Media Worksheet

What were the major developments in the evolution of mass media during the 20th century? During the 1900’s magazines along with newspapers became the leading literature for media. When the 1940’s rolled around radio was invented and became the new way to get in touch with the masses. Folks often tuned into to get the news on what was going on during the war. Even though radio was new there was still a high demand for the newspaper as a way to get and stay informed on different things.Then in the1950’s television became the new source for information and resources for mass media. Television was everything all rolled up into one and the people loved it. In 1962 technology grew and they came up with the Satellites which gave the masses or the American Culture access to news all around the world. Today we can all just see how far technology has came and how endless the possibilities may be for the future. There are many forms of communication and it just continues to grow and communication has become almost instant these days.There is a never ending demand for more speed, more apps and new computers with high performance and so many other ways to communicate and relay information to the masses. People want instant answers to their questions and concerns and mass media makes it happen for the people. Technology only seems to grow more and more as the demand for new ways to communicate grow with it. There is always the next best thing right after the next best thing to have and buy in way of, phones, computers, and I-pads for social networks and so on.How did each development influence American culture? Mass media has developed strongly over the past years. The development of mass media has had a big influence on the American culture in many ways. It seems today, that mass media has endless possibilities to reach people. Initially in American culture we only communicated orally. In the past people depended on teachers and story tellers to obtain knowledge. One of the beginning developments in mass media was the ability to print.As far back as the 1400’s there were books in the starting stages of becoming available to people the mass media audience. Then we had the development of the Telegraph as a way of communication that was instant, and it did away with the need to transport written information. The creation of the telegraph opened the doors to cell phones, radio and fax machines. In the Twentieth century we entered the phase of electronics. This new age of information brought television to the American culture and lead to other resources like satellite and computers.Then we moved into the digital phase which gave a wealth of power to a common person. So as we can see mass media has had a profound affect on American culture in ways we have evolved in communication. No longer relying on one certain source to gain knowledge or information, we now have many avenues of media and communication that are instant and avai lable and will only continue to become better, which allows the American culture to stay in touch, get informed, and help them better and faster with communication and recourses.

Power Point Presentation (Submitted separately) Essay

Introduction Insolvency arises from a situation whereby a business organization has too many liabilities than its assets. This makes the business organization unable to pay its debts hence resulting to closure of the business and all its assets auctioned to pay its debts. Insolvency affects the economic growth rate of a country. Insolvency mostly arises from poor organizational performance in terms of profitability and poor cash management and leadership. Due to increased insolvencies, the economic growth of a country is reduced. The economic growth rate has effects on the population of a country (Ackelsberg and Arlow, 2005). If the economy of a country is down, it population is low due to lack of necessary resources to meet needs of its citizens satisfactorily and vice versa. Therefore, the management of business organization should ensure that their organizations are performing exceptionally well in order to contribute significantly to the economy of the country, directly and indirectly to the population growth in the country or region. 1.1 Statement identified in the case scenario and the main research questions For business organization to operate smoothly, they need sufficient resources. For the organization to acquire all the necessary resources it requires to meet its goals and objectives, it has source funds from different available sources of funds. Apart from the capital owned by the  business, a business organization borrows finance from banks and other financial creditors in order to finance its business operations effectively (Ackoff, 2003). The funds borrows are recorded as long term or short term loans depending on the repayment period. Insolvency arises whereby the business organization fails to pay its financial obligations with its lenders due to lack of sufficient funds to do so. Insolvency mostly arises from poor cash management within the organization, reduced forecasted cash inflow, increased cash expenses, continuous losses being made by the business organization and much more. In a country where its business organizations continuously become insolvent, the economy declines. A decline in the economy of such a country affects the population of the country significantly due to lack of employment leading to poor living standards and hygiene hence increasing death rates (Andersen, 2004). The rise of crimes also results from lack of employment opportunities and the high rate of crimes affects the population of the country indirectly. Therefore my main research question for this research project is, â€Å"Has there been a decrease in population in North Scotland in the past 12 months as a result of insolvencies?† This gave me a variety of research topics to choose from and they are: 1. The causes and effects of insolvency in a country. 2. Ways in which businesses become insolvent and how business insolvency can be avoided in future. 3. Population decrease as a result of insolvencies within a country. From the above three possible research topic, I chose, â€Å"Population decrease as a result of insolvencies within a country†, as the main research question. 1.2 Factors that contributed to the process of research project selection Importance of business organizations in a country Business organization performances affect the economy of a country either positively or negatively. Once the organizations are doing exceptionally well and achieving its goals and objectives, the economy of a country is raised. However, when the business organizations are continuously going bankrupt and insolvent due to insufficient funds, continuous losses and poor overall management, can affect the economy of a country negatively, and its decreases in terms of growth. The economy growth rate trend of a country has  effects on the population growth of the country (Andersen, 2005). If the economy growth rate decreases, the population rate of a country also decreases and vice versa. Social and economical factors are to be considered when writing up this research project as this will be dealing with the general public of Scotland and their economical status. Ethical issues I am fully aware of any ethical issues that may be involved in carrying out a research project. Privacy of the participants is of the utmost importance and is not to be disclosed to maintain the highest level of ethical integrity in regards to the research. Evans, G., Naim, M. and Towill, D. (1993, pp. 15-25), stated that when most people think of ethics (or morality), they think of rules to distinguish between good and evil, such as the Golden Rule (â€Å"Do unto others as we would have them do unto you†), Code of Ethics, such as the Hippocratic Oath (â€Å"First, do no harm†), a religious belief as the Ten Commandments (â€Å"Thou shall not kill †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ), or the wise words of Confucius aphorisms. This is the most common way to define â€Å"ethical† standards of operation that separates acceptable and unacceptable behaviour. Most people learn the ethical standards at home, school, church or social settings. The same principle applies to research and enfo rces the highest level of ethical conduct in all phases of the research, including the interaction and confidentiality of the respondents. However I am not bound to such ethical issues as I have used only secondary data. Significance of the study This research study will enable the management of business organizations to understand the causes of business insolvency and ways to avoid going insolvent. This will assist in avoiding business organizations in a country from going insolvent since the management is aware of the appropriate methods to avoid such a scenario. The government of a country will be aware of the effects of business insolvencies on the population growth rate of the country. This will make the government to support business organizations within the country so that the economy of the country is not affected negatively leading to a stable population in the country. 1.3 Critical review of key references Insolvency Insolvency arises when business organizations fail to pay their debts (Covin, Slevin and Schulz, 2004). Business organizations have to raise sufficient funds necessary to carry out their operation smoothly by availing all the necessary resources and also to meet the business expansion requirements. The capital raised by the owners of large businesses is not enough to run the organization as expected towards its mission and vision since the business organization needs more and more funds as it grows (Ackoff, 2003). This forces the business organizations to borrow loans from creditors and they are expected to re-pay back the loans on the agreed time by both parties. These organization may incur continuous losses, experience increased cash expenses or poor management of cash thus making it difficult for them to repay the loans advanced to them. This leads to insolvency of the business organizations which in some cases may give rise to legal disputes. Population growth rate As the economy of a country keeps on growing, its population growth rate increases. Availability of employment opportunities raises the standards of living within a country and this decreases death rates that could have arisen from poor hygiene (Armstrong, 2004). Increased per capita incomes also improve the population growth rate of a country since there are available resources to feed citizens of a country and this causes families to multiply hence increasing the population growth. However, business insolvencies affect the economy of a country negatively. The economy growth rate increases due to lack of sufficient income in the economy hence affecting the population growth of a country (Chakravarthy, 2006). Lack of enough resources to feed citizens of a country limits the number of family members since there is lack of enough resources to feed large families. Poor living standards also arise and this increases the death rate within a country (Ackoff, 2003). The quality of services offered in local hospitals is also affected by the decline in economy of the country. 1.4 Research project specification Research objectives The main question of this study is to investigate if a decrease in population  has been experienced in North Scotland due to business insolvencies. Therefore the objectives of this study are; 1. To identify the trend in Scottish population in the past 2 years 2. To describe or explain the effects of population trend in relation to the decline of Scottish businesses 3. To determine the influence of population trend and Scottish business 4. To give recommendations according to the research findings Significance of the study 1. From the study, the management of business organizations may understand the reasons for insolvency and ways to avoid going insolvent. 2. The study may help the government of a county understand the importance of supporting business organizations in the country effectively. 3. The research study may be of great help to future researchers when conducting their own research studies. Research methodology Naturally, the research study that will be done will be descriptive. Descriptive research cannot fit in the description of quantitative or qualitative research methodologies but it can utilize both of them (Balestra, 2006). By being able to utilize both methodologies, I have a chance of achieving the objectives of this research exceptionally well by acquisition of necessary evidence for answering all the research questions appropriately. Research design The design of this research study will be descriptive in nature. It entails the process of gathering data so as to answer questions concerning the present status of the research study by answering such questions as who, where, what, when, why and how. Data analysis techniques Secondary data is sourced from textbooks, research journals, media sources and then vital information in relevance to the study is extracted. Raw data from primary sources is then collected and edited. The information is analyzed and interpreted using appropriate analytical tool to reveal the characteristics, nature and realtionship and then presented in form of pie charts and tables. 2.1 Matching resources to research questions of the study Data Collection Methods A data collection procedure was developed which checked the value of the ideas behind the research by using the internet search engine Google and available literature relevant to this topic. Snopes is an online source of information that is mostly assessed by researchers to obtain secondary data (Beard and Dess, 2009). Snopes was used in this study since it has been recommended by most researchers as the most reliable source. It was accessed in order to define the meaning of insolvencies and population growth rate. I obtained the population trend in North Scotland in the past two years from  journals. The relationship between the population growth of a country and business insolvencies will be obtained from primary data collected by other researchers. For example questionnaires distributed to 1,000 respondents in North Scotland and their feedback will be clearly and carefully analyzed through the appropriate analytical tools for reliable and valid conclusions and recommendations. These are data collected by previous researchers which seem to have some knowledge regarding the impact of decline of Scottish businesses. Data was collected from documents such as company annual reports and media reports, and government statistics data. Although primary information collected via interviews and questionnaires myself personally would have been more appropriate and help shape the findings into an authentic conclusion. But due to the time and financial limitations I only used secondary data sources for my research project. 2.2 Research methods that was used in the study The research was conducted as outlined in the time table above and all deadlines met on time. The type of research conducted is descriptive in nature. Secondary data was obtained from online sites such as Snopes, journals, books and magazines and Governmental records of statistics. 2.3 Recording data acquired in the process of the research study Response rate Previously researcher’s targeted one thousand respondents in North Scotland and all of them were given questionnaires to fill. From the 1,000 respondents, only 900 respondents filled the forms as required and returned them on the specified time. Figure 1: Actual response Source: Research data Personal details a. Gender Out of the 900 respondents who participated in the research study, 40% (360) were women and 60% (540) were men. Figure 2: Gender details Source: Research data b. Level of education From the study, 99 percent of the respondents who participated in the  research studies were literate and had certificates, diplomas, degrees and masters. Only one percent of the lacked documents to support their academic credentials since they never finished school due to family and financial problems. Figure 3: Illiteracy or literacy percentage Source: Research data Effects of insolvencies on population 90% percent of the respondents argued that business insolvencies decrease the population growth rate of a country. Business organizations need to perform exceptionally well for them to improve the economy of a country since they are the main players in the economic development of a country. Once a large number of business organizations, go insolvent, the economic growth of a country declines. Lack of employment opportunities, poor lining standards and high crime rates increase leading to decreased population growth rate in a country. This is due to the fact that the number of family members is limited due to lack of sufficient resources to feed large numbers and increased death rates arising from poor living standards (Barney, 2008). The remaining 9 percent of the respondents thought that business insolvencies have nothing to do with the population of a country. Figure 4: Business insolvency Vs. Population growth Source: Research data The population trend in North Scotland for the past two years The population in North Scotland in the year 2010 was approximately 1, 800, 000 million according to online reliable sources. However in the year 2012, the total population of North Scotland decreased significantly by 100,000 due to increased death rates according to research conducted in the same year. Figure 5: Population trend in North Scotland in 2010 and 2012 3.1 Evaluation method Both qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods of evaluation were carried out throughout the process of this project. Data were collected and interpreted in the form of numbers as statistics were involved. This project also investigated certain behavior and lifestyle of people in order to find out the cause and effect process, which led to answering my main research question about decrease in population and insolvencies. 3.2 Research findings Businesses need adequate finances for them to operate smoothly. There are various sources of funds that a business organization can access to acquire the required finances to avail all necessary resources needed in the organization. the mostly accessed sources of funds is the selling of shares to the general public and potential investors and loans that are borrowed from banks and other financial institutions that offer loans to individuals and business organizations. The loans that are advanced to a business organization have to be repaid back in the specified period of time and amount. Once an organization fails to meet its debts in the agreed period of time, the organization is said to be going bankrupt and insolvent. The major reasons why businesses go insolvent is due to poor cash management, continuous losses, poor investments and poor overall management of the business organization. The population growth rate of Scotland generally in the pas t years has been improving signific antly. The approximate population of Scotland as per now is 5.3 million. This number is less due to the size of the country and although it much more than before. This shows that the economic development in the country is encouraging since the economy of a population plays a huge role in its population growth. Once the economy of a country is decreasing in its growth, the population of a country decreases  due to lack of sufficient resources to meet the needs of all the country’s citizens satisfactorily. Poor living standards are also experienced due to lack of sufficient resources to promote high quality health care, education and general living standards. This leads to increased deaths and reduced birth rates hence decreasing the size of the country as discovered from the research. From the research study, we can see that, the population of North Scotland was 1.8 million in the year 2010. According to available statistics, the insolvency rate in the country at that time was very low and businesses were running smoothly hence the economy of the country was steady. The population had increased by 200, 000 people in the same year compared to year 2009. This was due to the availability of sufficient resources to cater for all the needs of the residents of North Scotland satisfactorily. However, in the year 2011, the insolvency level in North Scotland started to increase. The number of businesses that were being closed down increased significantly and in the year 2012, a total of eighty two businesses had been closed down. This insolvency level lead to poor economic growth in the region since business organizations that were contributing effectively in the generation of income within the region were no more. This led to high unemployment level within the region, poor living standards, increased death rates and reduced birth rates. Some people migrated to other paths of the country to look for greener pasture. All this resulted to a decrease in population in the North region part of Scotland. 3.3 Recommendations Business organizations play an instrumental role in the economic growth of a country. The income generated by these organizations is what grows the economy of a country. Therefore, organizational managers should ensure that all the organization’s resources are effectively managed and the organization is meeting its goals and objectives in order to be in a good state of repaying back debts. This will make business organizations avoid becoming insolvent and instead contribute significantly towards the economic growth of a region or country. The government of a country should assist business operations within the country for them to continue improving the economy of a country. In this case the population growth of a country will not be affected since there will be sufficient resources to cater for  residents in the country. Health standards will be encouraging and crime rates will be low hence promoting the population growth in the country. This investigation has recognized fiv e drivers: Enterprise Investment Skills Innovation Competition This audit acknowledges the first of these, endeavour. The investigation draws on existing research and frameworks what is implied by big business, why it is a critical driver of development, what the potential measures/indicators of big business are and how the UK and Scottish economies perform. Where accessible, execution is contrasted with the ‘Curve of Prosperity’ and other little European nations sketched out in the Government Economic Strategy Venture is an essential driver of investment development and profit, and additionally impacts levels of enhancement and rivalry. Undertaking includes the formation of little organizations and the advancement of new thoughts (business endeavor) and additionally the development of existing organizations. The entrepreneurial environment in Scotland is generally favorable, and contrasts well and different nations. Nonetheless, Scotland confronts a testing in exploiting this and making an entrepreneurial society and new organizations. Start-up rates slack most other UK areas and numerous different nations, and in spite of the fact that Scottish mentality towards enterprise are sure and match those of the UK, Scots are more averse to change over this without hesitation. Access to back and an apprehension of disappointment may be purposes behind this. Various years of low rates of business development have left Scotland with a low business stock. Assuming that Scotland had the same number of organizations in respect to the population, GVA could be in the district of 30% higher. A low extent of organizations in Scotland show critical development – just about 5.5% expansion their turnover by more than  £400,000 over a three year period. Then again, there is little proof that Scotland’s execution is any more terrible than the UK overall – and Scotland may perform somewhat bett er. Access to additional powerful information however is obliged to completely evaluate the execution of organizations in Scotland contrasted  with different zones. Impediments to development recognized by organizations incorporate the impacts of rivalry in the business sector, business regulations and the general monetary atmosphere. Market disappointments incorporate data lacks and data asymmetries that can influence access to general data about business start-up and development and access money for a few organizations and new begins. All in all, Scotland’s issue in connection to big business does not have all the earmarks of being that our organizations are less development orientated than those in whatever is left of the UK, its that we don’t have enough organizations regard. Conclusion The rate of business insolvency affects the economic growth of a country. Business organizations have the right to select their preferred sources of capital. The most preferred sources are bank loans, selling of shares to the public and ploughing back earned [profits. Loans advanced to business organizations have to be repaid in the agreed period of time and amount. Once organizations fail to repay their debts due to lack of sufficient cash arising from poor cash management and continuous losses, they are said to be insolvent. Insolvency affects the economy of a country due to reduced number of business organizations to generate the required income. In North Scotland, a high number of business organizations became insolvent and this led to decline in economic growth in the population. Poor economic growth resulted to decline in the population growth of the region. This is due to high unemployment levels, increased crimes, poor living standards, reduced birth rates and increased death rates within the region. References Ackelsberg, R. and Arlow, P. 2005. â€Å"Contribution of small businesses to population growth†, long Range Planning, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 61-7. Ackoff, R.L. 2003. A comparison of population growth in Wales, Scotland and England:, New York, NY. Andersen, T.J. 2004. â€Å"The performance of Scotland Firms and contribution to its population growth, Vol. 33, pp. 184-200. Andersen, T.J. 2005. â€Å"the effects of business insolvencies on population growth in a region†, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 41 No. 8, pp. 1271-99. Armstrong, J.S. 2004 â€Å"The value of formal planning for strategic decisions: review of empirical research†, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 197-211. Balestra, P. 2006 â€Å"The concept of insolvency in business organizations†, J., Milgate, M. and Newman, P. (Eds), The New Palgrave: Econometrics, Macmillan, Basingstoke, pp. 70-4. Barney, J.B. 2008. â€Å"Firm financial position and sustained competitive advantage†, Journal of Management, Vol. 17, pp. 99-120. Beard, D.W. and Dess, G.G. 2009. â€Å"Industry profitability and firm performance: a preliminary analysis on the business insolvency question†, Academy of Management Proceedings, pp. 123-7. Chakravarthy, B.S. 2006 â€Å"Measuring financial performance†, Strategic Management Journal, Vol. 7, pp. 437-58. Covin, J.G., Slevin, D.P. and Schulz, R.L. 2004. â€Å"Implementing strategic mission to avoid insolvency†, Journal of Management Studies, Vol. 31, pp. 481-505.

Private Nuisance Question

FOUNDATION IN ARTS LAW OF TORT ASSIGNMENT On the facts, the claimant Garfield suffered smashed panes of glass in his green house and sustains a fractured skull when he is hit on the head by a cricket ball. The local cricket club owner(defendant) may have an action bought by Garfield(claimant) under the tort of negligence or private nuisance. The author will first discuss on negligence and then later on to private nuisance. In the novel cases where the existence of a legal duty is less obvious, the Caparo v Dickman test must be satisfied.As it was reasonably foreseeable that claimant would be injured, there was sufficient proximity and it is fair,just and reasonable to impose liability on the defendant. Hence it is arguable that the local cricket club owed Garfield duty of care as the first element under negligence can be proven. The second element which Garfield have to prove is whether the defendant breach the duty of care. To breach the legal duty of care,is to fall below the appro priate standard of care expected of the defendant when performing the act in question.In the case of Bolton v Stone,it was held that if the likelihood of harm caused by defendant was low then the likelihood of the defendant breaching of the standard of care would also be low. However,base on the facts the claimant house is built so close to the ground that it is almost inevitable that the ball would be hit over the fence and into the garden’s house from time to time. Thus the likelihood of harm is great,creating a high risk of injury to the claimant and the standard of care expected of the defendant would be higher.However,by referring back to the facts,since a 3 metre fence is erected it would seem to be sufficient to prevent injury or loss as the law does not expect the defendant to take absolute precautions(Fardon v Hercourt & Ravington). Thus Garfield’s action to bring the case under the tort of negligence would probably fail. Garfield will then be best advised to bring the case in private nuisance. Private nuisance is the special damage to those who have a landed interest whose enjoyment of it is in some way diminished.On our facts,Garfield bought the house which we can assume that he is the owner of the house who have proprietary interest or exclusive interest in the land(Hunter v Canary Wharf). Thus he may sue the defendant for private nuisance and probably seek for an injunction. One should be noted that the law of private nuisance has attempt to preserve a balance between two conflicting interests,that of one occupier in using his land that he thinks fit and that of his neighbour in the quiet enjoyment of his land(Sedleigh Denfield v O’Callaghan).By doing this,the courts will look into the issue of ‘reasonableness’. In other words the courts will assess the reasonableness(level of interference) by taking into account some factors such as locality,duration,sensitivity and public benefits. With regards to locality,it wa s clear that the claimant had suffered physical damage and damage to his property. Thus the issue of locality is irrelevant(St. Helens Smelting Co. v Tipping). By referring to a similar case, Miller v Jackson,the claimants had bought a house just next to the cricket ground and the claimants knew about it.The cricket ball kept sailing over the claimant’s house and they sought an injunction. At the mean time,the defendant erected a highest possible wire fence,install unbreakable glass and cover the claimant’s garden with safety net and ask the batsmen to keep the ball low:the claimants were not content and seek further for damages and injunction after five more balls flew in their house in 1975. The court rejected the injunction as Lord Denning said that the claimant has come with open eyes.Base on our facts,it is highly unlikely that the claimant is unaware of the existence of the ground as it has been played for nearly 100 years. Therefore,since Garfield had come with open eyes it may not be actionable as it is already a pre-existing condition at the time of the agreement. (Southwark London Borough Council v Mills) Then,with regard to the issue of duration and seriousness,the law states that the longer the interference goes on the more likely it is to be unreasonable. However,a nuisance need not necessarily last long.If the time to carry out the activities are unreasonable or the degree of seriousness is high it could still amount to nuisance(Crown River Cruise Ltd v Kimbolton Fireworks Ltd). Coming back to the facts,after the incident having two cricket balls smashed the glass in his greenhouse,the next hit was few weeks later which caused Garfield to sustain fractured skull. Thus it may not seem to be unreasonable as the next hit was a few weeks after the first hit. But,having a fractured skull after being hit maybe serious and the court might consider it as a factor to issue the injunction.However,it is arguable on the basis of sensitivity if the force use for the hit was not too excessive or unreasonable and if Garfield have had injury on the head before the hit then the defendant may not be held nuisance. (Robinson v Kilvert) If the nuisance is established,the defendant will try to raise the possible defence which is prescription since the cricket has been played on the ground for nearly a hundred years. However the defence of prescription would only applicable if the claimant have beared with the nuisance for twenty years and not when the defendant’s started the activities(Sturges v Bridgman).Thus the defence may succeed if the defendant have moved in and beared with the nuisance for twenty years or more. The defendant would also raise the issue of public interest. The court would inevitably concerned to some extent with the utility or general benefit to the community of defendant’s activities. This means if the claimants actions is of importance, the risks that may happen when completing these actions m ay be acceptable(Watt v Hertfordshire).However,the court will not accept the argument that the claimant should put up with the harm because it is beneficial to the community as a whole(Bellow v Cement co. ). If Garfield purpose of suing is to restrict the nuisance,the only remedy that he can sought against the cricket club is a prohibitory injunction. It is an equitable remedy use to put a stop to certain offensive activities that affect the claimant continuosly and it will only be awarded if the court felt that it is necessarily to. If the nuisance is temporary and occasionally an injunction may not be issued.In conclusion,eventhough Garfield did experience private nuisance,the activities carried out by the defendant seem to be reasonable. Unless Garfield can prove that the degree of seriousness caused by the defendant is unreasonable,the defendant would probably not be liable. Furthermore if Garfield wants to claim compensation for the fractured skull he have to bring the case und er the tort of negligence as nuisance claims are limited to loss of enjoyment of land. However,as mentioned earlier that breach of duty could not be proved therefore the defendant would probably not be liable.

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Studies about Hand-raising for Kindergarteners - Essay Example Here, we review three articles relating to hand-raising with respect to behavioral training. In an early study, investigators used a class of twenty four, 9 to 12 year old behaviorally challenged students (21 male, three female) at the Garfield School in Salt Lake City, Utah (Greenwood, C. R., Sloane, H. N., Jr., & Baskin, A., 1974). A training procedure and two maintenance contingencies on consequence dispensing behavior were explored. Four peer behavior managers were trained to supervise four to six subjects each to work in programmed math materials. Their behavior was compared with a teacher skilled in the use of social and point reinforcement and response cost. A component of many of the appropriate behaviors was hand-raising. The training was partially effective in increasing rates of appropriate social and point dispensing behaviors in managers. Manager reinforcement contingent consequence-dispensing behavior in managers resulted in moderately higher rates of appropriate social and point dispensing behavior for three of four subjects than did having manager reinforcem ent contingent upon group study behavior. Two managers exposed to the group performance consequence before the manager performance consequence increased inappropriate social and point-dispensing behaviors to pre-training base levels. ... It included visual reminders, goal evaluation, positive reinforcement, and constructive feedback at regular intervals. Outcome of three measures of peripheral variables (direct observations of hand raising frequency and talking out of turn during the group sessions and Conners conduct problem ratings). The cueing procedure resulted in significant and robust improvement in two of the three peripheral measures (hand raising frequency ES = 2.73; talking out of turn ES = 2.89). This underscores the benefit of using a theoretical framework for guiding the design and evaluation of therapeutic interventions for children with ADHD. At a professional conference, researchers presented the case studies of two individuals. Jim is a ninth grade bilingual student who has been referred for special education services due to his poor academic performance (Miller, K., Koury, K., Mitchem, K., Fitzgerald, G., & Hollingsead, C., 2005). One of the target behaviors selected for improvement was the raising of the hand and waiting for permission to speak. As part of the intervention, Jim used a self monitoring point card system from KidTools to track his behavior in class. At a timer that sounded every five minutes, Jim recorded his behavior as on-task or off-task. At the end of the week, Jim earned points to purchase items while completing a reinforcement inventory if he was "on-task" for an average of at least 80% of the momentary time sampling opportunities. During the first three days of the intervention, Jim went from being off task on five time sampling observations to being 100% on-task. As reported by his teacher, the i ntervention was very successful as the occurrence of off-task behavior decreased and the student's on-task behavior

Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 8

Review - Article Example The research design is effective and efficient because it truly measures the reactions of the children having intellectual disability or the autism. Different types of tokens are used against the desired behaviors to reinforce the children and then their reactions are recorded to develop the conclusions. The dependent variable is the reaction of the child who is facing autism problem or the intellectual disability. According to the research article, the dependent variable is influencing the research studies up to a great extent. The old studies says that the token systems are effective tools to shape the behaviors but the dependent variables, in our article, says that these token systems cannot be generalized in either way (Matson, 2009). A real record of evidences is provided in the form of a table having the reactions of the children towards different instincts. These evidences play an important role in developing the hypothese and thus draw the conclusion of the research activity. The authors whose work has been cited in the article, are generalizing the effectiveness of the token money but in actually the results shows that the technique of token system lacks generalization (Randolph, 2009). We cannot say that every person or specifically child may react to these reinforces in the same way. According to the results of the research processes, the patients of intellectual disability or autism are not reacting to the reinforcement, which is created by the token, or the tickets of the desired behavior. For example some children suffering from autism are offered tokens against their favorite toys to shape their behaviors but they do not react in the way as it is expected. The conclusion is based on the research findings of the article. The research findings says that the effectiveness of the token money was incredible in the initial times but as the time

Disagreements about the ideals of management will always exist. But Essay

Disagreements about the ideals of management will always exist. But the realities of management can be established on the basis of evidence, rather than ideas about what they ought to be - Essay Example Management facilitates the production of desired and useful outcomes in the system of organization. However, management faces many disagreements about its ideals which always exist. However, management realities can be established on basis of evidence, instead of what they ought to be. Managers are the business drivers of an organisations goals and objectives, so as to realise its realities. Therefore, management has many challenges that result into conflicts. Fortunately, if these conflicts can be solved on the basis of evidence, they can be turned into great opportunities for the business, rather than ideas of what they would have been (Pruitt, 1983). Hence, a skilled manager will always seek to turn challenges into opportunities by basing his decisions and actions on evidence. This essay looks into the disagreements that exist in business, how management realities can be established on the basis of evidence rather than ideas about what they ought to be. Some of the issues raised in the statement are what the disagreements and their causes, what are the management realities and what evidence are required. In the past, management was looked at from the functional perspective, which is, regularly measuring a quantity and undertaking necessary adjustments of the initial plans in order to attain the desired goals, even without planning. One of the greatest contributor of modern management concepts, Henri Fayol (1841-1925, pg, 23) however considers management functions as planning, forecasting, coordinating, commanding, and organizing the activities of a business. However, Mary Follet (1869-1933) describes management as the philosophy of having things done by other people (Gomez-Mejia, 2008, pg 19). The difficulties of defining management, changing nature in its definitions, and difficulties of connecting managerial practices with the class or cadre of management shows how critical and difficult management task involve, since they finally dictate the well being

Corrections Facilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corrections Facilities - Essay Example There is an argument on whether harsh sentences deter offenders from their criminal actions or turn them into more violent and hardened criminals. Incapacitation is another major objective of the correctional system all over the world. The corrections system, by locking up offenders, effectively keeps them off the streets. There is a general agreement that keeping offenders in prisons prevents them from preying on the society. Another goal of the correctional system is making sure that offenders pay a debt to their victims and the society as a whole. This is referred to as restitution. Offenders do this through performing public services such as picking up trash and also contribute financially directly to their victims. This form of punishment has in recent times been emphasized though it can prove difficult to carry out. Deterrence is another important objective of the corrections system. Many people believe that the threat of prison and other punitive measures deter would be offenders from carrying out criminal activities. However, hardened criminals do not seem to fear this threat but go ahead and involve themselves in crim inal activities. ... Rehabilitation seeks to help criminal offenders become upright citizens who can contribute to society in a positive way. Rehabilitating offenders will also ensure that they don't go back to their past criminal way after completing their sentence. Among the goals of the correctional system, rehabilitation is by far the most difficult task. This is so because of various reasons such as: The state of the prisons. Since a prison is designed almost exclusively for criminals, some convicted felons tend to become hardened rather instead of becoming good citizens. This is in contrast to the rehabilitative objective of the correctional system. Some people are considered to be inherently criminal. They have no interest whatsoever in reverting their old ways. (Rothman 29) Is the current system meeting the basic expectations The recent years has seen a sharp increase in the number of offenders being dealt with in the United States correctional system. According to the US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 2007, there were over seven million either on probation, on parole or in jail or prison. This is at least 3.2% of the entire adult population. By mid 2008, 1,610,584 Americans were serving their time in jail or prison. (Bureau of Justice) This basically means one thing; the correctional system is not working effectively as it ought to be. Before we hurry to put the blame on the United States Justice System, it is important to note that that general trend is experienced in almost the whole of the rest of the world. There are heated debates nowadays on how to reform the correctional system and the justice system as a whole. The debates take wide ranging

Six Basic Strategy Essay Example for Free

Six Basic Strategy Essay A Broad Differentiation strategy maintains a presence in both segments of the market. Competitive advantage is gained by distinguishing products with an excellent design, high awareness, and easy accessibility. RD competency is developed that keeps designs fresh and exciting. Products keep pace with the market, offering improved size and performance. Prices are above average. Capacity is expanded as higher demand is generated. Mission Statement Premium products for the industry: our brands withstand the tests of time. Our primary stakeholders are customers, stockholders, management, and employees. Tactics †¢ Research Development: We will keep our existing product line, and introduce at least one more line, maintaining a presence in both segments. Our goal is to offer customers products that match their ideal criteria for positioning, age, and reliability. †¢ Marketing: Our company will spend aggressively in promotion and sales in both segments. We want every customer to know about our superb designs, and we want to make our products easy for customers to find. We will price at a premium. †¢ Production: We will grow capacity to meet the demand that we generate, avoiding second shift/overtime when possible. After our products are well positioned, we will investigate modest increases in automation levels to improve margins, but never at the expense of our ability to reposition products and keep up with segments as they move across the perceptual map. †¢ Finance: We will finance our investments primarily through stock issues and cash from operations, supplementing with bond offerings on an as needed basis. When our cash position allows, we will establish a dividend policy and begin to retire stock. We are somewhat adverse to debt, and prefer to avoid interest payments. We expect to keep assets/equity (leverage) between 1.5 and 2.0. We measure performance in terms of market share, market cap, ROA, and profits.

Television and Cinema in Post Modern Society

Television and Cinema in Post Modern Society Television mocking its big brother Cinema? Through parody is television mocking its big brother Cinema or is simply feeding the post-modern society? Artistic achievement has, in most societies, usually seen as one of the highest goals for its citizens with artists held in highest esteem in society. The Classical civilizations of Rome and Ancient Greece are rightly regarded as artistic highlights of world civilizations due to the unprecedented status given to artists of all trades: poets, painters, bards, actors, sculptors and musicians. This respect for excellence in the arts still exists today However modern art is unfortunately too often derided as a thing of paltry significance as compared to the great artists of the past. FPeriods of high accomplishment such as Ancient Greece or the Renaissance are rightly regarded as containing such artists whose skill and mastery of their respective disciplines may rarely be emulated, if ever. However, is that a reason for giving up on modern artistic output? After all, the twentieth century was that of Pollock, Rockwell and Hockney. But lest we forget, in the annals of history, it is doubtful that the past 100 years will be remembered for their contribution to age-old art forms such as painting or sculpture. Instead, it seems likely and indeed fair that the 20th century will be remembered for the creation, popularization and investigation of the audio-visual arts of cinema and television. From the first shots of the train moving out of Carpentras station, cinema has moved the hearts and minds of millions. The 20th century was witness to the greatest technological advancements in human history and artistic output followed suit. After the silent pictures of the 1900s first captures audiences to the first black-and-white talkies, cinematic progress could never be checked. From success to success, people round the world would be enchanted by Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, awed by Harryhausen’s special effects, moved by Gone With The Wind and horrified by Birth Of A Nation. Every decade would bring an advancement in cinematic output, something which would revolutionize the industry once again and bring new generations into cinemas. These constant progressions in cinema would take place at a far faster rate than in other arts due to several important factors. First of all, the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th-century had sent technological development across the world into a tail-spin which impacted cinema very positively by providing studios with a constant stream of new machinery, effects possibilities. The knock-on effect from this was of course that a steady stream of technicians would be trained and employed by the great studios. We will be analyzing the hiring and firing practices of the studio moguls as compared to the lifelong television employees further on in this dissertation. Another great reason for the appeal of cinema would be the characters contained within it. The glamour of Hollywood until the 1940s would make audiences dream across five continents up to the present day. The gritty reality of much of today’s cinematic output had not even been imagined and movies were used to make people dream of a greater life. We will use this opportunity to further analyze the setting-up of the movie studios, the Jewish origins of most of the moguls and the taste of Americana they injected into their projects later on. Furthermore, we will draw up a detailed comparison between the early days of both film and television, analyzing which tactics worked better in the battles for a limited audience. Even horrifying world events such as World War II would provide the film industry with invigoration as Hollywood and the pre-war German film studios would engage in a rivalry, the like of which has rarely been seen in the arts. With the Hollywood ban on exporting American films to the Third Reich, the motivation for German film-makers was extraordinary and names such as Murnau and Lang emerged as major players on the world cinema scene. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of them fled Germany during or after the war to seek new lives in Hollywood. Many failed but some met with varying measures of success, the greatest legacy of this time possibly contained in Fritz Lang’s masterpiece Metropolis, the ominous skyline filled with skyscrapers working as a tribute to Lang’s first impressions of seeing New York harbour from far out at sea. However, even from that darkest period of human history has emerged some of the most shocking and lasting pieces of film. The films shot by the Allied forces of the Nazi concentration camps have proved perhaps the most important factor of documentary cinema. Beyond the artistry, beyond the emotional impact, cinema has provided humankind with an unlimited opportunity to document its own history, both good and bad. An opportunity television executives would notice and pick up on. Even today, the claims made by CNN and BBC such as ‘We are there as the news happens’ stem from the passion for news-stories instilled in people during the World War when small news flashes shown as previews before films in movie theatres were the only pictures civilians at home had of the war outside of newspapers. These propagandistic items were of course good for morale and television would soon enter into the fray, edging cinema out to take a monopoly over showing news programs. We must also consider another important area of research. The ‘parodying’ between television and cinema is a term of some ambiguity. Within this dissertation, we will also try and highlight the inherent differences between the terms of parody and emulation. As per rivalry in any kind of industry, some actions that may seem to be a parody of existing practices are in fact no more than emulation, a mere attempt to capitalize on a rival’s success. The concept of parody on the other hand is a very subtle one. Although television and cinema are by definition filled with some of the most acerbic minds in the world, minds quite ripe to create parody, it is somewhat naà ¯ve to think that these people would be allowed to impact decisions on scheduling and programme production. Only those at the summit of their popularity would be allowed their own shows, let alone given creative control of their shows. A recent example of this happening in Britain would be So Graham Norton. However, even these shows often fail as can be demonstrated as can be seen through the antics of stars such as Liza Minnelli, John McEnroe or Anna Nicole Smith. Thus, we can observe that the concept of pure parody being used by cinema and television for its own sake is somewhat mortifying, given the massive financial risks such an undertaking would incur. However, if parody was created to feed the viewing desires of a post-modern audience, then such an action becomes more realistic. To study this, we shall take an in-depth look at the nature of today’s post-modern audience and their viewing habits. In this dissertation, we will be looking in more depth at the first fledgling footsteps of both these art forms, the characters that helped build them up to their global statuses as well as two important periods in their history. The 50s and 60s where cinema and television were in direct competition through the slow transition period of the 70s and 80s into the modern-day scenario of co-operation. With this journey through time, we will be looking at trends pioneered by each of them and looking at any sharing or borrowing of ideas between the two mediums, we shall observe their long and drawn-out rivalry as well as the numerous examples of co-operation between them. The Glamour Years or the faint ridicule of cinema’s golden age If 90% of leadership is showing up, then we can hardly be surprised at the manner in which the men who would become studio moguls quickly rose to the top of this brand new industry. The founders of Paramount, RKO, MGM, Fox and Warner Bros. were for the vast majority immigrants or children of immigrants who had come to America either to seek their fortune or who had grown up with the image of America as this place of opportunity. In the first two decades of the 20th century, these views were far truer than they are now but to attain what one desired when the bar was so high, a lot of hard work would have to be carried out over many years. Thankfully, hard work was what these men’s families had been built on. Possessing this instinct along with a fine sense for business acumen, which some would sarcastically claim was due to their Jewish nature, Mayer, Goldwyn and the others would take the American cinematic market by storm. Before continuing, let us dispel any lingering images of these men helping each other out on their way to success. They entered a ruthless line of business where they were in direct competition and they tried everything to ruin each other, from slandering each other in the popular press to stealing actors and actresses. However, more united them than the moguls would have cared to admit. Since most of them had risen from humble beginnings, their visions of America were an embodiment of the American Dream that had influenced the migration of countless thousands from their home countries. The MGM studio, for example, would become synonymous with Technicolor musicals such as The Wizard of Oz portraying the world as a happy, bright place where everyone lived contently. The Warners would take a more active interest in social commentary but even their early efforts never went too far in criticizing a society that had offered them so much. Across the studio divide, the concepts of method acting had never even been considered and the goal of cinema was to make their actors and actresses look glamorous while portraying a style of life that would make every American dream in wonder. Why this image can be considered with a slight tint of ridicule is its existence in the middle of such troubled times. In the space of thirty years, America would fight in the two bloodiest conflicts in human history yet still, the studios churned out glossy movies, filled with beautiful dames and jolly banter. But here, once again, we strike a familiar obstacle, one that both film and television have met too many times. Too often in criticism about their history, studios or television networks are blamed for the programmes they carry or films they produce. Unfortunately, whilst they cannot be absolved of all blame, the relationship between social trends and popular entertainment is an obvious one. At a time in its history when America was fighting wars, undergoing a recession as well as Prohibition, the last thing American audiences wanted was to be served up with depressing fare that they could identify with. If another example of this is needed, look at what kind of cinema was popularized in the 50s. After the war, the film noir came of age and rose to ascendancy when American society was doing well and people felt good about themselves. A crucial fact that those who are all too quick to lay blame at the feet of the studios is that films and television programs will only be made if their creators feel they will be well-received by the general public. Television’s first faltering footsteps The intertwining and complex relationship between cinema and television cannot only be analyzed from the perspectives of programme similarity and audience sharing. Those who decided on what programmes should be commissioned, those who researched audiences to determine what kind of target audiences should be tapped, those who decided on what type of scheduling to choose at any given time of day, these television executives, producers and network directors would be the ones that would outline how television would evolve from one year to the next. As has been explained, television channels found themselves confronted with a very difficult challenge. Whereas film studios had been opened in great pomp and ceremony with the budgets of their moguls behind them thus allowing them to find their feet and carve their respective identities without a vast amount of competitive pressure placed upon them. Television did not benefit from such an auspicious start. The challenge that faced channels was to find their own identities and thus capture individual audience shares whilst fighting an uphill struggle to dislodge cinema from its spot atop the entertainment mountain. To take this would kind a special kind of organization. How could television not only catch up to cinema but also surpass it in popularity? Well, television started out with two significant advantages. Firstly, that of money. The far larger amount of broadcasting time inherent to television made it a much more viable target for financial gain than cinema which could only show any adverts to limited audiences. The commercial prospects of television soon became clear and this links us neatly with its second trump card. Throughout the 50s, television’s popularity exploded and families were rushing to buy them. The reason this had not occurred during the 1940s was that regulations concerning this new kind of entertainment were still getting sorted out and freed of problems. At the end of the 40s, television was still a luxury and commissions for TV channels had only really affected the East and West Coasts. However, in the 50s, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) decided to make the acquisition of such a commission far easier and soon, channels began appearing across the States, often broadcasting to a small area but carrying only limited-interest stories for its local people. Thus, television watching became a far more personal affair. As far as programme content, a specific identity for television developed slowly through the 50s with the launching of successful sitcoms such as I Love Lucy which carried high audience shares across the country. However, we can distinguish here the first example of a parody between two entertainment methods. Shows that were once popular on radio were being copied to television, with I Love Lucy a prime example of this. (Wikipedia, 2005) illustrates the identity-forming process of television by explaining how local television stations helped shape this process. Moving on from   merely showing advertisements for local companies, they began showing small serials and talk shows, some of which became national phenomenons. The local nature of this kind of television would eventually mostly fade away by the 70s but the damage done to cinema was irreparable. Television had entered the hearts and minds of successive American generations and it was here to stay. Here, we can draw a major comparison between cinema and television potentially parodying it. Merely watching a few episodes of these old-school sitcoms, we cannot help but be struck at the similarity of tone to the pre-war Hollywood days. It is necessary to diverge briefly to explain the state of mind of 1950s America. Before the war, the USA had undergone a massive recession caused by the Wall Street Crash and thus, it had fallen to the entertainment industry to help people forget their woes. The film industry had done this, as shown above, but the changes it had caused had not died away. Although World War II had caused the death of many a gallant young man, it had lifted the USA into a very buoyant mindset. With the European powers needing a decade more to recover from the conflict, with Japan’s military and economic potential temporarily annihilated, with China still reeling from its murderous invasion, the Soviet Union remained the only true challenge to America’s supremacy. But the Cold War had not yet begun in earnest and in the late 40s and early 50s, the USA saw itself as the world’s only true superpower. The much denigrated Eisenhower presidency kept the economy stable through a tricky balancing act and for most of America, life was good. The Americana dream adapted to no longer be a picture of great wealth but of blissful happiness. The family unit of 2.4 children, living in the comfortable and safe suburban districts with a white picket fence around a big house, was a dream that many wished to achieve and television could reflect that. Shows such as I Love Lucy portrayed a heavenly, glossy picture of American society which is ultimately matched nowhere in entertainment except among the idyllic American communities shown in early studio films. The Warners, Mayer and the others had all built up their studios from the ground up thanks to their own hard work. They were living proof of the possibilities America offered and thus showed this in their films. Television in the 50s emulated this entirely. The era was different, the clothing more modern but the ensemble feeling remained the same. This was not merely borne out in television sitcoms but also in adverts. Sitcoms would be interrupted for commercial upon commercial selling the latest washing-machine, vacuum-cleaner or kitchen appliance without which the dutiful housewife could not live. It is oddly ironic that many of today’s stereotypes about the 50s are a product of this kind of television. It needs to be remembered, However, that this often derided type of family life where the children skipped to school, rosy-cheeked and clutching an apple, while the father gave his loving wife a demure kiss on the cheek before heading to the office in his beautiful Chevrolet is not merely a myth. Around the suburbs of New York, San Francisco and the like, many families not only lived this kind of life but their children and grandchildren still do today. However, the way in which television chose to reflect this society in a utopian sense, glossing over any unpleasantness, was a definite rehashing of the technique used by the film studios of Hollywood twenty years previously. The adaptation of the two mediums and their direct battle for audience shares As television successfully found its feet and began a posing direct threat to cinema, studios were forced to change. After all, no other new form of entertainment had entered general society since the arrival of cinema before television and thus, cinema would have to fight to keep its audiences. A couple of things could be seen as certain before these changes would proceed. Firstly, cinema would never rival television for mass popularity and market potential due to the overwhelming availability of television and its presence in an increasing number of households across America. Secondly, one of television’s worrying tendencies was to garner a lot of advertising money from a wide swathe of big American companies. Electrical appliances, cars, clothes, foodstuffs and drinks were all sold on television during commercial breaks, a fact that cinema could not copy. However, studio executives soon found ways round this problem, ways in which although adverts could not be shown during the movie, surreptitious showing of products could have a similar effect. Product placement was born. Admittedly, in a society which with every passing year produces more and wastes more, it seems that studios have become less adept at making product placement seem natural rather than obvious. The 007 series had always been a treasure trove for companies wishing to place their symbols on James Bond’s latest gadget. With the arrival of Pierce Brosnan into the role However, any shred of subtlety vanished to be replaced with highly obvious use of products. For example, Brosnan’s type of car had always been one of the highlights of the film. In Die Another Day, the presence of the painfully named Aston Martin ‘Vanish’ only served as a sales pitch for the Vanquish. Such utterly shameless product placement did reach a crescendo in 2004 where the amount of plugging for Sony and Converse in I, Robot would have made Isaac Asimov turn in his grave. However, such behaviour can shed some light onto the type of post-modern audience that we are evolving in. Those detractors who claim that post-modernism is merely the natural by-product of such a senselessly wasteful society whose mechanisms result in the attempted alienation of anyone showing a shred of individuality. Whether this is true or not is difficult to ascertain but what is lamentable is that the artistic integrity which has existed since Aristotle is being compromised in cinema out of the desire to keep up with television. Thankfully, the presence of adverts in television, even if sometimes the length of advert breaks can be infuriating has meant this has not happened in television’s case. If we evolve in a post-modernist society, then these differing methods of merely pandering to our consumer’s instincts could seem to be a by-product of intense competition between two forms of popular entertainment. Unfortunately, cinema’s rapid changes would lead to renewed controversy over its spectatorship and its impact thereupon as explained by Lynn Spigel. The concept of spectatorship in itself is a fascinating one, not just within the framework of this dissertation, but also within the field of cinema and television research. The bearings that society can have upon an audience’s watching habits are a crucial fact to understanding how individuals, larger target groups or entire demographics will react to any kind of program. (Spigel, 1998) places the birth of the issue of spectatorship in the 70s as film studies began increasing in popularity. This rise in popularity and its link to audience research are vital as we can use them to comprehend not just how an audience would react to a pioneering film or series in either cinema or television but also how it would react to a parody or any kind of wholesale copying of a popular film or series by another medium of entertainment. The issues raised by Spigel are ones, she claims, whose roots lie back in the ideals of Marx and Lacan. From a psycho-analytical perspective, Spigel writes of the complexities of spectatorship research given the psychological aspects behind it. Although Spigel’s thoughts may be questioned in themselves, they do offer conclusive evidence of audience diversity today and how carefully each aspect of this diversity needs to be considered before deciding on scheduling or production. In this, we can see the great precautions television executives must need to take in order to contemplate parodying of any kind of popular film. Modern television, its workings and its impact upon the world Big, brash, loud. Three words which could describe much of the television programmes produced in America in recent years. Long gone is the demure image of the family sitting down to enjoy some good old American-style programming with shows such as Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie. Let’s face it, if these shows were produced today, they would face some accusations of glorifying witchcraft, yet another practice banned in Leviticus’ long list of gripes against the world. Somehow, the image of ABC being picketed for showing re-runs of Bewitched may at first strike us as absurd but with careful thought, does this seem so unlikely? One of the major problems facing network directors and schedulers is the problems they could face if showing any material seen as even slightly offensive to anybody. We will not engage here in mindless America-bashing but in a country that has long defended the right to free speech, both the film and television industries are being lambasted by religious and family protection groups for promoting violence and pornography. Whilst this could be understood if horror films were shown at hours when children watched TV or if their cartoons professed truly immoral practices but when complaints relate to Elmer Fudd shooting Bugs Bunny, one can wonder if the world has gone crazy. However insane these complaints can appear to be, they are still a startlingly important reality for today’s television. They form one of the biggest pressures on television executives who are caught in a tricky balancing act. They must maintain their audience shares by scheduling popular programming whilst also keeping packs of demented denigrators at bay. Interestingly, regulations concerning the effect of violent or sexual programming have been in place for decades. After all, most channels, even now with the new glut of cable and digital operators, have respected the 9 o’clock watershed before broadcasting any overly offensive material. Have they been secretly breaching rules of moral conduct in recent years? Whilst it is certain that television programmes do have an impact on those who watch them and while children will always care little about rules or regulations that protect them from exposition to negative images, can this be said to be the wholesale fault of the television industry? If the people want games, then games they shall have. This syllogism is one without which television stations cannot operate and although appeals could be made for public decency, violent and pornographic programmes will only be made and shown as long as the public has an interest in them. Thus, society should look to what elements within itself cause television to broadcast this type of programming rather than attack television for it. A recent example that shows just what a level of frenzy has been reached was the 2004 Superbowl. Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson provided the entertainment when Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson’s outfit, exposing her pierced right breast. Whether the stunt was pre-prepared or not has not been made crystal clear but the furore that surrounded the incident was mind-boggling. The family protection and decency groups went insane, denouncing all film and television workers as Hollywood sleaze. The fact that this slip occurred during an event with global broadcasting and with audiences reaching into the hundreds of millions blew it out of all proportion. For some reason, that a breast had been shown on national television before the watershed was seen as being a massive breach of public decency and as potentially warping the fragile little minds of innocent children. This level of problems goes a long way to showing the tonnage of pressure placed upon television channels. However, it is thankfully a trend that has not seemed to take hold outside the USA. The EU, Japan and Canada are subjected to the same kind of programming and although some complaints are voiced, they never garner so much media attention. Thus, we can see that the manners in which television panders to its audiences vary from country to country. We have highlighted television’s modus operandi in the USA but let us consider a cross-section of Japanese audiovisual entertainment. More than 20% of Japan’s cinematic output and a vast swathe of its popular television programs are made up of anime. Anime cartoons usually contain far more involved storyline than their American counterparts, replete with high levels of violence, sexy and skimpily-clad female characters and yet, these are watched by children of all ages. Does Japan thus see a higher violence rate among young children? No, in fact, the proportion of it is far lower in Japan than it is in the USA. However, even Japanese anime does not make it onto American airwaves without massive cuts by the censorship office. A good example of this is constituted by the popular anime series, Dragonball Z. In it, a group of fighters defend Earth from invasion by evil aliens or androids. Throughout its 250+ episodes, the show contains high levels of violence, including dismembering, decapitation and the beating of children. As can be imagined, when the show was broadcast in America on Cartoon Network, all these passages were cut to spare the minds of our children. However, in Japan, Dragonball Z aired in all its unadulterated gore and no-one seemed the worse for wear. This is not to say that so much violence on TV is good. Indeed, it is lamentable that it should exist at all but it is highly unfair to lay the blame for any consequences at the feet of an industry which is doing its best to keep as many people happy as possible. Although, we have taken a standpoint in attacking America for its high sensitivity when it comes to protecting its children, we have recently been confronted with proof that this type of protest does not only occur in the USA. For ten years, Jerry Springer shocked the nation with its own brand of low chatshow humour. Famed topics of debate involved the KKK, incest and bestiality. It had met with both acclaim and criticism at home, some calling it a true social commentary, other cheap laughter at others’ misfortunes. Anyway, the comedic potential of the idea was soon seen and in 2002, it was turned into a musical named Jerry Springer: The Opera, starring David Soul as Jerry Springer, showing in the West End and on Broadway. Controversy courted it throughout but its great success shouted down these demons. However, in January 2005, the BBC decided to show the musical in its entirety. As soon as this decision was made public, Christian right-wing groups attacked the BBC for insulting Christians when it would not dare the same about Muslims or Jews. While this claim did have some merit, the BBC ignored these claims and broadcast the show at 10 o’clock on a Monday night with clear warning beforehand about the potentially offensive content within it. Examples of this type of occurrence could number in their hundreds but they are an ideal way of investigating how modern audiences identify with television programmes and react to them. One of the basic tenets is that post-modernism is that reactions to any situation are processes created by each individual and that thus, clear definitions of knowledge or art encompassing a group or a society are baseless. In this, it can be argued that the very concept of a post-modern audience is flawed. However, whatever theory we choose to engage with, we cannot reject human nature. In the last twenty years, it seems that many among the generation of young people across America who fought in the 60s and 70s against Vietnam, against the Cold War, for Civil Rights and for many other noble causes have become dangerously jaded. America’s quality of life at the end of the 70s and in the 80s reached a high unseen since the 50s. Although the gap between rich and poor was ever-widening, the lifestyles of the middle and upper classes were prodigious. America was still afflicted with problems in Iran, Central America but the Soviet Block was crumbling and the mood among the general population was good. However, in the 80s and 90s occurred a phenomenon that not many people had truly predicted. The baby-boomers who had so been influential in re-shaping America after World War II were themselves beginning to be required to pass the torch to the next generation. Thus, the norms of society that they had created were themselves being challenged by their children. This shift occurred through the appropriation of traditional American areas of life by the younger generation such as television, cinema, the press as well as the fledgling Internet. We will look in further detail at the emergence of teenagers as a separate marketing entity and the impact of the home video on cinema and television as it entered this confused social maze. (Carberry, 2000) picks up on the popular image of television being viewed as a window on the world. This image, although adequate in some respects, also fails to pay attention to one crucial fact about television. If we look out of a window, we are certain that we will see will be real. A television does not offer this capacity. Television programmes are constructed and even factual news bulletins or documentaries can be edited to look the way the news director wants them to. We know enough of methods of communication to realize the propagandistic power of television and therefore we are conscious that we must always take a step back when rationalizing about something we have seen on television. Television, by its very nature, is as big a construct as cinema however Television and Cinema in Post Modern Society Television and Cinema in Post Modern Society Television mocking its big brother Cinema? Through parody is television mocking its big brother Cinema or is simply feeding the post-modern society? Artistic achievement has, in most societies, usually seen as one of the highest goals for its citizens with artists held in highest esteem in society. The Classical civilizations of Rome and Ancient Greece are rightly regarded as artistic highlights of world civilizations due to the unprecedented status given to artists of all trades: poets, painters, bards, actors, sculptors and musicians. This respect for excellence in the arts still exists today However modern art is unfortunately too often derided as a thing of paltry significance as compared to the great artists of the past. FPeriods of high accomplishment such as Ancient Greece or the Renaissance are rightly regarded as containing such artists whose skill and mastery of their respective disciplines may rarely be emulated, if ever. However, is that a reason for giving up on modern artistic output? After all, the twentieth century was that of Pollock, Rockwell and Hockney. But lest we forget, in the annals of history, it is doubtful that the past 100 years will be remembered for their contribution to age-old art forms such as painting or sculpture. Instead, it seems likely and indeed fair that the 20th century will be remembered for the creation, popularization and investigation of the audio-visual arts of cinema and television. From the first shots of the train moving out of Carpentras station, cinema has moved the hearts and minds of millions. The 20th century was witness to the greatest technological advancements in human history and artistic output followed suit. After the silent pictures of the 1900s first captures audiences to the first black-and-white talkies, cinematic progress could never be checked. From success to success, people round the world would be enchanted by Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, awed by Harryhausen’s special effects, moved by Gone With The Wind and horrified by Birth Of A Nation. Every decade would bring an advancement in cinematic output, something which would revolutionize the industry once again and bring new generations into cinemas. These constant progressions in cinema would take place at a far faster rate than in other arts due to several important factors. First of all, the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th-century had sent technological development across the world into a tail-spin which impacted cinema very positively by providing studios with a constant stream of new machinery, effects possibilities. The knock-on effect from this was of course that a steady stream of technicians would be trained and employed by the great studios. We will be analyzing the hiring and firing practices of the studio moguls as compared to the lifelong television employees further on in this dissertation. Another great reason for the appeal of cinema would be the characters contained within it. The glamour of Hollywood until the 1940s would make audiences dream across five continents up to the present day. The gritty reality of much of today’s cinematic output had not even been imagined and movies were used to make people dream of a greater life. We will use this opportunity to further analyze the setting-up of the movie studios, the Jewish origins of most of the moguls and the taste of Americana they injected into their projects later on. Furthermore, we will draw up a detailed comparison between the early days of both film and television, analyzing which tactics worked better in the battles for a limited audience. Even horrifying world events such as World War II would provide the film industry with invigoration as Hollywood and the pre-war German film studios would engage in a rivalry, the like of which has rarely been seen in the arts. With the Hollywood ban on exporting American films to the Third Reich, the motivation for German film-makers was extraordinary and names such as Murnau and Lang emerged as major players on the world cinema scene. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of them fled Germany during or after the war to seek new lives in Hollywood. Many failed but some met with varying measures of success, the greatest legacy of this time possibly contained in Fritz Lang’s masterpiece Metropolis, the ominous skyline filled with skyscrapers working as a tribute to Lang’s first impressions of seeing New York harbour from far out at sea. However, even from that darkest period of human history has emerged some of the most shocking and lasting pieces of film. The films shot by the Allied forces of the Nazi concentration camps have proved perhaps the most important factor of documentary cinema. Beyond the artistry, beyond the emotional impact, cinema has provided humankind with an unlimited opportunity to document its own history, both good and bad. An opportunity television executives would notice and pick up on. Even today, the claims made by CNN and BBC such as ‘We are there as the news happens’ stem from the passion for news-stories instilled in people during the World War when small news flashes shown as previews before films in movie theatres were the only pictures civilians at home had of the war outside of newspapers. These propagandistic items were of course good for morale and television would soon enter into the fray, edging cinema out to take a monopoly over showing news programs. We must also consider another important area of research. The ‘parodying’ between television and cinema is a term of some ambiguity. Within this dissertation, we will also try and highlight the inherent differences between the terms of parody and emulation. As per rivalry in any kind of industry, some actions that may seem to be a parody of existing practices are in fact no more than emulation, a mere attempt to capitalize on a rival’s success. The concept of parody on the other hand is a very subtle one. Although television and cinema are by definition filled with some of the most acerbic minds in the world, minds quite ripe to create parody, it is somewhat naà ¯ve to think that these people would be allowed to impact decisions on scheduling and programme production. Only those at the summit of their popularity would be allowed their own shows, let alone given creative control of their shows. A recent example of this happening in Britain would be So Graham Norton. However, even these shows often fail as can be demonstrated as can be seen through the antics of stars such as Liza Minnelli, John McEnroe or Anna Nicole Smith. Thus, we can observe that the concept of pure parody being used by cinema and television for its own sake is somewhat mortifying, given the massive financial risks such an undertaking would incur. However, if parody was created to feed the viewing desires of a post-modern audience, then such an action becomes more realistic. To study this, we shall take an in-depth look at the nature of today’s post-modern audience and their viewing habits. In this dissertation, we will be looking in more depth at the first fledgling footsteps of both these art forms, the characters that helped build them up to their global statuses as well as two important periods in their history. The 50s and 60s where cinema and television were in direct competition through the slow transition period of the 70s and 80s into the modern-day scenario of co-operation. With this journey through time, we will be looking at trends pioneered by each of them and looking at any sharing or borrowing of ideas between the two mediums, we shall observe their long and drawn-out rivalry as well as the numerous examples of co-operation between them. The Glamour Years or the faint ridicule of cinema’s golden age If 90% of leadership is showing up, then we can hardly be surprised at the manner in which the men who would become studio moguls quickly rose to the top of this brand new industry. The founders of Paramount, RKO, MGM, Fox and Warner Bros. were for the vast majority immigrants or children of immigrants who had come to America either to seek their fortune or who had grown up with the image of America as this place of opportunity. In the first two decades of the 20th century, these views were far truer than they are now but to attain what one desired when the bar was so high, a lot of hard work would have to be carried out over many years. Thankfully, hard work was what these men’s families had been built on. Possessing this instinct along with a fine sense for business acumen, which some would sarcastically claim was due to their Jewish nature, Mayer, Goldwyn and the others would take the American cinematic market by storm. Before continuing, let us dispel any lingering images of these men helping each other out on their way to success. They entered a ruthless line of business where they were in direct competition and they tried everything to ruin each other, from slandering each other in the popular press to stealing actors and actresses. However, more united them than the moguls would have cared to admit. Since most of them had risen from humble beginnings, their visions of America were an embodiment of the American Dream that had influenced the migration of countless thousands from their home countries. The MGM studio, for example, would become synonymous with Technicolor musicals such as The Wizard of Oz portraying the world as a happy, bright place where everyone lived contently. The Warners would take a more active interest in social commentary but even their early efforts never went too far in criticizing a society that had offered them so much. Across the studio divide, the concepts of method acting had never even been considered and the goal of cinema was to make their actors and actresses look glamorous while portraying a style of life that would make every American dream in wonder. Why this image can be considered with a slight tint of ridicule is its existence in the middle of such troubled times. In the space of thirty years, America would fight in the two bloodiest conflicts in human history yet still, the studios churned out glossy movies, filled with beautiful dames and jolly banter. But here, once again, we strike a familiar obstacle, one that both film and television have met too many times. Too often in criticism about their history, studios or television networks are blamed for the programmes they carry or films they produce. Unfortunately, whilst they cannot be absolved of all blame, the relationship between social trends and popular entertainment is an obvious one. At a time in its history when America was fighting wars, undergoing a recession as well as Prohibition, the last thing American audiences wanted was to be served up with depressing fare that they could identify with. If another example of this is needed, look at what kind of cinema was popularized in the 50s. After the war, the film noir came of age and rose to ascendancy when American society was doing well and people felt good about themselves. A crucial fact that those who are all too quick to lay blame at the feet of the studios is that films and television programs will only be made if their creators feel they will be well-received by the general public. Television’s first faltering footsteps The intertwining and complex relationship between cinema and television cannot only be analyzed from the perspectives of programme similarity and audience sharing. Those who decided on what programmes should be commissioned, those who researched audiences to determine what kind of target audiences should be tapped, those who decided on what type of scheduling to choose at any given time of day, these television executives, producers and network directors would be the ones that would outline how television would evolve from one year to the next. As has been explained, television channels found themselves confronted with a very difficult challenge. Whereas film studios had been opened in great pomp and ceremony with the budgets of their moguls behind them thus allowing them to find their feet and carve their respective identities without a vast amount of competitive pressure placed upon them. Television did not benefit from such an auspicious start. The challenge that faced channels was to find their own identities and thus capture individual audience shares whilst fighting an uphill struggle to dislodge cinema from its spot atop the entertainment mountain. To take this would kind a special kind of organization. How could television not only catch up to cinema but also surpass it in popularity? Well, television started out with two significant advantages. Firstly, that of money. The far larger amount of broadcasting time inherent to television made it a much more viable target for financial gain than cinema which could only show any adverts to limited audiences. The commercial prospects of television soon became clear and this links us neatly with its second trump card. Throughout the 50s, television’s popularity exploded and families were rushing to buy them. The reason this had not occurred during the 1940s was that regulations concerning this new kind of entertainment were still getting sorted out and freed of problems. At the end of the 40s, television was still a luxury and commissions for TV channels had only really affected the East and West Coasts. However, in the 50s, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) decided to make the acquisition of such a commission far easier and soon, channels began appearing across the States, often broadcasting to a small area but carrying only limited-interest stories for its local people. Thus, television watching became a far more personal affair. As far as programme content, a specific identity for television developed slowly through the 50s with the launching of successful sitcoms such as I Love Lucy which carried high audience shares across the country. However, we can distinguish here the first example of a parody between two entertainment methods. Shows that were once popular on radio were being copied to television, with I Love Lucy a prime example of this. (Wikipedia, 2005) illustrates the identity-forming process of television by explaining how local television stations helped shape this process. Moving on from   merely showing advertisements for local companies, they began showing small serials and talk shows, some of which became national phenomenons. The local nature of this kind of television would eventually mostly fade away by the 70s but the damage done to cinema was irreparable. Television had entered the hearts and minds of successive American generations and it was here to stay. Here, we can draw a major comparison between cinema and television potentially parodying it. Merely watching a few episodes of these old-school sitcoms, we cannot help but be struck at the similarity of tone to the pre-war Hollywood days. It is necessary to diverge briefly to explain the state of mind of 1950s America. Before the war, the USA had undergone a massive recession caused by the Wall Street Crash and thus, it had fallen to the entertainment industry to help people forget their woes. The film industry had done this, as shown above, but the changes it had caused had not died away. Although World War II had caused the death of many a gallant young man, it had lifted the USA into a very buoyant mindset. With the European powers needing a decade more to recover from the conflict, with Japan’s military and economic potential temporarily annihilated, with China still reeling from its murderous invasion, the Soviet Union remained the only true challenge to America’s supremacy. But the Cold War had not yet begun in earnest and in the late 40s and early 50s, the USA saw itself as the world’s only true superpower. The much denigrated Eisenhower presidency kept the economy stable through a tricky balancing act and for most of America, life was good. The Americana dream adapted to no longer be a picture of great wealth but of blissful happiness. The family unit of 2.4 children, living in the comfortable and safe suburban districts with a white picket fence around a big house, was a dream that many wished to achieve and television could reflect that. Shows such as I Love Lucy portrayed a heavenly, glossy picture of American society which is ultimately matched nowhere in entertainment except among the idyllic American communities shown in early studio films. The Warners, Mayer and the others had all built up their studios from the ground up thanks to their own hard work. They were living proof of the possibilities America offered and thus showed this in their films. Television in the 50s emulated this entirely. The era was different, the clothing more modern but the ensemble feeling remained the same. This was not merely borne out in television sitcoms but also in adverts. Sitcoms would be interrupted for commercial upon commercial selling the latest washing-machine, vacuum-cleaner or kitchen appliance without which the dutiful housewife could not live. It is oddly ironic that many of today’s stereotypes about the 50s are a product of this kind of television. It needs to be remembered, However, that this often derided type of family life where the children skipped to school, rosy-cheeked and clutching an apple, while the father gave his loving wife a demure kiss on the cheek before heading to the office in his beautiful Chevrolet is not merely a myth. Around the suburbs of New York, San Francisco and the like, many families not only lived this kind of life but their children and grandchildren still do today. However, the way in which television chose to reflect this society in a utopian sense, glossing over any unpleasantness, was a definite rehashing of the technique used by the film studios of Hollywood twenty years previously. The adaptation of the two mediums and their direct battle for audience shares As television successfully found its feet and began a posing direct threat to cinema, studios were forced to change. After all, no other new form of entertainment had entered general society since the arrival of cinema before television and thus, cinema would have to fight to keep its audiences. A couple of things could be seen as certain before these changes would proceed. Firstly, cinema would never rival television for mass popularity and market potential due to the overwhelming availability of television and its presence in an increasing number of households across America. Secondly, one of television’s worrying tendencies was to garner a lot of advertising money from a wide swathe of big American companies. Electrical appliances, cars, clothes, foodstuffs and drinks were all sold on television during commercial breaks, a fact that cinema could not copy. However, studio executives soon found ways round this problem, ways in which although adverts could not be shown during the movie, surreptitious showing of products could have a similar effect. Product placement was born. Admittedly, in a society which with every passing year produces more and wastes more, it seems that studios have become less adept at making product placement seem natural rather than obvious. The 007 series had always been a treasure trove for companies wishing to place their symbols on James Bond’s latest gadget. With the arrival of Pierce Brosnan into the role However, any shred of subtlety vanished to be replaced with highly obvious use of products. For example, Brosnan’s type of car had always been one of the highlights of the film. In Die Another Day, the presence of the painfully named Aston Martin ‘Vanish’ only served as a sales pitch for the Vanquish. Such utterly shameless product placement did reach a crescendo in 2004 where the amount of plugging for Sony and Converse in I, Robot would have made Isaac Asimov turn in his grave. However, such behaviour can shed some light onto the type of post-modern audience that we are evolving in. Those detractors who claim that post-modernism is merely the natural by-product of such a senselessly wasteful society whose mechanisms result in the attempted alienation of anyone showing a shred of individuality. Whether this is true or not is difficult to ascertain but what is lamentable is that the artistic integrity which has existed since Aristotle is being compromised in cinema out of the desire to keep up with television. Thankfully, the presence of adverts in television, even if sometimes the length of advert breaks can be infuriating has meant this has not happened in television’s case. If we evolve in a post-modernist society, then these differing methods of merely pandering to our consumer’s instincts could seem to be a by-product of intense competition between two forms of popular entertainment. Unfortunately, cinema’s rapid changes would lead to renewed controversy over its spectatorship and its impact thereupon as explained by Lynn Spigel. The concept of spectatorship in itself is a fascinating one, not just within the framework of this dissertation, but also within the field of cinema and television research. The bearings that society can have upon an audience’s watching habits are a crucial fact to understanding how individuals, larger target groups or entire demographics will react to any kind of program. (Spigel, 1998) places the birth of the issue of spectatorship in the 70s as film studies began increasing in popularity. This rise in popularity and its link to audience research are vital as we can use them to comprehend not just how an audience would react to a pioneering film or series in either cinema or television but also how it would react to a parody or any kind of wholesale copying of a popular film or series by another medium of entertainment. The issues raised by Spigel are ones, she claims, whose roots lie back in the ideals of Marx and Lacan. From a psycho-analytical perspective, Spigel writes of the complexities of spectatorship research given the psychological aspects behind it. Although Spigel’s thoughts may be questioned in themselves, they do offer conclusive evidence of audience diversity today and how carefully each aspect of this diversity needs to be considered before deciding on scheduling or production. In this, we can see the great precautions television executives must need to take in order to contemplate parodying of any kind of popular film. Modern television, its workings and its impact upon the world Big, brash, loud. Three words which could describe much of the television programmes produced in America in recent years. Long gone is the demure image of the family sitting down to enjoy some good old American-style programming with shows such as Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie. Let’s face it, if these shows were produced today, they would face some accusations of glorifying witchcraft, yet another practice banned in Leviticus’ long list of gripes against the world. Somehow, the image of ABC being picketed for showing re-runs of Bewitched may at first strike us as absurd but with careful thought, does this seem so unlikely? One of the major problems facing network directors and schedulers is the problems they could face if showing any material seen as even slightly offensive to anybody. We will not engage here in mindless America-bashing but in a country that has long defended the right to free speech, both the film and television industries are being lambasted by religious and family protection groups for promoting violence and pornography. Whilst this could be understood if horror films were shown at hours when children watched TV or if their cartoons professed truly immoral practices but when complaints relate to Elmer Fudd shooting Bugs Bunny, one can wonder if the world has gone crazy. However insane these complaints can appear to be, they are still a startlingly important reality for today’s television. They form one of the biggest pressures on television executives who are caught in a tricky balancing act. They must maintain their audience shares by scheduling popular programming whilst also keeping packs of demented denigrators at bay. Interestingly, regulations concerning the effect of violent or sexual programming have been in place for decades. After all, most channels, even now with the new glut of cable and digital operators, have respected the 9 o’clock watershed before broadcasting any overly offensive material. Have they been secretly breaching rules of moral conduct in recent years? Whilst it is certain that television programmes do have an impact on those who watch them and while children will always care little about rules or regulations that protect them from exposition to negative images, can this be said to be the wholesale fault of the television industry? If the people want games, then games they shall have. This syllogism is one without which television stations cannot operate and although appeals could be made for public decency, violent and pornographic programmes will only be made and shown as long as the public has an interest in them. Thus, society should look to what elements within itself cause television to broadcast this type of programming rather than attack television for it. A recent example that shows just what a level of frenzy has been reached was the 2004 Superbowl. Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson provided the entertainment when Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson’s outfit, exposing her pierced right breast. Whether the stunt was pre-prepared or not has not been made crystal clear but the furore that surrounded the incident was mind-boggling. The family protection and decency groups went insane, denouncing all film and television workers as Hollywood sleaze. The fact that this slip occurred during an event with global broadcasting and with audiences reaching into the hundreds of millions blew it out of all proportion. For some reason, that a breast had been shown on national television before the watershed was seen as being a massive breach of public decency and as potentially warping the fragile little minds of innocent children. This level of problems goes a long way to showing the tonnage of pressure placed upon television channels. However, it is thankfully a trend that has not seemed to take hold outside the USA. The EU, Japan and Canada are subjected to the same kind of programming and although some complaints are voiced, they never garner so much media attention. Thus, we can see that the manners in which television panders to its audiences vary from country to country. We have highlighted television’s modus operandi in the USA but let us consider a cross-section of Japanese audiovisual entertainment. More than 20% of Japan’s cinematic output and a vast swathe of its popular television programs are made up of anime. Anime cartoons usually contain far more involved storyline than their American counterparts, replete with high levels of violence, sexy and skimpily-clad female characters and yet, these are watched by children of all ages. Does Japan thus see a higher violence rate among young children? No, in fact, the proportion of it is far lower in Japan than it is in the USA. However, even Japanese anime does not make it onto American airwaves without massive cuts by the censorship office. A good example of this is constituted by the popular anime series, Dragonball Z. In it, a group of fighters defend Earth from invasion by evil aliens or androids. Throughout its 250+ episodes, the show contains high levels of violence, including dismembering, decapitation and the beating of children. As can be imagined, when the show was broadcast in America on Cartoon Network, all these passages were cut to spare the minds of our children. However, in Japan, Dragonball Z aired in all its unadulterated gore and no-one seemed the worse for wear. This is not to say that so much violence on TV is good. Indeed, it is lamentable that it should exist at all but it is highly unfair to lay the blame for any consequences at the feet of an industry which is doing its best to keep as many people happy as possible. Although, we have taken a standpoint in attacking America for its high sensitivity when it comes to protecting its children, we have recently been confronted with proof that this type of protest does not only occur in the USA. For ten years, Jerry Springer shocked the nation with its own brand of low chatshow humour. Famed topics of debate involved the KKK, incest and bestiality. It had met with both acclaim and criticism at home, some calling it a true social commentary, other cheap laughter at others’ misfortunes. Anyway, the comedic potential of the idea was soon seen and in 2002, it was turned into a musical named Jerry Springer: The Opera, starring David Soul as Jerry Springer, showing in the West End and on Broadway. Controversy courted it throughout but its great success shouted down these demons. However, in January 2005, the BBC decided to show the musical in its entirety. As soon as this decision was made public, Christian right-wing groups attacked the BBC for insulting Christians when it would not dare the same about Muslims or Jews. While this claim did have some merit, the BBC ignored these claims and broadcast the show at 10 o’clock on a Monday night with clear warning beforehand about the potentially offensive content within it. Examples of this type of occurrence could number in their hundreds but they are an ideal way of investigating how modern audiences identify with television programmes and react to them. One of the basic tenets is that post-modernism is that reactions to any situation are processes created by each individual and that thus, clear definitions of knowledge or art encompassing a group or a society are baseless. In this, it can be argued that the very concept of a post-modern audience is flawed. However, whatever theory we choose to engage with, we cannot reject human nature. In the last twenty years, it seems that many among the generation of young people across America who fought in the 60s and 70s against Vietnam, against the Cold War, for Civil Rights and for many other noble causes have become dangerously jaded. America’s quality of life at the end of the 70s and in the 80s reached a high unseen since the 50s. Although the gap between rich and poor was ever-widening, the lifestyles of the middle and upper classes were prodigious. America was still afflicted with problems in Iran, Central America but the Soviet Block was crumbling and the mood among the general population was good. However, in the 80s and 90s occurred a phenomenon that not many people had truly predicted. The baby-boomers who had so been influential in re-shaping America after World War II were themselves beginning to be required to pass the torch to the next generation. Thus, the norms of society that they had created were themselves being challenged by their children. This shift occurred through the appropriation of traditional American areas of life by the younger generation such as television, cinema, the press as well as the fledgling Internet. We will look in further detail at the emergence of teenagers as a separate marketing entity and the impact of the home video on cinema and television as it entered this confused social maze. (Carberry, 2000) picks up on the popular image of television being viewed as a window on the world. This image, although adequate in some respects, also fails to pay attention to one crucial fact about television. If we look out of a window, we are certain that we will see will be real. A television does not offer this capacity. Television programmes are constructed and even factual news bulletins or documentaries can be edited to look the way the news director wants them to. We know enough of methods of communication to realize the propagandistic power of television and therefore we are conscious that we must always take a step back when rationalizing about something we have seen on television. Television, by its very nature, is as big a construct as cinema however