Wednesday, July 31, 2019
ââ¬ÅHow does Shakespeare present Macbeth as a disturbed character in Act 1 of Macbeth?ââ¬Â Essay
ââ¬Å"How does Shakespeare present Macbeth as a disturbed character in Act 1 of Macbeth?â⬠William Shakespeare wrote the play ââ¬Å"Macbethâ⬠in 1606. It, as the title suggests, follows the story of a Scotsman named Macbeth and how, after the prophecy of three witches, sees his status evolve from a general in the Kings army to becoming the King himself. However the main theme that Shakespeare introduces in this play is the lengths man will go to fulfil ambition and the treacherous consequences that come with it. Not only do we see Macbethââ¬â¢s status evolve but also his personality within. With each scene we see Macbeth succumb to the pressures of achieving power and how this affects his character as well. Act 1 of ââ¬Å"Macbethâ⬠truly, from the beginning, shows us a clear development of Macbethââ¬â¢s disturbed personality not only through language but the context behind this tragedy. In Act 1 Scene 2 we are not introduced to Macbeth, but not directly. Shakespeare describes him as a ruthless, violent but brave soldier through the mouths of admirers. When the Thane Ross and a Captain describe Macbethââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"braveâ⬠performance during a victory over Norway, we are immediately acquainted to the respect that he is held in. The Captain describes him in a very positive manner, ââ¬Å"For brave Macbeth ââ¬â well he deserves that nameâ⬠is a quote that clearly emphasises the admiration that fellow soldiers have for Macbeth. The use of the word ââ¬Å"deservesâ⬠shows us that he has earned the right to be commended. However another interpretation of Macbethââ¬â¢s heroics is possibly his ruthlessness. During his distinguishing, Macbeth is also described as quite a violent person. His fierceness is made apparent when the Captain conveys a very vivid explanation of how Macbeth killed a Norwegian, ââ¬Å"Till he unseamââ¬â¢d him from the nave to the chapsâ⬠. This description is very daunting to think about and Shakespeare leaves this image implanted in the heads of the audience. The use of the word ââ¬Å"unseamââ¬â¢dâ⬠shows us Macbethââ¬â¢s ruthlessness when in battle, with possibly no respect for otherââ¬â¢s lives. The violent aspect of Macbethââ¬â¢s character can be interpreted a disturbed one. His ruthlessness is quite inhumane in the sense that he shows signs of a villainous character. Another way in which Macbeth is seen a disturbed character, is his association and connection with the three witches. When Macbeth and Banquo are introduced in Scene 3, Macbethââ¬â¢s first line is ââ¬Å"So foul and fair a day I have not seenâ⬠. This quote echoes the witchesââ¬â¢ in Scene 1, ââ¬Å"Fair is foul and foul is fairâ⬠. The phrase is almost a paradox, it can interpreted to show how nothing is as it seems. However the fact that Macbeth repeated a phrase said by witches all but adds to a negative insight into his character. During Shakespeareââ¬â¢s time, witches were seen as very real creatures. In the early 17th century, suspected witches were burnt and there was even an Act of Parliament put forward in 1604 against them. This was because witches were subjects of morbid and fevered fascination by society at this time; people feared them. They were seen as creatures of Satan and therefore evil characters. The use of the three witches in the play adds to the fear within it and with this, the use of Macbeth echoing their words adds to the sheer disturbance. During this time, Macbethââ¬â¢s reference to ââ¬Å"foul and fairâ⬠would have caused a negative impact on the way the audience looked at him. To be associated with repelled evil witches creates a dark atmosphere and tone throughout the play. After the witchesââ¬â¢ prophecy, Macbethââ¬â¢s mind is beginning to turn into a state of madness and paranoia due his constant change in thoughts. The ideas that roam Macbethââ¬â¢s head prove to be a substantial part of the Act. The prophecy, which promises the status of King in the future, has been fixed into Macbethââ¬â¢s mind, provoking ill thoughts. After bearing witness to the supernatural occurrence, Macbeth begins to contemplate the idea of kill the present King Duncan in order to become King. ââ¬Å"This supernatural soliciting/Cannot be ill, cannot be goodâ⬠is a quote that clearly shows us the mindset that Macbeth is in confusion. The use of the words ââ¬Å"illâ⬠and ââ¬Å"goodâ⬠makes it clear that he is between the two thoughts and his mind isnââ¬â¢t thinking straight however he comes to a conclusion that he shouldnââ¬â¢t intervene to make the prophecy become true. However Macbeth again contemplates the idea later on in Scene 4. After realising that Malcolm, Duncanââ¬â¢s Son, is the rightful heir to the throne, Macbeth is again mystified to whether he should intervene in fate. ââ¬Å"The eye wink at the hand; yet let that be/Which the eye fears, when it is done, to seeâ⬠illustrates his desire for power but reluctance to commit murder, ââ¬Å"the eye fearsâ⬠. The theme of hesitation and constant contemplation of Macbeth is a sign of confusion within his mind. This is a sign of a disturbed character. Another way in which Macbeth can be seen in a negative way is through his motives and if they are with foundation especially through eyes of the audience who witnessed ââ¬Å"Macbethâ⬠in William Shakespeareââ¬â¢s time. This includes the idea of treason and how power was a God given right. In Scene 7 we find that Macbeth is considering whether killing Duncan is the right act to commit due to the high respect that the King holds him in. When talking in his soliloquy (something that Shakespeare uses to shows the audience the thoughts and true feelings of characters) Macbeth talks about his respect for Duncan, ââ¬Å"I am his kinsman and his subjectâ⬠, this supports the fact that he is also related to Duncan and a trusted figure. However his mindset is yet again changed as he finally decides that murder is the best option, ââ¬Å"Fal se face must hide what the false heart doth knowâ⬠is a signal of his change of mind but, with that, his personality. The idea of Macbeth committing murder on a King would have been frowned upon when the audience of the 17th century watched ââ¬Å"Macbethâ⬠. Political connotations such as the Gunpowder Plot 0f 1605 was possibly used by Shakespeare to relate to Macbeth and the idea of killing Kings. ââ¬Å"Macbethâ⬠was possibly used as a caution against potential regicides, especially with the patron of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s productions being the King James. Also religious connotations, such as the idea that the status of King was a God given right, played a significant part. Macbeth is aspiring to achieve a status that isnââ¬â¢t a God given thing, especially at this time the theme of treason was heavily frowned upon. The idea of Macbeth wanting to achieve Kingship without God given rights would have added to his disturbing character. There are other examples that show Macbethââ¬â¢s disturbed character. One other factor could be his irrational thinking and the way that Lady Macbeth must always intervene to make him think right. Near the end of Scene 7, Macbeth tell his wife that he will not commit the murder, ââ¬Å"We will proceed no further in this businessâ⬠, is a firm claim from Macbeth. His tone is one that is very decisive however after the persuasive techniques of Lady Macbeth he quickly changes his mind. ââ¬Å"I am settled, and bend up/ each corporal agent to this terrible featâ⬠is said at the end of the scene, showing Macbethââ¬â¢s sudden change in mind and sheer willingness to kill King Duncan. Macbeth doesnââ¬â¢t think straight and can be seen as having a fragile mind, one that can be easily moulded. Overall, Shakespeare successfully shows the audience how Macbeth develops his disturbed character. By using language features and also the views of certain themes of the audience of the time, he introduces a very irrational character. These themes include violence, religion, politics and the idea that manââ¬â¢s desire for power outweighs any respect for the consequences. Macbeth slowly develops from a violent person to someone who is very fragile in the mind and also, essentially, a disturbed character.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Is Macbeth a Shakespearean Tragic Hero? Essay
In many of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s plays a tragic hero appears and is often the focal point. In order to conclude whether Macbethââ¬â¢s character falls in to that particular category. I need to consider what factors create a tragic hero. The tragic hero often originates as a figure of greatness and someone with a high social status. His greatness often degenerates due to a character flaw of some kind. The essence of many of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s tragic heroes is that the seemingly good parts of their character turn against them and instigate their downfall. The character always suffers, which creates sympathy within the reader, especially as it is in contrast with previous happiness. Often the actions of the tragic hero create self-inflicted suffering. Other people are generally affected by his tragedy, but on differing scales depending on the play. A deep internal battle often rages within the tragic hero as he battles with his conscience, but he doesnââ¬â¢t often listen to reason. A key factor of the tragic hero is that the audience radiate much pity and sympathy for the character. Even though he has done wrong, he was once great, and he may feel remorse for his actions. At the end of the play the tragic hero invariably dies. This is often for political reasons, or for morale impact. Goodness must always prevail. One of the first factors I stated that creates a tragic hero is someone of greatness. Macbeth has much respect from others because of his braveness on the battlefield. ââ¬Å"For brave Macbeth-well he deserves that name- Disdaining fortune with his brandishââ¬â¢d steel.â⬠Macbeth clearly has earnt praise from his peers and conducts approval from those of a higher social status. He is a loyal warrior, whose efforts are also acknowledged by even the King. ââ¬Å"He was a gentleman on whom I built An absolute trust.â⬠Duncan recognises Macbethââ¬â¢s greatness and evidently has a high opinion of him. He respects Macbeth to the point where he invests much trust within him and almost views him as an equal. These feelings from a King hugely re-enforce Macbethââ¬â¢s greatness. ââ¬Å"No less to have done so, let me enfold thee And hold thee to my heart.â⬠This implies a close relationship of affection. Such a close bond conveys that Macbeth must appear a patriotic, and just man especially in the eyes of the King. He is rewarded by adopting the title of Thane of Cawdor. He is growing in social status which is another common trait of a tragic hero. The reader is soon to learn that despite the fact Macbeth appears to be a great man, there are many flaws in his character, the most poignant being excessive ambition. ââ¬Å"Stars hide your fires Let light not see my dark and deep desires.â⬠Macbeth appears shocked at his own evil thoughts. The witchesââ¬â¢ prophecies have instigated the ambitious part of his nature to be accentuated. ââ¬Å"â⬠¦let us speak Our free hearts to each other.â⬠Banquo does not share Macbethââ¬â¢s ambition, so Macbeth lies to his friend. The reader starts to see the extent of Macbethââ¬â¢s ambitious nature. ââ¬Å"And live a coward in thine own esteem I dare do all that may become a man.â⬠A huge character flaw of Macbeth is that he is easily influenced. Lady Macbeth holds so much power over him, and can manipulate him. She overpowers and influences Macbeth greatly and creates a reaction in him that favours her. This easily influenced part of his nature is also shown when the witchesââ¬â¢ prophecies instigate evil thoughts within him. Another common flaw in a Shakespearean tragic hero is jealousy. Macbeth displays this very frequently. ââ¬Å"(Aside) The Prince of Cumberland: that is a step On which I must fall down, or else oââ¬â¢erleap For in my way it lies.â⬠Macbeth is jealous of Malcom, as he is the son of Duncan, this instigates more evil, murderous thoughts within Macbeth. This excessive ambition, jealousy, and easily influenced nature turn Macbeth into a murderer. Despite this, Macbeth knows that Duncanââ¬â¢s murder is not just. Macbeth continually battles with his conscience during the play, and much of this guilt is radiated in his soliloquy, when he can show his true feelings. â⬠â⬠¦As his host Who should against his murderer shut the door Not bear the knife myself.â⬠Macbeth knows his role, as host should be to protect his guest: ââ¬Å"here in double trust.â⬠Macbeth acknowledges the fact that Duncan sees him in a great light and has great respect for him. Macbeth refers to the murder as ââ¬Å"the bloody business.â⬠A euphemism is utilised as Macbeth cannot accept what he is about to do and cannot face up to this evil side of his character. ââ¬Å"This supernatural soliciting Cannot be ill, cannot be good.â⬠Indecisiveness is heavily portrayed here as Macbeth is in a deep internal battle. He knows that treason is wrong, but he also longs to be King, he tries to convince himself his actions can be justified, but his conscience tell him otherwise. Macbeth wants to protect his own title and image, and doesnââ¬â¢t want to face up to the consequences of murder, but still agonises over the decision. Macbeth is evidently suffering greatly because of his conscience. He feels extremely guilty, but tries to hide this fact. We see much evidence of the effect his conscience has on Macbeth after the murder of Duncan. ââ¬Å"Is this a dagger which I see before me? The handle towards my hand?â⬠This quotation conveys to the reader the extent of Macbethââ¬â¢s suffering. He is affected mentally as he hallucinates and is haunted by disturbing images. ââ¬Å"I had most need of blessing and ââ¬ËAmenââ¬â¢ Stuck in my throat.â⬠Macbeth is denied the ability to turn to God. In killing the King he has commited treason against God, so his faith is refused from him. Insomnia is inflicted upon him, and Macbeth can find no solace. ââ¬Å"We have scorched the snake, not killââ¬â¢d itâ⬠This quotation conveys that Macbeth has no peace and stability; he knows he will need to keep on killing. He states his mind of ââ¬Å"full of scorpionsâ⬠clearly showing he is extremely traumatized. Macbeth progresses to be almost envious of Duncan and Banquo. ââ¬Å"Better be with the deadâ⬠¦ Than the torture of the mind to lie In restless ecstasy.â⬠The murders have affected him in such a way that Macbeth yearns for the appealing peacefulness of death. These hint at primary suicidal thoughts, a hugely troubled mind is conveyed. We see more evidence of Macbethââ¬â¢s guilt causing him great suffering when Banquoââ¬â¢s ghost haunts him. He can no longer keep control of himself, and his mental instability is conveyed to his peers. ââ¬Å"Thou canst not say I did it; never shake Thy gory locks at me.â⬠Macbeth visualises this apparition. His mental state is to the extent that he not only acknowledges the ghost, but also interacts with it, even though he is in the presence of his peers. Macbeth is highly affected by this hallucination. Not only does it affect opinion of him, but leaves him troubled and confused. Self-inflicted suffering is a poignant factor within a Shakespearean tragic hero, and another factor that applies to Macbeth. His conscience creates the ghost to be another reminder of the evil he has done. He cannot escape his guilt that his owns flaws and his own faults have manifested. Clearly the murders are having disastrous effects on Macbeth, but his actions also affect others. Macbethââ¬â¢s need to kill results in him planning the murder of Fleance and Banquo. He is jealous of Banquo because he knows his children will never be King. ââ¬Å"Upon my head they placââ¬â¢d a fruitless crown And put a barren sceptre in my gripe.â⬠Macbeth has a great determination to remain King and to protect his status. He almost becomes obsessed by it, and taking peopleââ¬â¢s lives becomes meaningless and just inevitable steps for him/ â⬠Give to thââ¬â¢edge oââ¬â¢thââ¬â¢sword His wife, his babes and all unfortunate souls That trace him in the line.â⬠He is portrayed as being more than willing to kill innocent women and children if they threaten his reign as King. Macbeth is a ruthless tyrant in protecting his throne. Macbethââ¬â¢s actions do not just affect other people, but the earth itself. Macbeth has murdered the King, who was appointed directly by God. This Divine Right of the King means God will punish all earth fro allowing this act of treason occurs. Displeasing God is another common factor within a Shakespearean tragic hero. â⬠Some say, the earth Was feverous and did shake.â⬠This quotation infers how nature is heavily disrupted. Lady Macbeth is deeply troubled as a result of her husbandââ¬â¢s actions. She is traumatised by her conscience, and her guilt overwhelms her. ââ¬Å"Doctor Remove from her the means of all annoyance And still keep eyes upon her.â⬠The Doctor appears adamant that Lady Macbeth will commit suicide, so advises Macbeth to watch over her. She hallucinates and mirrors other forms of suffering that Macbeth radiated. Eventually Lady Macbeth does kill herself, as she has been so heavily affected by her husbandââ¬â¢s deeds. As a result of Macbethââ¬â¢s obsession with remaining King, he proves to be an inefficient one. He is too preoccupied with his guilt and determination the whole of Scotland suffers from his lack of devotion. â⬠Alas poor country Almost too afraid to know itselfâ⬠¦ Where sighs, and groans, and shrieks that rend the airâ⬠This is yet another trait of a tragic hero. He, whether inadvertently or not, greatly inflicts suffering on others. Despite all of this, the reader still feels a sense of pity towards Macbeth. He was once great, and one of the great factors in him turned around to be his downfall. In many ways, Macbeth was influenced into his actions. To begin with the witches planted the idea into his mind, and pushed him into justifying his actions. Lady Macbeth instigated the murder, and manipulated him to carry through with this deed. The inferiority of her gender meant she needed him to act through. ââ¬Å"But screw your courage to the sticking place And weââ¬â¢ll not fail.â⬠Macbeth is very easily influenced, so can be manipulated continually by Lady Macbeth. We also feel a sense of pity, because Macbeth is so heavily affected by his actions. He is traumatised and destroyed. He often shows remorse and regret fro his actions. ââ¬Å"Wake Duncan with thy knocking: I would thou Couldst.â⬠Macbeth is tricked by the witchesââ¬â¢ prophecies. He takes the apparitions literally and is lulled into a false sense of security. â⬠For none of woman born Shall harm Macbeth.â⬠We feel pity as Macbethââ¬â¢s trust and faith in the witchesââ¬â¢ predictions cause his death. He is tricked into feeling protected, but the witchesââ¬â¢ words have other meanings. Readers often feel pity for the Shakespearean tragic hero, but despite this fact we accept he needs to die. Political and moral reasons dictate this fact. If he had lived, then murder and evil could be justified. Treason against the King or Queen or ultimately God could go unpunished. Resulting from the readersââ¬â¢ accumulating sympathy for Macbeth, there is some apparent sadness surrounding his death. He is extremely brave which creates much admiration fro him. ââ¬Å"Though Birnam Wood be come to Dunsinane And thou opposââ¬â¢d being of no woman born, Yet I will try the last. Before my body, I throw my warlike shield.â⬠Macbeth knows his death in an inevitable fact, but despite this he fights to the bitter end. We see some of Macbethââ¬â¢s past greatness in his last moments. Macbeth can be portrayed as a victim, this fact and the fact that he does adds to the effectiveness of the play. It instigates a variation of emotions within the reader, which makes it an intense experience. Without Macbethââ¬â¢s death, much of this would be lost. This ending complies with a tragic heroes exit to a play. I conclude that Macbeth can indeed be classified as a Shakespearean tragic hero. He radiates all of the factors I first portrayed a tragic hero to have. Macbeth falls from greatness due to a character flaw, his suffering is self-inflicted and this affects others. A continual battle with his conscience is conveyed within Macbeth, and the reader is made to pity him. We are left with a classic version of a Shakespearean tragic hero, and a very compelling character. Macbeth exuberates all of the common characteristics of one of Shakespeareââ¬â¢s favourite classifications, but is still an original figure, which greatly adds to the effectiveness of the play.
Monday, July 29, 2019
What is Automobility?
Automobility is a concept based on two fundamental ideas.à Autonomy is the self-directing or self-governing freedom of an individual.à Mobility is the movement or travel of an individual.Therefore, automobility is the independent, self-governing movement of an individual.à The concept sounds valid and many people would believe it to be so, however, after a more detailed look automobility may not be as mobile or self-regulating as first thought.Automobility has several factions that claim to define this system of automobility (3).à First is the socio-technical facet that defines automobility as the organization of modern concepts.à The political definition is the regulation and practices of movement.Others see it as the legitimization of the differences between man and machine, and man's dominance over the machine (3).à The one concept that is equivalent in all these definitions is the fact that automobility is a patterned system that creates a cohesive understanding of both autonomy and mobility (4).Upon a closer look, it becomes obvious that this system is really a regime based on truth, power, and subjectivity (8). To understand automobility in these terms, we must define the concept of mobility.à Universally it would be considered an automobile, but other modes of travel are available, such as bicycling, public transportation and taxis, and travelling by telephone and internet.These are all modes of travel, and are all self-regulated by the individual, thus giving them all the title of automobility, however, the car is the most often associated with this concept (6).Truth in this regime of automobility is the concept of driving the car (6).à Power is the brute for of the vehicle, such as trucks and sport utility vehicles which over power most other vehicle and modes of transportation (7). Another part of power are the governmental regulations and rules that accompany the driving of a vehicle, which has created a large amount of govern mental bodies to help keep the driver moving within the laws of automobility (7).While automobility is based in an individualââ¬â¢s freedom of movement, it also causes more regulations to be put on the individual and thus is the power of automobility (7). Subjectivity is the last part of the regime.The subjectivity can be a form of hierarchy or of self-monitoring.à Either way, the ideas of one group or class get put on others.à For example, cyclists are not considered when planning for roads and highways, thus those that drive cars, trucks, and such are putting their views and using their power.Social stigmatisms can also be place in this part, because the subjectivity of a person who views people taking public transportation as failures can lead to incorrect assumptions (8). In any case the three facets of the regime create the concept of automobility (8).There are four problems associated with automobility that affect the world at large.à First problem is the congestio n created with the number of cars and vehicles on the road and the planning of those roads being inadequate (9).The second is the ecological and environmental effects of automobility (9).à Third is the geopolitical factor that causes governments to spend money to find, store, and process the oil needed for the vehicles as well as the possibility of war to ensure the oil supply keeps coming.à The last problem is the deaths and accidents that occur, but are considered a normal part of automobility (10).The fact of the matter is that the concept automobility is virtually and completely impossible, since the concept itself requires external forces to allow it to be used.à For example, roads need to be created and maintained, licensure and driver education to ensure the regulations of the roads are followed, and even walking require sidewalks (11-12).Therefore, automobility is neither mobile nor individually self-regulated.à In fact the governmental bodies created by this con cept are now changing the rules and trying to alleviate or eliminate some of the problems associated with automobility (13 ââ¬â 14).à In any case, changes are coming and the fragility of automobility has become more obvious, and yet the concept continues.
Management strategic Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Management strategic - Term Paper Example Retail coffee, European apparel, European nuts and snacks, U.S. meat snacks, European meats and Sara Lee branded apparel. Another significant decision taken parallel was to spin off the branded apparel business as Hanesbrands rather than selling it. This decision generated good cash flows for Sara Lee. After the retrenchment, Sara Lee Corporation took several strategic decisions to increase its sales and profits continuously. Quantitative goals were fixed for sales and profitability. For achieving these goals, the company decided to focus on three competitive capabilities. The first was to focus on customer needs and satisfaction. The second was to have appropriate category management to win new accounts or customers. The third was to focus on operational excellence through lean manufacturing and centralized purchasing. In addition to these capabilities, the company decided to develop a revised three division organizational structure according to customer types. These three divisions were Sara Lee food and beverage division, Sara lee Foodservice division and Sara Lee international division. This division was done in order to better realize the organizational
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Introduction to Language and Communication - Assignment Essay
Introduction to Language and Communication - Assignment - Essay Example ge of the universe, evolution, the non-existence of a global flood, as well as every other science, which contradicts the Bible when analyzed literally. To consider this fallacy, we can place these two statements in their logical form that (1) thinking that the atom was the smallest particle ever to be discovered was a mistake and (2) evolution in science is a mistake (Aubusson et al., 2006). The reason being that if evolution was not a reality, then it would not be for the similar reason that science considered that the atom was the tiniest particle to ever exist. Science was wrong in this case since it lacked the entire truth because of discoveries that were not yet made during that period. If evolution was false, then each and every discovery made by science and their facts confirmed, would still be dead wrong (Aubusson et al., 2006). This would be an effort of unimaginable proportions, as well as effects, which would unravel the basis of scientific inquiry in addition to their un derstanding. In Shakespeareââ¬â¢s famous play, Hamlet, the protagonist asks the Lord whether he knows him, which was the first of the make questions that Hamlet directed towards the vacuous Polonius (Shakespeare & Mueller, 2002). The reason for the many questions was, in fact, Hamletââ¬â¢s feeling that Polonius compelled Ophelia to leave him. In his view, Polonius went ahead to sacrifice his daughterââ¬â¢s contentment so as to get closer to the King (Shakespeare & Mueller, 2002). Thus, ââ¬Å"fishmongerâ⬠is, at times, depicted as a slang word for ââ¬Å"pimp,â⬠in spite of the reality that there lacks adequate proof that the word was utilized that way during Shakespeareââ¬â¢s era. Here Hamlet used paradox principle by claiming that he wished that Polonius could be as honest as a fishmonger, which was to imply that he, in reality meant that Polonius was lower than the lowest form of low (Shakespeare & Mueller, 2002). He went ahead to claim that, in order to be honest, you h ave to picked from a group
Saturday, July 27, 2019
American and British Civil Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
American and British Civil Religion - Essay Example In order to understand American and British civil religion and its link to Christianity, one must focus on the history and what brought about the changes in these regions historically and their impact on the Christian world in these two most influential regions. In my research efforts, I would like to discuss Gerald Parsons book ââ¬Å"Perspectives on Civil Religion and Sydney Ahlstrom's book on the religious history of these two countries. There are different levels of the definition civil religion and the two most influential authorities on civil religion's definition from Robert Bellah the American sociologist and later Pierard and Linder have in turn served to actually link the concept of civil religion with Christianity (Parsons,2002, p.6). According to Bellah, American civil religion has two aspects :priestly and conservative, liberal and prohetic (Parsons, 2002, p.3). He goes on to explain the Americans on the one hand see themselves as divinely appointed by God to lead the world in a particular direction. ââ¬Å"..For some among the new Christian Right within recent and contemporary American politics, the concept of an American civil religion has been deployed as part of a campaign to create and sustain a distinctively 'Christian America' (Parsons, 2002, p.4).â⬠According to the author, the move in this direction advertises America's ideologies in a Christian context- the ideologies of peace and justice and mingle them in the context of Christian religion. Richard Pierard and Robert Linder have actually defined certain characteristics of civil religion where a nation and its vision are somehow intertwined with each other (Parsons, 2002). His book actually serves to show us how a nation's civil religion is predom inantly linked to some form of religion-in this case Christianity. One must understand through their analyzing of this concept that this concept still is ambiguous to the present day. But in order to under their links, it is only fair to look at the history of these two major powers in the world and their religion in order to understand more clearly their dealings with the world. Both these countries are dominantly Protestant and Anglo-Saxon and their forms of "modernity" go back to the eighteenth century (Parsons, 2002, p.7). In doing so, in my discussion of civil religion, it is important to look at the rituals of remembrance of these two countries. Americans celebrating the 4th of July independence and Memorial day (remembrance of those who have died in civil war), and the British having celebration of Remembrance Sunday (the anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War in 1918) are most notably viable examples of civil religion in these two countries (Parosn, 2002). In America, the most influential leader Abraham Lincoln who led the civil war in the 18th century, delivered certain key speeches that contributed to the concept of civil religion in America that were intrinsically tied to the Old testament Scriptures :for example at the Gettysburg Address in 1863, "Lincoln used Christian symbolism and language and he saw America as the promised land to which God had led their predecessors (Parsons,2002, p.15)."1 In the meantime in Britain, there is a growing trend in the twentieth century to mark the graves of those who had died in the war (Parsons, 2002). "From 1915 onwards, street shrines were designed to list the names of those who were currently serving with the armed forces and of those who had been killed ...For the clergy they were part of the process of evangelism and the attempt to reassert the relevance of the message of Christianity in the midst of war...it also endorsed the understanding of the war as a holy crusade (Parsons, 2002, p.29)."2 Also , it is notable to include that the British were fueled in their ceremony of marking the graves of those deceased in war-commonly known as the commonwealth war graves were met with huge public support (Parsons, 2002). The British people although
Friday, July 26, 2019
Nano- and Micro-Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Nano- and Micro-Technology - Essay Example The term nanotechnology was used by N. Taniguchi of the University of Tokyo in 1974, at micrometer scale (Slator, 2002). Well, it's been more than five decades since Richard Feynman talked about the Nano components around us and we are into 21st century. Though the use of nano-components has not come to our daily usage, but the way the scientific community is working hard, it appears quite realistic in times to come. The microscopic technological developments on the nanometer scale of 0.1 to 100 nm seems to be going ahead with decent pace. Hocken et al. (2008) define nanotechnology as "the study, development and processing of materials, devices, and systems in which structure on a dimension of less than 100 nm is essential to obtain the required functional performance." Subsequent studies have indicated that when materials are reduced to nano-scale, they start exhibiting different types of properties, as compared to their performances in macro form. This proves that nano-structures can prove helpful in enabling unique applications. The traditional top-down approach in micro-fabrication process implies that we break or cut bigger materials into smaller components. In this approach we fabricate nano-objects from a larger parent entity with the help of lithographic patterning techniques. The top-down approach uses the traditional workshop or micro-fabrication methods with externally-controlled tools1. Richard Feynman, while suggesting that 'there's plenty of room at the bottom', said, "We can arrange the atoms the way we want . . . the very atom. . . all the way down!" At that time he could clearly visualise the top-down approach. The nano-fabrication technologies like photolithography, nanomolding, dip-pen lithography and nanofluidics are some examples of top-down approach. The top down approach has been used for fabricating tissue engineering scaffolds by controlling the pore geometry, size, distribution and spatial geometry2. On the other hand the bottom up approach indicates that we assemble smaller objects and build a larger useful entity. This technique uses the molecular self assembly chemical process. In this case nanomaterials or structures are fabricated from the build-up of atoms or molecules in a controlled manner that is regulated by thermodynamic means such as self-assembly3. In order to come out with quality fabrication in the bottom up approach, shaping of the nano-object and extremely precise, nanometer-scale control in positioning the object is of vital importance (Berger, 2009). Whatever might be the approach in fabricating the nano-structures, it involves precise control and manipulation of atomic particles and molecules. Fig-1 depicts the difference between top-down and bottom up approaches. Nanotechnology holds great potential in creating new materials and devices with applications in diverse fields like medicine, energy production, consumer electronics etc. In medicines it can be used in diagnostics, prevention as well as treatment. Some important
Thursday, July 25, 2019
Musique concrte And Soundscape Composition Essay
Musique concrte And Soundscape Composition - Essay Example Even the origin of the conventional modern keyboards can be traced to the early development of traditional instrumental music. Despite the situation, things began to change in the middle 20th century just after the Second World War at around 1948 when some French musicians such as Pierre Schaefer and Pierre Henry began to play music using recoded sounds (AMG Staff 2012). As time progressed, they realized that tape-recorded was a good invention since it gave them the opportunity to do things, which they could not do without sound recording. This is because, through tape recording, they could now be able to speed up or slow down sound; make them quieter or louder; filter the sound; repeat, as well as play the sound backwards (AMG Staff 2012). As a result, they were now able to convert any real life sound such as concrete sounds, rattle of lids of saucepans, crying babies among others into music. The origin of Musique Concrete, however, can be traced back to 1940s brought about by the i nvention of a quality analogue tape recorder for researchers and musicians (Dack 1994, p.4). The two music pioneers, Pierre Henry and Pierre Schaefer while working for ORTF in France began to examine ways of altering the sound they tape-recorded. It is now that Schaeffer introduced the term Musique Concrete in 1948, which according to him meant that concrete, abstract sounds were used as the main ingredients of music according to Dack (1994, p.4). The whole notion behind Musique Concrete is that the composer starts with a set of ââ¬Å"concreteâ⬠sounds, which is organized into a piece of music. As a result, theory and traditional musical instruments do not limit the composer of such a piece of music. This implies that they are at liberty to use any sound that they feel appeals to them, and the audience to achieve the final music. The Groupe de Recherche de Musique Concrete [GRMC - Musique Concrete Research Group] was the first music group to be formed and specialized mainly in the recording of Musique Concrete pieces (Battier 2007). Consequently, Etude aux chemins de fer is arguably the first piece of Musique Concrete recorded by Pierre Schaeffer at around the same time. The Etudes were produced using childrenââ¬â¢s toys, locomotive sounds, and spinning of pot lids. The first piece of Etude was broadcast in October 1948, which generated different reactions from musical circles and the press (Battier 2007). In the next concert held in March 1950, Schaeffer decided to seek for the assistance of Pierre Henry another music composer who later emerged as a famous composer of Musique Concrete genre. After coming together, the two collaborated composing the famous Symphonie pour un homme seul, as well as each composer presenting their individual composition according to Battier (2007). It is reported that the music concert attracted other French composers such as Olivier Messaien. In 1951, Schaeffer acquired the first tape recorder in his studio, which enable d him to transform original sound material according to Lange (2009, P.174). This new technique involved the use of tape loops, splicing, cutting, and change of direction. This technique later attracted the attention of many international composers including Iannis Xenakis (left), a Greek mathematician who developed Concrete PH,
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 50
Marketing - Essay Example The business policy adopted by the Zip Car is a unique one and the key thing is that they are constantly updating it with the time. Offering low rental, better availability, using high technology to attract people specially the young generation is one the key behind their success over the last 8 years. The company is now the leader of the car rental market in the USA and focusing more to boost their profitability by adopting more advanced business strategies according to the culture and structure and requirement of the society. Zip car is one of the well-known car services in the western world. The process was initiated way back taking into mind the need of the customers in and around the urban areas. In every country people who belong to higher class can afford a number of cars but the number of people in that group is very little. Majority of the people cannot afford a car but in most cases they would love to avail the service. Zip car cash onto this option and started providing car to the customer with nominal price, greater and easy availability, taking environmental pollution under control but provide easy and affordable solution to the people belonging to middle class. The company is now the leading car share company in the world providing rental car to the people and having a customer base of over 700,000 passionate customers. The bottom-line of their offering is Wheels when you want theââ¬â¢. A simple registration process, a comparatively lower rental, variety of choice for different occasion an d different purpose ââ¬âall these making them the leading player in the car rental service. The business was started 8 years back and profit was increasing every time. The business was started focusing urban life as the need is highest over there. Soon they widen their operation and now they started to focus on environmental policy, tracking more corporate client as well to get more strong hold
Accounting Fraud as a Key Component in WorldCom Essay
Accounting Fraud as a Key Component in WorldCom - Essay Example Management failed to visualize and introduce efficient reporting and honest auditing and the investors and public were indeed lost billions of dollars due to their intentional fraud. (Zekany 101) In telecommunication industry, line costs are reimbursed to local telephone companies for the connection and termination of long distance calls. This forms major single principal expense for long distance call service providing telecommunication company. WorldCom treated these revenue expenses namely lines cost as a capital expenditure against accepted accounting norms like GAAP. By treating these costs as capital expenditures, it would be depreciated over time and this would obviously result in increased current year earnings before EBIDTA. The financial scandals in WorldCom necessitated a need for a law that will hold the CEO, CFO and CIOââ¬â¢s of companies answerable for noteworthy monetary transactions, a law that will reinstall investor confidence in Public companies, stop financial fraud and to introduce internal checks on financial transactions and monitor the conduct of public accounting. After WorldCom accounting scandal, now, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act forbids directors, company officers or their authorized agents from ââ¬Å"deceptivelyâ⬠coercing, manipulating, influencing, or misleading external auditors for the rationale of making companyââ¬â¢s financial reports considerably deceptive. Now, under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, management of a company has to report all transactions in an open manner, the CEOs and CFOs of companies endorse financial statements of their corporations, after initiating steps to make sure that sufficient internal control checks and processes at all levels are set forth. (Zekany 101) WorldCom fraud reveals that management was exceptionally optimistic and assumed unusual risks including fraud.Ã
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Licensed Futurist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Licensed Futurist - Essay Example In his DVD, An Inconvenient Truth, he talks about how our entire world is changing. The challenge for Gore is that the people who need to listen and do something about it on a larger scale, are turning a deaf ear. Many so-called scientists want to say that there is no such thing as Global Warming. However, everyone is experiencing climate changes. We have more damaging storms and many areas that should have snow in the winter have spring days. In some areas, the summers are hotter than ever before and we are losing our oceans. We are not paying attention to this because we do not think that it is affecting us. However, everything that happens to the planet will have an effect on us eventually. Another area where we are not watching is what is happening in technology. With cell phones alone, we have a device that baby sits, takes away time from the family and does everything but get up and dance; who knows, someone may be working on that one right now! We are told that many discoveries in telecommunications and other technology are good for us. A prediction that "there will be intelligent electronic systems almost everywhere" (Hall, 2007, p. 1) is a common prediction. Why? Because ewe are becoming so advanced with our technology that it is difficult to embrace all of it at once. One prediction in this area that we have already realized is the Internet connections anywhere we go. Many restaurants, hospital waiting rooms, even Burger King has a wireless connection today. Although this is a great idea, when we embrace it to the fullest, we will move away from our children and families in favor of talking on the phone or being on the computer most of the time. According to Rub ner (2010), some experts predict that we will be wearing mobile electronics in our clothing; Rubner says we will not need computers eventually because we will be wearing them. Hall adds to what Rubner says and we can expect live
Monday, July 22, 2019
How Accurate Is It to Say That the Black Power Movements Essay Example for Free
How Accurate Is It to Say That the Black Power Movements Essay In some ways I agree that the Black power Movements of the 1960ââ¬â¢s achieved nothing for the Black people because by 1968 little had changed, and it is therefore easy to claim that Black Power movements achieved nothing, and in fact had a negative impact on black Americans. However in some ways I disagree because the Black Power movements in the early 1960s coincided with the peak of success for the Civil Rights campaign such as the freedom cities of 1966 or the Free D. C. movement. Firstly I agree that the Black Power Movements achieved nothing for Black people relations between King and other Civil Rights groups were never entirely secure, and he was often accused of taking credit for the efforts of others, for example in the student sit-ins of 1961. He was criticised for a cynical use of children in the Birmingham campaign of 1963 and for cowardice in halting the first Selma March. These attacks reflect internal rivalries that had nothing to do with Black Power. They increased after 1966 when he moved his focus to the north. The Chicago campaign of 1966 was a dismal failure and also revealed a cultural gap between the respectable bible-belt leaders of the south and the ghetto-based youth of the north, who found Malcolm X a more inspiring figure. The whole situation was made much worse by the war in Vietnam, which diverted money and media attention and created a widening gap between black and white communities. Many black people resented having to fight for a country that valued them so little, while white public opinion saw the refusal of some to serve, like Mohammed Ali, as unpatriotic. The most important point, however, is that once legal equality had been achieved in 1965 and the focus shifted to the social and economic effects of long-term discrimination, Kingââ¬â¢s methods were ineffective. Secondly the Chicago campaign. The Albany movement Thirdly the Memphis Sanitation workers strike. The Mississippi Freedom Summer On the other hand the Freedom cities were aimed to bring ââ¬Ëhome ruleââ¬â¢ to the black community of Washington D. C. The project was started with the demonstration against the way the local schools were administered. Towards the end of 1966 the black citizens of Washington D. C. had won the right to elect their own school boards. SNCC gained $3 million worth of government funding to improve community policing. SNCC innovated similar projects for example in New York the campaign saw black people take control of the intermediate School in Harlem as well as in Mississippi set up a Child Development Group in which the group raised $1. 5 million from the churches and the federal government in order to set up 85 head start centres to support young children . Furthermore the March on Washington was a massive success groups such as the SCLC. SNCC, CORE and the NAACP were involved it was also to commemorate the 100 years since the Emancipation Proclamation was created the campaigned was initially designed to pass a Civil Rights Bill. 250,000 people marched to the Lincoln memorial to hear Kings famous ââ¬ËI have a dream speechââ¬â¢ as well as other figures of the Civil Rights Movement. The March drew a vast amount of media attention. The March ensured support for new civil rights legislation which gave the government power to desegregate southern states. It presented the civil rights movement as a united front. Additionally the Birmingham campaign aimed to desegregate the cityââ¬â¢s largest shopping areas schools and public parks as well as demanding an end to racial discrimination in employment. ââ¬ËBullââ¬â¢Connor obtained a court injunction against demonstrations in certain precincts to weaken protests. The 3rd of May the police demonstrators with high pressure fire hoses and arrested and imprisoned 1300 children which caused a media frenzy Kennedy was sickened by the images of police violence from Birmingham. The significance of the campaign was that the department stores were desegregated and the racial discrimination was ended. The Greensboro sit-ins were a success it aimed to desegregate public places such as restaurants or swimming pools. In February 1960 the sit-in escalated to 300 students by the fourth protest it became highly influential as there were similar protests like watch-ins in cinema which by the start of 1961 over 70,000 people black and white had taken part in demonstrations. The significance of the sit-ins brought a mass of media attention which increased the support towards the civil rights campaigns. By the end of 1961 810 towns had desegregated their public places. Woolworths lost decreased by a third during the campaign which showed the economic power of black people. Finally the Freedom rides designed to turn de jure victories of Morgan v. Virginia and Boynton v. Virginia into de facto desegregation of interstate transport and interstate transport facilities set up by SNCC and CORE. The significance of the freedom rides was that it showed that Kennedy supported the civil rights movement and that it marked a new high cooperation within the civil rights movements. The Poor Peoples Campaign aimed to create a coalition big enough to solve the social and economic problems identified during the Chicago campaign In conclusion the Black Power declined very quickly in the late 1960s because its organisation was very poor and it had little money to support itself. It also declined because the government preferred Kingââ¬â¢s the peaceful methods to the violence and hatred of Black Power. Thus it seemed as if Black Power had not achieved anything of real importance for black people, and was a factor in the ending of the civil rights movement as a whole. However, it can be said that Black Power did manage to achieve something for black people as a whole. Black Power leaders did try to help the people in the inner-city ghettos, and they did increase black pride and a sense of Black Nationalism. Malcolm X in particular was very important in raising the morale of many black people, and became a hero to young black people in the USA and around the world. The emergence of the Black Power movements in the early 1960s coincided with the peak of success for the Civil Rights campaign the legislation of 1964-65. Thereafter, the focus of campaigns had to move the practical issues related to social and economic deprivation, and the ability to exercise the rights that had been gained. By 1968 little had changed, and it is therefore easy to claim that Black Power movements achieved nothing, and in fact had a negative impact on black Americans. It is hard to deny that the Black Power movements had a damaging impact in the 1960s. The preaching of Elijah Mohammed and later Malcolm X that integration was impossible and undesirable, that white people were devils and Christianity just a legacy of slavery, created a mirror of white racism that could only be divisive. They rejected the support of white liberals and divided white from black. They subjected integrationist leaders like Martin Luther King to campaigns of personal abuse, calling him a hypocrite, a coward and an Uncle Tom. They even indulged in vicious internal feuding, such as the assassination of Malcolm X by members of the Nation of Islam in 1965. Incidents of violence, such as attacks on white people, the race riots of Harlem in 1964 and Watts in 1965, damaged the black community and created a white backlash. This threatened the promised government expenditure on housing, schools and job creation under the Great Society. As casualties from Vietnam increased, they campaigned against the draft and argued that black youths should not serve, infuriating an increasingly patriotic public and media. The existing Civil Rights movement disintegrated, as the student organisations led by SNCC under Stokely Carmichael adopted Black Power symbols and slogans, and refused to co-operate with Martin Luther Kingââ¬â¢s SCLC. The government and many white Americans saw the black communities as ungrateful, and King as a spent force. The links that had helped him to gain reforms and investment disappeared, and nothing of significance was achieved for black Americans after 1966. The emergence of Black Power was totally negative. 24. In many ways, however, this argument is over-simplified. The problems faced by the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s had begun to surface before the Black Power movements developed, and could be said to have contributed to their growth. Relations between King and other Civil Rights groups were never entirely secure, and he was often accused of taking credit for the efforts of others, for example in the student sit-ins of 1961. He was criticised for a cynical use of children in the Birmingham campaign of 1963 and for cowardice in halting the first Selma March. These attacks reflect internal rivalries that had nothing to do with Black Power. They increased after 1966 when he moved his focus to the north. The Chicago campaign of 1966 was a dismal failure and also revealed a cultural gap between the respectable bible-belt leaders of the south and the ghetto-based youth of the north, who found Malcolm X a more inspiring figure. The whole situation was made much worse by the war in Vietnam, which diverted money and media attention and created a widening gap between black and white communities. Many black people resented having to fight for a country that valued them so little, while white public opinion saw the refusal of some to serve, like Mohammed Ali, as unpatriotic. The most important point, however, is that once legal equality had been achieved in 1965 and the focus shifted to the social and economic effects of long-term discrimination, Kingââ¬â¢s methods were ineffective. This means that by 1966, methods of campaigning to improve conditions for black people had to change, and the Black Power movements did offer some alternatives. When the Black Panthers set up community projects and policed the housing estates of Chicago, they offered a more direct and practical form of help. More generally, Black Power offered black people a sense of their own culture and pride in their identity. The late 1960s saw changes in music, fashion and style that celebrated black identity rather than attempting to look like whites, such as the Afro hairstyles, the growth of a new soul music and the later development of hip-hop and rap. The use of Black Power salutes by American athletes offended many whites, but it drew the attention of the world to the continuing levels of discrimination suffered by many black Americans. It is difficult to measure the results, but it can be argued that by helping to maintain attention on the problems and demanding change, the Black Power movements helped the black communities to keep fighting for better conditions. By comparison with the gains made through ââ¬Ëpeacefulââ¬â¢ protest, the impact of Black Power was mixed and its achievements limited, but to claim that it achieved nothing for black people is an exaggeration.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Negative Effects of Childhood Obesity
Negative Effects of Childhood Obesity Stella Badalyants Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to inform about negative effects of childhood obesity. Childrenââ¬â¢s choices in foods are largely influenced by media and commercial advertising. Obesity has become a growing health concern at a very young age. Cultural differences including national history showed to have an effect on weight in children. Overweight children not only suffer from serious physical health issues but also with psychological problems brought on by teasing in school. Other factors like race, family background and age showed to make a difference in body weight. Parental supervision is important to prevent this growing desease, including television monitoring and consumption of foods high in sugar and fats. Childhood obesity has been one of the most serious medical health conditions for both children and adolescents. It occurs when a BMI or body mass index is 20 percent greater than normal which is when a child is above the normal weight to height ratio. In the past several decades a spike in overweight and obese children occurred in Western nations. Countries like Canada, Germany, Israel, Greece, Ireland and New Zealand have all become victims to this disease. With U.S. leading the way at 32 percent of overweight children and 17 percent of whom are obese (Berk, 2012, p.417). In 1995, health-care costs associated with excess weight were $51.6 billion or 5.7 % of the total U.S. health care expenses. Also, excess weight decreases productivity and leads to loss of work time (Peralta-Alva, et al., 2005).Childhood obesity has even spread to China, where 20 percent of children are overweight and 7 percent are obese, a percentage that was almost none existent one generation prior to this gener ation. In high populated cities obesity in children rose to 10 percent. Additionally, a Chinese culture belief that extra body weight shows prosperity and health has contributed to an alarming number of growth in obesity. It was carried over from centuries ago when famine caused numerous amounts of deaths. Childhood obesity also paves the way for future health problems as adults such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, not to mention emotional and social difficulties. Obesity can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression; as well as a leading factor to severe complications including stroke, kidney failure, and circulatory problems that heighten the risk of blindness and amputations. Many psychologists also believe that weight bias can be contributing to obesity. Children who are overweight or obese tend to be vulnerable to negative comments and more prone to being victims of bulling. Classmates are common critics of obese children, and school is usually the setting where weight-based teasing and victimization happens. Psychologists also have done studies which showed that negative opinions about overweight children begin as early as age 3 to 5 in the preschool age. Preschoolers consider their overweight peers are mean and less wanted playmates compared to non-overweight children. When poled for their opinion, many children viewed over weight kids as stupid, ugly, lazy and have little to no friends. The children are then poled again at elementary school age and their opinions only get worse with reports that obese peers are selfish, dishonest, socially isolated, and are prone to teasing. The issue has become so common that research now informs us that based on a childââ¬â¢s weight we can predict if they will be victims of bulling due to their weight. (Griffiths, Wolke, Page, Horwood, 2006). Preconception of overweight children can damage the psychological state and increase exposure to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and poor body image. Consequently, obese youth that are being victimized by their classmates are more likely to have suicidal thoughts than those overweight students who are not bullied. Also, having to deal with humiliation about weight only increases the possibility of participating in unhealthy eating habits as well as lower levels of physical activity. Recent research has found that gilt of being overweight is associated with greater calorie intake, lower energy outflow, and over all less weight loss in adults seeking weight loss treatment (Carels et al., 2009). Obesity has been influenced by many factors, especially those in demographic and social-economic nature. Agricultural efficiency improvements have taken place due to decrease in trade barriers which has led to lower service prices. Fast-food chains are all offering fries, burgers and soft drinks at low costs. U.S. has spent $7.3 billion in advertisement for food in 1999, $765 million of that was spent on advertising gum and candy. Advertisement for soft drinks were at $549 million and snacks were at a somewhat low of $330 million (Story et al., 2004). High fructose corn syrup has been linked to childhood obesity in many studies. The fact that soft drinks are pumped full of high fructose corn syrup only adds to the problem. Innovations in technology have been a blessing and a curse, on one hand efficiency and productivity has increased in jobs that require labor, however those same labor saving gadgets decrease the amount of effort put into the job, therefore decreasing the amount of calorie burn per activity. Technology such as television, computers and dishwashers have all been created to save time and provide entertainment, but overuse of these tools has led to a much more serious issue. Biking and walking among Americans has decreased drastically, on the other hand, driving has increased as a source for transportation. Even short trips to the store or park have been largely dominated by vehicle transportation. Children have started losing a large amount of exercise time due to increased time spent playing video games and watching television. Cooking and preparing food has become substantially easier, this has led to more meal consumption among Americans, which is another major reason for increased weight in both children and adults. The average American home had 0% microwave ovens in the 1960ââ¬â¢s, today over 80% of households owns one (US DOE, 2006). Patterns of food consumption have changed all together, people are now consuming more carbohydrates and fats than ever before. Ownership of television sets have also increased from as low as 10% in the 1950ââ¬â¢s to nearly 100% today (Nielson Media Research, 1995). Which of course led to increase in time spent watching T.V. Many studies in the past have calculated endless data on changes of eating habits, level of activity and income changes in U.S. However a study by Tangel Chang, James M. Barrett and Stephen A. Vosti tests the importance of each factor in the rise of body weight. Although the study is not limited to only children, the results are certainly eye opening to future consequences. Factors such as gender, ethnic background and family income are all associated with weight. Studies show that some groups are at a greater risk of becoming overweight than others. Those include women, children, non-whites, those who are not college graduates and the lower class (Chang, Barrett, Vosti, 2006, p. 14). In addition, being born in the U.S. did not have the same effect on weight and waist size as it did on body mass index (BMI). This shows that those born in the U.S. have a higher BMI but not physical height. There are a number of areas that need to be emphasized to reverse the problem. Watching televis ion and engaging in other seated activities, such as playing video games, have proven to be an issue. There has also been a correlation between abdominal obesity, like waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio, and serious risk factors among children like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease develop as they reach adulthood (Freedman et al., 0, p.38). Another detailed study held from 2011 to 2012 had similar results. Participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey study were 9120 people who were measured in weight and height. About half of the group, 5181 people, were adults age 20 or above, 584 were infants and toddlers. The result revealed that 31.8 percent of children were overweight, of which 16.9 percent were obese. There was no difference in obesity occurrence between boys and girls in 2011 to 2012. However there were race and age differences. Non- Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic youth all had a higher probability of obesity than non-Hispanic Asian youth. Also non-Hispanic white youth had lower obesity frequency than non-Hispanic black and Hispanic youth. Over 8 percent of 2 to 5 year olds were obese as compared to 17.7 percent of 6 to 11 year olds and 20.5 percent of 12 to 19 year old youth. Additionally, there were 13.9 percent of teenagers age 12 to 19 with a BMI of greater than or eq ual to 30, which meets the definition of obesity in adults (Ogden, PhD, Carroll, MSPH, Kit, MD, Flegal, PhD, 2014, p.3-4). Food choices that children make have largely been influenced by the media, with television advertising targeting infants and toddlers. Many studies have focused on explaining how advertisement of fast foods, sugary snacks and many other foods with high amounts of fat, sodium and sugar are contributing to childhood obesity. Due to the high amount of hours children spend watching television, children are highly exposed to the growing number of food advertisements, which lead to unhealthy food choices. To add to the issue there is less physical activity as most of their free time is spent watching television. Extensive research has proven that time spent watching television and obesity have a direct correlation. Obesity is increased by 2 percent for every extra hour spent watching television, children that spend more than four to five hours watching television are at a higher rate of obesity than those who only watch two or less hours. (Arnas, 2006). As the appeal to children grow in fo od advertising, so do the requests by children for those advertised foods, as do the actual purchases of those foods by the parents. A fact that also seems to be overlooked is that children now have televisions in their rooms, as high as thirty percent of children age 0 to 3 and 43 percent of children 4 to 6 years of age (Connor, 2005). It is a significant factor in the likelihood of overweight children. The nutritional value of major advertised foods for children are nowhere near the recommended dietary guidelines. Parents and pediatricians seem to overlook the advertising message children are exposed to on a daily basis. The market teams behind these advertisements design them to intentionally influence childrenââ¬â¢s preference and consumption in foods. Dr. Susan Connor conducted an eye opening study on the most popular channels watched by children. In her research results, Disney Chanel had the least amount of advertisements, totaling 26 for the 5 hours that it was recorded. Of those, 17 were Disney products and 9 were of McDonaldââ¬â¢s. PBS led second with a total of 65 advertisements, of which 39 were focused on fast food. The highest of the three was Nickelodeon, having 283 advertisements in the 5 hours, of which 41% were of fast foods such as McDonaldââ¬â¢s, Wendyââ¬â¢s and Chuck E. Cheese. Additionally, 41 percent was used to advertise sugary cereal, 14 percent went for snacks and 4 percent to frozen treats (Connors, 2005). A large amount of fun, excitement, bright colors and actions are incorporated into childrenââ¬â¢s advertisements. Snack food advertisements are promoted as cool, uniquely shaped, brightly colored and yummy tasting. Fast food advertisements use the appeal of the latest toys as a selling point. Overall, the actions and the energy of children featured in the commercials are laughing, giggling, playing, high energy, excitement and activity. Based on the social cognitive theory, children learn to model their behaviors on what is shown by the media, including the models in their present social environment (Dixon et al, 2007). As presented by the social cognitive theory, it is expected for children that are exposed to certain patterns of eating habits modeled on television are to adopt them as their own. Positive association towards junk food as advertised on television, such as the perception that those foods are consumed by other children their age, reported to have increased the consumption of such junk food (Dixon et al., 2007). Same concept applies to advertisements of nutritious foods, positive association to healthy, nutritious alternatives can increase appeal to children. Increasing the frequency of healthy food advertisements versus fast food commercial can also promote a healthier option when faced with opposite choices. Encouraging an active lifestyle has shown to improve weight numbers. Tendency of obesity seems to lean towards women and children, so programs that encourage movement and exercise instead of television and video games are especially valuable. Those who struggle with being overweight can take on activities that emphasize muscle building, which showed to be very beneficial towards weight loss. Previous diet results showed that based on total caloric intake, it is more important to watch how much each type of food is being eaten rather than focus on the whole level of intake. Areas to focus on would be sugar and fat. A variety filled diet of fruits, vegetables, healthy carbohydrates and proteins is a good habit to develop. Children and women are especially prone to obesity, so encouragement in eating healthier foods are especially beneficial to preventing the development of the disease. It was also found that it becomes increasingly difficult to lose weight as we age, so starting health y eating habits at an early age can help continue the healthy lifestyle into adulthood, therefore preventing the development of obesity. Best treatment for obesity currently available are multi-layered lifestyle changes that focus on dietary interventions and promotions of physical activity. Furthermore, involvement of family members is a key feature of effective interventions, especially in cases of multifaceted interventions where trained experts in disciplinary teams are needed. The intensity of such an intervention should depend on the degree of obesity as well as the childââ¬â¢s age. In addition, parents should be sure to take their children to routine pediatric visits, during every visit a health care professional measures the weight and height of the child and assess for any unnecessary weight gain based on height. The doctor should also take into account any factors, like the childââ¬â¢s rate of weight gain and parentsââ¬â¢ weight status. Health care professionals such as pediatricians and primary care doctors are viewed by parents as authorities of their childââ¬â¢s health. Therefore it is their p rofessional duty to make parents aware of their childââ¬â¢s excess weight early to allow time for prevention and intervention. Children who consume a variety of high nutrient rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, and whole grains are less likely to be overweight and obese. Child care facilities should provide meals that are high in nutrient content so as to be consistent with the healthy diet the parents have set at home, as well as ensuring that children have access to healthy foods and portions appropriate for their age. Government agencies should put high efforts into affordable nutritional meals for families in local communities, by making the most of their participation in the federal nutrition assistance programs. The federal government should also set up nutritional guidelines for children under two years of age, as it is important to start good habits at a very young age. Parents should monitor how much time a child spends per day watching television, versus how many hours they spend doing outdoor physical activities. Parents and childcare providers should also focu s on promoting healthy sleep schedules, evidence suggests that short duration of sleep is a risk factor for obesity. Yet another reason why parents need to limit television and video games, especially at night. References Arnas, Yasare. The effects of television food advertisement on childrenââ¬â¢s food purchasing requests. Pediatrics International. 2006; 48, 138-145. Carels, R.A., Young, K.M., Wott, C.B., Harper, J., Gumble, A., Oehlof, M.W., Clayton, A.M. (2009). Weight bias and weight loss treatment outcomes in treatment-seeking adults. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 37, 350-355. Chang, T., Barrett, J. M., Vosti, S. A. (2006). The Physical, Social, and Cultural Determinants of Obesity: An Empirical Study of the U.S. Connor, Susan, PhD. Food-related advertising on preschool television: Buidling brand recognition in young viewers. Pediatrics. 2005; 118, 1478-1485. Freedman, D. S., Kahn, H. S., Mei, Z., Grummer-Strawn, L. M., Dietz, W. H., Srinivasan, S. R., Berenson, G. S. (0). Relation of body mass index and waist-to-height ratio to cardiovascular disease risk factors in children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study1-4. Griffiths, L.J., Wolke, D., Page, A.S., Horwood, J.P. (2006). Obesity and bullying: different effects for boys and girls. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 91, 121-125. Nielson Media Research, 1995 Ogden, PhD, C. L., Carroll, MSPH, M. D., Kit, MD, B. K., Flegal, PhD, K. M. (2014). Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012 Cynthia L. Ogden, PhD; Margaret D. Carroll, MSPH; Brian K. Kit,MD, MPH; Katherine, 311(8), 3-4. Peralta AA Pere Gomis, P, The macroeconomics of obesity in the United States, Macroeconomics 0503014, Economics WPA, revised 28 Mar 2005 Story, M and French, S, ââ¬Å"Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US, Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act., 2004; 1:3. U.S. Department of Energy http://www.energy.gov/ Berk,L.E. (2012). Chapter 11. In Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood (p.417). Boston: Pearson Allyn Bacon.
Saturday, July 20, 2019
Advocacy in Social Work
Advocacy in Social Work Advocacy, Rights and Partnership This reflective report contains my experience and understanding of advocacy and explains the types of advocacy and its methods and models, I will explain the theories and relate it to my practice and finally discuss the strengths and weakness of my area of practice and discuss the conflicts of interest implication up on the service user. DEFINITION OF ADVOCACY Advocacy is defined as a key concept in social work practice. It is defined as exerting influence on behalf of organisations and groups within legal power and political structure. Advocacy involves either an individual or group, or their representatives, pressing their case with influential others, about situations which either affect them directly or, and more usually, try to prevent proposed changes, which will leave them worse off .(Pardeck, 1996). Gates (1994) cites four variations of advocacy: legal advocacy, the representation of the user in a formal context, for instance a health-review tribunal; self-advocacy, where the individual or a group of individuals speak up for themselves, a form of empowerment; collective or class advocacy, the large organisations who speak for the interests and rights of a category of people; and citizen advocacy, the representation of the users interests by a competent advocate (eg a Social worker). Advocacy is a concept embraced by social work and advocating for clients is vital for the social work profession. The primary goals of advocacy are achieving social justice and people empowerment. In achieving these goals, a proactive, responsive and participatory approach is necessary (Pardeck, 1996). My role as an advocate during my placement was to speak on behalf of my clients and to empower them to advocate on their own behalf, whenever their rights have been denied; for example in accessing state benefits or demanding repair work from local Housing departments. The advocacy role, from a social context, includes the redistribution of power and recourse to an individual or group, guarding their rights and preserving their values, conserving their best interests and overcoming the sense of powerlessness (Pardeck, 1996. pg 151). RESOURCES AVAILABLE WITHIN PLACEMENT My second year practice placement was with a charity organisation, in the London Borough of Newham called RAMP (Refugee And Migrant Project). RAMP is one of The Renewal Programme projects and is registered with the Home Office Office of Immigration Services Commission. RAMP works to enable refugees and migrants (including asylum seeker) to realise their potentials and facilitate their integration into society. The focus of the organisation is to provide advice and advocacy and support on welfare benefits, housing and education and NASS National Asylum Support Services. RELATING THEORY TO ADVOCACY When I began working with migrants, refugees or asylum seekers, I took a very holistic and Person Centred Approach that allowed me to work in partnership and give them the opportunity to go through their own problems and find their own solutions to them. Carl Rogers was the founder of Person-Centred therapy. As a psychologist in the 1950s and 60s he studied the process of counselling and came to the conclusion that a number of basic principles were required in order for there to be a positive relationship and outcome between the client and the therapist. These are also known as core conditions: . Unconditional positive regard that involves the therapist being non-judgmental and accepting the client and their experiences. . Congruence, which means that the therapist displays their true thoughts and feelings during the session. . Empathy, where the therapist shows understanding towards the clients experiences without oppressing them. When engaging with my clients, I demonstrated unconditional positive regard by not judging them as individuals or for the needs they had; I wanted to find out what it is that they wanted/needed. I was congruent in that I acknowledged the fact that I was a student and I was also learning myself, and therefore I may not be able to answer all questions immediately. Finally, I showed empathy by acknowledging similarities that I may have with them such as coming from a minority ethnic community. As well as the core conditions, I used the Exchange Model of communication to engage in my meetings with my clients. Smale and Tuson (1998) point out that the exchange model believes that the client has an equally valid perception of their problems and that they themselves can contribute to finding the solutions. This also facilitates partnership between the worker and the client. The exchange model was effective because English was the second language for all my clients therefore enabled me to ask them simple, open-ended questions that were free from professional jargon, compared to Procedural model that has pre-set questions to conform to the requirements of the agency. I used two main theories to look at situations during my practice placement: Systems theory and Muslows Hierarchy of Needs. Systems theory originates from Bertalanffys (1971) biological theory that all things are part of a system: sub-systems that make up super-systems (in Payne, 1997). The theory is also known as ecological perspective; family theory and networks theory depending on what context it is used. Systems theory allows you to look at the whole picture and not just one aspect of a particular case. The concept of circular causality is also significant in this theory and it suggests that: if something happens in one part, it affects the other. I therefore did not analyse clients situations in isolation, I looked at their surroundings and their systems to understand their situations better. Pincus and Minahan (1973) describe 3 systems in which people depend on (in Payne, 1997 p.141): Societal systems (housing, social security and schools) For some of my clients, their housing department was part of their societal systems that they may have been experiencing problems with. On top of this, some of their main informal systems their families may be missing from them (i.e. still in their own countries). This had a detrimental effect on their self-confidence and achievement as it left gaps in the systems that are supporting them. Maslows hierarchy of needs highlights that the family is a very important factor in meeting basic needs for example, security. By being estranged from their families, clients are already at a weak point and according to systems theory; this also affects their formal and societal systems. As a social worker, in order to promote and enable my clients and to empower them, it was important that I was able to maintain as many systems around them as possible. This was important for their confidence and future development. When carrying out my work with asylum seekers, refugees and migrants I was very much open and holistic in the way that I looked at the multiple forms of discrimination and oppression that this client group may face. For example I did not only focus on the obvious forms of oppression. Such as race, religion and gender, I also looked at underlying issues such as relationships with partners and domestic abuse. I ensured that I did not ignore the oppression and discrimination that they may face within their own communities. Other theories, models and methods which I used included Crisis Intervention, Task-Centred work, Loss Bereavement amongst others. I found that being able to study, understand and relate these to my practice guided me immensely in my practice. They provided me with the knowledgebase, which I could use to eclectically and effectively in order to work with the many different situations that I worked with. THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SU Adams (1998 p314) sees advocacy as a form of empowerment which, involves representing a persons interests in circumstances where they are not able to do so themselves. It strives to promote social inclusion by empowering marginalised people and therefore, has a direct relationship to anti-oppressive practice in social work. The ethical principles underlying advocacy reinforce working in partnership with users and carers, a key concept in social work practice and community care. Furthermore, the skills required for successful advocacy reflect core skills of social work practice (Bateman, 2000p17). Professionals get involved in peoples lives most of the times to help, but then oppress them by making decisions for them. Oppression is: Inhuman/degrading treatment of individuals/groups; hardship And injustice brought about by the dominance of one group over another; the negative and demeaning exercise of power. Oppression often involves disregarding the rights of an individual/ group and is thus the denial of citizenship (Thompson 1997 p31). In a situation where the Social worker made a decisions without consulting him, his needs and interests were not considered. As Adams (1998p301) affirms remedies to problems encountered lie primarily with experts and thus undermines self determination and authenticity. Most professionals take it upon themselves to make decisions for people as they assume that they cannot make choices for themselves, yet the Mental Capacity Act 2007 argues that almost all including the most severely disabled are capable of making choices and expressing their views and preferences. Therefore it is the Social workers role to challenge the abuse of power for suppression and for excluding people from decisions which affect them as stated by Stanford (accessed 5/01/2009) in the code of ethics. People requiring access to services should not feel that they are beggars, their welfare needs should be met as a right and dignity and respect should be maintained all the times. STRENGTHSÃ AND WEAKNESSES OF ADVOCACY To assist service users, advocacy may be appropriate to protect the rights of the service user. An advocate will inform an individual of their options, and talk with other services on their behalf, if required to. The role of an advocate is to allow the service user to make their own self-determinations by ensuring they have all the relevant information, whilst at the same time not imposing their own views on the situation (Coulshed and Orme 1998). Difficulties with advocacy arise if the advocate tries to impose their own opinion on the service user, who may be vulnerable, and open to suggestion. The lack of statutory advocacy means that most services are provided by those who have already experienced similar situations, and who may have a biased view or are not trained to deal with difficult situations (Adams et.al. 2002) Anti oppressive practice (AOP): Looking at the structure of oppression developed by Thompson (1993) called the PCS model. I can illustrate how oppression is occurring, because this model is used to develop our understanding of discrimination and the oppression that arises from it. (Thompson,1998:12). It operates at three very separate levels, which are inter-related. These levels being personal, cultural and structural (the term PCS model). (Thompson,1998:12). Oppression itself is a powerful force. On a personal level it can lead to demoralisation and lack of self-esteem, while at a structural level it can lead to denial of rights. (Dalrymple and Burke,1995:57) This statement proves to be true because at the personal level, because the majority of the community that come to our organisation are feeling oppressed by themselves because of not being able to access facilities and not receiving the advice in maintaining their health, hygiene and environment. At the cultural level oppression is coming from other communities because they feel that they are superior to them, due to the fact that they are more familiar with the services and maybe able to speak English, therefore demoralising the community . At the structural level, institutions such as schools, hospitals, social security offices, advice centres the list is endless do not provide a facility whereby individuals from the community can access them, whereby denying them their rights. As an advocate it was my duty to challenge what the service users where feeling and going through, whereby I would empower them to access necessary services and direct them to attend relevant courses in order to tackle there problems and emotional feelings. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST WHICH MAY ARISE IN ADVOCACY The most common conflict of interest that I was faced with whilst advocating was the language barriers between service users and advocacy staff , In reflection throughout the advocacy I noticed the significant difference that language plays throughout society. It made me realise that not having the language skills can be very oppressive to a person and can leave them marginalized from the rest of society. Communication is a skill in itself and it is central to the role of social work (Thompson, 2000). Communication can come in many different forms; this can include verbal, non-verbal, listening and writing skills. Conclusion In conclusion to the finding throughout research and practice, it shows a huge importance in working in partnership with service users and other professional, good partnership helps social workers and other professional to delivery an effective service. Social workers are helping to promote change; even though they are working within statutory agencies their role can have a huge influence from advocacy.
Managing Employee Retention and Turnover Essays -- Human Resource Mana
Managing Employee Retention and Turnover Employee retention has always been an important focus for human resource managers. Once a company has invested time and money to recruit and train a good employee, it is in their own best interest to retain that employee, to further develop and motivate him so that he continues to provide value to the organization. But, employers must also recognize and tend to what is in the best interest of their employees, if they intend to keep them. When a company overlooks the needs of its employees and focuses only on the needs of the organization, turnover often results. Excessive turnover in an organization is a prime indicator that something is not right in the employee environment. We will look at the differences between retention and turnover, why employees stay, reasons why they leave, and what can be done to save them. We will also examine some external factors that will make employee retention and turnover reduction highest priorities for human resource professionals. Basically, employee retention is measured by an employee's longevity with a company, and is the desired outcome of a company hiring workers it wants and needs. Many organizations find it more productive and profitable to redirect resources formerly allocated to recruiting, hiring, orienting, and training of new employees and use them instead toward employee retention programs. Such programs identify good performers who are likely to leave the company and work proactively to retain them. Although there is no tried-and-true prescription for retaining good employees, there are five factors that have a proven positive impact on retention and they should be taken into consideration when developing an employee retention program: Ã ·Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Supervisor/Employee relationship - "Immediate supervisors who are also leaders of people will be the most important people in the workplace of the future..." (Jamrog, 2004) Today's supervisor is expected to be a coach, a trainer, and a mentor. Foremost, he must be able to communicate well up and down the organization. Employees who have honest, open relationships with their supervisors feel a sense of commitment to them. Ã ·Ã Ã Ã Ã Ã Employee engagement - The best employees are motivated by tasks that are intellectually stimulating and provide variety and challenge while contributing value. Studies from the Gallup organizat... ...and preparation will help employers more readily adapt. References AARP. 2002, Staying Ahead of the Curve: The AARP Work and Career Study. Wahington, D.C.: AARPRetention rodeo. Buhler, Patricia M. The exit interview: a goldmine of information Source: Supervision v. 63 no4. (Apr. 2002) p. 15-17. Database: WilsonSelectPlus. Ceridian Employee Services, http://www.ceridian.com/myceridian Christian & Timbers, www.ctnet.com Frank, Fredric D. The Race for Talent: Retaining and Engaging Workers in the 21st Century. Source: Human Resource Planning v.27 no3 (2004) p. 12-25. Database: WilsonSelectPlus Jamrog, Jay. The Perfect Storm: The Future of Retention and Engagement. Source: Human Resource Planning v. 27 no3 (2004) p. 26-33. Database: WilsonSelectPlus. Society for Human Resource Management (2003). Older Workers Survey. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (2003) Customized Data Compilation, November 20. "Demographics and Destiny: Winning the War for Talent," Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Bethesda, Maryland; 301.581.4600 http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/ http://www.capitalhgroup.com/weAre/research/KeepingTopTalentSurvey.pdf
Friday, July 19, 2019
Capturing the Friedmans Essay -- Film Movies
Capturing the Friedmans In 2003, Andrew Jarecki released his documentary "Capturing the Friedmans", which explores a seemingly normal middle-class families struggle when the father and son are charged with sexual abuse and molestation in 1987. The Friedman's from the outside seem like a healthy family, abiding in a fairly exclusive Great Neck, Long Island community; the father Arnold is a Columbia Graduate and a school teacher, while the mother Elaine, a housewife. They have three sons David, Seth, and Jessie whom appear to be a happy, intelligent, and good-humored group of brothers. The power and prestige of this film comes not from its controversial and serious subject matter, but from the unbiased way in which the story is presented. Jarecki gives the audience an equal amount of facts that could be used to argue both sides of the equation, which leaves one realizing that perhaps what really transpired isn't the point he's aiming for in this film. The audience is left not knowing whether or not Arnold and his son Jesse committed the crimes, but instead they are left realizing truth is irrelevant, because we will never really know exact details, just the disintegration and tragic destruction of the Friedman Family. Regardless of the validity of the claims, there definitely seems to have been something unusual and tragic about the collapsing Friendman Family. The patriarchal/ matriarchal relationship was brok en, Arnold and Elaine didn't seem very much in love anymore, and the boundaries between the parents and the children became less pyramid like and more horizont... ...at because of the size of the children there would have been physical symptoms, no documented evidence of this sort was presented during the case. Out of 100 students no physical symptoms were ever recorded, and not one student said anything about abuse until four years later when the investigator was pursued (Silvergate, 2004) No parents ever filed complaints prior to police investigation. Because memories are malleable and children are even more vulnerable to authority, it is very probable that some children just complied to the leading questions due to fear, but is it possible that they all could? The influence of the investigators parallels to the influence of therapists in cases of sexually abused children's recovered memories. Works Cited 1)Silverglate, Harvey A; Takei, Carl:Mistrial- The Capturing The Friedman's DVD sheds new light on the case. Newsday
Thursday, July 18, 2019
Racial Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System Essay
It is generally agreed that discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin is morally wrong and a violation of the principle of equality. Race refers to groups of persons who are relatively alike in their biological inheritance and are distinct from other groups. Ethnicity is a cultural phenomenon referring to a personââ¬â¢s identification with a particular cultural group. Racism in its most general sense can be defined as ââ¬Å"social practices which (explicitly or implicitly) attribute merits or allocate values to members of racially categorized groups solely because of their ââ¬Ëraceââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ . The issue of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system is controversial because there is substantial evidence confirming both individual and systemic biases. Although, many people believe there is no systematic racism in criminal justice; research in the past and present displays racial minorities are treated unfair and unjust in all aspects of the criminal justice system. African Americans and Hispanics for decades have accused law enforcement officers of racial profiling (Banks 66). Solid evidence of discrimination exists in many stages of the criminal justice process, including the police use of deadly force and the application of the death penalty. There are at least three aspects to racism: personal prejudice; ideological racism, where culture and biology are used to rationalize and justify the superior position of a dominant culture; and institutional racism, where the policies and practices of institutions operate to produce systematic and continuing differences between racial groups (Banks 67). To determine whether racial discrimination exists within the criminal justice system, criminologists have conducted research studies that have examined the major decision points within criminal justice systems in the United States (Banks 68). Many report suggests that racial discrimination does occur at some points in the criminal justice system. Following the Rodney King incident, the report of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (also called the Christopher Commission) (1991) found that there was excessive use of force by LAPD officers and that this was compounded by racism and bias (Banks 69). An agreement about racism exists among criminal justice administrators, policymakers, and academics. The conclusion that racial discrimination is proven to be in the justice system certainly does not follow from the research on the subject. But a majority of scholars would certainly agree that there is a substantial body of evidence proving that racial bias inheres in certain practices and policies of both the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems. The controversy about racial discrimination in the criminal justice system remains unresolved. While most research proposes an absence of systematic racial discrimination, there is agreement among researchers that acts of discrimination does occur at specific decision-making points. Regardless of the conclusions of research studies, there is a widespread belief among minorities that the system discriminates against them and is therefore unjust (Banks 84). Works Cited Quigley, Bill. ââ¬Å"Fourteen Examples of Racism in Criminal Justice System.â⬠The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 July 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. Banks, Cyndi. Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2013. Print. ABC 20/20 What Would You Do Vandals Racism In America Pt. 1 ABC 20/20 What Would You Do Vandals Racism In America Pt. 2
The Different Motivational Theories
This model, lay downly foreboding theory, suggests that undivideds, acting d atomic number 53 and through self-interest, adopt courses of action comprehendd as maximizing the prob baron of suited outcomes for themselves. This need to maximize self-interest provides aspiring leaders with unique opportunities to assume lead economic consumptions by simultaneously get together both assistant needs and organizational requirements. We intend to explicitly link expectancy theory and leadership concepts to demonstrate that leader interactions with followers abide the establishment of highly pauperismal functional environments.In so doing, individuals acquire the fashion to transcend their traditional roles of supervisor, manager, or follower, and ca-ca their potentials as leaders. In parliamentary law to go on competitive at home or within the global market, we must detail relegating in our minds the functions of leadership to the slip of the president or CEO of the org anization. Instead, we must come to view the leadership role as part of every employees wrinkle, at all levels of the organization. (Isaac, Zerbe & Pitt, 2001, p. 212)Since its origins in the 1960s justice conjecture held forth the promise of portion to explain how employees respond to situations in which they perceive they be being rewarded to a smashinger extent or less favorably in comparison to a referent doing similar work. in short after its inception, Weick (1966) deemed it to be one of the intimately using upful existing organizational carriage theories. Subsequent reviews concluded that the empirical testify supporting law supposition was primarily strong, especially with regards to how workers respond to under-reward situations. come outliness scheme proposed that subjects respond to under-reward situations in various ways in an go about to bring their muckledour proportionality back into balance. For example, subjects may distinguish a behavioral resp onse to attend tighten their feelings of inequity. They may respond in such ways as decrease their inputs (i. e. , non put forth as much motion) or increasing their outcomes (i. e. , gather up for a raise).Subjects may instead expend a cognitive response to reduce feelings of inequity such as selecting other soul to use as their referent. at long last the subject may choose to top the situation by deciding to modify or quit the organization. Allen & White, 2002) Although previous fair-mindedness Theory interrogation has concluded that under-rewarded subjects in the main respond in a fashion that is consistent with classic Equity Theory, it is non well-to-do to scream which option they pass on select to bring their equity ratio into balance. This lack of specificity regarding what responses individuals experiencing inequity are apt(predicate) to imbibe is a serious blemish of the headmaster Equity Theory.As such, the original Equity Theory eventually bring do wn out of favor receiv adapted in part to this inability to predict on the dot how individuals would respond to an under-reward situation (e. . , lower their inputs, attempt to raise their outcomes, cognitively justifying the situation, decide to chip in the organization). This lack of predictive ability of Equity Theory makes it much less multipurpose to practitioners such as managers and human imaginativeness professionals who would greatly bene lead if they could accurately predict the reactions that their employees would require to dissentent inequitable situations. Accordingly, research on the topic of Equity Theory moved off in another(prenominal) direction.Inspired by legal research, the procedural justice stream of research began to centralise much(prenominal) on the processes and procedures of how pay and experience are pay backd, rather than the reactions that individuals have to them. Equity Theory research became less everyday and eventually withered away. ( Allen & White, 2002) While changing organizational culture is not an easy process, it can be accomplished by show a commitment to the individual employee. Despite the lits heavy emphasis on the clandestine domain, m both of the elements of Theory Z can be fix in public organizations.This article describes one citys effort to change culture by emphasizing fair treatment of organizational members, employee involvement, bipartizan communication, employees personal development and recognition and camaraderie. During the retiring(a) decade, organizations in the American society have faced great uncertainty. The challenge of meeting the increasing competition of the Japanese and westward Europeans in the international marketplace, massive reorder of corporations through leveraged acquisitions and consolidations, and rapidly changing engine room have impacted organizational behavior in the private vault of heaven.Public sector organizations have faced the effects of the young f ederalism, the Tax Re casting Act of 1986, taxpayer revolts, and numerous other events and actions which have caused disruption. These demands on American organizations, especially those coming from foreign competition, have forced leaders to question their worry abilities and their organizations commitment to excel. As part of this introspection, an trial of the underlying value, beliefs, and attitudes of organizations has been undertaken, especially in the popular, non-academic literature (Watson & Burkhalter, 1992)Job Design for returns employees has been categorised as a occupation line near or an empowerment approach (Bowen & Lawler, 1992). The production line approach, as its name implies, is found on a Tayloristic view. It is establish on four tenets unprejudiced tasks, put on division of labor, substitution of equipment and systems for employees, and little decision-making dainty of employees. This design seeks to gain node contentment through efficiency, consis tency, and low costs.It is imperative with the production line line of merchandise design that IT is installed as a part of that design so as to facilitate matching it to the expediency encounters anticipated. The number and nature of the options from which the employee chooses should then be limited to matching the constraints on their decision-making authority. any(prenominal) access to additional in playation would not only be of no use it would actually deter efficiency. For example, if all hamburgers are prepared to the aforesaid(prenominal) degree of doneness, better-looking a customer encounter person the option of asking a customer how he/she would like the meat cooked would slack down the process.In fast food, cash registers (which also communicate orders to the backroom) prompt order-takers through the decisions that are allowable. Thus, the more standardized the service the more easily circumscribed technologically it can be(5) because the reality of the encounter i s simple and presumed to be more easily captured than encounters in which provided services are customized and the outcome of any one such encounter is variable. The more circumscribed technologically the service is, the more efficiently the service can be performed but the more dependent upon the circumscribing engineering science customer encounter service force become.Mechling & Little, 2000, p. 65) The Two-factor Theory, or Motivation and Hygiene Theory, purports to mark off between intimate and extrinsic aspects of the job. The authors referred to the intrinsic factors as content or motivators, and they allow in achievement, advancement, the work itself, responsibility, and recognition. The extrinsic factors were referred to as hygienics has and included company policy and administration, technical supervision, work conditions, salary, and interpersonal supervision. (Maidani, 1991) the applicability of Herzbergs Two-factor Theory of job Satisfaction among public and pri vate sector employees.The study, therefore was designed to suss out the job content (motivators or intrinsic) and job context (hygiene or extrinsic) factors contributing to job satisfaction among those employees. Furthermore, the study attempted to determine whether using this instrument would yield the kindred results as those of Herzberg et al. (1959) using the critical incidents techniques. possibleness 1 was support. Significant differences were found due to the fact that the satisfied group values motivator really more than the dissatisfy group. A t-value of 1. 98 indicated that a world-shattering difference existed between the two groups. supposal 2 was not supported. No significant differences were found between the satisfied and displease employees relating to value placed on hygiene factors. Hypothesis 3 was not supported as no significant differences were found between private and public sector employees on the value placed on motivator factors. (Maidani, 1991) The expectancy theory formulate by Edward C Tolman in the thirty- approximatelything (whereby behavior rests on the instinctive mark for individuals to balance the value of expected benefits against the expense of energy) falls into the same stimulus-response approach to motivation.It demonstrates that an individuals intensity level of motivation can be tolerate on by the expectations of outcomes from certain actions and further alter by the individuals preferred outcome, as demonstrate by Victor H. Vroom in the 1960s. Individuals are consciously self-interested in the outcomes of their actions. For example, a worker may put in extra time and effort to a project and expect to be pay more money. That is his desire reward and what he expects. If he does not receive, what he expects his motivational level go out fall dramatically.Elton Mayo, in the Hawthorne experiments concluded that individuals adjusted their motivational levels to fit in with the group. The individual valu es the panegyric and acceptance of others and will conform to the groups motivational standards in order to fit in. unmatchable important point about expectancy theory is that individual perceptions can be very different, and the motivation and behavior of individuals will vary considerably.It pays, therefore, in external stimuli to bear in mind that 1. he routes to desired outcomes for individuals and teams are clear and 2. individuals perceive the rewards or punishments in different ways gibe to their own values. There is a great need to treat people as individuals but as the 5050 rule also indicates, other motivational factors should always be set in the context of the individuals managed environment. Leaders have a vital role to play in creating a motivational environment in which their team members can excel by in turn using the motivation within themselves.To be able to do this, we as leaders need to baffle by looking at ourselves and acquiring our contribution right befor e we can criticize others. (Thomas, 2004, p. 61) Process models are based on the important insight that responses to (persuasive) messages do not only take the form of controlled, capacity-intensive cognitive processes, or only the form of simple automatic processes involving little works memory. Message processing may be dominated by either form, or it may blend the two, depending on our ability and motivation to think about the spunk of a message.Affective processes appear to (a) regulate levels of motivation and ability to process in a thoughtful manner, (b) guide the recuperation of information from memory, and (c) provide cues to simple responses (Babrow, 1993, p. 111) dialectic perspectives on communication also represent multiple- process theory. Of course, dialectical analyses of one chassis or another have been discussed for centuries (see Adler, 1952). As numerous dialectical thinkers have pointed out, however, several(prenominal) sources are consistent in these pub lications these themes exemplify some of the most desirable potentialities of multiple- process theory.The most elemental theme in dialectical thinking is that of emulation dialectic either begins or ends with some sort of intellectual conflict, or develops and resolves virtually such oppositions ( Adler, 1952 , p. 350). Dialectical opposites are in return conditioning (the occurrence, existence, or meaning of one pole is conditioned by its opposite) and at the same time mutually excluding . For instance, telephone set presupposes but also excludes silence, and so as well as for amity and enmity, motion and stillness. (Babrow, 1993, p. 15)All of these theories expound on the perception of the individual working to better themselves in some way. They differ in their methods, some look at how the individual will work for recognition, advancement, or just for encouragement. All of these methods are impressive means of making individuals and groups work more efficiently. However, it is important to point out that distributively method does not work for the same situation. One must be able to differentiate between the theories in order to determine the best means.
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