Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Role of Group Work in Enhancing Speaking Skill

The Role of Group Work In Enhancing Speaking Skill In Primary Level The Role of Group Work in Enhancing Speaking Skill in Primary Level Effective language skills are essential for children to access the curriculum. In the classroom, spoken language is the primary medium through which teachers teach and children learn. In developing their speaking skills, children need to learn to adapt their talk to the listeners; use a range of ways to express themselves; use talk to clarify their ideas and sustain their talk to develop thinking and reasoning.It is expected that when children start primary school, they will be able to understand much of what is said, express themselves clearly, share their feelings and make their needs known. This level of proficiency in speech, language and communication is critical to the development of a child’s cognitive, social and emotional well-being. Speaking should include putting thoughts into words and sharing in groups; taking opportunities to spe ak at some length to explain ideas in different situations; giving a talk or presentation using gestures, aids and rhetorical devices.This paper will explore the different types of group work and its mechanism of enhancing the speaking skill in the primary level. This will be done through reviewing different research made in this field. The purpose of this paper is to look closely at the importance of group work in the early stages to enhance the speaking skill of students. Group Group work is a very important part of our culture and life; and businesses now look at team work skills when evaluating any employee. Therefore, it is important for both, students and teachers, to learn to function in a group work environment.Research indicates that students learn the tasks better through involving oral interaction, in group, which is based on a real attempt to find a collective solution to problems. We chose to explore this area to find out if group work serves as a meaningful activity fo r students to focus on meaningful negotiation and information exchange. We are very much concerned with getting students to talk and to stimulate their interest and imagination. Since group work can improve learning and is a much needed skill in enhancing speaking skill, it should be exercised regularly in the classroom.Annotated Bibliography: The Role of Group Work in Enhancing Speaking Skill in Primary Level Baines, E. , Kutnick, P. , Blatchford, P. (2009). Promoting effective group work in the primary classroom: a handbook for teachers and practitioners. USA and Canada: Routledge. This handbook explores how pupil group work can be made more effective in support of children’s learning. It is based on a research study, known as the Social Pedagogic Research into Group work (SPRinG), which developed and evaluated a new approach to group work in primary schools. Boussiada, S. (2010).Enhancing students’ oral proficiency through cooperative group work: the case of 3rd yea r LMD students of English at Constantine University. Master’s Thesis, University of Constantine, Algeria. In her study, Boussiada explores the effects of cooperative group work on improving learners’ oral proficiency and communicative skills. She is mainly concerned with making use of pair or small group to maximize learners? oral production. She also attempts to shed some light on the importance of establishing a relaxed and friendly environment as an attempt to get learners to use the language.Lee, W. (2008). Speech, language and communication needs and primary school-aged children. I Can Talk Series, Issue 6, 13-18. Retrieved March 21, 2012, from http:// www. ican. org. uk/~/media/Ican2/Whats%20the%20Issue/Evidence/6%20Speech%20%20Language%20and%20Communication%20Needs%20and%20Primary%20School%20aged%20Children. ashx This report outlines the nature and extent of Speech, Language and Communication Needs (SLCN) in primary schools, what this means for children and thei r families and what can be done to ensure primary school is a positive, enriching experience for children with SLCN.Richards, J. (2008). Teaching listening and speaking: from theory to practice. NY: Cambridge University Press. Richards explores approaches to the teaching of listening and speaking which have undergone considerable changes in recent years, and their implications for classroom teaching and materials design. His goal is to examine what applied linguistics research and theory says about the nature of listening and speaking skills, and then to explore what the implications are for classroom teaching Jones, L. (2007). The student-centered classroom. NY: Cambridge University Press.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Reflection on Diversity Essay

I used to have a colleague in college who happens to be born into a royal family but was very humble and down to earth. She never wanted to be treated like the princess that she was and did everything possible to fit in and be like every normal student. Most people couldn’t stand her because they felt she was misusing her opportunity and others were jealous of her and as a result of this most people started to avoid her and criticize everything she did and tried to make her life miserable by playing pranks on her and calling her names but she never retaliated because she was different from the rest of us. Instead she treated everyone nicely even when they treated her bad. This made me sympathize with her because I couldn’t understand how some people can afford to dislike somebody else so much just because she was different in a good way. It made me realize that no matter how good we are and treat others well, we shouldn’t expect to be treated nicely by everyone e lse because at the end of the day, what really matters is that we have a clear conscience. From the article â€Å"To Be Asian in America†, when the Asians arrive America they began to realize that they are different. â€Å"Identities get challenged and they have to deal with what it means to be American or resident Alien†, says John Kuo Wei Tchen, the founding director of the A/P/A Studies Program and Institute at New York University. Some Asian Americans relied on assimilation (a process where some of the majority group’s cultural aspects are absorbed in such a manner that the home cultural aspects get lost or mitigated) as a means of blending in with American society as an attempt to escape anti-Asian sentiments that heightened during World War 11. â€Å"The question about how much they wanted to or did assimilate is a question of how much they were permitted to assimilate†, says Gary Okihiro, director of the center for the study of Ethnicity and Race and a professor of International and public affairs at Columbia University. Today, ties to home remain strong for new Asian immigrants; however , many families  experience acculturation- the process of assimilating new ideas into an existing cognitive structure – with U.S.- born generations. â€Å"Parents would like to think their children are going to be very embracive and very welcoming of their of the parents’ own culture†, says Franklin Ng, a professor in the anthropology department of California state University – Fresno. â€Å"Parents may have these kinds of supportive mechanisms, encouraging them to go to a temple, or ethnic church, so their children will become familiar with their ethnic culture but the youth are having their own trajectory. Looking at Social Class: The fiction of Meritocracy, The most popular measures of class are income and wealth. It is also measured by educational achievement and occupational prestige. Classism results from prejudices based on false assumptions. Despite widely held perceptions, social class mobility in the United States is far from fluid. Those born with few resources face serious obstacles in their efforts to achieve higher economic and social status. Those born into privilege are given a head start in life with many extra boosts along the way. Once it is recognized that merit has only a small role in determining one’s place on the social ladder, the foundation of classroom crumbles. References Harvey, C. P., & Allard, M. J. (2012). Understanding and managing diversity: Readings, cases, and exercises (5th ed.). Upper saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Devry University (2014). Week 3 Lecture: Identity and Difference SOCS-350N. Retrieved from www.devry.net

Life Span Perspectives Essay

There are many beginnings to the study of human development. The study of human developments is a science that strives to discern how people change over time (Berger, 2011). To do this, developmentalists study all types of people from different age groups, ethnicity, culture, background, nationality, income, and sexual orientation, among many other factors. To begin to understand this science, one must start by looking at what is being studied, some of the major theories that shape and guide these studies, and the interaction of heredity and the environment on human development (Berger, 2011). Developmentalists seek to tackle the challenge of defining humans in a way that simultaneously describes the universalities of humans as well as their differences. Because development is not limited, the person is the result of interactions among all the systems known as microsystems, macrosystems, and exosystems (Berger, 2011). Another aspect of development is that it encompasses the changes and uniformities of people. A visionary in the study of development was Urie Bronfenbrenner, who introduced an ecological-systems approach to the study of development (Berger, 2011). The ecological-systems approach recommends that human development should be studied by looking at the interactions and contexts that make up a person’s life. There are three levels that Bronfenbrenner proposes each person is affected by: microsystems, exosystems, and macrosystems (Berger, 2011). Microsystems are described as foundations of the person’s nearby surroundings, while an exosystem is described as the person’s local institutions. For example, a person’s family would constitute a person’s microsystem and their place of work would be their exosystem. A person’s macrosystem is their greater social settings, such as their cultural values and economy (Berger, 2011). Bronfenbrenner understood that development changes over time and, therefore, included two other systems that interact with the original three; the chronosystem and the mesosystem. The chronosystem encompasses the  historical conditions that affect the other systems and the mesosystem consists of the correlations between the three systems or parts of an individual system. In other words, the mesosystem refers to the connections between home and school, communication processes, and macrosystem factors that affect the microsystem (Berger, 2011). Understanding the shared connections between one area of life to another led developmentalists to form five standards that are beneficial for understanding human life at any age. These five characteristics are multidirectional, multicontextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary, and plasticity (Berger, 2011). Development is multidirectional, meaning that change occurs in every direction, with gains and losses, predictable growth, and unexpected transformations being apparent. Every aspect of life, including, intellectual growth, social interactions, and physical health are multidirectional (up, down, constant, or irregular). Additionally, in late adulthood, during old age, people tend to center on the declines rather than the gains, placing a particularly important emphasis on multidirectional change (Berger, 2011). Human lives are multicontextual, meaning life is made up of many situations, including past circumstances, economical limitations, family patterns, and physical surroundings (Berger, 2011). To put it another way, every context has an impact on the person. For example, the paths available to the individual are dependent on the historical and socioeconomic conditions. Developmentalists note that the socioeconomic status of a person greatly affects their opportunities and limitations, advantages and disadvantages, and past history and future prospects, which affect the person’s habits, knowledge, housing, and nutrition (Berger, 2011). The development of humans is influenced by many cultures. The multicultural principle understand that cognition and behavior are affected by the cultural environment, which includes the person’s social group, ethnicity, race, heritage, and even income (Berger, 2011). It is important to note that culture is dynamic, and people are capable of accepting or rejecting culture values. The study of life span and human development is  multidisciplinary; it is interrelated with various fields of academia. While psychology, biology, sociology, and education are major players, other fields such as neuroscience, anthropology, history, and economics play a role as well. (Berger, 2011) Multidisciplinary is important to the study of development because people grow in mind, body, and spirit simultaneously. The final characteristic is plasticity. Plasticity plays a role in the other four characteristics of development. It is an important characteristic because it represents two corresponding aspects of development (Berger, 2011). Plasticity understands that humans are capable of being molded, like plastic, while still maintaining a sturdy identity. Plasticity is affected by both culture and upbringing, as well as genes and other biological influences. The five characteristics led developmentalists to one conclusion: humans are individuals, whether or not they come from the same cohort, culture, or economy (Berger, 2011). Even though scientists have concluded that every person is an individual, there are still many questions about human development left to answer, which led to five major theories of development. Developmental theories offer structure for clarifying the patterns and problems of development. There are several theories of life span development such as the three grand theories: psychoanalytic, behaviorist, and cognitive (Berger, 2011). The grand theories of human development, which explain the collective development and processes throughout the entire life span, began in the field of psychology; observations and clarifications deriving in history, biology, sociology, and anthropology led to the emergent theories. The two emergent theories are not yet as coherent as the grand theories, but they draw on more academic disciplines providing a broader framework than the customary grand theories that rely only on psychology (Berger, 2011). Discussed here are the two emergent theories: sociocultural and epigenetic. The main concept of sociocultural theory is that human development is the result of a dynamic interaction between a person and their society. This concept is based on the idea that the tools and principles for development  are provided by not only customs, but society as a whole (Berger, 2011). The pioneer of the sociocultural perspective was a man named Lev Vygotsky. By studying the cognitive competency of his diverse society, he developed a theory of guided participation. Guided participation is a technique in which novices learn through shared involvement of an activity with instruction and the participation of a skilled mentor (Berger, 2011). Sociocultural theory places an emphasis on social interaction in learning. Gauvain (1998) stated, â€Å"cognitive development occurs in, and emerges from, social situations† (p.191). Another concept of learning in sociocultural theory is the zone of proximal development (Berger, 2011). The zone of proximal development is the metaphorical zone encompassing a learner that contains all the concepts, skills, and knowledge that the individual is proximal to attaining but cannot yet master without assistance (Berger, 2011). By extension, whether a person is learning a language, social custom, or manual skill, people always learn in the same way, according to sociocultural theory. Although it is true that people do learn in social settings, sociocultural theorists have been criticized for neglecting developmental processes that are not predominantly social (Berger, 2011). Epigenetic theory is centered on the notion that development is influenced by the interaction between genes and the environment. To develop this theory, researchers incorporated many disciplines including biology, chemistry, and genetics (Berger, 2011). Half of epigenetic theory looks at the genetics, referring to the entire genome, and looks at the specific genes that make each person unique and the genes that distinguish humans from other species as well as the genes that all species share. Genes influence all psychological traits as well as mood, metabolism, voice tone, blood type, and much more (Berger, 2011). The other half of epigenetic theory looks at the influence of surrounding factors on genetic expression. These factors are what gives some genes extensive influence while others have no effect (Berger, 2011). As development continues, each person continues along the path established by earlier genetic-environmental interactions, which influences outcomes. According to epigenetic theorists, genes never function alone, their latent  is not realized unless certain epi-factors transpire (Berger, 2011). Furthermore, epigenetic factors also influence groups of people and entire species. One way this happens is through selective adaptation, which is the progression by which humans and other organisms slowly adjust to their environment (Berger, 2011). In other words, over generations, a certain genetic trait in a population will increase or decrease. This depends on whether or not the trait promotes the survival and reproductive capability of that population. The particular environment is what determines which genes are harmful, neutral, or beneficial. According to epigenetic theory, adaptation occurs for all living organisms, regardless of the environment. Unlike sociocultural theory, many facets of epigenetic theory are generally accepted (Berger, 2011). To further explain the interaction of heredity and the environment on human development, one must look further at the role genes play in the development of a person. There are two major contributors to development: the genotype and the phenotype. The genotype is comprised of all the genes of a developing person. The genotype is responsible for the formation of the body and the brain (Berger, 2011). The phenotype is the appearance and behavior manifested in a person. The phenotype is dependent on many genes and the environment, with most traits being polygenic (affected by many genes) and multifactorial (influenced by many factors). Other contributors that influence the phenotype are additive alleles, which can affect height and skin color. Other additive alleles, called epistasis, produce traits that were not previously found in their ancestors (Berger, 2011). Every aspect of human behavior is affected by genes, this includes cognitive and social behavior. Personality and cognitive abilities are affected by many genetic combinations, with the genes relying on the environment for expression. No behavior could exist without genes and without the environment, no gene could be expressed (Berger, 2011). In conclusion, the study of human developments is a science that attempts to understand how people change over time. Developmentalists formed five characteristics that are beneficial for understanding human life at any age:  multidirectional, multicontextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary, and plasticity (Berger, 2011). Additionally, theories of development present introduce organization for understanding the patterns and problems of development. Sociocultural theory suggests that human development is the result of a dynamic interaction between a person and their society, while epigenetic theory is centered on the idea that development is shaped by the interaction between genes and the environment. Every aspect of human behavior is affected by genes and without the environment, no gene could be expressed (Berger, 2011). References Berger, K. S. (2011). The developing person through the life span (8th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. Gauvain, Mary. (1998). Cognitive development in social and cultural context. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 7, 188-192.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

The Conformist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Conformist - Essay Example Because of this, he is assigned a duty by his bosses; to kill a professor. This is because he has some power within him and has worked with the Italian police. The period in which he worked with the police was during the reign of the Mussolini. He goes to exile to show his loyalty to the state. The movie clearly depicts the major psychological needs of the fascism of the Italians whereby conformity easily turns to obsession. The desire of the people leads them to engage in very cruel acts. Marcello’s parents do not satisfy his childhood desires and that is why he becomes greedy. He becomes very furious with people who are close to him. At home, he has a very small room where he studies with several items scattered in the house. He even enjoys the privacy to hold an old pistol that his father once had. This perhaps makes him want to join the police force. He also loves objects that are forbidden. He also evidently very possessive which later makes him suffer (Moravia and Calliope 4). Marcello marries a wife who loves him very much. He finds a strange woman, who marries him during his stay in exile. The woman does not care if Marcello is from a place she has never been to. Marcello is a competent police officer and a silent one too. He can be used to perform a duty that must remain secret. He is assigned to kill his professor, something that he is against. This makes him flee into exile. Falling in love with the woman makes Marcello want to share all that was hidden inside him. The woman is so compelling, that Marcello decides to let the cat out of the sack. Later, his life changes abruptly because of a woman. His corrupt nature reveals itself to his wife and all the people that are close to him. The philosophical needs of Marcello are to be fulfilled this time by a woman who was not initially his. He is very close to the professor who is blind. For this reason,

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Environmental laws Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Environmental laws - Essay Example This however was still being rejected and criticized for cost reasons (Glicksman 63). Animals also deserve to live in a peaceful and habitable environment same as human being and that is the reason there are environmental laws tailored towards ensuring this happens. An example of such law is the Endangered Species Act of 1973 which aims to protect certain species of animals from being completely wiped out through hunting or poaching. However, just like other environmental laws, it is still termed as a waste of resources and time especially since there are many animals in the world. Lastly, there is the pollution which has proven from time immemorial to be a menace to society. The problem was partly taken care of when the Nixon administration passed the Clean Air Act in 1970. This however did not stop the critics and ignorant individuals in society from breaking this act and still polluting the environment. The worse mistake being committed by ignoring these environmental laws is that it is the people and animals who are facing the repercussions of the negative effects of not following these laws including getting sick from water-borne diseases and also respiratory problem as well as killing the almost extinct animal species which could be useful for future

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Design of Desire Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Design of Desire - Research Paper Example Most of the people take a little step further than required in purchasing things which they hardly need or require. They basically buy material they do not have use of, but is just a treat for their eyes and mind. The most of the buying or shopping is based on emotional and feelings of a person, rather than on requirement and need. This kind of consuming behavior is not only a financial loss but also can turn out be an uncontrollable habit which they can get addicted to. â€Å"In today’s consumer- driven society ,satisfying consumer needs has less to with the practical meeting of physical needs and everything to do with gratifying desire based upon emotions†(Danziger 11).This kind of frivolous buying behavior is seen among people who are spontaneous and impulsive and they give more importance to their emotional satisfaction rather than real needs. But this is not the case with all, there are the value of the money, and spend it on things which are more essential to them. However, for the spend thrift behavior of the people can be very well blamed upon the marketing strategy of the manufactures, international companies and designer brand producers. The advertising agenda of these product lines is to capture the mind of the buyer and trap them in buying the product no matter what the situation is. The market in every way advertise products taking in to consideration people who are spend thrifts and extravagant .They promote their product to lure them and motivate them to buy the product as if they are necessary commodity for their household use. Since there is a huge competition in the market the companies indulge in various techniques and tactics to attract the buyers and sell out their products. â€Å"The buying process in influenced by buyer’s mood and psychological factor, social surrounding, time, situational factors, social class culture and so forth†(Steiner 59-62). People are more drawn to buy luxury brand also in a way to remain in

Monday, August 26, 2019

Pimps up, ho's down Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pimps up, ho's down - Essay Example In particular, the goal of the author was not to describe hip hop music or sexism, but to relate hip hop culture with the behavior of black women, especially in their response to the superiority of the black men. The book is a revelation of the worsening case of gender politics. Equally important, the Motivational Education Entertainment (MEE) Productions, Inc., a firm that specializes in research about urban and ethnic groups, also performed a study regarding the views of the Black urban youth on intimacy or sexual activity. The study was titled â€Å"This is My Reality: The Price of Sex: An Inside Look at Black Urban Youth Sexuality and the Role of the Media.† MEE was able to provide a picture of the present day value of sex to the black urban youth, who seems to have become unmindful of the consequences of sex. Apparently, the impact of hip hop culture to the lives of the younger generation has reached the point of affecting their relationship with the self, family, friends , and society. Hip hop is not only a trend, but a culture that is influencing the lifestyle of today’s younger generation. Thus, to a certain extent, because of its profound impact on the lifestyle of the young blacks hip hop culture created sexual abusers. The impact of hip hop culture on the lives of the African American youths is indeed profound to the extent that it is affecting their views about sex and relationships. In particular, the messages that are inflicted in hip hop music are often condemned because of expressing misogyny, or hatred towards women. Hence, the lyrics of hip hop music in it have encouraged the abuse of African American women through words that destroy their image in the society. The abuse of women has continued through the years, and this time not only through words but sexually and emotionally. The world sees movies that show Black women in strip clubs, and the adult entertainment industry obtains profit from this type of dirty business (Sharpley- Whiting 12). More and more men feed their illusion by making women object of sexual abuse. The worsening case of sexual abuse is already being manifested in the things people see in television or hear on the radio. With hip hop music going mainstream, it is no wonder why many adolescent black females are involved in sexual relationships (MEE 23), sexual relationships that bring them to the abuses of men at an early age. Males call their female sexual partners as the shorty while they call their other partner the wifey whom they consider for a long-term relationship (MEE 26). Thus, if one is the shorty better yet expect nothing more than sex. Apparently, hip hop is nowadays more than just a musical genre, for it has become a catalyst of change that influenced the black males to feeling that they are more superior compared to women and that women, at present, are vulnerable and easily deceive by their false promises. In relation to the abuses encountered by young black women in the so ciety, sexual violence, sexism, beat downs, sexual dishonesty and anti-lesbianism are some of the challenges that these women have to deal with in everyday life (Sharpley-Whiting 12). These female difficulties reflect how young black women are being maltreated by some men. However, because of the emergence of hip hop culture, these difficulties were made to appear as if it were a normal part of life (Sharpley-Whiting 12). The â€Å"patriarchal and misogynistic notions of manhood and masculinity combined with racism†

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Introduction to Chinese Culture - Term Papers and the Final Movie Review

Introduction to Chinese Culture - Term Papers and the Final Presentations - Movie Review Example The movie spans from the 1980s when China is undergoing massive reforms in the economic sector. Cheng is a farm boy of bookish tendencies where as Meng is portrayed as a self assured/ confident and highly ambitious human being. Wang is poetic and slightly flaky. The three become friends at the university where they are all endeavoring to obtain visas, with interviews on the same just around the corner. The first among them to successfully obtain a visa is Wang. However, he changes his mind about going to America and opts to remain behind with his girlfriend (who is of Western origin). Cheng, on the other hand, trial upon trial, fails to secure a visa. Meng nonetheless manages to qualify and get a study visa. He seizes his opportunity and leaves for America. As he leaves, he confides in his friends (Wang and Cheng) that he does not plan or desire to come back to China (American Dreams in China, 2013). In the consequent stages of the movie, Cheng’s misfortunes continue to endlessly stalk him. His girlfriend obtains a visa (where he failed) and he is relieved from his teaching position at the university when he is discovered engaging in extra student tuition for monetary gains. In this state of desperation, Wang (who is good at striking good relations with students mainly via Hollywood films) and Cheng decide to set up a school, the New Dream School. The school aims at promoting new methods for English learning to the billions of Chinese students who crave the perceived benefits that arrive with mastery of the English language at the time (predominantly, the possibility of attaining the much coveted foreign/ abroad studies). This school develops to become a major success story. Meng, in America, finds life unbearable and quite unpalatable as he is resigned to odds jobs to earn a living since his English is not perfect. He is essentially living from hand to mouth as a dream consistently progresses into a nightmare. He grows weary and sets back to China where he

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Community Based Correctional Program Research Proposal

Community Based Correctional Program - Research Proposal Example The program is also aimed at assessing the behavioral and psychological traits of individuals in the program, which lead them to participate in chemical abuse. 1. The first objective of the program is to provide primary counseling services for the individuals who have a chemical abuse problem (Marlowe, 2010). This objective will also focus on individualized treatment of the individuals, coupled with constant monitoring and assessment of the offenders. 2. Provide the clients in the program with a highly specialized treatment service for the period in which they are in the program. This will include a completely structured treatment and therapeutic treatment service aimed at identifying and reducing the root of the chemical abuse problem (CCP, 2012). 5. Provide other services that help in improving the chemical and psychological health of the client. These services include anger management, parenting skills, cultural, gender sensitivity, and alcoholic control (CCP, 2012). Since the program is meant to compliment the services of the state in the provision of rehabilitation services, the main clientele served by the program will be individuals who violate their paroles to a level that necessitates their return to prison (Lipton, 1999). These individuals will be mainly composed of violating parolees who are deemed to have a chemical abuse nature and must undergo drug rehabilitation. The second groups to be served by the program include offenders currently undergoing incarceration at state prisons, but are mandated by the regulators and prison boards to undergo chemical rehabilitation (Lipton, 1999). These offenders will be taken out of their prisons and kept in the program facilities. Other clients will be the offenders who are ordered by respective courts to serve chemical dependency programs prior to their release form state and government prison services (Lipton, 1999).

Friday, August 23, 2019

Financial Managment worksheet 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Financial Managment worksheet 2 - Essay Example Then the financial analysis should also incorporate the effect of finishing project A (in 5 years) and starting project C (and continuing it for 2 years) while making the decision between project A and B. If your organization grew by 10% - identify the incremental costs you would incur. What if your organization grew by 100% How/why would the costs differ Discuss this concept in relation to accounting and economic factors. The incremental cost would increase in the same proportion (10%) for some time. This is because the existing fixed cost will not change till the entire existing capacity is exhausted. Up to this stage, there will be a direct relationship between organization growth and increase in incremental costs. However, once the existing capacity is exhausted and there is a need to obtain additional equipment, plant, etc., then the fixed cost will increase as well. In this case, the relationship between incremental cost and organization growth will no longer be 1:1. From economic standpoint, the relationship between incremental cost and organization growth may not be direct even for small growth (10%). This is because there may be other economic factors to consider, for example, potential projects that may have to be let go due to organization growth in one business line. Yes, EVA has an impact on capital budgeting decisions. ... From economic standpoint, the relationship between incremental cost and organization growth may not be direct even for small growth (10%). This is because there may be other economic factors to consider, for example, potential projects that may have to be let go due to organization growth in one business line. Do EVA considerations impact capital budgeting decisions How could a company incorporate the idea of EVA into their capital budgeting decision process Yes, EVA has an impact on capital budgeting decisions. EVA is a method to calculate true economic income of an organization, and should be employed by management in making capital budgeting decisions. Since EVA is the net income of the organization adjusted after incorporating opportunity cost of the invested capital; so the capital that will be used to finance a particular budget should be able to generate enough income to meet EVA and not just financial net profits. EVA = Net income - Capital charge (cost of capital x invested capital) CASE STUDY Introduction This paper consists of financial analysis of two projects in order to select the project which will benefit the company the most. The financial calculations are provided in Appendix 'A' of the paper. The details of the projects are provided below: Project 1 Project 2 Cost $800,000 $650,000 Useful Life 10 years 8 years Salvage Value None None Incremental Sales $500,000 $375,000 Cost of Goods Sold 49% of sales 43% Advertising $50,000 10% of sales Depreciation Straight-line Straight-line Tax rate 40% 40% Discount rate 10% 10% The underlying assumption is that the two projects are equally risky. Recommendation The results of financial analysis reveal that Project 1 is better of the two

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Communicating Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Communicating - Essay Example Other barriers are physical such as media of communication, distance, time, noise etc. Semantic barriers include errors in the process of encoding and/or decoding the messages created mainly due to process, personal and physical barriers. Contrast the communication styles of assertiveness, aggressiveness, and non-assertiveness and discuss the primary sources of nonverbal communication. Assertive style in communication is expressive and self-enhancing and does not violate self or others’ basic human rights such as self respect and dignity. Aggressive style is quite opposite to this, wherein the individual tries to be over expressive and self-centered, and takes advantage of others. A nonassertive style is less confident, hesitant and defensive behavior; this style gives the other person to take unfair advantage of the communicator. Nonverbal communication refers to the messages sent out from actions, body language, tone, and gestures other than words or speech. Usually nonverba l cues can be derived from aspects such as dressing sense and color, gait, standing, positioning, seating arrangement, and ambience also.

The Big Decision Essay Example for Free

The Big Decision Essay An accountant is expected to be both an accountant and a professional. An accountant should follow general professional obligations. After the incidents involving Arthur Anderson, Enron, and WorldCom, the role of a professional accountant was changed. Brooks (2007) stated, â€Å"Professional accountants owe their primary loyalty to the public interest, not just to their own financial interests, company directors or management, or current shareholders at the expense of future shareholders. † (Chap. 1, p. 22). Decisions made by executives should reflect their corporation’s ethical values. In knowing this information, the case of Daniel Potter and his employer Baker Greenleaf raises some concern. I will address the dilemmas of the case, the stakeholders involved, and the course of action that Daniel Potter should take. (Brooks, 2007) Baker Greenleaf is a large accounting firm. Actually, they are one of the Big Eight accounting firms. Daniel Potter was a recent graduate of an Ivy League school before working for Baker Greenleaf. He understood the values and work ethics that he should follow. There came a time when he was assigned an account which was not new to Baker Greenleaf. The account was very important. In the past, Baker Greenleaf shared the account with another Big Eight accounting firm. Baker felt that they should be the only accounting firm that serviced that long-standing account. In order to achieve this, they believed that they needed to deliver a satisfactory performance in their auditing services with the company. After Dan completed the audit, he discovered concerns in which he could not solve. Dan’s estimate and the balance sheet value of real estate property resulted in a difference of opinion which significantly affected the income statement by more than three percent. Dan’s first reaction was to include a subject –to-opinion proviso, which included his findings, along with his report. His supervisor disagreed with his actions and wanted Dan to issue a clean opinion. At the end of the day, Dan’s supervisor removed Dan’s investigation from the files and replaced it with a clean opinion. He also delivered a negative evaluation of Dan’s performance on the audit. The dilemma in this case is that Dan was undecided as to the course of action he should take regarding his analysis that was replaced with his supervisor’s clean opinion (Brooks, 2007). The stakeholders involved in this case were investors, clients, buyers, as well as the company who was presented with the audit. Since the value of the property was inflated to almost two million dollars over its actual value, buyers were being misled. With Baker Greenleaf basically putting their stamp of approval on the audit, they are taking part in their client’s scheme. Baker is more concerned with profits than with the ethical values they should uphold. If the public ever found out about this scheme, the company could possible go out of business and investors could stand losing a great deal of money. Investors, clients, as well as buyers of the real estate are entitled to be aware of the activities that are taking place in the company. Let’s discuss some of the processes of decision making as well as the actions that should be taken. In order to make ethical decisions, accounts should possess values of integrity, honesty, objectivity, skill and discretion. They should also exercise due care, professional skepticism, and pledge to place the needs of the public, the client, the profession, and the employer or firm before the professional’s own self interest. In making an ethical decision, Dan should follow the framework for ethical problem solving which involves eight steps. He should first establish objectivity. Baker Greenleaf is doing the analysis. Their interest is to acquire the long-standing account. The ground rules of the company seem to be honesty and professionalism since the real estate subsidiary gave them problems in the past (Brooks, 2007). Next the problem needs to be identified. The problem is that Dan’s supervisor does not want to submit a report that discloses negative information on the real estate subsidiary. The subsidiary fabricated the value of their larges real estate property at two million dollars when it was actually valued at no more than one hundred thousand dollars. This problem that has been uncovered belongs to the subsidiary as well as Baker Greenleaf. It is a problem for the subsidiary because they are misleading their real estate buyers on the value of the property. Their buyers will buy a property in excess of the amount that is essentially worth. Baker Greenleaf can be help liable for real estate property bought by buyers that was overpriced. Third, Dan should use the five-question framework to analyze the situation. Since Baker Greenleaf is one of the Big Eight accounting firms, they should have ground rules that govern all of their accountants to abide by all rules and possess ethical decision making skills. The stakeholders are the clients and buyers of the subsidiary as well as the subsidiary and Baker Greenleaf. The subsidiary has a right to make any decision regarding their company and their asses, but any decisions related to the audit of the subsidiary are made by Baker Greenleaf. It seems as of the ground rules of the subsidiary are to carry out any means that will generate the most profit for the company. They do not have any ethical principles or rules. Their current rules and principles are not fair to all concerned. Fourth, Dan ought to determine the cause of the problem. The rules are being broken so that the company can make a bigger profit. The rules are being broken Prima facie. After reviewing the evidence, the problem was discovered. Dan’s supervisor doesn’t posses ethical values. He is only concerned about how he will be perceived by the executives within the firm. After that, the objective must be established. The desirable outcome is to report a subject-of-opinion to indicate the material difference in opinion regarding the value of the subsidiary’s largest real estate property. Dan wanted the executives of the firm to be aware that the financial statements were subject to a $1. million dollar adjustment. The timeframe is within the next couple of days. This is measurable. Next, Dan needs to explore his options. Dan can raise his concerns with his partner counselor as well as the personnel department along with any evidence he has exposed. He can also quit the job and look for anther place of employment without any attempt to inform someone else of his findings. The seventh step is to decide on the best solution. If Dan goes to his partner with his concerns, they may or may not look into the situation. If he leaves Baker Greenleaf without informing someone else, they may still have this problem without any knowledge of it. They could possibly be sued by their negligence. The decision to that should be implemented is to inform Dan’s partner counselor as well as the personnel department. It may affect his supervisor’s creditability but the credibility of the firm is much more important. The final step for Dan is to plan and implement the decision. He should gather all evidence showing his findings as well as document when he spoke to his supervisor about the issue. He should also document what was discussed. In the case of Dan and Baker Greenleaf accounting firm, we reviewed the dilemmas of the case, the stakeholders involved, and the course of action that Daniel Potter should take. If the public could bust down the doors of corporate headquarters and demand financial information, then we may not need accountants to validate the information. For now, we must comply with the laws and hope that the people we believe in being honest and ethical continue to be responsible and never forget that the public stakeholders.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Radiographer Abnormality Detection Schemes

Radiographer Abnormality Detection Schemes Maariyah Iqbal   INTRODUCTION In this chapter, the background of the problem will be presented. This will be followed by the research problem as well as the particular purpose and question, specifically highlighting why the topic area chosen is of great interest. 1.1 Background The National Health Service (NHS) provides healthcare for all citizens within the United Kingdom (UK) and it is funded by taxes; the core principles of the NHS are to meet the needs of everyone and it is based on a patients clinical need(s) and not on their ability to pay (Slee et al., 2008). The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2017 provides guidance on how to promote good health as well as prevention and treatment of health. The NHS in England receives over 1 million patients approximately every 36 hours, and this organisation employs over an estimated of 1.5 million people making it to one of the top five worlds largest workforces (NHS Choices, 2016). Despite the success of the services of the NHS there is more work needed to continue to improve services and deliver care (NHS Improvement, 2015). Therefore, the NHS continues to remain under pressure as there are further increases in demand for care (NHS Improvement, 2015). This means an increased demand for all health care practitioners, including Radiographers. The demand for services means increased waiting times, may lead to increased work pressure. To improve services the department of health set an ongoing standard for the NHS where the patient spends four hours or less in the Accident and Emergency (AE) from arrival to admission or discharge (House of commons, 2005). However, a report from the Kings Fund (2016) shows that AE departments are soaring to six million patients attending, this is placing a huge strain on services making it difficult to meet this target. Data from the briefing paper from Houses of Parliament (Appendix 1) show that in some areas such as; Greater London and Manchester there was 26-32% of patients that waited for more than four hours. Increased demands of work continue to leave the NHS under pressure as there are further increases in demand for care, and issues with being able to discharge medically fit patients (NHS Improvement, 2015). Extracted from the quarterly data summary issue (2008), in England one of the main issues surrounding discharging of patients is that they are still awaiting results of tests and discharge forms are not being complete in time (NHS England, 2015). Good planning in regards to discharging is imperative as it will improve patient flow and satisfactory, and can also decrease the chances of patients being readmitted again (Family Caregiver Alliance, 2016). The department of health puts forward ten operating principles in regards to discharging, one of which is the multidisciplinary team working together to plan care, and make decisions on the process and timing of discharging (Nursing Standard, 2010). Professionals can extend their roles beyond their scope of practice, and can be further trained to contribute to discharging of patients which can ease pressures of other staff in the AE department such as; doctors. Research also taken from (Graysons, no date) showed that a search search by the NHS Litigation Authority for descriptions of failure/delay diagnosis or incorrect diagnosis in 2014/15. The results of the response showed, 183 mentions of fractures. This highlighted that misinterpretation of images was also one of the factors of delayed discharge. In the context of clinical imaging, radiographers reporting on images is well established in the UK and it makes a major contribution to clinical imaging services and contribution to multidisciplinary care (The Society of Radiographers, 2017). A study was carried out by Snaith (2007) whereby three reporting radiographers were trained to discharge patients or refer to AE (Accident Emergency) for further assessment. The results were significant and showed that that 1760 examinations were reviews, 5% of these were discharged and 2% were referred. However, the number of patients recalled due to incorrect interpretation was decreased by 52% in those 4 months compared with the previous 3 years data (The College of Radiographers, 2017). This shows that Radiographers can extend their role not just within clinical imaging services, but also outside of their department by contributing to the management of patients and decreasing the risk of radiographic misinterpretation. Initially, radiographers produce high quality images of the body, screen for abnormalities and take part in surgical examinations to identify and diagnose injury and disease (The National Careers Service, 2016). Thus, being able to distinguish between normal and abnormal appearances that are evident on images is one of the standards that should be met by a radiographer (HCPC, 2017). The red dot system is implemented by radiographers in emergency departments to highlight acute abnormalities. Radiography Abnormality Detection Schemes (RADS) is one of the ways in which radiographers interpret images produced. They are able to make an initial interpretation on images obtained which gives them a proactive role in the diagnostic process, and assists doctors in the correct interpretation of radiographic images (SoR, no date). However, despite there being a set standard for radiographers to meet. Clinical imaging services are under increasing pressure year on year as radiographers are required to enhance the quality of the image, productivity, which is difficult due to staffing levels (Beardmore, 2013). In addition, these problematic areas can have a knock-on effect on other significant areas within the NHS; such as supervision of newly qualified and students that are training there. After research, the author has found that there is a variation in of training in hospitals and university, as the time that students spend on clinical placement has found to be different. The University of Leeds (2017) 50% of the course is in clinical placement, however, students at the Birmingham City University (2017) spend 35% of their course on clinical placement. This highlights there is a variation in clinical placement and this could affect the new registrants that may not be equally competent once qualified or even mee t a certain threshold. Ultimately, all students must meet specific standards in order to receive their Health and care professions council (HCPC) registration to be able to become and work as a newly qualified radiographer (the Society and College of Radiographers, 2017). The HCPC is an independent regulator, it regulates 15 other professions besides radiographers, they are established to protect the public by maintaining a register of all those that hold the protected title of social worker, so that registrants practice safely, legally and effectively (University of Bedfordshire, 2017). The HCPC set standards, approve courses that meet those standards, register those who pass the courses and clinical competencies, and hold them to their standards. In relation to diagnostic radiography, they set standards of proficiency for all radiographers which set out safe and effective practice, it covers areas in depth; so, all radiographers should be able to maintain fitness and practice (Health and Care Professions Council, 2013), this is elaborated on further from on section 3 to 3.3 (Appendix 2). It is vital that all standards that are discussed and mentioned, are met in order to be able to receive the registration. Additionally, once qualified and registered under the HCPC; a newly qualified radiographer is supported on their job role by a period of preceptorship. Although there is no defined period of preceptorship it is support for those that have newly qualified. It is a period of adaptation to a job role, consolidating knowledge and skills till he or she is able to work as an autonomous radiographer. (The Society and College of Radiographers, 2017). Moreover, as there is a shortage of staff as the NHS staff survey conducted in 2013 that showed that the staff stated that they felt under pressure and over worked, as they were working extra hours increasing from 69.7% to 70.5% from the previous year (UNISON, 2014). This highlights that training students, or even supporting staff within an organisation can be difficult as staff can be difficult due to staffing issues and work pressures. However, from research the author has found that an increase of patients will mean an increase in the range and capability of clinical images which will consequent needs of training radiographers to safely extend their roles. Moreover, initial training whereby it leads to either role extension, or continuing professional development are integral to radiographic practice (The Society of Radiographers, 2017). Radiographers are expected to build on their postgraduate qualifications and clinical managers are encouraged to embed this use of learning tool in radiographers personal development reviews (The Society of Radiographers, 2017). In context, of this radiographer are able to extend their roles by Radiographer Abnormality Detection Schemes (RADS). RADS allows radiographers to red dot images which put a mark on the image suggesting there is an abnormality present (Carver and Carver, 2012). Thus, making it easier for the clinician/referrer to look at when reporting on it. Being able to implement RADS can help to reduce errors and improve accuracy (Chan, 2007). The aim of this system is to assist emergency departments, especially when there is a shortage of staff such as; radiologists that do the reporting w hich helps location of the abnormality to be commented on sooner (Coelho and Rodrigues, no date). The basis of the problem around RADS will now be further discussed, which will be able to give an insight of the purpose of this research. 1.1 Research Problem RADS has become an accepted norm for radiographers (Carver and Carver, 2012). Before implementing RADS, it is essential that radiographers are able to evaluate and manipulate images for quality purposes which allows them to the be able to understand the image to implement RADS. A study carried out by Brearly et al., 2005 which looked at the accuracy of radiographers use of the red dot system with and without training on this area, and whether or not they can assess how a normal image would be presented. There was a significant improvement found in the sensitivity for detecting abnormalities, however, there was no change in the actual specificity. This highlights that, after training took place radiographers were able to red dot more images than before the training took place, however, the number of radiographs that radiographers selected as being normal there was no change found. Therefore, the validity of this study is limited as it not clear on whether the sample of radiographs before and after training were comparable. However, Hardy and Culpan (2007) carried out a study whereby they assessed radiographers before and after training in their ability to red dot images. They introduced a training programme for 10 weeks, the results showed that their accurac y as a group increased for 89.9% to 93% and their sensitivity (number of abnormal images) however, the specificity (number of normal images) decreased slightly from 96.4% to 96.1%. The study highlights, that although the results are not statistically significant, with appropriate training it can have an overall positive effect on the use of radiographer abnormality detection schemes. Despite there being a significant amount of research on this topic area, there is no clear evidence whether or not training improves the implementation of red dotting. 1.1 Research purpose and question The purpose of this research is to give an insight on whether training improves newly qualified radiographers in implementing RADS in practice or not. This case will be further developed with the use of a literature review. References Birmingham City University. (2017). Diagnostic Radiography: BSc (Hons). Available: http://www.bcu.ac.uk/courses/diagnostic-radiography-2017-18. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017 Net Doctor. (2017). What is the NHS?. Available: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health-services/nhs/a4489/what-is-the-nhs/. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. NHS Choices . (2016). The NHS in England. Available: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/thenhs/about/Pages/overview.aspx. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. NHS Improvement. (2015). NHS providers working hard, but still under pressure . Available: https://improvement.nhs.uk/news-alerts/nhs-providers-working-hard-still-under-pressure/. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. Teesside University. (2017). BSc (Hons) Diagnostic Radiography. Available: https://www.tees.ac.uk/undergraduate_courses/Health__Social_Care/BSc_(Hons)_Diagnostic_Radiography.cfm. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. The Kings Fund. (2017). Demand for NHS services soars to record levels. Available: https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/press/press-releases/demand-nhs-services-soars-record-levels. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. The National Careers Service. (2016). Radiographer. Available: https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/radiographer. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. UNISON. (2014). Running on empty NHS staff stretched to the limit. Available: https://www.unison.org.uk/content/uploads/2014/04/On-line-Catalogue222452.pdf. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. Parliamentary. (no date). Accident and Emergency Statistics: Demand, performance and pressure. Available: http://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/SN06964. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. The Health and Care Professions Council. (2017). Standards of Proficiency. Available: http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10000DBDStandards_of_Proficiency_Radiographers.pdf. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. The Society of Radiographers. (no date). Radiographer abnormality detection schemes in the trauma environment. Available: http://www.sor.org/system/files/article/201109/ab_detection_clinical_260607.pdf. Last accessed 9th Feb 2017. https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=j8vohIcgiiACpg=PA264dq=what+is+red+dotting+in+radiographyhl=ensa=Xved=0ahUKEwia0cm_h4vSAhVTF8AKHXsnDu0Q6AEIQDAG#v=onepageq=what%20is%20red%20dotting%20in%20radiographyf=false https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_W0RhyluKncCpg=PT33dq=why+is+the+red+dot+system+importanthl=ensa=Xved=0ahUKEwimt62ak4vSAhVpJ8AKHUm6DPoQ6AEIGjAA#v=onepageq=why%20is%20the%20red%20dot%20system%20importantf=false http://repositorio.chporto.pt/bitstream/10400.16/842/1/CR11a.pdf https://www.researchgate.net/publication/6998900_Accuracy_of_radiographers_red_dot_or_triage_of_accident_and_emergency_radiographs_in_clinical_practice_A_systematic_review https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=5Hf4xWVXwxoCpg=PA376dq=The+National+Health+Service+(NHS)+provides+healthcare+for+all+citizens+within+the+United+Kingdom+(UK)+and+it+is+funded+by+taxes.hl=ensa=Xved=0ahUKEwjm3tWB-Y3SAhWKD8AKHbTzAtcQ6AEIGjAA#v=onepageq=The%20National%20Health%20Service%20(NHS)%20provides%20healthcare%20for%20all%20citizens%20within%20the%20United%20Kingdom%20(UK)%20and%20it%20is%20funded%20by%20taxes.f=false https://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200405/cmselect/cmpubacc/445/445.pdf http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/?EntryId45=59854 http://www.radiographyonline.com/article/S1078-8174(05)00159-8/abstract http://www.graysons.co.uk/advice/the-top-misdiagnosed-conditions-in-nhs-hospitals/#misdiagnosed https://www.caregiver.org/hospital-discharge-planning-guide-families-and-caregivers http://journals.rcni.com/userimages/ContentEditor/1373367855606/Discharge-planning.pdf http://www.radiographyonline.com/article/S1078-8174(03)00069-5/abstract https://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/departments/appliedsocialstudies/reforms-in-social-work-education/the-health-and-care-professions-council-hcpc http://www.radiographyonline.com/article/S1078-8174(05)00159-8/abstract Appendices Appendix 1: AE waiting times in England: Patients spending over 4 hours in major AE departments (Parliamentary, no date) Appendix 2 (Health and Care Professions Council, 2013). Further websites could be used https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232221820_Evaluating_the_true_clinical_utility_of_the_red_dot_system_in_radiograph_interpretation could be used for intro and literature review http://shura.shu.ac.uk/9450/1/Naylor_PhD.pdf

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Importance Of Sound In Movies Film Studies Essay

Importance Of Sound In Movies Film Studies Essay As we know, the film sound design is divided into two main categories. The first is sound effects design, mostly non-musicals. The second is film scores composing, in other words, the background music that is written specifically along with a film, mostly musicals. Film score ought to contain cue tracks. Each track is an individual piece, which will typically be a composition from instruments. Nowadays, a growing number of film scores include a mixture of orchestral and electronic instruments. The notion of a point of audition can have two meanings: 1. A spatial sense: from where do I hear, from what point in the space represented on the screen or on the soundtrack? 2. A subjective sense: which character, at a given moment of the story, is hearing what I hear? (Chion, 1994) Sound is indexical in our natural way of listening. Sound conveys time information more accurately than visuals. When sound occurs, an event of material interaction is taking place. Sound fertilises and enhances the visual landscape, makes us able to make an outline of information about the source as well as the cause. In short words, sound reflects the physical reality of the scene, immerses the listener into the world, which makes the environment comes alive. What is important to the audience is to know what produces the sound and where it comes from. Diegetic sound is sound whose apparent source is in the space-time continuum of the scene onscreen. Diegetic sound is sound that the film leads us to believe the characters can hear. (Chion, 2009) For indicating the materiality of the sound source more accurately, the dimensions and distances more precisely, sound effects design has more to be considered. While some sound effects are recorded while they are produced, most of them are added or created afterwards. Production mixers normally ask that all action cease for a few moments on each location so that they may record the continuous background ambient sound in that space, such as water lapping on shore. Editors will later have to reinsert ambience under dialogue and effects created during postproduction for continuity with production sound. Sounds from disparate sources must be adjusted with tools like equalisers and filters to match and flow seamlessly. Choices of characteristics imparted to the sound in reverberation, pacing, timbre, volume, and mixing of sounds with each other may not only decide our sense of the physical reality of the space, but also suggest a number of feelings, such as loneliness, joys, paranoia and so on. Reverberation is an essential tool for placing a sound in a space to indicate how far we are from a sounds source. You can clarify an element of the plot with sound, or you can make things more ambiguous, which is often what you want to do. In such close-ups of sound we must be careful, however, to bear in mind the specific nature of sound which never permits sound to be isolated from its acoustic environment as a close-up shot can be isolated from its surroundings. Music played in a restaurant cannot be completely cut out if a special close-up of say two people softly talking together in a corner is to be shown. The band may not always be seen in the picture, but it will always be heard. The close- ­up will contain the whole acoustic atmosphere of the restaurant space. Thus we will hear not only the people talking, we will also hear in what relation their talking is to the sounds all round them. We will be able to place it in its acoustic environment. (Weis, 1985) Sound can heighten realism or it can diminish it. Sound can draw attention to a detail or draw attention away from it. (Sider, 2003) The microphone is not as selective. The sound designers have to eliminate that unintended cacophony from global for audience. The camera shoots directly at a ticking clock, we may hear the ticking. But a few seconds after the character looks away, the ticking will be gradually dropped out. Inception is a film that tells a story about inception of idea in dream. The movie itself is a mind altering brainstorm and an intelligent experience. It implants much plot clue using a very good sound design. In fact, it is also a successful aural inception. This is a going through of all the interesting technical points in this film. The thing that differs Inception from the other film is the simultaneous hierarchy architecture. It is common in this film that multilayers of sound happen at the same time in the movie. And in different levels of dream, the audience get different pace of sound. You can tell somebody what part of the world they are in, depending on what kinds of sound you play. The basic timeline and plot are based on dream within a dream. Even if the characters are in dreams, we expect them to follow the laws of physics. The very use of sound in this film is that the sound is used for connecting the different layers of dreaming. The song used for the musical countdown to make the dreaming characters aware of the impending kick is Non, Je ne Regrette Rien by Edith Piaf. There are 3 versions of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien, which are the original, the slowed version and the super-slowed version. When time is shifting between the dreams, the original Non, Je ne Regrette Rien is slowing down and being cross-faded with Zimmers score. When the musical countdown is heard down a level from its origin, its slowed down by 300%, and when it passes down another level, it slows by 300% again. By slowing down Non, Je ne Regrette Rien by 300%, the sound becomes very similar to the slow horns in Half Remembered Dream at the beginning of the film. When Cobb and Ariadne descend into limbo, without any headphones on to re-adjust the tempo of the music, that same score is heard slowed down by 300%. As Cobb and Ariadne wash up on the shores of Cobbs subconscious, the loudest and most drawn-out horn section of the entire soundtrack takes place in the end of the score 528491. The audience is not the only part involved hearing the slowed score, but so are the characters in the film. Many different films have made use of first person perspectives. It is just like experiencing life from the  first  person  point of view of  Malkovich in the movie Being John Malkovich  (1999). The first-person aural perspective has an immense impact on viewing film. The first person perspectives will surely make the audience feel in the characters way. The audience hears what exactly the characters hear. Since the characters can hear the music with us, the score itself is a hint at what layer of a dream we are viewing. Knowing this, it becomes possible to distinguish between dream and reality by merely hearing the music. The fact that score never dips into the slow droning in the reality level is a pretty good proof that the top level in the movie is indeed reality. The better-defined film sound became in the high frequency range, the more it induced a rapid perception of what was onscreen. This film has a very good dynamic frequency range. As for low frequency, there is the shaking of the building and the thunder sound. As for high frequency, there is water lapping and the gun shot recording. Mysterious electronic sound at the beginning implies that it is going to be a very unusual film. The water lapping and waves sound on shore goes from right to left according to the water flowing on screen. It can be a live record, but more probably is reinserted when post production. We Built Our Own World begins when Cobb is lying on the shore. It provides a strong sense of desolation when Cobb is looking at his children, which means he is not in the reality. The sound of spinning top is much louder than it should be because the filmmaker wants us to focus on the spinning top but not anything else. Then the spinning sound gradually fades out after switching views. Recording the background voices in a restaurant where Cobb was having a meal with Saito was a clever way of delivering the idea that they were in a very big building. We can hear low-frequency noise which sounds like the ground that is shaking at the same time. And then it gets louder and louder. All the above information that sound conveys is a clue that they are actually in dreams and lay the groundwork for the building collapse soon after that. Later the audience can hear the shaking sound of the tables and the glasses very clearly. Then the ticking sound of the clock goes faster and faster, which means we are travelling from dream to reality. Without sound, the audience do not even know what is going on. Sound inevitably carries much useful information in this collapsing scene indeed. The audience can hear background riot voices when there is only inside-house shots taking on, which means these background voices come from the riot people outside. Then we hear a simulated explosion sound which makes us feel we are in the scene. When Cobb is talking with Mal, we can hear ambience sound of water lapping sound again while we cannot see the shore, which means the shore is right beside the building. One Simple Idea takes place when Cobb is trying to steal an idea from Saito in dream. That is obviously a working theme that calms the audience down and tells the audience that Cobb is in the process of doing something important. Sound designer should record the building collapsing sound or simulate it in post-production in order to immense the audience into a surround atmosphere of danger. The background music Dream Is Collapsing is a magnificent piece that we can feel the dream is in the process of collapsing. In the gun shot scene, we cannot see the bullet or the fire light but we can hear very loud gunshot so that we know they are firing at each other. When Cobb is falling into water, it seems that we can hear what Cobb is hearing. Because Cobb is dreaming, so actually he is in two layers of world. In the upper layer dream, we here the water bubble sound when Cobb is drowning into water and water is running into his ears, thus causing a reverberation. But in the dream within a dream, the water is crushing into the building from everywhere, and then we should hear a sound like massive water drop on the ground, which is very similar to waterfall sound. When the scene goes back to drowning Cobb, we hear a pulse with its frequency getting faster and faster, which means he is crossing one dream layer up. We can hear the sound of a moving train when we see the characters are sleeping and dreaming together, which means in reality they are actually dreaming in a moving train. The sound designer perfectly builds up three layers of world using sound as a clue to the audience, but it is hard for the audience to notice these little clues. Anyway the sound clue will become clear when the audience watch the film a second time. When the dreaming character listens to the music on headphone, the audiences hear Non, Je ne Regrette Rien as if they are the dreaming character. Again there are two layers of sound at the same time. In the dream layer, the character can only hear a highly filtered version of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien in a low voice as if someone is whispering beside the ears. Sound images are often used in the film for the purpose of creating an atmosphere. Just as the film can show visual landscapes, so it can show acoustic landscapes. (Weis, 1985) Sound can describe an acoustic space. (Sider, 2003) Sometimes sound is simple enough to tell the audience what is happening, we do not need an extra visual image showing the detail. When Cobb drags Saito to the ground, there is no image showing Cobb has loaded the gun, but the audience hear a bullet loaded sound, which means Cobb is threatening Saito and probably he is going to kill Saito if Saito does not tell the secret of his company. That same thing happens again in the scene when Cobb is about to kill himself in dream. When Cobb is playing the spinning top, we hear the familiar Old Souls again. Every time when Cobb is not sure if he is in dream, the theme Old Souls will appear. It feels like a looping paradox. We can never make it right; we can never go out of the paradox. That is what Zimmer tries to convey to the audience through Old Souls. When Cobb is having conversation through telephone, we hear Cobb is speaking normally, but obviously reverberation is added to the voices come from the other end and these voices are so clear as if we are hearing it from Cobbs first person perspective. The sound designer has to make it clear so as the audience will not miss any information or emotion that Cobb receives from the telephone. When they mention Mal in the telephone, the background music suddenly changes into a soft and sad piece. That means Mals dead is really a nightmare for Cobb. He cannot stop his endless grieve about Mal. The microphone is placed in two places to record the speech in a big concert room between Cobb and his architect teacher. At first it is a close-up record. When the scene changes into a wide shot, the audience can hear a distant record version with more echoes which makes the ambience sounds more realistic than before. And that truly helps push the audience into the world. During the conversation, the background music Old Souls comes up again because they are talking about the idea of designing dream. One Simple Idea is a good choice of background music when Cobb is teaching Ariadne how to design a dream world like maze. That music simply draws the audiences attention to difficult staff they are going through but not itself. That is to say, when background music goes off or goes down without any supporting emotion, it leaves the space for the audience to stay in the visual and the profound idea naturally. To make the story more logical and each plot scene connected better, a good, logical and complicated sound design is required. Even if it is in dreams, the ambience sound goes like it is in reality. When Cobb is talking with Ariadne, the voices of the other people around are still available. In order to surprise the audience with a later explosion scene, the designer would rather let the audience believe this is a reality scene at first. So everything sounds as normal as daily life at the beginning. In fact few people can notice that the Non, Je ne Regrette Rien is fading in in the explosion scene when the dream is collapsing, which means the headphone on Ariadnes ear is playing to wake her up. A ground moving sound is simulated in the scene that Ariadne is folding the ground upside down in her dream. Everybody knows there is no way to record this sound in real life, we have to record the other sound, such as rock moving on the ground, to replace the imagined sound in the scene to make it sounds like what it should be. Radical Notion is on the way when Ariadne makes everything functioning radical and unbelievable in her experimental dream. The two gradually switching chords make us feel the way like How could it be like that? What an amazing thing! If the scene has a big change, it is a good practice to insert a background music which is in completely different style from the music in the scene before. Actually the Mombasa theme has already begun long before the chasing takes place, but again it is a gradually fading in, which means something excited should be just around the corner. We can hear sound similar to helicopter and also the sound of wind when Mal is sitting on the window. The moment when she jumps out, the background music suddenly changes into a sad tune. That seems to say it is not in dream but in reality. So it deserves to be a tragedy definitely. And this theme lasts until Cobbs narration is over. When they are taking action to hijack the son of the companys head, the music becomes very intense from that time. When Arthur is having gun fire, we hear the sound from his angel but not enemies angel because we only need a first person record. The sound the enemies are hearing is not that important to the plot. We can notice that whenever the speech between the characters is over, the background music will soon get louder. The sound designer does not want the background music cover our semantic listening. It is always a serious headache to record the sound when several driving cars are firing at each other, because there is often fast switching shot. In the film, the car braking sound, the gun fire sound, the braking glass sound because of the gun shot and the water lapping sound, every sound mix with each other at exactly the same time. So post production edit for the recorded sound is obviously needed at this specific moment. Some part of the sound is reinforced while some is reduced or diminished. It is the way to select useful sound information for the audience. When we see a close-up shot of a glass of water is shaking, we get a glass shaking sound. After the shot switches to peoples face, we still get that glass shaking sound. This time we know what it is the glass that is generating the sound. And also we can judge the shaking intensity simply by the acquiring the volume of the glass shaking sound. When the glass hits the table and breaks, we hear a sound which is similar to metal ringing and the ringing keeps lasting for a long time. And that is the time when Cobbs attention is extracted by his subconscious. That ringing is a clue that he may lose himself in thinking about Mal and his children. He simply cannot run away from the idea. The sound designer has to think of a best way to deliver the sound in a virtual environment. When the scene is switching between two levels of dream, especially at the conjunction point, sound effects do not necessary have to complete a sudden change. Sometimes for the consideration for continuity the sound from the upper level will pass on to the next level. The wind blowing sound and water lapping sound from the upper level become the thunder sound causing by the strange weather in the next level. This is a very good example of designing sound according to the requirement of plot and environment. I have to say that this is really a very smart sound design. A close-up shot on Robert Fischers face with a thunder sound above makes the whole scenery more nervous. Robert Fischer definitely feels anxious about being in dream with a strange continuing thunder sound above. The very clear fast breathing sound of Robert Fischer also reveals his anxiety. We can hear almost all the detail from Robert Fischers mouth so clear that it sounds like the microphone is just around the mouth of Robert Fischer. Thus it has to be a later recorded version of syncing facial expression with a close-up recorded sound. The messy footsteps sound is a good way to show a chaotic scene, thus reflects peoples tension. When Robert Fischer is escaping with Cobb from the men who were sent to abduct Robert Fischer, the sound of footstep is getting louder and quicker. At the best part of the film when five levels of dream are interacting and the shots keep switching between these five levels every few seconds, there is no speech, only the sound effects with magnificent background music which sounds like orchestra march. That particular background piece makes up the best part of the film, telling the audience this should be a spectacular moment that they would never see in any other film. In a word this piece stirs the emotion to the climax of the whole film. When the characters on the third and fourth level of the dream put on headphone on the second level, they hear a distorted version of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien. All the perception on the upper level has a reflection effects on the deeper level. In here, the music reflection effect is distortion music sound. The music at the shore of Cobbs subconscious is a woozy piece. It makes us dont know where we are. In fact it is the fifth level of dream. It is also desolation piece that few people can enter this level of dream so far. It becomes a strong kick with a long horn when the music Non, Je ne Regrette Rien is on. This time it is not a distorted version, it is a new recorded slow version of Non, Je ne Regrette Rien. Let us take a look at the film score part of sound design. What can film score does to the film? The obvious first thing to say: It makes you feel a certain way. It adds emotion, it evokes feelings, and it creates a mood. They can establish the pace of a scene. Directors are constantly asking composers to write a piece of music which will make the scene seem to go faster, or slower, than it goes. (Sider, 2003) A good film score will push the audience into the movies plot. It should reach the perfect interaction point between audio and visuals. Usually the composer is shown an unpolished rough cut of the film, and talks to the director about what music styles should be followed. Once a composer has the film, they will then work on composing the score. Some composers prefer to work with traditional paper scores, but if it comes to score like Inception that contains odd ambient and electronic noises, it has to be written in a computer-based environment. In some instances, film composers may be asked by the director to imitate a specific style. As seen in many film DVDs, the orchestra performs in front of a large screen depicting the movie, assisting the conductor to synchronize the music with the film. Films often have different themes for important characters, events, ideas or objects. So we divide the whole soundtrack into pieces of scores. By convention, the film soundtrack is constructed so as not to draw the audiences attention to itself but to accompany the film unless it is part of the plot. The director, composer, and music editor will have a spotting session, running through and agreeing on where and what kind of music is needed. The composer of the Inception scores is Hans Zimmer, whose music is characterized by high audible. Because Inception is based on the practice of entering dreams and planting an idea in someones head, the soundtracks to Inception should be designed as dream-like and create a complete sonic world to immerse the audience into each layers of the dreams. The original soundtrack album is largely an atmospheric album. The soundtrack has to be composed in ways that are quite unrealistic so that the audience will not notice the background music. Listening to this soundtrack really guide me to recall most of the main plot, at the same time music is the perfect embodiment of the films theme. It is an aural journey into ones imagination which creates images and story lines in my mind. It is a soundtrack to the imagination, or perhaps, dreams. In viewing period, the film score will never grab the limelight of the film itself, but to help the audience build up the courage of the dream and promote the development of the plot. Inception movie scores rely more on real live instruments rather than digital audio samples. The whole soundtrack is a combination of electronic and classical. Traditional orchestra can be heard here and there in each track. Some cues even play with electric guitar, odd ambient and electronic noises. Dream Is Collapsing is one of the most powerful tracks in the score. It is seen as perfectly rational that all characters in this scene keep calm and behave naturally with having a house collapse. This technique increases the contrast of the characters rational behaviour against the powerful background score which tells the audience that it deserves to be a nervous scene. Dream is Collapsing is very well done and incredibly addictive. Dream is Collapsing is the most memorable song. Radical Notion begins with heart beat which makes the audience lulled into a false sense of security. Those low chords that switch up and down before lie underneath strings as if a beast is softly breathing, or perhaps, it implies that it is the dreamer who is breathing, and always with a slowed down version. Recurring figure, musical fragment or succession of notes that has some special importance in or is characteristic of a composition Radical Notion is a track that walks in familiar territory in terms of the string ostinatos. It is a motif which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. It is a succession of equal sounds, wherein each note always has the same weight or stress. The repeated idea may be a rhythmic pattern in itself. Starts off playing the main motif rather dramatically then dips into some too cool for school stuff before playing around with the little motif some more. The last moments of the track gets aggressive. Old Souls reflects Mals anxious about living in dreams. It makes the audience puzzled, wondering if they are living in dreams. And the vibrating electronic underscoring is used in such a special way. It is a long and effective track that continues the atmospheric feelings of the album. Old Souls is a cue that leads us into the conversation between Cobb and Mal and make every audience puzzled with what they are doing and why they are acting like that. Most of the original background cues have something in common, but some of cues have slight differences. Mombasa is the only percussion in the score, which has distinctive flavour from the rest of the score. What is occurring on screen is a chasing scene which lasts about 4 minutes. Thus the accompanying soundtrack should be a very fast on-going rhythm in order to provoke audiences emotions. The Hi Octane element provides intense personal experience and delivers a paranoid sense of being chased when Cobb is running to get out of the chasers. It has a fairly light start, but it soon explodes into an action cue. Dream within a Dream brings back the motif heard in Dream is Collapsing but adds some too cool for school percussion. Waiting for a Train is the longest cue of all, which feels very mysterious and nostalgic when there are too many musical elements and emotion changing blended in. Around 3 minutes, it changes the feeling completely and the atmosphere becomes a little darker in nature. At around 5:30, it gets more dramatic as there are almost only synths left. In stark contrast, Edith Piaf is in there at around 7:04. Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien is a classic, but it still sounded strange there. The female voice wakes up the dreamers. All of these form 9 minutes and 29 seconds of continuous wonderfulness. Great inspirational scores and soundtracks should all have the quality of independence from their intended film. Time may be one of the most beautiful epic songs in the soundtrack that can be appreciated independently from Inception. It gives a sense of closure by building up an emotional thread from beginning to end. There is no doubt that Time should be the main title in this original soundtrack album. The piano gets the view feeling sentimental, which brings tears to the eyes, especially at the very end after the audience has experienced all the dreams in the film. This is probably the one that most people will truly love and listen to a thousand times without being tired of. What Time did was no pure sensationalism, the fate of a sense of desolation in which the melody is along with the spinning top, so that we cannot distinguish if it is a dream or not. It is not just orchestral music, but every form of music because you never know when you might need to use some electric guitars. Great composers adapt to the story and to their directors vision. It can be said that sounds greatest influence on the film is manifested at the heart of the image itself. (Chion, 1994)

Monday, August 19, 2019

Deceptive First Impressions in Morrisons Jazz Essay -- Toni Morrison

Deceptive First Impressions in Morrison's Jazz      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The novel Jazz by Toni Morrison is an extremely well written account of black life during the mid 1850's to the late 1920's. Morrison manipulates the three main character's personas while analyzing their lives to show the effect that a person's history has on their present day life. The most interesting thing I found concerning this novel has the way in which Toni Morrison was able to   present you with a first impression of the characters, then proceed through history, to give you a new conception of their character. This is seen through three important individuals: Violet, Joe, and Dorcas. At the beginning, Violet is depicted as crazy and foolish, but through the interpretation of her history, a clearer picture of a woman in love is presented. At first, Joe is seen as a man without standards who is simply a cheating husband who kills his girlfriend, but this also is abolished when the extenuating circumstances of his history are described. Dorcas plays the r ole of the piteous,innocent woman who is stuck in the middle of this crisis at the beginning, but is relieved of this generalized characterization through her actions towards Joe and her search for self-satisfaction. Even though the history that is recounted in this novel is more gossip than fact, it presents a more accurate story than the one depicted in the â€Å"offical story† located at the beginning of the novel. Toni Morrison attempts, through these three characters to illustrate how the narrator's perception of each character's history can alter the reader's understanding of a character's actions. Through this technique, she is able to demonstrate that circumstances andevents are not always as simple or truthful ... ...th explanations for certain behavior and prohibits the reader from jumping to unsound conclusions. Through knowing their personal history the reader's perception of the three characters is distinctly changed: Violet is no longer seen as crazy; Joe is not seen as the cold-hearted, adulterous murderer anymore; and Dorcas transforms from an innocent young girl to a more callous, immature, child solely concerned with self-satisfaction and a longing for belonging. Although the chronological style Toni Morrison uses is not unique, the reader finds it very useful for it allows them to experience the events as though they were being remembered by the characters. Through the characters in this novel, Toni Morrison is able to teach the reader a familiar lesson about life: not to judge a book by its cover. Works Cited Morrison, Toni.   Jazz.   New York: Plume, 1992.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Comparing HG Wells The Time Machine and Mark Twains Connecticut Yankee :: Mark Twain Connecticut Yankee

Comparing HG Wells' The Time Machine and Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee Connecticut Yankee was written in 1889 by Mark Twain. A man is taken from 19th century America and taken to 6th century England. Using his wits He is quickly able to put himself in a position of rank in the court of Camelot. He then introduces many modern inventions and ideas to the society in an attempt to bring it to what was considered the â€Å"right† way in the 19th Century. This shows how much influence a single man can have in the society around him. There is also a conflict of ideas in this book that leads to his eventual downfall and return to the 19th century. Throughout literature and history there have been many instances where a single man and his idea and beliefs have changed the course of events and shaped a society around his individual beliefs. These men have shaped history and the worlds that they live in. Connecticut Yankee is a prime example of such a man in a world, where his ideas cause a dramatic change. Hank Morgan was pulled from his world and taken to one that is a total opposite of his. Seeing that he cannot return to his world he then tries to transform Camelot to the world he remembers, 19th century America. Morgan enters a world of slavery, poverty, and control of the masses by a few select people. This world is completely different than what he is accustomed to and what he believes. He is in a world of superstition and lies. He uses his knowledge of a solar eclipse and plays it like if he where making the sun disappear. This gets him the position of Head wizard and second only in command to the king himself and it saves him from burning at the stake. The Camelot that Twain places Hank Morgan is a complete opposite to the world he comes from. He views them as a pack of uneducated fools and savages. This situation is much like that of the Time Traveler in H.G. Wells the Time Machine. Instead of going back in time he goes forward in time where the Eloi and the Morlocks, different races of people, are thrown back to primitive conditions. He talks to Eloi and sees them as little children who the Morlocks exploit for food and labor.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

According to the US Department of Labor Essay

* The time employees spend in meetings, lectures, or training is considered hours worked and must be paid, unless attendance is outside regular working hours, the attendance is voluntary, the course, lecture, or meeting is not job related or the employee does not perform any productive work during. attendance. * If employees on their own initiative attend an independent school, college, or independent trade school after hours, the time is not hours worked for their employer even if the courses are related to their jobs http://www.dol.gov/overtime Based on the above considerations, the employee has no potential FLSA claim because the overtime he is claiming is not required by the company to perform his physical tests. He can stay fit and in shape and can be trained well with in his job itself and there is no requirement by the company to take additional training to continue to stay in SWAT but he felt that he needed extra training and has nothing to with the company. So as per FLSA Mr.Murphy has no potential claim to collect the overtime for 36 months. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay The five things an employer can do to insure compliance with FLSA and avoid claims are: 1.Classify the employees properly Try to classify the employees based on exempt and non-exempt status based on FLSA regualtions. There is a whole list of exempt employees according to US department of labour and some of that list includes: * Commissioned sales employees of retail or service establishments are exempt from overtime if more than half of the employee’s earnings come from commissions and the employee averages at least one and one-half times the minimum wage for each hour worked. You may also wish to review the applicable regulation. * Computer professionals: Section 13(a)(17) of the FLSA provides that certain computer professionals paid at least $27.63 per hour are exempt from the overtime provisions of the FLSA. * Drivers, driver’s helpers, loaders and mechanics are exempt from the overtime pay provisions of the FLSA if employed by a motor carrier, and if the employee’s duties affect the safety of operation of the vehicles in transportation of passengers or property in interstate or foreign commerce. You may also wish to review the applicable regulation. * Farmworkers employed on small farms are exempt from both the minimum wage and overtime pay provisions of the FLSA. You may also wish to review the specific regulation. Young workers employed on small farms, with parental consent, are also exempt from the child labor provisions of the FLSA. For more information on exemptions from the child labor provisions of the FLSA in agriculture, click the underlined text. Other farmworkers are exempt from the FLSA’s overtime provisions. You may also wish toreview the specific regulation. * Salesmen, partsmen and mechanics employed by automobile dealerships are exempt from the overtime pay provisions of the FLSA. You may also wish to review the applicable regulation. * Seasonal and recreational establishments: Employees employed by certain seasonal and recreational establishments are exempt from both the minimum wage and overtime pay provisions of the FLSA. You may also wish to review the applicable regulation. * Executive, administrative, professional and outside sales employees: and who are paid on a salary basis are exempt from both the minimum wage and overtime provisions of the FLSA. Direct reference: http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/screen75.asp And there are other exempted categories and to avoid potential claims, the handbook of US department of labour should always be checked while running the payroll. 2.Run a proper payroll as per the standards and so there will not be any issues later when faced a claim. 3. Conduct workshops among employees to make them understand the overtime exemptions and non-exemptions. 4.For the exempt employees make sure the wages are paid for the normal working hours to avoid any discriminatory claims. 5.Document the non-exempt employees work hours accurately If taken care and treat all employees fairly as per the standards and creative a crystal clear environment and pay with the transparency there will not be any potential claims. References: http://www.dol.gov/overtime http://www.dol.gov/elaws/esa/flsa/screen75.asp

Friday, August 16, 2019

Restorative Justice

Other than the conventional Criminal Justice process there is a new way to handle crime called the Restorative Justice program. This program exists only in certain cities throughout the United States. The Restorative Justice program has the purpose to reduce crime. This program has many steps, and during the course of the process has the purpose to set things right between the criminal offender and the people affected by the crime that occurred. A crime committed does harm to many others not just the immediate victim. This paper explains the Restorative Justice Process and identifies how had effects that went beyond harm to the immediate victims in a case studied. Also, reflects how the Restorative Justice Process benefited the victims and offenders. In addition, this paper describes how Restorative Justice Process differs from contemporary criminal justice processes.Restorative Justice ProcessThe Restorative Justice Program process starts with victim support, which supports the vict im immediately following the crime with things such as crime scene cleanup and repairs. Volunteers aid the victim throughout the entire process to give support to them the whole time. Restorative Justice Program conferences are usually facilitated by two members and attended by the offenders that committed the crime, all the people harmed by the crime committed and the individual support groups of both the offender and the victim (Ness, 2009).The offender has to except responsibility for his or her action and involvement in the offense. The facilitator keeps the victim informed with what is happening with the investigation. If all parties agrees to a restorative circle, will meet each other with the facilitators at a central location for convenient of everybody. The victim may or may not wish to attend the restorative circle process (Ness, 2009). There are non-communication processes as well which provides support for the victim,  provides victim awareness, and also knowledge to a ll regarding the restorative communication.This process provides both short term and long term support to not only the victim, but also the offender. Supporting the people who will be helping the offender turn his or her life around and be a productive member of society (Ness, 2009). In order for offenders to have these options, they have to own up to the crimes they committed. If they do not then they will have to go to the court system and face a judge to answer for the crimes they committed, and the judge will determine their punishment. These punishments can vary from incarceration, rehabilitation centers, and even boot camps (Ness, 2009).Case StudiedOn one seemingly normal afternoon, David with another offender, decided to break into Mildred house, and whether or not the residents were present they knocked on doors. They knocked on one door, and as expected there was no answer resulting in the young men choosing this house to burglarize. Upon entry, the two quickly searched the house for items, which are easy to carry and sell. Upon their exit, they left with the loot without regard for the residents or how they felt once they returned to discover the break-in (Ness, 2009).This case showed not only how the victim harmed or affected by the crime, but also showed how the victim’s family had an added burden placed on them because of the crime committed. The victim’s daughter and son-in-law made many extra trips across town to check on the wellbeing of their family member. With a busy schedule with their children, the increasing demanded was hard on their family. Also, Members of the community were affected by this crime (Ness, 2009). Once news of the break-in spread, members of the community feared for their wellbeing, and safety of their property. Children of the community got scared and feared the bad people (Ness, 2009).Restorative Justice ResultsDavid, one of the offenders, got ordered to pay the victim restitution and agreed to take place in the restorative program and was able to make things right between him and the victim. He successfully completed the program and rejoined his baseball team, went on to attend college, and coach a little league team. David eventually became a facilitator of restorative circles (Ness, 2009). Mildred was able to feel safe in her own home again thanks to  her family and support groups through the restorative justice system.The support groups helped check on her and fix her house back after the break in and her family checked on her on a daily basis. She agreed to meet with David and discuss what happened. The community benefitted by being able to feel safer, and that this will not happen again by the same people (Ness, 2009)Contemporary Criminal Justice ProcessIn the contemporary criminal system, there would have been a different outcome and the process involved. The contemporary system would have taken the statement from the victim and pursued the people responsible. Once they loca ted the people responsible, they would be arrested, questioned, and sent to trial to answer for what they did.The criminal justice system would have then sentenced them to what the judge thought was fair. Then people responsible would have served their time and possibly returned to population with an above average chance of going back to jail. Also, the victim would not have received any retribution such as payments for what they took and messed up (Ness, 2009). The restorative justice system allows for a full circle of help for all parties involved and tries to solve the problem of crime one case at a time.ConclusionThis paper illustrated what restorative justice does. It provides insight to the entire community about their neighborhoods strengths and weaknesses as a community. It allows offenders to take full responsibility for their actions by paying their debt to the community, and also helps offenders as the victims too. Contemporary justice allows suspects to contest allegatio ns. If a prosecutor can prove guilt, the offender got sentenced and only punished in accordance with the laws.