Robinson Crusoe Essays (523 words) - English-language Films

Robinson Crusoe The young Robinson Crusoe has a great desire to go to sea. His desire is so strong that it overrides all his other feelings. Neither his father's refusal nor the disapproval of friends influences him against a life on the sea. At his first opportunity, Crusoe runs away to pursue a life of adventure. He joins with a friend whose father owns a ship and soon sets sail. The trip proves to be a disaster. The young Crusoe displays a vacillating nature. When danger or disaster is near, he is repentant for his rebelliousness, but the minute the situation improves, he goes back to his old ways. He is given repeated chances to live his life differently, but he is not yet spiritually strong enough to resist temptation. His first profitable trading voyage makes him into a greedy man. As punishment for his greed, he is captured and made a slave in Sallee. When he escapes, he goes to Brazil, where he settles down and prospers; Crusoe, however, is still not satisfied. He seizes he first opportunity he gets to make more money, even though it is through the immoral occupation of slave trading. As punishment for this greed, he becomes the lone survivor of a shipwreck and is marooned on a deserted island. On the island, Crusoe is transformed. At first, he constantly wavers between despair and hope and then settles down to an everyday existence on the island. He tries to make up for his past sins with hard work and enterprise. However, industry and productivity can never take the place of genuine repentance. Finally, during his illness, when he is totally helpless for the first time in his life, he reaches out to God and begs for help and forgiveness. As always, God hears his prayer and will, in His own time, save Crusoe. After recovering from his illness, Crusoe begins to progress morally. He begins to depend on God and read the Bible. His life on the island becomes the triumph of the human spirit. Often, when disaster strikes, his old nature temporarily surfaces, but the change in him is too profound for his old self to pose a real threat. When he saves Friday, his life on the island changes dramatically. He welcomes a companion, even a savage, and quickly converts this native culturally -- dressing him in proper clothes, feeding him cooked meat, naming him with a British name, and teaching him English. He also converts him to Christianity, and in the process strengthens his own faith. Crusoe further shows he is a changed man when he refuses to judge the savages, acknowledging that only God can judge. Crusoe also deals justly with the Englishmen he later encounters on the island, sparing the lives of all that he can. When he realizes his deliverance is at hand, he gives the credit of his survival and rescue to God, humbly refusing to take credit for himself. When he returns to England and learns how rich he is, he shares with both family and friends. Crusoe has truly matured into a wise, humble, kind, and generous man. English Essays

Ethical Integrity

Ethical Integrity Free Online Research Papers In life today, we have dealt with many different challenges. As humans we are accountable for meeting certain guidelines in most of everything we accomplish. For most of us it is how we were raise and what values that were instilled in us by our parents. Ethical integrity is not being nice to others but being truthful to ourselves, on and off work. Ethics and integrity go hand in hand in how we live our lives. As we progress in our work ethics, our values strengthen and we start to take shape. As we look further and in this subject, we will find that integrity is used in the most of values that we choose to use. Looking online at Dictionary.com, it defines integrity as adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty. Today’s society believes that ethical integrity is more of a standard than an option. In the Air Force they use something that is called to Core Values and the first Core Value is Integrity First, Service before Self, and Excellence in All We Do. As an Air Force Military Training Instructor I instill integrity from day one of basic training. When I get them on the first night, I am informing them of what integrity is and how to apply it in everyday life. When they graduate from basic training they can apply this in their career and be responsible as adults and have a new set of values. An article on ethics and integrity was printed by Bob Czimbal and Michele Brooks, director and seminar leaders for The Abundance Company. They discuss how if you have ethics plus integrity you get alignment. Ethics as stated from Czimbal and Brooks, is an external system of rules and laws. Usually there are rewards when we follow the rules and punishment when we break them. With this definition stated brought the word of integrity which is defined an internal system of principles which guides our behavior. The rewards are intrinsic. Integrity is a choice rather than an obligation. It may be influenced, but cannot be forced upon another person. Integrity is doing what is right even if no one is looking. Most businesses today have you review their code of ethics to ensure you know what the rules you must follow so that you know how the business works and flows and one. From the military point of view, I get briefed of what is expected of me before I step foot on the job. I am explained what I can and cannot do in the work place. I also have to read a few regulations that the Air Force writes and we must follow that correlate with the local workplace laws. It reminds us that Integrity in the workplace is a must and just because you might not always be supervised you must be true to yourself in some situations and do the right thing. By doing so it shows our employer that we are representing the Air Force with the use of integrity and that we can represent ourselves with a set of values the Air Force instills in us from day one. The way a person conducts themselves at work is observed from all your coworkers every day. Some things might be acceptable at work as they work off work. The codes of ethics are there to remind us how to behave at work and to not bring inappropriate behavior to the workplace. A lot of certain behavior is not acceptable at the workplace such as sexual harassment. That is why the rules are required to be enforced by all employees. If a high number of inappropriate behavior complaints are reported we then get together and remind the whole group that this is unacceptable and to remember the code of ethics that we use. Sometimes we have individuals re-read the code to refresh their memory. Other times we bring outside agencies in to talk to the group and to use real stories to educate how even the smallest of things can breakdown a workplace. As a Military Training Instructor I strive to become the best that I can be. As I teach these values to the recruits I also learn a few new ones myself. I am supposed to be the image of a perfect being I emulate integrity and show them how to represent the Air Force in the proper way. Before I became an instructor, I was always the individual who reminded people what integrity was but they didn’t care what integrity was. I was raised not knowing what that was. When I joined the Air Force I learned what integrity was and was able to pass it along to every trainee to take along with them along in their career. If I can have my life changed by a few Values in my life I want everyone to have what I have. The longer we work at a certain workplace we will build trust with the workers and receive a good reputation. Accomplishing the work and the way we handle ourselves around our co-workers, over time, gives them confidence to do anything. Going back to Czimbal and Brooks, Sk ills for Success, their formula for integrity and ethics does equal alignment. To look at this from a different perspective, Clark, author of Why Social Work Practitioners Need Research Ethics Knowledge, takes a different paproach into ethical integrity. The article mentions that (pg 5) practitioners are under pressure, they use intervention and assessments to use as the projects in their study field of ethics. The Code of Federal Regulations is also known as their â€Å"common rules†. There are three designated major categories of vulnerable people; which in the past have been exploited because of their compromised status in society, cognitive limitations associated with age, or their medical vulnerabilities. Social workers are authorized to take action when concerns outweigh the integrity of their job. In the ethical integrity, earning trust and respect are very critical when dealing with a job like this. There are language and culture barriers that can slow things down. This is a job that requires an open mind and the sense of compassion and c onsideration. There are different types of ethical issues that integrity plays an important role. As the employer is an individual comes to me with certain issue I will have to be careful how I handle them. There different issues involving other people that can affect the way a decision is made in any certain matter. Depending on the decision you make, it could be good or bad. It is knowledge and experience and what words we decide to use when dealing with individual with issues. We actually learn what to say to individuals with time in a business we also learn from the individuals with the issue on how to handle the next person with the same types of issues. In my job as an instructor I deal with this all the time. When a recruit comes to me with an issue I have to take into consideration that I might not like this person because he has not been progressing with the rest of the group. I have to put that aside when he asks for help on a personnel issue. I cannot make a decision based on th e fact he is a slow learner. From the experience of management and styles used by my leaders, from my point of view is to always set the example and teach them the correct way on how to use integrity and pass it on to others. Being a professional at all times allows you to show you employers what a leader should represent and how decisions are made. Ethics plays a huge part in all of this. When we work if we use integrity when we make decisions you will see more quality in peoples work as the time progresses. You can attempt to teach ethical integrity but it will determine on the person if they apply it or not. As an employer you have to give the hard feedback on employee performance no matter how much you would hate to. To have and keep an open mind, integrity involves a part of humility that decided our actions and decisions. Over the years of doing this, we learn from the people that we counsel and the experience in handle these situations. Did we pick up a board that no one even seen and if not picked up would have someone tripped and injured themselves? If that had happened in my job that would have been a real bad incident. Using integrity means you always do the right thing even know now sees you accomplish the task. It is the principle of the thing that we look at. Do we or do we not may be many of the questions when we walk by something or someone. From the time your day starts you may have to plan your day and it may go the way you want it to it won’t go the way it was intended. As long as we consider throughout the day the that your mind will assist you in mak ing the correct decision and keep us on top of the principle and make the correct choice in ethical decisions. So what is ethical integrity? The definition from the dictionary broke down the words into their category. We know honesty is the core root of principles that we live by. The key really is in the morality of principles that we use; our conscience mind is pretty unique and valuable to our inner most selves. Ethics is basically the moral part of the principle in the way we act, what we say, and do as to how we listen and use our conscience for the common sense. As said already when it comes to teaching others, we have a code that is lived by, whether it is at work or at home it is for the living day to day basis as life brings many challenges. To be responsible and utilize the tools given and with that keep learning more skills for life as each day is lived. As an individual we are liable for our behavior and our actions. The wisdom gathered can be from many sources. There are those who live by the ten commandments, there are those who have a set of principles that they live by through an organization or nonprofit organization. There are those that have a different religion with their beliefs. The good does not have to come from a book or a piece of paper, but it does come through the inner self of a person and by the laws of nature, we are entitled to use respect, to keep compassion, to seek rather than be the one to get, do rather than be lazy, and so on. The wisdom gathered as mentioned endures with experience. We use ethics as an external overview while integrity is from within, this keeps the compatibility as open as our mind. Research Papers on Ethical IntegrityMoral and Ethical Issues in Hiring New EmployeesOpen Architechture a white paperArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Genetic EngineeringWhere Wild and West MeetComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalDefinition of Export QuotasPersonal Experience with Teen Pregnancy

Free Online Public Schools for California Students

Free Online Public Schools for California Students California offers resident students the opportunity to take online public school courses for free. Below is a list of no-cost online schools currently serving elementary and high school students in California. In order to qualify for the list, schools must meet the following qualifications: classes must be available completely online, they must offer services to state residents, and they must be funded by the government. Virtual schools listed may be charter schools, state-wide public programs, or private programs that receive government funding. List of California Online Charter Schools and Online Public Schools California Virtual AcademiesChoice 2000Insight School of California - Los AngelesPacific View Charter School - Serving San Diego, Riverside, Orange, and Imperial Counties About Online Charter Schools and Online Public Schools Many states now offer tuition-free online schools for resident students under a certain age (often 21). Most virtual schools are charter schools; they receive government funding and are run by a private organization. Online charter schools are subject to fewer restrictions than traditional schools. However, they are reviewed regularly and must continue to meet state standards. Some states also offer their own online public schools. These virtual programs generally operate from a state office or a school district. State-wide public school programs vary. Some online public schools offer a limited number of remedial or advanced courses not available in brick-and-mortar public school campuses. Others offer full online diploma programs. A few states choose to fund â€Å"seats† for students in private online schools. The number of available seats may be limited and students are usually asked to apply through their public school guidance counselor. Choosing a California Online Public School When choosing an online public school, look for an established program that is regionally accredited and has a track record of success. Be wary of new schools that are disorganized, are unaccredited, or have been the subject of public scrutiny. For more suggestions on evaluating virtual schools see  how to choose an online high school.

Powerful Women In Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Powerful Women In Politics - Essay Example   A list developed by the Forbes Magazine in 2011 ranked some of the powerful women in the world today, depending on how much influence they have. This list included female politicians considered powerful. Among all the women politicians, the influence and power of Angela Merkel in world politics supersedes the others. Her influence and power is manifest in the fact that she is responsible for Germany, which is the world’s largest economy, as well as the European Union economy (Goudreau 2011, para. 2). Merkel is the first woman to hold the position of a chancellor in Germany, apart from being the head of her political party, the Christian Democratic Union party. She has held this political office in Germany since 2005 and re-elected in 2009. Merkel is also responsible for overseeing the operations of the Eurozone, ensuring stability, and unification of the members, as well as overseeing operations of the European Union. This makes Germany the only country among the top world largest economies to be headed by a female (Gedmin 2013).The USA secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is ranked among the top world’s powerful female politician, because of her political position, achievements, and influence in the world politics. She holds the fourth position after the president of the U.S.A and serves as a world ambassador of the world’s largest economy. Hillary Clinton is among the few women in the U.S.A. who have attempted to run for the presidency in the country.   ... This makes Germany the only country among the top world largest economies to be headed by a female (Gedmin 2013). The USA secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, is ranked among the top world’s powerful female politician, because of her political position, achievements, and influence in the world politics. She holds the fourth position after the president of the U.S.A and serves as a world ambassador of the world’s largest economy. Hillary Clinton is among the few women in the U.S.A. who have attempted to run for presidency in the country. She is popular in the U.S.A and across the globe for advocating for women issues and education, as well as development, which are among the top interests and policies of the U.S.A (Goudreau 2011). The first female president of Brazil, Dilma Rousseff, is among world’s powerful female politicians, given her political influence. Previously, she served as the Minister for Energy and Chief of Staff, where she made a big achievement, sa ving 24 million people in the country from utter poverty. Today, she is faced with a larger responsibility ahead of the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games, which are to be hosted by Brazil (Goudreau 2011). Although Rousseff owns her success to the former Brazilian president, most analysts have credited her for economic reforms in the country, especially her concern for low-income families (Torregrosa 2010). On the other hand, Michelle Bachelet, the first female president of Chile is popular for advocating for women rights, thus, breaking down the barrier for females in the country. She was given the responsibility of heading the UN agency of UN Women, because of her

The Disciplines of Emergency Management Research Paper

The Disciplines of Emergency Management - Research Paper Example Mitigation function differs from other emergency management disciplines since it focuses on the long-term solutions rather than preparedness for hazards or short-term recovery from hazard event. The National Mitigation Framework is guided by four principles that include Resilience and Sustainability, Leadership, Locally focused implementation, Engaged partnership and Inclusiveness, and Risk-conscious culture (Haddow, Bullock & Coppola, 2013). My community has been involved in Hampton Roads Virginia Area emergency mitigation project since the community is vulnerable to hazards that threaten the lives of citizens and property in the area. The hazards cannot be eliminated and thus several actions were implemented to protect lives, property and built environment (Bumgarner, 2008). The first step was identification of threats and hazards in order to determine associated vulnerabilities and risks to the community. Some of the hazards that are present include floods, hurricanes, tropical storms, land subsidence, sea level rise. Repeated floods are common on Hampton Road Virginia area and this strains the existing federal resources and local authority resources in dealing with the disaster. Accordingly, Hampton road is used to transport hazardous materials and there has been more than 40 accidents involving transport of hazardous materials since 2000. In this case, appropriate measures should be put in place in order to reduce the possibility of spillage of hazardous materials after an accident (Jerolleman & Kiefer, 2012). Accordingly, an appropriate scientific methodology was used to determine the possibility of risk occurrence. The possibility of occurrence is high and the cost implications are high since floods and associated disasters destroy the existing road infrastructure and other related social amenities such as power lines. The

Scarus opinion of Antony Essay Example for Free

Scarus opinion of Antony Essay Scarus explains that Antony left in the height of the battle to chase after Cleopatra. Scarus opinion of Antony is now that of a coward, we know this because he calls him a mallard; this is a wild duck that chases after the female, who in this case is Antony is going after Cleopatra.  Scarus then goes on to say that he had never seen such shame, which surprises him because it came from Antony, who has been described as a triple-pillar of the world. This is very significant because Antony shows how much love he has for Cleopatra. The fact that he would flea a battle at it most significant stage, to risk being called a coward, shows just how much he loves Cleopatra. And also, that he would leave a battle, and risk it being lost, just so he could go after Cleopatra, this shows how loyal he has become to both Cleopatra and Egypt.  Scarus says that the experience of great wars and battles, a mans pride and honour and a mans manhood, had never been violated in such a way before. The fact that he would leave a battle which Rome is fighting, a place that means so much to him, to chase after a woman, is so out of character, this shows his once great love for Rome is now a low priority compared to Cleopatra. Octavia, who is Antonys wife, is another main character of the play. She is associated with gentle, natural phenomena, which means crying in the play. It is also clear that Octavia highlights the nature and importance of the argument between Caesar. As Octavia is Antonys wife and naturally sees her goodness.  Also, Agrippa has an opinion of Octavia; it is that because she is so beautiful and elegant, she has managed to attract the best possible man. Agrippa also says:  Whose virtue and general graces speak.  Agrippa is saying that Octavia has qualities and virtues which no other woman has. Enobarbus also has an opinion of Octavia, he says;  Octavia is of a holy, cold, and still conversation.  He is saying that Octavia is boring and religious, which Enobarbus sees as being a downside to her personality. He says that she has still conversations, which means that she is quiet and does not speak much to others. Antony calls Octavia a swansdown feather, he is trying to imply that Octavia is like a feather on a river, and can not decide upon which way to go. Antony means that Octavia is weak against himself and she will agree or do anything that Antony says.  It is clear from Shakespeares play, that there are many opinions of Antony, some of which are good and in his favour and others that are bad and against him. However, there are characters in the play that have in one scene said nothing but good comments and later on in the play, say nothing but bad remarks about Antony, it may not always be clear what causes the characters to change their opinion, but it usually has something to do with Antonys love for Cleopatra. It is obvious that Antony is an excellent soldier and Roman, especially when it comes to wars and battles. But, when it comes to deciding upon Rome or his love life, he is not so certain, and is usually disliked for his decision by his fellow Roman soldiers.  Discuss the Importance of the Comments Made By Other Characters in the Presentation of Antony

The Rebellion Against Victorianism :: European Europe History

The Rebellion Against Victorianism The 1890's was in time for transformation for the English society. After Queen Victoria died the heart of the Victorian culture seemed to fade. England was beginning to experience economic competition from other states and a gradual decline from its former pinnacle of power. Politically, the Parliament experienced some fundamental power shifts after the turn of the century. This essay will address the climate of change in the English culture and its expressions. The changes occurred in two separate and distinct time periods. These time periods are the turn of the century from 1890's to World War II. The second period is WWII to 1970's. The new century brought about an end to the old and stuffy Victorian life-styles. The social stigmas of women and their behavior was challenged and change by the rise of feminism in 1910. Women began to protest against the system for women 's suffrage. One instance these "violent women" ran around in the city smashing store windows to get notoriety for their cause. Books such as the Odd Women, featured a fictional representation of "professional women". They were classified in two categories, both an attack on the social institution of marriage. The first of these new women were out only for fun. The second was the concept of an asexual being who did not need a man. These women owned their own flats and had various jobs usually secretarial in nature.. The book expressed an uncomfortable period of transformation. Working women were not completely accepted by English society at this time. The book portrayed different lives and how they coped with their situations.1 The male character was also in a state of change. This change brought about the term "new men". These new men were classified by a "sexual anarchy". This movement was predominantly a middle class, liberal expression. Many were young male artisans who were homosexual . The word homosexuality was created by an amendment to criminal law which had declared all acts of sodomy as illegal. Previous to this amendment the act of homosexuality was punishable by hanging. Doctors and scientist had seen homosexuality as a disease, thus the need developed for a "cure". Sexuality became all inclusive. There was a large aesthetic movement which was also inherent in this "new" culture. This movement classified art as being done for art's sake. Art was now being viewed as separate from society.

Trainspotting

The Uncanny in Trainspotting I am interested in analyzing the â€Å"repression† element of the term uncanny in the way it is used in the â€Å"cold turkey† scene of Trainspotting. Repression is the way in which one pushes a memory or feeling to the back of one’s mind, in the hope that it will never come about in one’s train of thought again. If it does however, it would create an uncomfortable and unnerving situation. Trainspotting revolves around characters that are aiming to repress life itself by shooting up heroin all hours of the day.The â€Å"cold turkey† scene of this movie in particular is the most uncanny scene of all because it encompasses many of the thoughts and emotions that Renton, the main character, is trying to repress, but is forced to face. Paranoia, depression, hallucinations, and zombie babies are all a part of this timeless scene that truly leaves the viewer in an uneasy and ambivalent state of mind. Danny Boyle does not waste time easing the audience into Renton’s withdrawal symptoms, but rather throws them right into the scene.From the second Renton is locked in his room, a feeling of uncanniness sweeps over the audience, for as awful as Renton may feel, the audience is left unsympathetic to the whole situation. Renton, as he states throughout the film, is a bad person, and the audience will never sympathize with the bad person. Therefore, as the scene progresses, there is a sense of cognitive dissonance between wanting to feel sorry for Renton, and feeling that he is getting what he deserves. The uncanniness of the scene continues as Renton’s bedroom comes into perspective.It takes place in his childhood room which is covered in trains. It is uncanny that Renton is locked in a room like this, for it perfectly embodies the theme of the movie. The word â€Å"trainspotting† has many meanings, all of which can be applied to Renton’s life. First, it literally stands for one who s pots trains and takes note of when it comes and goes, which therefore translates to an utterly useless life. It also refers to the track marks that are left in the veins after shooting up. Users typically shoot along one main vein, therefore adapting the term, â€Å"station to station,† to this action.A child’s bedroom is typically a place of innocence and safety, however in Renton’s case, it is his doomed sarcophagus. His bed soon starts moving backwards, and the room starts elongating, as if to personify the notion that Renton is being pulled into limbo where he will be forced to face the reality of his oncoming hallucinations. What he soon starts seeing is rather uncanny, for he believes he is being visited by his family and friends, but in reality they are all figments of his imagination made up in his ongoing heroin derived/deprived mind.In particular, he imagines his friend Diane singing the song â€Å"Temptation. † It is coincidental that she is si nging this song because it is about being enamored and drawn to certain people and situations, but having to cope with the reality that they or it will no longer be there. The crawling, dead baby is another vital character of Renton’s hallucination. Baby Dawn, whom Renton has repressed his feelings for since her poor demise, crawls across the room, stops right above Renton’s body, and stares lifelessly into his eyes.The term uncanny is most brilliantly personified through this scene because this baby that was once familiar to Renton, is now altered, creepy, and morbid, creating immense uneasiness due to the uncertainty of her state of being. Danny Boyle masterfully articulates the horrors of withdrawals in the â€Å"cold turkey† scene of Trainspotting, which is why it is considered one of the greatest movies of all time. This was only achieved, however, through the presence of the uncanny, for it was the quintessential factor that made the scene that much more i nsightful and visceral.

Managing and Developing People: Team Working and Management Styles

Unit 9: MANAGING AND DEVELOPING PEOPLE Task 2: TEAM WORKING AND MANAGEMENT STYLES Introduction As part of my unit 9, managing and developing people, I will be discussing and assessing the management styles and team work of a recent event I have been involved in. The event that I have chosen to base my assessment on is the Christmas disco. I have selected the Christmas disco as it was a recent event I have been involved in, where as a team we planned, organised and ran the event. By using this event, I am able to gather in depth data and draw on my own personal experiences. Team’s task The team’s task was to plan and organise and event that would be feasible within the school. The event held must make a profit, which would then be donated to a chosen charity. The event must be suitable for a school and its pupils. For this task, each member of the team was assigned and allocated a job role with each member having individual responsibilities. Team work in this assignment was vital in the organisation of the event as we not only needed to ensure that the event was successful, and that we provided and enjoyable experience for the pupils, but also we needed to make sure that we communicated well within the organisation. In order to ensure the event was a success, we also needed to work well with each other, which would create an enjoyable atmosphere for those attending the event. Brainstorm It was important for us to decide on the choice of event at an early stage, which would allow us to have plenty of time to research and organise before the event was staged. As a team we thought of a number of suggestions for an event that was feasible. After we had thought of the basic ideas we discussed each idea. This was important as we had to be sure there were good enough reasons for holding the event and that there wouldn’t be too many constraints during organisation process. Disco This type of event can cater for the whole school, which in theory could probably raise the most money. A disco can be held in the school hall as it is big enough, meaning that we don’t have to hire a venue which would be quite expensive. This event can be carried out any time of year and will not be dependent on the weather as the event will be held indoors. As well as selling tickets to the pupils to raise money, we can also sell snacks and drinks to increase the profits. We can also hold competitions for the pupils, and include the teachers in the entertainment. However for this type of event we will need extra staff to monitor the behaviour of the pupils at the disco. There will also be various health & safety procedures that will need to be followed, which is crucial to get right. Another issue is that it may be quite chaotic when the pupils are arriving at the hall and trying to take pupils tickets. This will have to be controlled and may need to stagger classes to avoid crowding at the doors. Also it may be quite expensive to hire a DJ and we may find it hard to cater for everyone’s music tastes. For this type of event there will need to be contingency plan put in place, encase we run out of snacks or drinks. Prom Prom is a very popular and enjoyable event that all involved look forward to. As this is an enjoyable event there will staff who want to attend and able to monitor the pupils. Also for this type of event we would be able to charge more for the tickets as it would be an exclusive event for the pupils. However, this event will only be available for year 11 pupils which would mean that we will not make as much money as the other events. We will also have a problem with the venue for the event. Prom is usually held at a different location, which could prove expensive or the usual venue may not want the pupils there. As it is only year 11 at this event, there is a chance that they may bring alcohol, or manage to get hold of alcohol at the venue as there is a bar. Teachers will have to attend the event to ensure that pupils do not misbehaviour at the prom. This type of event needs a lot of organising and will prove to be quite stressful and confusing. Fete For this type of event, we have the facilities available to us to hold the event, as we have a large school yard. As the event will be held on school ground there will be staff available to monitor the event and the pupil’s behaviour. We can easily make profit from selling confectionary. Also health & safety procedures can be monitored as all facilities needed are easily available through the schools caretaker. However, as this type of event will be held outside it will depend on the weather. There is a risk that we may not make money. We cannot ticket the event as it will be held on the school yard, which cannot be cordoned off and is too large an area. Also if nothing is sold at the fete we will not make any profit. Conclusion After we had looked at the reasons for and against organising each type of event, we decided that the most feasible event for us to hold would be the school disco due to the fact that business studies in previous years held one every year, and it was a successful event, with the majority of pupils attending. From this it showed us that it was an event that the majority of pupils at St. Albans enjoyed. Another reason for holding the school disco, is because we already had the facilities available and we would not have to spend money on initial equipment. We decided to organise the event around Christmas time, so we would be able to set up the Christmas disco for the years 7-11. We then created a name and logo for our chosen event. During a meeting, as a team we came up with a few suggestions and suitable logo ideas. The name and logo needed to symbolise and reflect the type of event we were going to organise. As a group we discussed all ideas and voted on a final logo design and name. We decided on the name ‘iDisco’ as it reflects what type of event we were organising and we feel plays on the idea of the well known mp3 product, iPod, as this is a musical product and music is the main feature of our event. As a team we believed that the name was different, simple and unique. Our logo is a combination of ideas. We wanted a logo that was simple but reflected our business. We agreed that our logo was eye catching and symbolised our business well. Teamwork Team working is relevant to all industries, from manufacturing to the service sector, and it is very useful in small businesses. Team working involves working cooperatively and making use of individual strengths within a group to achieve a common goal. Teams can be based around a particular product or be part of a process or service. They often cut across organisations' structural and functional divides and it is to an employer's advantage to try to recruit staff who works well in a team. Working in a team has many benefits and can give employees: * Exposure to a variety of tasks using several skills Autonomy in deciding the order or pace of work * Identity, as the task forms a whole job or a large part of the whole job * Responsibility, so team members are accountable to each other for what is produced * Valuable feedback on their work * Social contact and an opportunity to interact with colleagues * Balanced workload, as team members can help each other to even out peaks and trough s in their work * Clarity on their roles so the team can deal quickly with any problem of ‘who does what' * Achievement and satisfaction with a job well done Development opportunities, such as improving interpersonal or leadership skills There is no strict rule on the size of a team, but most successful teams have six to 15 members. If it is any larger, the team tends to split into sub-groups. Advantages of Teamwork Team working can increase product quality, encourage product innovation and make team members more autonomous and accountable. The varying skills of team members can better support the introduction of new technology and teams are often able to adapt to differing customer expectations. It can also boost employee morale, motivation, commitment and encourage employees to work collaboratively and share their skills and knowledge. As well as improving productivity, team working can maximise team members' strengths, improve delegation and reduce some levels of management. Teamwork is often introduced when costs are being cut and the workforce is being reduced, for example because of redundancies in a recession. For more information see our guides on reorganisations, restructurings and other major changes and making an employee redundant. Features of the team From the start of any enterprise, it is important that all the participants are allocated clear responsibilities for various aspects of the operation. These roles do not have to be set in stone for the whole life of the project, but can be changed around so that everyone gets experience of more than one area of responsibility. There needs to be someone who is clearly in charge, someone who chairs meetings, has the final say on decisions and to whom all the other members involved in the event. Someone must also be allocated responsibility for the role of secretary – the really important role of keeping a record of all meetings, setting agendas and communicating between all members of the enterprise. Finance is also an important area of responsibility that must be clearly allocated and managed meticulously from the outset. Other areas of responsibility might include market research, sales, publicity, logistics (booking the venue, checking electricity supplies, checking the availability of equipment and organising the post-event clear-up), catering and any other areas that are key to the event’s success. If a role is particularly large or an area of high risk such as finance then more than one person may wish to take on the role so that the area is always covered even if one member is unable to make a key team meeting or take care of an activity. Within each role, there ought to be a clear set of responsibilities. The team member carrying out that role should be set objectives and targets. There should also be regular opportunities for team members to reflect on how well they are meeting their individual targets and how they can improve their performance. Individual roles Managing Director – Aron Roden A Managing Director is the person responsible for planning and directing the work of a group of individuals, monitoring their work, and taking corrective action when necessary. For many people, this is their first step into a management career. Managers may direct workers directly or they may direct several supervisors who direct the workers. The manager must be familiar with the work of all the groups he/she supervises, but does not need to be the best in any or all of the areas. It is more important for the manager to know how to manage the workers than to know how to do their work well. Sales Manager – Christie Watkins Irrespective of the kind of business being carried out, an effective and efficient sales manager is required for higher sales values and ultimately higher profits. Be it the food industry, control panel accessories, cosmetic, automobile or even insurance industry, they all depend on the efficiency of their sales managers as they form the face of the company and are the ones dealing with the final consumer. This is why this position holds a very important place and is a crucial one for the future of the company. However, what exactly does the job description for sales manager entail. * Setting Objectives * Planning and Organizing * Overseeing Sales Team * Inventory Control Production Manager – Dominic Rowles The term â€Å"production†, is mostly linked to engineering industries and factories, and production managers are related to the management, co-ordination, planning and successful execution of the production plan, so that productivity of the firm increases and production targets are met in time. No doubt that production manager’s are key people who have the responsibility of overseeing the production process, managing the budget, ensuring the supply of raw materials and monitoring the quality of the products. Production managers can decide about the purchase of the equipments and the instruments for a firm, if they're need replacement. A production manager is involved in all the stages of production. Be it the pre-planning stage or the stage of production control and evaluation of the plans. Legal Officer – Jason Roynon Legal officers fulfil an important duty of viewing, interpreting and deciphering legal documents. Legal officer’s work within government legal departments, as counsels for corporations, and within profit and non-profit organisations. Legal officers are tasked with reading legal jargon and providing advice to the company they work for on a course of action in legal cases. In some instances, they handle court cases on behalf of their employer. They oversee real estate purchases, compliance with tax laws and state regulations, draw up contracts, and in some cases oversee company budgets and projects. Finance Manager – Wing Hong Lau A financial manager is responsible for providing financial advice and support to clients and colleagues to enable them to make sound business decisions. Financial considerations are at the root of all major business decisions. Clear budgetary planning is essential for future planning, both short and long term, and companies need to know the financial implications of any decision before proceeding. In addition, care must be taken to ensure that financial practices are in line with all statutory legislation and regulations. Secretary – Sophie Price A secretary or administrator provides both clerical and administrative support to professionals, either as part of a team or individually. The role plays a vital part in the administration and smooth-running of businesses throughout industry. Secretaries/administrators are involved with the co-ordination and implementation of office procedures and frequently have responsibility for specific projects and tasks and, in some cases, oversee and supervise the work of junior staff. Human Resources Manager – Jordan Meaney Human resource management is concerned with the development of both individuals and the organization in which they operate. HRM, then, is engaged not only in securing and developing the talents of individual workers, but also in implementing programs that enhance communication and cooperation between those individual workers in order to nurture organizational development. HRM consists, often with the help of other company areas, the nature and responsibilities of various employment positions. This can encompass determination of the skills and experiences necessary to adequately perform in a position, identification of job and industry trends, and anticipation of future employment levels and skill requirements. Staffing is the actual process of managing the flow of personnel into, within (through transfers and promotions), and out of an organization. Once the recruiting part of the staffing process has been completed, selection is accomplished through job postings, interviews, reference checks, testing, and other tools. Marketing Manager – Joe Norris Marketing executives are involved in developing marketing campaigns that promote a product, service or idea. The role includes planning, advertising, public relations, organising events, product development, distribution, sponsorship and research. The work is often challenging, varied and exciting. The responsibilities of a marketing executive will vary, depending on the size of the organisation and sector, and whether the focus is on selling a product or service or raising awareness of an issue that affects the public. Why the needs of individuals and teams conflict Sometimes the individual needs and motivating factors of employees may conflict with the needs and aims of the business. For example, in a small business there maybe few opportunities for promotion. There will be therefore be little incentive for people whose main motivation is career development. However, if the business can provide valuable experience and skill development, perhaps through job rotation, then working for that business might be seen as an important step in a career. Conflict may also arise when employees look for higher salaries and wages. Labour is often one of the largest costs of a business. If a business is trying to reduce expenditure, it may keep increases in salaries and wages to a minimum, which can have an adverse effect on employees’ motivation. Management Theorists In practise, management styles do not always fit neatly into the tree categories of autocratic, democratic or laissez-faire. There have been many other attempts to characterise different management styles and to offer advice to managers on how they can adapt their approach to get the best from their staff. Rensis Likert (1903 – 1981) Dr Rensis Likert has studied human behaviour within many organisations. After extensive research, Dr. Rensis Likert concluded that there are four systems of management. According to Likert, the efficiency of an organisation or its departments is influenced by their system of management. Likert categorised his four management systems as follows; Exploitive authoritative – system 1 In this type of management system the job of employees/subordinates is to abide by the decisions made by managers and those with a higher status than them in the organisation. The subordinates do not participate in the decision making. The organisation is concerned simply about completing the work. The organisation will use fear and threats to make sure employees complete the work set. There is no teamwork involved. Benevolent authoritative – system 2 Just as in an exploitive authoritative system, decisions are made by those at the top of the organisation and management. However employees are motivated through rewards (for their contribution) rather than fear and threats. Information may flow from subordinates to managers but it is restricted to â€Å"what management want to hear†. Consultative – system 3 In this type of management system, subordinates are motivated by rewards and a degree of involvement in the decision making process. Management will constructively use their subordinates ideas and opinions. However involvement is incomplete and major decisions are still made by senior management. There is a greater flow of information (than in a benevolent authoritative system) from subordinates to management. Although the information from subordinate to manager is incomplete and euphemistic. Participative – system 4 Management have complete confidence in their subordinates/employees. There is lots of communication and subordinates are fully involved in the decision making process. Subordinates comfortably express opinions and there is lots of teamwork. Teams are linked together by people, who are members of more than one team. Likert calls people in more than one group â€Å"linking pins†. Employees throughout the organisation feel responsible for achieving the organisation’s objectives. This responsibility is motivational especially as subordinates are offered economic rewards for achieving organisational goals which they have participated in setting. Likert’s Ideal System Likert believes that if an organisation is to achieve optimum effectiveness then the â€Å"ideal† system to adopt is Participative. Meredith Belbin (1926 -) In the 1970s, Dr Meredith Belbin and his research team at Henley Management College set about observing teams, with a view to finding out where and how these differences come about. They wanted to control the dynamics of teams to discover if – and how – problems could be pre-empted and avoided. As the research progressed, the research revealed that the difference between success and failure for a team was not dependent on factors such as intellect, but more on behaviour. The research team began to identify separate clusters of behaviour, each of which formed distinct team contributions or â€Å"Team Roles†. The co-ordinator. Any group needs a leader, an overall chairperson who can co-ordinate the efforts of all members in the team. This role calls for someone who is an effective and well disciplined organiser. The co-ordinator must be able to communictae well with others, to focus their minds and efforts on the objectives of the group as well as the job in hand. They must be able to work with and through other group members. In formal project and work teams, the co-ordinator is often appointed before a team is formed, although in informal groups a leader or co-ordinator is likely to quickly emerge. The shaper. In many ways, the shaper acts as the co-ordinator’s second-in-command, and will often take charge in their absence. The shaper can be the catalyst who turns plans or ideas into action. The role of shaper suits someone with an outgoing and dominant personality, ideally a person who is committed to the successful performance of the group and enthusiastic about the task. The plant. The innovator of the group, the plant tends to be intelligent and imaginative. It is the plant who comes up with original ideas, suggestions and proposals. Often the role of plant suits a more introverted personality who needs to be encouraged in order to contribute fully. The monitor-evaluator. Someone who analyses the ideas and plans of the group to point out inconsistencies, difficulties and flaws. The monitor-evaluator may remain on the periphery of the group, stepping into make a contribution before final decisions are made. The resource investigator. Someone who identifies and locates the resources needed to complete a task, often from sources and contacts outside the group. The role of resource investigator suits an extrovert personality keen to take on the ideas of the group. The implementer. An implementer is usually a good organiser and administrator. The implementer sees to the practical planning and scheduling of the task. The teamworker. By themselves, teamworkers do not take a leading role in a group, but rather support and encourage other group members in their roles by listening and helping. A teamworker will often help to smooth things over if there is a disagreement within the group. The completer. The group member who consolidates the effort of the group as a whole. It is the completer who ensures the group meets its targets, both in terms of time and quality. The completer is usually finicky about details, checking that the task has been completed fully and on time. The specialist. People with the specialist knowledge and skills required for the task or parts of the task. Belbin stresses the importance of each role being fulfilled in a group. If too few of the roles are fulfilled, there will be a risk that tasks may not be completed satisfactory. In small groups with a few members each member may have to fulfill more than one role. Fred Fiedler (1922 -) Fred Fiedler, an American management consultant, suggested that the ability of a manger or leader to manage or efficiently depends upon the situation facing the team. According to Fiedler, there are three critical â€Å"dimensions† or factors which have to be taken into consideration: * Position power – the power and authority given the leader by the organisation. * Task structure – the extent to which tasks and outcomes can be clearly defined to * those responsible for carrying them out, as opposed to tasks that are unclear or ambiguous. * Relations between the leader and the other team members – the extent to which the members of a team like and trust their leader, and are willing to follow his/her lead. Fielder also identifies three conditions (or sets of conditions) which can affect the effectiveness of management styles. Condition 1 where position power of the manager is high, the task highly structured and relationships with team members are good. Fiedler suggested that in this condition an authoritarian, task-centred management style is most appropriate, as relationships are already good and the manager is able to maintain control. Condition 2 in which the position power of the manager is relatively low, the task is poorly structured or ambiguous, but relationships between the manager and the team members are moderately good. In this condition, Fiedler suggested that a democratic, employee-centred management style is more appropriate in order to maintain relationships and to enable the manager to exert some influence. Condition 3 where again the position power of the manager is low and the task poorly structured, but relationships between the manager and team members are also poor. In this condition, Fiedler suggested that an authoritarian, task-centred management style is more appropriate, giving rise to more positive action and better performance than a more conciliatory democratic, employee-centred style. Victor Vroom (1932 -) An alternative contingency theory has been proposed by the US psychologist Victor Vroom. In his model, Vroom identified these five stages of management from which mangers can choose the most appropriate to their situation. 1) The manager makes all decisions and solves problems without reference to team members. 2) The manager obtains relevant information from team members, and them makes the decision or solves the problem. 3) The manager consults team members individually for opinions and suggestions, and then makes the decision or solves the problem. ) The manager consults with a group as a whole, and then makes the decision or solves the problem. 5) The manager consults with the team, and a decision is taken or the problem solved by the team as a whole. Team’s Management There are many management strategies that a business can choose to run its organisation by. However many of these strategies focus on the authoritative figure, (managing director), of t he organisation. Within the team, communication is key to ensure the success of the business, allowing information to reach all members of the team, in particular with management. Rensis Likert’s theory asserts that the most successful leaders are those who are able to establish work teams that are fully co-operative and have a high level of job satisfaction. Relating to his theory, the teams management strategy could be seen as consultative. All major decisions were first of all made and discussed by the team, but ultimately made by the managing director. This showed the confidence and trust the managing director had in the team. Using meetings to make constructive use of team members ideas and opinions, allowing participation in decision-making from the team. In this instance communication is two-way between the managing director and the rest of the team. However the strategy I agree that represents the team’s management the most, is Likert’s system 4, participative. This team management strategies states that the manager demonstrates complete trust and confidence with the team. Also through meetings, full use was made of team participation in decision-making and setting targets, as we regularly used our gantt chart to set deadlines, and discussed the issues we faced to resolve them effectively. I felt there was a supportive atmosphere as the managing director helped and advised rather than dictating and commanding. As communication flowed freely in all directions, responsibilities for decisions and performance were shared throughout the team. Meredith Belbin’s theory identifies nine basic roles which must be fulfilled for a group to be fully effective. Team roles are rarely allocated through a conscious decision process. Some roles are adopted because a member wants that particular role, either because they feel most comfortable in it, or because it fits in with their personal agenda. Other roles are adopted by members subconsciously, because their personality or temperament best suits them for the role. During our first team meeting job roles were allocated, and with many of these job roles can be instantly related to Belbin’s team management theory. The co-ordinator was instantaneously adopted by the managing director as he was an effective and well disciplined organiser. As the co-ordinator, the managing director communicated well with the team, to focus on the objective of the group as well as the job in hand. The monitor-evaluator, I feel was adopted by the sales manager as she analysed ideas and plans of the group and pointed out inconsistencies. Also the sales manager adopted the role of the plant, as she is an intelligent and imaginative individual who came up with original ideas and suggestions. Logically I think the role of the implementer was taken on as the secretary, myself. I feel as the implementer I had good organisation and administrative skills, and I planned and scheduled team tasks. The role of the shaper was taken by the production manager as he stepped in if the managing director was absent. I feel that the shaper was committed to the successful performance of the group and enthusiastic about the task. I would regard the finance director as the specialist within the group as he used his specialist knowledge and skills required for the task. The teamworker was a role that was adopted by the human resources manager. Although he did not take a leading role within the group, he supported and encouraged others in their roles. Furthermore the teamworker often helped to defuse any difficult situations or disagreements. The legal officer, I believe, took on the role of the resource investigator as part of his job was to locate resources from outside contacts, such as contracts and insurance policies. Finally, I would consider the role of the completer was adopted by the marketing manager. One of the marketing managers tasks was to create the logo for the team. Using the teams ideas, he consolidated their work to produce the logo. He ensured that the group met deadlines and checked quality of the teams work. However I feel that Belbin’s roles could have applied to each individual member of the team. Many aspects of his theory could have applied to individual tasks as well. On the other hand, I see the significance of these roles, as it allows team members to be identifiable and recognise their roles. Teams and Management Styles Ultimately, the performance if the team is the responsibility of the leader. However, any team is only as effective as the combined efforts of its members, and all members must play their part. A leader must therefore be aware of and sensitive to the varying needs of the organisation, the team and individual members. So a team leader must draw out contributions from all members by co-ordinating their activities and by making sure that they work positively towards the team’s objectives. A good leader will listen to the opinions, ideas and concerns of members. If conflict exists, the leader must decide on a course of action that is in the interests of the team and organisation. The style of leadership or management adopted by managers has an impact on employees. It can affect employee motivation and morale, and therefore affect their work, with consequences for the performance of the organisation. Obviously, any business organisation wants to get the best performance out of its workforce. A considerable amount of research has therefore been undertaken into the effectiveness of different management styles and approaches to business leadership. The underlying goal of this research is to find the style – or styles – of leadership which is more likely to encourage subordinates to work better. Theories of management have usually contrasted three styles: Autocratic In an autocratic management style, power and authority are exercised by the manger without reference to others within his or her department or team. The autocratic manger plans and controls the activities of the team, dictating what is to be done and spelling out how it should be done. Autocratic management tends to be task-centred, and more focused on the satisfactory completion of the task than on the welfare or motivation of employees. Democratic In a democratic management style, on the other hand, while power and authority still lie with the manager, plans and decisions on future activities are made by the team as a whole. A democratic manager may even delegate some power and authority for making decisions to others in the team and may encourage staff to take some independent action. Democratic management is employee-centred, being based on the theory that employees will be more motivated and work better when they are involved in decision-making. Laissez-faire A manager who adopts a laissez-faire management style allows members of the team to carry out their functions and tasks without interference. This type of manager will remain in the background, co-ordinating and supporting the work of the team members, and representing them at management settings. Leadership style analysis Initial, my first analysis of the leadership style for the team would be that our Managing Director adopted a very laissez-faire style. As this was the first team we had worked in a team with each other, but we all knew each other from the previous year, the leadership style was quite laid back and everyone was left to carry out their roles and responsibilities. Yet through regular meetings, as a team we were able to come together, review our work and our managing director was then able to co-ordinate our work. However I would now say that there was more of a democratic leadership style by the managing director. Although the managing director was the authoritative figure within the team, everyone is given a seat at the table, and discussion is relatively free-flowing. The ideas and decisions were discussed openly and final decisions were made as team. This style meant facilitating the conversation, encouraging the team to share ideas, and then synthesizing all the available information into the best possible decision. I believe that this type of leadership allowed the managing director to trust the team to make their own decisions. Through our meetings we knew what our tasks were, and our deadlines as they were organised by the managing director, yet I felt that we were encouraged to make our own decisions with our work and we were not required take their ideas. Also I felt that as a team we all involved in making the decisions and it was our company, not just the managing directors. Because of this, I believe that our business was more of a success as we were all motivated to achieve more than was expected. Meetings A meeting are called together to discuss or investigate problems, give information, consult the views of others, take decisions or plan courses of action, when more than one person is involved. As methods of communication, involving employees in the management of the business, and spreading information, meetings have an important part to play in motivation. They are, therefore, an important management tool, and any manager needs to have the skills and experience to use meetings. Meetings are an important part in the management of any business and are called on several levels. * At director level, meetings are called to discuss and take decisions on the future strategy of the business and to set aims and objectives. * At senior management level, meetings are called to decide on plans of action to implement strategy and achieve objectives. * At department or team level, meetings are called to disseminate or given information, investigate problems or ways of doing things, consult the views of team members, and plan the work of the team to achieve its targets. As with any team activity, the effectiveness of a meeting is also affected by the style of leadership and decree of control exercised by the person chairing the meeting. ————————————————- ————————————————- ————————————————- Below is a copy of the minutes from a team meeting. 1st October 2010 Meeting started at 2:30 – ended 2:40 Agenda 1. Decide food 2. Questionnaires 3. Welsh Bac group. Present at meeting -All. Food discussed. Discussed what food and drink we want to supply at the disco. With each ticket purchased, pupils will be provided with a free drink and packet of crisps. Prices of products have been researched, as a group have decided to purchase the cheapest product. Have decided that we will not be giving fizzy drinks as the free drink, but will be selling them throughout the disco. Also we have decided to offer other crisps, chocolate and sweets, although products will need to be checked for nut allergies. Questionnaire discussed. Production manager to produce a questionnaire to find out what pupils want at the disco. We have decided to issue two questionnaires, one for lower school and one for upper school. By doing this we can cater the for both disco’s effectively. Welsh Bac group discussed. Along with the disco we need to include a Welsh Bac group for their business enterprise. We have decided on a group who will be selling glow sticks at the disco. All profits made from sales of their products will be added to total donated to our chosen charity. Date of next meeting: 12th October 2010 ————————————————- Detailed discussion of meeting Throughout our task, we regularly held meetings on a fortnightly bases. This enabled the team to review the task and deadlines. During meetings the team were able to communicate ideas and discuss problems. In the meeting included above, the reasons for holding the meeting were to discuss the agenda: * Decide food * Questionnaires * Welsh Bac group. During this meeting we were able to decide that we would give pupils a free drink and packet of crisps with their ticket purchase. We all agreed that this would be an incentive for the pupils to attend the disco, and thought that it was fair to provide one free drink and one free packet of crisps as the disco would only last an hour and a half. After looking through research from the production manager, we decided that the free products would be the cheaper of our stock. From the research we concluded that we would be purchasing small squash cartons and space raider crisps, as the free products. As these were the products that all pupils would be given, we decided that they shouldn’t be full of additives, like a fizzy drink or sweets. As well as the free products, at the disco we sold additional snacks and drinks. We decided that these products should be named brands and widely recognised by the pupils, which we felt would persuade the pupils to purchase them. At this meeting we decided that extra research was needed to guarantee all products sold would not contain nuts, ensure we would not cause any allergic reactions to any of the pupils. The second topic on the agenda was the questionnaires. We needed to gather data and primary research for our event. We concluded that the best possible way to do so was through a questionnaire, getting answers directly from the target market it was aimed at. During this meeting we discussed what types of questions needed to be included in our questionnaire. To begin with we discussed what needed to be included in the questionnaire. We wanted to find out what products the pupils would want to purchase at the disco and if the products we were researching would be suitable. Also we wanted to ask the pupils what types of music they wanted to listen to at the disco, and if they would like to hear Christmas songs at the disco, as this would enable us to cater for all their music tastes. We had previously discussed inviting a band to our event, but we needed to know if the pupils wanted this along with any items they would like available at the event. As we were having two discos’ we needed to cater for both. We decided that we would need to produce two questionnaires, for both upper and lower school. This would allow us to design the discos around the pupils. After discussing the questions, the managing director delegated the task of producing the questionnaire to the marketing manager. We all felt that he was the right person for the task. We have been approached by a Welsh bac group, who as part of their course need to include business enterprise. This group would like to be a part of our disco, and wish to sell glow sticks during the event. As a team we decided that glow sticks would be an ideal product to sell at a disco, and agree that the pupils would enjoy them. We agreed as a team and with the welsh bac group that the profit they make will be contributed to our total, and donated to our chosen charity. Analysis of the meeting It was important to have regular meetings through our task, as it allowed us to come together as a team, to evaluation our work and organise tasks. I would consider these meetings beneficial to the team, as it motivated us to work together and focused us on the job at hand. The advantages of the above meeting: * Analyse individuals work. * Make decisions as a team. * Able to keep track of progress. Resolve problems as a team. * Discuss future tasks. * Easy way to communicate within the team. * Problems resolved quickly and efficiently. * Agenda was met. The disadvantages of the above meeting: * Meetings quite short. * No future deadlines set. * New ideas were not discussed. * No alternative agenda’s were discussed. * Welsh bac group was discussed without their presence. * Meetings were not set on regular bases. Even though I regard our team meetings as an effective means of communicating within the team, I feel that there are areas that need to be reviewed and improved. Initially the length of the teams meetings is an area I believe could be improved. The majority of our meetings would last 10-15 minutes. I personally believe that this was not enough time to discuss all topics on the agenda, and allow team members to raise additional topics. Also by having meetings at 2. 30, didn’t leave us much time in a normal school day to get tasks done that have been discussed. If we held all our meetings first thing in the morning, it would leave us the rest of our lesson (and free lessons) to address issues raised in our meetings. On many occasions deadlines were set during meetings, however this did not happen at all meetings. I believe that by not setting team deadlines during meetings, team members did not know what their tasks were or how to address them. Also this meant that progress was slowed, which lead to work being rushed as we came closer to the event. If we had set deadlines and tasks during every meeting, I feel that progress could have been made earlier, allowing us to concentrate on the more important issues. Furthermore it would have enabled team members to identify their progress what they need to do next.

Th Symbolic Relationship between the Media and the Police The WritePass Journal

Th Symbolic Relationship between the Media and the Police Th Symbolic Relationship between the Media and the Police Introduction The following essay will examine the symbiotic relationship between the British police force and the British media. Over the years the relationship between the police and the media has progressed and as a result this essay will examine the following areas, the representation of both the police and the media including their symbiotic relationship. By examining the public perception of both parties the essay will highlight how public perception has changed over the years and the impact it has had as a consequence. Important areas to be defined would be the representations of the media and police within today’s society. Media can include numerous services which distribute information to provide the general public with an understanding of social values and changes within their communities and society as a whole. (Howitt, D.1998) The media has various outputs which include newspapers, television whether it be fact or fictional, radio and in addition the world-wide web. The primary aim of the media is to keep the public informed and influence the way that they accept and perceive changes within society. (Jewkes,Y. 2011) In Britain today we are absorbed by the portrayal of crime and deviance within our society. However, the attraction may leave an undesired effect on how lives are influenced by the media and alter perceptions of law enforcement and heighten the fear of crime. Stan Cohen coined the phrase ‘folk devils’ during the 1960s and 70s. He used the phrase to describe groups of individuals deemed to be a danger or nuisance to society. Misrepresentation by the media could conceivably create ‘moral panics’ within society due to the fact that individuals interpret information differently. Moral panics within society have been created by the media through labelling individuals and intensifying the specific societal issue. Through glamourizing crime it has been suggested that the media conveys information in an exaggerated and dramatized way. From a Marxist perspective the media would focus on individuals that threaten the power of the rich and the influential within societ y. (Jewkes,Y. 2011) Criminal behaviour is focused upon and portrayed as an act that would be committed from those from a middle class background. Therefore, the media are stereotyping who the public should perceive as a criminal. Post-modernists perceive the crime coverage by the media as no more than a spectacle display for the general public to witness and to be influenced by the media’s views. (Jewkes,Y. 2011:282) The police within today’s society have taken on the role of peace keeping through the act of discretion and by carrying out a negotiation process. Working proactively in conjunction with local communities the police are continuously trying to reinforce their presence and form associations with communities on an informal basis. By trying to build community policing within specific areas the police are helping to manage and educate individuals within those communities on crime and the impact it has on their local community. (Grieve,J. et al 2007) So what exactly do the police and the media do within our society as a whole? Britain’s media is theoretically existent to provide the general public with information that concerns their safety and wellbeing within society. The media may also assist individuals to make informed, knowledgeable decisions on issues that affect them directly or their local communities. The media is also responsible for providing the general public with crucial information regarding government legislation and the criminal justice system. What this endeavours to highlight is the fact that the involvement of the media is also used by the government to publicize the politician’s achievements on crime within communities to their advantage.   (Howitt, D. 1998) According to Jewkes 2011, society is no longer about class or social stature within our economy but what it does highlight are those individuals most vulnerable to media influences. It is not all about pluralism where it may be suggested that everyone’s thoughts or opinions are taken into consideration and equally represented once the information has been interpreted. These decisions are realized by individuals creating informed personal choices. The growth of the mass media and the sources readily available on the internet has made the availability of media coverage widely accessible to those from all varying social backgrounds.   (Jewkes,Y. 2011:24) Factual reporting of crime within society is often sensationalised and carefully selected by the media as to what they deem as newsworthy to aid the dramatization for the general public. The public’s interest on how crime is reported and the content of those reports influence what we both see and read in terms of media representation. Through displaying an interest in a particular area of crime the public feed this interest to the media who in return, focus on similar crimes.   (Howitt, D. 1998) Just how the media represent crime can be influential over public perceptions and their understanding of media news reports. By educating positively on the ideology of crime, and by having this knowledge, it could be used in a progressive way to assist and implement changes on how crime and punishment are dealt with within society. Media influences can go two ways, negatively or positively. Unfortunately in today’s society we have individuals who are easily influenced and take what the media says as true to its word. The misinterpretation of reports and the lack of knowledge and understanding can have a negative impact on what the individual thinks about crime and how they perceive the policing of criminals. According to Howitt 1998 ‘there is plenty of evidence that the media create dichotomies of good and evil. This applies to a range of criminal activities which, without media reinforcement, might not have resulted in such a negative response from the public.’ (Howitt, D. 1998) The media and the police have always been seen to have had an uneasy and complex relationship. According to Robert Reiner, ‘it captures the mutual dependence and reciprocal reinforcement that underlies a relationship frequently characterised by bickering and tension.’ (Cited in Newburn,T. 2003:259) Radical and liberal analyses have suggested that media representation creates unrealistic public fears by over reporting and exaggerating specific crimes. As a result of this reporting public support for policing and social laws are called into question by the general public. This can create unlawful forms of policing and vigilantism. (Reiner, R. 2003) The way in which the media portray the police can often affect the public’s perceptions on policing and how they manage law and order within society. The portrayal of policing by the media can challenge and contest the actions of the police. By challenging the police it is bringing their accountability into question. (Grieve. J, et al 2007:35) According to Jones Newburn 1998, policing is defined as ‘those organised forms of order-maintenance, peacekeeping, rule or law enforcement and other forms of investigation and information-brokering which may involve a conscious exercise of coercive power.’ (Cited in Grieve, J. et al 2007:20) We’ve seen on many occasions how media reports and investigative journalism have actually helped police in their work. These are occasions when the media can help to create encouraging images of policing today. (Grieve. J, et al 2007) For example, in the case of missing children media coverage is used to help encourage witnesses to come forward from the public. Scotland Yard was the first police department to establish a media press office in 1919. (Grieve. J, et al 2007) In 1970 commissioner Sir Robert Mark of New Scotland Yard introduced and ‘open door’ policy in regards to the media and the exchange of information. Marks main aim was to put an end to the corruption and publication of ‘exclusive’ crime stories. Mark believed that the public had a right to know what was going on in their communities. However, this has led to limited information being handed over by the police at their discretion and the media being fed information when and if seen as appropriate. (Chester, S. 2010) In the 1970s media relationships with the police were simpler than what they have developed into in today’s society. By building relationships with the local police departments media journalists would basically call their connection at the police department and ask for various information. Functioning in this way prevented the need to go through official channels to gather the information required. Front line police officers regarded the media at this time as interfering, suspicious and a public nuisance. In relation to media training for the police there was very little to advise officers as to how to respond or conduct themselves in the course of a press conference. (Trotter, A. 2010) Over the years there has been an increase in awareness and training for police officers on how to deal with media situations. There are strategies in place along with professional police media staff to take control and manage serious crimes or incidents. The relationship between the media and the police is far becoming more complex than ever before. Their symbiotic relationship is still essential to enable the public to be kept up to date with crime stories but, this is kept within limitation. By using the police department for crime stories to print the media are using the police to help sell newspapers, gain TV audiences and other accessible public news sources which highlights the mutual reliance they have for each other. Through providing the media with limited information the police department are still keeping the general public up to date with crimes in their areas and public safety. When there is a serious crime incident the police will monitor and limit the information the media are given to prevent damage to the investigation or those directly involved. The fact that this information has been given does not prevent the media from misrepresenting the facts. As citied by Yvonne Jewkes 2011:156 ‘the fact that the readers of popular newspapers (that is, those that report crime in a sensationalized and salient fashion) have the highest levels of fear of crime may simply reflect their actual risk of victimization.’ Many researchers suggest that a negative image of the police is portrayed by the use of fictional TV programmes. Through their portrayal the police are either made to look like crime fighting heroes or ineffective and incompetent. For the public to have a positive attitude towards the police they need to feel safe from the effectiveness of their crime fighting strategies and their implementation of punitive measures. (Surette, R. 1998) An incident which occurred in July 2010 was questioned by David Hayward the director of the BBC College of Journalism as to whether the police and the media used appropriate coverage in regards to the shooting of Raoul Moat in Northumberland. The incident began on the 3rd July 2010 when Raoul Moat who had recently been released from prison shot his girlfriend and killed her new boyfriend. He later shot and severely injured a local police officer. Moat avoided the police and went on the run for almost a week. He later shot himself after a long stand-off with police officers all of which was broadcast live by the media to TV audience’s. The media coverage on Raoul Moat was extensive and gained international media interest. As the incident progressed and the whereabouts of Moat became known, Moats final moments were covered by live media coverage. This has since led to many questions being raised in regards to the coverage of live incidents within communities and the behaviour of the media. An important area that was examined was the relationship between the media and the police and how it could be improved for future reference. What this highlights however, is the need for concise and the clearer exchange of important information to maintain public safety and knowledge in any given situation. It is also important to realise the consequences of media coverage and the affects it can have on public audiences and also family members witnessing these incidents first hand. (Hayward, D. 2010) The general public’s perception of the police and the media varies according to what they have read and seen from media coverage, whether it be a newspaper or on TV. Perception of both the police and the media may also be influenced by an individual’s social background within society. Different age groups have varying perceptions of what they believe the role of the police should be and how the media have influenced their overall perception of their fear of crime. According to a home office report written in 1998 young people aged between 14-25 years believe there is a distinct absence of communication and knowledge with the police which has led to a lack of respect. The socio-economic group aged between 25-40 years believe that the police have shown a lack of concern for their fears and also when it comes to a response to a specific incident. It has highlighted that older adults aged from the age of 40/45 have a respect and a favourable perception of the police as they feel that they do their best whenever possible although there is still room for improvement. (Bradley, R. 1998). The majority of research that has been carried out regarding the effects of the media is done so from a positive psychological perspective. This also brought to the forefront the continual debate regarding the causal relationship between the media representation and criminal behaviour. (Reiner, R. 2003) According to Jason Ditton 2005, when considering the perceptions of the public and their perceptions on crime there are three main dimensions to take into consideration. Firstly, the public’s belief in crime or specific kinds of crime committed. Secondly, the change in victim crime rates or the variation in the frequency of the crimes. Finally, have the public based their beliefs on local, regional, or a national crime rates and incidents? (Ditton, J. 2005) According to Jewkes, by creating false portrayals of crimes within society the media are choosing to manipulate public perceptions of crime. As a result this forms a basis for the implementation of labelling, prejudices and over-simplification of the true facts. (Jewkes,Y. 2011:155) The media are known to focus on certain types of crimes at certain periods in time, where society or the economy is in need of public support, the media increases the public’s interest which also delivers a financial gain for the media. (Jewkes,Y. 2011:59) After the Second World War the perception of the police force changed. A fictional TV portrayal of a British police force which typified the ‘Golden Age’ of police was aired and known as ‘Dixon of Dock Green.’ The community policeman reinforced the safety aspect within communities by portraying a community spirit by highlighting honesty and the fact that crime within society is punishable by law. Thus, allowing the audience to morally evaluate crime and the consequences involved. However, times change and so has individual’s perceptions. (Grieve. J, et al 2007) In conclusion it is fair to say that in today’s society the media plays an important role in relaying information and providing the general public with interpretations on crimes which our   society appear to want. Whether the public gather their information from factual or fictional aspects of the media there will always be limitations in regards to what is viewed or written. How the public interpret this information regardless of whether the media have shaped or had an influence on them will depend on the individual themselves. The more vulnerable they are, the more likely it is that the media will impact greatly on their perceptions within society. This can have an undesired effect on policing. How the public view the portrayal of crime and how the police are perceived to deal with crime issues may deem their effectiveness within their practice. The symbiotic relationship between the media and the police will continue as both need each other and depend on each other for information. Whether this information is then kept quiet or misrepresented is the issue for the media and the police to seriously think about. As both their actions in terms of public communication is having an impact on individuals whether rightly or wrongly. With increased technology developments and the freedom of information it has allowed the general public the access to information that was previously out of reach. In our society this now allows the main organisations such as the police force to be scrutinised by the public and calls into question the polices ability to control the news media. (Mawby, RC. 1999) However, further research would help determine whether the relationship between the police and the media plays an important part on individual’s views and attitudes towards crime within their society. References Grieve, J. Harfield, C. Macvean, A. 2007, Policing, Sage Publications Ltd, London Howitt, D. 1998. Crime the Media and the Law, John Wiley sons Ltd, Chichester Jewkes, Y. 2011.   Crime Media, Key approaches to criminology, 2nd edition, Sage Publications Ltd, London Mawby, R.C. 1999. Policing and Society, Visibility, transparency and police-media relations. Newburn, T. 2003. Handbook of Policing, Willan Publishing, Devon Surette, R. 1998. Media Crime Criminal Justice, Images and Realities, 2nd edition, Wadsworth Trotter, A. Media relations a new era, Policing Today, March 2010, 16(1), pp.37-39 Chester, S. (2010). The news of the world special police relationship. Available online: theguardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/sep/06/news-of-the-world-special-police-relationship Last accessed 28th Feb 2011 Hayward, D. (2010). Was Raoul moats death a public execution was the media proportionate. Available online: journalism.co.uk/news-commentary/-039-was-raoul-moat-039-s-death-a-public-execution-was-the-media-proportionate039-/56/a539715 Last accessed 24th Feb 2011 Reiner, R.   (2002). The representation of crime in the mass media. Media made criminality Available online: sociology.org.uk/as4mm4b.pdf Last accessed March 8th 2011 Bradley, R. (1998). Public expectations and perceptions of Policing Available online: http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/prgpdfs/fprs96.pdf Last accessed March 2nd 2011

Choosing Between If and Whether

Choosing Between If and Whether Choosing Between â€Å"If† and â€Å"Whether† Choosing Between â€Å"If† and â€Å"Whether† By Maeve Maddox In current informal usage the words if and whether are used more or less interchangeably, as in these examples from the web: I Don’t Know If The New Phone Has A Frontal Camera, But It Should Do you know whether the new iPhone 3 will have the capacity to handle emails . . . I Don’t Know if Jon and I Will Be Together Next Year . . . We don’t know them personally so we can’t judge whether they should really be together. Most of the time it doesn’t much matter which you use, but sometimes it does. Use whether if a choice between alternatives is intended. I don’t know whether we will be together next year. The alternate possibility is that we will not be. Use if to express a condition. Father will give us the money if we are still together next year. The money will be given on the condition that the couple are together. For more usage examples and a short test, visit this Grammar Monster page. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Avoid Beginning a Sentence with â€Å"With†Peace of Mind and A Piece of One's Mind10 Functions of the Comma

Capital Structure Pre and Post Global Financial Crisis Dissertation

Capital Structure Pre and Post Global Financial Crisis - Dissertation Example When debt financing is concerned, it includes borrowing from the banks, financial leasing, and bond issuing in the bond market. Equity financing mainly constitutes the retained earnings and issuing of additional shares in the stock market. Capital structure has its own importance in a company. There are primary two reasons supporting this fact. Firstly, debt and equity having differences in the costs, in the interest rates, and the required rates of return, there arises a need have an appropriate combination of debt and equity that can maximize the value of the firm by reducing the total cost of the company. This is achievable through the capital structure of the company (Broyles, 2003, pp.303-304). Secondly the knowledge and understanding of capital structure proves important since the borrowing of capital has an influence on the financial risk of the firm. The volatility of the net income or earnings per share of a company increases with the interest payments that represent additio nal fixed expenses for the company. This in turn increases the payment of interests on the issuing of bonds. The cost of equity capital also increases in the stock market as a result of borrowing. All these factors might eventually lead a company to financial distress or risk that leads to the increasing need for an appropriate capital structure (Broyles, 2003, p.304). ... primary aim of the study is to evaluate the capital structure of firms in the UK before the global economic crisis in the years around 2007 and after the financial crisis in the years 2011 or 2012. In order to achieve the above mentioned aim of the study, the following objectives have been considered: Review theories on capital structure in order to determine how it might change during a period of prolonged recession and liquidity crisis. Compare and contrast the capital structure of public UK companies in 2007 and in 2011/2012. Evaluate the extent to which any changes in capital structure are due to the ongoing global crisis. Capital Structure: An Understanding towards the Effect of Economic Crisis: There are four basic theories related to capital structure of a firm. These are: Net Income Theory of Capital Structure: This theory stresses on a firm’s ability to choose a capital structure where the level of share capital or equity is less than the debt of the firm. This helps a firm to increase its market value and thus decrease the weighted average cost of capital of the company. If the content of the debt in the capital structure mix is high, it is referred as financial leverage increasing which increases the value of the firm (Theories of Capital Structure, 2010). Thus it can be understood that when there is an economic crisis prevailing in a country, the availability of the debt reduces that affects the ration of the debt to equity and hence the capital structure of a firm would alter as a result. Net Operating income  Theory of Capital Structure: According to this theory, the concept of increasing financial leverage does not exist. It believes that changing the capital structure of a firm does not bring any change in the overall financial cost and value of the