Thinking about surveillance in the city Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Thinking about surveillance in the city - Essay Example Closed-circuit cameras have become common in cities and they have become an important aspect of city security. Security teams and personnel form an important aspect of the city surveillance teams. Control of urban space and inaugurated surveillance measures are widely used worldwide. Ethical, legal and even moral questions arise when there is mass surveillance and accumulation of personal data from individuals without their knowledge and consent. The film and movie industry has always illustrated how city surveillance has become crucial and important in the modern age. One of the most iconic films that represents the divergent views on city surveillance is Minority Report (2002). It is vital to study and understand how minority report represents and handles the various views on mass or city surveillance through scholarly analysis2. Minority Report is a movie that was directed by Steven Spielberg based on Philip Dick’s Sci-Fi short story â€Å"The Minority Report† written in 1956. The film is set in 2054 in a modernized Washington DC where crime and murder have been wholly eliminated. Tom cruise takes the character of John Anderton, who is the head of a Pre-crime, a unit under the Justice department that works in the Jurisdiction of Washington D.C. Three psychic human beings called precogs have been harnessed and their power to see future crimes projected on computers. The precogs have the ability to see images of future murders and those who are identified are apprehended before they commit crimes after which they are incarcerated. The pre-crime unit is to face a national vote on its effectiveness and take it from the Washington D.C. jurisdiction to a national level. Anti-pre-crime advocates such as Danny Witwer who oppose the move. Witwer has been sent by the Justice department to access the abi lity and effectiveness of pre-crime. Pre-crime surveillance is 100 percent accurate but while at the labs, John Anderton becomes

Larsen and Toubro Case Study Essay Example for Free

Larsen and Toubro Case Study Essay Organizational Development (OD) is a planned long term effort led and supported through the top management to improve an organization’s ability and to solve its own problems by continuously working together and on managing the culture using behavioural skills. Thus, there are some certain aspects worth discussing about which are- OD is a planned effort. It requires a lot of effort, patience, and faith and is time consuming. Secondly, OD usually uses outsiders. These ‘facilitators’ as they are called are process specialists and are involved in depth in this process. The pioneers of OD in India were Larsen and Toubro India (LT). OD at LT started by calling in 2 eminent professors- Dr Udai Pareek and Dr TV Rao to study the appraisal process at the company. The existing appraisal system had many faults and needed to be corrected. The difficult task started by the professors interviewing some bosses and subordinates from different departments (using Diagnosis or Action Research) and they got a very interesting feedback. Some of the aspects of the feedback were – juniors wanted to know how well they were doing on the job, but weren’t told; people wanted to know what the growth opportunities in the company were; the appraisal form was too lengthy; some bosses had too many subordinates to appraise, etc. After getting the feedback from the employees the professors gave a report to the top management about the actual problem. The appraisal system had to serve not just one but many purposes namely it should help people understand their strengths and weaknesses, their own progress on the job, how they can perform better, and how they could grow in the company. So the appraisal process had to address the issues of appraisal, potential, counselling, career development and training all in one! The top management after reviewing the report gave the go ahead and they did two main things which were the most important which were bifurcating the Personnel department into personnel department and HRD department. This bifurcation was the first sign of ‘structural’ change. Secondly, a team of 6 senior managers was formed which would be responsible for implementing the changes required. The story continues when the 6 task force and the professors decided that the appraisal process had to involve the line managers personally, the performance goals must be set jointly by boss and junior and the appraisals must also involve feedback and counselling to people. Thus, they prepared a Performance Appraisal Manual by involving the departmental heads and other senior managers to analyze what kind of objectives could be set and then added such guidelines in the manual. To address the issue of feedback and counselling, the team identified around 29 senior line managers and some senior staff with a flair for public speaking. These selected people were put through a workshop on how to be good ‘Givers’ and ‘Receivers’ of feedback and then later conducted the same workshop for other employees at HQ and regional offices. Thus, the first workshop was a ‘Train the trainer’ workshop which was cascaded to the other employees. After putting in so much of effort now the management at LT wanted to know whether the process was working for them or not. So again the professors interviewed some seniors and juniors about how the appraisals were going on. This time different views came into the picture – the goal setting was seen as time consuming, appraisal was becoming a numbers game, and was tending to become ritualistic. The HRD department was asked to conduct a survey (Participant Action Research). The survey also threw new light about the new appraisal process. The bosses now did involve their juniors in the goal setting and there was ‘healthy resolution’ of difficulties and there was a ‘high degree of trust’ between the seniors and juniors which led to ‘increased joint understanding about the job’. After receiving such a feedback, they again tried to simplify the appraisal form by adding the definitions of the attributes listed in the appraisal form. In addition, they held refresher courses in feedback skills for both ‘givers’ and ‘receivers’ of feedback. The facilitators felt that the appraisal system has stabilised when 80 to 85% of the appraisal forms were returned within six weeks of the target date. Also the HRD department started analyzing all the appraisal forms. The data from the analysis was used for listing high and low performers for a certain period; for finalising departmental developmental plans and for preparing the list of department wise employees and the training courses they needed. The above mentioned process took LT 8 years to complete and stabilise themselves. Thus, I can conclude that OD is a long term process which requires a lot of patience, support from the top management and a vision to a bright future.

Transformational Leadership in Teaching

Transformational Leadership in Teaching This paper is a discussion of possible data collection and analysis methods that could be used to address an inquiry into the effectiveness of novice teachers who use transformational leadership style to manage their classrooms. It is arranged in the following order. Possible abstract, introductory statement, research aims methodology and techniques, researcher position, theoretical framework, research questions, research design data collection, data analysis and states the significance of the study before finally concluding. Abstract The proposed study is an investigation of the effectiveness of beginner teachers in the area of classroom management using transformational leadership style in Zambia. It will adopt a qualitative method and a narrative inquiry approach premised on the fact that the researchers intention is to gain is to gain understanding, give a description and analysis of the stories/narratives of novice teachers (participants).Qualitative data collection methods will take the form of surveys, observations and in-depth interviews while the analysis will comprise data reduction, data display and drawing conclusions (Miles and Huberman,1994). The proposed study intends to use a sample of ten(10) novice teachers in three (3) in three (5) public high schools in Lusaka province during a two (2) months period. It is expected that variability in participants will be maximized by this sample in terms of work area and backgrounds thereby bringing out rich in-depth understanding of beginner teachers experiences in classroom management. The proposed study will contribute to knowledge in the area of effective ways of managing classrooms not only among novice teachers but in the entire education fraternity by illuminating best practices. Introduction That classroom management is a fundamental concern among pre-service, beginner and practicing teachers, and is a topical issue in professional practice literature, school staff rooms including in the media is undisputed (Mc Cormick, 1997).It is an essential ingredient in the attainment of maximum instructional time which has potential to positively impact the outcomes of learning. The effectiveness of instruction is contingent upon teachers abilities to manage and organize the behavior of students. Substantial research suggest that one of the key challenges encountered by novice teachers in achieving the teaching objectives in the classroom is managing order (Cothrane et al.,..) Novice teachers experience struggles with classroom management that negatively impacts student learning (Buckman, 2009, p.5) owing to the detachment between what they learn during training and what they actually experience in practice in line with maintaining order in the classroom. Koki (2000) states that be ginning teachers particularly face difficulties in managing their classrooms and often struggle to apportion adequate instructional time as most of their attention is channeled at handling disruptive tendencies and behavior. It becomes necessary for teachers to work towards consciously organizing and maintaining an enabling learning atmosphere for all learners. Buckman (2009) argues that the process of managing the classroom should be altered and evaluated depending on the need. As such, the importance of teachers having forceful classroom management skills to enhance nurturing and successfully excel in their professions cannot be over emphasized, a minimal number of teachers are proficient in this domain. The persistence of beginner teachers in the teaching career is influenced and determined by their ability to effectively manage their classrooms (Ingersoll and Smith,2003).Unfortunately, many novice teachers struggle to control and maintain discipline among their learners (Koki,2000) which often culminates into developing stress and decreased energy or burn out in the early years of teaching. Hafock (2006) claims that many new teachers quit teaching during the first five years owing to frustrations with classroom and behavior management challenges. Accordingly, Kariuki (2009) observed that teachers require sustainable effective and efficient procedures, regulations and routines carefully planned and managed if instruction time is to be maximized and a reduction on time spent on behavior management. The proposed study will explore the practices, experiences and beliefs of 18 beginner teachers meeting the criteria (defined by the researcher) for being effective and successful classroom managers. Research Aims The proposed study aims to develop theory about the effectiveness of novice high school teachers. The questions that will guide the research are transformational leadership style. Methodology and data collection techniques Qualitative data collection methods will take the form of surveys, observations and in-depth interviews while the analysis will comprise data reduction (text analysis and coding), data display (identification and coding of emerging themes) and verification and drawing (Interpretation). In order to truly gauge the success of an inquiry based on human experience, it is appropriate for me to utilize the traits listed as qualitative research working directly with teachers to unearth their beliefs, practices and experiences .According to Hatch (2002)good qualitative researchers understand the world from the perspectives of those living in it (P.2).Qualitative research going by Merriam et al.,(2000) is premised on the idea that meaning is constructed socially by individuals through interactions in their social world and the meaning it has for them is considered an interpretive qualitative approach(pp.3-4) which is applicable for this proposed study. A qualitative inductive framework will enable explore the participants world in their naturalistic setting.

Being a Teenage Mother Essays -- essays research papers

It was a beautiful afternoon on the bay of Huntington Beach. Just what would be expected of any regular day in California. The sun was shining inexplicably, as if it knew what was coming, the sky was clear with one cloud across the horizon, the sand was boiling and I could literally feel the bottom of my foot melting away. The air was scented with the sweetness of spring and refreshed by gentle breezes. There are families everywhere I look, playing endlessly with their kids, throwing beach balls around, tanning their bodies until it turns to ebony, walking their precious dogs, and riding their bicycles until their muscles deteriorated. The beach is adult’s playground. She appeared, emerged, surfaced, arrived fashionably late flaunting, showing, presenting, announcing her long, extended, elongated, svelte legs. Amanda stood at five foot eight. Her body was well taken care of and you could assume she spends hours in the gym. Her skin was tan, milky, and full of freckles all at the same time, her blonde hair extended all the way to her tiny hips. With a single blink, her piercing green-honey eyes would speak millions of words. She smelled like a manufactured Barbie fresh out of a box, a soft smell of vanilla and lavender. Her two and only treasures had tagged along as I expected they would. â€Å"Harmony put your sandals on, you are going to burn your feet†. Her voice was sweet and soft, undeniably the voice of a caring mother. â€Å"Sorry I’m late, I had to stop by the pharmacy to get Adam’s medicine. Harmony and Adam are her rock and her shoulder to lean on. Harmony now seven, remembers the nights her mother would stay up all night crying, turning herself upside down, loosing herself waiting for something that she hoped was the end to ... ... a teenager's life. Most of the girls overlook their dreams of happy marriage, college is most of the time out of the question, and graduating High School becomes a goal the majority of teenage moms don't attain. Amanda took another exit out, she opted for the exit where everybody comes out a winner. It is true that teenagers are inexperienced and often need help in raising their kids, but they’ve got just as much love for their children as any other mother who isn’t a teenager does. A baby gives something to look forward to and something that gives meaning to life. Yes, it is hard but as Amanda herself said it. â€Å"I only regret the things that I didn’t do in my life, and I without my kids I don’t know where my life would be, maybe it would have been better, but to me it doesn’t matter. I’ve got all I need next to me†, as she hugs them both warmly at the same time.

Essays --

Ernest Hemingway uses the various events in Nick Adams life to expose the reader to the themes of youth, loss, and death throughout his novel In Our Time. Youth very often plays its part in war, and since In Our Time relates itself very frequently to war throughout; it is not a surprise that the theme of youthful innocence arises in many of the stories. In â€Å"Indian Camp† the youthful innocence is shown in the last sentence of the story: â€Å"In the early morning on the lake sitting in the stern of the boat with his father rowing, he felt quite sure that he would never die.† (19) When this sentence and the conversation Nick and his father have before they get on the boat are combined in thought it shows that because of Nicks age at the time that he does not yet understand the concept of death. Throughout the book youth has a complicated relationship with aging. This can be seen in â€Å"Three-Day Blow† when Nick and Bill are drinking, acting childish and just having fun. They talk about each others’ fathers and about missed opportunities even though they cannot really understand what they are...

Cultural Observation

In my adventure to find the right store for this assignment, I solicited the assistance of my neighbor. My neighbor, Edith Harbor and her husband Larry own a convenience store in Gaga Priest, located in the northern region of Sonata, Mexico so this was the venue of choice for me to observe for a few hours. Before entering the store, the first thing I observed was the modest appearance of the building. The building was not as fancy or modern as mom of the building in American.It was covered in traditional Mexican colors and language written on the walls as well as locals seated on a bench outside the door. This reminded me of some of the local stores I was accustom to when growing up in Georgia. The local people were as observant of me as I was of them, paying close attention to what I was saying to my friend Edith. Edith was very familiar with many of the people in the area so she was able to introduce me to some of the people entering the store. One of the main things saw as well as smelled was garlic.The reason for this is he Harbor own local garlic farmers and they just recently harvested the garlic which was being sold in their store. Edith also makes and sells tamales in their store, which are a traditional Mexican dish made out of corn. As I reflect on this experience, it forced me to pay very close attention to better understand what people were saying because they were primarily speaking Spanish. English being my native language, I had to watch what I said to ensure that I did not say anything offensive. I was very impressed with the way each person presented themselves in the way they interacted as well as he way they dressed.Most American is not very courteous or considerate to their elders but I noticed how they would address their elders. This is something I was accustoming to from a youth growing up in the south being respectful Of my elders and this was displayed by many in Mexico. This observation also affected my intercultural communication in a way that has forced me to want to perfect my Spanish so could better interact with Edith and her family. Cultural Observation In my adventure to find the right store for this assignment, I solicited the assistance of my neighbor. My neighbor, Edith Harbor and her husband Larry own a convenience store in Gaga Priest, located in the northern region of Sonata, Mexico so this was the venue of choice for me to observe for a few hours. Before entering the store, the first thing I observed was the modest appearance of the building. The building was not as fancy or modern as mom of the building in American.It was covered in traditional Mexican colors and language written on the walls as well as locals seated on a bench outside the door. This reminded me of some of the local stores I was accustom to when growing up in Georgia. The local people were as observant of me as I was of them, paying close attention to what I was saying to my friend Edith. Edith was very familiar with many of the people in the area so she was able to introduce me to some of the people entering the store. One of the main things saw as well as smelled was garlic.The reason for this is he Harbor own local garlic farmers and they just recently harvested the garlic which was being sold in their store. Edith also makes and sells tamales in their store, which are a traditional Mexican dish made out of corn. As I reflect on this experience, it forced me to pay very close attention to better understand what people were saying because they were primarily speaking Spanish. English being my native language, I had to watch what I said to ensure that I did not say anything offensive. I was very impressed with the way each person presented themselves in the way they interacted as well as he way they dressed.Most American is not very courteous or considerate to their elders but I noticed how they would address their elders. This is something I was accustoming to from a youth growing up in the south being respectful Of my elders and this was displayed by many in Mexico. This observation also affected my intercultural communication in a way that has forced me to want to perfect my Spanish so could better interact with Edith and her family.

Movie Review on “The Promise” Essay

The movie entitled â€Å"The Promise† by Chen Kaige is a depiction of love and truth that lies beneath different circumstances of the characters. The promise is love where two people will unite as one in the end as they unravel their past. The main characters in the story are general Guangming, Qingcheng, and Wuhuan. These characters mould the story into an enthusiastic construction that leads to tremendous ending. This movie has been recognized in the whole country of China as well as the different parts of the world. Its recognition became remarkable for it brought cultural tradition to the heritage of China with the concept of true love and fate.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The movie created huge effects for it shows the historical situation of China where territories are being built and dynasties are being produced. Though this movie is fictional, it shows the character of Chinese culture as it embodies the life of its people and the way how leaders utilize their powers and richness towards their region. This movie also shows that a man will fight in the battle to save his woman despite of all the risk and troubles that he may encounter.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Based on my understanding in this movie, I have seen that along with other Chinese movies, this movie discussed how love prevails in any circumstance of life. It is somehow the opposite in today’s culture when men and women have no time to love one another because of their social equality. From the time when women became recognized in their country, they wanted to hasten their richness and become powerful but they already forgotten their traditional values about love and how it justified their being and essence as Chinese. However, the movie showcased great talents and effects as well as technicalities as it depicts the social realm of China during the year of dynastical love. Reference Kaige, C. The Promise.