 1912 and 1921 and represent approximately seven percent of the U. S. population, secondly is the World War II cohort born between the years of 1922-1927 and represent about five percent of the U.S. population, the third cohort is known as the post WWII cohort, this group was born between the years of 1928-1945 and represent about twenty three percent of the U. S. population, next are the Baby Boomers I and Baby Boomers II cohorts, they represent together about forty three percent of the U. S. population and were born between the years of 1946 to 1964, the sixth cohort are the Generation X’ers who were born between the years of 1966 and 1976 and make up approximately twen ty two percent of the U. S. opulation, and lastly there are the N-Gens, born from 1977-1987, and make up twelve percent of the U. S. adult population. ( Bidwell 2009) Though these cohorts span over a number of years they are all linked by a series of events that follow a chronological order. Even though a cohort places consumers in segments based on lifestyles but the time in which these events occurred can have drastic effect on their purchasing choices. Looking at the metrics of generational marketing on surface can resemble age-based marketing very closely.This is not an intentional consequence to be vague in practice or by definition but help narrow the message down that the marketer is trying to relay. Take a look this table that depicts the six U. S. Generations. Generation| Date of Birth| Number| Age (in 2010)| Pre-Depression| Before 1930| 12 MM| 81 and above| Depression| 1930-1945| 28 MM| 65-80| Baby Boom| 1946-1964| 80 MM| 46-64| Generation X| 1965-1976| 45 MM| 34-45| Gener ation Y| 1977-1994| 71 MM| 16-33| Generation Z| After 1994| 29 MM| Less than 16| (Marketing to the Generations 2010)Looking at the table, generation analysis and Cohort effects follow a very similar chronological order and demographics but generation analysis is a much broader form of marketing intelligence. At best we have put a group of consumers at the same place at the same time using this method. By knowing the generation the consumer was born it does help the marketer pin point the most effective way to communicate with the consumer taking a macro overlook of the consumer. Based on what generation a consumer was born in gives insight of how techno savvy or financially conservative, education level the consumer received.Conclusion As I really think about the original question and look for the answer it seems to me that these two methods work in tandem with each other. The bigger picture is understanding the holistic approach to getting your message across the consumer. Cohort i s a much more defined process, in that it outlays the needs of the consumer at different times in their lives but knowing the generation that the consumer helps to point the marketer in the right direction when extrapolating data from individual.Undoubtedly to me both are instrumental in a effective and efficient marketing information system References Bidwell. 25 March 2009 Cohorts: Age-Based Marketing. http://www. bidwellid. com/resources/white_papers/Bidwell_ID_Cohorts. pdf Williams, K; Page,R 2010 Marketing to the Generations http://www. aabri. com/manuscripts/10575. pdf Kotler, P. , & Keller, K. (2012). In K. Keller, & P. Kotler 14th ed, Marketing Management

Mobile Phone and People

The production and sale of cigarettes should be made illegal. People have become overly dependent on technology. University students should pass the English proficiency test before graduation Argumentative Essay : People have become overly dependent on technology. Topic: People have become overly dependent on technology 1. Introduction (paragraph 1) A. Hook: Computer, hand phones, Internet, and latest gadgets such as GPStacking devices are not anymore unusual thing in our  daily life. B. Connecting  Information People start to use those technological inventions as their daily  life needs.People’s life style has blend together with technology. C. Thesis  Statement Although most of the people think that  technology has made our life easier, inmy opinion its making us overly dependent on those technologies. 2. Body A. Paragraph  2  (First  point) Today’s generation is becoming much lazier than the earlier generation. This isbecause they are too dependent on technologies. Some of them are unable todo things on their own. For example, some people are depends on grass-cutting machine to clean their lawn, while they can just do it without it. Another example is, today’s youth generation can’t separate with their mobilephones.They feel like they lost someone in their family if the hand phone isnot in their hand. This clearly shows us how much people depending ontechnologies. B. Paragraph  3  (Second  point) Most of the powerful countries are depends on  their industrial power tostabilize their status. Technology made industrial development to increaserapidly. Industries depend more on machines than human power. This newlydiscovered robotic technology makes human workers to be totally ignored insome factories. C. Paragraph  4  (Third  point) Besides that, mobile  technology makes our  lives even  faster.As devicesbecome lighter and more powerful we no longer have to wait until we arrive atour destination. W e can do almost anything while on the road. In this fastphased world, people without a laptop or mobile devices are the one who leftbehind of their work. Those days, people communicate through letters. But nowadays, some people lost thousands of money if there is no email servicefor one hour. D. Paragraph  5  (Counterargument) On other hand, peoples say that technology reflects how far human kind hasevolved and civilized. They think that I phones and PDAs symbolizes thedevelopment of human race.However in my opinion, these people didn’trealize that we are losing  our capability as technology develops. Thousands of  years ago people successfully built pyramid with just using  human power. Istrongly stand in my opinion that people have become overly dependent ontechnology. 3. Conclusion A. Restated  thesis: As a conclusion, it’s clear that we have become overly dependent ontechnology by the facts that we are becoming lazier, ignoring humanpower, and working w hile travelling in our daily life, although when most of  the people say that technology made our lives better.B. Suggestion/  Prediction  / Opinion: If people didn’t learn how to stand on their own leg  to do things, surelythey will suffer when the day comes. People should know how to surviveand do things without depending too much on technology. Article; Are People Overly Dependent on Technology? You know you’ve got too much technology in your life when you and your significant other are sitting together on the couch, having a text-message conversation with each other. Who ever imagined that â€Å"ashes to ashes, dust to dust† could actually refer to our vocal cords?Admittedly, it’s a very convenient form of communication and entirely appropriate at times, like during weddings, funerals, and tests. But it’s not just text messaging, it’s the entire technology spectrum that has zombified us, and it only seems to be getting worse. I k now a handful of people who can’t get into their cars and onto the road until they’ve synced all their Bluetooth devices with their car’s Bluetooth system, have texted several people to let them know they’ve just left, will be rolling shortly, and will text them when they get there, and checked their multiple email accounts once last time.And by one last time I mean before they get to the next stop light where they’ll check it again, just in case something important from a rich, retired army general with banking connections in Zimbabwe has shown up. Do any of us really wonder why our auto insurance rates are through the roof, and portable technology can be cited as a prime factor in accident after accident on our highways and byways? Bet you didn’t know that many motorcycle helmets are now equipped with Bluetooth capabilities, for those times when a call just can’t wait until you’ve slowed your bullet bike to 150mph.By any defi nition you choose, this is an unnecessary overreach of modern technology. As a society, on the whole, have we truly become too dependent on technology, or does it only seem that way because crotchety old technophobes keep telling us that? Consider your daily routine as insight into the answer. What would your day be like without a computer, without a smart-phone, without 600 channels of cable television, without Facebook and Twitter, and without your Kindle Fire?Would your entire day be thrown out of kilter if the first thing you didn’t do each morning was check your email on your smartphone before you turned on your laptop to check those same emails? What would a day without Facebook be like for you? How about just an hour? Admittedly, I’m writing this article on my computer for people to read on their computers, which might make me part of the problem, but if I could create a daily â€Å"hardcopy† following, I would. It’s a simple fact of the 21st centu ry that we depend on technology for everything, and those who eschew it are somehow called backwards, out of touch, and quite often my parents.Still, do we require so much technology to function in today’s society, or do we just tell ourselves that in an attempt to continue feeling relevant? Is it really important that my Facebook friends know that I just sat down for dinner at my favorite restaurant? I think the impetus for so much of this is fear of not keeping up with the new Joneses, who are frequently teenagers and young adults who couldn’t possibly give you directions to the library because they have no idea what a library is.How many times have you stood in line, possible for hours and at the expense of your beauty sleep, to get a new smartphone that is slightly better than the smartphone you stood in line for six months ago? If you blushed and feel a little cheeky, there’s a very good chance you’re addicted to technology for the sake of technology , and not for what it can actually mean in terms of increased productivity in your life. So, what can be done? Well, if you’re unwilling, then nothing. You’ll probably be one of those eventual parents who raises a child who will never leave the house, for any reason, because he’ll never have to.Everything he will need will be a mouse-click or a voice command away, including virtual vacations, long distance learning, and a girlfriend who looks awesome at 30 frames per second. If, however, you’re sick of it all, or at least sick of it some, then here’s something you can do that has been a success in our house. Every evening, for one hour, we turn off our cell phones, shut down our computers, and find something to do as a family. Sometimes it is television, but most of the time it isn’t.We go for walks, we hang out in the back yard, we play card games, we chit-chat about how we really wish we could check our Facebook status just about now. Addi tionally, each Saturday we live as technology-free as possible. We do shut our phones and computers off for the day. It’s extreme, and sometimes it doesn’t always work out, but for quite some time now we’ve been successful at this because we’ve recognized in our own lives how easy it is to lose sight of the analog world when we’re so engrossed in the digital one. It only takes a desire to ant to do something different, and a willing spirit. Before you know it you’ll find it easier to set down your smartphone, easier to walk away from Facebook after two hours of searching for the funniest LOLcats on the planet, and easier to say no to that next frivolous purchase that will probably have you standing in line in freezing temperatures, texting back and forth with the guy standing in the line in front of you. Tyler is a tech enthusiast and writer for CableTV. com sumber: http://thegeekpanel. com/social/are-people-overly-dependent-on-technology/