Animal Cruelty Analysis

Animal Cruelty Shawn Brinkley Devry University Animal Cruelty Animal cruelty is something we hear about every day on the television from all the different shows. We think we understand the whole concept in which someone can be like that to an animal. The type of person that treats a animal like an object instead of a living breathing thing on this earth is someone that has certain issues that we all can not truly explain. Animal cruelty; what is animal cruelty? Is it cruelty to animals at any point, or is it just for self-glorification? There are many forms of animal cruelty.Most see animal cruelty as a intentional hatred or violence towards animals in which the animals suffer for no known reason other than possible self-satisfaction or glorification of the individual. While some people only think of animal cruelty in the confines of domestic animals e. g. dogs, cats, and other household pets, it extends far beyond that. Cruelty to animals, also known as animal abuse or animal neglec t consists of inflictions of suffering or harm upon animals of the non-human type. Animal abuse can be narrowed down to specific gain, such as killing animals for food or for their fur.The term animal cruelty often arises when opinions differ in respect to the method of slaughter of the animal. Certain cruelty to animals encompasses inflicting harm for personal amusement or to fulfill zoo sadistic impulses, such as inflicting physical harm that can leave the animal disfigured. In looking into animal abuse or animal neglect you may find two different ways to approach the issue. Looking into this further, animal welfare has a position that there is nothing inherently wrong with using animals for human purposes, such as food, clothing, entertainment, and research.Although this does mean these things have to be done in a humane way to minimize unnecessary pain and suffering to the animals themselves. Animal theorist have also criticized that these reason can be argued by the words such as â€Å"unnecessary† and â€Å"Humane† being that they are widely differing interpretations. One argument is to insure protection for animals by making them not to be considered as property and never used as commodities as well. The legal side of this is that the law is designed to prevent the needless cruelty to animals, like killing the animals for fun instead of utilizing the animal for food.Specific countries may frown upon certain animals being used as a source of food having instated in the laws that the cruelty of this is something that will be looked over and not enforced. As a country does not enforce their own laws on the cruelty of the animals this leaves the wide variety of cruelty being looked at closely. Many countries jurisdictions vary around the world having enacted statutes for which forbidden cruelty to some animals may vary and in some cases by the use or practices. There are many reasons individuals abuse animals, cruelty to animals covers a wide range of actions or the lack of action.As we learn about the animal abuse in the world we see certain patterns of behavior employed by most abusers. When we look into animal cruelty it is often broken down into two main categories: active and passive cruelty, this is also referred to as commission and omission. Passive cruelty is in which the cruelty is a lack of action rather than the action itself. Such examples are when a person does not feed the animal (starvation, dehydration and parasite infestations). Other forms are allowing a collar to grow in the skin of the animal because of over tightening and heavy restraints.Inadequate shelter is another where in by the animal isn't given shelter in extreme weather conditions. Active cruelty is where malicious intent is the driving force behind causing harm to animals. Examples of this are when the animal is hurt in any way for no reason such as, beating a dog so hard that they can't walk for barking, shooting animals for fun instead o f game or sport, and throwing a cat off a bridge to see if they can always land on their feet. These examples are active cruelty for the reason of plain enjoyment of the person conducting them.Long before animals became part of the corporate industrial process, the ethics of the animals came first with the husbandry which is the care of the animals. This was the whole interest of the farmers they believed this was a major part in the raising of the animals. Animals were raised on diverse farms that produced crops and several species of animals having access to open pasture and barnyard when weather permits. Husbandry was considered the responsibility of the producers; now that this has all changed the conditions have become considerably worse. â€Å"According to one poll conducted by Oklahoma StateUniversity and the American Farm Bureau Federation found that 75% of the public would like to see government mandates for basic animal welfare measures. † (http://www. closeanimalfa ctories. org/the-issues/animal-cruelty/) Chickens are one of the top leading animals that are miss-treated. Hens sometimes live in a cage that is now bigger than a sheet of paper, causing them to grow into the wires of the cage and slowly dying from dehydration. These kinds of farms breed the birds for only one purpose. Other farms consist of thousands of hens breed just for laying eggs and nothing more. In the United States, an estimated 95% of egg-laying hens are intensively confined in battery cages. †(United Egg Producers. (2008 Edition published 2003). Inside these cages they keep 5 to 6 birds in, but sometime they go too far and keep up to 10 birds. These cages are simply larger in size, but are made from the same material as the cages the size of a sheet of paper. The number of birds that are used like this will astound most Americans. â€Å"As of December 2008, about 300 million birds are confined in battery, almost one for every U. S. citizens. † (USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service. (2008).Pigs are another animal that is covered in the animal cruelty world very widely. The pig farms out there have many pigs that are breed just to breed or only live for a few months before they are slaughtered. Pigs have been used for testing on the side for their skin, because they have the closes skin type to humans this brings on the many test. Pig farms have become larger because of the slow push out of the smaller farms. â€Å"Since the factory systems took hold in the late 1960s, more and more pigs have been produced by increasingly larger operations where small pig farms start to disappear. † (National Hog Farmer, 15 Feb. 002) Pigs are being used like they are machines instead of animals. Certain farms believe that they are just there for one purpose. Some farmers have stated this â€Å"Forget the pig is an animal. Treat him just like a machine in a factory. Schedule treatments like you would lubrication. Breeding season like the f irst step in a assembly line. And marketing like the delivery of finished goods. † (Hog Farm Management Sept 1976). Throughout the nation there millions of pigs being used in these farms and live these kinds of live. Pigs in farms today are pumped with antibiotics because of the many different types of disease that are showing up. In the U. S. , antibiotics are added to 90% of starter feeds, 75% of grower feeds and more than half of finishing feeds for pigs† (Keep Antibiotics Working – Dec. 2003). The reason behind this because of the pigs being packed in cages that barely fit them. â€Å"Two-thirds of all pigs produced in the United States, or around fifty-three million animals a year, spend their lives in a total confinement pig farm. † (Hog Farm Management Sept 1976). Animals being treat as a product is becoming more and more profound. These animals being treated as factories or just machines is something we as a society address on the behalf of the anim als themselves.Animals have been around for millions of years and yes we as humans do depend on them for survival, but we need to understand that many animals are being harmed for this. Animals are used for something every day of our lives from being something we eat, something that we cherish, something we make money from. Animals have made a difference in our live even if we don’t know it. The cruelty to animals is becoming an epidemic across the United States from the smaller animals of bird, dog, cats, and exotic animals.The larger animals are becoming the main source of the cruelty from the chickens, up to the elephants in the circuses. Throughout the nation we have organizations that are willing to stand up for the animals and fight for them as well. The Humane society, PETA, and the animal activist out there are willing to step up to the defense of the animals themselves. PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is an organization that believes that animals h ave rights just as humans. These rights fight for the animals to not be treated in humane in any way that a human would not be treated as well.In conclusion, animal cruelty is a problem not only in our country but throughout the world. Simple reasons may have cause the cruelty and maybe they are caused by malicious intent of a person. Animal cruelty is something that can be addressed and stop throughout the world if we as people are will to step in. The steps needed to stop animal cruelty are slowly taking effect, from the interaction of law into the farms, to the government shutting down the larger production companies. Reference: The Center to Exposed & Close Animal Factories 2010 http://www. closeanimalfactories. rg/the-issues/animal-cruelty/ United Egg Producers. (2008 Edition published 2003). United Egg Producers Animal Husbandry Guidelines For U. S. Egg Laying Flocks. Retrieved November 15, 2008. Page 1, paragraph 6. USDA National Agriculture Statistics Service. (2008). Chicke ns and Eggs. Retrieved December 16, 2008. page 1. Joe Vansickle, â€Å"Quality Assurance Program Launched,† National Hog Farmer, 15 Feb. 2002 http://www. animalsuffering. com/resources/facts/factory-farming. php J. Byrnes – Raising Pigs by the Calendar at Maplewood Farm – Hog Farm Management Sept 1976

Paul Levy Essay

How would you describe the situation Levy inherited at the BIDMC? What challenges did he face? Why did previous turnaround efforts fail? (4 points) Two unique corporate cultures, Beth Israel Hospital and Deaconess Hospital merged in 1996 to become Beth Israel Deaconess (BID). To compete with Partners, BID and a few other hospitals combined forces and formed Care Group Systems (CGS). Lacking leadership commitment, BID was in chaos and consistently posted operating losses in millions of dollars per year. Additionally, although advised on numerous occasions, BID was inept in implementing restructuring plans and consequently had excessive employee turnover, which resulted in poor patient care. Succinct and expert advice to reorganize BID was never implemented. Although BID would agree to change, execution was postponed or disregarded due to the myriad level of management and bureaucratic processes within each department, which appeared to function independently of one another. Unable to move forward, management was locked in mental prisons. Groupthink was common practice for making essential business decisions, which resulted in escalation of commitment in continuing past practices and refusal to accept recommended changes. BID could be referred to as egocentric as the organization maintained the status quo. As President and CEO, Levy was expected to create a rapid turnaround of the deteriorating financial condition of the hospital. He was also expected to stop the several year trend of flawed implementation of restructuring recommendations. Furthermore, he was working under intense scrutiny and pressure from many officials, including the Attorney General’s Office of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the BID Board of Directors (BOD) and the Board of Directors of the BID parent company, CGS. How did Levy get started in his new job? What were his objectives and what did he accomplish 1) prior to his first day of work? 2) on his first day? 3) during his first week? (4 points) Before Levy accepted the position, he made conditions for his employment. These conditions included that he be hired before the Hunter Group Report was released, that the BOD be considerably reduced in size and that the BOD stay out of the day-to-day operations of the hospital. Even as he talked to the search team, he knew the responsibilities and his own abilities. Levy wanted to be hired prior to the Hunter report so that he could use the report in ways that he thought would be best. The second condition was to shrink the BOD from a 44-member group to a more-manageable group of 18 members, which was accomplished just a few months after Levy’s appointment as CEO. The third condition of employment, that the BOD remain out of the day-to-day operations, showed that he believed in a chain of command. Levy clearly communicated any meeting between board members and staff required prior approval. On his first day, he sent every employee of the hospital a memo that included: †¢ A promise of an open administration †¢ A warning that the hospital had been given this one last chance for a turnaround †¢ A promise to post the findings and recommendations of the Hunter Consulting Group †¢ Encouragement to employees to read and make comments regarding the report †¢ A promise that changes would be implemented and measured †¢ Warning of an unavoidable elimination of several hundred staff positions in the hospital †¢ A promise that the staff reductions would be carried out as humanely possible and people would be treated with dignity and respect †¢ His expectation of successful turnaround of BID because of the employees, their commitment, their strong sense of teamwork, and their ability to succeed In his message, Levy also conveyed that: †¢ He considered all staff (not just key players) to be team members †¢ All team members must share a common goal of carrying out the mission †¢ There is a sense of urgency †¢ The Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts had legitimate authority and control over the future of BID †¢ Staff would be held  accountable for their actions †¢ Levy would be open, honest and inclusive with information, even in the case of bad news †¢ High quality care was essential to BID’s future †¢ Together, the BID team could show the world success Levy created a sense of reality for employees whom previously had been told half-truths, lies or nothing about the serious nature of BID’s problems. In doing so, Levy gained â€Å"buy-in† from employees grateful that problems were being clearly identified by effective leadership. Also on his first day, Levy shared his message with local news agencies, which accomplished among other things letting the community know that he considered â€Å"buy-in† from the staff critical to success. According to his daily calendar, Levy spent much of his first week meeting with BID staff. What (if anything) was distinctive about the way Levy went about formulating, announcing and implementing the recovery plan? How did he overcome resistance? (3 points) Levy’s practice of speaking with staff likely induced his ability to gather as much information as possible regarding the current mood and culture. This information was needed to develop and implement a plan. Initially, his recovery plan had to include huge cost-saving initiatives. He had already set the stage for a massive lay-off by posting the Hunter Report for all employees to read. Therefore, it was relatively easy for him to fire/permanently lay-off 150 people by the end of the month. After all, he was only doing what the experts recommended. Who could argue with that? At the same time, purchasing controls were implemented in an effort to reduce costs. The next week, he rolled out additional strategic efforts. His plan was three-fold: regain a reputation for quality patient care and maintain an academic status; adopt some of the recommendations of the Hunter Group Report, implementing change; and, analyze why previous restructure plans failed and why this new one would work. Another of Levy’s implementation  plans was to promise low and deliver high. In other words, he knew the importance of meeting deadlines and plans by being conservative and not over-estimating. This practice is often referred to as â€Å"sand-bagging† and believed to be a useful tool. Levy’s intent was not to be deceitful; rather, it is a way of keeping forward momentum by delivering good news. How did Levy tackle the problem of the BIDMC’s â€Å"curious inability to decide?† (3 points) It was not until Levy came in and talked with the doctors and staff, really listening to each other’s problems and concerns that change could happen. Levy realized that the culture of BID played a significant role in the organization. People reacted and performed their jobs considering how they had performed their jobs in the past. The current structure and hierarchy defined who the chiefs were and the importance of their roles. They were caught up in this psychic prison. Levy had to help them overcome it by making sure they realized that they were not wrong and that they just needed to be open to change. Levy tried to get to the underside of the human emotions for these chiefs and let them see the benefit of changes. He made sure to give credit but also expected results and acceptance of the new strategic plan. While there is no indication as to which personnel were fired/laid-off, it was clear to the remaining staff that Levy was in charge and that â€Å"slackers† wou ld not be tolerated. This is a powerful motivator (albeit via fear) to eliminate resistance. Also prior to Levy, it seemed that committee meetings often resulted in groupthink. Levy knew that the chiefs were usually involved in those meetings, and that there was now a tremendous need to see results from those meetings. In the past, no one spoke up at meetings. Many participants kept quiet instead of actually saying what they thought. Staff members were afraid to rock the boat. Once Levy came on board, many decisions and changes were implemented via steering committees instead of from the chiefs. This was a significant change in the hierarchical structure. No longer did all decisions and ideas come straight down from the boss in the tower. This change allowed staff members to get involved and present ideas. Ultimately,  it would be staff members whom had a key role in the implementation of turnaround plans. This â€Å"empowerment† of the staff led them to have less resistance toward change. In describing his leadership style, Levy speaks of the CEO as teacher. How has he defined that role? Why has he chosen to focus on it? What skills does it require? (3 points) Levy’s leadership style is a strategic facilitator, through developing employee ownership by illuminating the nature of the problem and seeking their involvement in finding solutions. Levy believed it essential to build a core management team that is in accord with the plan, mission and values and who are willing to assume risk in embracing change. The CEO role is to support the management team and remove those who are obstructionists. The byproduct is improved decision-making and accountability. He uses peer pressure as an accountability tool so there is public acknowledgment of responsibility for specific tasks. By redirecting comments from naysayers, Levy places the onus on others to provide a solution for problems. Additionally, Levy understands the dynamics of each meeting and what can and cannot be accomplished in each. Levy used a human resources view in assessing various situations. He leveraged this framework while making a majority of his decisions. He valued feedback from his employees and kept them abreast of pertinent information, which resulted in efficient and satisfied employees. Levy accomplished this literally by roaming the hospital with the intent on knowing the staff in person. He would engage in conversations seeking suggestions for change in their occupational area and reassured skeptics that his plan for change would be successful. Levy’s efforts to include everyone in the day-to-day progress as well as helping employees find answers to their problems, made the work more satisfying to his employees. What did members of your team learn from completing this case? How might members of your team use this information in their current or  future jobs?

Alzheimer’s Disease Stages and Symptoms

Alzheimers Disease Stages and Symptoms ABSTRACT Alzheimer’s Disease is a neurological disease majorly characterized by â€Å"decline in the brain function† and â€Å"memory loss†. The disease involves mainly three stages. Different chemical factors and possibly genetic factors are responsible for causing the disease. Symptoms can be treated by provision of the sufficient supplements to reduce the risk of the disease. Techniques are also available for the treatment and detection which are being expected to be more advance in future. INTRODUCTION Alzheimer’s disease is severly deliberating condition that affects thinking, learning and memory beginning with declines in the (1)episodic memory. Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a slowly progressive disease of the brain that is characterized by impairment of memory and eventually by disturbances in reasoning, planning, language, and perception. Many scientists believe that Alzheimer’s disease results from an increase in the production or acc umulation of a specific protein(2)(beta-amyloid protein) in the brain that leads to nerve cell death. The likelihood of having Alzheimer’s disease increases substantially after the age of 70 around 50% of persons over the age of 85 may be affected by it. Nonetheless, Alzheimer’s disease is not a normal part of aging and is not something that happens inevitably in later life. For example, many people live to over 100 years of age and never develop Alzheimer’s disease. Symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease: Usually, the onset of Alzheimer’s disease is gradual and it is slowly progressive. Most often, family members initially think memory problems as â€Å"a normal part of aging† but these problems noted by the family can be the first stages of Alzheimer’s disease. When other problems along with memory problems also occur start to consistently affect the usual level of functioning;families begin to suspect that something more than â€Å"norma l aging† is going on. Commonly early memory problems in Alzheimer’s disease are particularly characterized by â€Å"short-term memory†. For example, the individual may, on repeated occasions, forget to turn off an iron or fail to recall which of the morning’s medicines were taken. Early illness may show mild changes in personality such as less spontaneity, apathy and a tendency to withdraw from social interactions may occur. Problems in abstract thinking and in other intellectual functions also develop as the disease is progressed. The person may begin to face problems such as trouble with figures when working on bills, with understanding what is being read, or with organizing the day’s work. This point of the disease may also show further disturbances in behavior and appearance, such as agitation, irritability, quarrelsomeness and a diminishing ability to dress appropriately. Later in the course of the disorder, affected individuals may become conf used or disoriented about what month or year it is, be unable to describe accurately where they live, or be unable to name a place being visited. Eventually, patients may wander, be unable to engage in conversation, erratic in mood, uncooperative and bladder and bowel control is lost. In late stages of the disease, persons may become totally incapable of caring for themselves. Cosequently, (3)pneumonia can occur which can lead to death or some other problem can occur due to severely deteriorated states of health.

Communication Strategy of Dahon Folding Bikes Essay

Communication Strategy of Dahon Folding Bikes - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that for 25 years now, Dahon Folding Bikes has worked on producing foldable bikes that fit the lifestyles of its target market, giving premium to giving its customers with the freedom to move around with their easy-to-carry bicycle units. It also puts emphasis on being able to contribute to a cleaner environment by producing transportation facilities that do not emit gas, and therefore, do not contribute to pollution. 25 years after it was first established, Dahon continues with its aim to penetrate its target market by creating innovations in their product lines. Dahon’s commitment is to develop new-patented technologies at 20 per year and looks at the improvement of its bikes by at least 15% every year. It further renews its commitment to giving back to the community by supporting various projects that tackle environmental concerns and is even involved in other causes. Now, with Bicycle Industry’s continuo us evolution, and the competition among the approximately 2,000 companies that manufacture and distribute bikes in the US and from the estimate of 100 different bicycle brands, Dahon seeks to strengthen its communications strategy to fully achieve the potential of penetrating the target market. It aims to reach more people by creating a good Communications Campaign that would mark its 25th year in the industry and seal its position as the brand of choice. Dahon appeals to a wide range of market segments due to its utility value and market positioning. Its primary are the members of Generation 0, a young market group who gives high value to the benefits that a product gives them. To penetrate this market segment, it will capitalize on Dahon’s philosophy, which is Personal Mobility. The phrase says it all. The products will give the target market with the independence to move around in the most convenient way possible. Main Marketing tools would be interesting leaflets and broc hures that list down and define the various uses of Dahon Bikes. The company should spend an approximate of $ 200,000 for the production and design of sales materials. This is the primary priority of Dahon Bike Company.

Monitoring U.S. citizens' phone conversations to detect potential Essay - 1

Monitoring U.S. citizens' phone conversations to detect potential terriorist threats - Essay Example The very spirit of American political life and popular expectations simply do not allow the state to extend its sway beyond a point where it not only interferes with the personal and professional lives of people and individuals, but rather tempers with the privacy of their private and professional phone conversations. National security is really very important. However, the concerns for national security cannot be allowed to irrationality expand to a level where they start hampering the normal activities of the citizens. The act of monitoring the phone conversations of citizens is also unconstitutional and violates the Fourth Amendment rights of the citizens, which constitute a part of the Bill of Rights (Dripps, 2007). Superficially speaking, the Fourth Amendment to the constitution of the United States of America intends to protect the citizens from illegal search and seizures. Surprisingly, the very purpose of this Amendment was to check the abuse of general search warrants in the American Revolution (Dripps, 2007). In the historical Katz v. United States judgment, the US Supreme Court declared any state intrusion into an area where a citizen has the reasonable expectation and right to seek privacy, to be an illegal search and a violation of the Fourth Amendment (Dripps, 2007). Thus, monitoring of the phone conversations of the US citizens is a legal and ethical violation of their privacy. This in no way means that the law enforcement agencies simply cannot have an access to the phone conversations of the people doubted of having terrorist links. They can do so as per the ways and procedures laid down by the US laws. As per the Fourth Amendment, the law enforcement personnel can resort to a legal search (here monitoring of phone conversations), provided such a procedure is pursuant to a valid court warrant sanctioned on the basis of the information provided by a law enforcement personnel to the court, under an oath

Trip Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Trip Report - Essay Example The plant should introduce "advance notice" procedures and indicate the exact time of arrival for each truck. (b) Also, it is possible to focus on activity scheduling, which is concerned only with activities directly related to the function: for instance, time of arrival, loading, lab reports, etc. The timing of such activities may have a significant impact on resource utilization and customer service (Chase, Jacobs 2003). The main problem of Quality Control Laboratory is a slow report procedure and work overload. The Quality Control Laboratory can be divided into several sub-units responsible for certain reports. It can increase costs, but it will reduce time and improve service provided. For instance, the laboratory can have the following units: (a) for incoming raw materials to verify the identification and specifications are correct, (b) for WIP and any special request from any production department, and (c) for outgoing shipment. If there is no much work to do, one of the groups could help another one with analyses for outgoing shipment. Again, if the time is stipulated, the trucks will not wait for a long time to test results. The main problems of this level involve (1) product shortage caused by inefficient production ... (a) The assessment of the nature and level of demand for products and services must be accurate, if economic resources are not to be misused. (b) The department should find out, as accurately as possible, present and future customers requirements. (c) Records must be up to date and quickly accessible, particularly where demand fluctuates rapidly. (d) Facility decisions are concerned with how many warehouses and plants Denver should have, and with where they should be located in order to optimize the customer service/cost equation. For the majority of companies it is necessary to take the location of existing facilities as given in the short term. Thus, managers can consider the inventory management problem to be a part of a wider operations scheduling problem. (e) Capacity management decisions will provide a context within which inventories and activities are be both planned and controlled. They will to some extent reflect operating policy decisions, while inventory and scheduling pr oblems might be considered as more tactical issues (Vonderembse, White 2003). Production units and operational departments should be better coordinated according to their functions and performance. It is the task of the department manager and plant manager to coordinate and control production procedures. For instance, an employee on a golf cart can help to coordinate activities on all shifts informing various operators about current changes and procedures. Product Loading Facilities and Operations Poor time management leads to queues and incorrect loading facility. Primarily, the right levels of stock must be fixed. Most firms carry too high levels of stock and any firm which is attempting to reduce stocks must note the factor dealt with under stock or inventory problems. For

A written summary of the article .The Ordinary Heroes of Taj Assignment

A written summary of the article .The Ordinary Heroes of Taj - Assignment Example Guests at the Japanese restaurant within the hotel were also caught up in the attack. They were instructed to hide beneath their tables, and the waiters formed a human shield between them and the attackers. Later, upon evacuation, the guests were allowed to leave first with the staff following close behind. The head waiter who was in charge, Thomas Varghese, did not make it out since the attackers shot him as he was the last one to leave the room. During the attack, 31 people lost their lives, 11 of whom were staff members at the hotel. Most of the dead staff members had sacrificed their lives to protect their guests from getting hurt during the incident. There was wide acclaim over the dedication of the staff at the hotel due to the manner in which they conducted themselves; not only were they calm, but they also went out of their way to help their guests to safety (Raina and Rohit, 5). This level of commitment by employees had not seen before, given that there were no official policies that existed at the time to deal with such a scenario. The human resource approach used at the hotel hires people based on devotion and integrity and trains them for 18 months; six more than the regular 12 months in other establishments. The result was a team of loyal employees who had the best interests of the customers at the core of all their

The Cause of Sept 11 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Cause of Sept 11 - Research Paper Example On September 11, 2001, two planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center building in New York City while another plane hit the Pentagon in Washington, DC. The iconic building collapsed in less than two hours causing a fatality of nearly 3,000 people. This tragedy is the most lethal form of terrorism to have been carried out in modern times and will probably never be forgotten in American history. Government agencies and security experts have immediately assessed the rationale for the attack. In this regard, the essay aims to proffer the causes of the September 11, 2011 incident that shocked the world and millions of Americans whose lives have been drastically changed by it. Causes of the 9/11 Attack In retrospect, contemporary generation asks the relevant question: what led to 9/11 in the first place? There have been diverse theories on the rationale for the attack. One traced the root cause from America being a superpower and the icon of Western world and was ther efore the best target for the Islamists to carry out their attack. Head (2011) agrees that probably America lacked a strong representative of Islam – of the order of say Malcolm X – who would have given the US a human face, making the American people much harder to be demonized by the likes of al-Qaeda. Auster (2003) cited various explanations, to wit: â€Å"some blamed America's rejection of the Kyoto accords (a favorite charge among globalists), some blamed our failure to help alleviate Third-World hunger (a favorite among Episcopalians), some blamed our friendship with Israel (a favorite in some precincts of the right as well as the left). The real explanation had been lurking in the background all this while, but had never, to my knowledge, been proffered before now: America was attacked because of its racism† (Auster, 2003, par. 1). On the contrary, Levingston (2010) disagrees with the common notion that Western interference was the cause of 9/11. He ar gues that 9/11 was the result of a clash of Arab civilizations that simply used America as one of its venues. Levingston (2010) argues that the Arab world’s political culture has no mechanism for either sharing power or transmitting political authority from one governing body to another except through inheritance, coup or conquest and that we just happened to be at that stage that different groups are fighting to take over the leadership in the Middle East. The official comprehensive report compiled and published by the National Commission on Terrorist Attack Upon the United States entitled The 9/11 Commission Report under the section The Foundation of the New Terrorism indicated that Usama Bin Laden, together with a fugitive Egyptian physician, Ayman al Zawahiri, proposed a Declaration of War against the United States: â€Å"claiming that America had declared war against God and his messenger, they called for the murder of any American, anywhere on earth, as the ‘in dividual duty for every Muslim who can do it in any country in which it is possible to do it’† (National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, 2004, p.47). There were even conspiracy theories that emerged stating that the cause of the 9/11 attack was actually â€Å"planned and executed by federal officials in order to provide the U.S. with a pretext for going to war in the Middle East and, by extension, as a means of consolidating and extending the power of

I have an article need to be reviewed Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

I have an need to be reviewed - Article Example History of American Labor movements has been comparatively influential to this era. American labor industry has faced numerous incidents of violence, protests, aggression and strikes which only started with wage cuts. Labor unions were very strong in asserting their pressure primarily based upon favorable working environment. Their demands were usually targeted to attain higher wages with shorter and shorter working hour. With the passage of time labor unions got so powerful and organized that they could influence appointment of political personalities and get favorable labor laws passed. This essay critically reviews the article and also examines factors other than institutional setup which has affected labor movement and has weakened labor unions as they are not as much organized as once they were. The author used comparative analysis of American and Canadian cases since both are neighboring countries with their closest relation but have differences comparing labor movement and their effectiveness. This article provides qualitative analysis of decisions, choices and step taken by the American labor unions and politician which brought institutional growth and decentralized the powers to individuals rather than to organization. Comparative analysis is the best strategy in this regard to contrast and compare two cases. Historical examination of American Labor Movement reveals that first half of nineteenth century was associated with efforts to promote anti monopolistic doctrine. Labor movement were initiated to develop harmony for cooperation and political involvement while in the second half of the century efforts were put together to provide legal shelter to labors. Justice, labor rights, equality and bargaining power strengthened the concept of unionization where employers failed to suppress workers. Twentieth century marked the era of reforms and improved working

Immanuel Kant by Nathalie G. Catalogo Essay Example for Free

Immanuel Kant by Nathalie G. Catalogo Essay German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is considered the most influential thinker of the Enlightenment era and one of the greatest Western philosophers of all times. His works, especially those on epistemology (theory of knowledge), aesthetics and ethics had a profound influence on later philosophers, including contemporary ones. Kant’s philosophy is often described as the golden middle between rationalism and empiricism. He didn’t accept either of both views but he gave credit to both. While rationalists argue that knowledge is a product of reason, empiricists claim that all knowledge comes from experience. Kant rejected yet adopted both, arguing that experience is purely subjective if not first processed by pure reason. Using reason while excluding experience would according to Kant produce theoretical illusion. Afterwards, Kant mainly focused on philosophical issues although he continued to write on science. Source: http://www. philosophers. co. uk/immanuel-kant. html Based on what I’ve read from the philosophy of Immanuel Kant which oftenly described as the golden middle between rationalism and empiricism, I strongly agree with the statements â€Å"experience is purely subjective if not first processed by pure reason† and â€Å"using reason while excluding experience would produce theoretical illusion. † Obviously, both statements complement each other. You will notice that experience needs reason for it not to be subjective and reason on the other hand, needs experience for it not to produce theoretical illusion. Empiricists claim that experience is equal to knowledge while rationalists argue that it is reason which is equal to knowledge. For example, for the empiricists, you have this experience that enrolling at University of Makati (UMak) needs patience and panctuality for there’s so many enrollees which causes a very long line so the process will take so much of your time. Through that experience, you gain knowledge so the next time you enroll, you already know how to handle things better. On the other hand, an example of rationalism is that, if someone teach you that one plus one is equal to two (1 + 1 = 2), you gain knowledge from the reason of mathematics. My assumption for the reason behind why Immanuel Kant adopted both of these is that it is closely related with each other and it needs each other to stand for its essence.

An Analysis of the Cinema of Short Films

An Analysis of the Cinema of Short Films INTRODUCTION Film as dream, film as music. No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul. Ingmar Bergman Cinema is one of the few mediums which have managed to successfully depict the true reality of society in general and our lives in particular. As like other art forms, it depicts the multiple realties that one is faced with. It explores one of the most discarded yet eternal truths which every individual experiences and that is isolation. Each individual longs for social ties despite belonging to organized societies; it is what each one of us is ultimately reduced to. A Short film is a technical description originally coined in the Indian film industry and used in the North American film industry in the early period of cinema. The description is now used almost interchangeably with short subject. Although the North American definition generally refers to films between 20 and 40 minutes, the definition refers to much shorter films in Europe,Latin America and Australasia. InNew Zealand, for instance, the description can be used to describe any film that has duration longer than one minute and shorter than 15 minutes. The North American definition also tends to focus much more on character whereas the European and Australasian forms tend to depend much more on visual drama and plot twists. In this way, the North American form can be understood to be a derivation of the feature film form, usually acting as a platform for aspirant Hollywood directors. Elsewhere, short films tend to work as showcases for cinematographers and commercial directors. (Short Film) A short film manages to tell the same tale as a full length feature film, but in a shorter duration of time. It is characterized by the directors reflection of the existing social, political and economic conditions. A short film narrative is one which can easily be created by people from all walks of life, it has universal applicability. It enables directors functioning on a small budget to tell their stories to the world. The talent in creating a short film lies in communicating the message of the film to the audience in a very limited period of time. The transitions in a short film are of critical importance. What I find intriguing is how any person imbibes from their existing social conditions and produce work which is effectively communicable to most individuals. Another reason to dwell into this topic of research is that many youngsters and amateurs start by making short films and use it as a path to grow. As Daniel Wiernicki states, Short films are often popular as first steps into the film industry among young filmmakers. This is because they are cheaper and easier to make, and also their length makes shorts more likely to be watched by financial backers and others who want some demonstration of a filmmakers ability. Many things can be achieved by creating a short film so are an ideal opportunity to get recognized and get into the industry. (Wiernicki) Through this dissertation, I aim to explore the world of short films in the context of movies which have won the Cannes Short Film Palme dOr(French:Palme dOr du court mÃÆ' ©trage), which is the highest prize given to a short film at the Cannes Film Festival. These short films are a representation of different cultures, ideologies, people, religion, economic background, and political thoughts and history from across the world that come together on one platform and showcase their art. The cinema is not an art which films life: the cinema is something between art and life. Unlike painting and literature, the cinema both gives to life and takes from it, and I try to render this concept in my films. Literature and painting both exist as art from the very start; the cinema doesnt. Jean- Luc Godard LITERATURE REVIEW Throughout our history, humans have looked for different forms of expressing themselves. These expressions were in the form of poetry, literature, songs, plays, dancing, etc. films are one of the latest forms of expression that has been adopted by the people around the world to portray their views on their surroundings, any event, or moment that captivates them and they want to show it to the world. The beauty of the films nowadays is that you can detract from reality and present something beyond the human imagination at the same time one can present the harsh realities of life that some dont know about. Films as a medium of communications can be used to spread ones message or view across the world. History of Cinema (History of Film) The birth of the films happened in 1878, when Eadweard Muybridge recorded a horse running in fast motion using a series of 24 stereoscopic cameras. With the development of technology came of the Silent era. Till the 1920s movies were silent, though at times they were accompanied by musicians, sound effects, or even commentary at times. 1940s to 60s- War and Post War Cinema The wartime saw immense change in the cinema as more focus was given to propaganda and patriotic films. Films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Citizen Cane were pieces of this period. The cold war era brought movies filled with paranoia such as Invading Armies of Evil Aliens and anti-communist movies such as the Manchurian Candidate. The onset of television in the post war era also threatened the cinematic industry as a medium of watching films. During this Period, Asian Cinema specifically saw a golden age. Some of the greatest masterpieces of the Asian cinema were produced during this period. These include works like: Yasujiro OzusTokyo Story(1953),Satyajit RaysThe Apu Trilogy(1955-1959) andThe Music Room(1958),Kenji MizoguchisUgetsu(1954) andSansho the Bailiff(1954),Raj KapoorsAwaara(1951),Mikio NarusesFloating Clouds(1955),Guru DuttsPyaasa(1957) andKaagaz Ke Phool(1959), and theAkira Kurosawa films Rashomon (1950), Ikiru(1952),Seven Samurai(1954) andThrone of Blood(1957). 1970s: Post-classical cinemaThis term is used to describe the period following the decline of the studio system during the 1950s and 1960s and the end of the production code. During the 1970s, filmmakers increasingly depicted explicit sexual content and showed gunfight and battle scenes that included graphic images of bloody deaths. The 1980s were filled with movies releasing with sequels like Star Wars, Jaws, and Indiana Jones. The audience also started to watch movies on their VCR at home during this period. 1990s to present: Contemporary Cinema The 1990s saw the development of the independent cinema with commercial success. Special effects also ruled during this period as it was being heavily used by the successful movies of the period like: Terminator 2: Judgment Day(1991) andTitanic(1997). During the 2000s, documentary genre of film making also rose as can be seen with the success of movies such as March of the Penguins, and Fahrenheit 9/11. Increase in the problem of digital distribution due to infringement of copyrights, and piracy also has reached heights during this period. Cinema as a whole during this decade has become more global with foreign-language films gaining popularity in English-speaking markets. Films such as City of Gods (Portugese), Lagaan (Hindi), and the Passion of the Christ (Aramaic). Some have described the prevailing style of the period as post modern because many contemporary films are apolitical, ahistorical, intertextual, and less tied to the conventions of a single genre or culture. The transnational circulation and genre hybridity of contemporary films is exemplified by the increasing global popularity of non- English speaking cinema. (Film Studies, 2009) Major Genres of Films: They are broad enough to accommodate practically any film ever made, although film categories can never be precise. By isolating the various elements in a film and categorizing them in genres, it is possible to easily evaluate a film within its genre and allow for meaningful comparisons and some judgments on greatness. Films were not really subjected to genre analysis by film historians until the 1970s. All films have at least one major genre, although there are a number of films that are considered crossbreeds or hybrids with three or four overlapping genre (orsub-genre) types that identify them. (Dirks) Genres in cinema can broadly be categorized under the following classifications: Setting prisonHistoryFuturisticFantasyWesternWarMood Drama MelodramaTragedyComedy- dramaRomanceAction- adventure Humor/ Comedy SlapstickBlack comedyScrewball comedyAction comedyRomantic comedySuspense HorrorMysteryThrillerTheme or topic CrimeArt FilmWarScience fictionalEspionageWesternSportsFantasyFilm NoirFormat MusicalDocumentaryLive actionAnimationBiographyHISTORY OF SHORT FILMS Short subject a name initially given to Short Films came into existence in the 1910s when the majority of the feature movies were being made into loner run-time editions. The name short subject is an American film industry term, which was assigned to any film within 20 minutes long or running two reels. Short subject films could be comedy, animated, or live action. One of the best known users of short subject was Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin. In 1930s came the slowdown of the short subjects, basically produced by Warner Bros and Famous studios that owned their own theatres to showcase the films. By 1995s, the rise of television led to the strangulation of the live action- short and at the same time the fall cartoon short. Since the 1960s, majority of the directors of short films have been special studio projects or independent film makers. Since the 1980s, short film term was being used for short subject. Short film as a term describes the non- commercial film that is much shorter in time length than a feature film/ an analogy that can be drawn for short film to a feature film is that of a novella and a novel. The short filmmakers heavily depend on the short film festivals and art exhibitions to showcase their short films. At the same time, these film makers have more freedom to take up more difficult topics than normal feature films as the risks are lower. Short film making is now a growing as more and more amateurs, students, common man, and enthusiasts are taking this up because of the affordability of the technology to make such films. At the same time one can showcase his work to the world by uploading it on web portals and sharing it with others. It is an area where people are turning to as a hobby, as an art, to achieve their form expressions. (Wiernicki) THE SHORT FILM FESTIVALS Festival de Cannes The Festival is an apolitical no-mans-land, a microcosm of what the world would be like if people could contact each other directly and speak the same language. Jean Cocteau Being first large international cultural event after the World War II, the Festival de Cannes opened on 20th September, 1946. The Palme dOr was created in 1955. Palme dOr became the enduring symbol of the Cannes Film Festival, awarded each and every year since to the director of the Best Feature Film of the Official Competition. At present, Festival de Cannes invites film makers from around the world to present their work in one place and exchange cultural experiences. The selections for the awards are done from a nomination of films from all over the world, from different socio-economic backgrounds, different cultures, and different historical backgrounds. Cannes offers an opportunity to determine a particular countrys image of its cinema. Festival de Cannes is a melting pot of global cinema and filmmakers. This is the reason why I have undertaken the study of the award winning short films at festival de Cannes. (Festival History) Oscar Short Film Awards TheAcademy Awards, also known as theOscars, are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences(AMPAS). The AMPAS recognizes the excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The1st Academy Awards ceremony was held Thursday, May 16, 1929, at the Hotel RooseveltinHollywoodto honor outstanding film achievements of 1927 and 1928. Since 2002, the awards have been broadcast from the Kodak Theatre. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is one of the most prominent award ceremonies in the world. It is also the oldest award ceremony in the media, and many other award ceremonies such as theGrammy Awards(for music), Golden Globe Awards(all forms of visual media), and Emmy Awards(for television) are often modeled from the Academy. The Oscar Award is given to Short Films with entries from across the world due its prestige involved with the award. The Oscar Awards are given to Short Films in three categories within the Short Film category. These categories are: Best Animated Short Film AwardBest Documentary Short Subject AwardBest Live Action Short FilmSundance Film Festival TheSundance Film Festival takes place annually in the state of Utah, in theUnited States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the U.S.Held every year in January inPark City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as theSundance Resort, the festival is the premier showcase for the new work of arts from across the world of independent filmmakers. The festival comprises of competitive sections for world over dramatic and documentary films, both feature-length films and short films, and a group of non-competitive showcase sections. Initially the Festival was a low- profile venue for small-budget, independent directors from outside the Hollywood. Now it has changed to a media extravaganza for Hollywood celebrity actors, directors, and luxury lounges set up by companies that are not affiliated with Sundance. The Sundance Festival has tried to change these activities in recent times, beginning from 2007 with their Focus on Film campaign. From 2009 onwards some changes were made to the Sundance Film Festival. Some of the changes made include: a new programming category called NEXT for extremely low-budget films, and the Sundance Film Festival U.S.A. program, in which eight of the festivals films will be shown in eight theaters around the country, a very good initiative as more people will get access to the films that only few selected audience gets. Sundance over time has shown is credibility as being the international festival for feature length and short- films. It is now recognized the world over as one of the important festivals to look for each year. It still has a long way to go till it reaches the level of Cannes Film Festival and Oscars. Aspen Filmfest Aspen Filmfest began in 1979 in Aspen, Colorado, USA. The Aspen Film organizes a major movie event every season, contributing to an extensive education program, and hosts of numerous special presentations. Each year, some 30,000 people participate in this festival. Aspen Filmfest believes in the philosophy of striving to enlighten, enrich, educate, and entertain audience through the films. Aspen Filmfest is known for its commitment to original content. They screen more than 200 films each year, which are regional debuts and might not be available to the local audiences. The Aspen short film festival receives entry not only from US but from world over. There is also a special award given in collaboration with BAFTA/ LA giving it affiliation with BAFTA awards and also credibility but with the American perspective added to it. KNOWLEDGE GAP Looking at the current literature review, we see that there is a knowledge gap regarding the study of Short Films in the contemporary cinema as a communication medium. This subject requires an in-depth analysis and more research to come up with some perspectives in this area. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES 1. To analyze the Form of award winning Short Films taken from a randomized selection, from contemporary cinema (last ten years), from Short Film Festivals held between 2000- 2009: Cannes Palme dOr du court mÃÆ' ©trage, Oscar Short Film Award, Aspen Filmfest Award, and Sundance Short Film Awards, and analyse the form of Short films. 2. To analyse the Content of the award winning Short Films in context of political, sociological, economical, and historical backgrounds. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The Qualitative research methodology is used in this study. The method would involve analyses of the form and content of the Short Films. The Sample: The award winning Short Films taken from a randomized selection, from reputed Short Film Festivals held across the world between 2000- 2009. These festivals are: Cannes Palme dOr du court mÃÆ' ©trage, Oscar Short Film Award, Aspen Filmfest Award, and Sundance Short Film Awards. The following Short Films have been selected for the study: 1. Movie: Gridlock Director: Dirk BeliÃÆ' «n Country: Belgium Award: Oscar best live action short film, 2003; Aspen Shorts fest, 2002 2. Movie: Strangers Director: Guy Nattiv and Erez Tadmor Country: Israel Award: Aspen Shorts fest, 2003; Sundance Film Festival, 2003 3. Movie: Ver Llover Director: Elisa Miller Country: Mexico Award: Cannes Film Festival, 2007 4. Movie: Sniffer Director: Bobbie Peers Country: Norway Awards: Cannes Film Festival, 2009 5. Movie: Oktapodi Director: Julien Bocabeille, FranÃÆ' §ois-Xavier Chanioux, Olivier Delabarre, Thierry Marchand , Quentin Marmier and Emud Mokhberi Country: France Awards: Oscar best animated shorts winner, 2007 6. Movie: Spider Director: Nash Edgerton Country: Australia Award: Aspen shorts fest, 2007; Sundance Film Festival, 2007 Why the above Sample? The above following sample has been chosen for the reason being that the Festival de Cannes(le Festival de Cannes), Oscars, Aspen Filmfest, and Sundance Film Festival, are one of the worlds oldest, finest and most prestigious film festivals which have a very good representation of directors from across the world from different cultural, political, historical, religious, economical, and sociological backgrounds. This provides us with a variety of content for our study. The above movies are selected also on the basis of them being a part of contemporary cinema. How to Study Short Films Some of the salient points/ questions that will be used to do this study of short films are as follows: 1. Who is telling the story? Why is it being told? Does it appear to have a purpose?(media agencies, authorial voice, writers and auteurs, marketing, economics, ideology) 2. How is it experienced? Who consumes it, where and in what way?(readers and media audiences- private and public experience, narrative structures) 3. How is it made?(film technology, publishing and episodic publishing-the differences they make to the production process as well as to the finished product) 4. How does it construct meaning?(film language and written language-expectations of audiences and readers, codes and conventions, narrative structures) 5. How does it represent its subject- especially with reference to period?(representation, use of stereotypes, representation of the past) (FILM STUDY GUIDE FOR TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, 2003) 6. Three Ways of Thinking Talking About Films (Wilder, 1997) Literary Aspects Dramatic Aspects Cinematic Aspects Who are the characters in the film? Did the actors make you forget they were acting? How? What vivid visual images did you note? What did they make you feel or think about? What is the films setting? Were costumes, make-up, and set equally important to the success of the film? What sounds or music do you remember? What did they make you feel or think about? What are the main plot elements? In what scene was an actors voice (pitch, volume, expression) particularly effective? What scenes can you understand even without dialogue? Why? From whose point of view is the story told? Select a scene that must have been difficult to act. How did the actor make his or her body movements appropriate and convincing? What scene has very effective or unusual editing? What is the theme of the film? Describe a scene in which facial expression was important. What feelings were developed? Were words necessary? If the film uses special effects, do they add to or detract from your enjoyment of the film? What is the mood of the film? Did the actors establish their characters more through dialogue or through movement and facial expressions? . What symbols did you notice? How is this film like or unlike other films by the director? Does this director have a recognizable style? . . Was there anything about the acting, set, or costumes that bothered you or interfered with your watching of the film? LIMITATIONS OF RESEARCH 1. The selection of the short films could have been broader and incorporated from more film festivals from across the world. 2. More methods like semiotics could have been used for the analysis of the short films. 3. Difficulty in access to short film movies from across the world and across film festivals. This includes difficulty in procuring even the award winning short films. EXPECTED CONTRIBUTION Given that the art of making Short Films is on the upward trend it is necessary to analyze the current trends, narratives, and the context of the Short Films genre in our contemporary cinema. We have enough knowledge on feature length movies but we lack information on the Short Films of our age. The study of this medium is important as Short films are a highly effective medium of communication and will gain importance going forward. As more and more people are turning towards Short Film making due to accessibility to technology, it is one field that needs attention in our world of cinema. A study of its content will give us a better understanding of the Short Films and world around us through their camera scope is imperative. EXPLORING THE SHORT FILMS Movie: Gridlock Director: Dirk BeliÃÆ' «n Country: Belgium Award: Oscar best live action short film, 2003; Aspen Shorts fest, 2002 THE STORYBOARD The short film starts off with light summery music with nothing clear on the camera but a blur. Slowly the camera gets into focus and we see that it is headlight of the car. The music playing in the background is singing about a sunny day but when the camera gets into focus we realize that it is snowing heavily. The camera then moves up the across the bonnet of the car to focus on the man sitting inside the car. The man looks like in his forties, bald (looks like his style not natural), sporting a little hair under the lower lip, wearing a suit, light blue shirt, with a blue tie, and spectacles. The radio becomes audible now and the music stops on the radio and the news start. The lady on the radio news tells about the traffic jam that there is on the road Antwerp- Ghent. The man listens to it and then switches it off by cursing at it and saying yes, I can see that. Stupid Bitch. At this scene the camera is focusing on the scene that it visible from the front window of the car portra ying lot of snow and jam. The man in the car seems very annoyed with the jam. He starts cursing the people who are working on clearing the road inside the car only. As the man is in the process of taking out his medicines an ambulance whizzes past his car with its loud siren at which the man freaks out and curses Jesus Christ! Assholes! the man then takes his medicines and breathes heavily after that for first few breathes and then relaxes. He looks into his watch for time. The camera all this time is placed right behind the steering wheel dashboard. Now it moves to the side passenger seat in the front where a newly bought mobile phone lies inside its open box. The man says to himself loudly, Lets see if this thing is as good as the guy said. He dials a number. There is honking of a car from behind which annoys him again and he shouts inside the car only at the person in the car behind and starts driving with the phone between his shoulder blade and right ear. The car stops. The phone rings in some home where the camera is focusing on the table with the phone and a Japanese sword also there on the stand. The table is placed right on the side of the wooden staircase leading to the higher floors. A chair in the background with a lamp to its side comes in the blur of the camera. The phone rings. We hear a television noise in the background and at the same time a girl suddenly gets up from behind the table. The girl seems about 5 years in age with golden hair knotted into two little buns on the head holding a doll with long hair which is tied into two pony tails and wearing a red frock. The girl picks up the phone and the following conversation happens with the camera shifting to the scene of the person talking from the same angle as it was before. Girl: hello Man: hey, honey, its daddy. Girl: daddy? Man: yes honey, its daddy. Girl: Hi daddy. Man: sweetie, is mommy there? Girl: no, daddy, mommys upstairsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (As the girl is talking on the phone she starts moving towards the pram to keep her doll in it. In the process the phone falls from the table and the man couldnt hear the upstairs) Man: honey? Hello, what did you say? Girl: hello Man: say, sweetie, is mommy there? Girl: mommys upstairs in the bedroom with uncle Wim. (The girl is playing with the wire of the phone as she says this. On hearing this the man starts stuttering a bit and is totally flabbergasted) Man: uncle Wim? But we dont have an uncle Wim, sweetie. Girl: yes we do. Mommys upstairs with uncle Wim. (On hearing this, the man gets restless and doesnt know what to say. The girl keeps calling him daddy on the phone. The camera focuses on his lips.) Man: honey, I want you to do something for meà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The camera then focuses on the girl as the man explains the girl what to do. She stands in one place listening intently and not moving a bit. The television noise is still there in the background. The camera moves around the girl slowly, withdrawing back from the girl. The girl leaves the phone receiver on the table and walks up the stair. The camera shifts to the man in the car who is very restless and takes one more round of his pills. The man still holding the phone to his ear is waiting for the girl to get back on the phone. The restlessness is still there as he keeps moving his hand over his head and breathing heavily. The girl comes down from the stairs. The girl picks up the phone. Girl: hello daddy? Man: what happened? The camera shifts to a room upstairs with the door bolted. The girl walks in the frame from behind and goes by the door. She hears moans and groans of her mother inside the room when she puts her ear against the door. Girl: I went upstairs and knocked on the door, like you asked me to. The girl knocks on the door and then calls mommy, mommy, but she only hears the moans getting louder. Then she says, I heard daddys car. Hes home. The door opens and a nude woman screams at the girl and then runs away into the corridor into the bathroom. Then the camera pans towards the bedroom. An obese man there was wearing his pants in a hurry and looking at the girl in her eyes. He had spiked hair and a French beard. Fear was there in his eyes. Now we hear background sound of the girl talking on the phone explaining what she saw and happened as the camera moves with the girl in what she had just done while she was gone and phone receiver was on the table. At the same time there is light music that comes in as the girl runs towards the noise she heard and the music becomes much louder as the girl sees her mother lying on the bathroom floor dead. The girl starts rolling her finger in her hair. Girl: and she ran into the bathroom and fell on the floorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and I think she is dead. The camera shifts to the man in the car. Man: dead?! No, no, noà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. The man seems to get scared and starts moving his hand over his bald head in tension. Man: and uncle Wim? The camera shifts to the girl sitting by her mother and uncle Wim in the background. When the girl looks at him, he shuffles his steps a bit and runs. Then we hear a noise of a glass breaking. The girl moves to the other room Girl: hes hurt too. Then the camera follows her to another room. She walks past some broken pieces of glass with blood around them. Girl: there was blood on the floor. Man: blood? Girl: uncle Wim wasnt there anymore. The camera gives a shot of an open window with white curtains fluttering with the snowfall outside. The view is that of a night and barren trees silhouette in the background. The camera then moves to the window and shifts slowly towards the area below the window where a figure of a man is there flat on the ground and no movement. The music is getting grimmer but still lighter in the intensity of its sound. Girl: and I looked down and I think hes dead. In the swimming pool. Man: Swimming pool? Swimming pool? What swimming pool? The man looks stunned and moves his mobile phone from his ear. He looks at the number on the mobile phone after hearing the swimming pool. And then he realizes the number he has dialed. A car honks at the back. Man: holy shit! Girl: daddy? FORM The movie has a very serious and frustrated mood in the beginning which is betrayed by the opening song which makes it sound nice and jolly. The movie focuses a lot on the close shots when the characters are talking. The movement of the camera is usually when there is no speech taking place. For example, when the man talks its focused on his face or his lips. When the phone was ringing the camera stayed on the phone till the little girl came into the scene. During the flashback the speed of the scenes goes in slow-motion and all the shots are from a stationary place. The camera just follows from where it is rather than moving with the characters. Throughout the movie the sounds of the natural surroundings are used. The music is only used once the little girl starts explaining what all happened after she did what he had told her to do. The music comes in for the back flash part of the short film. The music used is also very grim and gothic type. The music gets louder when the death of the mother is shown and church bells for both the mother and uncle Wim. Once the man realizes that it is a wrong number that he has dialed, the music stops playing in the background. Music and the slowing of the scenes happen only in the flashback. While in the present scenario natural surrounding sounds are used with more focus on close shots. CONTENT The short film was made in 2001 when the mobile phones were just growing in the world. So we see an upper class man, as he is driving a Mercedes car and his looks are that of a business man or such other job. What we see in the film is how a wrong connection

Documentary on Newfoundland :: essays research papers

Canada is internationally recognized for its excellence in documentary film, and in recent years several of Canada's finest documentary makers have come from this province. Some of them work primarily in Newfoundland and Labrador while others take their cameras around the world. Their films often tell highly personal stories that reflect universal themes, and many are characterized by an unmistakable passion for grass-roots politics, social change and human rights. For most of this century Newfoundland and Labrador stories and events were interpreted through the eyes of visiting filmmakers. Producers from Great Britain and the United States arrived as early as 1907 to do brief pieces about hunting, fishing and wildlife. The National Film Board of Canada (N.F.B.) made several short films here in the 1940s and came regularly after Confederation, eventually building a library of over 100 films about the province. Local directors and producers did not contribute to that library until the 1980s. A few Newfoundlanders were shooting footage in these early years, but usually out of personal interest and with no intention of creating narrative films. Finished projects by local cameramen and editors began to appear after the second World War. They included The Golden Jubilee of Archbishop Roach (1947) by W.J. Ryan and The Land We Love (1955), a travelogue of the Avalon Peninsula by Len Earle. By the late 1960s the CBC and CJON television stations were filming news, entertainment and information programs. Memorial University's Extension Service established a "media unit" to make educational films and documentaries and record significant public events. The unit also worked with the NFB on several projects, including a series of short films on Fogo Island that incorporated input and feedback from local residents. CJON at Buckmaster's Circle, 1952. Jack Squires loads CJON's mobile transmitter van in preparation for an important outside broadcast. Photo by C.F. Ruggles. From Newfoundland Radio in Pictures, 1952 (St. John's, Nfld: Guardian Press, Â © 1952) 43. (51 kb) In the early 1970s the first generation of independent filmmakers was beginning to emerge. Fourteen of them formed the Newfoundland Independent Filmmaker's Cooperative (NIFCO) in 1975. although dedicated to the making of dramatic and artistic films, NIFCO has also been vital to the development of a home-grown documentary industry. The early NIFCO documentaries focus on the province's history and heritage and are only a few minutes long. Stone's Cove (1980) profiles a resettled community through contemporary footage and old photographs. Dig At Cow Head (1982) is a brief portrait of an archaeological dig.

Management Information System Essay -- Computers Business Information

It deals with planning for, development, management, and use of information technology tools to help people perform all tasks related to information processing and management. In the above definition you can find the three key resources-information, information technology, and people. You will also find various functions that you as a knowledge worker must undertake to ensure that your origination maximizes its advantages. It doesn't matter if you are preparing to work in the area of finance, human resource management, logistics, marketing or even information technology, you will still have responsibilities that include planning for, developing, managing and using MIS function with in your area of expertise. Management information system challenge: Many people believe that information technology is the key resource in MIS. Indeed information technology is critically important set of tools for working with information and supporting the information information-processing needs of your organization. But IT is not a panacea. We have to realize that the success of IT as a set of tools in your organization depends on care full planning for, development, management, and use of IT with the two other key business resources-people and information. And that's what MIS is about -planning for, developing, managing, and using IT tools to help people work with information. There are three aspects of THE MIS challenge, including What businesses do? Customer moment of value. The role of information technology What businesses do? In a nutshell, businesses service their customers. And it really doesn't matter whether you own a business that are employed by an organization that provides telecommunications services arou... ...ible of capturing information, creating new information and cradling these information and transaction in a data base. TPSs also have secondary responsibilities that include conveying information to users. TPS performs the following functions Capture information concerning the order Creates new information such as the total purchase and applicable tax. Convey that information to the order-entry specialist. Cradles or stores the information. Customer Integrated system: A CIS is an extension of a TPS that places technology in the hands of an organization's customers and allows them to process their own transactions. ATM's are perhaps the most common example of a CIS. ATM's provide you with the ability to do your own banking anywhere at any time. ATM'S actually do nothing "new" but they give you greater flexibility in accessing and using your money.

Women in Education A Look at Southern Arizona in the Early 20th Century

Women in Education A Look at Southern Arizona in the Early 20th Century Once part of the early western frontier, southern Arizona has undergone many changes in regards to its principles and ideals throughout the years. Women have played a large role in this changing of principles and ideals, creating rights that they deserved but did not always have. One such right is the right to present and obtain a good education through the home and the public system. During the early 20th century there has been a conscious move by society to allow for a greater opportunity for women to become better educated and to educate others. This form of a women's movement began in the home and pushed its way through the public system. We have the men and women in southern Arizona of the early 20th century to thank for the opportunities in education presented to both genders, but more specifically women, in the present day. It is important to say why education is such a necessity. History has shown that the more educated person is the one who survives the longest, is more successful in business, and overall enjoys life more than a person who is non-educated. Women have not always been offered a good education because education brings on new ways of thinking, and in a male dominated society (such as the U.S. was in the early 20th century) this can create havoc in the home and in society. Just as slave owners in the south did not want their slaves to become educated for fear of rebellion, this male dominated society did not want women to become educated because they would want more and more of what the men had. In its most basic form, not providing an education to women was a method of suppression. Fortunately though, w... ...d education was available to all genders. "As soon as we got accustomed to our work, the difference of sex had no bearing on our decisions. But it is doubtful if anyone else, besides ourselves, realized this." (Elsie Toles 1974) It was not an easy road to travel but these women took the time to put their hearts into something that was worth establishing - a better system of education for all people in Arizona. Works Cited Arizona Historical Society. Elsie Toles. MS # 789. "Elsie Toles: First Woman State Superintendent of Schools of Arizona." Cochise Quarterly. Dec (1974): 21-25. Peplow, Edward H. "Territorial Arizona's Struggle to Found a School System." Arizona Days and Ways Magazine. (March 6, 1960): 44-45, 47. Wells, Reba. "Cora Viola Howell Slaughter - Southern Arizona Ranchwoman." The Journal of Arizona History. (1989): 391-415.

Research Based Instructional Program

Running Head: LIFE SKILLS RESEARCH-BASED INSTRCTIONAL PROGRAM Research-Based Instructional Program One major disadvantage to developing and implementing instructional programs not based on research is the time spent. â€Å"Time is money†, and wasted time means wasted money. Money is wasted on implementing programs that are not research based. Time and money is wasted on training. Overall time and money are wasted on the program. Without the proper research it may not be known if the program is needed in the first place. Programs may be developed that are not needed, or that may not give the desired results. Research is the prerequisite for change or reform in education. DuFour & Eaker (2008) discuss reasons why the United States is behind other countries and the curriculum reforms that have come as a result. Without research no one would be able to give reasons as to why the United States cannot compete globally in education. Without research the scholar, practitioner, research model would not exist. Program Overview Botvin Life Skills Training (LST) name after its developer, Dr. Gilbert J. Botvin was developed in the late 1970s. The program is based on scientific evidence, and is backed by over 20 scientific studies. It is a drug and alcohol abuse prevention program designed to be implemented in a classroom setting. It was developed to be taught in grades as early as 3rd grade and as late as 10th grade. The elementary grades program consists of 24, 30-45 minute class sessions that should be taught over a 3 year period. The middle grades program consists of 30, 45 minute sessions that are taught over a 3 year period. The high school program consists of 10, 40-45 minute classes that can be taught in conjunction with the middle grades program. Adoption of research-based program In the state of California more than $2 billion is spent each year on prevention efforts. California’s gang czar, Paul Seave was quoted in saying that ,â€Å"there are so many evidence based practices, but few have scientific support† (Reynolds, 2010). Peter Greenwood, leader of the Association for the Advancement of Evidence Based Practice is also quoted in saying that,†the American public does not have a strong science background and people don’t always have the skills to know when someone’s pulling their leg†. The middle grades Life skills program was implemented in an effort to cut back and potentially stop gang violence and the use of drugs and alcohol among school age children. The program has proven to be far more successful than program such as DARE (Drug Abuse and Resistance Education) and other â€Å"tough love† strategies. These programs do not seem to motivate students to stay out of jail, and steer clear of drugs and alcohol. People believe in these programs, and find it hard to believe that they do not produce the desired results. Outcomes and Implications Students that use drugs and alcohol are prone to dangerous consequences. Some of these consequences include increase in behavior that increases risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, increase risk of jail time, and potentially hurting others around them. The purpose of implementing a program such as Life Skills is to make students aware of these consequences and give them tools to stop their life from going in a downward spiral. Staff Development As an instructional leader one must show their staff that they believe in the things that are being taught to students. First, a good leader has to research in order to have a knowledge base for the tasks that teachers will be asked to take part in. Second, the leader must have training on the materials and the results that should be expected. They should be shown the way that things need to go in order for a program to be successful. Finally, an effective leader has to be motivated and be able to motivate their subordinates to take on a task that will benefit the student population. Once the leader is prepared themselves, they can then train their subordinates, or get the proper resources for the training to take place and be effective. References Botvin Life Skills Training, Retrieved from http://www. lifeskillstraining. com DuFour, R. , & Eaker, R. (2008). Professional Learning Communities at Work. New Insights for Improving Schools. Reston, VA: Solution Tree. Patterson, D. , & Keefe, R. (2008). Using Social Construction Theory as a Foundation for Macro-Level Interventions in Communities Impacted by HIV and Addictions. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 35(2), 111-126. Retrieved from Research Starters – Sociology database. Reynolds, Julie. (2010). Keeping kids out of trouble not easy [Electronic version]. The Herald.

Big Five Personality Traits

Big five model †¢ Lewis goldberg proposed a five dimension personality model , nicknamed the big five /five factor theory. †¢ The Big Five model is a comprehensive, empirical, data-driven research finding. †¢ In psychology, the â€Å"Big Five† factors (Five Factor Model) of personality are five broad domains or dimensions of personality which are used to describe human personality. Big five factors are †¢ Factor I: Extraversion. †¢ Factor II: Agreeableness. †¢ Factor III: Conscientiousness. †¢ Factor IV: Neuroticism. †¢ Factor V: Openness to Experience. Factor I: Extraversion Extraversion is characterized by positive emotions and the tendency to seek out stimulation and the company of others. †¢ Extraverts enjoy being with people, and are often perceived as full of energy. †¢ They tend to be enthusiastic, action-oriented individuals who are likely to say â€Å"Yes! † or â€Å"Let's go! † to opportunities for excit ement. Continued†¦ †¢ In groups they like to talk, assert themselves, and draw attention to themselves. †¢ Introverts lack the social exuberance and activity levels of extraverts. †¢ They tend to seem quiet, low-key, deliberate, and less involved in the social world. Continued†¦ Extraversion : the tendency to be †¢ Talkative versus Quiet. †¢ Assertive versus Reserved. †¢ Active versus Shy. †¢ Energetic versus Silent. †¢ Outgoing versus Withdrawnness.. Sample extraversion items †¢ I don't mind being the center of attention. †¢ I feel comfortable around people. †¢ I start conversations. †¢ I talk to a lot of different people at parties. †¢ I don't talk a lot. (reversed) †¢ I have little to say. (reversed) †¢ I don't like to draw attention to myself. (reversed) †¢ I am quiet around strangers. (reversed) Factor II: Agreeableness †¢ Agreeableness is a tendency to be compassionate nd cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others. †¢ They are generally considerate, friendly, generous, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others. †¢ Agreeable people also have an optimistic view of human nature. They believe people are basically hon est, decent, and trustworthy. Continued.. †¢ Disagreeable individuals place self-interest above getting along with others. †¢ They are generally unconcerned with others’ well-being. †¢ Sometimes their skepticism about others’ motives causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly, and ncooperative. Continued†¦.. †¢ Kind versus unkind. †¢ Appreciative versus Fault-finding. †¢ Soft-hearted versus Hard-hearted. †¢ Warm versus Cold. †¢ Generous versus Quarrelsome. †¢ Friendly versus Unfriendly. Sample agreeableness items †¢ I am interested in people. †¢ I sympathize with others' feelings. †¢ I have a soft heart. †¢ I take time out for others. †¢ I feel others' emotions. †¢ I make people feel at ease. Factor III: Conscientiousness †¢ Conscientiousness is a tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement against measures or outside expectations. The trait shows a preferenc e for planned rather than spontaneous behavior. †¢ It influences the way in which we control, regulate, and direct our impulses. Continued†¦.. †¢ Organized versus unorganized. †¢ Efficient versus inefficient. †¢ Responsible versus Irresponsible. †¢ Reliable versus unreliable. †¢ Dependable versus Undependable †¢ Practical versus imaginative. Sample conscientiousness items †¢ I am always prepared. †¢ I pay attention to details. †¢ I get chores done right away. †¢ I like order. †¢ I follow a schedule. †¢ I am exacting in my work. Factor IV: Neuroticism †¢ Neuroticism is the tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, or depression. †¢ It is sometimes called emotional instability. †¢ Those who score high in neuroticism are emotionally reactive and vulnerable to stress. †¢ They are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. Continued†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¢ These problems in emotional regulation can diminish the ability of a person scoring high on neuroticism to think clearly, make decisions, and cope effectively with stress. At the other end of the scale, individuals who score low in neuroticism are less easily upset and are less emotionally reactive. †¢ They tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from persistent negative feelings. Continued†¦ †¢ Tense, Anxious, Nervous, Moody, Worrying, Touchy, Fearful, Self-pitying, Temperamental, Unstable, Self-punishing. †¢ versus [Emo tional stability, Emotional control, Ego strength] Sample neuroticism items †¢ I am easily disturbed. †¢ I change my mood a lot. †¢ I get irritated easily. †¢ I get stressed out easily. †¢ I get upset easily. I have frequent mood swings. †¢ I often feel blue. †¢ I worry about things. Factor V: Openness to Experience †¢ Openness is a general appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination, curiosity, and variety of experience. †¢ The trait distinguishes imaginative people from down-to-earth, conventional people. †¢ People who are open to experience are intellectually curious, appreciative of art, and sensitive to beauty. Continued†¦ †¢ They tend to be, compared to more creative and more aware of their feelings. †¢ They are more likely to hold unconventional eliefs. †¢ People with low scores on openness tend to have more conventional, traditional interests. †¢ They prefer the plain, straigh tforward, and obvious over the complex, ambiguous, and subtle. Continued†¦ †¢ Wide interests versus Narrow interests, †¢ Imaginative versus Commonplace, †¢ Intelligent versus Unintelligent, Sample openness items †¢ I have a rich vocabulary. †¢ I have a vivid imagination. †¢ I have excellent ideas. †¢ I am quick to understand things. †¢ I use difficult words. †¢ I spend time reflecting on things. †¢ I am full of ideas. Thank you Big Five Personality Traits Big five model †¢ Lewis goldberg proposed a five dimension personality model , nicknamed the big five /five factor theory. †¢ The Big Five model is a comprehensive, empirical, data-driven research finding. †¢ In psychology, the â€Å"Big Five† factors (Five Factor Model) of personality are five broad domains or dimensions of personality which are used to describe human personality. Big five factors are †¢ Factor I: Extraversion. †¢ Factor II: Agreeableness. †¢ Factor III: Conscientiousness. †¢ Factor IV: Neuroticism. †¢ Factor V: Openness to Experience. Factor I: Extraversion Extraversion is characterized by positive emotions and the tendency to seek out stimulation and the company of others. †¢ Extraverts enjoy being with people, and are often perceived as full of energy. †¢ They tend to be enthusiastic, action-oriented individuals who are likely to say â€Å"Yes! † or â€Å"Let's go! † to opportunities for excit ement. Continued†¦ †¢ In groups they like to talk, assert themselves, and draw attention to themselves. †¢ Introverts lack the social exuberance and activity levels of extraverts. †¢ They tend to seem quiet, low-key, deliberate, and less involved in the social world. Continued†¦ Extraversion : the tendency to be †¢ Talkative versus Quiet. †¢ Assertive versus Reserved. †¢ Active versus Shy. †¢ Energetic versus Silent. †¢ Outgoing versus Withdrawnness.. Sample extraversion items †¢ I don't mind being the center of attention. †¢ I feel comfortable around people. †¢ I start conversations. †¢ I talk to a lot of different people at parties. †¢ I don't talk a lot. (reversed) †¢ I have little to say. (reversed) †¢ I don't like to draw attention to myself. (reversed) †¢ I am quiet around strangers. (reversed) Factor II: Agreeableness †¢ Agreeableness is a tendency to be compassionate nd cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others. †¢ They are generally considerate, friendly, generous, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others. †¢ Agreeable people also have an optimistic view of human nature. They believe people are basically hon est, decent, and trustworthy. Continued.. †¢ Disagreeable individuals place self-interest above getting along with others. †¢ They are generally unconcerned with others’ well-being. †¢ Sometimes their skepticism about others’ motives causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly, and ncooperative. Continued†¦.. †¢ Kind versus unkind. †¢ Appreciative versus Fault-finding. †¢ Soft-hearted versus Hard-hearted. †¢ Warm versus Cold. †¢ Generous versus Quarrelsome. †¢ Friendly versus Unfriendly. Sample agreeableness items †¢ I am interested in people. †¢ I sympathize with others' feelings. †¢ I have a soft heart. †¢ I take time out for others. †¢ I feel others' emotions. †¢ I make people feel at ease. Factor III: Conscientiousness †¢ Conscientiousness is a tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully, and aim for achievement against measures or outside expectations. The trait shows a preferenc e for planned rather than spontaneous behavior. †¢ It influences the way in which we control, regulate, and direct our impulses. Continued†¦.. †¢ Organized versus unorganized. †¢ Efficient versus inefficient. †¢ Responsible versus Irresponsible. †¢ Reliable versus unreliable. †¢ Dependable versus Undependable †¢ Practical versus imaginative. Sample conscientiousness items †¢ I am always prepared. †¢ I pay attention to details. †¢ I get chores done right away. †¢ I like order. †¢ I follow a schedule. †¢ I am exacting in my work. Factor IV: Neuroticism †¢ Neuroticism is the tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety, or depression. †¢ It is sometimes called emotional instability. †¢ Those who score high in neuroticism are emotionally reactive and vulnerable to stress. †¢ They are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening, and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. Continued†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¢ These problems in emotional regulation can diminish the ability of a person scoring high on neuroticism to think clearly, make decisions, and cope effectively with stress. At the other end of the scale, individuals who score low in neuroticism are less easily upset and are less emotionally reactive. †¢ They tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from persistent negative feelings. Continued†¦ †¢ Tense, Anxious, Nervous, Moody, Worrying, Touchy, Fearful, Self-pitying, Temperamental, Unstable, Self-punishing. †¢ versus [Emo tional stability, Emotional control, Ego strength] Sample neuroticism items †¢ I am easily disturbed. †¢ I change my mood a lot. †¢ I get irritated easily. †¢ I get stressed out easily. †¢ I get upset easily. I have frequent mood swings. †¢ I often feel blue. †¢ I worry about things. Factor V: Openness to Experience †¢ Openness is a general appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination, curiosity, and variety of experience. †¢ The trait distinguishes imaginative people from down-to-earth, conventional people. †¢ People who are open to experience are intellectually curious, appreciative of art, and sensitive to beauty. Continued†¦ †¢ They tend to be, compared to more creative and more aware of their feelings. †¢ They are more likely to hold unconventional eliefs. †¢ People with low scores on openness tend to have more conventional, traditional interests. †¢ They prefer the plain, straigh tforward, and obvious over the complex, ambiguous, and subtle. Continued†¦ †¢ Wide interests versus Narrow interests, †¢ Imaginative versus Commonplace, †¢ Intelligent versus Unintelligent, Sample openness items †¢ I have a rich vocabulary. †¢ I have a vivid imagination. †¢ I have excellent ideas. †¢ I am quick to understand things. †¢ I use difficult words. †¢ I spend time reflecting on things. †¢ I am full of ideas. Thank you

A Business analysis in respect to Boots Essay

Boots will recruit staff for a number of reasons, which include: * The growth of the business * Changing roles within the business * Filling vacancies created by resignation, retirement or dismissal * Internal promotion The growth of the business When Boots grows in size it will probably need more people to carry out existing jobs and new jobs. When existing jobs are being expanded, human resource specialists simply need to copy existing practice on a larger scale. In creating new jobs more detailed thought is required; particularly if the jobs are quite different from those that already exist within the company. Changing job roles within the business In recent years most British businesses such as Boots have changed their job structure. In particular, the country has seen the decline of many routine, standardised jobs. Increasingly, employers have sought to develop new jobs involving information and communications technology, and which involve ground-level employees taking more responsibility for decision-making through empowerment. Developing new jobs requires considerable research, often by examining best practice in an industry or by looking at the development of new jobs in other countries. Filling vacancies created by resignation, retirement or dismissal In many organisations people move on and also employees in Boots move on as well. People get older, they hand in their notice or they are dismissed. In most cases it is necessary to replace the employee. However, the manager responsible for recruitment has to decide whether the firm wants a carbon copy of the previous job holder or whether the job has moved on, requiring new skills and competences. Internal promotion In Boots there will be opportunities for internal promotion. Internal promotion gives an employee something to aim for in the organisation, rather than looking elsewhere. When one person is promoted, it is often necessary to replace him or her. Getting the recruitment process right The recruitment process can be very costly. It takes a great deal of time to set up an effective recruitment process. This involves deciding on what the jobs that are to be recruited for will entail, advertising, sifting through applications, checking which applications best meet the criteria set down for the post, interviewing candidates and, finally, selecting the best candidate for the post. Waste and inefficiency can be very costly to any organisation. If Boots were to advertise a job for a retail assistant and managed to get 100 applicants, by sifting through the application forms they may be in danger of choosing the wrong employee. The personnel of Boots would probably cut the 100 applicant forms down to 10 by eliminating, from their point of view, the most unsuitable employees for the job. But by doing this Boots could eliminate the best applicant, therefore, it is possible that the personnel may have to do the whole process all over again if that the applicant they do choose for the job is unsuitable. Procedures for attracting and recruiting applicants An organisation’s most valuable resource is its workforce; managers therefore need to give careful thought to the needs of employees. The advantages of recruiting from within are as follows: * Considerable savings can be made. Individuals with inside knowledge of how the business operates will need shorter periods of training * Internal promotion acts as an incentive to all staff to work harder within the organisation. The disadvantages of recruiting from within are as follows: * You will have to replace the person who has been promoted * An insider may be less likely to make the essential criticisms required to get the company working more effectively. The Boots company strategy in recruiting employees The Boots Company offers recruitment programmes for general entrance, and schemes focused on school leavers and graduates. The company looks for various qualities in potential Boots employees. In addition to academic ability, we look for people with extra-curricular competencies such as interpersonal ability and team-working skills. In addition to the requirements of individual positions, the boot’s graduate scheme also requires applicants to fulfil three key criteria: * Leading the thinking See the big picture no matter how complex; offer and stimulate new ideas and turn complex issues into clear strategies. o When have you looked for and found solutions beyond the obvious? o How radical have you been? o In what ways have you challenged received wisdom? o When have you identified clear solutions to complex problems? o How do you manage ambiguity? o How logical are you in your approach? * Leading the pace Understand and focus on the important, drive to deliver better performance and be decisive in a crisis. o Can you prioritise, focusing on the important issues and dispensing with others? o Do you regularly achieve standards that you set and which are beyond those expected by others? o When do other rely upon you to make things happen? * Leading the team Act as a catalyst driving for results and restlessly seeking to win. o Do people enjoy working with you, do you create a buzz? o How do you influence others even when the cause looks lost? o Have you been able to get good results from difficult people? How did you manage it? The selection process Below are the most vital aspects that the HRM of Boots have to analyse when recruiting and selecting a sales assistant or any other employee in any other organisation: * Job Analysis * Job descriptions * Person Specification * Job advert * Letter of application * Curriculum Vitae * Interview * Job Evaluation Job Analysis This is the first stage for recruiting an employee. Information may be gathered by the managers of Boots by questioning the job holder or observing the job holder at work. The information gathered is carefully recorded and analysed. Further information might be obtained through discussions with the job holder’s manager or supervisor. The job analyst compiles a description of the main responsibilities of the job by asking: * What are the main tasks of the job and how often do they need to be completed? * Are any specialist technological skills required to do the job? * What mental processes are required to do the job? * Is the job holder required to take decisions and use initiative? * What are the limits of the job holder’s authority? * Is the output from the job a part or a whole? * Does the job holder have to work with others, or control the work of others? * What are the required performance standards and how are they measured? Job description When the job analyst has gathered all the information from the job analysis then he/she can put it into a summary report setting out what the job entails. This summary report is usually known as a job description. It contains two types of information; it describes the tasks of the job and it describes the behaviour necessary to actually do these tasks satisfactorily. A job description usually consists of: * Job title * General information * Position within the business * Job summary * Job content information * Purpose of tasks * Responsibilities * Working conditions An example of a job description can be found in the appendix. Person specification Sometimes known as a personnel profile – the person specification describes all of the attributes and skills required to do the job in hand to the satisfactory standards. For example, in Boots’ mission to require a part-time sales assistant, the HRM would need to specify clearly in the person specification whether or not the employee had to have special ICT qualifications in order to work a till. Job advert Job advertisements form an important part of the recruitment process. Boots is able to communicate job vacancies to a selected audience by this means. Most job adverts are written by the personnel department, task involving the same skill as marketing a product. Adverts must reach those people who have the qualities to fill the vacancy. The nature of the advert will depend on the following: * Who the target audience is – potential managing director, supervisor, operatives etc * Where the advert will be placed – on a noticeboard within the workplace, in the Financial Times, at the local job centre etc Job advertisements therefore take many forms, according to current requirements. Good adverts contain at least the following information: Job title: This should form the main heading, possibly in bold print. Job description: This should highlight the major requirements of the job in a concise format. Organisational activities and marketplace: There should be a brief description of the environment in which the organisation operates. Location: Applicants need to know the location of the organisation and the location of the job. Salary expectation: Figures are not always necessary, but an indication of the salary level should always be given. Address and contact: This should appear, with a telephone number if appropriate. Qualifications: Certain jobs require a minimum entrance qualification, which should be clearly stated. Experience: This should be quantified, as it will have a bearing on the expected salary level. Fringe benefits: The advertiser may wish to mention a company car, a health insurance scheme and so on. Organisational identity: This may be in the form of a logo (or simply the name of the organisation). A good job advert, while providing prospective candidates with helpful information, also helps to discourage applications from people who do not have the required qualifications for the job. The presentation of the advert is very important as it gives prospective employees a first impression of the organisation. Letter of application The title pretty much speaks for itself when describing what a letter of application is. Basically, a letter of application is a letter that an applicant would send to an organisation when interested in a job on offer. In this case, the applicants for the part-time sales assistant would send their letters to Boots after seeing the advert for the job. Along with the letter of application the employees would send their Curriculum Vitae (CV). An example of a letter of application can be found in the appendix. Curriculum Vitae A Curriculum Vitae (CV) shows a person’s achievements, hobbies, interests and past-times. A CV is a vital ingredient to recruiting the best employee – in this case the best part-time sales assistant. Below shows an example of a CV that could be sent with the letter of application to Boot’s HRM sent by an applicant enquiring about the job of a part-time sales assistant on offer. Once Boot’s HRM have evaluated the letter of application of the applicant they can decide whether or not he/she is suitable for the job. If they are then a letter of an invitation to an interview will be sent to him. If he/she isn’t then a letter of consolation is sent by Boots’ HRM. But in this case let’s say the applicant does qualify for an interview, this is the next stage of the recruitment process. An example of a CV can be found in the appendix. Interview Interview is the most vital stage of the recruitment process for Boots and the potential employee. This short time of contact with Boots can give the business representatives a lot of information about how the potential employee looks, behaves, talks and basically how well he or she comes across as a person. That’s why it is so important for the potential employee to dress appropriately and talk with confidence when answering any questions set to him/her by the interviewer(s). Most people have had at least one experience of being interviewed prior to employment. Few people enjoy interviews often this is because the interviewer comes across as being more interested in finding faults with you than finding out the good things. This is sometimes to see if the interviewee is sharp, intelligent and someone who can cope with pressure. Some of the interviewing techniques (used by the interviewer) will show which applicant is the most strong minded out of all the potential employees. For example, the interviewer may decide to ask the applicant to take a message from a person on the phone pretending to be a business consultant of the company or an upset customer. This sort of technique can indicate to the interviewer how well spoken or articulate the interviewee is, how well he/she copes under pressure and whether he/she deals with the â€Å"phone call† in the appropriate manner expected by the organisations standards. The personnel department of Boots is usually involved in interviewing, both in carrying them out and helping managers to adopt good interview practice. By following certain guidelines, the business hopes to employ the ‘right’ person for the job. It also aims to carry out the interview in a way that is fair to all candidates. These guidelines might include the following: The interview should allow information to be collected from candidates, which can be used to predict whether they can perform the job. This can be done by comparing replies with the criteria that successful applicants should have. Boots should give candidates full details about the job and the organisation. This will help them decide whether the job would suit them. The interview should be conducted so that the candidates can say that they have had a fair hearing. The interview, has however, been criticised as not always being an effective ‘tool’. Some of the main criticisms are: * Interviewers often decide to accept or reject a candidate within the first three or four minutes of the interview, and then spend the rest of the time finding evidence to confirm their decision. * Interviews seldom change the initial opinion formed by the interviewer seeing the application form and the appearance of the candidate. * Interviewers place more stress on evidence that is unfavourable than the evidence that is favourable. * When the interviewers have made up their minds on the candidate very early in the interview then their behaviour betrays their decision to the candidate. * The problems with these criticisms are that they do not solve the problems, only identify them. No matter what other means of selection there may be, the interview is crucial. If it is thought to be unreliable, it should not be discarded. Boots must simply make sure they carry it out properly. Carrying out the interview There are a number of factors, which would be taken into account when carrying out the interview. The interview should be conducted around a simple plan and be based on a number of questions against which all candidates will be assessed. It is also considered good practice to prepare suitable place for the interview, such as a warm, quiet, ventilated room. The interviewer should also ensure that the candidates have a friendly reception and are informed of what is expected of them. The average interview usually takes around thirty minutes. The interview plan organises the time to cover the important aspects in assessing applicants. The plan must be flexible enough to allow the interviewer to explore areas that may come up during the interview. Boots can follow a simple strategy of what the interviewer should do and what the interviewer shouldn’t do before and during the interview. The interviewer should always try and make the applicant comfortable by maybe asking him/her whether they had an easy journey to the building or whether they are warm enough in the interview room. This sort of behaviour can put the interviewee at ease in order of seeing the real side of them. Listed below are some of the things that an interviewer representing Boots should do: * Introduce yourself to the candidate * Adopt a suitable manner, show respect to the interviewee and be friendly * Make sure the interview is not interrupted * Conduct the interview at an unhurried pace * Have a list of questions that need to be asked * Encourage the candidate to talk by using ‘open’ questions such as; * â€Å"Tell me about your present or past job† * â€Å"Do you believe that†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  * Concentrate on those areas not fully covered by the letter of application * Be alert for clues in the candidate’s answer, problem where necessary, and be more specific in the questioning if you are not satisfied * When the interview has ended, make sure the candidate ha no further questions and let the candidate know when the decision will be made * Write up your assessment notes as soon as the interview has finished whilst the information is still ‘fresh’ in your mind * Prepare for the next interview The interviewer will have gained a great deal of information from the interview. It will help the interviewer to have an interview assessment form so he/she can decide if that they suitable for the job. An interview assessment form can be found in the appendix. Job evaluation This is the part where Boots HRM will evaluate each and every one of the job applicants. It will evaluate how well the applicant spoke, dressed and came across in the job interview. Also letters of application and Curriculum Vitae’s (CVs) will be evaluated on how well the applicant can write and by looking at the CV the HRM can see which applicant has the best qualifications and most ideal interests, hobbies, and past-times for the job. Boots would be able to tell whether the chosen candidate for the job was the correct selection by assessing whether the company’s aim had been achieved. However, selection can be very costly to Boots. For example, if Boots were to send out application forms to candidates the cost of postage has to be paid for and Boots may have to pay for travel expenses for candidates’ journeys to interviews. Staff will also have to give up time to carry out the interviews. For example, if 10 people were interviewed for three posts by Boots, but only one applicant was suitable, selection may not have been effective. In this case Boots would have to re-advertise and interview other candidates as two posts would be unfilled. Boots’ Human resource department’s role would be to check all stages of selection to find out where problems had arisen. For example, when short-listing, a suitable candidate may have been ‘left out’. At an interview a possible candidate may have been rushed, so he/she was not given the chance to do their best. Legal factors It is now illegal for Boots or any other organisation to specify sex, marital status, colour, race, nationality or disability in any job advertisement. These laws were brought in by the government due to the Sex Discrimination Act (1975 and 1986), the Race Relations Act (1970), and the Disability Discrimination Act (1995). An Industrial Tribunal is available for people who feel that they have been discriminated against by any organisation, for example, during an interview. This Industrial Tribunal can award damages if it feels that a person has a fair case of being discriminated against by an organisation. Another â€Å"Act† that can be looked upon as discrimination by an organisation is the Equal Pay Act (1970). This implies that men and women must receive equal pay if the work that they do is the same or similar. Boots have always followed the laws of the Sex, Race Relations, Equal Pay, and Disability Discrimination Act’s so not to cause a confrontation between the company itself, the person(s) discriminated against and the Industrial Tribunal. They always deploy a system where by such discrimination acts are followed.