Shift Happens

I thought the video Shift Happens was interesting and pretty cool. It makes me excited for the future and amazed at how far technology has come in such a short amount of time. I think the world will adjust to all the changes that are coming in the future. There is always uncertainty with the unknown but the best advancements are made when you embrace the unknown. It will definitely be a challenge for the educational system to keep up with all the changes. The potential for new jobs not even known about yet are endless. There will be more untraditional jobs and the work experience needed by the future workforce will be very variable. I think this will make things more interesting and less mundane. The new ideas and inventions that will be developed to make life more globally interconnected and the changes in information processing and availability are improving lives today for the better. Technology sometimes takes away from the personal side of things - seeing someone in person is a lot better than on a video screen but that is better than nothing if it’s all you have. Globalization is a movement that won’t be stopped or slow down any time soon. As the video says: Shift Happens. We need to embrace change and the challenges it presents to not be left behind. Sometimes technology is good and sometimes it does not have the desired effect but you have to be excited about the possibilities and the applications because they are endless.

Urban/Suburban/Rural Life

After growing up in what sociologists consider the megalopolis, the “city of cities”, the area stretching between Boston and D.C., I always considered my area of the megalopolis much more rural.

Home to a pharmaceutical company and a major defense contractor, the cutbacks in manufacturing and changes in government spending have changed the requirements of the workforce from higher skilled technical and manual jobs to more service oriented jobs. Two separate gaming casinos within close proximity to each other were built. This huge growth of the service industry has caused a huge influx of Asian workers to the area. Some possibly just relocating from communities in New York or Massachusetts. With smaller cities located close by, hotels and new malls have also been built. More of the area is becoming urbanized. The small towns comprising this area were unequipped and have had a difficult time handling all the development that has drastically changed the area.

The area has been affected by general changes seen by sociologists in rural America, an increased population of retirees and a decrease in the numbers of young people due to limited sectors of business and job opportunities along with minimal cultural amenities. With a lot of land still available for new development and the rapid advancement of technology the possibilities of attracting and retaining new people and businesses to the area are endless.

Who wields the power?

Who wields the power? Special interest groups. From Freddie Mac trying to quash a regulatory bill that would have limited its operations to the health industry fighting against health care reform in the early 1990s to the pharmaceutical industry getting involved in medicare reform which extended prescription drug benefits, special interest groups attempt to influence government policy in their favor. In pluralist theories of democracy, individual citizens do not have a direct influence on the policy making process. Instead government policies are influenced by special interest groups. Pluralist theory also holds that while all interest groups have some affect on policy, no one group totally sways the direction of public policy. Special interest groups with more financial resources have more power and may be able to diminish the voices of other groups. Some interest groups such as the National Organization of Women strive to address inequalities. Others simply exacerbate current political divisions. Most do not limit their activities to simply influencing elected officials. They may also engage in public relations campaigns in an effort to manipulate public opinion against or in favor of specific legislation. They help elect candidates by providing funding which is another way to influence the outcomes of policy votes in Congress. In this way the government is not directly influenced by the people but reacts to pressures from and bargains with special interest groups, who wield the power.

Is Wal-Mart Good For America?

Wal-Mart is good for America. They have set a standard for businesses operating in the global economy. They are able to accurately interpret consumers needs and efficiently serve them. Wal-Mart is doing what any successful business should do - keeping their costs as low as possible, providing their customers with a value and still making a profit for their shareholders. The money consumers save at Wal-Mart can be spent else where and American consumers like shopping at Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is competition for other businesses and an absence of competition can lead to higher prices, particularly in many smaller communities.

Today’s workers need to become more like portfolio workers, as defined in the text as, those with a number of different job skills and credentials, so they can compete in the changing economy and the changing job market. No longer can you learn a trade, get a job and stay with that company for your entire working career.

Wal-Mart has adapted well to a modern economy. They are operating according to post-Fordism practices which, according to the text, “include the replacement of highly bureaucratic, vertically organized business structures with more flexible, horizontally organized networked approaches; the transition from mass production to global outsourcing....” Those who adapt stay in business and those who don’t, don’t.