Organizational Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Organizational Culture - Essay Example Once an employee finds his work and organization meaningful, he goes for the extra mile as a token of appreciation to the company. This rubs down on the customer service exemplified by the crew which customers can’t help notice. If an organization would look closely and find ways to boost employee’s morale without spending so much, it only needs t o create a good and positive culture.Google.com illustrates the Google Culture by illustrating that : Our commitment to innovation depends on everyone being comfortable sharing ideas and opinions. Every employee is a hands-on contributor, and everyone wears several hats. Because we believe that each Googler is an equally important part of our success, no one hesitates to pose questions directly to Larry or Sergey in our weekly all-hands ("TGIF") meetings – or spike a volleyball across the net at a corporate officer.( www.google.com/corporate/culture.html) Although Google Inc. is was established for just less than a decade ago, this technology service provider based in Mountain View, California has gone a long way in terms of employee motivation. For two consecutive year, it s employees voted it as â€Å"Best Company to Work for in America† which is quite a feat for an online company. Indeed, ever since it was founded, Google company has long prided itself as an untraditional workplace, almost devoid of middle management, which is obvious in the relationship and work environment in the organization. According to Gupta (2009), Google is the largest brand in the whole world today; a brand name which is set up upon a culture that is low on politics, great at sharing resources and sharing wealth, and full of meaning and significance, and high on trust. On the other hand, ther is mor e to Google aside from plush offices and much publicized payment package, more thoughtful set and deeper factors have been acknowledged

Differentiate laissez-faire capitalism from state-directed capitalism Essay

Differentiate laissez-faire capitalism from state-directed capitalism - Essay Example The policy is a modification of the industrialized economy in the modern society. Laissez-faire capitalism differentiates an economy from a state. As such, crucial decision of the nation is designed to serve the economy. â€Å"A minimal role for government is called laissez-faire capitalism, from the French for â€Å"Leave us alone,† supposedly said by the French economist Vincent de Gournay (1712–1759) to a government bureaucrat† (Dahlman, Carl & William, 472). Laissez-faire capitalism entails manipulating national budgets, redistributing income and formulating national policy for an overall growth and expansion of a nation. State-directed capitalism refers to a systematic policy where the government contributes largely to the trade affairs target to improve an economy. The structure entails nationalizing resources and incorporating productive enterprise to develop the economy. The state-directed capitalism dynamics include privatization of enterprises, raising stock markets and providing investment capital for nation building. The program regulates trade affairs generating income under controlled government schematics. This system targets to develop an economy under regulated approaches originating from the government. State-directed capitalism revolves around government involvement in economic developments. The government allocates the necessary resources to generate revenues with assistance from other private markets. â€Å"Direct government participation in the economy ranges theoretically from a communist system, in which both the natural resources and the productive enterprises are nationalizedâ €”that is, owned by the government in the name of the people—to a capitalist system, in which the state defers to private enterprise and a stock market raises and allocates investment capital† (Dahlman & William, 472). . The American economy establishes a capitalist enterprise for national growth and

Engage In Personal Development Essay Example for Free

Engage In Personal Development Essay 1.1 Describe the duties and responsibilities of own work role Job description 1.2 And 3.1 Explain expectations about own work role as expressed in relevant standards. Evaluate own knowledge, performance and understanding against relevant standards. A day in the life at my setting. Arriving at my setting each day I am required to sign in and note down the time. I put my bag in a safe and secure place so children cannot access. I check the message board and liaise with other staff members for any important updates. We have a child with a food intolerance so I informed the cook to make them aware the child was catered for at all meals during the day. My 1st hour was spent upstairs with the toddlers aged between 2 and 3 years. I then checked the planner to see what activities we had for that day. Today I set up the drawing table ensuring there was enough paper, crayons and chairs available for all the children present. I sat with the children whilst they joined in with the activity. Talking to the children about what they were doing and describing all the different colours, sizes, shapes etc. This was promoting their speech and language development and using creative skills too. Whilst supervising this activity I decided to complete a short observation on one of the children as she began to count and sing. I was interacting with all of the children trying to maintain interest. After a short while it was then time to tidy away all the equipment from the actives in which we encourage the children to help too. Once the room was tidy we decided to take the children outside in to the garden. Most of our toddlers are able to collect and put on their coats which we also encourage to do but some children are unable to achieve this at the moment. I helped to escort the children safely down the stairs ensuring they hold on to the rail and do a head count to make sure all children were present. I performed the outdoor risk assessment using the  daily check list. The children then are supervised using the toilet and washing their hands ready for lunch. I seat the children down at the tables ensuring they have cleaned their hands and they have adequate space to eat. I supply them all with a drink and we sing songs whilst the food is being dished out. I have prepared the child’s food separately who has the food intolerance ensuring they receive the correct meal . The child is also supervised eating to ensure they do not mix foods with the other children. Some children have not developed the skills to cut their own food so I will assist with helping them to do that. Ensuring the meals are cool enough I then give each child a meal and always remind them of good manners by saying â€Å"please† and â€Å"thank you†. If children do not like the meal or try to refuse it I will always encourage them to try it. If I am working alongside the babies the above applies except some of the babies are too young to feed themselves and have not yet developed those skills. Babies will also need help with bottle feeding. I would also prepare the bottle feeds following the nursery policy. Ensuring correct formula is mixed and all bottles have been sterilised. Back in the toddler room, a child was struggling with their food and looked like they was choking. I immediately helped the child by taking the food out of their mouth with my little finger. The child became distressed so I comforted them until they were able to return to their meal. Meal times are always supervised by all members of staff to help with any incidents like this. All meal times are recorded in the daily chart. This is where we write down what the child has eaten so we can relay this back to the parents/carers. When the children have finished their meal I help to clean the children up and get them ready for their afternoon sleep. I assist with the toileting and other members of staff will go through the nappy change routine. The children in the toddler room go to find their own sleep mats with the aid of their name and picture tag. Most children will remove their own footwear but again some have not yet developed those skills, so I will help. Some children have their own comforters which I put out for them and I help to get them off to sleep with gentle patting. Once the children are asleep, I ensure the room monitors are on and working, make sure the room temperature is ok and all the children have their own blankets and they are safe. I then record each child in the daily sleep chart. This chart is for ours and parents benefits. We record when they sleep and when they wake up. As some children are only allowed a certain amount of sleep, this will help us to know when we have to wake them up. I then check on the children in the sleep room every 10 minutes with the aid of a timer. When children wake from their afternoon sleep they are always asked to use the toilet. Some children are upset when they awake so I will always comfort them. The afternoon usually consists of taking the children outside for free play. I get all their coats bags etc together and help to put their coats on. On this occasion it was a nice sunny day so I applied their own sun cream following the nursery sun cream policy. I ensure they have sun hats and the sun cream is applied liberally. Before we go outside I take 4 children at a time down the stair and reiterate the importance of holding the hand rail. A head count is once again recorded and an outdoor check is done following the outdoor risk assessment. The toddlers are escorted outsi de counting each child as they go. They are shortly followed by the children/babies from the tiny room downstairs and they all play in the same garden. The children are supervised with in ratio. As its free play time, I leave the children to play but some children like me to join in with what they are playing with. Child A is playing with a dolls pram and child B is trying to take that away from them. I intervene and explain to child B â€Å"we do not take toys from our friends when they are playing with them, it’s not very kind†. Child B is upset so I took the child away and provided them with another toy to distract them from child A. This works very well and child B goes off playing happily alone with the other toy. Child A is also happy and also continues to play. Shortly after another incident happened where a child has fallen and bumped their head. As I comfort the child I asked another staff member to get a cold compress. This is applied to the child for 10 minutes whilst still trying to comfort the child. The head bump is not too bad and the child soon calms down and returns playing. I then completed an accident form following nursery policy. This is then signed by the parent when the child is collected. During the afternoon, parents/carers come to collect their children. I greet the parents and explain what their child has been doing throughout the day, taking the information off the daily record sheet. We usually have a short chat with the parents/carers about the child’s day and will also take interest in their day too. We have a good  relationship with our parents/carers and this also helps us to get to know the parents/carers and children too. After all the children have gone home, we tidy round and ensure the nursery is ready for the next day ahead. 2.1 Explain the importance of reflective practice in continuously improving the quality of service provided. The nursery setting is always changing is so many different ways. We have new children being welcomed in to the setting and then we have children going through different types of transitions. The service we provide must reflect the needs of the children and by constantly improving our services we can better meet the need of the children and support their development. By constantly reflecting on out practice we can assess where we may be lacking in skills or knowledge and we can update these regularly to keep our services up to date and as supportive to the children as possible. A good example on reflective practice is, we have a child that has developed an intolerance to milk, dairy products etc. We have briefed all staff members with information regarding lactose free diet for this child. We have a couple of children who have turned 2 years and have completed the transition u pstairs to the toddler room. This meant we have more babies downstairs in our tiny room and the room has been slightly equipped with more age relevant toys and equipment. If we did not reflect on this, it could hinder the development of the younger babies. Everyone makes mistakes – they are one way of learning. It is important not to waste your mistakes, so if something has gone wrong, make sure you learn from it. Discuss problems and mistakes with your supervisor, and work out how to do things differently next time. You can use reflective skills in order to learn from situations that have not worked out the way you planned. It is important that you consider carefully why things turned out the way they did and think about how you will ensure that they go according to plan next time. Talking to colleagues and supervisors is equally useful when things work out really well, as it is important to reflect on success as well as failure. If you reflect on why something worked, this will make it more likely that you can repeat it. Information taken from http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk/ 2.3 Describe how own values, belief systems and experiences may affect  working practices What we believe in, what we see as important and what we see as acceptable or desirable is an essential part of who we are. The way in which we respond to people is linked to what we believe in, what we consider important and what interests us. We may find we react positively to people who share our values and less warmly to people who have different priorities. As a professionals, we are required to provide the same quality of support for all, not just for those who share our views and beliefs. The key term here is Diversity – being different; people are unique according to their own background, culture, personality, race, any disability, gender, religion/belief, sexual orientation and age. 4.1 Identify sources of support for planning and reviewing own development. Personal development is to do with developing the personal qualities and skills that everyone needs in order to live and work with others, such as understanding, empathy, patience, communication and relationship-building. It is also to do with the development of self-confidence, self-esteem and self-respect. In my setting there is always support for planning and reviewing my own development. I have already opted to improve my skills and development with a couple of course due to start in December 2014. You need to have these goals in mind; †¢ What you are trying to achieve? †¢ How you are you going to achieve it? †¢ How you will be able to tell when you have achieved it? It’s also helpful to further your development by asking other team members, duty manager and managers. We have a fantastic team who are very helpful and are ready to give any help and advice to anyone who needs it. At my setting there are many text books, magazines and brochures with vital information I can look through if I feel need some extra information in a certain topic of interest to further my development. We also have regular appraisals to guide and encourage further development and to also discuss current work practice. I feel this is extremely important. This not only boosts self-esteem but also gives management a chance to reflect on your work practice and if there is any further development training needed. Ref: http://www.pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk

Construction Technology Design processes and Procedures

Construction Technology Design processes and Procedures The design process of a project can be very complex, there are multiple factors in which designers must take into consideration during the early stages of a project. Each factor plays an important role not only during the design process but they can also affect the life cycle of the project, therefore the RIBA plan of work is usually used which allows clear guidance on the roles of those involved and is easy to understand. Below is a brief description of the factors surrounding the Nottingham Jubilee Campus: Advanced Manufacturing Building Redevelopment project. Financial Finances are usually the first thing to consider on a new project as it can massively influence if the project is feasible or not. A budget is set in place and each stage of the design and production process is allocated an amount of money to keep within the budget. Running over budget can mean that the design may have to be adapted to keep the extra costs as low as possible which can affect the overall outcome of the project in terms of aesthetics and performance. Some projects can be funded by organisations that are involved or will benefit from the project, i.e. Local Authorities/Government, Stakeholders, Companies/Partnerships, residents and Students. Social A consideration must be made of the potential social impact of a proposed project, this can include: Impacts on residents The project should be designed so that minimal disruption is made both during the construction process and the operation of the project. Disruptive factors such as excessive noise and visual obtrusiveness will negatively impact the view of residents who will be affected by the project in their day to day lives. Environmental impacts The design should consider the local environment in which the building is to be placed. This can include higher pollution levels from increased traffic to and from the University Campus during the life cycle of the building and the impacts on local wildlife. Care should be taken to ensure that habitats that are removed are restored elsewhere so that the wildlife are not exposed to danger. It could also possible to design certain habitats into the project itself, through green roofs/walls and planted platforms. Economy Having an extension to a University Campus will provide a boost to the local economy. This can in turn lead to businesses expanding and providing more jobs to residents and potentially to the University Students. Client needs The Clients needs are incredibly important on a project, after all they are paying for everything. For a project, such as an extension to a University Campus, the clients needs will include: Fit for purpose classrooms The University has a duty to provide education to a high standard, providing classrooms that can achieve the high standards is essential. Security The safety of the students is the Universitys responsibility whilst on Campus, therefore having effective security measures in place is important. These security measures can include photo ID cards that allow access to the building through a card reader, security staff that patrol the premises and CCTV cameras. Energy efficiency There is a big focus on new buildings to be as environmentally friendly and sustainable through energy use due to the increased awareness of climate change. By providing ways in which energy efficiency can be increased, the running costs of the building will be lowered substantially throughout the lifecycle of the building. Legal Constraints The design of a building must comply with very strict Standards, Regulations and Laws. These practices are in place to ensure that any project is designed and built safely whilst providing construction guidelines. There may also be a contract in place which indicates what the client is receiving for their money.   Some of the legislations in place are: Building regulations Construction Design Management (CDM) Regulations British Safety Standards EN European Norm ISO International Standards Organisation Environmental There must be consideration for the environment during the design process of a project, the designers should not only consider environmental impacts during construction but also throughout the life cycle of the structure and eventually the demolition. Some aspects that should be considered are: Plant and machinery that is used on site to minimise pollution Materials: how they are manufactured, where they are sourced and the recycling possibilities Heat and power sources on site Water waste These factors should be considered to ensure that minimal impact is made on the local wildlife habitats and residents. There are multiple roles for numerous professions within the design team with each having a vital role. The roles and responsibilities for those involved are: Architect The architect is the person who initially designs the structure based on the clients needs/requests. There can be a group of Architects working together who are given a specific section/area to design if it is a large-scale project. Architects must ensure that the designs they create comply with the relevant regulations in terms of environmental, safety and the construction of the structure. An Architect will have a University Degree with relevant experience studying art.

Essay example --

The year 1964 has been a very powerful time for the Civil Rights Movement. All the protests and fight for equality has been called for by activists all over America. There have been many films and music committed to show people that the country need to change and that discriminating against people is immoral. All the revolt against society and its norms have led to the important event, where on July 2, 1964 the Civil Rights Act was signed by President Johnson. In January 13, 1964 was the release of the song that supported for such an event was by Bob Dylan called The Times They Are A Changin’. The movie that also called out to people to change was Black Like Me, released in May 20, 1964. Due to the release of such songs and films, there was clearly an issue of inequality and injustice going on in America. The intolerance of people who aren’t white was rising especially in the south. The creation of the song and film hoped to open people eyes to what was going on in Ame rica. I think that the song and film helped society by making them realize that the Civil Rights Act needed to be passed and that the ways things were had to change. On the day of the signing of the Civil Rights Act by President Johnson, many historical events took place to make the bill pass. There were many non-violent supporters of the bill. From events such as the Montgomery bus boycott to Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat in a bus and Martin Luther King Jr.’s â€Å"I Have a Dream† speech. The Civil Rights Act was supposed to be signed by former President Kennedy but his assassination on November 1963, led to Johnson taking over for Kennedy. During the debate of the bill, whether it should be passed or not, there were much opposition to it from both the House ... ...ack Like Me in 1959, which was later made into a movie. The south didn’t take what Griffin wrote about the conditions the African American was facing lightly. They lashed out against Griffin and his family, who lived in Texas. They sent threats to Griffin and his family, they even went as far as burning an effigy of Griffin. It resulted in Griffin and his family moving to Mexico for a few years. I was surprised to find that Griffin was a strong supporter of racial equality, since he grew up in Texas and has lived there most of his life. In the film, Griffin explains how he fought in the Korean War and he tells the doctor, who was helping him get his skin darker, that he was blinded in the war and he regained his sight. During the time he was blinded, Griffin says, â€Å"when your blind there are no color differences and you see things differently and judge differently.†

Should The Internet Be Trusted? :: Website Internet Essays

Should The Internet Be Trusted? The Internet has become more and more of a favorite place for students to go when searching for sources to use in research papers. This is mostly because of the wide and relatively simple access that the Internet provides to all kinds of information. Why get up and travel all the way to the library when it is so much easier to open a browser window and head to Google? While the Internet can be a wonderful source, and is definitely a fairly new, unique, and versatile way of sharing information, not everything one finds on the free area of the Internet can be trusted. Literally anyone with an Internet connection can put up a webpage in a matter of minutes that would be capable of fooling the unwary Internet surfer. It is crucial when looking for valid sources on the free Internet to look carefully for the purpose of the page, the author(s) of the page, and the institution that backs or produces the page, if any. One quick way to check the purpose of a webpage is to look for any obvious ads. A webpage that is obviously trying to sell you something is not as likely to be a scholarly webpage. Runway.net has a multitude of ads right on its front page (Cousins homepage). Its purpose is clearly at least partially to sell you something, in this particular case the services of the webmasters in the area of web design. â€Å"Linguistic Diversity on the Internet† simply has functional menus leading to the information being presented (Jones homepage). There are no ads and not even any bright, flashy graphics. This article heads straight for the information in a professional manner, lending it a more scholarly feel. While prominently featured ads on a webpage do not necessarily mean that the webpage is a bad source, it should certainly be a cause for a deeper look into the merits of the page. Another good way to determine if a webpage is a useful source is to investigate the author or authors of the page. If no information at all is listed for the author, the page is useless because its authenticity can not be verified. The authors of Runway.net give no convincing credentials of any kind (Cousins About Us). While they do list their names, contacts, and some information about their background, there is no way to confirm that any of this information is true.

Media Systems Dependency Theory

Media systems dependency theory (MSDT), or simply â€Å"media dependency,† was developed by Sandra Ball-Rokeach and Melvin DeFleur in 1976. [1] The theory is grounded in classical sociological literature positing that media and their audiences should be studied in the context of larger social systems. MSDT ties together the interrelations of broad social systems, mass media, and the individual into a comprehensive explanation of media effects.At its core, the basic dependency hypothesis states that the more a person depends on media to meet needs, the more important media will be in a person's life, and therefore the more effects media will have on a person.The relationships between componentsDependency on media emerges from three relationships.1) The relationship between the society and the media Within this relationship, media access and availability are regarded as important antecedents to an individual’s experience with the media. The nature of media dependence on s ocietal systems varies across political, economic, and cultural system.2) The relationship between the media and the audience This relationship is the key variable in this theory because it affects how people might use a mass medium. This relationship also varies across media systems. The more salient the information needs , the stronger are the motivation to seek mediated information and the dependency on the medium. In result, the likelihood for the media to affect audiences becomes greater. 3) The relationship between the society and the audience. The societies influence consumers’ needs and motives for media use, and provide norms, values, knowledge, and laws for their members.  Social system can function an alternatives to the media by offering similar services of the media.Media needs and media dependencyThree types of needsAccording to Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur, three media needs determine how important media is to a person at any given moment: 1) The need to understa nd one's social world (surveillance) 2) The need to act meaningfully and effectively in that world (social utility) 3) The need to escape from that world when tensions are high (fantasy-escape) When these needs for media are high, the more people turnto media to meet these needs, and therefore the media have a greater opportunity to effect them. That said, none of these media needs are constant over long periods of time. They change based on aspects of our social environment.Two basic conditions for hightened media needsMedia dependency theory states two specific conditions under which people's media needs, and consequently people's dependency on media and the potential for media effects, are heightened. The first condition of heightened media needs occurs when the number of media and centrality of media functions in a society are high.For instance, in modernized countries like the United States, there are many media outlets and they serve highly centralized social functions. In the United States alone, the media act as a â€Å"fourth branch† of government, an alarm system during national emergencies, and as a tool for entertainment and escape, whereas in the underdeveloped world the media are not as numerous and serve far fewer functions. As such, the media have a greater opportunity to serve needs and exert effects in contemporary America than in a third world country.The second condition of heightened media needs occurs when a society is undergoing social change and conflict. When there is a war or large-scale public protests like during Vietnam or the Arab Spring, a national emergency like the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, or a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina, people turn to media to help understand these important events. Consequently, the media have a greater opportunity to exert effects during these times of social change and conflict.The effects of media messageBall-Rokeach and DeFleur suggests that the cognitive, behavioral a nd affective consequences of media use are premised upon characteristics of both individuals and their social environment.CognitiveThere are five types of cognitive effects that will be exerted on audiences, the first of which is the creation and resolution of ambiguity. Ambiguity occurs when audiences receive inadequate or incomplete information about their social world.When there is high ambiguity, stress is created, and audiences are more likely to turn to mass media to resolve ambiguity. Ambiguity might be especially prevalent during times of social change or conflict. The second effect is agenda-setting. This is another reason why we might call dependency a â€Å"comprehensive† theory of media effects – it incorporates the entire theory of agenda-setting within its theoretical framework. Like any other effect, media agenda-setting effects should be heightened during times when the audience’s needs and therefore dependency on media are high.So, for instance, if our informational needs and dependency on media was high during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, we would have been more susceptible to agenda-setting effects, and we would have therefore perceived the Iraq War as the most important problem (MIP) facing the United States. Third is attitude formation. Media exposes us to completely new people, such as political figures and celebrities, not to mention physical objects like birth control pills or car safety mechanisms that we come to form attitudes about.Dependency does not suggest media are monolithic in their ability to influence attitudes, but the theory does suggest that media play a role in selecting objects and people for which people form attitudes about. If a person is experiencing greater media dependency, we would therefore expect that the person will form more (or more complex) attitudes about these attitude-objects than people with low media dependency. Media also have the potential cognitive effect of expanding people's b elief systems.Media can create a kind of â€Å"enlargement† of citizen's beliefs by disseminating information about other people, places, and things. Expansion of people’s belief systems refers to a broadening or enlarging of beliefs in a certain category. For example, a constant flow of information about global warming will expand people’s beliefs about pollution affecting the earth’s atmosphere, about cap and trade and other policies, and about personal contributions to global warming.These beliefs meet with and are incorporated into an existing value system regarding religion, free enterprise, work, ecology, patriotism, recreation, and the family. Last is value clarification and conflict. Media help citizens clarify values (equality, freedom, honesty, forgiveness) often by precipitating information about value conflicts. For instance, during the 1960s the mass media regularly reported on the activities of the CivilRights movement, presenting conflicts between individual freedoms (e. g.  , a businessman’s property rights to deny blacks entrance) and equality (e. g. , human rights). When such conflicts play out in the mass media, the value conflicts are identified, resulting in audiences forming their own value positions. Such a position can be painful to articulate because it can force a choice between mutually incompatible goals and the means for obtaining them. However, in the process of trying to decide which is more important in a particular case, general value priorities can become clarified.AffectiveBall-Rokeach and DeFleur mentions several possible affective media effects that are more likely to occur during times of heightened dependency. [13][14] First is desensitization, which states that prolonged exposure to violent content can have a â€Å"numbing† effect on audiences, promoting insensitivity or the lack of desire toward helping others when violent encounters happen in real life. Second, exposure to ne ws messages or TV dramas that portray crime-ridden cities can increase people's fear or anxiety about living in or even traveling to a city. Media can also have effects on morale and feelings of alienation.The degree of positive or negative mass media depictions of social groups can cause fluctuations in people's sense of morale in belonging to that group or in their sense of alienation from that group.BehavioralThere are two broad categories of behavioral effects that Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur identify. The first broad category is called â€Å"activation† effects, which refer to instances in which media audiences do something they would not otherwise have done as a consequence of receiving media messages. Behavioral effects are largely thought to work through cognitive and affective effects.For instance, a woman reading a news story about sexism in the workplace might form an attitude toward sexism that creates a negative emotional state, the culmination of which is joining a women’s rights march in her local community. The second broad category of behavioral effects is called â€Å"deactivation,† and refers to instances in which audiences would have otherwise done something, but don't do as a consequence of media messages. For example, the primary presidential campaign has become longer and increasingly use more media to target audiences.As such, primary campaigns might elicit negative attitudes toward the electoral process and negative affective states such as boredom or disgust that in turn might make a person not turn out to vote.The levels of media dependenceIn the MSD view, the media system has two-way resource-dependency relations with individuals (micro-level), groups and organizations (meso-level), and other social systems (macro-level).The microlevel(individual level) of dependencyMicrolevel, or individual level application focus on the relationship between individuals and media.The microlevel dependency, better known as individu al level media system dependency(IMD)begins with an assessment of the types of motivation that bring individuals to use the media. In the perspective of IMD, goals are preferred to needs to conceptualize the motivations that affect media behavior. According to Ball-Rokeach and DeFleur, goals are the key dimension of individual motivation. While needs imply both rational and irrational motives, goals imply a problem-solving motivation more appropriate to a theory of media behavior based upon the dependency relation.Three types of motivational goalsThe IMD approach provides a comprehensive conceptualization of three motivational goals:understanding, orientation, and play. 1) Understanding- needs for individuals to have a basic understanding of themselves and the world around them. 2) Orientation- needs for individuals to direct personal actions effectively and interact successfully with others. 3) play(or recreation)- a way through which one learns roles, norms, and values and its ref lected in such activities as sport, dance, and celebration.The macrolevel of dependencyEvery country's media system is interdependent on the country's other social systems (e. g. , its economy, its government) for resources, and vice-versa. At the macrolevel, dependency theory states these interrelationships influence what kinds of media products are disseminated to the public for consumption, and the range of possible uses people have for media.Media and Economic SystemThe media depend on a society's economic system for 1) inculcation and  reinforcement of free enterprise values, 2) establishing and maintaining linkages between producers and sellers, and 3) controlling and winning internal conflicts, such as between management and unions. In turn, the media is dependent on a society's economic system for 1) profit from advertising revenue, 2) technological developments that reduce costs and compete effectively with other media outlets, and 3) expansion via access to banking and f inance services, as well as international trade.Media and Political SystemA society's media and political system are also heavily interdependent.  Political system rely on the media to 1) inculcate and reinforce political values and norm such as freedom, voting, or obedience to the law, 2) maintain order and social integration, 3) organize and mobilize citizens to carry out essential activities like waging war, and 4) controlling and winning conflicts that develop within political domains (e. g. , Watergate). Conversely, the media rely on a country's political system for judicial, executive, and legislative protection, formal and informal resources required to cover the news, and revenue that comes from political advertising and subsidies.Media and Secondary SystemsTo a lesser extent, media has established interdependencies with several other social systems. The family is dependent on media for inculcation and reinforcement of family values, recreation and leisure, coping with eve ryday problems of child rearing, marriage, and financial crises. On the other hand, the media is dependent on the family for consuming their media products. The same is true of media and religious systems. Religious systems rely on media for inculcation and reinforcement of religious values, transmitting religious messages to the masses, and successfully competing with other religious or nonreligious philosophies.In turn, the media relies on the religious system to attain profits from religious organizations who purchase space or air time. The educational system in a society relies on media for value inculcation and reinforcement, waging successful conflicts or struggles for scarce resources, and knowledge transmission such as in educational media programming. Media depends on the educational system for access to expert information and being able to hire personnel trained in the educational system.Finally, the military system depends on the media for value inculcation and reinforcem ent, waging and winning conflicts, and specific organizational goals such as recruitment and mobilization. The media, in turn, depends on the military for access to insider or expert information. The consequences of all of these interdependencies, again, are alterations in media products that audiences consume. In this way, the system-level interdependencies control media products, the range of possible social uses for media, the extent to which audiences depend on the media to fulfill needs, and ultimately media effects on audiences.Individual differences due to demographics or personality traits might change what people actually do with media messages or how they interpret media messages, but the messages always begin as the result of interdependent social systems.A comparison of use and gratification theory and media system dependency theoryBall-Rokeach summarized the major differences between uses and gratification (U&G)theory and media system dependency(MSD) theory.Conception o f audience membersBoth U &G and MSD theorists view the audience member as active, but the basic conceptions of the audience member differ.  U&G theorists focus on psychological and sociodemographic origins of differences in media use. In this perspective, the variability of text interpretation suggests an audience member in charge of the text. MSD theorists focus on psychological, interpersonal, and sociological origins of differences in micro MSD relations as well as the macro MSD relations that constrain media text production and individual’s MSD relations. The responsiveness of micro MSD relations to environmental conditions and the ecological constraints on media production and consumption are important features.In this perspective, the audience member is neither in charge of the text nor controlled by the text. The only way we can predict the effects is the audiences’ MSD relations in context of the ecology of macro relations.Conception of interpersonal networks and communicationU&G theorists emphasize the role of interpersonal communication in the distortion of media messages and of networks as interpretive communities. In this conception, interpersonal networks are regarded as a safety way against the cultural apparatus of the media and its partners.They believe that the interpersonal network contributes to individual â€Å"agency,† and the â€Å"networked† individual is empowered to manipulate media texts, not to be manipulated by them. The MSD conception is compatible with the U&G conception up to a point. Consistent with MSD conceptions of the individual member of the active media audience, the interpersonal networks play major roles in MSD theory. They link the individual to public and they link and influence the nature of the individual’s relations with the media system.Conception of the Media system and of media powerU&G theorists in the psychological tradition think of the media system as creators of tentative texts subject to multiple reconstructions. In this perspective, the media system is functional to the extent that it is useful or affords ways for individuals to gratify needs. The MSD conception is closer to a macro functionalist version of U&G. MSD shares the macro functionalists’’ view of the media’s interdependence with other social and cultural system. In this view, the function of media is seen as a key structure for vertical and horizontal integration of society.The MSD viewpoints seem to be even closer to cultural studies traditions in that the central concern for structural relations of control over information resources that generate the power to create social realities and to negotiate social conflict and social change.Methods of observation, analysis, and interpretationAlthough both U&G and MSD researchers ask similar questions of individuals, they do so for very different reasons. Those differences are reflected most clearly in (a) the logics of hy pothesis formation (b) item and scale construction (c) modes of data analysis, and (d) interpretation of findings.The MSD researcher essentially wants to know the micro and macro determinants of stability and change in micro MSD relations to learn something about their cross-level consequences for individuals and their interpersonal networks-the dynamics of their inner worlds and how they live in their social worlds. The U&G theorist wants to learn something about the individual's attraction to media texts and the interaction between text and reader to better understand the contributions of reader characteristics to text processing.The differences between micro U&G and micro MSD are, thus, in their epistemological origins, assumptions, concepts, and missions. Criticisms[edit] Baran and Davis identify four primary criticisms of dependency theory: 1) Variability in microlevel and macrolevel measurement makes between-study comparability problematic. 2) The theory is often difficult to empirically verify. 3) The meaning and power of dependency is sometimes unclear. 4) Dependency theory lacks power in explaining long-term effects.