TRENDS, NETWORK AND CRITICAL THINKING IN THE

21ST CENTURY

Grade 12 Senior Highschool

Name: ____________________________________ Section: _______________

Teacher: ______________________________ Sem/S.Y.: __________________
Table of Contents

I. Introduction …………………………………………………………. 3

II. Course Description …………………………………………………3

Lesson 1. ……………………………………... 4

Reflection………………………………………. 5

Lesson 2. ………………………………………………………… 6

Reflection………………………………………………………… 8

Lesson 3. …………………………………………………. 9

Reflection……………………………………………………….11

Lesson 4. ……………………………………………………. 12

Reflection………………………………………………………….13
 I. Introduction

Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking (TNCT) in the 21st century subject provides area
of knowledge where deep understanding is required, it will help us to discover and
differentiate relationships between causes and consequences. This subject may also be
applied in facing challenges addresses by the world today. With this subject, the
learners will be able to perform competently and accurately. It offers interesting
topics that we can applying real life situations. We will learn many skills that we can
use for daily living. By studying this subject, we will become aware of what is happening
around us. We will have an idea on how to become a productive citizen and how to stand
against social issues and concerns.

II. Course Description

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 (1)
formulate their stances on issues or concerns; (2) propose interventions and; (3) formulate
alternative futures. The students will realize the interconnections between their neural
connections and social realities.
 Lesson 1 : Definition of a Trend
WHAT IS A TREND?
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.

5 TYPES OF TREND

Megatrends entail a major restructuring they are a larger pattern of broad trends that
reshape and transform our lives.
Microtrends advocate localization as opposed to globalization, recognizing that people and
communities have never been sophisticated and more knowledgeable about the choices they
make in their everyday lives.
 •Megatrend -These are the trends that can stay healthy for decades or lasts for 10
years.
 •Gigatrend -It is a megatrend that goes on for half a century or more. These are the
trends that are so general, they affect most areas of human life.
 •Nanotrend -These are the trends that are yet to be expected. It can be an alternative
trends that exists in trends.

EXAMPLES OF TRENDS:

Facebook – is the most common social network website where you can share information
about yourself and communicate with other people.
Twitter – it lets you see what is happening around the world, from breaking news and
entertainment, sports and politics to big events and every day interests.

Trendspotting is attempting to see the future in the present (Rehn and Lindkvist, 2013).

Being able to predict a trend is a valued skill for the global citizen. Trendspotting is sometimes
called cool- hunting and trend analysis.
Trend analysis is the widespread practice of collecting information and attempting to spot a
pattern, or trend, in the information.
Trend is significant, have broad implications in all aspects of society, identifiable and
explainable while fad is transit ory or quick, affect only particular group of people without
impact and driven by emotions.

ELEMENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF A TREND

•Duration of time -The lifespan of products or ideas that become trends do not disappear
quickly. Trends have long staying power and enjoy a long period of popularity.
• Acceptability -Trends are popularly accepted by many industries and people.
• Cultural Basis -A trend is rooted on the people's cultural traditions, beliefs, and values. A
trend persists and continues because people have seen it as part of a society's culture.
• Transitory increase or decrease -A trend shows a transitory increase or decrease of a
particular idea, event or phenomenon.
•Driver, Enabler, Blocker -Agents in trend

Process of Identifying a Trend

 Trend Analysis- it is a widespread pactice of collecting information and attempting to
spot a pattern, or trend in the information.
 Trend Spotting – It is the identification of new trends.
 Trend Spotter - a person who identifies and makes predictions about developing trends
in the culture at large or in a particular field (such as fashion) In the old days, trends
would percolate through the population slowly via the "and-they-told-two-friends"
network.
 Projecting Trends – Assumes the future will be a logical extension of the past.

Fads and trends

 A fads what several people say they do in the short term.
 A trend’s what people are actually doing in a long term.
 A fads inform campaign
 A trends inform business model irrevocably changed by them.

Reflection:
Using a Venn diagram, compare and contrast Fads and Trends.

Fads Trends
Lesson 2: Understanding local networks
UNDERSTANDING STRATEGIC ANALYSIS AND INTUITIVE THINKING STRATEGIC ANALYSIS

DEFINE STRATEGIC ANALYSIS

•The process of conducting research on the business environment within which an organization
operates and on the organization itself, in order to formulate strategy.

TOOLS OF STRATEGIC ANALYSIS

WHAT IS PEST ANALYSIS? • A PEST analysis is an analysis of the external macro- environment that
affects all firms. P.E.S.T. is an acronym for the Political, Economic, Social, and Technological factors of
the external macro- environment. Such external factors usually are beyond the firm's control and
sometimes present themselves as threats.

POLITICAL FACTORS
•Political factors, are how and to what degree a government intervenes in the economy. Specifically,
political factors include areas such as tax policy, labour law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs,
and political stability.

ECONOMIC FACTORS • Economic factors include economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and
the inflation rate. These factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and make decisions.
For example, Exchange rates affect the costs of exporting goods and the supply and price of imported
goods in an economy.

SOCIAL FACTORS • Social factors include the cultural aspects and include health consciousness,
population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Trends in social
factors affect the demand for a company's products and how that company operates. For example, an
ageing population may involve a smaller and less-willing workforce (thus increasing the cost of labor).

TECHNOLOGICAL FACTORS •Technological factors include ecological and environmental aspects, such as
R&D activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate of technological change. They can
determine barriers to entry, minimum efficient production level and influence outsourcing decisions.
TOOLS OF STRATEGIC ANALYSIS

SWOT ANALYSIS • SWOT Analysis is a strategic planning method used to evaluate the Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats involved in a project or in a business venture. It involves
specifying the objective of the business venture or project and identifying the internal and external
factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective

STRENGTH • Strengths describe what an organization excels at and separates it from the competition: a
strong brand, loyal customer base, a strong balance sheet, unique technology and so on. For example, a
hedge fund may have developed a proprietary trading strategy that returns market-beating results. It
must then decide how to use those results to attract new investors.

WEAKNESS •Weaknesses stop an organization from performing at its optimum level. They are areas
where the business needs to improve to remain competitive: higher-than-industry- average turnover,
high levels of debt, an inadequate supply chain or lack of capital.

OPPORTUNITIES •Opportunities refer to favorable external factors that an organization can use to give
it a competitive advantage. For example, a car manufacturer can export its cars into a new market,
increasing sales and market share, if a country cuts tariffs.

THREATS • Threats refer to factors that have the potential to harm an organization. For example, a
drought is a threat to a wheat-producing company, as it may destroy or reduce the crop yield. Other
common threats include things like rising costs for inputs, increasing competition, tight labor supply and
so on.
ADVANTAGES OF SWOT ANALYSIS •
A SWOT analysis is a great way to guide business-strategy meetings. It's powerful to have everyone in
the room to discuss the company's core strengths and weaknesses and then move from there to
defining the opportunities and threats, and finally to brainstorming ideas. Oftentimes, the SWOT
analysis you envision before the session changes throughout to reflect factors you were unaware of and
would never have captured if not for the group’s input.

PORTER FIVE FORCES ANALYSIS

VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS • Value chain analysis is based on the principle that organizations exist to
create value for their customers. In the analysis, the organization's activities are divided into separate
sets of activities that add value.

THE THREE STEPS FOR CONDUCTING A VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS ARE:

•1. Separate the organization's operations into primary and support activities
• 2. Allocate cost to each activity.
• 3. Identify the activities that are important to customer’s satisfaction and market success.

DEFINE INTUITIVE THINKING •Intuitive thinking is a feeling (a sense) that doesn't use rational
processes such as facts and data. Good intuition comes from years of knowledge and experience that
allows you to understand how people and the world works. Many situations are intuitive.

INTUITIVE THINKING
 INTUITION •The Oxford Dictionaries define intuition as “the ability to understand something
instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.”

DOES INTUITION HAVE LINKAGE WITH THE STATE OF FLOW?

• Flow is characterized by complete absorption in what one does. A state of mind, when conscious
thoughts seem to meld together with the action itself. I would say that when someone is in the zone,
that person doesn’t have any other choice just to go with his/her gut feelings and listen to the appearing
intuitions. Conscious mechanisms would interrupt and detour the decision making in these states.

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INTUITIVE LEADERS?

•They recognize the patterns:
• They see the big picture and don’t worry about taking risks
• They use analysis as a supporting tool ensuring that their intuition don’t mislead them.
• They know and check themselves
• They are good at sizing people up by reading their body language and non- verbal clues.
• They are life-long learners: always seek for new experiences and are unafraid of asking questions.

WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF INTUITIVE LEADERS?

• They put energy into understanding the situation they face to and they always think ahead.
• They don’t confuse desire (intensely wanting something to happen) with intuition

HOW INTUITIVE DECISION MAKING CAN BE IMPROVED?

•Beside acquiring and practicing the above listed characteristics of an intuitive leader (this list is not
exclusive and can be completed with many other characteristics) there is a fun and risk free way of
doing it as well.

Reflection:
Base on the lesson, what have you learned in Understanding Strategic Analysis and
Intuitive Thinking Strategic Analysis?

_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson 3: Global Networks

“Globalization made people for liberal, open, dynamic, innovative and mature with the exchange of
ideas and practices between people of the world.”

What is Global Networks?

It includes:
•Development of the WWW through the internet.
•Networks of individual communities and organizations that operates globally.
It includes:
•Use of cyberspace and other technological innovation that gave rise to global village.

What is the concept of Globalization?

Globalization is a term derived from the term globalize which refers to the creation of international
networks. To create a global alliance and dependence in terms of business, political, economic and
cultural practices.

What factors gave rise to Globalization?

•Advancement in Education
•Advancement in Science and Technology
•Social and Political Liberalization

What aspects are associated with Globalization?

•Information and Communication Technology
•Migration Transnational marriage is a result of the movement and migration of people around the
globe.

There are countless reasons why immigrants choose to migrate to another country. Following
are the assumptions based on Lee’s law on Push and Pull Factors.

•Push Factors
are the things that are unfavorable about the area.

•Pull Factors
are those that attract one to live, work or stay in a specific state or country.

•Push Factors
1.Not enough jobs
2.Few opportunities
3.Inadequate conditions
4.Desertification
5.Famine or drought
6.Political fear or persecution
7.Slavery or forced labor
8. Poor medical care
9. Loss of wealth
10. Natural disasters
11. Death threats
12. Desire for more political or religious freedom
13. Pollution
14. Poor housing
15. Landlord/tenant issues
16. Bullying
17. Discrimination
18. Poor chances of marrying
19. Condemned housing
20. War

•Pull Factors
1.Job opportunities
2.Better living conditions
3.The feeling of having more political and religious freedom.
4.Enjoyment
5.Education
6.Better medical care
7.Attractive climates
8. Security
9. Family links
10. Industry
11. Better chances of marrying

Spread of Ideas and Ideology Globalization means sharing cutting-edge ideas by simply
communicating through the web.

• Free Market Economy – Unified international economies through universal and interfinancial
institutions though global policies and international trading agreements.
– E.g. BPO’s (Business Process Outsourcing Companies)
• Finance – Globalization brought forth the influx of money within the interconnected countries.
– e.g. Bitcoins, Coins.ph and Paypal

. Major areas of Globalization:

1. Economic Globalization
e.g. The case of Singapore

2. Cultural Globalization
e.g. The case of Shakira

3. Political Globalization
e.g. The case of United Nations
What are the Pros and Cons of Globalization?

Reflection:

How does globalization affect labor and migration?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson 4: PLANETARY NETWORKS: CLIMATE CHANGE

Global Warming

"The ecological crisis is a moral issue…. Respect for Life and for the dignity
of human person extends also to the rest of creation… We cannot interfere in
one area of the ecosystem without paying due attention both to the
consequences of such interference in other areas and to the well-being of
future generations." – John Paul II 1990

One of the most important issues of our time is in relation to the

environment. Humanity has disturbed the fundamental beat of nature. Some
of the problems that relate to environmental issues: air and water pollution,
toxic wastes, improper garbage disposal, destruction of wildlife habitats,
deforestation and mining. These problems were indeed devastating. The
pollution of international waters, the irreversible destruction of the world’s
forests and increased toxic emissions in the air we breathe, among other
things, leave us to ponder our relationship with the environment.

"The most important about global warming is this: Whether humans are
responsible for the bulk of climate change is going to be left to the
scientists, but it is all our responsibility to leave the planet in better shape
for the future generations that we found it." – Mike Huckabee
The fact remains that people’s lifestyles have largely contributed to
some of the environmental problems that confront the world today remains.
One concrete effect of this lifestyle is global warming. The use of coal and
oil in generating electricity for industrial and residential settings is a big
factor in increasing levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which
contributes to the warming of the planet.
Climate Change

One of the big questions in the climate change debate: Are humans any
smarter than frogs in a pot? If you put a frog in a pot and slowly turn up the
heat, it won’t jump out. Instead, it will enjoy the nice warm both until it is
cooked to death. We humans seem to be doing pretty much the same thing. –
Jeff Goodell
The United Nations Forum Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
defines climate change as “a change of climate which is attributed directly
or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global
atmosphere.” The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted
that over the past 200 years, the burning of fossil fuels and the destruction of
forests have caused the concentrations of heat-trapping of the greenhouse
gases to increase significantly in our atmosphere. With more of these gases
in the atmosphere, more radiation is absorbed and radiated back to Earth as
heat. Thus, as the concentrations of these gases continue to increase in the
atmosphere, the Earth’s temperature also continues to increase.

Today, the impact of climate change is one of the most significant

environmental challenges facing the global planet.
“Mitigating this impact requires profound changes in energy production and
use, since emission of greenhouse gases from combustion of fossil fuels is
the dominant human contribution to climate change.” – Nick Hanley and
Anthony Owen on The Economics of Climate Change

It is clear that human activities are driving the current rate of climatic
change. When people burn fossil fuels to heat their homes or fuel their cars,
and when land is converted from forests to the other uses, greenhouse gases
are emitted to the atmosphere.

As reported by experts, the effects of climate change will not be the

same across sectors, the world, or even within many countries. Some areas
could have benefits while other could have damages. Some sectors may see
‘positive’ effects while other sectors may see ‘negative’ effects. Effects may
also evolve as climate change continues, altering the nature and distribution
of these effects across sectors and regions.

Climate Change Solutions

The last two decades have witnessed expanding political and economic
discussions over the ways of reducing greenhouse gases or, at least,
exploring ways of adapting to the predicted climatic changes. In order to
avoid the most serious impacts of climate change, humans will have to
significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions being put into
the atmosphere. There are different approaches to make these decreases,
including optimizing vehicles proficiency, expanding access to and utilization
of open travel, overhauling building protection, supplanting fossils with
renewable energy, and diminishing deforestation. Numerous legislatures,
organizations, and people are starting to execute some of these techniques
and hence gradually decreasing emissions. The use of cleaner production
technologies and change of lifestyle are desired to impact a change in
climate.

Reflection:

As a student, how can you solve the problem of climate change?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________