Trends, Networks and Critical

Thinking (TNCT)
Trends is general direction in which something is developing or changing. Network an
arrangement of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines. Critical Thinking is the
objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment.

UNIT 1
A pattern of gradual change in a condition, output, or process, or an average or general tendency of a series
of data points to move in a certain direction over time, represented by a line or curve on a graph.
EXAMPLES
FACEBOOK- Spend time using the social networking website Facebook.
MESSENGER – A person who carries a message or is employed to carry messages.
INSTAGRAM – Is a mobile photo-sharing application and service that allows users to share pictures and
videos either publicly or privately on the service, as well as through a variety of other social networking
platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr.
FADS
A DESIRABLE TREND CHARACTERIZED WITH LOTS OF ENTHUSIASM AND
ENERGY OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. FADS ARE OFTEN SEEN WITH
COMMON CONSUMER ITEMS, ESPECIALLY AROUND A HOLIDAY SEASON.
PRODUCTS THAT HAVE FALLEN INTO THIS CATEGORY INCLUDE BEANIE
BABIES IN THE 1990S, AND GAMING SYSTEM IN THE 2000S. THEY CAN ALSO BE
SEEN IN OTHER AREAS, SUCH AS INVESTING. FOR EXAMPLE, LEVERAGED BUY-
OUTS (LBOS) WERE USED FREQUENTLY IN THE 1980S FOR COMPANIES
LOOKING FOR ACQUIRE RIVALS, SUPPLIERS, AND OTHER RELATED ENTITIES.
IN THE LATE 1990S THOUGH, LBOS BECAME LESS POPULAR.

DIFFERENTIATING A TREND FROM FADS

A DESIRABLE TREND CHARACTERIZED WITH LOTS OF ENTHUSIASM AND
ENERGY OVER A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. FADS ARE OFTEN SEEN WITH
COMMON CONSUMER ITEMS, ESPECIALLY AROUND A HOLIDAY SEASON.
PRODUCTS THAT HAVE FALLEN INTO THIS CATEGORY INCLUDE BEANIE
BABIES IN THE 1990S, AND GAMING SYSTEM IN THE 2000S. THEY CAN ALSO BE
SEEN IN OTHER AREAS, SUCH AS INVESTING. FOR EXAMPLE, LEVERAGED BUY-
OUTS (LBOS) WERE USED FREQUENTLY IN THE 1980S FOR COMPANIES
LOOKING FOR ACQUIRE RIVALS, SUPPLIERS, AND OTHER RELATED ENTITIES.
IN THE LATE 1990S THOUGH, LBOS BECAME LESS POPULAR.
THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A TREND AND A FAD IS THAT TRENDS
HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE LONG-TERM INFLUENCERS ON THE MARKET. IN
ADDITION, TRENDS OFTEN INVOLVE ALTERED CLASSICS. FOR EXAMPLE,
SPECIFIC COLORS CAN BE DECLARED “TRENDY.” FOR 2014, THE COLORS
ORANGE AND BLUE GARNERED A LOT OF ATTENTION. HOWEVER, ORANGE
AND BLUE ARE CLASSIC COLORS; IN OTHER WORDS, A CLASSIC PIECE HAS
BEEN DECLARED A “TREND.” TRENDS CAN BE MUCH MORE DIFFICULT TO
TRACK, BUT THE BEST RULE OF THUMB WHEN CONSIDERING WHETHER A
PIECE IS A CLASSIC OR A TREND, IS TO ASK YOURSELF: “WILL I STILL LOVE
THIS IN FIVE YEARS?” IF THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING “YES,” THEN
CHANCES ARE THAT THE PIECE IS EITHER A CLASSIC OR AN UPDATED
CLASSIC, BOTH OF WHICH WILL AGE BEAUTIFULLY.

UNIT 2
UNDERSTANDING LOCAL NETWORKS

Intuitive thinking

INTUITIVE THINKING HAS CONTRASTING QUALITIES: IT IS

UNFOCUSED, NONLINEAR, CONTAINS “NO TIME,” SEES MANY THINGS
AT ONCE, VIEWS THE BIG PICTURE, CONTAINS PERSPECTIVE, IS
HEART CENTERED, ORIENTED IN SPACE AND TIME, AND TENDS TO
THE REAL OR CONCRETE. INTUITION COMES INTO ITS OWN WHERE
ANALYTICAL THINKING IS INADEQUATE: UNDER TIME PRESSURE,
WHERE CONDITIONS ARE DYNAMIC, WHERE THE DIFFERENTIATION
BETWEEN OBSERVER AND OBSERVED IS UNCLEAR. IT WORKS BEST
WHERE THE OBSERVER HAS EXPERIENCE IN THE PARTICULAR
SITUATION, IS DIFFICULT TO TEACH IN THE CLASSROOM, ESCHEWS
SEEKING THE ‘BEST’ OPTION IN FAVOR OF THE ‘WORKABLE,’ AND IS
PREPARED TO ACT ON FEELINGS OR HUNCHES WHERE
EXPLANATIONS ARE EITHER NOT REQUIRED OR THERE IS NO TIME
FOR THEM. INTUITION IS EXPERIENCE TRANSLATED BY EXPERTISE TO
PRODUCE RAPID ACTION.

SFP DESCRIBED AS A FOUR -STEP PROCESS

1. UNDERSTANDING: THE THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING THE
ORGANISATION’S MISSION, VISION, VALUES, AND GOALS;
2. ANALYSING: THE ANALYSIS OF THE ORGANIZATION’S FACILITY
NEEDS;
3. PLANNING: THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRATEGIES THAT MEET LONG-
TERM NEEDS OF THE ORGANIZATION;
4. ACTING: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PLANNED STRATEGIES.

AS SFP MERGES WITH STRATEGIC POLICY OBJECTIVES OF EACH

PARTICULAR SECTOR OR ORGANIZATION, ALIGNMENT AMONG
STAKEHOLDERS IS CRITICAL FOR SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS. IN
THIS REGARD, THERE IS A TRANSCENDENCE AW AY FROM A ONE
DIRECTIONAL PURCHASER-SUPPLIER ASSOCIATION TO A MORE
INTEGRATED AND COOPERATIVE RELATIONSHIP.

UNIT 3
GLOBAL NETWORKS
A GLOBAL NETWORK IS ANY COMMUNICATION NETWORK WHICH SPANS THE
ENTIRE EARTH. THE TERM, AS USED IN THIS ARTICLE REFERS IN A MORE
RESTRICTED WAY TO BIDIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION NETWORKS.

GLOBALIZATION

GLOBALIZATION HE .PROCESS BY WHICH BUSINESSES OR OTHER

ORGANIZATIONS DEVELOP INTERNATIONAL INFLUENCE OR START
OPERATING ON AN INTERNATIONAL SCALE.
 MIGRATION
MIGRATION IS THE MOVEMENT BY PEOPLE FROM ONE PLACE TO ANOTHER
WITH THE INTENTIONS OF SETTLING, PERMANENTLY IN THE NEW LOCATION.
THE MOVEMENT IS OFTEN OVER LONG DISTANCES AND FROM ONE COUNTRY
TO ANOTHER, BUT INTERNAL MIGRATION IS ALSO POSSIBLE; INDEED, THIS IS
THE DOMINANT FORM GLOBALLY.

TYPES OF MIGRATION
 INTERNAL MIGRATION – THIS IS DEFINED AS THE PROCESS WHERE MIGRANTS
LOOK FOR A NEW RESIDENCE WITHIN THEIR OWN COUNTRY, STATE, OR
CONTINENT.
 EXTERNAL MIGRATION – MOVING IN A DIFFERENT COUNTRY, STATE OR
CONTINENT TO A NEW RESIDENCE
 MIGRATION – LEAVING ONE COUNTRY TO MOVE TO ANOTHER
 IMMIGRATION – MOVING INTO A NEW COUNTRY
 FORCED MIGRATION – THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE STATE OR AUTHORITIES
FORCED ITS PEOPLE TO MIGRATE FOR A REASON

UNIT 4
PLANETARY NETWORS CLIMATE CHANGE
A CHANGE IN GLOBAL OR REGIONAL CLIMATE PATTERNS, IN PARTICULAR A
CHANGE APPARENT FROM THE MID TO LATE 20TH CENTURY ONWARDS AND
ATTRIBUTED LARGELY TO THE INCREASED LEVELS OF ATMOSPHERIC
CARBON DIOXIDE PRODUCED BY THE USE OF FOSSIL FUELS.
Global climate change will affect people and the environment in many ways. Some of
these impacts, like stronger hurricanes and severe heat waves, could be life threatening.
Others, like spreading weeds, will be less serious. And some effects, like longer growing
seasons for crops, might even be good!

Steps to address the problems of climate change

UNIT 5
DEMOCRATIC INTERVENTION
Democratic relating to or supporting democracy or its principles. Intervention is the act of
inserting one thing between others, like a person trying to help. You could be the subject of a
school intervention if your teachers call your parents about the bad grades you’ve been
hiding. Intervention comes from the Latin intervenire, meaning “to come between, interrupt”.

UNIT 6
INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT)
IS AN UMBRELLA TERM THAT INCLUDES ANY COMMUNICATION DEVICE OR
APPLICATION, ENCOMPASSING: RADIO, TELEVISION, CELLULAR PHONES,
COMPUTER AND NETWORK HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE, SATELLITE SYSTEMS
AND SO ON, AS WELL AS THE VARIOUS SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS .
 UNIT 7
NEURAL AND SOCIAL NETWORKS

NUERAL A COMPUTER SYSTEM MODELED ON THE HUMAN BRAIN AND

NERVOUS SYSTEM.
 SOCIAL NETWORK THE USE OF DEDICATED WEBSITES AND
APPLICATIONS TO INTERACT WITH OTHER USERS, OR TO FIND
PEOPLE WITH SIMILAR INTERESTS TO ONESELF.

SUMMARY

UNIT 1 IS ALL ABOUT FAD VS TRENDS AND THEIR DIFFERENCES. UNIT

2 DEFINITION OF INTUITIVE THINKING AND STRATEGIC ANALYSIS,
FOUR STEPS TO CONQUER IT. UNIT 3 DEFINITION OF GLOBAL
NETWORKS, GLOBALIZATION, MIGRATION. UNIT 4
PLATENARY CLIMATE CHANGE, THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
AND THE SOLUTION. UNIT 5 THE DEFINITION OF DIMENSIONS OF
DEMOCRACY. UNIT 6 DEFINITON OF ICT. UNIT 7 THE NEURAL
AND SOCIAL NETWORKS AND THEIR UNIFORMITY.

APPLICATION

THE COURSE PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TO

DISCOVER PATTERNS AND EXTRACT MEANINGS FROM EMERGING
TRENDS. IT AIDS IN DEVELOPING THEIR CRITICAL AND CREATIVE
THINKING SKILLS– ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR DECISION MAKING AND
UNDERSTANDING “ETHICS OF CARE”. GLOBAL TRENDS IN THE 21ST
CENTURY ARE EXAMINED AND ARE EITHER ACCEPTED OR REJECTED
ON A SOUND SET OF CRITERIA. STUDENTS WILL BE ASKED TO
CREATE AND ANALYZE SCENARIOS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM TO
FORMULATE THEIR STANCES ON ISSUES OR CONCERNS PROPOSE
INTERVENTIONS AND FORMULATE ALTERNATIVE FUTURES. THE
STUDENTS WILL REALIZE THE INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN THEIR
NEURAL CONNECTIONS AND SOCIAL REALITIES.

Understanding Local Networks

A network is a group of people whom we interact daily. Our relationships are

networked. If you look at nature, networks are everywhere. The cellular network in the
human brain, for instance, is an amazing network that makes human life possible.

But what are networks? Networks are a ‘set of nodes and set of ties’ (Brass, 1994: 42).
The things that are connected are usually called nodes. A node might be a person, a
computer or even a hyperlinked text. The connections between hubs are called
“associations” and here and there called “edges”. They are relations that bind the tie or
even make the ties suffer. It is imperative for leaders and managers to precisely see the
system relations that associate individuals and to effectively oversee them. Awareness
concerning social networks is important to the extent that people are uncertain who is
connected to whom. It is a means of developing contact and exchange of information. It
provides us the opportunity to interact with people outside of our regular social circle. It
is vital also to entrepreneurs, professionals, and job seekers.

Networks are analyzed in terms of density, hierarchy, multiplexity, interdependence

and embeddedness (Kilduff and Tsal, 2003, pp.3off).

1. Density- The density of a network is based on the number of connections

between and among the actors. According to Kilduf and Tsai, the higher the number, the
denser the system.The density of a network depicts the potential associations in a
system that are genuine associations while a potential connection is an association that
could possibly exists between two “hubs” paying little respect to regardless of whether it
really does.
2. Hierarchy- Actors in the network can pull their investments in social relations by
establishing relations with a diverse set of groups in the community (preferably groups
that are not connected to each other), rather than establishing all of their relationships
with members of one group.
3. Complexity- Complexity is the extent to which a link between actors served a
multiplicity of interests in the community. The more complex relations have considered
have higher tie strength. Complexity also represents the extent to which two people are
bound to each other in different social grounds.
4. Interdependence- The ties in the network can be useful in facilitating change
and reform. The interdependence of social ties in a community produces benefits for
actors and members. Interdependence facilitates cooperation and creates social capital
necessary for the progress of the community. Social capital is the accumulated benefits
as a result of the maintenance of a positive relationship between different groups and
associations in the community.
5. Embeddedness- The networks of relations within each person is rooted include
family, friends, and acquaintances. To be sure, business associations themselves are
held together by formal relations of power as well as by casual connections that interface
individuals crosswise over departmental and progressive limits.