Role of Positive Discrimination in the Workplace with Regard to the Essay

Role of Positive Discrimination in the Workplace with Regard to the Minorities - Essay Example This essay declares that employers have realised the value of diversity in relation to the workforce, thus using recruitment and selection tools that help draw culturally diverse employees into an organisation. Positive discrimination was used in the past as a selection tool to ensure that minorities received the opportunity of representing their group at the workplace. This meant that candidates from minority groups were eligible for jobs before the others regardless of their qualifications and skills. This paper stresses that positive discrimination is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer to a group of measures employed by governments, corporations, institutions whether private of public, such as schools, and companies in an effort to address discrimination affecting the entire system. Positive discrimination is anticipated to facilitate the role played by minority groups to development and reduce inequalities thereby ameliorating development indicators. It is crucial for the nation to design and implement proper measures that will help in curbing inequality and the United Kingdom has continued to make necessary changes to Positive discrimination in an effort to make them as accommodative as possible. Positive discrimination is the name used to describe affirmative action in the United Kingdom. In the United Kingdom, positive discrimination in reference to employment refers to policies and measures laid down to curb employment discrimination barriers for women and individual s from minority groups. ... Positive discrimination is anticipated to facilitate the role played by minority groups to development and reduce inequalities thereby ameliorating development indicators. It is crucial for the nation to design and implement proper measures that will help in curbing inequality and the United Kingdom has continued to make necessary changes to Positive discrimination in an effort to make them as accommodative as possible (Noon, 2010:728). Positive discrimination is the name used to describe affirmative action in the United Kingdom. Affirmative action was introduced in the United States by President John F. Kennedy as Executive Order 10925 and was signed on 6 March 1961. It was introduced to eliminate or reduce discrimination of African Americans in the workplaces, schools, colleges and residential areas. It all began with President Kennedy when he issued an executive order in 1961. In 1964 the Civil Rights Act was introduced and it made provisions that prohibited discrimination and ens ured that all Americans had equal employment opportunities regardless of religion, race, colour or cultural background. In September 1965, President Johnson issued Executive Order 11246 that required all government employers to adopt particular rules while employing workers and to disregard the religion, race, national origin or colour of the candidates. In 1967, affirmative action was amended to admit gender too. (Tsikata, 2009:12). In the United Kingdom, positive discrimination in reference to employment refers to policies and measures laid down to curb employment discrimination barriers for women and individuals from minority groups. Positive discrimination is supposed to raise

Researching the adoption of technology-based self-service within an Dissertation

Researching the adoption of technology-based self-service within an organizational strategic orientation context as a form of su - Dissertation Example In all a total of 20 participants provided their knowledge, experience, and perspective in gaining more of an insight into the research question. The strategy for the data is in the focused area of identifying the characterized elements that either improve or restrain the organization to meeting their designed M-S type approach. The findings revealed in each questionnaire an understanding to that the marketplace share is only increased with a purposeful mission of implemented strategy. The overall counterpart is the bridging of resources for formulating a well-through planning initiative that presents innovative measures for the marketplace (Haritz-Menne, 2004). The Defined Miles and Snow Strategic Typology represent the key area of focus to highlighting the main areas of questionnaire for the participants. Therefore, the 7 main questions within the area of Defined Miles and Snow Strategic Typology create a lasting impression of defining either SCA is the preferred method. The true m anagement approach for are structured within the four sub-categories of accountability: a. Prospector b. Reactors c. Defenders d. Analyzers The survey questionnaire is the following of a comparative notion that relays on a quantitative and qualitative assessment of reliability of answering the research question: 1. ... 4. In comparison to our competitors, the increases or losses in demand which we have experienced are due most probably to practices indicated. 5. One of the most important goals in my company, in comparison to our competitors, is our dedication and commitment to keeping costs within desired levels. 6. In contrast to our competitors, the competencies (skills) which our managerial position. 7. The one thing that protects our organization from our competitors is that we formulate a method to structure the strategy approach. 8. More so than many of our competitors, our management staff tends to concentrate on certain protocols for increasing financial opportunities The analysis of the data presented from the survey revealed in the 7th questionnaire the following assessment of accountability: 1. In comparison to our competitors, the products/services which we provide to our customers are bet characterized in the marketplace. 10 out of the 20 participants presented a more direct approach b y a Prospector indicating a measure that entails: products/services which are more innovated, continually changing and broader in nature throughout the organization and marketplace. 7 out of the 20 participants presented a more direct approach by Analyzers indicating a measure that entails: products/services which are fairly stable in certain units/departments and markets while innovation in other units/departments and markets. 3 out of the 20 participants presented a more direct approach by Defenders indicating a measure that entails: products/services which are well focused, relatively stable and consistently defined throughout the organization and marketplace. 2. In contrast to our competitors, our organizations have an image in the marketplace as a

Examining The Ethics Of Undercover Reporting Media Essay

Examining The Ethics Of Undercover Reporting Media Essay In a day in which we are spending thousands of man hours uncovering deception, we simply cannot deceive. How can newspapers fight for honesty and integrity when they themselves are less than honest in getting a story? Benjamin Bradlee, former executive editor of the Washington Post. Last month, two high profile public figures in Britain were the subject of tabloid sting operations which have caused widespread controversy and debate. This essay will analyse the actions of the journalist or newspaper editor in each case, from both a deontological and consequentialist standpoint, which will serve to illustrate the ethical complexities surrounding the whole concept of undercover reporting. Duchess of York plots to sell access to Prince Andrew, Mazher Mahmood, News of the World, 23 May 2010 On 23rd May 2010, the News of the World reported that the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, had been duped into accepting a $40,000 ( £27,000) cash down-payment from an undercover reporter posing as a Sheikh. The papers Investigations Editor Mazher Mahmood had offered the Duchess a total of  £500,000 to be introduced to Fergusons ex-husband Prince Andrew, who is a British trade envoy. The meeting where the deposit was handed over to Ferguson and details of the bribe were discussed was captured on tape, and this video was posted on the News of the World website alongside the article. The News of the World may claim they have done Britain a good service in exposing Fergusons illicit business deals, but in reality, they have not presented any proof that she had been engaging in bribery and corruption before the News of the World entered the fray and staged this elaborate sting operation. They claim that they have proof that she had already cashed in by introducing two international tycoons to Prince Andrew, which resulted in lucrative business deals for which she gained a commission. Would it not have been enough to report on this evidence which had been provided by their close royal associate who blew the whistle on her? They say they have procured all the details of her transactions with these tycoons, and information about the new company Ferguson set up last month to handle her illicit business, but have not presented any of these details in the article, or in any of the myriad of articles published about the Ferguson affair since the videos were posted on the website. Yes, the News of the World did indeed expose that Sarah Ferguson was disposed to a corrupt deal with an international business man. But who is to say that she would not have been involved in any illicit dealings had the News of the World not set her up in this way? In April, another of Mahmoods undercover sting operations brought a premature end to the career of snooker champion John Higgins when Mahmood filmed him in a hotel room in the Ukraine agreeing to fix a lose in an upcoming snooker match in exchange for à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬300,000. He had been set up by a group of undercover reporters posing as businessmen. Higgins has since claimed that he had been intimidated into the deal against his will, but has been suspended from snooker pending an investigation, perhaps indefinitely. Mahmood claims that the decision to set Higgins up was based on a tip-off from a sports insider that Higgins was engaging in match-fixing. However, no details or evidence was presented in the article to back up the claims. This is just another recent example of the kind of undercover reporting that Mahmood is engaging in for the News of the World, where a sensationalist scoop, usually involving a celebrity or public figure, is caught on camera, causes a brief media fren zy, but is quickly forgotten when the next sting operation hits the headlines. Mahmood, who has been posing as the fake Sheikh for undercover scoops since 1984, claims to have exposed criminal activities in his sting operations which have led to at least 250 criminal convictions. His disguise has duped paedophiles, con men and drug pushers the exposition of whom could be deemed as being in the public interest as well as philandering government ministers and celebrities with recreational drug habits, whose stories may be of salacious interest to the public, but are almost certainly not in the public interest. The motivations behind the News of the Worlds obsession with undercover scoops are simple: deceit can often be the quickest and easiest way to get a story; the journalist has control over the scenario that will eventually end up in the paper, so essentially they can create the headline before the incident has even taken place; and secret footage (audio recordings, video, and grainy or pixilated photographs) sensationalise the story even further and make f or great multimedia content for the web. The man supposed to bring sound judgment to the FA, Ian Gallagher, Mail on Sunday, 16 May 2010 In another undercover exposà © last month, the chairman of the Football Association in England, Lord Triesman, was secretly taped claiming that Spain and Russia were plotting to bribe referees in the upcoming World Cup in South Africa. The recording was made by Triesmans former aide Melissa Jacobs during a lunch meeting. Jacobs proceeded, with the help of celebrity publicist Mark Clifford, to sell the tapes to the Mail on Sunday for a reported  £75,000, who ran the story on the front page on 16th May. While it must be noted that the person who made the recording was not a journalist, but an associate of Triesmans, similar principles around the ethics of clandestine recording and undercover investigation techniques are at issue here (leaving aside the ethics of chequebook journalism). However, there is one crucial difference between this article and the undercover sting operation articles written by Mahmood mentioned above, in that the scenario was not staged in advance by the newspaper. It appears to me, from the details presented in the article, that Jacobs attended the lunch meeting with the intention of getting taped evidence of their affair to sell to the newspaper, and the conversation about the World Cup bribes arose unknown in advance to her. While she prompted him during the exchange for more information, she did not incite the topic of conversation, nor did she steer the conversation in any particular direction. This is demonstrated in the following transcript from the tape, which is quoted in the article: Lord Triesman: Spain are looking for help from the Russians to help bribe the referees in the World Cup, their votes may then switch to Russia. At this point, Miss Jacobs asks: Would Russia help them with that? Lord Triesman: Oh, I think Russia will cut deals. Miss Jacobs: Why will Russia help? Are Russia in the World Cup? Lord Triesman: No theyre not. Miss Jacobs: Oh no theyre not, theyve got nothing to lose? Lord Triesman: Absolutely nothing at all to lose. Exactly. Since the article was published, Lord Triesman has resigned as chairman of the FA, but stated that he had been a victim of entrapment and his comments about the conspiracy were never intended to be taken seriously. Fifas ethics team is investigating the allegations, and if it is proven that they were based in truth, the Mail on Sundays decision to print the story will be vindicated (though this is looking increasingly unlikely). The article was met with widespread derision in Britain, most likely because the scandal seriously jeopardised Englands chances of securing their bid to host the 2018 World Cup. But the reasons given by most critics were that the methods used by the Mail on Sunday to obtain information for the article were dirty and unethical. Consequentialist analysis According to the consequentialists, the ends must justify the means in order for an action to be considered morally acceptable. The morally correct action is that which brings about the highest possible total sum of utility(Wolff, p.49). It could be argued that in attempting to expose Sarah Fergusons corrupt activities, the News of the World were acting in the public interest, ridding the world of a corrupt act and thus bringing the greatest amount of happiness to the greatest number of people. If readers really believed that the journalist was acting to prevent the happening of mischief, pain, evil or unhappiness to the party whose interest is considered, which according to Bentham, (The principle of Utility, quoted in Singer, p.307) should be the main premise for any course of action, it could be argued that he was right to masquerade as a Sheikh in order to expose Fergusons illicit business deals. Similarly, if the main motivation of the Mail on Sunday was to prevent corruption an d match fixing during the World Cup, then the newspaper acted in the right way according to consequentialists. However, as I have explained, it is highly dubious that these were the main motivations of the News of the World or the Mail on Sunday, as I would argue that they were more interested in printing sensational stories that would grab public attention and sell more papers than the ultimate end. While the strongest argument against untruths has been forward by Kant and the deontologists (see below), utilitarians were also strongly against falsehood and deceit, because of the harm done by misleading particular individuals, and the tendency of false statements to diminish the mutual confidence that men ought to have in each others assertions (Sidgwick, Issues for Utilitarians, in Singer, p.316). There is another ethical issue raised by the Sarah Ferguson exposà © article that would be of interest to a consequentialist, and that is the use of anonymous sources. Tabloids like the News of the World are well known for paying large sums of money to well-connected sources, and the information fed to them by their close royal associate may well be legitimate. It is widely recognised amongst journalists and editors alike that it is worth retaining the identity of a source in order to get a story that is in the public interest, and I believe that this is also agreeable from a consequentialist standpoint. However, who is to say that this information, supposedly provided by a source close to Ferguson, was not entirely fabricated? As I have argued in a previous ethical enquiry, journalists should strive to attribute their information as much as possible in order to increase trust between reporter and reader. The reliance upon unnamed sources in articles like this leaves many questions in a readers mind, and if anonymous attribution was to be universalised, readers trust in journalism would be greatly diminished Deontological analysis The concept of truth is central to Kants Categorical Imperative. Truth telling is more than just a good thing, as telling the truth creates trust, and trust is a social necessity. Communication between human beings in any society depends very much on the assumption that what we tell each other is true. Deception itself is an impossibility without this assumption, as a person cannot be deceived unless they are prone to believing what they are told. Kant steadfastly believed that any untruth, even if seemingly harmless in intent (or even uttered in protection of oneself or another) is harmful to society, as untruths diminish mans capacity to trust. A lie always harms another; if not some other particular man, still it harms mankind generally, for it vitiates the source of law itself (Kant, On a supposed right to lie from altruistic motives, in Singer, p.281). Mahmood engaged in active deception in order to get his Sarah Ferguson story. Everything about the set up was a blatant lie his name, his profession, his intention, his promise to pay her  £500,000 he even lied to her outright by denying there were secret cameras filming her when she asked in jest if it was a set up. Lies deliberately intend to deceive, where the aim is invariably to take advantage of another persons trust. According to Kant, what the honest but reticent man says is true, but not the whole truth. What the dishonest man says is something he knows to be false. Such an assertion is called in the theory of virtue, a lie it is a serious violation of a duty to oneself; it subverts the dignity of humanity in our own person, and attacks the roots of our thinking. (Kant, Letter to Maria von Herbert, Spring 1792, in Singer, p.283). Jacobs engaged in a form of passive deception in order to gather the taped material. She did not actively lie to Lord Triesman, but deceived him by hiding her intentions, and the fact that she was taping their conversation without his knowledge. Similarly, when journalists pose as members of the public in order to get a story, they are also being passively deceptive, as they are misrepresenting their true intention. However, this form of undercover reporting is widely accepted by editors the world over, even those that would vehemently oppose actively lying or setting someone up in order to get a story. According to deontologists, the outcome of the action should not be a factor in deciding what is right or wrong in any given situation. Behaviour has a moral weight all of its own, which the moral law within can determine (Kant, The noble descent of duty, in Singer, p.41). Central to the deontological school is the concept of duty. From a deontological perspective, journalists have a duty to their readers, an obligation to present the truth to the public, regardless of the consequences that the revelation of this truth may produce. In the case of the Sarah Ferguson article, the News of the World published the article with no heed to the consequences to the reputation of the Royal family, and similarly, the Mail on Sunday published the article about Triesmans knowledge of match fixing with little regard to the reputation of Triesman himself or the chances of England securing their bid to host the World Cup in 2018. According to Kant, truthfulness is a duty which must be regarded as th e ground of all duties based on contract, and the laws of these duties would be rendered uncertain and useless if even the least exception to them were admitted. (Kant, On a supposed right to lie from altruistic motives, in Singer, p.281). If the News of the World and the Mail on Sunday truly believed that they were bringing the truth to the public in exposing Sarah Fergusons corrupt business deals, and Lord Triesmans knowledge of game-fixing, then their intentions were correct according to deontologists. However, in reality, selling papers overrides most tabloids altruistic motives, and it could be strongly argued that both are more concerned with entrapping public figures in order to sell papers, and thus they are not acting in accordance with the categorical imperative. Objective reporting, one of the most central tenets of good journalism practice, rests on the premise that the journalist remains a passive observer of the material about which they write, and that they record reality the way it is rather than attempting to shape that reality themselves in order to create a story. Most, if not all, ethical guidelines for journalists state that an undercover journalist should be a witness to the action, not an instigator or an active participator, nor should they do anything to prompt an action that would not have occurred should they not have been there. Above all, the journalist should never incite people to commit a crime. However, News of the World exposà ©s, many conducted by Mahmood in disguise, have raised ethical questions over the entrapment of celebrities by journalists working at the paper. Critics have claimed that such undercover operations are an invasion of privacy, and that public figures are being lured under false pretences into doi ng and saying things that they would not have, had they not been prompted or encouraged by the undercover journalist. His elaborate scenarios are staged to entrap the subject, who is manipulated, often into committing a criminal act (Mahmood often stages drug purchases last November he set up a cocaine deal with Ted Terry, father of English footballer John Terry, also for a News of the World exclusive). One of the main considerations a news organisation must take into account when deciding if deceptive undercover reporting is warranted is if this is a legitimate and worthy news story, i.e. is the story in the public interest, or is the news organisation merely pandering to its audiences desire for a salacious story? Many editors, and television producers especially, act under the premise that deception may be warranted when the story is of such importance that it absolutely must be told, and deception or undercover reporting is the only way to prove what is going on. The article about Lord Triesman combined his claims about match-fixing with an exposà © of his illicit romance with Jacobs in 2008. Details of text messages sent between the two, and accounts of their secret dates were recounted. This aspect of the article is a blatant invasion of Triesmans privacy, and is most certainly not in the public interest. It would also be against Kants Practical Imperative, which states that we should act so that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in that of another, always as an end and never as a means only. (Kant, The Categorical Imperative, in Singer, p.279). Individuals are ends in themselves, and they may not be sacrificed or used for achieving of other ends without their consent. (Robert Nozick, The Rationality of Side Constraints, in Singer, p.261). By publishing the juicy details of their affair alongside the quotes from Triesman about the match-fixing, the Mail on Sunday were using Lord Triesman as a means to an end, and also doing themselves a disservice by highlighting the sleazy element of undercover reporting. Another fundamental question that journalists and editors must ask themselves is whether deception is the best way to uncover the story? In the case of Sarah Ferguson, I believe that based on other knowledge and evidence that they claim to have in their possession, the News of the World could have built the case against her without staging a fake bribe. However, in the case of the Lord Triesman article, there would have been no other way to find out his thoughts on match-fixing. Unless he was attempting to impress her in some way with empty rhetoric, there must be some foundation behind Triesmans claims that Spain and Russia were engaging in bribery, which is in turn worthy of serious investigation and a matter of public interest, which has been reinforced by Fifas decision to carry out a full investigation of the matter. Conclusion It can thus be concluded that neither the News of the World article nor the Mail on Sunday article were handled in a manner that would have been acceptable from a consequentialist or a deontological viewpoint. Though I believe the subject matter of each (Sarah Fergusons propensity towards using her royal connections for corrupt means, and Lord Triesmans claims of match-fixing) were indeed in the public interest, the deceptive means by which the end was achieved in each case were morally deplorable, and neither end justified the means. According to Kants Categorical Imperative, we should act only according to the maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law. (Kant, The Categorical Imperative, in Singer, p.274). The principle of universalisability is at the core of deontological theory. If active deception was to be universalised, trust, a central tenet upon which society rests, would crumble. Honesty is the moral virtue at the centre of any societ y, and it should be promoted by all as all stand to gain from it, as trust rests on truth, and trust is a social necessity. Impersonation and subterfuge irrevocably undermines the implicit trust that is so essential between journalists and their sources and interviewees. Undercover reporting disseminates a widespread distrust of journalists amongst the public, which is detrimental to the whole practice of journalism, which relies so heavily upon information received in confidence from that public.

Corporate Governance Essay examples -- Business Management Essays

Corporate Governance Corporate Governance is the relationship between the shareholders, directors, and management of a company, as defined by the corporate character, bylaws, formal policies and rule laws. The corporate governance system was designed to help oversee the decisions and best interest of the shareholders. The system should works accordingly: The shareholders elect directors, who in turn hire management to make the daily executive decisions on the owner’s behalf. The company’s board of director’s position is to oversee management and ensure that the shareholders interest is being served. Corporate governance focus is with promoting enterprise, to improve efficiency, and to address disputes of interest which can force upon burdens on the business. Ensuring that the clearness, and truth in a company’s business can make contribution to improving the enterprise standards and public governance. What created corporate governance is still a question of debate? It is a developing order control system, and one in which little has been rearranged from the outlook of developing and transition economies. From the corporation’s outlook, the developing system’s general agreement is that the purpose of corporate governance is to increase the firm’s value, subject to meeting the corporation’s financial and other legal obligation. They believe that the extensive meaning stresses the need for boards of directors to balance the interest of capital providers with those of stakeholders in order to achieve long term maintained commercial success. While on the other hand, the public believe the purpose of corporate governance is to nature the spirit of the company while ensuring accountability for the exercise of power and special privileges by the firm. The role of the public policy is to provide firms with the incentives and discipline to minimize the difference between private and social returns, and to protect the interest of stakeholders. Corporate governance has become an issue of worldwide importance. Corporations have a role to play in promoting economic development and social progress therefore they must have the best members on the board to assure good standards. Board members and directors should possess certain characteristics that will allow them to make good decisions for the firm. The appropriate characteristics should be possessed by each c... ...lling away from the company. This new Nasdaq rule is suppose to make investors and the public aware of what is happening with the company weather its conflict of interest or other corporate abuse. They also believe it will give investors more confidence in the companies that they invest their money in. The new rule should prevent a bad company from showing dishonest behavior. Many agree that there will not really be a change for companies that are doing business correctly already. All it really will do is show the public who the bad companies are and see them as they are put to justice. The bottom line to the whole scenario is â€Å"all honest people are honest people and crooks are crooks†. It has been said that this new rule will only make the bad people work harder to be bad and continue wrongful doings to learn new ways to bet the corporate governance system. Face it the bottom line is if you want something done right you have to do it yourself, but how could one person have some many obligations to meet for a company when they will face problems also. Hopefully along with the new Nasdaq rule and obedience board directors corporate governance will become better with in time.

High School and Essay Entitlement Education Essay

High school is a place where students can slide easily through. They do not have to put forth any effort to get a good grade. They feel that they can get maximum achievement with minimum work. To some high school is way too easy and that they can just cake walk through. However, to others, such as author Daniel Bruno, it is an imperfect reality that many high school students get sucked into. In his essay â€Å"Entitlement Education,† Daniel Bruno courageously uncovers the truth about how high school students take advantage of the No Child Left Behind policy. Daniel goes behind the curtains to reveal real life high school and how students are not trying to achieve greatness but just enough or nothing at all. In America we have a society that allows our students to not try their best in school. Students wake up knowing that they don’t have to try as hard because they will receive a passing grade. Daniel exposes how students are under prepare for college because they lack the knowledge being taught in high school. They do not pay close attention because again they expect or they feel that they are entitled to a good grade. They will also be cheated because their lives will be less. They will get find his or her self at a disadvantage on a job. They say that intelligence is the quality of his or her life. A person may have knowledge but no intelligence. So, they can know all the facts there is to know but cannot apply it to solve problems or make connections. In conclusion, entitlement does go on forever. They are cheated out of a number of things before they even realize it. Entitlement is only handicapping high school students from the next level which is college. Entitlement can ruin the dreams of students who are caught up in this unreal reality and think they are entitled to anything. Work Cited â€Å"Almanac.† The Chronicle of Higher Education. Chronicle Of Higher Education, 2000. Web. 18 Oct. 2001.

Film review on “The Matrix: Reloaded”

The main aim for this piece was to persuade with a second aim to entertain the reading audience. I chose this genre because it gave me the chance to explore the language within the genre but also the presentation. My targeted audience was from fifteen to twenty as I feel this age range will read the film review on â€Å"The Matrix Reloaded† which I did my piece on. I looked at a number of film reviews and their style but I decided to create my own with my ideas, which I hope made it, more, creative. Throughout my piece I have tried to add humour as well as adding relevant and consistant points. This is shown in the section â€Å"the story so far†: â€Å"for one, you're stark raving crazy† I have used this humour because I was trying to steer away from the standard review because I wanted to personalise it with my own unique style. Developing on this I didn't want to have too much comedy within the review as I feel it would be hard to sustain it to a high a quality if I persisted with it through out the piece. So I included it in short sharp bursts to add `colour` to the review. When I did add the comedy I wanted to bring the reader back to the point I was trying to get across with phrases like: â€Å"seriously though†. This helps to remind the reader that the most important part of the writing is not the comedy but the actual review. I tried to use the above technique to involve the reader but I also this by using words like â€Å"you're† and â€Å"we†. These pro nouns makes the reader think that you are talking directly to them which keeps them involved in the writing. As the main aim of the piece was to persuade and secondly to entertain I had to choose my language very carefully. So I decided that I would use a lot of positive emotive adjectives to persuade my readers to share my opinion of the film: â€Å"funky† â€Å"cool† â€Å"impressive† The other main thing I had to think about was the audience I was writing for. As I aimed it at fifteen to twenty years old I tried to include some teenage jargon: â€Å"Check out these visuals† I used the phrase â€Å"check out†as I feel that the bulk of the people who would read this would relate to this kind of language as it addresses them in a friendly tone. Finally one of the main features of my piece is the layout and presentation. This is a key part because when people pick up a review of something the first thing that attracts them is how it looks. So I have tried to do this also by including a front cover which I put there to attract the reader and gives them a brief introduction of what the review is about. Where I think theses presentational devices works best was in the main review. I included a picture from the scene with writing wrapped around it. The writing is actually about the picture, which gives the reader a taster to what the film will be like. This in my opinion is the form of persuasion as it makes the reader want to see the rest of the film. In my writing I made a lot of amendments in the presentational side of my review. As you can see from my first drafts, the presentation is bland so I had to change so it was appealing to the eye. I did this buy using appropriate pictures from the film to complement the writing. The other main thing I did to the presentation was to use a background of â€Å"The Matrix code† which is a trademark in the films, but I feel this could only be truly appreciated by a â€Å"Matrix† fan. Regarding the actual writing the first draft I did was the style I was looking for so I only had to fine-tune it which gave me the opportunity to concentrate on how it looked. In my opinion the most successful thing which was included in my piece was the presentation and the way I adapted to my target audience. The presentation in the final draft in my opinion looked really professional and captured the mood of the films. I thought my language in my writing really suited my targeted audience, this is shown here: â€Å"get ready for the ride of your life† I think that the age range that would read this would relate to this in a way they could appreciate. A major problem that faced me when I was writing my review was trying to get my presentation right. I found it hard to produce the picture I had in my mind, which I wanted it to like. But I got there in there in the end with a lot of fiddling around on the computer. Overall I am happy with my final piece as I feel I met all of the criteria for writing to persuade and also adding my own style. If I was to do this piece of work again I would do some more research on the film as I feel this would strengthen my writing further.

Free Essays on Winamp Skins

on the skin. The pledit.txt file defines the font and color of the playlist text, and almost all colors are specified in hexidecimal format. (You should change only the name of the font and the values of the color; messing around with other text might result in an unsightly or nonfunctional skin.) For Advanced Users The region.txt file lets you define which portions of Winamp you want to show and which you want to be transparent. This can be useful if you want to change the shape. The copy of region.txt in the skin includes comprehensive documentation; be sure to read the whole file before editing it. If you don't want to make any region changes, you ca... Free Essays on Winamp Skins Free Essays on Winamp Skins Step One Create a new folder in C:/Program Files/Winamp/Skins, and call it something you'll remember, such as My Winamp Skin Rocks. Then unzip the contents of the Winamp base skin into that folder. You'll find 27 files ending in .cur, 15 files ending in .bmp, and three files ending in .txt. Step Two Click the curvy Menu symbol at the very top left of Winamp, then click Skin Browser and choose the folder you created in step one as the Current Skin. You can design your skin by editing the BMP files in your favorite photo editor and the CUR files in a cursor editor. Paste in photographs, change the texture of the image, or just randomly scribble over everythinghow your skin turns out is up to you and you alone. Step Three Get a sense of which files correspond to which graphical elements in Winamp by comparing the BMP files you're editing with a live, running Winamp program. (After all, you need to be listening to tunes in order to create.) The names of the files indicate their purposes; for example, EQTitle.cur is the cursor that pops up when you mouse over the equalizer's title bar. Restart Winamp to see changes you've made take effect. Step Four Finally, edit Winamp's TXT files in any text editor (Notepad, which comes standard with Windows, should work fine) to change words on the skin. The pledit.txt file defines the font and color of the playlist text, and almost all colors are specified in hexidecimal format. (You should change only the name of the font and the values of the color; messing around with other text might result in an unsightly or nonfunctional skin.) For Advanced Users The region.txt file lets you define which portions of Winamp you want to show and which you want to be transparent. This can be useful if you want to change the shape. The copy of region.txt in the skin includes comprehensive documentation; be sure to read the whole file before editing it. If you don't want to make any region changes, you ca...

Compounds Based on Port

Compounds Based on Port Compounds Based on Port Compounds Based on Port By Mark Nichol This post lists and defines compound words in which the second element is the word port, derived from the Latin word portare, meaning â€Å"carry.† Airport, carport, heliport, and seaport refer to locations where the vehicles and vessels implied by the respective prefixes embark and return (and remain between uses). To apport (literally, â€Å"carry to†) is to move or produce something through supernatural means, and an apport is something so moved. To comport (â€Å"carry with†) is to agree or to behave. (As with most but not all words featuring a prefix attached to port, the noun is formed by appending -ation.) Deport (â€Å"carry away†) usually refers to expelling a person to his or her home country. Disport has the same literal meaning but generally refers to amusement or diversion. Sport is a truncation of disport that usually refers to athletic activities (originally engaged in for amusement as a respite from one’s routine). Sport can mean â€Å"engage in sport,† but as a verb it more often takes the place of wear in an emphatic sense (as in â€Å"He sported a new tie†), though it is also a synonym for jest or ridicule. As a noun, sport refers to an athletic activity, and the plural form denotes several or all such activities collectively. Sport has also been used as a friendly term for directly addressing a boy (as in the greeting â€Å"Hey, sport!†). The adjectives sporting, sportive, and sporty have distinct connotations: Sporting means â€Å"suitable for sport,† usually in the context of hunting dogs, or may refer to gambling or to risk; in a scientific context, it means â€Å"tending to mutate freely.† (The adverbial form is sportingly.) Sportive refers to sporting events, usually those conducted on a field, but it may also have a connotation of â€Å"playful† or â€Å"wanton.† (The noun form is sportiveness, and sportively is the adverbial form.) Sporty pertains to sports or people or things associated with them (or to sports cars, so named because their design and performance are inspired by race cars). Sportiness is the noun associated with this term, and the adverbial form is sportily. Export (â€Å"carry out†) and import (â€Å"carry in†) refer, as verbs, nouns, and adjectives, to goods brought into or send out from a country for sale elsewhere; in the context of computers, the terms denote movement of a file from one program to another. Passport, the word for a document that authorizes travel to one country from another, derived from the notion of being able to pass, or gain entry to, a port when traveling by ship. By extension, it also pertains to permission to go somewhere or something that enables someone to achieve acceptance or entrance. To purport (â€Å"thoroughly carry†) is to claim, or to have the appearance of something, whether valid or not; the word can also be a synonym of intend or purpose. As a noun, purport refers to the gist or substance of something or to an implicit or explicit meaning. Rapport (â€Å"carry back†) is a deep, understanding relationship between two people. Borrowed from French, in English it originally had the same meaning as report (â€Å"carry back†), which means â€Å"make a recorded, spoken, or written statement or summary† or â€Å"present an account or announcement†; a report is such a message. A reporter is a journalist who covers news (the act of reporting is also called reportage), and a court reporter records proceedings in hearings and trials. To report for duty is to show up at a designated place and time to carry out a responsibility, usually in the context of military service. To support (â€Å"carry under†) is to help with emotional, financial, physical, or verbal assistance, to advocate or corroborate, or to hold up a structure. Support is also a noun describing such assistance (supportance and supportation are two obsolete variations), and a supporter is a person or thing that provides it. Transport (â€Å"carry across†) means â€Å"convey from one place to another,† though it also has the aesthetic connotation of feeling rapturous emotion, and historically it refers to sending someone to an overseas penal colony as punishment. Someone who transports is a transporter. (The term has also been used in the Star Trek franchise to refer to a device that dematerializes and rematerializes matter to move it from one place to another.) Transport is also a noun pertaining to a vehicle or vessel that carries people and/or things, a rush of pleasurable emotion, or a convict sent to a penal colony. The act of moving people or things, or a mode of doing so, is transport or transportation, and the quality of being able to be moved is transportability; something that can be moved is transportable. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should KnowHow Long Should a Paragraph Be?Affect vs. Effect

Book Analysis on Undercover

As the days grow shorter, Elisa worries that the increasingly urgent letters she sends her father wont bring him home. Like the undercover agent she feels she has become, Elisa retreats to a pond in the woods, where her talent for ice-skating gives her the confidence to come out from under cover and take centre stage. But when Lila becomes jealous of Theos friendship with Elisa, her revenge nearly destroys Elisas ice-skating dreams and her plan to reunite her family. A. Book 1. Author Beth Kephart was nominated for the National Book Award for her book A SLANT OF SUN. In 2000, she received a National Endowment for the Arts grant, and she also won Pew Fellowships in Arts grant in 2005. At the age of nine, Beth Kephart began to skate on a pond in Boston, where she taught herself the every moves Elisa teaches herself in this story. Beth won her first competitive freestyle competition at a Wilmington, Delaware, rink. Today she ballroom dances and is an avid gardener. She lives in Pennsylvania with her family. 2. Title The main character in the story fits the title under cover, the fact that the main character hides her skill of skiing to her friends and family. B. Characters Protagonist: Elisa Cantor- she is a father’s daughter and doesn’t really relate well with her mother and sister. Antagonist: Lisa- Theo’s girlfriend; known for her beauty and popularity. Supporting Characters: Tina Cantor- Elisa and Jilly’s Mother. Jilly- Elisa’s Sister, she is a very fashionable teenager like her mother. Mr. Cantor- Elisa’s Father, he understands Elisa. Theo- Elisa’s classmate in Honors English, a special friend and one of the boys who ask love notes from Elisa. Margie- Elisa’s past best friend in eighth grade and classmate in Honors English. Dr. Charmin- an Honors English teacher and believed and supports Elisa’s talent in writing. Mr. Marcoroon- a strict Math teacher. Mrs. Garland- a friend of Tina. Stuart little- a client of Mr. Cantor in San Francisco. Sarah- an Honour English student. II. Plot A. Exposition 1. Setting The story takes place in a pond in the woods where she always find herself at ease and thinking she could be herself there alone while skating. B. Complication When her father has to go away for work it makes their life complicated. To make it even more complicated, Elisa starts to fall on a boy who she is providing with poetry to woo another girl. C. Climax Lila tore the dress of Elisa before the start of the skating competition. D. Denouement Elisa never let herself be defeated by wearing the torn dress made by the antagonist, Lila, while skating gracefully. E. Resolution Yes it’s a happy ending because finally her family was once again reunited and everyone accepted the real her. III. Analysis 1. Did you admire the author for writing this book? Why? Yes. A teenager who reads this book would really understand the feelings and thinking’s of the main character of the story. Many teenagers can relate of how it feels to be a loner or to be bullied. 2. Tell something about the cover, did it spark your interest? Does it fit the story? It did spark my interest because it makes me wonder what story it will give me. Yes it does fit in the story because the covers do tell the story. 3. Who is your most favourite character? Why? My favourite character in the story is Elisa Cantor. For being brave enough to uncover her great skill to everybody even when she herself has no confidence that everyone would accept her and gain their respect. 4. Who is your least favourite character? Why? My least favourite character in the story is Lisa, because of her jealousy of Theo’s friendship with Elisa; her revenge nearly destroys Elisa’s ice-skating dreams and her plan to reunite her family. . What is your favourite part of the story? Why? My favourite part of the story is when Elisa got sick during the last days of Christmas season, which was the time that her sister and mother took care of her and after her sickness they finally become close to each other. 6. What is your least favourite part of the story? Why? My lea st favourite part of the story is when Lisa and her friends destroyed Elisa’s dress that was made by her mother and sister for the ice-skating competition. 7. Discuss your favourite quote from the story. â€Å"You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves. Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine. Meanwhile the world goes on. Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain Are moving across the landscape, Over the prairies and the deep trees, the mountains and the rivers. Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, Are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, The world offers itself to your imagination, Calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting Over and over announcing your place in the family of things. † It tells about a person who doesn’t have to be perfect just to meet their expectations. Being yourself is a lot more happy and easy than pretending or trying to be someone you are not. 8. What is your realization about life after reading the novel? After reading the story I realize in life that you shouldn’t hide yourself from others, don’t be scared of letting them know your true self and don’t give up on something that you haven’t tried yet.

War on Drugs and War on Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 7500 words

War on Drugs and War on Terrorism - Essay Example examples of this interplay between illicit drug trade and terrorism.3 This interplay between the illicit drug trade and terrorism poses both a direct and indirect to national security in the sense that the drugs are traded in the U.S. and therefore indirectly funds terrorism activities both abroad and at home. Moreover, terrorism and the illicit drug trade pose distinct threats to US national security and global security as whole. The US has a vested interest in global security as it can compromise the safety of Americans abroad and can eventually have both direct and indirect consequences for homeland security. This research examines the interplay between US anti-drug and terrorism policies. This will be accomplished by exploring and evaluating both policies, their strategies and the rationale for both policies. In 1986 drugs were officially deemed a national security threat. President Ronald Reagan’ National Security Decision Directive of April, 1986 declared that drugs had the potential to destabilize democracies, deplete both the morality and health of the U.S.’s society and could â€Å"adversely affect the economy.†4 On the evening of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush in an address to the nation spoke of a â€Å"war against terrorism†.5 The US war on terrorism is predicted on an urgent need to defend and protect the US, â€Å"the American people, and their livelihoods†.6 Regardless of the separate and distinct threat to national security, there is increasing evidence that drug trafficking and terrorism are intricately linked. For instance, the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) issued a report in 2003 claiming that out of the 36 foreign terrorist groups in the US as listed by the U.S. State Department, 14 were engaged in drug trafficking activities.7 It is therefore hardly surprising that the DEA would advocate that both the war on drugs and the war on terrorism be combined.8 The DEA is not the only source identifying a link between

Peace, Stability and Coherence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Peace, Stability and Coherence - Research Paper Example It also defines how the IFOR was successful and what caused IPKF's failure. Hence, this paper describes their stance, motive, objectives and reasons.The success of IFOR in Bosnia against the lack of success of Indian troops in Sri Lanka.   CASE STUDIES Compare and contrast the success of IFOR in Bosnia against the lack of success of Indian troops in Sri Lanka.   As a reaction to the prevailing security threat and in the instability faced in many countries, in order to maintain peace and healthy relations organizations like the United Nation are playing their part to sustain the peace on a global platform. I would like to discuss to major operations held that is the Bosnia’s Implementation Force (IFOR), which was under the guidance of NATO, and the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF), which deals with the interference of India in Sri Lanka when the Civil War occurred. This operation by the two agencies symbolizes the variations which portray how such peaceful operation become s successful or vice versa. It was observed that the Indians faced a very clear defeat in their three yearlong operations in Sri Lanka, resulting in the failure of IPKF. On the contrary the IFOR faced immense success in its operation in Bosnia. In my paper I would like to explain why one of the forces was successful while the other faced defeat, what were the positive factors and where did one lack during the entire process. One needs to realize that both these operations occurred in separate era of time and had different influences. The Indian operation happened during the time between 1987 and 1990. Whereas the IFOR operationhappened from 1995 to 1996. It should be noted here that the operation in Sri Lanka was merely the intervention of Indians, on the contrary in Bosnia many different countries and organizations participated. The way technology has been used later exhibits sophistication and knowledge of various techniques and equipment with proper planning by the force. Apart f rom that India tried to take over Sri Lanka resulting in the hopes of becoming a super power. Thus their planning was not accurate that ultimately resulted in their failure. The purpose of the Indians was very self-centered and all they did was plan to overcome the Sri Lankans whereas the purpose of the Bosnians was to bring about peace. The difference in approaches determined their way to success and failure. (Thakur, 2001, 136) The issues that dealt with Bosnia were majorly targeting two things, firstly the non-human activities and secondly the ethnic difference that prevailed between various religious atrocities like Serbians, Croatians and Muslims which was considered to be as â€Å"ethnic rivalries† by the media. This was going on since a long time in Bosnia, there was a massacre in Bosnia when a gunman opened fire and killed many peaceful and unified protestors. Moreover events that involved killing of many innocent people at public places also occurred. Because of this many peace keeping bodies intervened to bring about stability and peace. When the IFOR came to Bosnia they said that they would implement the Dayton Accord compliance, and use force if it was required. Thus IFOR started it operations and throughout the process it faced immense abuses, found illegal weaponry, as well as the not authorized checkpoints of police.( Simulation of conflicts and wars, 69) IFOR started its operation their which was majorly concerned with the military and IPKF on the other hand did not focus on military interventions. The things that IPKF targeted their operation were to bury the hatchet between Sri Lankan military and the Tamil Eelam liberation Tigers (LTTE) and no focus was

Managing Conflicts in Organizations Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Managing Conflicts in Organizations - Term Paper Example It would not be unfair to say that conflict is inevitable amongst human beings. The constant struggle to get hold of status, resources, power etc amongst humans often results in a form of social interaction called conflict. Thus, conflict can formally be defined as: â€Å"A process which begins when an individual or group perceives differences and opposition between itself and another individual or group about interests and resources, beliefs, values, or practices that matter to them.† (Digirolamo) In the same way that conflicts are inevitable in everyday life, they are also inevitable in organizations. Especially in modern organizations wherein factors such as constant change, employee diversity, team based structures etc make conflict an ever-present. Conflict, however, is not necessarily a bad thing and can help get the best out of individuals within the organizations. Organizations must therefore make sure that they do not discourage conflict but rather manage it smartly s o that it can work to its advantage. Thus, conflict can be looked at in different ways in organizations: Conflict as war – When parties treat conflict as a must-win war. Conflict as opportunity – When parties use the conflict as an opportunity to be more creative, to grow and to improve on what they already are. Conflict as journey – When parties use the conflict as a search for common ground. The first view of conflict is a win-lose situation. Such a situation is not good for the organization in any way because such conflict is destructive. The other two views on the other hand are constructive in nature and are desirable for organizations because they create win-win situations and help the organization get the best out of its employees. (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2008). Organizations should therefore make sure that its employees treat conflict in the right manner and it is for this purpose that they employ conflict management practices. Conflict management practices involve many different strategies which can be used by organizations to manage conflicts effectively. Some of these strategies are discussed below. The first technique that managers can use is fostering functional conflict. Functional conflict can be defined as the kind of conflict which is beneficial to the organization’s interest. (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2008) Managers looking to infuse their decision making teams with creativity and passion very often look towards stimulating functional conflict. There are two ways of doing this. The first method is to fan the naturally arising conflicts between different parties. This method, however, is very unreliable and may end up stimulating dysfunctional conflict. The other method is to employ programmed conflict. Programmed conflict can be defined as â€Å"conflict that raises different opinions regardless of what the managers personally feel about the issue.† This method requires disciplined role playing by everyone involved (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2008). The two best methods of programmed conflict are devil’s advocacy and dialectic decision method. Devil’s Advocacy is the technique in which someone is assigned the role of a critic and is told to air all possible objections to an idea. (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2008). Dialectic Decision Method simply requires fostering a debate of opposing points of views prior to making a decision in order to better understand the whole issue (Kreitner &