Impressionism and revolution Essay Example for Free

Impressionism and revolution Essay Impressionism was started in 1860. It flourished for 3 decades. It mainly took place in Paris, France. In fact, Impressionism was against neo-classicism, which was too concentrated on academic exhibition. Impressionism was also against Romanticism. â€Å"By the second half of the eighteenth century the advancement of the individual was taking another important step forward, in that cluster of activities in art and literature generally known as Romanticism. It is emotions and feelings†. Impressionism is different than Romanticism, although romanticism also liked to use color; they focused deeply in interior feeling. Impressionism mainly focused on the light, subject matter, with broad brush stroke. People wanted a treatment of subject matter, a new approach, and commitment to the Realism. During the Impressionism Movement, twenty more color pigments were invented to provide a better chance for the artistic revolution, â€Å"After science and industrial development, people started to focus the scenario around them. More than twenty intense yellow, green, blue, red, and orange pigments were invented between 1800 and 1870. † The impressionists had more resources to express their theme and the styles through the art work. The color invention let painters to draw the paints much quicker. As a result, it brought out a new dynamic revolution, people believed in what their eyes saw, they focused on the color and form in the painting. During that time, people loved painting with Parisian scenes. Most of them were painting on the living scene of the streets. Industrial and Urbanization Revolution Impressionists depicted a lot of social scenes during the French Industrial and Urbanization revolution. â€Å"All the developments inherent in Modernism such as increasing secularism, scientific advances, new and more efficient modes of transportation and the rise of both socialism and the middle class, were factors in the changes that led to Impressionism. † From the Claude Monet’s, Saint-Lazare, Train Station, 1877 the train was actually what Monet saw, not just his imagination. The paint was full of energetic feelings from those volatile steams and smoke. Monet was excited about the color he saw at the moment. As a result, he used quick sketches in the paint. The paint showed the very early morning of the Paris Station at a time when people had already started working. The trains had a motion that were coming toward the audience. Industrial revolution was one of the biggest social impacts in the 1860. Monet was the pioneer to Impressionism into Revolution, â€Å"One certain thing about Impressionism is that it was not the sudden whim of a group of artists working in late-nineteenth-century in France, driven purely by a desire to create a revolution in painting. It was an essential part of the unfolding history of western civilization. † Monet was concerned about the effect of light in the painting. By showing the magic of the color combination, we can realize how Monet’s interest in science is visible through his drawing. He liked to have quick sketch in the paint. While he would repaint the paint again with the same angle over and over again at different time, so that the contrast of light movement could be more obvious. Impressionists also showed the urbanization revolution in France. In fact, the government had a large reconstruction in the streets and electricity systems starting 1860. In their paintings Gustavo Caillebotte, Paris: A Rainy Day, 1877 and Camille Pissarro, La Place du Theatre Francais, 1898 they provided a new dramatic city outlook for Paris. Many painters chose Paris streets to start their paintings, for example, there had so many people walking in and out of the streets. It really showed the urbanization city of Paris. â€Å"Interested in making an imperial statement through his redesign of Paris and in facilitating the movement of troops in the event of another revolution† (871). In fact, this is called â€Å"Haussmannization†. As Haussmann, the emperor of France, decided to rebuild all of Paris at that time period. The Impressionists depicted so many real Industrial and Urbanization to show the revolution in France during the Revolution period. The Industrial Revolution, which had made these technical advances possible, transformed Europe in the nineteenth century and influenced the lives and work of the Impressionists in a wide variety of ways. Railways started to proliferate mainly during the reign of Napoleon III. The growth of the railways enabled the Impressionists to visit easily and frequently those places which became closely associated with them. Monet travel around the earth. The development of gas and lightning gave Impressionists a new freedom. Thanks to the development of railroads, Monet, Sisley, Renoir and Pissarro had a chance and were living together and working together in the resorts. â€Å"The political world the first great assertion of this attitude, the French revolution, was followed by the rule of Napoleon, more autocratic and in art, the growth of feeling and sensibility apparent in the work of painters such as†¦Ã¢â‚¬  imposition of a hierarchy of subject- matter, and its general authoritarism. Shifting Social and Class of People Because of the industrial revolution, people earned a better income which led to the shift in social and economic class of people. From Georges Seurat, A Sunday on la Grande Jatte, 1884-1886. â€Å"Impressionist painters wanted to capture the rapidly changing modern world and the fleeting moods of nature. Impressionism relied on optical blending to depict the fluctuations of light and consisted largely of views of everyday middle-class life in the city and countryside of France† Seurat realized the shifting social and class relationships during the impressionism period. From his paint, on the left corner, a short sleeves worker was sitting with the middle class man and woman together. It illustrated that the social and class gap was shorten already. All Parisians from different classes gathered together. By drawing this picture, it showed a real situation in history. As France opened its import and export market to other countries in Europe, even in Japan, people can make more money. Seurat is using an analytical approach to draw this painting by using good relationship between color and line. Seurat was also avant-garde in the techniques that he used. He came up with the idea of pointillism, the using of dots to create a whole picture, and used it in all of his paintings. It fascinated the viewers of the time as it still does today. He loved pure colors and never mixed them. Instead, he would use many different color dots close together to form a different color. He was famous for using the paint straight from the tube. Monet’s brush strokes also classified him as avant-garde. His layering of oils are thick and sometimes muddled when view up close, but when the viewer stands back they are actually more unified. New Techniques in Painting by the Impressionist While pointillism and brush strokes were new innovations in painting, there were other new techniques and inventions as well. First, there were paint extenders. Something that would make the paint thicker was definitely needed. Additives to thicken the paint were used for the first time by adding stabilizers. Barium sulphate was the most common stabilizer to be used and it increased the life of the paintings. Impressionist turned their backs on the old themes of religion, mythology, and historical events as their inspiration for their paintings. Instead, they chose real scenes in nature, still life, and portraits. It was the artistic period known as Realism, and the art must match the new thoughts in literature and music. The Industrial Revolution, the French Revolution, and the American Civil War were just a few of the reasons that people of that time wanted to focus on things that were real. They had enough of the magical and mythical subjects offered by Romanticism. So the painters of the Impressionistic Period gave them what they wanted. There paintings weren’t just about a subject, but they told a story. Most Impressionist painters chose to move their studios outside in the natural surroundings which would become the subjects of their paintings. They wanted to be in direct contact with the subjects that they would immortalize in their art. Some wanted to be in fields, mountains, along or on water, while some moved right onto the busy streets of the city to catch everyday life as it really is. When the weather was uncooperative, painters like Monet and Renoir, and many others used glass to their advantage. In many instances their inside studios looked like glass rooms. Light was also a focus of the Impressionistic painters. They went to great lengths to ensure that they displayed the lighting at different times of day correctly. In fact they were many times more interested in the light than they were the actual subject. This led to many artist painting several different pictures of the same scene in nature. They wanted to make sure that it was captured perfectly at different times of the day, different weather, and different seasons. Another color technique used by the Impressionist painters was the use of the primary colors, blue, yellow and red, and they used them with the complementary colors of orange, green and purple. When used together, not blending, but along side of each other, they colors were created were numerous. When viewed at a distance, these colors blended perfectly, but when the viewer was close, the differences could be seen. This was a radical way to paint from the Romantics and their predecessors. Conclusion Impressionism was the first real break from traditions in the world of art. It introduced many new artists and each added his/her own variations to the art form. In fact, there were so many different types of Impressionism that is quite difficult to give a blanket definition of the art. One thing that they all had in common was that they were different from the artists of the past and they would influence artists of the future. They would directly influence the Modernist artist and those who were interested in Cubism. From their brush strokes to their fascination of light, the Impressionists were innovative. They allowed viewers of their art to look at paintings from a completely different point of view. Gone were the old days, and the new, realistic subjects were on the scene. While considered extreme at the time, most people came around in a short amount of time. Impressionistic paintings are now seen as art in its purest form. These innovative artists gave the world many new techniques that are still used around the world, not just in Europe, where Impressionism began. The use of color and their thoughts on color were unique, but made sense when the final product was done. Impressionism is the form of art that most people are familiar with. Who hasn’t heard of Monet, Renoir, or Seurat? It is amazing how an art form that was so different could go down in history as of the most admired.

The Persuading Effects In Political Media Politics Essay

The Persuading Effects In Political Media Politics Essay The mass media in the Philippines, being the universal source of information, contributes a great influence on our thinking and behavior. This term paper will focus about the impact of media coverage on elections and how it persuades the electorates behavior. My purpose is to explore the effects of mass media on political power in the Philippines and to show how the media simultaneously disrupt and defends the status quo including the advantages and disadvantages during election campaigns. The first part of this paper will provide and support the ideas of how a fair election is measured in a democratic country. It will also focus on the medias substantial role on the voting behavior that will contribute towards a greater understanding of mass media in our country. The second part deals about the past situation of the media which concerns the different election frauds, corruption, and violence. I will also add an overview about the medias monopoly and commercialism. But among these, t he most favorable part is the emergence of the new media through the use of the introduced technology. I will also discuss how the different forms of media campaigning using various campaign strategies through TV ads, polls, debates and others can persuade the voters. Furthermore, this term paper will also argue about the effect of money on election results, whether it is an advantage or a disadvantage to the political candidate. Lastly, I hope to show that communication and persuasion works between the media and the public, that we and others can also influence the media. How to measure a fair election In a democratic country like the Philippines, where universal and equal suffrage is a must, the media plays a significant and substantial role for the development of the society. The media is responsible for ensuring free, fair and equal elections. To make a democratic form of government possible, essential conditions are required. For a country to be democratic, they must secure universal and equal suffrage. The political system must entail recognition of protection of civil liberties and rights. The freedom of speech from candidates and political parties must not be restricted. Enforceable laws must be implemented to prevent election fraud and vote tampering. It must be ensured that an electorates choice of party or candidate cannot be used against him or her by secret ballot voting. (socyberty.com, 2009) But in general term, it can be said that the people must be the highest form of society. The role of media before, during and after elections The fact that the media plays a great role in lives is well known, but its role as a political tool is also well rooted in the political systems. During times of elections, which are seen by many as the hallmarks of democratic political system, the media are expected to undertake very specific roles. It is a clichà ©, but media as the voice of the public, in the course especially of elections, must be able to inform, educate, enlighten and involve the electorate. Brandt, Hughes, and Rasmussen (2006), have discussed the major tools needed by the media in a fair report and coverage of the elections. They have to provide a platform and forum for controversial societal debates. The news media play the vital role in a democracy of providing the public information on which they can base their decisions on public issues. They have the duty to criticize undemocratic behavior of politicians, to educate the general public in respect of democracy, and to secure a fair and balanced coverage of elections. The watchdog function of the media is especially crucial during times of electoral campaigns and elections themselves. More importantly, the medias role is to scrutinize the candidates and parties and expose on the same issues and to give voters enough information to compare their positions. The media must report what the parties and candidates are saying, even if it does not reflect issues the people want to address (pp. 14-19). If the media coverage in the press and television is not free, fair and equal, the results may be prejudiced. Political discussions cannot be avoided in the print media, political stories are aired on television every day, commercial radio airs political news every hour, and paid political announcements are encountered in all media during campaigns. Candidates use of the media can have a strong impact upon those who make up their minds about candidates during the campaign. It is within human nature to believe what is told to us. We tend to believ e the media because research is done by them and they are a main source of information. The media remains important since they are the means by which people obtain current affairs both inside and outside of the Philippines however bias it may be. Overall, the media are always present with new stories on political activities. The new media The entrance of the modern era meant the advent of modern technology accessible to the public. For the first time in history, the Philippines embraced technology and transformed greatly the electoral system of the country during the May 2010 elections. The Philippine elections have frequently been marked by allegations of widespread cheating and other electoral malpractice. It was a subject to criticism since the security of the electoral process and its capacity to preserve the sanctity of the ballot and the will of the electorate was put to question. It has always been a manual process from voting to the canvassing of results with the local and national positions. Consequently, we have had hurdled so much because of the slow and tedious process. But due to the advanced technology available in the modern era, the Filipinos most awaited election was taken to another level. Generally, the automated election fulfilled the promise of speed but complaints and controversies remained (Meis burger, 2010). Many Filipinos until now were not sure whether the new process worked well enough to hold credible elections. Even automated election provided high security, there were still computer experts that bombarded the whole system or hacked the computers and manipulated the results. And I think that it is actually possible that cheaters came from the people who developed the system. Unfortunately and ironically, the press, despite of the intense focus on the new voting machines, failed to highlight critical problems during Election Day. But in my own opinion, the main problem we encountered during the May 2010 automated election was transparency. People were not able to see the actual process of counting the votes and several doubted if the results are really correct. Reporting on the first automated election also posed new challenges to the media. The press had to be alert to new kinds of problems as well as to keep the coverage on the day itself interesting. But it was obv ious from the first hours of coverage that the television networks were clearly prepared to resort to the magic of technology to keep audiences tuned in. The media is intensely influential in the present days systems of domination. Because the majority of the public does not in fact hear political speeches, witness activities, or observe actions of leaders, they depend on the media to exhibit the news in an accessible form. It becomes easy to comprehend how vital the media is, and what will be the effects of the news on the society whenever it is presented. Even a little change of news has the potentials to greatly influence public opinion (people.virginia.edu). Dirty Politics: Bias Media and Corrupt Candidates On the further side of the media, television has been with us for more than thirty years (Del Mundo, 1986, p. 10). By any standard, thirty years is long enough to develop a meaningful mass medium. Although in the past, the role of media is not as great as it is today. During an election, it was not surprising to see the media being harnessed to serve the politicians who held media power. Rocamora, for instance, concluded that Cheating is a well-developed art in Philippine elections. Local Politicians are adept at manipulating the process from beginning to end. (Rocamora, 1998, p. 23). So having no doubt, the media with its own weaknesses, would most likely practice bias electoral processes. Corruption in the media industry is a fact, and it is worst during elections. There is a general feeling about the political bias of the media that it is too negative. They place an importance on finding out what is wrong, but do not tell the complete picture about what is being done. There are in deed media networks that are owned by families who are biased in favor of certain candidates. We can see this prejudicial act most often when the media had begun to be very one-sided in terms of reporting the news. The media should be obligated to tell the truth and not manufacture or elaborate stories, even if it does not sound as good. It has and will continue to destroy the careers of some and make the careers of others. Even though most of the television news stations are owned by wealthy individuals, they should not be so biased. The media and the politicians only want us to see what a perfect world we live in, so they tend to hide the truth or work their way around it. But that is not always the case; sometimes desperate politicians are simply exaggerating when they condemn the alleged bias of the media. They tend to highlight the critical views reported by the media but they overlook the balanced presentation of facts in news reports. Another unjust intervention was experienc ed by the media during the Marcos era. Independence of the media has always been viewed with admiration everywhere in the world. But in 1972 to 1981, when martial law was declared during the regime of President Marcos, media monopoly started. Not just one agency was organized to do the job. Thus, the media suppression of the Marcos era restored the powerful and influential appetite of the public for news. But unfortunately, until now, the medias authority, security and freedom was not completely fulfilled (Del Mundo, 1986, pp. 77-89). Moreover, the recent Maguindanao massacre would be the worst example of election-related violence, wherein many members of the press and media was killed and abducted. Therefore, these malpractices and bad connotations simply imply the common term dirty politics which I think is not fair because politics must always be understood in a larger context. And talking about the status quo, generally it is the media that is bias and the politicians that are c orrupt. Defining a CAMPAIGN In the course especially of elections, we cannot exclude the fact of the emergence of inevitable frauds and intense violence. Every now and then, the media conclusively reports about the most compelling issues and irregularities related to elections, especially during the campaign period. A campaign is the period right before citizens make a real political choice. Campaign activity is more likely to register on voters minds as the Election Day draws near (Brady, Johnston Sides, 2004, p.2). According to Brandt, Hughes, and Rasmussen (2006): Most parties make their leader the centre of attention so voters who like the leader will vote for the partys candidates. So the partys election campaign is composed of speeches, party rallies and press conferences featuring the party leader. But the medias job is not just to repeat all the words spoken by the leaders. There should also be information in the news story about where the speech was given and how many people were there and what was the reaction of people in the streets, and what did political opponents say. Voters deserve to know so they can compare and decide for themselves. (Brandt, Hughes, and Rasmussen, 2006, p. 16). Ultimately, political ads and campaigns can affect who will win the election. As is true of other types of human relationships, first impressions can be very important as voters form their opinions about political candidates. Research on election decisions suggests that candidates use of the media can have a strong impact upon those who make up their minds about candidates during the campaign. They can affect what the voters know, whether they will vote, whom they will vote for and why they will vote for that person. In general, people already have their own ideas when they view television, read newspapers, or log on to websites. To a man, the campaign staffs of politicians agree that the three requisites for a successful campaign are: media, machinery and money. (Coronel, Chua, De Castro, 2004, p. 123) The media as a form of campaign strategy Television campaigns come from various forms. It can be a form of commercial, debates, speech, press conference, polls or interviews which are aired on local television news broadcasts, talk shows and even game shows. The television commercial, the most powerful form of advertising is the most interesting and most complex kind of political advertisement. It is the main way that modern campaigns communicate with voters. It can give you as the electorate an idea of how trustworthy candidates are, how they communicate or connect with the people, how they behave under stress, how they sell their program and what do they stand for. According to a study made by Coronel, Chua and De Castro (2004), The Arroyo and Lacson campaigns were most successful than the others in getting their spins across. This was because they had more sophisticated media strategies and handlers. They had a clearer idea of the message they wanted to project and made sure that this message was successfully conveyed th rough the media. (p. 21). Through TV ads, the audiences who are watching their favorite television programs will have a chance to meet the candidates and there is a possibility that they can recall them since they are shown in every commercial break. The advertiser will create another image of the candidate to make them appreciated and accepted by the target audience. The use of informal words, the inclusion of popular song and dance, the color, social issues, and the representation of peoples age, gender, profession and religion are very useful for the ads recall (Encabo, 2010, pp.11-12). In a survey conducted by Fonbuena. Rufo and Tabunda (2008), during the campaign period itself, respondents were asked to name political advertisements on television that they could recall. An ad was considered correctly recalled by a respondent if the respondent was able to identify the candidates in the advertisements that they recalled. Political ads are effective in converting voter awareness i nto actual votes for the candidates to the extent only that these ads incredibly project an image of the candidate as one who will effectively address the issues and concerns of the electorate. Studies show that commercials and debates aired right before Election Day have the most effect on undecided viewers (pp. 27-28). Voters who have already formed their opinions are hardly influenced by the media to the point of changing their minds. But as defined by House, Ludwig and Stratmann (2009), advertising need not to be truthful in deceptive campaigns. Both types of candidates engage in campaign advertising claiming that they are of high quality. Hence, they define advertising as deceptive when a low-quality candidate advertises that he is high-quality (p. 6). Opinion polls, on the other hand, are mostly used by political parties to discover what issues a representative sample of voters think is important. As defined by Lange (1999), voting intention polls indicate the popularity of political parties/candidates, show ratings, and suggest the outcome of elections. Parties will sometimes change their campaign promises because opinion polls reveal what will be more popular (pp. 49-50). People always say in polls, they do not like negative campaigns but voting records seem to indicate that they are affected or influenced by them. Opinion polls also influence voters because voters like to know what their neighbors are thinking and may decide to vote the same way. As such, poll results could increasingly frame the coverage of the election campaign. Exposure to polls may serve to increase a general interest in voting in the public, but there is little to demonstrate a change in voter intention, which is what we call bandwagon effect. Opinion poll s are only a brief sample of peoples opinions at the time they were asked. Polls cannot predict how opinions and votes will change if voters learn new information. Polls should not become the lead story everyday because they may influence voters to follow popular opinion rather than think for themselves. Lange (1999) observed that debates have advantages and disadvantages, but on balance seem positive. On the negative side, it has been argued that mandatory debates would circumscribe the candidates freedom to run campaigns as they wish that it is not always possible to have all party leaders participating and that debates tend to spotlight the party leaders too intensely. On the positive side, debates allow the candidates to face the public directly, they have been shown to heighten citizens interest in elections and their levels of information, they are a means of enabling the public to make a direct comparison of the candidates, and as such are a useful supplement to the normal news coverage (pp. 28-29). Aside from the old traditions of advertising, the innovative transformation of the society was considered as a milestone in the electoral system. I am not just talking about the May 2010 automated elections, but it is about how social media is changing the face of democracy through the use of different social networking sites in campaigning for a political party or candidate. Generally, traditional media and new media worked together for a more comprehensive coverage of the 2010 Philippine Elections. Rafter (2009) for example, stated that, the internet has assumed an increasingly important role in political communications and has provided new ways of communicating political messages with the public. Traditional concerns about television and radio political advertising are equally applicable to the Internet but there is no debate about regulating political content on the web (p.29). TV news stations also marked a milestone in media history when they reported election updates in real t ime using the new media. They even used the Facebook and Twitter to post news updates and reports about the election. Most of the Social Media websites which have had a major worldwide impact on Internet usage and thus perceived international impact, like YouTube, Flickr, Blogger, WordPress, Google, Wikipedia, Myspace, Facebook and Twitter (eGovernment-Symposium, 2009, p. 7). As predicted by some experts and scholars, it is probably only a matter of time before everyone will be able to vote over the Internet. Still, for those who create and air ads, the bottom line is the bottom line. The intended effect of political advertising or paid media is to win political battles by creating and delivering biased messages. Informing and engaging the public outside of ones supporters, when and if it occurs, is a by-product or secondary effect of the effort to win political battles. Does money wins elections? But the most intriguing factor that affects the decision of the electorate is the presence of money. Rocamora (1998), observe that for a candidate to win Philippine elections, they have to spend three times: once to get nominated, second to garner votes, third to get his votes counted, added to, and those of his opponents subtracted (p. 27). According to political scientist Ciyde Wilcox, money matters most when the candidates are least known to the voters, when they do not receive a lot of news coverage, and when paid advertising, which, of course, is expensive, can bring recognition and enhance images (Wayne, 1992, p.52). As I have said, the ads play a big role in the entire campaign. The earlier the ad is aired, the earlier the candidates rating goes up and the earlier the candidate can shift to conversion. Indeed, this means paying a longer period for advertisement slots. The cost of political campaign is rising and rising fast. The use of other modern technology has also increase d expenditures. One 30-second ad can cost a candidate from P34,000 to P243,000, depending on the station and the time slot. These costs are already slashed by 30 percent, the legally mandated discount for candidates (Fonbuena, Rufo, Tabunda, 2008, p. 61). But because of factors such as popularity and acceptability, campaign budgets may still vary from candidate to candidate. If a candidate is already popular, a lesser amount can be allocated for election paraphernalia. The amount a candidate spends will largely depend on the style of his/her political strategies. Literally speaking, before a sensible person joins a political fray, he/she should check his/her wallet first. Elections are indeed expensive affairs. Radio and television appearance, newspaper advertising, travel for the candidate, mailings of campaign materials, maintaining a network of campaign offices, taking polls, and raising money itself all cost a great deal of money. The notion that the side with more money has a better chance of winning is very common. Lack of budget for the campaign can be solved through public and private funding. The ability to raise money is not only a matter of wealth but also of being able to attract funds from others. Way before the campaign period, funds can already be raised. It is obviously important for a financially challenged candidate to seek and accept whatever material support they can find. Sponsored activities like a ball, a concert, a movie premier, T-shirt sales, and bazaars can be organized. But most campaign donations would not come in until a candidates showing becomes strong during the campaign period. Their contributions serve as insurance money, an investment they hope to draw from in the future. Another source, though largely unreported for obvious reasons, would be gambling and smuggling operations that seek the protection of the politicians. According to Co, Lao, Sayo and Tigno (2005), potential candidates who do not have the financial resources and backing to undertake a campaign have a little chance of winning (p.98). But apparently, I beg to disagree that financial outlays can guarantee victory in elections. Although the money spent might still serve as a good index to electoral strength, the candidates and parties with the most money did not always win. Money however is only one factor. And even when relatively honest people do win, they have to spend so much money to campaign that they invariably become corrupt in order to recover their expenses or to return the favor of financial backers. Wayne (1992) stated that, theoretically, campaign spending should have a greater impact on the nomination process than on the general election, and on the beginning of the process than at the end (p. 51). Whether or not money determines campaign victors, it exerts an enormous influence on elections. Heard (1960), notes that the ef fect of money in politics is probably more certain in determining who the candidates will be than in determining the outcome of the elections. Although the main goal of those who sponsor political advertising is to win elections, advertising can also in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uence what citizens know about candidates and public policy and how engaged citizens are in their own governance. And, as discussed above, in in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uencing what voters know, ads can in ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uence whom voter choose (Goldenstein, Ridout, 2004, p. 211). The impact of media on the electoral system The overwhelming power of the mass media is something that we accept as fact. We are dependent on media for information. Media have become our connection to the real world. Indeed, there have been a lot of contributions media has made in politics, particularly during elections. The availability of media coverage during elections from the nomination period to the canvassing of votes, keeps the public informed of all the crucial events that occur during the elections. In the present times, it has gained a greater importance than how it was in the past. Filipinos much more now than ever in the past, rely on the mass media in deciding whom to vote and which issues are important. There is a hunger for information and citizens are much more attentive to media reports during elections than in other times. It has thus gained more influence over the voting behavior of the electorate and greater power in altering the opinions of the people. During campaigns, bad publicity can mean almost certa in death to a promising political career to a politician. No matter what good things a person has done in the past, if the media decides to publish the bad, their chances are blown. Population as a whole also recognizes the large role the media plays in their lives. They are well aware that the press plays the most dominant role in determining which issues and events are considered significant (Brandt, Hughes, Rasmussen, 2006, pp. 15-17). Conclusion The medias role in politics is even more significant. They help shape the political culture, and have the power to make a candidate appealing or repulsive. The media can also lead the general public to misunderstand the actions of one particular political group, and as a result, other political parties have to face a difficult political situation. Encabo (2010) concluded that politicians and advertisement producers believe that advertising allows candidates to reach even the uninterested and unmotivated citizens like those who are not paying attention in news reports, debates, and other campaign event (p.20). The media is primarily needed to fix itself to reporting on politics, not shaping it. The media should not have the bias of the nation, but should offer information to allow ideas to form liberally and independently. The nature of the impact of the media coverage is perhaps most dramatically evident in peoples awareness of the candidates and the consequences for how they vote. I n the coverage of elections, media fulfills different roles. This includes informing, enlightening, and educating the electorate, providing a platform and forum for controversial social debates, forming public opinion, and serving as a watchdog on the side of the citizens. Among these roles, the duty of informing the electorate is the primary and the other roles are only ancillary and fall under this primary role. The media has also the ability of affecting the behavior and decision making of the electorate. Many factors are to consider in determining the voting behavior of the electorate; and though there is no certainty on the extent that media affects the decision making process of the electorate, media is one of the few things that can count heavily on affecting and changing the opinions and decisions of the electorate. Apart from persuading the electorate, the media can also persuade the political candidates. The media influence the decision and actions of politicians and offic ials, change their priorities and can reduce their ability to control events. Another thing to consider in the influence of media in elections is the campaign financing that is required of candidates in order to afford the media resources necessary for advancing the campaign. The costs on campaign financing have escalated primarily due to the fact that it is expensive to employ media resources. However, though it is expensive, but because it is believed to be the most effective medium of campaigning, it is the least likely expense in campaign financing to be cut. The high costs of campaign financing pose problems for less affluent candidates. It is a disadvantage for the poor candidate who does not have the necessary resources necessary to run a campaign which will be able to employ media as one of its medium of advertisement. Because of this, the integrity of the electoral system of a democratic nation such as the Philippines becomes flawed. People, based on democratic theory, shou ld have equal opportunity to run for office regardless of economic status. But because of the high costs imposed by media on running a campaign, this is hardly true. There is therefore a need for the strict implementation of campaign finance laws during elections so as not to put an advantage on the wealthy and a disadvantage on the less affluent candidates. The media plays a crucial role in the realization of this goal. Through these insights, it is therefore true that media persuasion does not only work between the media and the public, but logically speaking, we and others can also influence the media. Both positively and negatively, the mass media contributes a great factor in affecting the decisions of the electorate because it exercises a powerful role in the electoral processes by informing and educating the public. Bibliography (books and e-books): Brady, H.E., Johnston, R., Sides, J. (2006). The Study of Political Campaigns. United States: The University of Michigan Press. Brandt, T., Hughes, T. Rasmussen F. (2006). Coaching Manual for Media Support during Elections. Denmark: International Media Support. Co, E.E.A., Lao, M.E.J., Sayo, M.A., Tigno, J.V. (2005). Philippine Democracy Assessment. Manila: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES). Coronel, S.S., Chua, Y.T., De Castro I. (2004). Cockfight, horserace, boxing match (why elections are covered as sport): lessons learned from the 2004 campaign coverage. Quezon City : Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism. Del Mundo C. (1986). Philippine Mass Media: A Book of Readings. Philippines: Communication Foundation for Asia. eGovernment-Symposium (2009). E-Society and E-Democracy. Berne, Switzerland: Amazee (www.amazee.com) and IDHEAP (www.idheap.ch). Encabo, E.A. (2010). The Filipino Language and Culture in Political Advertisement. San Diego State University: Language Acquisition Resource Center. Fonbuena, C., Rufo, A., Tabunda, A.M.L. (2008). Selling Candidates: Political Ads in the 2007 Senatorial Elections. Quezon City: Public trust Media Group Inc. Goldstein, K., Ridout, T.N. (2004). Measuring the Effects of Televised Political Advertising in the United States. Washington: arjournals.annualreviews.org. Houser, D., Ludwig, S., Stratmann, T. (2009). Does deceptive advertising reduce political participation? Theory and evidence. Washington: George Mason University, Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science. Hufilena, C.F. (2006). How to Win an Election. Quezon City: Ateneo School of Government Center for Social Policy. Lange, B.P. Ward, D. (2004). The Media and Elections: A Handbook and Comparative Study. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc. Lange, Y. (1999). Media and Elections. Europe: Council of Europe Publishing. Meisburger, T. (2010). Will Automated Elections in the Philippines Increase Public Confidence?. Asia: The Asia Foundation. Rafter, K. (2009). Political Advertising: The Regulatory Position and the Public View. Ireland: Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, Media Research Scheme. Rocamora, J. (1998). Philippine Political Parties, Electoral System and Political Reform. Quezon City: Philippines International Review. Wayne, S.J. (1992). The Road to the White House: The Politics of Presidential Elections. New York: St. Martins Press Internet sources: http://socyberty.com/organizations/the-responsibility-of-the-media-in-conducting-free-and-fair-elections/#ixzz1Do4Q79RP. Retrieved February 25, 2011, 01:53 am. http://www.people.virginia.edu/~lkr8v/politics.htm. Retrieved February 25, 2011, 02:33 am.

Risk Factors of Sleep Disorder After Stroke:

Risk Factors of Sleep Disorder After Stroke: Risk factors of sleep disorder after stroke: A Meta analysis Running title: Risk factors of sleep disorder after stroke Highlights: Diabetes mellitus has a 41% increased risk of sleep disorder in stroke patients Alcohol use has a 59% increased risk of sleep disorder in stroke patients Habitual snoring has a 1377% increased risk of sleep disorder in stroke patients Body-mass index has a 17% decreased risk of sleep disorder in stroke patients Abstract Objectives: To explore the related risk factors of sleep disorder in stroke patients by conducting a meta-analysis Methods: PubMed, Medline, Springer, Elsevier Science Direct, Cochrane Library and Google scholar database were searched from inception up to May 2014. Studies investigating risk factors for sleep disorder after stroke were included. Characteristics including author’s name, year of publication, country, sample size, age of participants and gender were extracted independently by two reviewers. Results: A total of 8 studies, involving 1381 patients (578 experimental groups and 803 control groups) were eligible for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis showed that there were significant association between risk of sleep disorder after stoke between diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.84, P OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.19 to 2.12, P OR = 14.77, 95% CI = 5.52 to 39.53, P WMD = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.63 to 1.03, P OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 0.72 to 2.1, P > 0.05), hypertension (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.83 to 1.80, P > 0.05), dyslipidemia (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.70 to 1.33, P > 0.05), smoking (OR = 1.27, 95% CI = 0.73 to 2.20, P > 0.05), previous stroke (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.74 to 1.49, P > 0.05), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.40 to 1.57, P > 0.05) when compared with control groups. Furthermore, the results of Egger test showed no statistical publication bias. Conclusions: Diabetes mellitus, alcohol use, habitual snoring and body-mass index are associated with risk of sleep disorder in patients with stroke. Key words: Sleep disorder; Risk factors; Meta-analysis; Stroke Introduction Stroke is a serious global health problem, and considered as the fourth leading cause of death and the primary cause of adult disability in all around the world [1-3]. Sleep-related breathing disorders (SDB) is a frequent clinical phenomena, and characterized by repetitive apneas and hypopneas during sleep [4, 5]. The relationship of SDB with stroke has been investigated in the recent years. Many researches have reported increased incidence of SDB in stroke patients, which could lead to progression of the stroke [6, 7]. Furthermore, SDB following stroke may result in high mortality and morbidity [4]. Although SDB and stroke have common established risk factors including age, gender, elevated body-mass index (BMI), hypercholesterolemia, hypertension and habitual snoring [8-10], risk factors leading to SDB in stroke patients remains unclear. Thus, it is important to identify contributing risk factors or associated conditions that can impact on outcome of SDB following stroke. Previously existing literature and primary analyses on risk factors of sleep disorder after stroke only involved in research of certain factor, and statistical power was deficient and insufficient in these studies [4, 11]. In this study, to investigate the risk factors for SDB after stroke and obtain a quantitative estimate of the risk, we systematically review the literature that have studied patients with stroke for SDB risk factors, (namely gender, Hypertension, Diabetes mellitus, Dyslipidemia, Smoking, alcohol use, Previous stroke history, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Habitual snoring and Body-mass index)by conducting a meta-analysis. Methods Search strategy and study selection We retrieved the relevant studies up to May 2014 in several public databases, mainly including PubMed, Medline, Springer, Elsevier Science Direct, Cochrane Library and Google scholar. The main search words were â€Å"factor† or â€Å"influence†, â€Å"affect† or â€Å"element† or â€Å"determinant† or â€Å"cause† or â€Å"reason† and â€Å"sleep disorder†, â€Å"apnoea† or â€Å"obstacle† or â€Å"impediment† or â€Å"barrier† or â€Å"obstruction† or â€Å"balk† and â€Å"stroke† or â€Å"cerebral apoplexy† or â€Å"acute cerebral accident† and â€Å"research† or â€Å"survey† or â€Å"study† or â€Å"trial†. Meanwhile, references from retrieved papers were checked for more relevant studies not identified in database search. Eligibility of relevant studies For relevant abstracts, full publications were retrieved for evaluation on the basis of criteria that were established a priori. All selected research articles were considered except case reports. We sought to include studies of any design that reported risk factors in sleep disorders, and relationships between sleep-disordered breathing, sleep apnea or insomnia symptoms and stroke without the limitation of sample size and range of age. Studies were excluded from the systematic reviews and reports that only described sleep disorder after stroke. Studies with no control group were also excluded. Reviews, reduplicated studies and studies published in language other than English were excluded as well. Data extraction Information from each study was extracted independently by two reviewers using a data extraction form. Study general characteristics (e.g., author, year of publication, location of participants, design of studies, ethnicity and number of cases), and characteristics of participants (e.g., age, gender and sample size) were recorded (where available) and doubled-checked. Meanwhile, the effect size of risk factors of sleep disorder in stroke patients compared with stroke patients without sleep disorder with corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) were extracted as reported by authors. The effect size of gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking, alcohol use, previous stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and habitual snoring were measured by, and body-mass index (BMI) by weighted mean difference (WMD). In addition, we contacted authors of incorporated studies to obtain further information for data items that needed clarification. Discrepancies were resolved by discussing within our research team or contracting with the original investigators via e-mail. Statistical analysis The meta-analysis was focused on the risk factors of sleep disorder in stroke patients versus stroke patients without sleep disorder. The pooled estimates of effect size of risk factors were calculated by averaging OR or WMD based on a fixed or random effects model depending on the overall heterogeneity. Then, heterogeneity of effect size across studies was evaluated by applying Cochran’s Q-statistic and and the I2 statistic [12, 13]. P value I2 value > 50% was considered to heterogenous across the studies. When substantial heterogeneity was detected, we calculated the overall estimate of ORs or WMDs using Mantel–Haenszel method in the fixed effect model [14]. If not, the pooled estimates were presented based on the random effect model by using DerSimonian and Laid method [15]. In addition, the publication bias were evaluated using Egger’s linear regression test [16], which measures funnel plot asymmetry by the natural logarithm scale of the effect size. Meta-analysis was performed using the software of the STATA package v.11.0 (Stata Corporation, College Station, TX, USA). P value Results Literature research and study characteristics The details of the literature search were shown in a flow diagram (Figure 1). We obtained 972 citations (131 from Medline, 341 from Pubmed, 164 from Springer, 103 from Elsevier Science Direct, 16 from Cochrane Library and 217 from Google Scholar) with our electronic literature search. We obtain 84 citations after removing duplicates or irrelevant studies. In addition, 47 citations were excluded after screening based on the abstracts. Then 37 remained citations were full-text reviewed for detailed assessment. Finally, 8 citations satisfied the inclusion criteria and were eligible for the meta-analysis. The characteristics and information of the included studies were presented in Table 1. The 8 selected studies contained 1381 patients with average age (ranging from 43.0 to 75.2 years old), including 578 experimental groups (stroke patients with sleep disorder) and 803 control groups(stroke patients without sleep disorder) [17-24]. Overall analysis of gender As shown in Table 2, a total of 7 separate studies [17-20, 22-24], involving 1321 stroke patients (539 experimental groups and 782 control groups), were eligible for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed no association between gender and sleep disorder after stroke was found (OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 0.72 to 2.1, P > 0.05), yet with significant heterogeneity between studies (Q2 = 22.73, I2 = 73.6%, P the result of Egger’s test showed no evidence of publication bias (P = 0.91) Overall analysis of hypertension As presented in table 2, a total of 8 studies [17-24], including 1381 stroke patients (578 experimental groups and 803 control groups ), were finally eligible for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed no association between hypertension and sleep disorder after stroke compared with control groups (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.83 to 1.80, P > 0.05), yet with significant between-study heterogeneity was found (Q2 = 14.13, I2 = 50.5%, P In addition, the result of Egger’s test showed no evidence of publication bias (P = 0.43). Overall analysis of diabetes mellitus As shown in Table 2, a total of 7 studies [17, 19-24], involving 1326 stroke patients (549 experimental groups and 777 control groups), were eligible for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed diabetes mellitus had a 41% increased risk of sleep disorder in stroke patients compared with control groups (OR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.09 to 1.84, P Q2 = 1.59, I2 = 0%, P > 0.1). In addition, the result of Egger’s test showed no evidence of publication bias (P = 0.72) Overall analysis of dyslipidemia As shown in Table 2, a total of 4 studies [17, 19, 22, 24], involving 832 stroke patients (373 experimental groups and 459 control groups), were eligible for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed no association between dyslipidemia and sleep disorder after stroke compared with control groups (OR = 0.96, 95% CI = 0.70 to 1.33, P > 0.05), yet with significant between-study heterogeneity (Q2 = 4.78, I2 = 37.3%, P > 0.1). In addition, the result of Egger’s test showed no evidence of publication bias (P = 0.68) Overall analysis of smoking As presented in Table 2, a total of 5 studies [17, 19, 20, 22, 23], containing 1234 stroke patients (495 experimental groups and 739 control groups), were eligible for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed no association between smoking and sleep disorder after stroke compared with control groups (OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.83 to 1.80, P > 0.05), yet with significant between-study heterogeneity (Q2 = 13.82, I2 = 71.0%, P the result of Egger’s test showed no evidence of publication bias (P = 0.43). Overall analysis of alcohol use As shown in Table 2, a total of 5 studies [17, 19, 20, 22, 23], involving consisting of 1234 stroke patients (495 experimental groups and 739 control groups), were eligible for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed alcohol use had a 41% increased risk of sleep disorder in stroke patients compared with control groups (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.19 to 2.12, P no significant between-study heterogeneity (Q2 = 4.49, I2 = 10.9%, P > 0.1). In addition, the result of Egger’s test showed no evidence of publication bias (P = 0.65). Overall analysis of previous stroke As shown in Table 2, a total of 5 studies [17, 19, 21, 22, 24], involving 892 stroke patients (412 experimental groups and 480 control groups), were eligible for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed no association between previous stroke and sleep disorder after stroke compared with control groups (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.74 to 1.49, P > 0.05), and with no significant between-study heterogeneity was found (Q2 =2.31, I2 =0%, P > 0.1). In addition, the result of Egger’s test showed no evidence of publication bias (P = 0.24). Overall effects of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) As shown in Table 2, a total of 2 studies[19, 22], containing 623 stroke patients (280 experimental groups and 343 control groups), were eligible for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed no association between COPD and sleep disorder after stroke compared with control groups (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.40 to 1.57, P > 0.05), yet with no significant between-study heterogeneity was found (Q2 = 0.24, I2 = 0%, P > 0.1). Overall effects of habitual snoring As shown in Table 2, a total of 2 studies [20, 21], involving 422 stroke patients (138 experimental groups and 284 control groups), were eligible for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed habitual snoring had a 1377% increased risk of sleep disorder in stroke patients compared with control groups (OR = 0.79, 95% CI = 0.40 to 1.57, P > 0.05), yet with no significant between-study heterogeneity was found (Q2 = 1.29, I2 = 22.6%, P > 0.1). Overall effects of Body-mass index (BMI) As shown in Table 2, a total of 3 studies [20, 21, 23], involving 494 stroke patients (176 experimental groups and 318 control groups), were eligible for the meta-analysis. Meta-analysis showed BMI had a 17% decreased risk of sleep disorder in stroke patients compared with control groups (WMD = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.63 to 1.03, P Q2 = 0.95, I2 = 0%, P > 0.1). In addition, the result of Egger’s test showed no evidence of publication bias (P = 0.998). Discussion In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis for investigating risk factors of sleep disorder in stroke patients. Based on the data from 8 studies including 1381 patients, the factors (Diabetes mellitus, alcohol use, habitual snoring and BMI) were associated with risk of sleep disorder in stroke patients when compared with control groups, yet with no significant between-study heterogeneity. The magnitude of this association was greatest for habitual snoring with stroke patients experiencing a 1377% increase in risk of sleep disorder compared with stroke patients without sleep disorder. However, there were no association between risk of sleep disorder after stroke and other factors (gender, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Smoking, Previous stroke history and COPD). In addition, there was no indication of publication bias from the result of Egger’s test. Researchers have shown increased incidence of SDB in stroke patients, which may lead to a poor outcome and recurrence [25, 26]. SDB progresses from habitual snoring to the increased upper airway resistance syndrome to sleep apnea [27], and it is biologically plausible that habitual snoring could increase the risk of sleep disorder in stroke patients. Habitual snoring is significantly associated with daytime sleepiness, restless sleep, and hyperactivity, which could lead to sleep disorder [28, 29]. In our literature search we did not identify results of any randomized clinical trials evaluating the effect of risk factors on sleep disorder after stroke. However, it is reasonable to infer that habitual snoring may contribute to incidence and development of sleep disorder in stroke patients. The previous studies have shown significant gender-related differences in presenting symptoms of patients with SDB [30], and the risk for the development of sleep disorder was significantly lower in women [31]. However, in our study, we found no association between gender and risk of sleep disorder after stroke, yet with the most significant between-study heterogeneities. This might result from unavoidable difference in study sample sizes and distinct adjustments across studies. Thus, we suggest that the present analyses might have underestimated the true effects of gender on risk of sleep disorder after stroke, and further studies are needed to be demonstrated this. The present meta-analysis has a series of limitations, such as lack of uniformity (e.g. sleep disorder diagnostic criteria, the duration of patients with stroke) and exclusion of studies written in languages other than English. Furthermore, another limitation was the narrow coverage of information of the present analysis. After all, the results in this analysis were only obtained data from Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and the majority of the included studies did not state if there were any racial differences among participants. The differences in regions and races among studies might have an influence on pooled risk estimates of sleep disorder after stroke. In summary, the present meta-analysis suggest that the factors (Diabetes mellitus, alcohol use, habitual snoring and BMI) is associated with risk of metabolic syndrome. The conclusion has a great significance for public health, especially in countries of high incidence of stroke. In addition, further investigations, both epidemiological and mechanistic, are needed to investigate whether regulating these factors can prevent occurrence and development of metabolic syndrome. 3D Technology: Types and Uses 3D Technology: Types and Uses CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION This report will focus on how different 3D technologies work, it will include the entire work flow, from recording the action, encoding the footage, playing back the media via a cinema projector or television and finally how the audience views the 3D film or video, whether it be through specially designed glasses or an auto-stereoscopic television. At present the most popular way to view 3D media is with the use of specialised glasses, the most popular being, active shutter glasses, passive polarised glasses and colour separationbased glasses. Wearing glasses to watch a movie is often mentioned as a negative aspect of 3D. There is a technology available that allows you to watch 3D on screens without wearing any additional glasses, it is called autostereoscopy, this will also be looked at. The health impacts that result from watching 3D will also be examined, along with factors that will prevent a person from being able to correctly view 3D images. There will be impacts on the entire industry from studios and cinemas to smaller production companies and independent producers if 3D films become the norm and these will be examined. A good place to start this report is to examine how two of the highest profile media companies around at present are currently viewing 3D technology. Phil McNally stereoscopic supervisor at Disney-3D and Dreamworks was quoted as saying, consider that all technical progress in the cinema industry brought us closer to the ultimate entertainment experience: the dream. We dream in colour, with sound, in an incoherent world with no time reference. The cinema offers us a chance to dream awake for an hour. And because we dream in 3D, we ultimately want the cinema to be a 3D experience not a flat one.'(Mendiburu, 2009) In the BBC Research White Paper: The Challenges of Three-Dimensional Television, 3D technology is referred to as a continuing long-term evolution of television standards towards a means of recording, transmitting and displaying images that are indistinguishable from reality'(Armstrong, Salmon, Jolly, 2009) It is clear from both of these high profile sources that the industry is taking the evolution of 3D very seriously, as a result this is a topic that is not only very interesting but will be at the cutting edge of technological advances for the next couple of years. This report will be covering the following things: What does the term 3D mean with reference to film and video A look at the history of 3D in film How does 3D technology work The implications of 3D on the film business and on cinemas The methods used to create the media and also the ways in which the 3D image is recreated for the viewer The reasons I have chosen to do my project on this topic is that I am very interested in the new media field. 3D video when accompanied with high definition film and video is a field that is growing rapidly. Earlier this year, on 02 April 2009, Sky broadcast the UKs first live event in the 3D TV format, it featured a live music concert by the pop group Keane, it was sent via the companys satellite network using polarisation technology. Traditionally we view films and television in two dimensions, this in essence means we view the media as a flat image. In real life we view everything in three dimensions, this is because we get a slightly different image received in each eye, the brain then combines these and we can work out depth of vision and create a 3D image. (this will be explained further in Chapter 3) There is a high level of industrial relevance with this topic, as 3D technology coupled with high definition digital signal is at the cutting edge of mainstream digital media consumption. Further evidence of this is that the sports company ESPN will be launching their new TV channel, ESPN-3D in North America in time for this years Summer Football World Cup. In January 2009 the BBC produced a Research White Paper entitled The Challenges of Three-Dimensional Television on this subject and over the next couple of years they predict that it will start to be introduced in the same way that HD (High Definition) digital television signal is currently being phased in, with pay-per-view movies and sports being the first take advantage of it. Sky have announced that their existing Sky+HD boxes will be able to broadcast the 3D signals so customers will not even need to update their equipment to be able to receive the 3D Channel that they are starting to broadcast later this year. On Sunday January 31st 2010, Sky broadcast a live Premier League football match between Arsenal and Manchester United for the first time in 3D to selected pubs across the country, Sky equipped the selected pubs with LGs new 47-inch LD920 3D TVs. These televisions use the passive glasses, similar to the ones uses in cinemas as opposed to the more expensive Active glasses which are also an option. (The differences between Active and Passive technologies will be explained in Chapter 8) It is also worth noting that at the 2010 Golden Globe awards, on acceptance of his award for Best Picture for the 3D Box Office Hit Avatar, the Canadian director James Cameron pronounced 3D as the future. At the time of writing this report (27/01/2010) the 3D film Avatar has just taken over from Titanic (also a James Cameron film) to become the highest grossing movie of all time, with worldwide takings of $1.859 billion. This is being accredited to the films outstanding takings in the 3D version of its release, in America 80% of the films box office revenue has been received from the 3D version of its release. In an industry where money talks, these figures will surely lead to an dramatic increase in production of 3D films and as a result Avatar could potentially be one of the most influential films of all time. After completing this dissertation I hope to be able to have a wide knowledge base on the subject and hopefully this will appeal to companies that I approach about employment once I have graduated. In the summer of 2010 when I will be looking for jobs, I believe that a lot of production companies will have some knowledge of 3D technology and be aware of how in the near future it may be something that they will have to consider adopting in the way that many production companies are already or soon will be adopting HD into their workflow. In order to ensure that I complete this project to a high standard it is important that I gain a complete understanding of the topic and study a variety of different sources when compiling my research. 3D media itself is not a new concept so there are a wide range of books and articles on the theory of 3D and stereoscopy along with anaglyphs. However in recent years there has been a resurgence in 3D with relation to film and TV. This is due mainly to digital video and film production making it easier and cheaper to create and manage the two channels needed for three-dimensional video production. It has proved more difficult to study books and papers on this most recent resurgence of 3D because it is still happening and evolving all the time. I have read various research white papers on the subject, which have been cited in the Bibliography, I have also used websites and blogs along with some recently published books, one of the problems with such a fast moving technological field such as 3D though, is that these books quickly become outdated. CHAPTER 2: HUMAN VISION In the real world we see in three dimensions as opposed to the two dimensions that we have become accustomed to when watching TV or at the cinema. Human vision appears in three dimensions because it is normal for people to have two eyes that both focus on the object, in the brain these two images are then fused into one, from this we can work out depth of vision, this process is called stereopsis. All of these calculations happen in the brain without the person ever even noticing, as a result we see the world in three dimensions very naturally. The reason that we see in 3D is because of stereoscopic depth perception. There are various complex calculations going on in our brains, this coupled with real experience allows our brain to work out the depth of vision. If it wasnt for this it would be impossible to tell if something was very small or just very far away. As humans, we have learnt to judge depth even with only one view point. This is why, if a person has one eye they can still manage to do most things that a person with two eyes can do. This is also why when watching a 2-D film you can still get a good judge of depth. The term for depth cues based on only one viewpoint is monoscopic depth cues. One of the most important of these is our own experience, it relates to perspective and relative size of objects. In simple terms, we have become accustomed to object being certain sizes. An example of this is that we expect buildings to be very big, humans are smaller and insects are smaller still. So this means that if we can see all three of these objects next to each other and they appear to be the same size then the insect must be much closer than the person, and both the insect and the person must be much closer that the building (see figure 1). The perspective depth cue (shown in figure1) was backed up when an experiment was carried out by Ittelson in 1951. He got volunteers to look through a peep hole at some playing cards, the only thing they could see were the cards and so there were no other types of depth cue available. There were actually three different-sized playing cards (normal size, half-size, and double size), and they were presented one at a time at a distance of 2.3metres away. The half-sized playing card was judged to be 4.6 metres away from the observer, whereas the double-sized card was thought to be 1.3 metres away. Thus, familiar size had a large effect on distance judgement'(Eysenck, 2002). Another monoscopic depth cue that is very effective is referred to as occlusion or interposition. This is where an object overlaps another object. If a person is standing behind a tree then you will be able to see all of the tree but only part of the person. This tells us that the tree is nearer to us that the person. One of the most important single view depth cues in called motion parallax, it works on the basis that if a person moves their head, and therefore eyes, then objects nearer to them, whilst not physically moving, will appear to move more than the objects in the distance. This is the method that astronomers use to measure distances of stars and planets. It is in extremely important method of judging depth and is used extensively in 3D filmmaking. In filmmaking, lighting is often talked about as being one of the key elements to giving the picture depth, and this is because it is a monoscopic depth cue. In real life the main light source for millennia has been the sun. Humans have worked out how to judge depth based on the shadows that are portrayed from an object. In 2D films shadows are often used to display depth by casting them across actors faces it allows the viewers to see the recesses and expressions trying to be portrayed. So far all of the methods that have been described for determining depth have been monoscopic, these work independently within each eye. If these were the only methods for determining depth there would be no need for 3D films as it would not add anything because all of these methods could be recreated using a single camera lens. This is not the case however, a lot of the more advanced methods used in human vision for judging depth need the use of both eyes, these are called stereoscopic depth cues. A great deal of stereoscopic depth cues are based around the feedback that your brain gets when the muscles in the eye are manipulated to concentrate your vision on a particular point. One of the main stereoscopic depth cues is called convergence, this referrers to the way that the eyes rotate in order to focus on an object (see figure 2). If the focus is on a near object, the eyes rotate around the Y axis and converge on a tighter angle , similarly if the focus is on a distant object the rotation means the eyes have a wider angle of convergence. It is a lot less stressful on the muscles in the eye to have a wide angle of convergence and look at objects far away, in comparison looking at very close object for any amount of time causes the muscles in the eye to ache. This is a very important factor that should be considered when creating 3D films, as it doesnt matter how good the film is, if it is going to hurt the audience it will not go down well. A second stereoscopic depth cue that we use is called accommodation, this is the way that our eyes changes focus when we look at an object at different distances, it is very closely linked with convergence. Usually when we look at an object very close up, our eyes will change rotation and point towards the object (convergence) allowing us to look at the item, our eyes will at the same time change focus (accommodation). Using the ciliarybody muscles in the eye, the lens will change shape to let more or less light in the same way a camera does, thus changing focus. In everyday life convergence and accommodation usually happen in parallel. The fact that we can, if we wish choose to converge our eyes without changing the focus means that 3D films are possible. When you are sat in the cinema all of the action is projected onto the screen in front of you, so this is where your eyes need to focus. With 2D films the screen is also where your eyes need to converge, but with 3D films this is not the case. When watching a 3D film the focus never changes from the screen, else the whole picture would go out of focus, but objects appear to be in front and behind the screen, so your eyes need to change their convergence to look at these objects without altering their focus from the screen. It has been suggested that this independence of accommodation and convergence is the reason for eye strain when watching a 3D picture as your eyes are doing something that they are not in the habit of doing (see chapter 12: Is 3D bad for you). It is also worth noting that our monoscopic depth cues work at almost any range, this is not the case with stereoscopic depth cues. As objects become further away they no longer appear differently in each eye, so there is no way the brain can calculate a difference and work out depth. The limit occurs in the 100 to 200-yard range, as our discernment asymptomatically tends to zero. In a theatre, we will hit the same limitation, and this will define the depth resolution and the depth range of the screen.(Mendiburu, 2009) This means that when producing a 3D film you have to be aware that the range of 3D that you have to use is not infinite and is limited to 100-200 yards. CHAPTER 3: Early Stereoscopic History (1838 1920) Three dimensional films are not a new phenomenon, Charles Wheatstone discovered, in 1838, that the mechanism responsible for human depth perception is the distance separating the retinas of our eyes . (Autodesk, 2008) In a 12,000 word research paper that Wheatstone presented to the Royal Society of Great Britain he described the stereoscope and claimed as a new fact in his theory if vision the observation that two different pictures are projected on the retinas of the eyes when a single object is seen.(Zone, 2007) Included in the paper were a range of line drawings presented as stereoscopic pairs, these were designed to be viewed in 3D using Wheatstones invention, the stereoscope. Wheatstone was not the first person to look at the possibility of receiving separate views in each eye, In the third century B.C, Euclid in his treatise on Optics observed that the left and right eyes see slightly different views of a sphere'(Zone, 2007). However, Wheatstone was the first person to create a device to be able to re-create 3D images. Between 1835 and 1839 photography was starting to be developed thanks to work from William Fox Talbot, Nicephore Niepce and Louise Daguerre. Once Wheatstone became aware of the photographic pictures that were available he requested some stereoscopic photographs to be made for him. Wheatstone observed that it has been found advantageous to employ, simultaneously, two cameras fixed at the proper angular positions'(Zone, 2007). This was the start of stereoscopic photography. Between 1850 and 1860 work was starting to be done by various people to try and combine stereoscopic photography with machines that would display a series of images very quickly and therefore using persistence of vision to create a moving 3D image. These were the first glimpses of 3D motion. In 1891 a French scientist, Louis Ducos du Hauron patented the anaglyph, a method for separating an image into two separate colour channels and then by wearing glassing with the same colours but on opposite eyes thereby cancelling out the image, thus reproducing one image, but in 3D. Another method used at this time to create 3D was proposed by John Anderton, also in 1891. Andertons system was to use polarisation techniques to split the image into two separate light paths and then employ a similar polarisation technique to divert a separate image to each eye on viewing. One of the main advantages of polarisation over anaglyphs is that they do not lose any colour information, this is due to the fact that both images retain the original colour spectrums. They do however loose luminance. It is common for a silver screen to be necessary, it serves two purposes, firstly the specially designed screen maintains the separate polarisation required for each image. It also reflects more light than conventional screens, this compensates for the loss of luminance. During 1896 and 1897 2D motion pictures started to take off, and by 1910 after a lot of initial experimenting the creative formats of film that we recognise today such as cuts and framing had started to become evident. In 1920 Jenkins, an inventor that worked hard to try and create a method for recreating stereoscopic motion picture was quoted as saying Stereoscopic motion pictures have been the subject of considerable thought and have been attained in several waysbut never yet have they been accomplished in a practical way. By practical, I mean, for example without some device to wear over the eyes of the observer.'(Zone, 2007) It is worth noting that this problem of finding a practical method of viewing 3D has still to a large extent not been solved. Chapter 4: Early 3D Feature Films (1922 1950) 4.1 The first 3D feature film The first 3D feature film, The Power of Love was released in 1922, it was exhibited at the Ambassador Hotel Theatre in Los Angeles. Popular Mechanics magazine described how the characters in the film did not appear flat on the screen, but seemed to be moving about in locations which had depth exactly like the real spots where the pictures were taken(Zone, 2007). The Power of Love was exhibited using red/green glasses using a dual strip anaglyph method of 3D projection. (Anaglyphs are explained in chapter 8.3) The film was shot on a custom made camera invented by Harry K.Fairall, he was also the director on the film. The camera incorporated two films in one camera body.(Symmes, 2006) Power of Love was the first film to be viewed using anaglyph glasses, also the first to use dual-strip projection. Also in 1922, William Van Doren Kelley designed his own camera rig, based on the Prizma colour system which he had invented in 1913. The Prizma 3D colour method worked by capturing two different colour channels by placing filters over the lenses. This way he made his own version of the red/blue anaglyphic print. Kelleys Movies of the Future was shown at Rivoli Theatre in New York City. 4.2 The first active-shutter 3D film A year later in 1923 the first alternate-frame 3D projection system was unveiled. It used a technology called Teleview. Which blocked the left and right eyes periodically in sync with the projector, thereby allowing you to see too separate images. Teleview was not an original idea, but up to this point no one had been able to get the theory to actually work in a practical way that would allow for films to be viewed in a cinema. This is where Laurens Hammond comes in. Hammons designed a system where two standard projectors would be hooked up to their own AC generators, running at 60Hz this meant that adjusting the AC frequency would increase or decrease the speed of the projectors. The left film was in the left projector and right film in the right. The projectors were in frame sync, but the shutters were out of phase sync.'(Symmes, 2006) This meant that the left image was shown, then the right image. The viewing device was attached to the seats in the theatre. It was mounted on a flexible neck, similar to some adjustable gooseneck desk lamps. You twisted it around and centred it in front of your face, kind of like a mask floating just in front of your face. (Symmes, 2006) The viewing device consisted of a circular mask with a view piece for each eye plus a small motor that moved a shutter across in front of either the left or right eye piece depending on the cycle of current running through it. All of the viewing devices were powered by the same AC generator as the projectors meaning that they were all exactly in sync. One of the major problems Hammond had to overcome was the fact that at the time film was displayed at 16 frames per second. With this method of viewing you are effectively halving the frame rate. 8 frames per second resulted in a very noticeable flicker. To overcome this Hammond cut each frame up in to three flashes so the new sequence was: 1L-1R-1L-1R-1L-1-R 2L-2R-2L-2R-2L-2R and so on. Three alternate flashes per eye on the screen. (Symmes, 2006) This method of separating and duplicating certain frames effectively resulted in increasing the overall frame rate thereby eradicating the flicker. There was only one film produced using this method, it was called M.A.R.S and displayed at the Selwyn Theatre in New York City in December 1922. The reason the technology didnt catch on was not due to the image, as the actual theory for producing the image has changed very little from the Teleview method to the current active-shutter methods which will be explained later. As with a lot of 3D methods the reason this one did not become mainstream was due the viewing apparatus that was needed. Although existing projectors could be modified by linking them up to separate AC generator, meaning no extra equipment was needed, the headsets that were required did need a lot of investment and time to install. All of the seats in the theatre needed to be fitted with headsets, these were adjusted in front of the audience members. These also had to be linked up to the AC generator so as they were perfectly in sync, this meant that they had to be wired in to the seats. These problems have since been overcome with wireless technologies such as Bluetooth as will be explained later. 4.3 The first polarised 3D film The next and arguably one of the most important advancements in 3D technology came in 1929 when Edwin H. Land worked out a way of using polarised lenses (Polaroid) together with images to create stereo vision. (Find more on polarisation in chapter 8.6) Lands polarizing material was first used for projection of still stereoscopic images at the behest of Clarence Kennedy, an art history instructor at Smith College who wanted to project photo images of sculptures in stereo to his students. (Zone, 2007) In 1936 Beggars Wedding was released in Italy, it was the first stereoscopic feature to include sound, it was exhibited using Polaroid filters. This was filmed using polarised technology. The first American film to use polarising filters was shot in 1939 and entitled In Tune With Tomorrow, it was a 15 minute short film which shows through stop motion, a car being built piece-by-piece in 3D with the added enhancement of music and sound effects. (Internet Movie Database, 2005) Between 1939 and 1952 3D films continued to me made but with the Great Depression and the onset of the Second World War, the cinema industry was restricted with its output because of finances and as 3D films were more expensive to make their output started to be reduced. Chapter 5: Golden Age of 3D (1952 1955) With cinema ticket sales plummeting from 90 million in 1948 to 40 million in 1951 (Sung, 2009) largely being put down to the television becoming coming in peoples front rooms the cinema industry needed to find a way to encourage the viewers back the big screen, 3D was seen as a way to offer something extra to make viewers return. In 1952 the first colour 3D film was released called Bwana Devil,it was the first of many stereoscopic films to follow in the next few years. The process of combining 3D and colour attracted a new audience to 3D films. Between 1950 and 1955 there were far more 3D films produced that at any other time before or since, apart from possibly in the next couple of years from 2009 onwards, as the cinema industry tries to fight back again against falling figures, this time though because of home entertainment systems, video-on-demand, and legal and illegal movie downloads. Towards the end of the Golden Age, around 1955, the fascination with 3D was starting to be lost. There were a number of reasons for this, one of the main factors was that in order for the film to be seen in 3D it had to be shown on two reels at the same time, which meant that the two reels had to be exactly in time else the effect would be lost and it would cause the audience headaches. Chapter 6: Occasional 3D films (1960 2000) Between 1960 and 2000 there were sporadic resurgences in 3D. These were down to new technologies becoming available. In the late 1960s the invention of a single strip 3D format initiated a revival as it meant that the dual projectors would no longer go out of sync and cause eye-strain. The first version of this single strip 3D format to be used was called Space-Vision 3D, it worked on an over and under basis. This meant that the frame was horizontally split into two, during playback it was then separate in two using a prism and polarised glasses. However, there were major drawbacks with Space-Vision 3D. Due to the design of the cameras required to film in this format, the only major lens that was compatible was the Bernier lens. The focal length of the Bernier optic is fixed at 35mm and the interaxial at 65mm. Neither may be varied, but convergence may be altered'(Lipton, 1982).This obviously restricted the creative filmmaking options and as a result was soon superseded by a new format called Stereovision. Stereovision was similar to Space-Vision 3D in that is split the frame in two, unlike Space-Vision though, the frame was split vertically, and they were placed side-by-side. During projection these frames were then put through an anamorphic lens, thereby stretching them back to their original size. These also made use of the polarising method introduced by Land in 1929. A film made using this process was called The Stewardess, released in 1969, it cost only $100,000 to make but at the cinema it grossed $26,000,000 (Lipton, 1982). Understandably the studios were very interested in the profit margin that arose from this film. As a result 3D once again became an interesting prospect for studios. Up until fairly recently films were still shot and edited using old film techniques (i.e. not digitally). This made manipulating 3D films quite difficult, this lack of control over the full process made 3D less appealing to film makers. The digitisation of post-processing and visual effects gave us another surge in the 1990s. But only full digitisation, from glass to glass from the cameras to projector lenses gives 3D the technological biotope it needs to thrive (Mendiburu, 2009). Chapter 7: The Second Golden Age of 3D (2004 present) In 2003 James Cameron released Ghost of the Abyss, it was the first full length 3D feature film that used the Reality Camera System, which was specially designed to use new high definition digital cameras. These digital cameras meant that the old techniques used with 3D film no longer restricted the work-flow, and the whole process can be done digitally, from start to finish. The next groundbreaking film was Robert Semeckis 2004 animated film Polar Express which was also shown in IMAX theatres. It was released at the same time in 2D and 3D, the 3D cinemas took on average 14 times more money that the 2D cinemas. The cinemas once again took note, and since Polar Express was released in 2004, 3D digital films have become more and more prominent. IMAX are no longer the only cinemas capable of displaying digital 3D films. A large proportion of conventional cinemas have made the switch to digital, this switch has enabled 3D films to be exhibited in a large range of cinemas. CHAPTER 8: 3D TECHNOLOGIES 8.1 3D capture and display methods Each different type of stereoscopic display projects the combined left and right images together onto a flat surface, usually a television or cinema screen. The viewer then must have a method of decoding this image and separating the combined image into left and right images and relaying these to the correct eye. The method that is used to split this image is, in the majority of cases, a pair of glasses. There are two brackets of encoding method, passive and active. Passive means that the images are combined into one and then the glasses split this image in to two separate images for left and right eye. In this method the glasses are cheaper to produce and the expense usually comes in the equipment used to project the image. The second method is active display. This method works by sending the alternative images in a very quick succession (L-R-L-R-L-R), the glasses then periodically block the appropriate eye piece, this is done at such a fast rate that it appears to be continuous in both eyes. There are various different types of encoding encapsulated within each of the two methods mentioned above. The encoding can use either colour separation (anaglyph, Dolby 3D), time separation (active glasses) or polarisation (RealD). A separate method, which does not require the use of glasses is done by using a virtual space in front of the screen and is called autosterescopic. In cinemas across the world at the moment there are several formats that are used to display 3D films. Three of the main distributors are Real-D, iMAX and Dolby-3D. Once a 3D film has been finished by the studios, it then needs to be prepared for exhibition in various different formats, this can include amongst other things colour grading and anti ghosting processes. At present there is not a universally agreed format for capturing or playing back 3D films, as a result there are several different versions, these are explained below. A large majority of the latest wave of 3D technology options send the image using one projector, so removing the old problem of out sync left and right images. The methods that do use dual projectors are much more sophisticated that the older versions used in anaglyphic films so have eradicated the old problems of out of sync projectors. 8.2 Gho

Free College Admissions Essays: Physics and Philosophy :: College Admissions Essays

Physics and Philosophy    Physics has always been the science that interests me most. It seems to me that physics tackles fundamental questions about the universe and it feels more relevant than other sciences. I enjoy experimental work in physics but do sometimes feel limited by the resources available at my college. I would like the chance to use more sophisticated equipment to investigate more advanced level physics. Actually doing some of the important experiments of the last century, such as Rutherford's proof for the existence of the proton would add a new level of realism to particle physics. My interest in Philosophy developed through my study of Law at AS-level. I started to take an interest in jurisprudence and read a number of texts on the subject. I found that these contained many terms that I had never really encountered before. This has left me wanting to find out more about philosophy and different ways of thinking.    I have chosen these subjects because I enjoy them and would like to look into them in more depth than I have done in the past. I have chosen Physics and Philosophy because the combination of subjects requires both mathematical and scientific ability but also aptitude in written communication and logic. I would like to leave my options open in terms of possible career and I feel that by developing a number of different skills this will give me the best possible knowledge base.    I would like to use the opportunity of higher education to strengthen my mathematical and science related abilities such as investigation and problem solving. However parallel to this I would also like to further improve skills in areas such as discussion and structured argument. I would also like to develop my written communication skills and I feel that this courses especially the Philosophy aspect would let me advance my writing style.    One of my main interests outside school is computers and the Internet. I have been using the Internet regularly for a number of years for many different purposes including research and communication. I have also developed my own web page and looked at things such as HTML and CGI scripts. My other interests are general socialising and also keeping fit. I am a member of my local gym and also regularly go swimming. I have gained my NPLQ lifeguard qualification and also have recently passed my two star canoe test and hope to progress onto my three star certification.

Free Essays on The Stranger (The Outsider): Freedom and Death :: Camus Stranger Essays

Freedom and Death in The Stranger (The Outsider)  Ã‚      In The Stranger (The Outsider), as in all Camus’ works, Camus’ views on freedom and death – one dependent on the other – are major themes. For Camus, freedom arises in awareness of one’s life, the every-moment life, an intense glorious life that needs no redeeming, no regrets, no tears. Death is unjustifiable, absurd; it is but a reintegration into the cosmos for a â€Å"free† man. Until a person reaches this awareness, life, like death, is absurd, and indeed, generically, life remains absurd, though each individual’s life can be valuable and meaningful to him. In a sense, The Stranger is a parable of Camus’ philosophy, with emphasis on that which is required for freedom. Meursault, hero of The Stranger, is not a person one would be apt to meet in reality in this respect; Meursault does not achieve the awakening of consciousness, so essential to freedom and to living Camus’ philosophy until the very end of the book, yet h e has lived his entire life in according with the morality of Camus’ philosophy. His equivalent in the Christian philosophy would be an irreligious person whose homeland has never encountered Christianity who, upon having it explained by a missionary, realizes he has never sinned. What is the morality, the qualities necessary for freedom, which Meursault manifested? First, the ruling trait of his character is his passion for the absolute truth. While in Meursault this takes the form of a truth of being and feeling, it is still the truth necessary to the conquest of the self or of the world. This passion is so profound that it obtains even when denying it might save his life. Second, and not unrelated to the first, is Meursault’s acceptance of nature as what it is and nothing more, his rejection of the supernatural, including any god. Actually, â€Å"rejection† of God is not accurate until later when he is challenged to accept the concept; Meursault simply has ne ver considered God and religion worthwhile pursuing. The natural makes sense; the supernatural doesn’t. It follows that death to Meursault also is what it is naturally; the end of life, cessation, and that is all. Third, and logically following, Meursault lives entirely in the present. The past is past and dwelling upon it in any mood is simply a waste of the present. As to the future, the ultimate future is death; to sacrifice the present to the future is equivalent to sacrificing life to death.

Itm †Organizations, Management and the Networked Enterprises

In 2008, ICT (Information and communication technologies) sector of the Canadian economy totaled $59. 2 billion Cellphones, delivery service, social medias, internet advertising are growing and growing Three changes 1) emerging mobile digital platform (iphone, bb, netbooks ) 2) growth of online software as a service and 3) the growth in â€Å"cloud computing† where more and more business software runs over the Internet > organizations can rely more on telework, remote work and distributed decision making, think decentralization, firms can outsource more work, and rely on markets rather than employees to build value. It also means that firms can collaborate with suppliers and customers to create new products or make existing ones more efficiently. Thomas Friedman world is now â€Å"flat†, Internet and global communications had greatly reduced the economic and cultural advantages of developed countries. Digital firms: most of significant business relationships (with customers, suppliers, and employees) of an organization are digital. Core business process are accomplished through digital networks spanning the entire organization or linking multiple organizations. Key corporate assets- interellectual property, core competencies, and financial and human assets are managed through digital means. Time shifting ( 24/7) and space shifting (globally accomplished) are the norm There is a growing interdependence between a firms information systems and its business capabilities, changes in strategy, rules, and business processes increasingly require changes in hardware, software, databases, and telecommunications. What the organization would like to do depends on what its systems will permit to do. Six strategic business objectives: 1) OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE- improve efficiency and productivity to achieve higher profitability. Eg Walmart,linked supplier, stocking just-in-time 2) NEW PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND BUSINESS MODELS ( which describes how a company produces, delivers, and sells a product or service to create wealth). Eg: Ipod/apple/itunes deliverying music 3) CUSTOMER AND SUPPLIER INTIMACY- satisfied customers will return purchasing more and engaged suppliers lowers costs. Eg: Mandarin Oriental in London, England hotel record the preference of customer and store data to program the room conditions as desired. Nygard suppliers are informed expecting just-in time delivery, inventory is near zero as storage cost. 4) IMPROVED DECISION MAKING- using real time data from the marketplace when making decisions. Eg: Trimac, uses a dashboard project 5) COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES: achieving one or more of these business objectives. Eg: Toyota Motor Company high level of efficiency and quality. TPS( Toyota Production System) focuses on organizing work to eliminate waste, make improvements, optimizing customer value, producing vehicles based on what customers actually ordered. 6) SURVIVAL- because they have to keep up with the industry and business- Eg: all banks had to implement ATM machines IT(Information Technology): all hardware and software that a firm needs to use in order to achieve its business objectives. ( hadware, software, programs, applications) Information systems are complex and can be best understood by looking at them from both a technology and a business perspective. It’s a set of interrelated components that collect, process, store and distribute information to support decision making and control in an organization as well as help analyzing problems, visualize complex subjects and create new products. It contains information (data-raw unprocessed fact- that have been shaped into meaningful and useful) about significant people, places and things within the organization or in the environment surrounding it. Eg: supermarket checkout counters scan data from bar codes that can be totaled and analyzed to provide meaningful information. Four activities in information system to produce information: 1) Input: captures or collects raw data from the org of external environment 2) Processing: converts raw input into meaningful form. 3) Output: transfers processed information to people or activities that will be used for 4) Feedback: output that is returned to appropriate members of organization to help them evaluate or correct the input and processing stages. computers provide equipment for storing and processing information *computer programs or software’s are sets of operating instructions that direct and control computer processing information systems literacy- technical dimensions of a system computer literacy- knowledge of information technology MIS(Management information Systems) deals with behavioural and technical issues surrounding the development use and impact of information sys tems used by managers and employees in a firm. Dimensions: )ORGANIZATIONS: pyramid with upper levels of hierarchy consisting of managerial, professional and technical employees and lower levels operational personnel (authority and responsibility levels) -senior managemet: long- range strategic decisions about products and services and ensures financial performance of the firm -middle management: carries out programs and plans of senior management Knowledge workers: engineers, scientists, design products or services and create new knowledge for the firm -operational management: responsible for monitoring the daily activities of the business. Data workers: secretaries or clerks, assist with paperwork at all levels of the firm Production or service workers: produce the product and deliver the service. Major business functions: Sales and marketing, Manufacturing and production, Finance and accounting, Human resources. Culture-fundamental set of assumptions, values and ways of doing things that has been accepted by most of its members 2) MANAGEMENT: make sense, make decisions, formulate action plans to solve organizational problems. They must exercise responsible leadership. They must do more than manage what exists, by creating new products and services and re-creating organization from time to time. 3)INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY(INFRASTRUCTURE): one of many tools managers use to cope with change, which provides foundation or platform on which the firm can build its specific information systems. computer hardware- physical equipment used for input, processing and output activities in an information system. Includes computers of various sizes including mobile devices, various input output and storage devices, and telecommunication devices that link computers together. Computer software- detailed, preprogrammed instructions that control and coordinate the computer hardware components in an information system Data management technology- consists of the software governing the organization of data on physical storage media Networking and telecommunications technology- consists of both physical devices and software, links the various pieces of hardware and transfers data from one physical location to another. A network links two or more computers to share data or resources, such as a printer. The internet (a business necessity and a competitive advantage) is a global network of networks that uses universal standards to connect millions of different networks with more than 1. 4 billion users in more than 230 countries. Intranets- internal corporate networks Extranets private intranets extended to authorized users outside the organization . World wide web> service provided by Internet that uses universally accepted standards for storing, retrieving, formatting and displaying information in a page format on the Internet (web pages). g IS are part of a series of value-adding activities for acquiring, transforming, and distributing information that managers can use to improve decision making, enhance organizational performance, and , ultimately increase firm profitability complementary assets: assets required to derive value from a primary investment- organizational and managerial capital Important organizational investments: supportive business culture that values efficiency and effectiveness, an appropriate business model, efficient business processes, decentralization of authority, highly distributed decision rights, and a strong information system development team. Important managerial investments: strong senior management support for change, incentive systems, that monitor and reward individual innovation, an emphasis on teamworl and collaboration, training programs, and a management culture that values flexibility and knowledge Important social investments: internet, supporting internet culture, educational systems, network and computing standards, regulations and laws and the precense of technology and service firms. IS are sociotechnical systems but are composed by machines devices and hard physical technology that require substancial social, organizational and intellaectual investments to make them work properly Technical Approach: Management Science, Computer Science Operations Research Behavioural approach: Psychology, Economics, Sociology Socio-technical approach: the performance of a system is optimized when both the technology and the organizational mutually adjust to one another until a satisfactory fit is obtained.