American Jury Trial System

The American jury trial system places twelve citizens in power to hear the sides of the accused and the complainant and decide what verdict should be given for the case. It has been estimated that the United States of America accounts for ninety percent of all jury trials in the world. The system adapted the different trial systems from the Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and European jury customs (Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court). The goal of this paper is to analyze and assess the American jury trial system and to be able to identify to what extent it can be improved.First, let us discuss about the system’s history and evolution. England had an uneven system of juries during the time of Alfred (871-901 A. D. ). Representatives of the tithing were brought jointly to fix on the questions set prior to them. While statement of witnesses did initiate to emerge, when Alfred died, the system collapsed. The Normans used the Saxon court system; including the appeals to the King, legal witn esses and ordeals; unraveling the secular and religious courts and selected â€Å"circuit† judges to embody the King all over the country.In addition, trials were introduced through warfare (Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court). Moreover, it is the Norman England that which instituted the fundamentals of modern jury system. The system gradually developed for cases wherein trial by combat was inappropriate. Restricted residents were brought to court to decree on matters they had beheld. In the 12th century under Henry II, the use of juries had increased. The defendants were offered to choose from trial by jury or by combat. Then, in the reign of Edward III, the characterization of jurors started to shift.And, by the end of the 15th century, a jury is no longer a group of witnesses but a body that examined the statements of witnesses and necessarily convicts a criminal in a trial with a unanimous decision (Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court). More evolution and development happene d in the jury system between the 15th and 18th century. When knighthood wasn’t a necessity for a juror anymore, trial by â€Å"peers† turned out to be more valid. Professionals and experts started to be used as witnesses and exemptions from jury duty were continuously developing, e.g. Quakers, who couldn’t pledge to oaths. For cause at common law indicates that the exemptions of being a juror include: having served on the accusing jury; being a serf or servant; being convicted of certain crimes; having a relation with one of the parties or the sheriff; or stating his opinion of the case in public. Eventually, calling of witnesses by the defendants and cross-examining of witnesses by the defense counsel were tolerated (Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court).Throughout the American colonialism, the jury became one of the emblems of revolt against the king of England. The colonists mainly protested about refutation of rights established to all other Englishmen as well as the right to a jury trial as guaranteed by the Magna Carta of 1215. An example of quotations in the Magna Carta state that â€Å"the Common Pleas gatherings shall not follow the imperial court, but be held in some definite area†, and â€Å"the juries shall be composed of honest men of the neighborhood† (Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court).Magna Carta has been the basis of many essential concepts of law in America. In over one hundred decisions, the US Supreme court has traced the reliance on Magna Carta for the understanding of suitable practice of law, trial by jury of one’s peers, the significance of a prompt and unprejudiced trial, and defense against bail or fines or cruel and unusual sentence (The Baronial Order of Magna Carta). However, trial by jury wasn’t absolutely deprived of to the explorers.In 1607, Virginia Company established the Jamestown that mentions the right for jury. In New York, John Peter Zenger was proven innocent by the jury in t he libel case in 1735 after verifying that his writings about the governor were factual. In settling a verdict, Virginia jurors had an enormous autonomy. The British Vice-Admiralty courts had made the rage of the colonists rise (Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court).As a result of these disagreements of inequality and the abrogation of rights, the colonists incorporated in their earliest documents pledge of the right to trial by jury which includes: The First Congress of American Colonies in 1765; The First Continental Congress in 1774 (declaring that the colonies were unconstrained to the common law of England as well as to have an equal access to trial by peers of the vicinage); the 1787 United States Constitution, and the 1897 first ten amendments.The US Constitution and the ten amendments were products of Thomas Jefferson’s complaints against King George in the Declaration of Independence such as obstruction of administration of justice due to refusal of his Assent to Laws f or confirming Judiciary Powers, denials for Trial by Jury, and transportation of defendants overseas for trial (Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court). And today, according to the Sixth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution, an individual has a right to undergo a fast and public trial by an impartial jury in cases of criminal prosecutions.He has the right to know the nature and causes of the allegation; to be confronted with the witness against him; and to have compulsory process for obtaining witness in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defense (USINFO Database). Due to some criticisms against the American jury trial system, several major changes have occurred in the past decade which includes: reduction in size of the juries; the discarding of the unanimity rule; and the exemption rules. So what kind of trial system does America has today? Let us discuss how trial systems work.In the United States, there are two kinds of juries: the Petit jury, and the grand jury. Petit jury, which is composed of five to twelve members, hears criminal and civil cases. The regular jury trial lasts for about one two days, but some takes longer (Watson). During the trial, lawyers of the same parties question witnesses to support their arguments and serve as proofs. They also make opening and closing remarks to the jury (Watson). Then, the judge makes a final statement to the jury, explaining the laws that preside over the resolution the jury must construct (Watson).Juries conduct a confidential meeting to arrive at a certain judgment. Most states require a unanimous decision while few states consider a majority vote. If the jury fails to reach a verdict, it is called a hung jury (Watson). In a grand jury, the panel is composed of as much as twenty-one members. There are two kinds of grand jury in the American law: the charging grand jury and the investigatory grand jury. The charging grand jury decides whether a case should be brought to court only if there is sufficient evidence against the accused person (Watson).In the investigatory grand jury, the jurors are asked to approve efforts to gather evidence furtively. This kind of grand jury is also used against government officials who happen to be accused of wrongdoings (Watson). Jurors are being chosen lists of voters or automobile drivers wherein they receive questions through mail. People called to jury must be an American citizen, can understand English, no physical or mental disability, etc. (Watson). A judge asks more questions as well as the lawyers from the two parties to determine whether they can be good members.In most cases, the ones who seem most sympathetic are chosen which is claimed by other to be not fair at all (Watson). Supposedly, jurors should not form opinions or must have little knowledge about the case before the trial begins; however, it is difficult to find people like that (Watson). Before, if the accused is proven guilty, he is sentenced with death. So the jury serves as the savior of the defendant to prove that he is innocent of the crime accused to him. But as time goes, evolutions and developments had come.As a well known procedure today, the juries are the ones who decide whether someone is guilty or not through a due process under a trial system. Juries examine the truth and falsehood of a testimony and the facts presented. The judge will then establish what penalty should be given. In Arizona, the judge decides between life or death sentences and reserves that decision for the jury. However, the judge has the power to refuse the jury and ease the sentence from death to life if he wanted, but this has not come about yet in a real trial.The story of the jury, from its ancient origins to its role in the current justice system today, reflects the historical movement toward popular self-governance. It also illustrates the gradual expansion of individual rights to all members of American society. Jury duty can be serve as an education; th e people employs the law so they must learn to understand what it is and how it affects the case brought to them. On a personal note, it seems that the modern system works poorly. There exists numerous trials and most of them are for minor offenses which could have been managed in a well-organized manner.Moreover, court calendars are overloaded, which causes delays before an accused individual is brought to trial. Some public defenders cannot give accurately valuable support to the underprivileged people whom they serve because of overwork. There are also public prosecutors that enter into entreaty bargains that frequently punish those accused of minor crimes while those with serious felonies receive minimal penalties (USINFO Database). There are also some people who question the effectiveness of the jury in determining the truth.In recent years, the competence of juries has been attacked by judges, lawyers and laymen who claim that juries fail to base their decisions upon legal pre cedent. They contend that juries base their decisions upon emotion; they are unable to understand complex evidence or legal theories and they ignore the law in reaching what they consider to be an equitable verdict. Legal reformers believe that eliminating juries can improve the quality of trial verdicts and decrease both the cost and time involved with litigation.In earlier times, the panel members are all from the same neighborhood who knows both parties as well as the facts about them so that they can come up with fair and just decision. But now, juror panels are chosen from voting lists of jurisdictions that comprise hundreds of square miles and surround millions of people. The jurors hardly ever know the accused, and if by chance they do, they would not be allowed to be included in the panel to avoid bias assuming that personal acquaintance with one of the parties involve may affect their judgment.In deeper cases that involve issues about economic and accounting issues, some qu estion the ability of an average citizen to really understand the issues. For example in charges of stock manipulation and fraud, how much knowledge to these jurors has to fully examine the case and give the proper judgment (USINFO Database). It’s like having a cooking competition in which the judges came from the engineering field or other field irrelevant to the subject. Are there better criminal trial method?In Great Britain, where the trial of jury rooted, the use juries in civil trials accounts only one percent while the criminal trials accounts five percent only. A system called â€Å"bench trials† involves a single judge or a panel of judges without a jury to hear the case. This system takes less time, cost less money, and since it is unrestricted and may be assessed by appellate courts, it is well thought-out by many to be just and well-organized. In addition, in cases involving complicated matters of law, judges are more equipped to make a determination than s ome commoners or layback persons (USINFO Database).In effect of such considerations, in the area of civil law in the USA, movements towards unprejudiced settlement continually grow, wherein the parties agree to be bound by the verdict of a neutral outsider. Arbitration is faster (no delays caused by overfilled court calendars), fair, and it allows the parties to have the decision made based on the rules of the marketplace if business involved (USINFO Database). Some criticisms also involve issues that divide Americans in general such as race and wealth. Corruptions and racisms can not be totally eliminated. In reality, there are actually people who consider skin colors in making a judgment.Bias is all around. Moreover, there are people who accept payments to settle on the decisions. Influential and rich people often make use of their wealth to control different negotiations, and justice is one of those. However, even if the trial system is not by jury, such circumstances can never b e avoided, no matter what criminal trial method is used. Lastly, juries are charged of disreputably inconsistence. They can even disregard the law when they come to a decision that a defendant had a good raison d'etre to do what was done at all, or they can be controlled by devious lawyers (USINFO Database).These criticisms are based in fact and are true in some measure. Actually, the American systems of criminal and civil justice nowadays rely on a diversity of forms including bench trials, and arbitration. In addition, good police work often yields such a credible amount of proofs that suspects will appeal accountable without a jury trial. Emotions are also one erratic weakness of a jury system that relies on the decisions of ordinary citizens, thus result in ignoring the law. Moreover, there had also been an incident of â€Å"jury nullification† due to the belief of having unjust laws.Before the American Revolution, local juries rebuffed to condemn their neighbors accused of smuggling because they thought that the English trade and navigation are unjust (USINFO Database). What suggestions can I offer to further improve the jury trial system in America? I have read about the book written by Steven Adler entitled â€Å"The Jury†. He suggested some main points for the reform of the trial system. I agree to his suggestions for a better justice system. One of his points is the elimination of exemptions. In some states, certain categories of workers are excused from jury service which is not fair.If jury is an obligation and a right to all American citizens, then everyone must be given a chance to undergo qualification testing regardless of race, employment, and wealth (American Bar Association). Make a â€Å"one-day, one-trial† plan or similar procedures to make services less time-consuming. In this procedure, prospective jurors who are not selected for a case should be dismissed after their first day of service (American Bar Association). E liminate or at least severe limitations on unconditional trials. Organize the system well, to avoid wasting of time, effort and money (American Bar Association).Educate the jurors well, and give them better instructions and make them fully understand their role, the differences between argument and evidence, steps in a trial, and much other relevant information at the beginning of trials. The future of the people involve depend on the hands of the jurors. It is not good that someone will be given a wrong judgment or verdict just because the people who decided and examined his case have very little understanding and knowledge about the process and the case as well (American Bar Association).Permit jurors to take notes to better study the case (American Bar Association). Provide mechanisms to enable jurors to suggest questions for witnesses during the trial and to receive clarification on points of law (American Bar Association). Lastly, the judge should provide instructions which are shorter yet clearer for the jury just before they deliberate to avoid confusions about the case (American Bar Association). Different countries have different trial systems though they are somehow the same in some instances.Let us discuss the different procedures of trial systems in different countries. In Brazil, according to their constitution, all cases of first degree murder must be judged by juries. However, there are cases wherein authorities are judged by judges even if it falls into first degree murder: only crime that makes use of juries in this country. Jurors vote confidentially whether the accused is guilty or innocent of the crime, then the majority’s decision will be considered the final judgment. In France, the same jurisdictions are implied.The jury sits on an equal footing with three professional judges. The jury and judges first consider the questions of guilt. Then if applicable, they consider the penalty to apply (Did you mean Database). The jury trial sy stem in Spain is not traditionally established but when Franco’s dictatorship had ended, their constitution was reformed and finally legislate the jury trial system. There are also some countries which don’t use a jury system such as the Philippines wherein a court system is being applied.Here, only one person called the Court Judge hears the case and decides whether a person is guilty or not, and what appropriate penalties should be given to the proven guilty suspects. In Germany, jury trials have been abolished on 1924 due to perceived unjust verdicts given. The German criminal justice contrasts sharply with the American system in many ways. Likewise in America, the states in Germany are responsible for the administration of criminal justice; however, Germany has a single national code of criminal procedure and a unified court system.The police and prosecution are state-level rather than local agencies. There is no death penalty, and sentences for either major or min or crimes are considerably lower than in the US. A judge decides in minor cases whether the accused is innocent or guilty. In more serious cases, a judge and two lay members are involved while in the most serious cases, a panel of three judges and two lay members which requires at least two-thirds vote give sentences. Some people would like to abolish the jury trial system in America due to many criticisms that is being thrown to the process.However, elimination of trial by jury due to perceived defects in the system will hinder against democratic government itself. Bench trial or arbitration can be a good option, but for many, the only hope of establishing their innocence is to go before a jury of their peers, where the state must establish the issue of guilt â€Å"beyond a reasonable doubt† (USINFO Database). Jury service continues to provide the sense of responsibility and participation of the citizens because nowadays, as society grows more complex, average citizens are g rowing disconnected from the government (USINFO Database).It seems that participating in a trial as part of the jury is as essential as voting for national elections to practice your right and privilege as an American citizen. A free and fair trial by a jury of one’s peers remains a critical right of the people, for the two parties and the panel members as well. So it is very important that the jury system should improved more and be more organized. Moreover, jury trial system in America may not be perfect and ideal; however, it is still seen as the best means for making certain that the strictness of the law can be shaped to integrity and justice in any definite state of affairs.The key for a fair judgment and sentences is more improvements and developments for the whole system. In earlier times, changes in the constitution regarding the trial system were based upon experiences and different situations that have been brought to court. There are still more rooms for improveme nts. Many more cases will be brought to court, and hopefully, better changes can improve the whole system for the benefit of all American citizens. Works Cited American Bar Association. Trial by Jury. 25 November 2007 < http://www.abanet. org/publiced/lawday/talking/jurytalk. html>. Did You Mean Database. Jury. 26 November 2007 < http://www. did-you-mean. com/Jury. html>. Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court. Origins and Foundations of American Courts. 24 November 2007. USINFO Database. Rights of the People: Individual Freedom and the Bill of Rights. â€Å"Chapter 7: Trial by Jury† 25 November 2007 . The Baronial Order of Magna Carta.Magna Carta and the American Law. 26 November 2007 < http://www. magnacharta. com/articles/article04. htm>. Watson, J. This is America-the Jury System. 09 May 2004. Voice of America. 26 November 2007 < http://www. voanews. com/specialenglish/archive/2004-05/a-2004-05-09-1-1. cfm>. Hans, V, & Vidmar, N.. Judging the Jury. May 1987. JSTOR Page. 26 Nov ember 2007 < http://links. jstor. org/sici? sici=0026-2234%28198704%2F05%2985%3A5%2F6%3C1240%3AJTJ%3E2. 0. CO%3B2-1&size=LARGE&origin=JSTOR-enlargePage>.

Comparing Two Poems

Monday, 27 September 2010 Compare the similarities and differences between two Ballads, Charlotte Dymond and John Lomas. Charlotte Dymond and John Lomas, are two poems which share several techniques. They also, however are different in many ways. This essay will explore their similarities and their differences and explain reasons why the two ballads are different or similar. For example, both poems have a theme of murder. Ballads normally have a sad or shocking story, so this is very common. In both poems the murderer is always hanged after murdering another person. In Charlotte Dymond, the murderer is her lover.In John Lomas, the murderer is John Lomas. The murder controls the ballads and there is no point in the ballads which are happy, this means that the ballads can be quite depressing because they are so sad. John Lomas is quite sad because the murderer John Lomas is telling the story with a great amount of regret. In both poems a razor is used to kill the victim. Razors come ou t of a small wooden holder, so it would be easy to hide at your wrist, or like in Charlotte Dymond, Matthew had the razor ‘waiting at his wrist’. A difference between the two poems would be; in Charlotte Dymond the writer uses a range of different languages.For example, similes are used a lot, like in stanza fourteen there are two similes, they are; her skin was soft as sable, and her eyes were wide as day. Whereas in John Lomas, there is only one simile in the whole ballad, that simile is; my conscience did like fuel burn. That simile is in stanza nine. In comparison Charlotte Dymond has four similes and John Lomas has one. Similes are when you say something is like another thing or when someone says some as so for example the tree was like a wall, or the journey was as long as a mountain.The writer could of not wanted more similes in John Lomas because maybe he didn’t want things to be referred to as something else. Another difference is that in Charlotte Dymon d the writer uses lots of alliteration, they use alliteration twelve times in the whole poem an example would be; why do you sit so sadly, your face the colour of clay, and with a green gauze handkerchief, wipe the sour sweat away? That is actually the whole of stanza eleven. In contrast to in John Lomas, where there is only one line of alliteration. This line is in stanza nine and it is; my crime was of so deep a dye.This is quite a significant difference. Some people think that alliteration is when two or more words in a sentence, line have the same starting letters. But it’s not that simple, the words have to have the same sound to go with the same letters. The writer may not have wanted alliteration because he thought that it was hard to find two words with the same letter and sound. A similarity between Charlotte Dymond and John Lomas is both poems have four line stanzas. The number of stanzas is different John Lomas having fourteen stanzas and Charlotte Dymond having tw enty three stanzas.This is important to know, because generally four line stanzas is a usual number of lines, but you can get stanzas with more than four lines. Having more stanzas increases the space for a range of language, and it also increases the space to describe the story in more detail. Maybe the writes had a list of key points during writing the ballad which were the key points of the story and they decided that the list was finished after fourteen or twenty three stanzas, maybe the writer couldn’t add any more detail to the stanzas without making the rhyme scheme change or the amount of stanzas change.If these two things were to happen it would mean that the rhythm would ‘go out the window’ because it would no longer work as it did before. A difference between the two poems is that Charlotte Dymond uses metaphors for example; her cheeks were made of honey and; her throat was made of flame. Whereas in John Lomas there are no metaphors in the whole ballad . This may be because the ballad only has fourteen stanzas and the poet could not fit any metaphors in or it could be because, he chose not to put any metaphors in the poem.A metaphor is when you say something is something for example ‘my dog is a great big ball of fluff’ in this I am saying that my dog is actually a great ball of fluff not as or like when you use a simile but he is a ‘great big ball of fluff’ this is very direct and as though the writer is actually talking to you as a reader if the writer is talking in third person like in Charlotte Dymond so the writer may not want to write something so direct.Whereas in John Lomas the writer is talking about when he killed the victim and so he might want to be direct when he is talking to the reader. Another difference between the two poems is that in Charlotte Dymond the poet writes in third person as in talking about something happening in this case the murder of Charlotte Dymond. This means that the m urder could be changed to fit the criteria of what the murderers friend or the victims friend.This means that the poem could have been changed to fit what the writer wanted for example the writer might be the murderer’s friend, so he might want to make the murder not seem as bad as it actually was. Or the person might be the victim’s friend so they want to make the murderer look as bad as possible. Whereas in John Lomas the writer is actually the murderer. He is talking about the murder whilst he is in prison waiting to be hung. This means that his mind might be somewhere else which might be the reason that there is not a lot of detailed description.But that might not be the only reason that there isn’t a lot of description because the ballads were written in the eighteen hundreds, then it might have been more important to have a regular rhythm and rhyme scheme than to have extremely detailed stanzas. I think that I prefer Charlotte Dymond to John Lomas because I like the way it is more detailed, and I prefer the ballad being in third person, and the way the poem has a lot of similes and metaphors and alliteration.

Using a Socially Conscious Song from Either the Caribbean

â€Å"I am living while I'm living to the father I will pray, only he knows how we get through every day, with all the hike in the price, arm and leg we have to pay, while our leaders play†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Myrie et al (1995, track 5). This song â€Å"Untold Stories† sung by Mark Anthony Myrie, 1973, popularly known as ‘Buju Banton,’ a powerful Jamaican dancehall, ragga, and reggae musician. He has also recorded Pop and Dance songs, as well as songs dealing with political topics. Banton is politically outspoken and highly influenced by Marcus Garvey.These lyrics stated above revealed substantial discontent with existing social conditions and a robust mistrust of those in high positions. However linking this with critical theory, which is described by Bleich (1977) as composing largely of criticisms of various aspects of social and intellectual life, but its ultimate goal, is to reveal more accurately the nature of society (Ritzer, 2010, p. 282). A critical theory is adequate only if it meets three criteria: it must be explanatory, practical, and normative, all at the same time.That is, it must explain what is wrong with current social reality, identify the actors to change it, and provide both clear norms for criticism and achievable practical goals for social transformation. Critical theorists do not say that economic determinists were wrong in focusing on the economic realm but that they should have been concerned with other aspects of social life as well, the critical school seeked to rectify this imbalance by focusing its attention on the cultural realm (Fuery and Mansfield, 2000; Schroyer, 1973:33).This is shown plainly in Banton’s lyrics in his song â€Å"Untold Stories,† he speaks about these untold aspects of social life that has never been brought to the attention of others, conditions such as the inflation and rising of daily living expenses, the fact that at the end of the day your expenses will always outweigh your ear nings, also that the labour he has to pay seems as if he has to sacrifice a body part just to meet the expenses of life. â€Å"With all the hike in the price, arm and leg we have to pay†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Banton, 1995).Focusing on other aspects of social life according to the critical theorists is what Banton’s song is trying to bring to the forefront; he tries to enlighten the minds of others with relation to poverty in his lyrics where he sings about the clothes on his back containing countless eyeholes, and one of the major unyielding points he made as he continued to sing is that â€Å"Opportunity is a scarce commodity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Opportunities are allocated to those who can afford it, Banton continues in his plight saying that â€Å"Those who can afford to run will run†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1995).Even though you sacrifice and give your last expenses to gain an education, the opportunities are still given to those who can afford it, being educated does not mean that you are gua ranteed a space in the labour force, â€Å"Filled up with education yet don't own a payroll†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Banton, 1995) Critical theorists also focus on the philosophical underpinnings of scientific inquiry especially positivism (Bottomore, 1984; Fuller1994). Positivists believe that knowledge is inherently neutral. They feel that they can keep human values out of their work.This belief, in turn, leads to the view that science is not in the position of advocating any specific form of social action. Positivism is opposed by the critical school on various grounds (Sewart, 1978). For one thing, positivism tends to reify the social world and see it as a natural process. The critical theorists prefer to focus on human activity as well as on the ways in which such activity affects larger social structures. In short, positivism loses sight of the actors (Habermas, 1971), reducing them to passive entities determined by â€Å"natural forces. Given their belief in the distinctiveness of th e actor, the critical theorists would not accept the idea that the general laws of science can be applied without question to human action. (Ritzer, 2010, p 283. ) A simple yet perfect example of this coming from Banton is his perseverance to continue aspiring despite these deplorable conditions. He pushes himself to continue this life because of bare survival, â€Å"Though this life keep getting me down don't give up now got to survive some way somehow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1995).He continues to sing about the trials he has to face in life and the injustice of it, that those who are suffering and in need of dyer help are the ones who never seem to get comfort and redemption, but even though his life entails all these tribulations above them all he sings, that as long as he is kept alive by the Father (God) he will continue to praise him and pray his name because it is only Him who knows why he is still alive and striving very day, â€Å"I am living while I'm living to the father I will pray only he knows how we get through every day†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Banton, 1995) Banton’s lyrics proves an apprehensive concern to those placed in high positions, he sings about while he has to struggle to earn and make a living those who are leaders can sit back and relax and recreate for they have their earning and they can afford to move out of these conditions that may come their way. Though ‘they’ i. the leaders can ‘run’ those who cannot afford to will have to stay, they will have to face struggle and dismay, the leaders are unconcerned for the less fortunate, their positions mean nothing to anyone but themselves. He continues in song, singing that it is a competitive world for low class people because of their low budget, they have to manage their income carefully but somehow they always spend more than they make a day, â€Å"It's a competitive world for low budget people spending a dime while earning a nickel†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (1995).He speaks out t hat there is no one to care about those who are suffering terribly in society, where youths have to rob and steal to make a living even though they have an education and that the only person that can help them is God so they will continue to pray, â€Å"No love for the people who are suffering real bad another toll to the poll may God help we soul†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Banton, 1995) The critical school focuses primarily on one form of formal rationality; modern technology (Feenberg, 1996). Marcuse (1964) He saw technology in modern capitalist society as leading to totalitarianism.In fact, he viewed it as leading to new, more effective, and even more â€Å"pleasant† methods of external control over individuals. Marcuse rejected the idea that technology is neutral in the modern world and saw it instead as a means to dominate people. It is effective because it is made to seem neutral when it is in fact enslaving. It serves to suppress individuality. The actor’s inner freedom ha s been â€Å"invaded and whittled down† by modern technology. The result is what Marcuse called â€Å"one-dimensional society,† in which individuals lose the ability to think critically and negatively about society.Marcuse did not see technology per se as the enemy, but rather technology as it is employed in modern capitalist society: â€Å"Technology, no matter how ‘pure,’ sustains and streamlines the continuum of domination. (Ritzer, 2010, p. 286. ) Emphasizing Macuse’s point with the media, this can be used as an example of just that; dominating the society with song and lyrics. These songs yes they invoke a sense of solidarity and power but can they really change the world? They let persons express their true selves by capturing a range of emotions and a sense of opposition, but what are they really doing for the society?This social order that they talk about, the one that seems so destructive, by broadcasting it; wouldn’t it also act as an imitator to others? My thoughts are that it can go both ways; negatively in that others may learn to do the same to their society to gain better benefits for themselves for example violent songs against persons or the government, others may use this as a reason to conduct destructive and violent, rage-filled acts or counter attacks. Therefore not diminishing but rather encouraging thus said acts. However these protest songs can also have a positive effect and reaction to the broader society.It helps for others to become aware of the things that are normally referred to as â€Å"unmentionables. † Persons are able to give a voice to unspoken cries and speak out against the true things that cause problems and raise havoc in a society. This Buju Banton song encompassed a range of hidden emotions about struggle and the fight that poor people make on a daily basis, it did not only speak of the hurts and trials but also about the fight to stay alive and the perseverance and the power of pray and will to continue along life’s path disregarding the troubles of living.Even though it expressed deep hurt and frustration it still comprehended a sense of power to become uplifted and to find good within the bad. The most lasting methodological contribution of critical theory to social science is the way it attunes empirical social researchers to the assumptions underlying their own busy empiricism.As Horkheimer and Adorno (1972) indicate in ‘Dialectic of Enlightrnment,’ the seeming avoidance of values is the strongest value commitment of all, exempting one’s empirical claims from rigorous self-reflection and self-criticism. It is in this sense that the Frankfurt School’s analysis of mythology and ideology can be applied to a positivist social science that purports to transcend myth and value but, in its own methodological obsessions, is mythological to the very core. (Agger, 1991, p. 111. )Therefore leading from this point, I used critical theory in this paper to show the criticism of the different schools that the theory disagreed with, also by choosing a socially conscious song I was able to demonstrate this from a societal stand point, illuminating the discontent and mistrust that persons in society feel towards certain social institutions and conditions that they face. I believe that these types of songs do have a positive and a negative effect on the wider society but I support their attempts to be heard.Also, conclusively yes these protest songs may reinforce this said ‘social order’ but it is my belief that it will provide more help to eradicate the problem rather than encourage it. BIBLIOGRAPHY * Adorno et al. (2002) Dialectic of Enlightenment. Trans. Edmund Jephcott. Stanford: Stanford University Press. * Agger, B. (1991). Annual Review of Sociology. JStor. Vol. 17. Pp. 105-131. * Frank, K. L. (1944). What is Social Order?. American Journal of Sociology. Vol 49 (5). Pp. 470-477. * Held, D (1980). Introduction to Critical Theory: Horkheimer to Habermas.Berkeley, LA: University of California Press. * Musixmatch (2000) Untold Stories Lyrics. Elyrics. net. Retrieved March 14, 2013, from http://www. elyrics. net/read/b/buju-banton-lyrics/untold-stories-lyrics. html. * Myrie, Browne, Germaine. (1995). Untold Stories (Loose Cannon/Island Records). On ‘Til Shiloh (CD). New York, NY: Island. (1995). * Raymond G. (1981). The Idea of a Critical Theory. Habermas and the Frankfurt School. (Cambridge University Press,1981) * Ritzer, G (2010). George Ritzer: Sociological Theory. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. APPENDIXAttached is a copy of the lyrics of Buju Banton’s song â€Å"Untold Stories,† which was used in this paper; â€Å"UNTOLD STORIES† – Buju Banton While I'm living Thanks I'll be giving To the most high, you know I am living while I'm living to the father I will pray Only he knows how we get through every day With all the hike in the price , arm and leg we have to pay While our leaders play All I see is people ripping and robbing and grabbing Thief never love to see a thief with a long bag No love for the people who are suffering real bad Another toll to the poll may God help we soulWhat is to stop the youths from getting out of control Filled up with education yet don't own a payroll The clothes on my back has countless eye holes Could go on and on and full has never been told I am living while I'm living to the father I will pray Only he knows how we get through every day With all the hike in the price, arm and leg we have to pay While our leaders play I say who can afford to run will run But what about those who can't, they will have to stay Opportunity is a scarce commodity In these times I say, when mama spend her last to send you to class Never you ever playIt's a competitive world for low budget people Spending a dime while earning a nickel With no regards for who it may tickle My cup is full to the brim I coul d go on and on and full has never been told Through this life keep getting me down Don't give up now Got to survive some way some how I could go on and on and full has never been told I am living while I'm living to the father I will pray Only he knows how we get through every day With all the hike in the price, arm and leg we have to pay While our leaders play All I see is people ripping and robbing and grabbingThief never love to see a thief with a long bag No love for the people who are suffering real bad Another toll to the poll may God help we soul What is to stop the youths from getting out of control Filled up with education yet don't own a payroll The clothes on my back has countless eye holes Could go on and on and full has never been told I am living while I'm living to the father I will pray Only he knows how we get through every day With all the hike in the price, arm and leg we have to pay While our leaders play I say who can afford to run will runBut what about those w ho can't, they will have to stay Opportunity is a scarce commodity In these times I say, when mama spend her last to send you to class Never you ever play It's a competitive world for low budget people Spending a dime while earning a nickel With no regards for who it may tickle My cup is full to the brim I could go on and on and full has never been told Could go on and on and full has never been told Could go on and on and full has never been told Could go on and on and full has never been told Could go on and on and full has never been told

The Different accents across the UK Literature review

The Different accents across the UK - Literature review Example (Nikunen, 2011) says that The English language has more than one dialect, dialects affect the way pronunciation happens and is therefore a ground for accentuation. The United Kingdom has the most variety of English accents. Some of the accents of the English language include the received accent. The received accent has been popular in the United Kingdom since the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The characteristics of this accent are evident in common omission of the letter ‘r’ after vowels in words like father. The word is pronounced as fuhthuh while normally in the American dialects the ‘r’ is emphasized so that father is pronounced as fatherrrr. Another feature involves the trap a bath, it is evident when words like can’t are pronounced with a quick almost posed –a-. The received accent is clearly distinguishable from American and Irish accents and is especially taken for the Standard English of the people From the United Kingdom. The rece ived accent is also popular as the Queen’s English or BBC English. Moore (Nikunen, 2011). Other accents include: the southeast British accent this accent relates to American accents. It developed from London English and has spread to other regions like East Anglia and Southeast England. The northern England accents include the Midlands English that includes accentuation common in Manchester and Liverpool, the inner regions of Yorkshire and Leeds. Its features includes lengthened syllables where vowels in words as ride and play are persistent so that they are pronounced as raaaid, ra:id, and plie. The Geordie accent is popular in the northeast of the United Kingdom. It also describes a group of people and is distinct among the regions in the northern east of England. It is characterized by the presence of /au/ which makes words like gout sound like ‘goot’. It also involves the /ai/ which is heard when kite is pronounced as ‘kate.’ The kate pronunciati on renders the accent an American relation (Subedi, 2008). The Welsh accent involves pronunciation by people who especially originate from the Wales (Bishop, 2005). It is characterized by a certain musicality that stresses on all syllables of a word. The Received accent is a tapered version of the Welsh accent. The accent has remained very popular over modern times along with others like the Scottish English. The Scottish accent has a lot of /ei/ and /ou/ and is heard in the pronunciation of words goat which sounds like go:t or got while face is sounds as feis. Scottish English has been influenced by the Scots language even though the two are different languages all in all (Bishop, 2005). Cockney is another popular accent among the UK English variety of accents and is used in London. It is probably the most popular accent after the Received accent. It is however camouflaged amongst other English accents in the regions around that it is not easy to tell apart from the received accent . It is notable from pronunciation of words like cat, which sounds as ‘cet’. This is because the vowels are especially raised. Another feature in vowels include a shift so that words like day sound like die and words like better are pronounced as ‘be’uh’ from glottal involvement during pronunciation. A unique feature of the Cockney

Learnscape simulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Learnscape simulation - Essay Example ion X children as their caretakers, Bright Roads should consider including images that would capture the interest of these caretakers who would be more apt to peruse Bright Road’s web presence. 3) Review the premiere service line offerings of Bright Roads. Quality rankings, awards, distinctions linked to key targeted services should drive users to click further through page. Consider featuring these distinctions on the web page to showcase Bright Road’s stellar ranking and commitment to patient care/quality measures. 1) Placement of logo and picture do not generate interest. Similar to the website, an image of a building will not drive individuals to want to learn more about Bright Roads Services. Consider adding images that tell the Bright Roads story. 2) Social Media page should link to several means of communication: i.e. Twitter. This would allow for Bright Roads to connect to customers and provide updates on services and key community events once the consumer signs up. 3) Include a You Tube link that would allow prospective customers to view videos. This presents a n opportunity for Bright Roads to further engage the customer. Rather than including the You Tube icon, consider a catchy link that would generate interest in a library of videos. 1) The landing page for the Bright Roads PHR features a picture of a clinician holding an IPad. If the PHR is intended to be created, maintained and primarily for the benefit of the patient, this cannot be ascertained from the story this picture tells. Consider include images better representative of the desired patient population and/or images that show the value from a patients perspective of having a PHR. Additionally, re-messaging the definition of the PHR on this site might be helpful in clarifying its purpose to the patient. 2) Potentially include video testimonials and/or written comments/postings with relatable stories from patients that highlight the benefits of having a PHR. This can include safety

Reflective account Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reflective account - Essay Example ics such as technology and labour, sustainability, human resource management, strategy, operations management, just to mention but a few that fall under the global business concept. However, in this reflective paper; we will delve into details on human resource management. This paper will discuss in details the key principles of human resource management, its significance and relevance to the global business world as well as connect it with other topics that fall and the global business concept. According to Patrick (2012), Human resource management or simply HR is a function of the organization that is designed to maximize the performance of employees and the achievement of employer strategic objectives. Human resource is particularly concerned about how the organization will manage people in the organization and focuses on policies and systems. The department usually has a number of roles and tasks that they fulfil; these functions include the following: Recruitment, this is the intake of new staff into the organization. The human resource department ensures that only qualified individuals get into the organization and at the same time ensuring that the organization does not suffer due to lack of personnel. HR is also tasked with the training and development responsibility. They will ensure that employees meet the demands of the workplace environment by organizing seminars, in-house training, and educational classes also conducted. The human resource department works clos ely with the industrial relations of the organization. They aim at balancing the organization’s practices with the requirements that arise from collective bargaining and public law (Patrick, 2012). The department may also be tasked with the role of ensuring that the workplace is safe for the employees. It does this by making sure that the company conducts its activities in line with the work safety standards. Lastly, the Human Resource department is tasked with the role of enforcing and making

Spiritual Assessment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Spiritual Assessment - Essay Example From this report it is clearc that a man's whole being is mostly moulded by spirituality and religion. These signs of well being can be seen by the clothes and accessories that a person wears, ones spiritual practices and rituals, participation in religious community and beliefs and philosophy in life. Some religious practices can even be seen on how a person grow and style their hair. Spirituality speaks of ones personal growth and awareness. It is a recognition of something outside of one’s self that cannot be defined. It is a personal quest for seeking the meaning of life.This study highlights that religion on the other hand, is a dogma and the existence of a higher power. It is the belief of sacredness, moral codes and values being supported and practised by an organization. Even though spirituality and religion are different, it can or can’t be interrelated. Religion can be practised with spirituality. Spirituality can be practised without being so religious. Spiri tuality and religion can be addressed in different ways. In the nurses and doctors point of view, the idea of the role of spirituality in a patient’s life will help them understand the patient’s response to an illness. In an article by Cancer.gov a spiritual assessment may help the doctor understand if a patient will use religious or spiritual beliefs to cope with the cancer diagnosis and treatment.  In a world where many different religions exist, it is important that a nurse should know the patients spiritual beliefs before conducting spiritual assessment to the patient.... There are many different kinds of medical treatment beliefs applicable to different kinds of religion. Mary Ellen Zator Estes (2002) had differentiated the medical treatments applicable for different religions. In Judaism, medicines and physician were held in high esteem. Patients also seek care for oneself through prayers and proper visitation. For an Islam patient, medical care is encouraged; however, female bodies should remain covered during treatment. Roman Catholic patients are encouraged to seek medical care and once confined in the hospital, visitation, anointing of the sick and prayer is practised. Same with Roman Catholic, Protestant patients also seek medical attention and anointing of the sick as well as prayers are being practised. Jehovah's Witness patients seek medical care when they are ill, however, during operations or when blood is needed, ingestion of blood nor any other blood products are prohibited. Upon knowing these beliefs, spirituality and nursing processes can now be applied. It is important that spiritual assessment be applied in nursing and giving care for a patient. SPIRITUAL ASSESSMENT George Fitchette (no date) described spiritual assessment as the process of discerning the spiritual needs and resources of the person with whom nurses are working with. Unlike diagnostic models in some medical fields, the assessment model in spiritual care should not simply focus on problems, but also includes the resources that people brings to help them cope with those problems. In short, it is gathering of information with regards to the patient's spiritual status. Spiritual assessment is important for it gives a comprehensive assessment of a patient's spiritual needs. With

Planning and Management of Public Relations Campaigns Essay

Planning and Management of Public Relations Campaigns - Essay Example This essay presents some of the definitions of public relations. First, a public relations, as a practice, refers to the â€Å"development and management of ethical strategies using communication to build relationships with stakeholders or publics† The definition ensures that PR follows ethical principles in managing organization-stakeholders/public relationships. Second, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) defined â€Å"public relations [as] about reputation† and â€Å"the planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain goodwill and mutual understanding between an organization and its publics†. This definition is essential in emphasizing the essence of protecting the organization’s reputation in attaining inter-stakeholder interests. These definitions promote the philosophy that PR seeks for win-win solutions when designing PR campaigns so that organizations can maximize gains from the latter. The roles of public relations practition ers1 are diverse, depending on the size, nature, and aims of their organizations. Larger organizations that deal with services, for instance, can have a PR department that has numerous PR functions and that is separate from advertising and marketing, while smaller organizations may integrate PR and other marketing and communications functions. PR roles can include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) cause or relationship marketing- create and preserve relationships to build customer loyalty; (2) communication- share ideas, messages, or opinions through verbal/nonverbal/symbolic expressions; (3) community relations- build relationships between/among organizations that impact one another; (4) crisis management- respond to different kinds of crises and maximize potentially positive outcomes; (5) integrated marketing communication (IMC)- merge PR, marketing, and advertising to attain a uniform marketing approach; (6) issues management- identify organizational issues and appropri ately and strategically respond to them; and (7) media relations- create relationships between the media and the organization. Some of these roles overlap or can be described as marketing roles, which is why some organizations use their marketers as PR staff personnel too.   With diverse roles and responsibilities, public relations practitioners can use different approaches to designing PR campaigns.

Decision making models Outline Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Decision making models - Outline Example The essay will also attempt to identify the legal requirements relating to the collection, use and storage of data and information in the UK. Basically, the term decision making is used to describe the act of seeking information, interpreting that information and based on such perceptions, arriving at a conclusion in relation to strategic issues that affect the organisation (Simons & Thompson 1998:7 as cited in Schultz et al 2004). Vroom-Yetton- Jago’s normative decision making model is mainly based on the notion of taking people off their primary tasks in the organisation to participate in teams or other decision making activities and this may be a good gesture with regards to empowerment but it may also be costly as well if it is unnecessary (Vroom & Jago1988). Thus, the Vroom-Yetton-Jago model is a decision making model that gives the opportunity to the leader to first examine the situation then come up with an ideal style or level of engagement that can be adopted in the o rganisation. ... The leader also ought to have enough information about the problem as well as to be in a position to identify the structure of the problem. The leader will also need to be in a position to establish the probability of the level of commitment by the subordinates and their wish to share the same vision in the organisational goals that can be attained through problem solving. More importantly, the leader also ought to be in a position to identify any conflict that may exist and the level of information possessed by the subordinates that can be used to make sound decisions that will be beneficial to the organisation as a whole. Having gathered all the information using the above mentioned method, a leader can adopt any of the following decision making style depending on the nature of the decision to be made. In autocratic one, the leader can solve the problem using readily available information to him or her whilst in autocratic two, he or she may get additional information from the grou p members then make the decision alone (Vroom & Jago1988). Though different, these leadership styles show that there is an element of individualism in the leader in decision making. In consultative style one, the leader solicits for information from individual members in the group and makes a decision alone whilst in consultative two, the leader collectively shares the information with all the members of the group but will make the decisions alone. Again, in this case, there is an element of the leader making a decision alone after gathering information from the other members of the group. Finally, in group two, decision making is collective whereby the leader engages all the members of the group then they will make a decision as a group whereby the leader

On Fire Creation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

On Fire Creation - Essay Example The work at hand tries to establish the ideas showing why fire can be a natural, technological and human-caused hazard generally within the community. Furthermore, the appropriate or relevant Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) that will be able to mitigate fire as a hazard is discussed. Fire can be a natural-caused hazard within the community. As explained earlier, it is possible to build up a fire when there is a remarkable presence of a higher temperature, fuel and oxygen. In the case of the on-going global warming phenomenon, fire is not impossible to take place anywhere knowing that a high temperature of the environment may possibly ignite combustion provided there is a potential fuel that can help develop the flames, naturally. However, this is common to take place in areas where there is extreme level of heat for the environment. In some cases, in the presence of lightening, the creation of fire is not impossible to take place, which at some point could further lead to ravage prop erties and even lives. There are reported cases when both properties and humans were significant subjects of a fire that was evidently due to a natural phenomenon such as lightening. It is therefore clear in this case that fire is developed naturally, and that is without the presence of significant human or technological intervention factors. On the other hand, fire can also be a technological-caused hazard in the community, working place and even at home at the most specific level. We heard many reports presenting us the significant reasons of fire in the community. A substantial number of them were due to the use of human technology. We heard how cellular phones exploded during its charging process which evidently led to the creation of fire. We received some reports how a micro-wave oven exploded leading to the inception of fire that ravaged properties and even lives. We heard how electricity led to the destruction of various personal or corporate properties and even lives at its worst case scenario. All of these are significant proofs we see around us, proving the point that fire can be a technological-caused hazard. In fact, various manuals linked to the use of our prevailing technologies have substantial information on how we can get rid of fire while using them. Even there are precautionary measures that are linked to these technologies so as instead of giving us hazard like fire, we can use them to optimize their promised design of usage. Finally, fire can be a human-caused hazard. Evidently, we cannot argue that it is we humans who are sometimes responsible for combining fuel and a high temperature in the presence of oxygen around us. Oxygen is one important element in the creation of fire that we can hardly control under the normal setting at home, job and in our community. Therefore, what we can only possibly do to contribute to the creation of fire is to provide fuel and ensure temperature is higher enough in order to spark a flame. In some cases, fire may be due to our failure to take the precautionary measures prior to the effective use of our technologies. At this point, although it is clear that the technology might have a great role to play in the actual creation of fire, our inability to take control of it also provides a great contribution to a hazard that the actual fire may present us. In addition, it is evident that we are indeed capable of producing fire, as we cook our foods, create goods, and develop various products and other offerings. On the process of making all of these, it may actually require us to create a fire, but we have to observe precautionary measures. Sometimes, our failure to employ the necessary actions may lead to the formation of fire which brings the

America’s current policies Essay Example for Free

America’s current policies Essay Often, present generations, completely apathetic about their own sins, casts judgment upon the people who came before. This is not to say that, contrary to the prevailing wisdom currently choking our country, there are not absolute truths that were present during the inception of this country as well as in our present day. It is very unfortunate that some of our founding fathers held slaves; especially the author of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson, who held nearly two hundred slaves at one time on his plantation at Monticello. We do not like that the father of freedom in America could not find it in himself to free his slaves. Jefferson’s own cousin, as well as a number of fellow Virginians freed their slaves. From 1780 until 1800, the population of free blacks in Virginia rose from just over 2,000 to more than 30,000. (Burns, 1997) Where is Thomas Jefferson? However, did those who contributed to the Constitution yet held slaves, serve to invalidate the Constitution or their own individual contributions? It would have to seem that it does. However, not to the same degree as some of America’s current policies invalidates our ability to even cast judgment on other generations in the first place. People in glass houses should not throw stones. This is a famous saying which can be applied to every person or generation who judges another while being less than perfect themselves. America is the 21st century is a far cry from America at its birth. The population, in 1776, was just under three million people. (McCullough, 2007 pg. 26) Last fall, America’s population exceeded three hundred million people. Technology has certainly made the world a much different place and America is not only the richest country in the world, it is also the most powerful. The founding fathers could scarily fathom what this country would become in a little more than two hundred years. However, would they be proud of what had been accomplished? In some ways, the founding fathers would be glowing with joy and pride. In other ways, they could not help but feel a great deal of shame and embarrassment at what America had become. In the past thirty years, revisionist historians have tried to tell Americans that this country was formed, not out of the pursuit of religious freedom as the Mayflower Compact reads but rather to make money and to expand their wealth and land holdings. Also, that the founding fathers were not deeply religious men but rather Deists who seemed apathetic towards absolute truths. These assertions are fallible to the core and scarily a student of history can accept such tripe. However, even the deists and atheists were still very moral men who were led by principles and not by what was convenient as they were men of the Enlightenment. Therefore, the question which should also be asked in conjunction with this theme is: Does America stand on any moral ground to even pass judgment in the first place on any past generation. Did our forefathers risk their lives so that more than thirty million babies could be aborted since 1973 and 40% of all children are now born without a father living in the home? Did our forefathers risk their lives so that more than 20,000 people could be murdered each year for the pursuit of money to buy drugs? When the forefathers secured freedom of speech, did that mean that pornographic movies could be shown on the television or curse words spewed at a dizzying rapidity? In a time when gay marriage is being pressed so heavily upon our members of Congress, would our forefathers; individuals who regarded the act as so impure, that they would go out of their way to describe such actions in an indirect way in their writings and all believed to be a sin? There can be added to this list, more than a dozen modern examples and whether or not one agrees that the aforementioned are problems in this country or not, our forefathers could not help but see them as grave mistakes and impediments on our history. It seems unlikely that those individuals, such as John Adams and George Washington, to name only a few; so fervent in their religious convictions, that they freely invoked the word of God in their writings and speeches, could have consented to such depravity. More than 35% of all of the quotes of America’s forefathers came from the Bible. Does America’s hunger for relativism and humanism disallow us from even being able to even ask the question: Were the actions of the forefathers pure enough to even form a country in the first place? For every person who would say no, there would be two of the aforementioned society which would say the same about us. Now, this is not to say that slavery was not extremely immoral which served as a cancer on our society at that time and created a legacy of racial hatred and inequality which is still present today. Anyone who believes that this country is one of the greatest in the world, if not the entire world as I do, such apathy towards our forefathers own words, has to invoke a degree of annoyance towards men who are revered for what the gave to future generations in the formation of a democratic, capitalist and free society. One wonders why a clear consciousness was not worth simply paying their workers a modest wage instead of forcing involuntary servitude. What was going through the minds when Thomas Jefferson introduced legislation to end slavery during the Constitutional Convention? Historians have argued that if Jefferson provided a hard line against slavery, then his other policies would have been pushed to the side and perhaps never passed. This is probably true. However, what stopped Jefferson from freeing his own slaves at Monticello? These questions may never be answered. So in the end, it would seem best for Americans to tread carefully when dismissing an entire generation and their works because of a sin which was all too apparent in 18th century America. Slavery was wrong? There is no doubt about that. However, has America lost most of its moral authority, as well as the rest of the West? This is to be sure. As more and more people turn away from the ideas of absolute truths and towards relativism and humanism, preferring instead what is convenient and not what is right, problems which America is now suffering, is its natural result. If the incompatibility of the actions and words of the slave holding forefathers invalidates their work, then it should be placed a top a very long list of this country’s ironic measures which have grown at an exponential rate in recent decades. WORKS CITED Burns, Ken Thomas Jefferson New York: Thirteen Productions PBS 1997 McCullough, David 1776. New York: Scribners 2007

Pick Your Family Essay Example for Free

Pick Your Family Essay The dictionary definition of family is: all the descendants of a common ancestor. Although this statement is true, some would disagree and say that the meaning to the word â€Å"family† goes far beyond that simple definition. Many people consider friends, schoolmates, animals, friends of a parent, and co-workers to be their family as well. Your whole family can be made up of many people that are not necessarily your real family. The relationship you share with another individual classifies them as a family member. These people may not be your relative at all, but someone you feel a strong connection to for one reason or another. Just because someone is your family member by blood, does not mean you have to have a close relationship with him or her. Your family can be extended from your nuclear family because another person may be very special to you, or makes you feel loved enough that you would consider them a part of your family. Children that lose their mother and father might have someone take care of them that are not blood related. In a situation like this, the child’s real family is not apart of the family that raises them and takes care of them. Family is more of a concept and more about the relationship that the two people share. In a case where parents have died or some other circumstance has arisen where they cannot provide for their child, strangers or friends may assist in raising that child. That would make them the caregivers; they would be the mother and father because they fill that role in the child’s life. Many people may say they have two mothers, this is because they have two people that fill the motherly role in their life and both of those people make them feel loved and appreciated. Another example where your family might not be your real relatives is godmothers or your godfathers. Your godmother or godfather can be anyone that your parents think can and will fill that role best. This may be your blood related uncle or the best man in your parents wedding. Regardless of the blood relation this person is in now classified as your family member. Family can also expand to include more than just humans as well. Most Americans have a pet dog or a pet cat that is considered a part of their family. It is very common in a household environment that animals are added to the mix. Whether it is a family of four wanting to add extra love in their lives, or a lonely college student looking for a companion. Many people add a pet into their homes to love and feel love in return. One might think this classifies that animal as a family member. Animals and humans can share a very special relationship, just like family members share. This special relationship is what makes someone or something a part of your family not just blood. Some people may have very special experiences with another individual. Growing up with a particular friend and experiencing many of life’s challenges and tribulations can make a relationship grow very strong. People that have been there for another person through tragedies, deaths, illness, hardships and times of celebration share special bonds. These people may refer to each other as brothers or sisters or second daughters or sons. It is the many experiences and the compassion and empathy that people share with one another that make them feel that closeness with one another. They will often refer to these special people as â€Å"family members†, although they have no blood relation. Many people that are not your real relatives can be more like your family than your real family. There are many reasons that families break up, or do not speak any longer. Death, distance, past arguments and sickness can all be some reasons why you are not close to your blood family. Most people know of someone who may no longer speak to their mother, father, sister, or brother; this kind of thing happens all the time. This is very common after a parent’s death, and the children have to disperse the parent’s valuables. You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends. Sometimes those friends treat you better than your own family. They’re a surplus of people that might fill a particular role better than others, and the relationship you share with them is what defines them as your family member.

Examining The Factors Of Project Failure Information Technology Essay

Examining The Factors Of Project Failure Information Technology Essay Prior to determining the factors that causes a project to fail; one must have a clear understanding of what a project is. So What is a Project? According to the Project Management Institute a project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product service or result. In this context, the term temporary means that every project has a definite starting point and a definite end. The end of a project is when all objectives have been met, or it has became certain that the objective can or cannot be achieved, or when there is no further necessity for the project to be continued. A project is also unique in which the end results or product is different to others being developed such as different designs, different locations, different contractors and etc. Another characteristic which sums up to what a project is it being progressive. Progressive is a characteristic that displays every project is developed on a step by step or by an increment basis. 1.1 What is Project Management? In order to ensure that all three criteria of a project is met, a method of managing the project must be set in place. This is where project management comes in. According to the Project Management Institute project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements. The purpose of project management is to set in place an organized method of controlling, planning, organizing and measuring resources in a project to meet the objectives set. The resources involved would include manpower, raw materials, machinery, time, money and so on. Due to the lack of application of project management, factors that contribute to the failures of a project are bound to arise. These failure factors will be further explained below. 2.0 Why Do Projects Fail? It is true that every project is unique; however the underlying causes of project failure are usually restricted to a few specific areas. Once we know what these are we can take steps to minimize the chance of problems in these areas and increase the likelihood of success. Common factors for project failures are explained below. 2.1 Inappropriate Communication Management In todays world, it is a requirement that projects are undertaken in partnership with the business, and this partnership absolutely requires solid communication. According to Turner (2007) communication is the operating system of a society. This is simplified to show that an operating system is required to allow the computers resources available for the programs and similar to this, communication is required to provide individuals with resources in the society. Communication is a process of exchanging information which may be carried out as written messages, spoken words or even body gestures. Effective and efficient communication is essential between project manager, project team, sponsors and stakeholder to ensure the success of the project. The communication in a project needs to be carefully planned, implemented and controlled in order for the right information is delivered at the right time to the stakeholders. 2.1.1 Causes of Inappropriate Communication Management Trust Lack of trust between the project manager and the team will lead to team members that dont trust the project manager will not be open in their communications. They will tend to either shut down or challenge the project manager at every turn. De-motivated The team members do not know the value of their presence. This is due to that they are often kept in the dark and not given a clear objective of the project and an up to date progress of the project. The method of delivery of messages is unclear and will lead to misinterpretation of the message and different expectations of the project. Poor Communicators Some project managers just dont know how to communicate well. This is usually not a lack of skill but a lack of focus. Project managers tend to put their least effort in communicating with the team members and those associated with the project. The information delivered will often be short and puzzling for not all the exact details is explained. Incompetence The team itself is not trained to communicate proactively as a team. This will result in the team not sharing information and learning with each other. Some project teams are comprised of members from different divisions in a company. These individuals are only temporarily associated with each other until the completion of the project. Unless these individuals are sent to training prior to the commencement of the project it will be very difficult for them to adapt to the new working environment. 2.2 Poor Project Planning The key to any project process is good planning. Good planning helps minimize potential risks, last minute changes and provide efficient working conditions. Project planning is important for it will assess the strengths and weakness of the project team, determine the threats of the project, develop the project objectives and provide the platform for leadership and control of the project. The basis of planning involves charting. Simple charts such as checklists and Gantt charts may sometimes suffice throughout the completion of the project as long as all details and factors are taken into consideration. This form of charts is also easier to be comprehended by the stakeholders who are untrained in the management arts. However other advanced methods such as network analysis may also be used. The main point to planning is to allow some slack in the time constraint and always be prepared to make changes in the plan. 2.2.1 Causes of Poor Planning Not Alert to Symptoms A good project manager is one that is able to provide a detailed drafted out plan and yet notice the symptoms of failure for it. The symptoms may be: Major gaps remained unresolved Key stakeholders have no participation in the project Too frequent changes in a scope Lack of test and development resources Multiple revisions in the timeline Schedule Too Tight The manager must be prepared to make allowances for unexpected variances in the project such as delays in approvals, shortages of resources or any acts of god. Unrealistic Time Scales The idealistic time scale is to be short and able to meet all objectives. However project managers must be careful not to be too optimistic in meeting this goal. Sometimes the time scales are set without considering the amount of work to be completed to achieve the objectives. As a result, there will probably be a delay in completion in the project thus requiring more financial resources to be added to the project. 2.3 Inappropriate Risk Management Project risks can be predictable or completely unpredictable and it can occur at any phase of a project. Some risks are associated with a particular task whilst others may occur due to external factors outside of the project. A good risk assessment is identifying all predictable risks; assess the severity of the risks and drafting out a plan to minimize its impacts or even possible avoidance of it. It is very important to analyze and rectify a risk as soon as it is identified for any delays in rectification will put the project at a higher risk of loss or damage. 2.3.1 Causes of Inappropriate Risk Management Too Confident It is encouraged to be confident in the project plan as it will increase the enthusiasm among the project team. However, the attitude of being too confident and turning a blind eye on any factors that may disrupt the progress of the project will cause catastrophic effects on the project. Such effects may be insufficient resources, project delays, demotivation of employees and even abortion of the project itself. Misconceptions Some project managers perceive risks as threats to the projects success. Therefore they will prefer to ignore the threats and solely hope that the threat will diminish itself. This obviously will not happen for there is no problem in the world that will solve itself. Wrong Decisions A project manager holds the decision to any trivial problems of the project. In this case when assessing risks the project manager must make the key decision of risk avoidance or risk taking. All factors must be taken into consideration prior to making the decision to prevent disturbances in meeting the projects objectives. Inefficient Method of Risk Assessing To be able to efficiently assess a risk, systematic approaches such as fault trees and fish bones are applied in order to take all risks into considerations. Methods such as qualitative and quantitative analysis are then implied to determine its impact or chances. Insufficient assessing of the risks will create an act of surprise that will disrupt the progress of the project. 2.4 Inadequate Scope Management According to (PMI 2004), Project management scope is defining and controlling what is and what is not included in the project. The importance of scope management is divided into three elements: Ensure Sufficient Amount of Work is Done In order to do this a clear definition of the project must be obtained. This may include identifying the exact requirements that is needed to accomplish the projects objective, who the key stakeholders are and what is driving the project. Ensure Unnecessary Work is Not Done Avoid the Nice to haves. Nice to haves are additional requirements that suddenly develop as the project progresses. These additional requirements often add little value but require extra costs. Achieve the Stated Objective The objective of the project must be achieved. For any problems encountered during execution of the project, the manager must be able to control the changes or modifications to the scope to ensure that the objective can be accomplished. 2.4.1 Causes for Inadequate Scope Management Incomplete Scope An incomplete scope leads to frequent additional changes. This may drag the time scale of the project and create extra costs. Confusing Scope A scope that is not straight forward and clear will lead to ambiguity of stakeholders. Such ambiguities are misinterpretations of design and requirements. Confusion will affect the commitment of stakeholders and will require additional unnecessary work. Scope Creep Constant changes to the scope may make the project seem never ending and delay in completion. To prevent this, scope document must be finalized and not allowed to be altered unless a formal change process is carried out. 2.5 Poor Stakeholder Management Stakeholder management is managing communications between stakeholders to discover their expectations before and during project execution to avoid ambiguity such as perceiving a successful project as a failure. According to the Association for Project Management (APM) Body of Knowledge (BoK) Stakeholders are all those with an interest or role in the project or who are impacted by the project. Examples of stakeholders are the shareholders, creditors and the project management team itself. Maintaining good communication with the stakeholder puts the project manager at an advantage for besides being able to see eye to eye on the projects progress, the stakeholder may even assist in resolving conflicts encountered by their political relations, contacts or knowledge that is not available on the project team. 2.5.1 Causes for Poor Stakeholder Management Poor Business Plan Some projects have a tendency to fail before it even started. This is because prior to commencing a project, sufficient financial funds must be available and in order for these funds to be available the project manager must come up with a clear and detailed business plan to attract sponsors for the project. If the plan does not impress the investors or raise confusion it will be most likely be rejected. Poor Communication Successful relationship with stakeholders is achieved by maintaining good communication. The key to this is proactive communication which the stakeholder is constantly updated of the progress of the project. Other than encouraging commitment from the stakeholders, proactive communication helps avoid bad rumors of project disturbance from influencing stakeholders. Proactive communication will also alert the project manager of any potential troubles existing from senior stakeholders. This may be in the form of not providing the required support, interfering into the project without consultation and unfounded promises or commitment. 2.6 Impact of Failure Factors on Project The aim of a project manager is to achieve success in all aspects of the project. This is reliant upon achieving the objectives in terms of cost, time and quality. The critical factor of these objectives is that it is interrelated with each other where you cannot trade off one for another in order to achieve the success of the project. 2.6.1 Quality/Cost Impact All the failure factors stated above will increase the cost of a project which will then have an effect on the quality of the finished product depending on the project managers decision. For example, due to the project managers unorganized planning the costs have risen to complete the project. The poor planning may have been led by insufficient scope assessment, bad communication or even inefficient risk analysis. Therefore in order to meet the funds available the project manager decides to cut corners and resolve to use cheaper raw materials to complete the project. This will result in a finished product of a lower standard than specified by the customer. From this situation, by compromising quality the project is labeled as a failure even though the financial costs have not exceeded. Therefore it is of the utmost importance of the project manager to plan, analyze and communicate efficiently to achieve project success. 2.6.2 Time/Cost Impact There is a direct relationship between time and money. Whenever a planned timescale is extended it will surely add cost to the project. The cost of a project increases as it progresses for its value and the stake it bears is higher. All the failure factors above will create disruptions in the projects progress and eventually delay its completion. This may cause increase in costs involving work force, facilities and equipment and raw materials. For large projects, funds are usually available progressively as the project manager completes a phase of the project. A completed phase will then be inspected and certified by an independent quality surveyor hired by the customer. Certified invoices will then be issued to the customer. The projects manager revenue will be delayed if the phase is not completed within the time scale specified or not up to the desired standard. The project manager will then have to finance the extra costs himself which may result in severe cash flow problems. Del ays on large project can easily add additional costs. Therefore it is very important that the project is planned, analyzed, monitored and managed carefully to avoid disruptions in its execution. 2.7 Examples of Factor Failures Affecting Projects 2.7.1 Boeing 787 Dreamliner The 787 dreamliner is a 240 seater aircraft currently being developed by Boeing. Its design involves 50% of the manufacturing materials being composites makes it the first composite airliner in the world. However, due to certain drawbacks Boeing announced its sixth delay for its maiden flight since September 2007. The new planned date for the maiden flight is now shifted to the end of 2009. The delivery of the first 787 is also delayed to the end of 2010 which is a 30 month delay from the originally expected date of June 2008. Various factors were the cause of this delay and will be explained below. Poor Stakeholder Management Prior to the design of the 787, Boeing planned to develop a midsized aircraft capable of travelling at sonic speed (speed of sound). Even though its operating costs were higher, Boeing assured its customers that the sonic cruiser would promote customer satisfaction by saving time. However, due to the September 11, 2001 attacks and increased petroleum prices the customers became less interested in the project. Thus as Boeing informed its customers of the increasing airframe costs the customers immediately pulled out of the project resulting in Boeing announcing the abortion of the Sonic Cruiser project on December 2002. Inadequate Scope Management For the production of the 787, Boeing decided on a new approach as a resolve to reduce costs. This new approach was to outsource the major components of the 787 to different manufacturing companies around the world. For examples, the wings were produced by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagoya (Japan), ailerons and flaps by Boeing Australia, stabilizers by Alenia Aeronautica (Italy) and these parts were to be assembled in Everett, Washington (Boeings Main Plant). By outsourcing Boeing did not specify the exact details of the parts and encouraged the manufacturers to speak out their ideas develop solutions for problems. However, when progressing to the assembly of the aircraft tests displayed the fuselage is not up to the desired strength and failed the testing. Due to this defect, Boeing engineers are back at the drawing board to solve the issue. Inappropriate Communication Management A current major problem in the design is electronic integration. Unlike current aircrafts the 787 is designed to operate flight controls by using electrical power to reduce weight and reduce complexity. However by employing three different competing companies to integrate their systems together has proven to be a problem. Smiths Aerospace, Rockwell Collins and Honeywell International are known as fierce competitors in the aviation industry. Therefore when struggling to get their software to mesh with each others, the atmosphere turns stressful and the software engineers returned to the competitive attitude they actually are. Inappropriate Risk Management For Boeing to be announcing its sixth delay is not displaying a very good image of achieving its objectives. Sequences of problems arising due to technical difficulties experienced by the 787 are acting like a domino effect on the progress of 787 making less room for mistakes for Boeing. Although primarily there were 910 orders on the 787, 70 of those orders have been cancelled due to the delay. The current situation to meet the deadline for the maiden flight the end of this year is building tension among Boeings engineers to solve current structural problems. Aside from technical problems the delay is also costing Boeing a net loss of $1.6 billion according to Flightglobal.com. Poor Project Planning According to Cohan (2009), another factor for the delay is due to Boeings change of management plan. Boeing has long adopted a command and control type of leadership in the company. However for the 787 project, the top executives decide to enforce a new type of leadership known as Transformational Leadership (TL). TL is a form of leadership where employers encourage employees to make decisions, have ownership and take responsibility for any failure or success. In the past, Boeing had given suppliers very detailed information of what is needed when it outsourced its components. However, with the 787 Boeing allowed the suppliers to do the design and manufacturing. This is found to be the source of why there were problems during the final assembly at Everett. Due to this factor, Boeing has reverted to the previous type of leadership to prevent any more delays and other assembly related problems from reoccurring. (http://www.dailyfinance.com/2009/08/19/will-boeing-have-to-delay-the-787-dreamliner-another-two-years/) 3.0 Analysis of Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) PMBOK is a project management guide that provides the fundamentals of project management that can be applied on a variety of projects such as construction, engineering, research and so on. It provides the guidance on the application of project management skills, tools, knowledge and techniques that can enhance the success of a project. PMBOK was first published by the Project Management Institute (PMI) in 1987 and is currently the widest standard of project management used. PMBOK consists of five basic process groups and nine knowledge areas typical of almost all projects. Initiation Process Authorizing the project or phase Planning Process Defining and selecting the best methods to achieve the projects objectives Execution Process Coordination of resources to perform the plan Controlling Process Monitoring and controlling the projects progress to ensure the projects objectives is achieved and to layout corrective action if any variances occur Closing Process Concluding the project 3.1 How PMBOK Can Mitigate Failure Factors 3.1.1 Communication Management Communications management provides a link for information and individual for efficient communication to take place. Communication is an exchange of information between individuals that are associated in the project such as stakeholders, project team, project manager and the public itself. Failure for an organized communication system to take place will create factors for project failure as stated in the previous chapter. Therefore it is important that everyone associated in the project understands how communication will affect the project as a whole. PMBOK has outlined the guidelines for efficient communication management which are: Communication Planning Plan the information and communication needs of those associated with the project. This includes determining what information is to be delivered to whom and when it is to be delivered. The project manager also has to plan the communication method to be applied to different individuals associated with the project. Information Distribution The process of making information to those who need it according to the management plan. The project manager must also be prepared to provide information on occasional unexpected requests of information. Methods of information distribution may be in the form of project meetings, hard copy documents, electronic communication such as emails, and other work management tools Performance Reporting Involves collection and distribution of performance information such as status reports, progress measurements and forecasts of progress. This usually provides information on scope, schedule, cost and quality. The performance report collects progress information and compares it to a reference baseline. 3.1.2 Stakeholder Management According to PMBOK, stakeholder management refer to managing communication to satisfy the needs of, and resolve issues with, project stakeholder. By maintaining a good relationship between the stakeholders, it increases the potential of keeping the project on track and limits disturbances in the projects progress. To ensure efficient stakeholder management PMBOK has analysed two main guidelines to be implemented: Identify Stakeholders Process of recognizing those who are impacted by the project. This includes documenting their interest, participation and involvement in the project. Stakeholders of a project may consists of individuals that possess different authority levels thus may have a big influence on the outcome of the project. The project manager must identify the key stakeholders and develop a strategy to approach each stakeholder and determine their level of involvement to mitigate negative impacts and encourage positive influence. Manage Stakeholder Expectations This is the process of knowing the needs of the stakeholder and informing of arising issues as the project progresses. It involves negotiating and influencing the stakeholder regarding their expectations to achieve an agreement relevant to the project goals, resolving issues that is disrupting the project and informing of future problems and assessing them. The key to this is to maintain proactive communication with the stakeholder for the influence, knowledge and skill possessed by the stakeholder may not be available on the project team. 3.1.3 Risk Management Risk management is a process of identifying potential problems that may occur, assessing them and determine whether to avoid, transfer or mitigate the impacts of the risk. By using PMBOK as a guideline, it has outlined six processes to avoid risk as being an act of surprise and instead an anticipation of events. The processes are: Plan Risk Management Process of determining procedures to approach risk and the activities to be performed for managing risks. This is crucial to ensure that sufficient resources and time is available when the activities are to be performed. Identify Risk Identify potential problems that may occur as the project progresses. It is a constantly progressing procedure for new risks may be identified as the project progresses. Qualitative Risk Analysis An analysis of determining risks of the highest priority. Prioritizing is in terms of probability of occurrence, impact on objectives and other factors such as time frame of response and constraints on cost, scope and quality. Quantitative Risk Analysis An analysis performed on risks that have been prioritized by the qualitative risk analysis. The analysis will determine the characteristics of the loss and assign a numerical rating to it. Plan Risk Response Planning responses to risks identified during the analysis. Such responses may be to avoid, mitigate, transfer or even retention of the risks. The responses must take into account the significance of the risk, cost effectiveness, realistic and timely within the projects objectives and must be agreed by all parties. Monitor and Control Risk Risk monitoring and control is and ongoing processes in order to be able to identify potential new risks and keep track of existing ones. It enhances the opportunities to reduce or eliminate threats to protect the projects objectives. 3.1.4 Scope Management In order to avoid doing the unnecessary a system of defining and controlling what is to be included into the project must be implemented to avoid waste of resources and costs. This is scope management. PMBOK has laid out five basic guidelines to be followed to avoid doing the unnecessary. Plan Scope Collecting requirements that define and documents the projects features needed to fulfil the stakeholders needs and expectations in the project. Define Scope Providing a detailed description of the projects deliverables and the work needed to be carried out to achieve it. Create Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) WBS is a process of dividing the work in a hierarchical manner into small, manageable groups. The WBS gives a pictorial definition of the project to assist the stakeholder in viewing the deliverable. Verify Scope Scope verification is a process of receiving the acceptance by the stakeholder on a completed scope or deliverable. Control Scope Scope control is the process of monitoring the progress of the scope and managing any changes to be done to it. This is to avoid scope creep, thus any changes must be performed through an Integrated Change control process. 3.1.5 Project Planning A project plan is to create a guideline to achieve the projects objective. The project plan will display a flow diagram of processes which will lead to accomplishing objectives. The plan must also take into consideration of the time scale, resources, workforce and any potential risks to the project. As specified by PMBOK, planning of a project will integrate some knowledge areas processes with each other depending on their inputs and outputs. The guidelines for an effective project plan are provided by PMBOK. Develop Project Charter Project charters are issued by the sponsors of the project. It is a document that formally authorizes a project and is a summary of the project. The contents of a project charter are business needs, current customer requirements, project purpose, milestone schedule and the budget summary. Develop Preliminary Scope Statement This process involves defining of what is needed to be accomplished in the project. The preliminary scope statement is documented based on information from the sponsor which will include the characteristics and boundaries of the project. Develop Project Management Plan Project management plan is a document that defines integrates and coordinates all subsidiary plans into one document. The project management plan displays how the project will be carried out monitored and controlled and closed which are the five basic processes of PMBOK. The project management plan is revised and updated whenever a change occurs to the plan. 4.0 Conclusion Project Managers are like bridges that links key pieces together. Therefore, to reach those pieces effectively they are required to possess a balance of skills and knowledge and are able to apply the skill and knowledge efficiently. Project management frameworks such as PMBOK are merely used as guidance and will not promise the success of a project. The project management team is responsible for determining what is appropriate in any project and the decision is made by the project manager. Project Managers should have a clear understanding of the projects objectives and strive to achieve them. As mentioned above, careful planning of a project is essential for its success. Other factors that also contribute to this are good communication, detailed risk analysis, clear definition of scope and proactive relationship among stakeholders. By using these factors as guidelines, it is quite certain that impacts for projects failure can be mitigated.