Democracy and the news Essay

This paper will look at the different ways the media reflects and affects society by examining the various relationships that exists between the media, the state and the citizens. It will firstly define key terms, allowing for controversial words to have a specific and continuing definition throughout the paper. Three key ideas, centering around the relationships between the media and the state, will make up the major part of this paper; namely how the media affects the state, how the state affects the media and failed attempts by the media to affect the state. Examples of each concept being discussed will be included, showing the notion in practice. Relationships between the media and citizens will also be examined and discussed, again using examples to show each in action. The relationship between the media and citizens will be discussed, examining the ability of the media to influence the public, the public’s ability to influence the media and failed attempts of the media t o influence the public. The conclusion of this paper will detail the role of the media within society, how it operates and different functions it both performs, and attempts to perform. The media is a constantly changing medium. It includes television, newspapers, magazines, journals, radio, cinema, advertisements, and interactive multi-media. It can also include the Internet, video games, mobile phones and computers ( O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2002 ). No undisputable definition of the term ‘media’ exists, however, for the purpose of this paper the following definition given by O’Shaughnessy and Stadler ( 2002 ), will be understood as conclusive. The media are technologically developed and economically profitable forms of human communication, held either in public or private ownership, which can transmit information and entertainment across time and space to large groups of people ( O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2002; Pg 4 ). A democracy is † the notion that power and authority is vested in the people,  Ã¢â‚¬  ( Singleton et al, 2000; Pg 4 ). In Australia, citizens vote for representatives that make up the parliament, and the party holding the majority form Government. Government operates at three levels; Commonwealth, state and local. Parliamentary members are held accountable and responsible for their actions, and numerous institutions designed to check and balance power exists to ensure this occurs. Citizen is defined in The Macquarie Dictionary ( 1994 ) as being â€Å"a member, native or naturalized, of a state or nation, † ( Pg 187 ) and will adopt this definition throughout this paper. The print and electronic media’s ability to broadcast information both quickly and widely across society allows the media to successfully enact the role of ‘ public watchdog ‘ ( Wheeler, 1997; Pg 238 ). The media feeds citizens information. The public is informed of what occurs around them and abroad, who their politicians are, how they look and sound and important issues being suggested, debated and implemented within government. † Politician – journalist relationships are inherently collusive. Each needs the other to achieve their objectives † ( Franklin 1998 ). Politicians require the services of journalists for their messages to reach the general public and journalists need politicians in order to cover politics ( Ward 2002 ). The relationship between the state and the mass media can quickly become vulnerable. The media holds a particular power, which can see it become an agenda setter for society. Not only politicians realise the importance of the media as a platform from which to speak. Pressure groups seek out the media in order to publicize their objectives. Those that successfully use the media acquire a community status, which has the potential to morph into a political status, from which opposition to political ideals, occurrences or similar can be passed on to citizens. Examples of such groups include Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and Amnesty. These groups can become oppositional spokesmen to government policy, sources of information and social commentators on legislation or policy ( Negrine, 1989; Pg 163 ). The media uses these groups as an official  authority, as they are recognized and respected organisations within the greater community, a status gained through use of the media itself. Examples exist where journalists can be seen as ‘ propaganda agents ‘ for politicians. The term ‘ manufacturing consent ‘ is described by Robinson ( 2002 ) as the † power of the government to set the news media agendas, † ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 12 ). Entman ( 1991 ), examines an example of this with two incidents from the 1980’s. The media’s contradictory handling of two aircraft shoot-downs, the Korean Airline and Iran Air, despite case similarities, proved the presence of political persuasiveness. Both resulted in a large loss of civilian life, and both were the result of military mistakes. The Iran Air shoot-down for which the US was answerable, was described † in terms of a technical failure, † ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 13 ). The Korean Airline shoot-down, effected by the USSR, was † framed as a moral outrage, † ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 13 ). The US media covered these two incidents as instructed to by US administrations and, says Entman ( 1991 ), chose to neither challenge nor criticize the facts presented to them by the state ( Robinson, 2002 ). The combination of Western governments intervening during humanitarian crises, and the considerable media attention given to dire circumstances abroad, saw the relationship between the media and the state linked as contributing factors, namely with the media encouraging the state to intervene ( Robinson, 2002 ). This trend became known as the ‘ CNN effect ‘ ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 1 ). Media coverage was proclaimed to influence policy-makers, resulting as † either a necessary or sufficient factor in producing a particular outcome, † ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 37 ). The ‘ CNN effect ‘ ( Robinson, 2002 ) adheres to the fact that definitive policy decisions lie with the policy makers, but media coverage can encourage policy makers to see that a decision is attained ( Robinson, 2002 ). An example of media coverage contributing to humanitarian intervention is that which became known as ‘ Operation Deliberate Force ‘, an action led progressively by the US into Bosnia between 1992 and 1995. The war in Bosnia was the biggest conflict resulting from the dissolution of the Federal  Republic of Yugoslavia ( FRY ). Bosnia broke away from the undermined FRY and fighting began in 1991 between Bosnian government forces on one hand, and Bosnian Serb nationalists and Yugoslav army on the other. The latter two intent on creating ‘ethnically pure ‘ regions in Bosnia ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 73 ). Pressure mounted in the US for intervention and as the war continued, US involvement increased, culminating in 1995 when the US became directly involved with the Bosnia war. This occurred after the 1994 Sarajevo market place bombing. The media expelled a † do something † ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 82 ) attitude and it came at a time when US policy-makers were unsure of just how much force they should exude. Holbrooke ( 1999 ) believes a CNN effect ultimately persuaded the US to act. The eventual response that came from the US was a threatened use of massive force, should the Serb nationalists fail to cease actions against civilians. † The reason the West finally, belatedly intervened was heavily related to news media coverage, † ( Holbrooke, 1999; Pg 20 ). Media influence, however, cannot entirely be held responsible for the US intervention. Avoidance of a humiliating UN withdrawal, along with the credibility and competence of the US can also be considered contributing factors. ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 85 ) The media can also attempt to set an agenda and fail. When politicians are certain of their policy, media coverage can have virtually no influence in encouraging a policy change ( Robinson, 2002 ). The war in Kosovo, also a result of the FRY dissolution, proved an area of much controversy between US administrations and the media. Albanian Kosovars, disheartened with a lack of international support, supported a Kosovo Liberation Army ( KLA ). KLA attacks on Serb forces were answered with considerable force, which included civilian targets ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 94 ). Two contingency plans were decided upon; the deployment of ground troops, and the use of air strikes, and were to go ahead should Serb forces continue attacks against Albanian civilians. US air strikes prevailed, but appeared to have little affect on the Serbian military. The US media became critical of the actions undertaken, and it became clear that the general community consensus lent toward a group campaign into Kosovo. It was concluded by Robinson, ( 2002 ) that although a large section of media coverage in the US encouraged the deployment of ground troops, it added little pressure on the government to  do so ( Robinson, 2002 ). Not all media outlets chose to criticize the policy-makers however, and a minority were seen supporting air attacks, ( Robinson, 2002; Pg 109 ). This example shows that although a CNN effect was clearly present, it failed in its attempt to influence policy change. Two theories suggest ways of understanding the relationship between the media and society. Firstly, it is suggested † the media reflect the realities, values, and norms of a society. †¦ The media act as a mirror of society ( O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2002; Pg 28 ). Secondly, it can be said that † the media affect how people think, believe, and behave. The media construct our values for us and have a direct effect on our actions † ( O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2002 ). Both theories will be discussed. The media role includes both identifying issues of public concern, as well as acting as check on the abuse of power, this generally being political power. Journalists describe society to itself. They seek truth. They convey  information, ideas and opinions †¦ They search, disclose, record,  question, entertain, suggest and remember. They inform citizens and  animate democracy ( White, 1996; Pg 288 ). It is important to note that journalists, similarly to politicians, are held accountable for what they report. † Accountability engenders trust, ( White, 1996; Pg 288 ). Journalists in Australia are answerable to a self-regulatory and industry funded board known as the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance. The media often influences’ and reflects the priorities of communities or societies. The media is reliant on advertisements for revenue. In order to attract businesses to advertise, the outlet must attract consumers. This sees media  outlets selling the news, opinions and human-interest pieces that appeal to the values, opinions and sense of the greater market, namely, the readers and viewers. Increasingly, it is impossible to discuss the media without broaching the subject of public relations. Public relations professionals are most apt at using the media to suit their needs. They create the stories and feed the media with them, highlighting those facts they wish known, and keeping the undesirable ones hidden. If a cause requires the attention of the general public, it is possible to entice the media to cover it by creating newsworthy conditions. Politicians employ public relations professionals, who are often professional journalists, to liaise with the media. Obligations of the media to the citizen are to represent, interpret and evaluate ( O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2002 ). The majority of citizens receive their knowledge of global issues through media outlets. The media explains these occurrences to the general public, giving them an understanding of what they may not otherwise know. The media can be seen as an educational tool, giving understanding of the norms, values and realities of society to citizens ( O’Shaughnessy & Stadler, 2002 ). The real power of the media lies in its ability to ‘ agenda set ‘ ( Ward, 2002; Pg 404 ). † The media may not be able to tell people what to think but †¦.. they are remarkably successful in telling audiences what issues to think about, † ( Cohen, 1963; Pg 13 ). The media can act as society’s definer, giving meaning and understanding to situations and occurrences. Although the definitions and explanations may not necessarily reflect the attitudes of the subject ‘ experts ‘, the power of the media can quickly see misinformation become the general consensus. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the term ‘ terrorism ‘ has been misinterpreted within the media, and used to describe what academics in the field would not label as terrorism. Debate is strong regarding the issues of media censorship, with allegations, arising more and more frequently, regarding violent, sexually explicit and disturbing films, comics, song lyrics, Internet sites and books. Misdemeanor behaviour is often said to have been motivated and inspired by such mediums. In Australia’s republic referendum held in 1999, † 18 of Australia’s 20 daily newspapers supported a ‘Yes’ vote, † ( Ward, 2002; Pg 404 ). Despite this, the majority of Australian’s voted against Australia becoming a republic. Media scholars are aware that media campaigns will not alter political views of those with existing political opinion and loyalties. An increasing minority however, are influenced by media propaganda and media content may prove valuable during elections in the more marginal seats ( Ward, 2002; Pg 404 ). The example of the republic referendum could be seen as an attempted, and ultimately failed, use of the CNN effect on society. _________________________________________________ The above discussion is in reference to situations within western democracies. Other political systems, including dictatorships and less democratic regimes, eg. Zwimbabe, USSR, and China use the media differently, tending to control opinion and political views, and thereby dictating public viewpoints. Prior to the recent elections in Russia, many of the non-government television stations were taken over or shut down, and had to change their influence and affiliations before being allowed to broadcast again. This saw the public denied access to media that presents a point of view different to that which the government wants citizens to have. Hitler shut down all newspapers during his leadership and produced his own, preaching his messages to the masses, this undoubtedly contributing to the large number of Germans that became Nazis. Media ownership is an essential element in this debate, and it is vital to recognize the regulations regarding media ownership in Australia. The federal government of 1986 sought to ensure that media ownership remained as diverse as possible. † A person owning a television license cannot at the same time own more than 15 per cent of a newspaper published in the same city † ( Singleton et al, 2000: Pg 308 ). 1992, however, saw legislation altered to allow more than 15 per ownership, provided the owner is deemed † not to be in control † ( Singleton et al, 2000: Pg 308 ). In a democratic society it is always possible for the alternative point of view to be presented, and for the most part, all sides of debates are considered. The media affects and reflects. It can act as an agent of propaganda and it can set the agenda. It can influence, or be influenced. The media, the state and the citizens are interdependent, each needing and using the other to inform and be informed. Western democracies will continue to see a balance within the media and the information it contains, as media ownership laws ensure the media remains democratic. BIBLIOGRAPHY Cohen, B. 1963. The Press and Foreign Policy. New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Entman, R. 1991. ‘ Framing US Coverage of International News: Contrasts in Narratives of the KAL and Iran Air Incidents ‘. Journal of Communication 41(4):6 – 27. Holbrooke, R. 1999. No Media – No War. Index on Censorship, 28(3): 20-1. Negrine, Ralph. 1989. Politics and the Mass Media in Britain. London: Routledge. O’Shaughnessy, Michael & Stadler, Jane. 2002. Media and Society, An Introduction. 2nd Edition. Victoria: Oxford University Press. Robinson, Piers. 2002. The CNN Effect: The myth of news, foreign policy and intervention. London: Routledge. Singleton, Aitkin, Jinks & Warhurst. 2000. Australian Political Institutions. 6th Edition. Malaysia: Pearson Education Australia Pty Limited / Longman. Ward, Ian. 2002. Media Power. Government, Politics, Power and Policy in Australia. Summers, John ( Ed ). NSW: Pearson Education Australia Pty Limited / Longman. Wheeler, Mark. 1997. Politics and the Mass Media. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Ltd. White, Sally. 1996. Reporting in Australia. 2nd Edition. South Yarra: MacMillan Publishers Australia Pty Limited.

The Doppler Effect

Doppler Effect Objectives * Measure the detector frequency for waves emitted from a slowly moving source as that source is approaching the detector. (Exploration 1) * Calculate the detector frequency for waves emitted from a slowly moving source as that source is moving away from the detector. (Exploration 2) * Sketch the wave-front patterns for wave sources with various source speeds. (Exploration 3) Description of Activity In this activity, you will study waves that travel from a moving source to a detector. You will control the source speed as well as the frequency of waves emitted by that source. You will observe the wave fronts and measure the frequency at the detector. The Jump Start exercises below will help you review frequency, wavelength, pitch, and the Doppler effect. Jump Start 1. What type of wave is a sound wave? A sound wave is a longitudinal waves. 2. Define wave frequency. Wave frequency is the number of crests that pass through at a specified time. 3. What is pitch? A pitch is the sound or sensation of the frequency. 4. Sketch one wavelength of a longitudinal wave. Exploration 1: A Wave Source Moving Towards a Detector Procedure 1. Explore the simulation on your own for several minutes. Attempt to identify relationships among source frequency, detector frequency, wave speed, and source velocity. 2. Set Source speed to 1. 0 cm/s. Move the detector by dragging it from the left side of the screen onto the grid; place it on the right side of the grid, directly opposite the wave source. Set Wave speed to 5. 0 cm/s. Select a Source frequency. Record this frequency in Table 1. 3. The top stopwatch in this Virtual Investigation starts automatically when the first wave front touches the detector. The second stopwatch does not start until the source has passed the detector. Select Go. Using the top stopwatch, observe the number of waves that pass the detector in 1. 0 s. This is the detector frequency. Record this frequency in Table 1. In addition, sketch the wave-front pattern on a separate sheet of paper. 4. Repeat step 3 for at least two more trials. Keep Source speed, Wave speed, Source frequency, and detector position the same for all three trials. 5. Repeat steps 2 through 4 for at least three more source frequencies Observations and Analysis Table 1 (source speed = 0 m/s; wave speed = 5. 0 cm/s) Source Frequency (Hz)| Trial 1 Detector Frequency (Hz)| Trial 2 Detector Frequency (Hz)| Trial 3 Detector Frequency (Hz)| Average Detector Frequency (Hz)| 1. 0| 12| 5| 8| 8. 3| 1. 0| 10| 3| 3| 5. 3| 1. 0| 2| 4| 7| 4. 3| 1. 0| 4| 3| 2| 3| 1. For each source frequency, average the detector frequencies. Record these averages in Table 1. 2. Are the source frequencies greater than, less than, or the same as the detector frequencies in this Exploration? The source frequencies were less than the detections. Exploration 2: A Source Moving Away from a Detector Procedure 1. Set Source speed to 1. 0 cm/s and Wave speed to 5. 0 cm/s. Place the detector on top of the source. 2. Set Source frequency to any value. Record this source frequency in Table 2. 3. This time, the detector will detect waves as the source moves away from it. Select Go. In Table 2, record the number of wave fronts that pass the detector in 5. 0 s. 4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 for at least three more source frequencies. Observations and Analysis Table 2 (source speed = 1. 0 cm/s; wave speed = 5. 0 cm/s) Source Frequency (Hz)| Number of Times Detector Flashes in 5. 0 s| Detector Frequency (Hz)| 1. 0| 4| 5| 2. 0| 6| 8| 3. 0| 9| 11| 4. 0| 13| 17| 1. Divide the number of times that the detector light flashes in 5. 0 s by 5. 0 for each source frequency in Table 2. This is the detector frequency. In Table 2, record the detector frequency for each source frequency. 2. Are the source frequencies greater than, less than, or the same as the detector frequencies in this Exploration? The detector frequencies are greater than the source frequencies. 3. In Exploration 1, you averaged the results of three trials. In Exploration 2, you gathered data over a longer period of time. Which approach probably yielded more accurate results? Why? I think Exploration 1 yielded more accurate results because the detector was not sitting above and it gave the detector an accurate reading. Exploration 3: A Moving Source at Different Velocities Procedure 1. Set Wave speed to 10. 0 cm/s and Source frequency to 1. 0 Hz. Place the detector anywhere. 2. Set Source speed to 6. 0 cm/s. 3. Select Go. Sketch the resulting wave-front pattern on a separate sheet of paper. 4. Set Source speed to 8. 0 cm/s. 5. Select Go. Sketch the resulting wave-front pattern on the separate sheet of paper. 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 for 10. 0 cm/s, 12. 0 cm/s, and 14. 0 cm/s source speeds. Observations and Analysis 1. What happens to the wave-front pattern as the source speed is increased to equal the wave speed? The amount of waves seen in a given time seems to increase and reach the detector much faster. 2. What happens to the wave-front pattern as the source speed is increased beyond the wave speed? When the source speed is increased beyond the wave speed the waves frequency is extremely high. Conclusions Describe how the motion and frequency of a wave source affects the waves that source produces. When the frequency and motion are both set at high rates, the waves that are produced and their frequency is increased. When the motion and frequency are decreased the waves decrease as well. Inquiry Extension Luisa is swinging on a playground swing at school. A teacher facing her blows a whistle to let the children know recess is over. As Luisa swings, what does she hear? When does she hear the highest pitch? As Luisa swings she hears the whistle, but she hears the highest pitch when she is swinging away from the teacher.

Should we Read Romeo and Juliet in School

Should we let go of everything from our past that holds  memories, simply because its old? Or should we keep on passing it  from generation to generation to keep a tradition? In schools is a great  example of that. A common debate is whether or not Romeo and Juliet  should be taught in schools. We should hold onto this tradition  because of the way it makes students think, and because of the  knowledge it provides to the students.For one, although the language in Romeo and Juliet is not how  we speak today, it still contains great lessons for students. While  reading Romeo and Juliet, your mind is constantly thinking and  deciphering what message Shakespeare is giving you. To make  students read Romeo and Juliet early in their high school years will  benefit them. The unique style of writing will make the students’ brains  work much harder to understand the message. If they were given a  book with language they see every day would not benefit their le arning  as much. By reading Romeo and Juliet students will receive more  knowledge.Another reason that reading Romeo and Juliet in schools is a  great idea is because it is a two in one lesson. As teachers they have  so much curriculum to teach the students and sometimes its hard to fit  it all in. Rather than teaching the students what similes and metaphors  are, students can read Romeo and Juliet and have perfect examples  right in front of them while not wasting any time. While reading Romeo  and Juliet you may notice that Romeo is a romantic and he loves  using metaphors and similes to compare Juliet to celestial objects. You  may ask so what? Well Romeo is one of the main characters which  means he speaks a lot, therefore there are many more examples for  students to learn those parts of speech. Reading Romeo and Juliet in  school makes teaching easier and makes learning a two in one combo.Last but not least as you move on to different levels of school   and in life, Romeo and Juliet will be referenced to. Not having read  Romeo and Juliet, students would have no idea what is being  discussed so being asked a question referring to Romeo and Juliet  might be tough to answer. Rather than not knowing the answer and  being dumbstruck in front of the whole class, it would be in a student’s  best interest to take a little time out of their life and read Romeo and  Juliet. Not to mention the benefit that after you read the book you can  watch the movie for more excitement.The knowledge provided to the students, the fact that Romeo  and Juliet will be referenced to later in life and the fact that it is a two  in one lesson are just some of the many reasons that reading Romeo  and Juliet in school should be kept a tradition. There is far too much  knowledge to be perceived because of the unique style of writing and  the rich vocabulary. After being studied for over a hundred years,  there must be somethin g great enough to keep the tradition.

WEEK 2 DQ 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

WEEK 2 DQ 1 - Assignment Example Consequently, the non-cognitive skills that are entailed in EI are just as significant and crucial to a general study of cognition. A 4 branch Ability Model to Emotional Intelligence comprises of the ability to; correctly pick out emotions in others and oneself, make use of emotions in facilitating thinking, understand emotional implications as well as managing emotions. Such abilities as these would be cited as non-cognitive and are critical skills for communicating. Through communication, people are able to primarily acquire knowledge as well as process information (Baack, 2012). The intended EI definition aims at setting itself apart from cognitive intelligence specifically since the skills acquired via EI are mostly psychological and behavioral, and not technical. However, there exists a sophisticated and strong scheme in EI especially on matters of advanced solving of problems. The following are some of the semi-cognitive skills which come alongside EI; inferencing, inductive and deductive thinking, critical thinking, decoding of non-verbal signals as well as making predictions on the basis of correlations and observations. The book, Emotional Intelligence was written by Daniel Goleman and published in 1995.Ever since that time; the term EI has become a fashionable phrase in the world of business particularly to establish somebody’s success. In summary therefore; cognitive purposes of intelligence comprise of problem solving as well as memorizing things.On the other hand, on-cognitive purposes include such concerns as whether an individual can get along well with others, possesses good relationships in a group setting and finally has excellent and interpersonal skills. In addition, cognitive intelligence is basically on the basis of Intelligent Quotient (IQ). Normally, EI combines both the cognitive and non-cognitive skills;

A Critical Review of Minnesota State University's Student Painting Essay

A Critical Review of Minnesota State University's Student Painting Exhibit - Essay Example The essay "A Critical Review of Minnesota State University's Student Painting Exhibit" discovers the paintings housed at University of Minnesota. Based on the nature of this exhibit, this essay will comment very little on technical talent in the works displayed, as many of the artists featured in the exhibit are learners, and to simply harp on about technical limitations would be a pointless and probably overly-long personal reaction. Rather, it will seek to identify the underlying choices in the development of the exhibit, and highlight particular pieces that accomplish their goals well within this overriding framework. Upon looking at the collection of paintings housed at University of Minnesota, it superficially appears that there is little coordination between the works of art – and this would make sense, given that the cultivators of the collection probably have a limited pool of art to select from, and the development of themes would be incredibly difficult. A closer ins pection, however, reveals that this collection seems to have gone out of its way to highlight many different forms of painting, and to perhaps display the breadth of opportunity provided by the medium of painting, and the breadth of talent available at the university. It does not, thus, harp on at length on any one subject or theme, but skips around, highlighting as many vastly different subjects and styles as possible. The collection thus houses everything from abstract to the incredibly concrete.

Database Dangers in the Cloud Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Database Dangers in the Cloud - Research Paper Example An example of co-mingling of data is â€Å"data (which) could become unavailable to you just because it was being stored on the same server as data belonging to someone else† (Trappler, 2012, par. 2). The danger of co-mingling of data, as noted, include inability to access the data; information being disclosed to other parties and thus, compromising the privacy and confidentiality nature of the information; being exposed to legal sanctions; among others. As emphasized, â€Å"with cloud computing, data from multiple customers is typically commingled on the same servers. That means that legal action taken against another customer that is completely unrelated to your business could have a ripple effect†¦ a search warrant issued for the data of another customer could result in your data being seized as well† (Trappler, 2012, par. 2).An example of co-mingling of data is â€Å"data (which) could become unavailable to you just because it was being stored on the same serv er as data belonging to someone else† (Trappler, 2012, par. 2). The danger of co-mingling of data, as noted, include inability to access the data; information being disclosed to other parties and thus, compromising the privacy and confidentiality nature of the information; being exposed to legal sanctions; among others. As emphasized, â€Å"with cloud computing, data from multiple customers is typically commingled on the same servers.

Battle οf Leyte Gulf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Battle ÃŽ ¿f Leyte Gulf - Essay Example The Japanese lost four carriers, three battle ships, six cruisers, together with up to 10000 sailors and number f trained pilots19. The main objective to capture this island was to have an advanced base for the final assault on southern Japan. The American Army and Marines landed at Okinawa on April 1, 1945. The Japanese opened a furious aerial counterattack, which included more than 350 Kamikaze attacks against U.S. ships and ground forces. Consequently, on April 8, 1945 the Allied Air Force began a campaign to destroy the Kamikaze bases in Japan. (Westphal Jr 267-268) However, the enemy attack continued in its intensity and by June 22, about 1,900 suicide planes had struck against Allied forces at Okinawa, sinking 25 ships. All the Kamikaze attack caused extraordinary Allied casualties. The Japanese did not have enough resources left for suicidal attack at the Okinawa bridgehead. The Japanese lost 7800 ac against 763 f allies in Leyte operation20. The good coordination f the joint forces as well as the combined forces was very critical to the allied victory. This could be possible because f the good command and control structure under the able leadership f Gen Macarthur. (Coles 576-577) The Strategic air offensive against Japan by B-29 had been going on for months. The Boeing B-29 Superfortress had been introduced into service in 1944. A successor f B-17, it had a much greater range and payload and a pressurized cabin that allowed it to fly over 30,000 feet. It was heavily armed with remote controlled gun. The new Twentieth Bomber Command was shifted from China and based in the Marianas. Attacks on Japan began on June 14, 194521. Initially the B-29s used to attack the Japanese cities by dropping incendiary bombs. After four month f saturation bombing, Japan had hardly any target left to attack except Hiroshima and Nagasaki22. The U.S political leaders wanted Japan's unconditional surrender. But Japanese had been asking for preservation f monarchy. On 26 July 1945, the western powers issued a final warning and surrender demand to Japan. U.S leadership agreed that if the Japanese refused to accept the unconditional surrender the Atomic Bomb must be used. The Atom Bomb Attack. On 25 July 1945, the Strategic Air Command in the Pacific was ordered to launch the atomic attacks any time after 3rd August. One f the scientists f nuclear weapon test committee, Stimson opined that, the atom bomb should be used in a surprise attack on an important war installation surrounded by housing. A specially trained B-29 group, with planes modified to carry the atom bomb, was based on Tinian. On the morning f August 6, a B-29 dropped a uranium bomb on Hiroshima with a power equivalent to 14,000 tons f TNT. On 09 July 1945, another B-29, being unable to hit Kokura, its primary target, dropped a plutonium bomb on Nagasaki. The Americans would have had a third atomic attack by August 15, but on August 10, President Truman ruled that no more bombs be used until further notice. On August 15, Japan announced its surrender. But final

Criminology 1 question dark figure of crime Essay

Criminology 1 question dark figure of crime - Essay Example Many of undisclosed as well as unreported crime to the authority lead to unresolved issues within a society hence portraying unreliability both in the governance as well as to a given society. The United States of America uses two major crime data collection in their statistics. These methods include the national Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) and the uniform crime reports. The FBI crime department in United States of America majorly uses the Uniform Crime Reports system of data collection of crime. The FBI to detect crimes on murder, rape cases, robbery, burglary, aggravated assault, as well as theft of vehicles uses this system of data collection. However, UCR data collection system has been re defined by FBI agency in United States of America. Meanwhile National Incident-Based Reporting system crime information system is another system that is used by FBI, having been revised from UCR as from 1980s.It majorly works based on justice systems characteristics, public attitudes on crime, persons arrested, known offenses, judicial defendant processes as well as supervision correction (Russell & Milovanovic, 2001). The ability of UCR system is that it only allows eight tracks of crimes to be detected while NIBRS tracks 46 crimes simultaneously. However, the arrests within UCR system have specific report on the incident that has happened while the counterpart contains more information arrests on each of the incident done per timeline. Meanwhile, UCR system of crime data collection mostly reports domestic violence giving less concern on simple assault unlike in the NIBRS system of crime data collection. The worse of all in the UCR system is that if a matter is about murder, the system only reports a single incident while the other system reports multiple offenses in relation to the victims and offenders. NIBRS system of crime data collection in regards to dark figure of crime is a new methodology of uniform crime report

Evaluating an Argument and bring forth an argument of your own Essay

Evaluating an Argument and bring forth an argument of your own - Essay Example Brent begins his article by describing a scenario where a driver accelerates into high speed in order to get to work early and avoid quarrels with boss. It is good to speed up to meet time deadlines but the risk involved is not worth while there are other easier options such as waking up earlier and driving safely to work. The writer talks about the German case where people drive at speed of over 80 miles per and yet German highways are the safest in the world (Axelrod, and Charles 620). However, Brent should also consider the ease of getting a driving license in the two countries and the also the training involved in the driving schools of the two countries. The USA allows people as young as sixteen years old to drive whereas in Germany one can only obtain a driving license at the age of twenty one years. The maturity between a sixteen years old child and a twenty one years old adult is not comparable. In Germany, one has to attend a driving school for at least three months as oppos ed to one month in the USA and hence the driving skills between the two people are incomparable. The writer argues that nobody would speed up in order to risk their lives and hence there’s no need of imposing the speed limits. However, it is important to understand that speed limits not only protects the driver but also the outside world who maybe more important than the driver. Considering a scenario where people were allowed to drive at their own speed, the rate of accident occurrence would increase and consequently the number of people in hospitals would also increase. An increase in the number of people in hospitals directly increases a cost to the government which is under the pressure of economic battles. Brent Knutson argues that modern vehicles are designed in such a way that they can travel safely at super high speed which i

Different Theories of Management Essay Example for Free

Different Theories of Management Essay Nowadays we have new implementing plans for management. The different theories of management are: classical, behavioral, quantitative and quality management theory, systematic and contingency management theory. The classical management theory focuses on finding the â€Å"one best way† to accomplish and manage task (p. 37,2008. W. Plunkett, R. Attner, G. Allen). The behavioral management theory recognizes employees as individuals with real human needs. It is very important for the manager to establish trusted relationships and value his/her employees. Successful leader will put his staff first. Good communication with employees- key to success! From my personal experience, I had bad first-level management in our department. The most important, I felt that, they are using employees as a machine in the factory, like in old days practices. There were no communication connection between workers and â€Å"the boss†. All they wanted to know your working schedule: â€Å"When are you coming to work or can you stay late today? â€Å" I could not work there for a long time. There was no teamwork feeling and very poor customer service. Now, I have a better place to work, where the leaders appreciate and value you. I definitely have closer relationship with management. Our manager has a good communication skills, she creates a warm, productive atmosphere. We solve problems together as a team. I am proud to say that we only get a positive feedback from our customers. The quantitative management theory uses mathematical tools to help plan, control and analyze nearly everything in an organization. Quality management process is leading to ability to meet the needs of the customers. Total quality comes from satisfied customers. The systems management theory powers that an organization comprises various parts that must perform tasks necessary for the survival and proper functioning of the system as a whole. Human resources management is a core of the organization, because those people responsible for interviewing people and checking their professional skills. The contingency management theory is based on the premise that manager’s preferred actions or approaches depend on the variables of the situations they face (p. 50,2008). Early Management Theories In the past, the old system required the boss to do everything. For example, to manage, planning, processing, thinking, finance and analyze budget. Frederick Taylor (1856-1915) The Father of Scientific Management. Scientific Management theory arose from the need to increase productivity in the U. S. A. especially, where skilled labor was in short supply at the beginning of the twentieth century. The only way to expand productivity was to raise the efficiency of workers. Taylor devised four principles for scientific management theory, which were: 1. The development of a true science of management, 2. The scientific selection and training of workers, 3.  Proper remuneration for fast and high-quality work 4. Equal division of work and responsibility between worker and manager Successful management requires an understanding of the fundamental concepts of effective management techniques and principles. In order to gain such insight, and manage effectively and efficiently, managers must develop an awareness of past management principles, models and theories. From the turn of the 20th Century, the need for a formal management theory was growing evident; organizations required a system to guide managers in an attempt to improve productivity and efficiency of workers. This urgency for a theory saw the development of six major management approaches, the focus of this essay will be on two of the classical management theories; the scientific management theory and the human relations movement. The contributions of both these theories will be examined, followed by an analysis of the similarities and differences that these two theories propose. The last point will see a discussion of the relevance that these two theories have in modern managerial practice.

The Roles Of Social Workers Social Work Essay

The Roles Of Social Workers Social Work Essay This assignment is going to explain the role of the Social Worker in the Child Protection setting and consider what interventions they can delivery to safeguard a child. It is also going to be making links with anti-discriminatory practice, and show the importance of working in partnerships with service users and other professionals. I am going to focus this assignment on Children at Risk of Significant Harm. This is such a broad area, so I am going to particularly focus on children aged 0-3 years. Physical abuse may involve, hitting, shaking, throwing, suffocating, burning or scolding, poisoning, drowning, or causing deliberate illness. Child Abuse and Neglect cause personal misery for children and parents raise public concern and requires professional attention (Waterhouse, LÂ ¸2008) In all cases the Social Worker has to ensure that the childs welfare is paramount, the child must be safeguarded. The social worker has a duty to investigate if a child is suffering or likely to suffer significant harm, as delay can be detrimental to the child (Children Act 1989). The Social Worker will receive a referral and from this information they should check to see if the child or family is already known to Social Services, if they are then the Social Worker can read through recorded case note and learn some background information before making a visit. If they are not known to Social Services then the Social Worker needs to make a visit to the family and investigate the referral. This is where they will need to try and find out some back ground information to build a picture of the family members. When the Social Worker arrives at the home they may find that the family are reluctant to speak to them or even let them into their home, so it is important that the Social Worker explains to them exactly who they are and that they have received a referral regarding the safety of the children. The visit is likely to be a shock to the caregivers and they may feel scared and intimidated, the Social Worker must assure them that they are here to make sure the children are safe and that the caregivers are ok, and then request that they come in and speak to them and try and make this visit is easy as they can. This will start to build the relationship. The Social Worker must be honest, clear and make sure all involved understand what happens to the information the users and carers give to the Social Worker, how it is recorded, who it will be shared with and how it might be used. (Lester Parrott 2008). It is important that the Social Worker is always aware of the child, as they are the main service user it is important that they see the child on visits and see that they are in good health with no obvious signs of physical abuse. It is the Social Workers job to advise, assist, and befriend the family, and must not portray themselves as being powerful and somebody that can force the family into doing thing, this kind of attitude can be oppressive and it is less likely that a family will be willing to cooperate with a Social Worker that demands the family do things. The family are more likely to work with the Social Worker if they can all work together. However it is the Social Workers duty to investigate who is at risk and see if they can identify what is the cause of the risk. Other people who have contact with children also have a responsibility to spot signs of abuse, these could be other family members, health visitors, GP, and nursery workers and for children of school age, teachers, school nurses and even dinner staff may be able to spot signs and any other person that has contact with them. Physical abuse causes misery, anxiety, fear, loneliness and many more feelings and when abuse is identified it requires professional attention. A baby at risk from, or suffering significant harm at this young age in the form of physical abuse will be unable to communicate with words so it is important that the Social Worker is always aware and looks for signs. They may do this at their visit. This can be done in an easy and non intrusive way perhaps by asking parent if they mind if they spend some time with the child and perhaps getting down on the floor with the child, and interacting with them through play, this also allows the Social Worker to see how the react to their presence. If the parent does not allow this then this may be a sign of a problem, however this may be because they have no trust and are not willing to cooperate, it is important for the Social Worker to remain open minded, aware and non-judgemental. There may also be obvious physical signs like bruising, cuts or burns, in this case if the Social Worker would talk with the care givers and if they believe this to be a genuine emergency then they must interv ene immediately and can request Police Protection Under Section 46 of Children Act 1989 where the Police have the power to remove or detain the child immediately. No child can be held for more than 72 hours, the Social Worker could also make an application to the Family Proceedings Court Courts for an Emergency Protection Order under section 44 of the Children Act 1989, which is an order providing immediate but temporary removal of the child in a genuine emergency. This is not to be used as a routine response to suspicion of abuse There is no absolute criteria to rely on when judging what constitutes significant harm. Where the question of whether harm suffered by a child is significant turns on the childs health and development, their health or development shall be compared with what could be reasonably expected of children at the same age. If the Social Worker has reasonable belief that a child is at risk of significant harm then Local Authorities have a duty to investigate and if necessary intervene. The intervention of Social Work can help families to achieve goals and allow them to better themselves and positively move forward with the help of professionals. When working to protect a child from significant harm it is important to work with the care givers as well as the child. It is important to learn the history of the child and the history of the caregivers. This can build a picture of background and any possible previous problems and can help towards working to reduce the risk of harm to the child. Also good communication between Social Worker and caregiver is important, as this will help identify possible causes of problems and also may help towards creating solutions. It is also important for the social worker to remember that their main service user is the child and they need to be aware that working with a child of such a young age it may become easy to over look the child and become more involved with the caregiver. When assessing a child and family the Social Worker mu st be confident in gathering information and may at times have to ask questions that may be uncomfortable for themselves or the service user, but it is important that these questions are asked as this can start to build a picture and also may help to identify problems and causes of problems. This can also help towards the start of putting together a plan for the family as to how to help to eliminate the causes and the problems. For example if the child is at risk of harm after the caregivers have been drinking then the cause is alcohol and the Social Worker would need make contact with services (such as) that are able to help with this issue, and advise the caregivers that in working with this service they can help to eliminate the problem and reduce the risk to the child, so this would go into the plan for the caregivers and the child. If the caregivers refuse this help then it is the Social Workers job to negotiate with the caregiver and encourage that these steps need to be taken if they are to overcome and move forward from their problems, they would advise that if the caregiver is not going to cooperate then they may have to start Child Protection proceedings which could lead to the child being put on the Child Protection Register. When in practice Social Workers needs to be aware of discrimination, it is important to see every service users as an individual in there own social context. It is important to be aware of the individual relating to their culture, sex, age, class and disabilities. The Social worker needs to be aware of these factors and take them into consideration when making an assessment. A Social Worker needs to go to every individual visit with an open mind and be sure to be non-judgemental. It is important at all times that the worker follows anti oppressive practice. The perception of the service user may be that you have power that you may use against him/her. It is important to be non judgemental and listen to those involved and work towards resolution with the client as opposed to condemning them and making decisions without consultation as this makes the service user feel disempowered and without a voice. Obviously if the risk to the child is great then intervention of an oppressive nature may be justified. True partnership working with service users and other professional can create empowerment. Social Workers can help to advices services users and signpost them to other service that they are entitle to. Social Workers can find themselves working with a number of different professionals such as police officers, doctors, school teacher, school nurses, nursery staff, connexions, Housing. These are just a few out of a long list of possible partnerships. It is important to work together for the Service User, different professionals may have different aims and resources and values, which can create partnership conflict. Good communication and understanding of one anothers jobs and services can help to ensure a positive partnership and create a valuable service for the Service user. It is important for all professional to be made aware of any information they need to be aware of, and for all involved in the partnership to be committed to Service Users and their needs. With good communication between Social Worker, the child the caregiver and other professionals involved can create a positive relationship in which they can work together to reduce risk and safeguard the child, it can also work towards helping the family move forward and create positive change. Working together can help empower the service users and help them forward with their lives and work towards keeping the child in the family home. This is the ideal option for the Local Authority as they want children to remain at the family home provided that they are safe. The childs safety is paramount. A good example of good Social Work Practice would be an assessment of a family being completed, and from the assessment the Social Worker and the family can discuss together different option available to the family and going through them and seeing what option is most appropriate and relevant for the family. The can set up any services the family made need for example Parenting Classes, and then set goals for the family to achieve. And the Social Worker would make regular visits to see that the goals set are being achieved and of they are not to find out why and help focus on achieving them. The ideal ending would be that the family needs a little help and after achieving their goals, no longer needs the input of a Social Worker. However there are many families that need more than a little help and often end up having the input of a Social Worker for a long time and in extreme case children get removed from the family home for their safety. Children Act 1989 Section 44 Children Act Section 46 Waterhouse, L(2008) The Blackwell Companion To Social Work. Third Edition. Blackwell Publishing; Parrott, L (2008) Values and Ethics in Social Work Practice. Learning Matters