Financial Administration in the City of San Antonio TX Essay

Financial Administration in the City of San Antonio TX - Essay Example The researcher states that budgeting in the City of San Antonio TX is done by the office of Management and Budgeting. It is meant to act as a financial guide, a policy paper and a financial plan. The city of San Antonio TX budget is well formulated and executed. The budget presents an adequate overview of the entity and its financial position. This is so because it provides a summary of all the budget components, its allocation and the role of these components in enhancing the objectives of the city. The budget summary covers the element of public safety, where the police and the fire department of the city are committed to respond to the safety needs of the city residents. The budget seeks to increase the number of officers in patrol and also the fire vehicle technicians. Street maintenance is another element covered by the summary, with an additional $ 1.8 for pavement preservation and some more $6 million provided to cater for advanced transport. Animal care services will be cater ed for by a $1.7 million while education and library services will be funded to a tune of $30.6 million, which will cater for the construction of new libraries and fund the operations of the already existing ones. Employee compensation and Economic development are the other components of the budget, allocating $32 million towards civilian salary adjustments and $7 million to support the creation of new jobs, support new business development and encourage new investments. (Maria, 2011). This gives a brief overview of the budget and its components, while giving information about the city objective at a glance, to make the city government smarter and more efficient. The greatest percentage of the operating budget is accounted for by public safety, which involves fire and police department, financed to a tune of $343 million, in a total adopted budget of $948 million. The reason for such huge funding of the department is because the public safety is the priority of the city of San Anton io TX (Maria, 2011). To enhance this public safety through community policing and neighborhood teamwork, the budget seeks to increase the number of officers in patrol for narcotics by 17 more. It also seeks to add another 25 officers to the service of the people and an additional 4 fire vehicle technicians to enhance rapid response services to the public. The department is also to be awarded with two more management analyst to enhance the management of the police and the fire department, and to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency. The technology used by the department is to be advanced through new software development and installations, meant to improve the payroll division of the department. Owing to the above needs for improvements in the department of fire and police, and due to the crucial role it plays of providing public safety, the city’s office of management and budget sought to allocate more fund to this department (Paul, 1998). The department alone accounts for close to 40% of all the funding done in the annual budget of 2012. This is a clear indication that the interest of the city residents takes priority in the city’s management issues. Police protection is the category within that area that accounts for the greatest budget, being a key service that is very crucial for the wellbeing of the people. A total of $1.5 is to be dedicated to the improvement of neighborhood and narcotics patrol. This is meant to increase the presence of police in all the areas of the city, thus reduce the rates of crimes and drug abuse. $850,000 is meant to reassign 17 police officers to patrols, while $597,000 is meant for increasing the number of officers serving the community neighborhoods. A new helicopter mechanic, and another new helicopter mechanics supervisor are to be hired to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of services delivered to the people by the fire and the police department. This will be funded to a tune of

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 12

Case Study Example Both methods gave Robin Hood an advantage over the Sherriff because of the loyalty of his men and of the people. Robin Hood is wise to be considering a change in strategy for his second year of campaigns for two reasons. First, the Merrymen seem to lack the understanding for the need for flexibility when they grow in numbers. This may have been caused by a low barrier to enter the group. Second, food and supplies are becoming scarce when Robin Hood is preparing for his campaigns second year. The group is growing which is causing stress on the flow of supplies. With the Sherriff increasing in strength and awareness of Robin Hood’s tactics, Robin is wise to take a look at his strategy and make the necessary changes. Robin Hood should consider several factors in revising his strategy. One of those factors is his method of recruitment. He currently accepts just about anyone. He should tighten requirements for membership including the men having skills that the group needs. He might consider a hierarchical organization for his group so that new members could go through a review process, and more control can be kept over the band. He should also consider other methods to fund the organization, as food and supplies are growing thin. Consider how the new challenge faced by Robin Hood encompasses the five elements of strategy as described on the strategy diamond: arenas; vehicles; differentiation; staging and pacing; and economic logic. Robin Hood is operating in a dynamic environment. The emerging internal conflict in his organization and changes outside of his organization provide a platform to understand the dynamic nature of strategic leadership. Razorfish had many variables affecting its rise and its quick decline. Internally, Razorfish developed an innovative business model that focused on advanced technology, staffing, marketing, and consulting practices. The staff’s ability to identify and use advanced technology was key

Creating And Maintaining Stability In Ecosystem

Creating And Maintaining Stability In Ecosystem Ecosystem is a distinct space on earth where community of living organism including flora and fauna interact with the abiotic elements like air, water and soil as a system. The interaction between the biotic and abiotic components of the ecosystem is linked together through energy flows and nutrient cycles. Biologists define biodiversity as the totality of species, genes and ecosystems of a region. This encompasses genetic diversity, species diversity and the ecosystem diversity. Traditionally, the term was used to communicate the species richness of an area. The latter definition of biodiversity is used in this essay. The word stability is defined in detail in the relevant section. In broad terms, ecosystem stability is the capability of the ecosystem to return to its equilibrium state after a disruption. The essay tries to identify the ecosystem function, which should be the indicator to demonstrate the stability of the ecosystem. This document also studies the effect of various biodiversity factors, which can modify the stability of ecosystem. Framework for the Ecological Functions of Biodiversity Organisms in an ecosystem service themselves and carry out certain other functions, which benefit other organisms of the community. These functions are the ecological functions of biodiversity. These ecological functions are classified into four categories depending on the complexity of the services provided by these organisms. Complexity level 1: Functions performed primarily by Individual Organism Primary Production Energy fixed in the process of photosynthesis or chemosynthesis is called Primary Production. In photosynthesis sunlight is used as the source of energy and is fixed as carbohydrates, proteins fats and other organic compounds needed by all herbivores. In Chemosynthesis, oxidation or reduction of chemical compounds like that of sulpher is used for energy fixation. Variety of primary producers existing in an ecosystem has a direct influence in the diversity of herbivores, carnivores and detritivores in the ecosystem. Symbiotic associations among organisms can sometime increase Primary production. Oxygen Production Oxygen production is one important function of biodiversity. The primary producers produce oxygen as a byproduct of photosynthesis. Oxygen is required for respiration of aerobic biota and decomposition by detritivores. Oxygen is also required for Earths protective ozone shield. Sequestering of Carbon Dioxide Many organisms in the ecosystem does the function of removal of carbon dioxide from the earths atmosphere. They also help in removal of carbon dioxide from soil and water by process such as precipitation of calcium salts or amassing of organic deposits. Marine life like charophytes use carbon dioxide to make limestone plates; protozoans absorb dissolved carbon dioxide to create coral reefs; trees, shrubs and herbs use atmospheric carbon dioxide during the process of photosynthesis. Herbivory Herbivorous animals eat primary producers. Herbivory is the function of Herbivorous animals. Herbivorous organisms serve the function of feeding carnivorous animals and thus maintain the food chain and food web of the ecosystem. Carnivory Carnivorous animals eat other animals. Carnivory is the function of Carnivorous animals. The carnivorous organisms functions as the balancing force to regulate the population of the herbivorous organisms in an ecosystem. The trophic structures of an ecosystem would be simplified significantly if there are fewer carnivorous animals. Control of Erosion Erosion Control is a function provided by plants in a terrestrial ecosystem. The root growth of plants prevents soil erosion. Accumulation of litter and organic remnants of the plants helps in retaining and recycling nutrients. Consequently, the rate of soil build up will be faster than the erosion rate and thus control erosion. Aquatic plants play a vital role in the control of erosion in estuaries, riverine and marine ecosystem. Complexity level 2: Functions involving interactions among low numbers of different kinds of organisms Population Moderation Herbivores, Carnivores and Parasites deliver the function of population moderation in an ecosystem. Human species is the only species that could develop methods to control disease, parasites and predators selectively. This control measures has resulted in the elimination of natural method of population moderation for those selected species. Dispersal and Migration Dispersal/ Migration is an ecological function of organisms. The tendency of an organism to move away from its birth site is called natal dispersal and from its breeding site is called breeding dispersal. The seeds and spores normally undergo passive dispersal using agents such as wind, birds, animals etc. This process of dispersal facilitates the development of new adaptive variants, which could re-colonize and restore, an already destroyed or highly modified natural ecosystem. Migration is a mass directional movement of large numbers of organisms from one location to another. This is a tactical response to overcrowding in an unpredictable environment, which affect the survival. Migration can provide ecological links between different habitats. Symbiosis Symbiosis is a close and long-term, interaction between different species. These interractions may be mutually beneficial and the degree of benefit for each species is varied. Symbiosis is an ecological function of biodiversity. Pollination is one area where symbiosis is very evident. The pollinating agents like insects and birds pollinate different kinds of flowering plants. The plants respond to this by evolving different flowering-time sequence, floral fragrances and markings. The reduction in any one of the symbiotic species can reduce the possibility of new symbiosis and new life forms. Fragmentation of habitat, pollution and usage of pesticides affect symbiosis. This has resulted in extinction of many species of organisms in the ecosystem. Complexity level 3: Functions involving interactions among large numbers of different organisms Bioturbation Bioturbation is the activity of reworking of soils and sediments by flora and fauna of the habitat. This is a ecological function essential to maintain the quality of the abiotic ecosystem. Bioturbation affects the texture of sediments, bioirrigation, displacement of abiotic particles and microorganisms. The growth of roots, tunneling by worms, burrowing by animals, ingestion and defecation of sediment grains, infilling of abandoned dwellings displace sediment grains and modify the sediment composition. Climate Moderation Climate moderation is an ecological function of biodiversity. Climate affects the biodiversity of an ecosystem and the biodiversity affects the climate of the ecosystem. Macroclimate of a region is an abiotic factor, which affects the biodiversity of the region. The flora and fauna of a desert habitat is quite different from that of the tropical rain forests. This is especially true before establishing the vegetation in the region. Once the vegetation is established, the ecosystem will start influencing the climate. The transpiration from forest canopies and other vegetation can increase atmospheric humidity which can influence the rainfall. Plants have an important effect on the microclimate of an ecosystem. Trees and shrubs affect the shade and humidity, which can affect the other biodiversity of the area. Decomposition Decomposition is an essential function to ensure natural recycling of residues of life. Decomposition requires oxygen. Primary detritivorous organisms consume free organic molecules and metabolize to create nutritive blocks, which are required by primary producers in a habitat. Secondary detritivorous organisms digest all kind of plant and animal tissues both dead and alive. Mineralizing bacteria has the capability to metabolize toxic organic compounds and return harmless mineral matter. They play an important role in detoxifying soils, waters of the ecosystem. Creation and Maintenance of Ecosystem Structures Creating and maintaining a Ecosystem structure is a function of biodiversity. The evolution of different phyla into multicellular structures was derived from this ecological function. A tree can accommodate many other organisms like nesting birds, wood-boring insects and other parasites. Communication Communication is a profound function of biodiversity. The individual organisms of the same species and organisms of different species have diverse methods to communicate. These communication methods are essential for food gathering, courtship, herding, migration, flocking, escaping from carnivores and parenting. Methods used by organisms for communication could be sight, sound, smell, taste, radar, sonar, electric currents etc. The communication significantly improves with the evolution of biodiversity. Many specialized flowers reflect ultraviolet light, which can be seen only by some pollinating insects. Complexity level 4: Ecosystem Functions and Process Food Webs and Chains -Trophic Structure Trophic structure is the movement of energy through organisms in a community. This is an important ecological function, which enables species to utilize alternate trophic pathways, and shift from one to another depending on availability and thus meet the energy requirement. The species with multiple links in the food web has better survival rate than those with limited links. As the biodiversity evolves, the trophic structure will become complex and highly interlinked. Nutrient Cycling Nutrient Cycling is the movement and exchange of inorganic and organic matter back into the production of living organisms. The process of nutrient recycling is regulated through food webs pathways, which decompose matter into mineral nutrients. This is an ecological function, which describes the transport of nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, potassium and trace elements through living tissue and the abiotic part of ecosystem. Nutrient cycling is a complex process, which affects the existence of ecosystem and the population of species in it. Stability Stability is the factor that ensures the movement of ecosphere at a steady rate with no drastic change from its equilibrium. The stability is a very complex function with correlation factor mapping to all other ecological functions in various degrees. Redundancy is an important factor that provides long term resilience to the ecosystem. Similarly the Generalist Behavior of the species in the ecosystem reduces the risk of instability. Other important factor, which promotes stability, is the existence of Keystone species, which has higher influence over the entire biodiversity. The real long term stability can be evaluated by the ecosystems capability for ecological succession. The function of stability in an ecosystem is further elaborated in next section. Harmony Harmony is the ecological function of biodiversity. Harmony in nature is pervasive, diverse and persistent. This exists at all levels necessary for the maintenance of the ecosystem. Harmony means the peaceful coexistence of different elements of the ecosystem like biotic and abiotic; flora and fauna; herbivores and carnivores etc. Another aspect of harmony is the inherent capacity for many life forms to live together within a larger ecosystem, and to make linkages, symbioses and co-adaptations. Stability Ecological stability is the measure of its immunity from perturbation. Ecologists define perturbation or disturbance as any relatively discrete event in time that disrupts ecosystem, community, or population structure and changes resources, substrate availability, or the physical environment (White and Pickett 1985:7). Terminologies used to define Stability The definition for the Stability of an ecosystem is currently not very precise. However the most accurate details for stability is provided by Orions (1974) where he has suggested that stability may mean many different things: the absence of change (constancy), the length of survival (persistence), resistance to perturbation (inertia), speed of return after perturbation (elasticity), the displacement from which return is possible (amplitude), the degree of oscillation (cyclic stability), and the tendency to move towards a similar end point (trajectory stability). The scientists over a period of time have used the above terminologies interchangeably and hence there is no common understanding. This essay uses the below mentioned definitions for clarity. In the above terminologies, the persistence and elasticity have units in time (t) while Inertia and amplitude are expressed as functions of perturbation (x). If Persistence is TP, Inertia is i(x), Elasticity is TE, and Amplitude is a(x). When a perturbation is applied on an ecosystem, the ecosystem resist the disturbance by Inertia i(x) for a persistence period TP upto which the ecosystem can survive. If the cause for the disturbance can be absorbed or outdone, the system will persist and this is called resilience of the ecosystem. Similarly when a perturbation is lesser than the amplitude a(x), then ecosystem tries to get back to its previously established stable state within an Elasticity period of TE. This is called Stability of the ecosystem. (Kolding, J. 1997. Diversity, Disturbance and Dubious Dogma.) Ecosystem Model The ecological stability is a complex function, which has direct and indirect relationships with all the other ecosystem functions and other abiotic factors. For Example, the stability of the ecosystem has a relationship with other complex functions like trophic structure and nutrient cycling. These sub functions are further related to many other ecological functions like Primary Production, Herbivory, Carnivory, detritivory, Symbiosis etc. Similarly factors like natural abiotic perturbations such as wildfire, earthquake etc OR Anthropogenic perturbations like Oil-spill, building of dams etc. also affects the stability of the ecosystem. Effort of scientists to model an ecosystem was not very successful because of the complexity of the model. The parameters involved in the model are dynamic and has multiple linkages to other parameters. Scientists attempted Lyapunov stability model for non-linear systems to model the ecosystem. However the results of the model is still under investigation with conflicting views about its utility. The ecosystem modeling is a time consuming and resource hungry exercise and model can vary between different ecosystems. The primary task of stability modeling is to find the correlation of biodiversity and their different ecosystem function with different reasons of perturbation. These factors can then be integrated into a model. The effectiveness of the model need to be further tweaked through studies and investigations. Scientists believe that best method to test the applicability of this stability model is by using it to analyze ecological destructions. The projects like Biosphere 2 can contribute in developing the model. Redundancy Scientist believe that higher biodiversity in an ecosystem provides better stability. Department of Environmental Science and Policy, California in 1999 conducted a study on the effect of biodiversity on the ecosystem function. In this study, the correlation of biodiversity and Ecosystem functions were qualitatively assessed to identify to one of the types of graphs shown below. The study concluded that Although 19 of 20 experimental tests identified a generally positive relationship between species number and ecosystem function, only 3 identified a type A response curve. Thus it can be concluded that the stability of the ecosystem and biodiversity are generally maintaining a Type B graph. This means that stability of the ecosystem does not improve much once the biodiversity has achieved the saturation level. However, the study assessed the linkages between stability and biodiversity through indirect means. The assumption of the scientists that higher ecosystem function means better stability is yet to be proved. Further the study did not use perturbations to measure the elasticity and amplitude of the ecosystem, which are more direct means to assess stability. The species richness in the ecosystem beyond saturation point is the redundancy in biodiversity. This redundancy in biodiversity is an important factor, which helps stability of an ecosystem to recover from the effects of perturbation. This is theoretically demonstrated using Reliability Engineering principles by University of Minnesota. If a perturbation affects population of a species in the biodiversity, the equivalent redundant species will take its role and keep the population of dependent species unaffected. This provides improved elasticity to the ecosystem. Keystone species Keystone species are the important species of an ecosystem whose absence is detrimental to the persistence of other species. Paine (1969) was the first researcher to coin the term keystone species. According to him, keystone species are species of high trophic status whose activities exert a disproportionate influence on the pattern of species diversity in a community. The above definition did not help ecosystem managers and conservationist to identify the real keystone species. Hence keystone species was redefined as a strongly interacting species whose top-down effect on species diversity and competition is large relative to its biomass dominance within a functional group. Keystone species support the stability of the ecosystem mainly in three ways. Keystone predators maintain the population of lower level competitors and thus allow other species to survive. The typical case of key stone predator controlling other low level competitors is that of the sea otter of West Coast of North America. Sea otters kept the population of sea urchins in check. In 18th and 19th centuries, sea otters were hunted to the point of near extinction. This resulted in the population explosion of sea urchin. Sea urchins decimated kelp beds, which was critical for spawning fish. This caused reduction in fish population and affected the fishing community of the region. Later an international treaty was signed to protect sea otters. Consequently, in many regions where sea otter population could recover, fish catch improved. Keystone symbiotists provide resources for other organisms. For example, in Western Australia, a tree, Acorn Banksia is the only source of nectar for honeyeaters in certain period of year. Loss of this species of tree would cause population collapse for honeyeaters (pollinators) and consequently the pollination of other plants would be affected. Thus the implication of losing this keystone mutualist species has profound effect on the ecosystem. Keystone Engineers shape the environment for other organisms. In the African savanna, the tree shade prevents growth of grass. Grass is a primary source of energy for herbivores. Elephants help in destroying trees and make room for grassland to develop. If this keystone engineer is removed from the ecosystem, within a few years, the populations of herbivores like antelopes, zebras, and deers would shrink. Generalist Behavior A generalist species are species, which can survive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and varied diet. For Example, raccoon, which is found in North and Central America, is adoptable to wide range of environmental condition. It is omnivorous and eats berries, eggs, insects and small animals. On the contrary, specialist species can thrive only in a limited range of environmental condition and can consume restricted diet. Koala, a monophagous organism, eats only eucalyptus leaves, is a typical example for specialist species. Generalists have higher threshold to survive a perturbation and hence higher persistence. Thus an ecosystem with a predominantly generalist biodiversity is more stable than a specialist biodiversity. Scientists believe that the toxins like allelochemicals, tannins, oxalates, terpenoids, alkaloids contained in the diet of many specialist-herbivores are higher than what other animals can afford to consume. In the absence of these specialists, population of toxic biodiversity cannot be kept in check. This would result in the reduction of population of other organisms and thus affect the stability of ecosystem indirectly. Thus the specialists also play a vital role in overall stability. However, their own existence itself is precariously balanced by their special requirements. Ecological Succession: Ecological Succession is defined as a continuous directional change in an ecosystem over a longer time frame, which involves change in the composition and organization of the ecological community. During this period depending on the genetic traits, the population of certain species may diminish or flourish. In certain cases, depending on the type of perturbations, new variants of species may evolve which is more adaptable to the changes. Scientists believe that ecological succession bring in stability. The growth of hardwood trees like oak within the red pine forest is a typical example of ecological succession. The seedlings of hardwood trees are shade-tolerant while the pine tree seedlings need sun to thrive. Hence growth of pine tree seedlings in the shaded forest floor is difficult while the Oak seedlings would flourish. Over a period of time, oak would replace the red pine forest and would support a stable ecosystem for a longer time. Extinction of certain variants and evolution of new variants are symptoms of a vibrant ecosystem. Though these ecosystems may appear unstable over a short duration, these structures would last longer and hence stable in the real sense. Stability of Natural Ecosystem and Artificial Ecosystem All the above-mentioned factors affecting the stability of Ecosystem are more applicable to a natural ecosystem. In an artificial ecosystem, human beings modify the ecosystem and play a more vital role in regulating the ecosystem functions by a process of feedbacks and control action. Human is the only species, which could consistently maintain and increase the population over longer period of time. This is attributed to his ability to analyze the cause for perturbation and take necessary control measure. But mostly his response does not consider the effect of his control action to the biodiversity in the ecosystem. This leads to higher instability in the system. Indiscriminate usage of pesticides to protect agriculture is a classic example of such activity. The pesticide while eliminating the pests would kill its natural enemies and would increase pest resistance. Pesticide also contaminates unintended water source and land when they are allowed run off fields or sprayed aerially which would destroy other biodiversity and thus reduce stability. Conclusion Biodiversity plays a vital role in maintaining stability in a natural ecosystem. However, to prove the statement quantitatively, lot more research have to take place. Developing an ecosystem model and perfecting the model through analysis on a continuous basis will be the step to understand this issue more accurately. The short term and long term study on the stability is needed to understand the impact of biodiversity on the ecosystem. The changes in the ecosystem exhibited during the ecological succession process can be misunderstood for instability. In fact, the ecological succession process improves the stability of the ecosystem. This raises the question whether the extinction of species happening now is a part of ecological succession. With the burgeoning of human population, more part of ecosystem may require large-scale modification and artificial control measures to support the trophic structure. This has to be carried out responsibly without impairing the stability of the ecosystem.

The Holocaust :: European Europe History

The Holocaust The Holocaust was the extermination of the Jews and other people whom Hitler considered inferior. It took place from 1933 to 1945. Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Germany led this effort. About 12 million people were murdered, half of them being Jews. When Hitler took over control of Germany, everything changed. Hitler had a very strong prejudice against the Jews. He wanted to create the perfect race of blonde haired blue eyed Germans. His followers, who were the soldiers in the camps, were called Nazis. They enforced all killing that Hitler wanted done. Also, there were many other people involved in this massive genocide. Different people were leading the killing and different groups of people were being killed, not only Jews. For instance, there were many doctors who ran tests on people, but didn't care if the patients were hurt or even killed, which they usually were. All surgeries were performed without any anesthetic. These are just a couple general things that happened durin g the Holocaust. There are so many things that happened in this time period that are impossible to imagine or just are too horrible to think about. The things about the Holocaust that I find the most unnerving are the torture and pain they put the Jews and other groups through. The two main topics I feel are most serious or crucial are the medical experiments and their results and reactions on the patients. Also, the different camps, their strong points and general methods for killing used there. There are three camps that are familiar to me and I hear mentioned the most. They are Dachau, Treblinka, and of course, Auschwitz. The doctor who was most infamous for carrying out horrible experiments was Mengele. Dachau, Treblinka, and Auschwitz were three of the six concentration camps that were used for execution of Jews and other groups considered inferior. At Treblinka, 700,000 to over 1,000,000 people were killed. The gassings at Dachau never went past the experimental stage. They were in no way used as the gas chambers in Auschwitz were. Also, at Dachau, they performed Intense Cooling experiments. A summary of what they did was they'd dress the subject in certain clothes and either put their whole body, to include the brain stem, or only up to the brain stem in water which was from 2.5 to 12 degrees Centigrade. Fatalities only occurred when the brain stem and back of head were also chilled.

RAWWW scotti monk Essay

â€Å"Raw†, composed by Scott Monk, Brett a young offender is sent to a detention centre to reform and attain a second chance in life. However, through the use of Brett’s derogatory colloquialism, such as ‘pigs’ in reference to the police, it’s made clear that Brett is resistant to the law. As a result Brett is sent to The Farm, a facility that aims to turn young offender’s lives around, by reforming them. The Farm works on the principals of care, trust and responsibility. There are no fences or guards, just the boys and parent figures Sam and Mary. There are no cells, rather bedrooms. As well as offering rehabilitation, The Farm also supplies educational facilities, as it aims to give young offenders a second chance in life, and excursions to reward the boys for their good behaviour, a justification of the trust placed on the boys. The use of contrast between characters effectively portrays the ideas of protest, compliance and reform. In contrast to Brett who constantly protests against the rules through smoking, stealing from other inmates, running away and showing an arrogant attitude towards The Farm, Josh chooses to comply. ‘Sam doesn’t order me to do anything. He is my friend. I live on the farm, I do what he says’. The use of dialogue shows Josh’s feelings towards The Farm, it’s a home to him, as it offers the structure and security that he couldn’t obtain outside The Farm, conveying institutions benefit those who wish to reform so they comply whilst others protest. However the effect of the institutions goes beyond the individual. The institution forces society to stereotype those who reside in them, depriving individuality and is supported through Mr Douglas in Raw, ‘it may have a fancy name, but it is still a jail for criminals,’ and Toby, in Girl Interrupted, ‘them’, ‘they’re eating grapes off the wallpaper’. The structure of The Farm is based around care and responsibility. Brett conforms to these ideas to avoid being sent back to Sydney. However, Sam, Frog and Josh all find something to like about Brett and save him numerous times from being sent back to Sydney, for example when he ran away from The Farm. Brett tries to return the favour by dropping his attitude and in turn grows, learning to accept responsibility and show compassion for others. Brett’s change in character is most evident when he attempts to avoid fighting Smiling Joe ‘I don’t want to get into a fight. Just let me take the kid’. Brett grows here, as he tries to avoid fighting Smiling Joe at all costs to avoid putting Frogs safety at risk. Brett only uses violence as a last option, compared to the beginning of the text where violence was the only course of action to solve problems that arose. Brett resorts back to protest after a fall out with Caitlyn, a girl he falls in love with, which results in Brett being sent back Sydney. This enforces what Sam repeatedly says to Brett throughout the text, ‘only you can change your life’ This shows that the institution is only limited by the individual’s compliance and willingness to reform. Brett’s change in attitude is signified through the symbolism of the storm. The storm depicts the washing away of Brett’s past and the beginning of a fresh future. The sun resembles a bright future showing how the institution gives Brett a second chance in life and his change in attitude towards life. Susana Kaysen, in Girl Interrupted, directed by James Mangold, sleeps with a married doctor, which she regrets and resorts to consuming a bottle of aspirin and vodka. As a result Susana’s parents believe she needs ‘rest’ and force her to admit herself to Claymoore, an upscale psychiatric institution that allows rest and rehabilitation. Claymore operates around a rewards system. The more a patients complies and rehabilitates, the more privileges that patient receives, such as ground privileges. Susana’s instability and disorientation of her condition is revealed through the use of constant jump cuts, jumping from past to present, as well as the use of an unstable camera, close-ups and the high angle shot of Susana in the hospital bed in the opening scenes of the movie. Susana, similarly to Brett, protests at first. For example when the girls escape into the basement to play bowling, sneak into the doctor’s office to read out reasons for their confinement and Susana escaping from Claymore with Lisa, showing Susana’s protest and her denial of her condition. After seeing Daisy dead in her own home, Susana returns to the institution. The use of the road in the mid-shot symbolises Susana’s journey from denial to realisation, which ends her protest. On return to Claymore, Susana complies with the rules and receives the emotional and psychiatric support that she knew she needed, like Brett in ‘Raw’. After much improvement Susana is released, showing that the institution is only limited by the individual’s compliance and willingness to reform. In contrast to ‘Raw’ and ‘Girl Interrupted’ the song â€Å"Prisoner of Society† sung by The Living End refers to a younger generation crying out for freedom. The opening line of the song portrays that the younger generation doesn’t wish to abide by the rules and regulations society has set. Well we don’t need no one to tell us what to do The first person view allows sympathy to be directed to the younger generation. This and the use of incorrect grammer, so common to rebellious teenagers, helps portray the message of the song, which is that today’s youth are prisoners of the older generations society, which alienate the younger generation and instead of looking for support and comfort, they thrive to rebel against these rules and law enforcement bodies, with the institution of society having no effect on the younger generation as they don’t comply and don’t want to reform. This creates the younger generations culture, arguing they are their own society. Well we don’t need no one The repetition of this phrase shows a generalisation that the younger generation holds towards authority, indicating a preconception towards authoritative figures. The final lines of the song links back to the title and meaning of the song. You’ll see I’m not the enemy Just a prisoner of society These lines convey to that the younger generation feels confined and trapped by society. Society has an expectation the younger generation will either follow the laws that are set down or protest against these laws. If protest is chosen, society will punish the rebels. As you can see, this text has many parallels to Brett in Scott Monks, â€Å"Raw†. Brett also wishes to be free to do as he pleases, however, Sam has set rules, which must be followed. The derogatory colloquialism such as ‘old goat’ in reference to Sam shows the same generation gap the song talks about. This reinforces the argument made about Raw and Girl Interrupted that the institutions affect on the individual is limited by the individual’s compliance and willingness to conform.

Barriers to Effective Communication Essay

Most important amongst the ever-recurring and constant troubles in the field of police administration is that concerned with creating and sustaining a successful method of communication. Communication is the most important medium for concerning agreement between all the personnel of a department as to the police goals. It is the foundation for a regular and ongoing understanding of problems and accomplishments practiced on a continuing basis to reach their final objectives. The process of successful communications in a department starts with the leadership establishing clear guidelines how its personnel should interact with each other, whether it is by memo, emails, forms, daily briefings or training. Leadership in any organization must identify and mandate the objectives of the organization. Pfiffner (1951) stated â€Å"In all management situations, communication consists of organizational relationships and mechanics on the one hand, and the human factor on the other, in actuality both existing together. † Communication is the method of transmitting cues, mostly written and oral, in order to adjust human behavior. The communication process works in three steps, initiate, transmit, and impact. In a police department, initiate and transmit could be where the desk sergeant, issues the daily tasking that he receives from his leadership to his patrol officers beginning a shift. Impact takes place when the officers going out on patrol implement the tasking given and could be discussing the tasking amongst each other as well to gain feedback. Hearing is a passive occurrence that requires no effort. Listening, on the other hand, is a conscious choice that demands your attention and concentration† (Livestrong, 2001). The differences between hearing and listening is that when someone is speaking and you are hearing when you just hear the words coming out, not really paying attention to all of what is said. When listening, you are collecting thought on what is being said, but if you think you already know what the person is talking about, a person could just disregard the words that were just passed. There are generally four basic levels of hearing and listening, according to Toast Masters. org. You can easily fall into one or these more categories in different conversations. A non-listener is totally preoccupied with his personal thoughts and though he hears words, he doesn’t listen to what is being said. Passive listeners hear the words but don’t fully absorb or understand them. Listeners pay attention to the speaker, but grasp only some of the intended message. Active listeners are completely focused on the speaker and understand the meaning of the words without distortion† (Livestrong, 2011). Communications are vital in law enforcement. Police personnel have to comprehend the importance of tone of voice, pitch, and variation, the variances of hearing and listening. Facial expressions, body movements and posture are also significant for effective communications. Cultural and ethnic dynamics are essential factors of a police officer’s communication skills. The formal and informal channels of communication in criminal justice organizations are two distinct processes. Formal relations, occupation explanations, duties and processes are found in formal communication channels. These channels match the formal chains of command, and accountability recognized in organizational charts, standard operating procedures, and policy manuals. For many police departments and organizations, formal communication channels are the primary standard and rarely differentiate. Informal channels are considered a â€Å"grapevine or rumor mill† type construct. Police officers discussing an incident in the locker room can be considered informal, and if the district attorney and a defense lawyer are chatting about a case at lunch or a washroom are prime examples for informal channels of communications. In an informal channel of communication, the original words that were spoken could be altered, invalid, and misconstrued so much in a department, that the information can provide inefficiency in any organization. â€Å"Barriers to communication often arise when one party is concerned about personal or professional status. The four basic categories, or types, of obstacles to effective communication are as follows: (1) emotional barriers, (2) physical barriers, (3) semantic barriers, and (4) ineffective listening. Each of these barriers can cause either the sender or the receiver to fail to communicate effectively† (Wallace and Roberson, 2009). Emotional barriers can exist in the receiver or the sender. Individuals base their translating of information on respective occurrences and beliefs. If a person believes they will be not taken seriously or made fun of when making a idea, then they will not participate in discussions or send their message. When a police officer has a case of low esteem, it could affect their duties on the street, believing that they might not be able to make a difference, stop certain criminals, and that barrier can cost the lives of innocent people or even peers. Physical barriers are the properties of an atmosphere that can cause communications to be challenging. Examples of physical barriers include equipment that does not work properly, having one officer on patrol instead of a team of two officers patrolling together in a bad neighborhood. Semantic barriers can cause differences between individuals, when one person might say one thing, and another forms an entirely different conclusion to that was said. This form of barrier can exist in a department where communication is very poor from the leadership down to the most junior personnel. Ineffective listening will occur if law enforcement personnel fail to pay attention to what others are communicating. The subject of discussion might bore or be irrelevant to certain persons, or just be to complicate to comprehend, and that transmission will be useless. Effective communication is fundamental in any chain of command. Leadership must be able to communicate its orders and direction to subordinates in a clear, concise manner, and with a positive message, so subordinate’s can perform to the best of their ability and listen to the message that is spoken, instead of just hearing what they want to hear. For an organization to communicate effectively, a person must be able to overcome the barriers that exist, and change one’s thoughts or feelings with another coworker. Taking personal responsibility ensures their workplace operates smoothly, and can rid the barriers that may plaque the organization.