Women in Film - 1225 Words

There is a certain image with women in film. Women were and still highly sexualized and have a certain illusion that is consistent among them. Women often appear as an object to be looked at and acted upon. The male protagonist has a more active role within the narrative. They are seemed to be the more superior character while the women have a much more supporting role. The same is true to the 1940 comedy His Girl Friday and the 1958 thriller Vertigo. In both films, the image of the woman is important, as well as their role in the film. The image of the woman is highly sophisticated, proper, and simple. Throughout His Girl Firday, our leading female character, Hildegard â€Å"Hildy† Johnson, played by Rosalind Russell, was struggling to keep her current persona of a woman who wants to settle down in the newspaper business. When first introduced to Hildy, she was engaged and about to marry Bruce, an insurance agent played by Ralph Bellamy. Hildy wants to settle down to a quiet life as a wife and mother in Albany, New York. This is the typical portrayal of women during that time; they were expected to marry a nice man, take care of the husband’s parents (Bruce’s mother in Hildy’s case), and have a couple of kids to take care of. The same is similar in Vertigo, where Madeleine was married to Scottie’s old college friend, Gavin. Contrasting to His Girl Friday, Hitchcock’s Vertigo was restricted to Scottie’s awareness; a man’s awareness. This film was more visually focused on theShow MoreRelatedRole of Women in Horror Films1103 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Stereotypical portrayal of Women in horror films. Since the horror genre is quite a broad category, I’ve decided to focus mainly on Slasher films, a subgenre of horror film. Traditionally women are represented in horror films are blonde hypersexual damsels in distress with a seductive body language and strong make up being attacked by the killer because they have committed a sinful act. You may have noticed that the young girls that do get killed, in these films are those that have scenes showingRead MoreWomen in Contemporary Horror Films1741 Words   |  7 PagesFEMINITY IN CONTEMPORARY HORROR FILM One might say that horror film- genre has been invented by feminists. Horror films seem to be one of the only genres that have women as heroines instead of dominated side characters. In horror genre women are the ones fighting against evil and men are the ones dying trying to help these heroines. Or perhaps the horror genre uses heroines to differ it self from hero dominant action genre. Or maybe horror films were created to represent the ultimate horror ofRead MoreUnfair Representation of Women in Film1740 Words   |  7 Pagesexperience insecurities about their appearance and personalities, it is women who have a greater population effected by the media. Women are exploited more so than men when it comes to appearance and show negative stereotypical attributes when it comes to personality. One particular form of media embodies both aspects; film. For decades the movie industry has arguably been the leading form of entertainment for children and young adults. Film has been imbedded in our culture and education. At first, moviesRead MoreWomen Of The North Korean Films996 Words   |  4 Pagesprojected image of women in North Korean films as well. In the films where there is a female lead, A Traffic Controller on Crossroads, Order No. 27 and A Broad Bellflower, there are surprisingly given are very much given a position of influence, diligence, and authority on a small scale. According to Suk-Young Kim, she emphasizes the this when she states, â€Å"To extol the values of a female workforce, visual media promoted the image of working women in all spheres, but most notably, military women were the cruxRead MoreThe Film Red Detachment Of Women1541 Words   |  7 PagesIn subsequent years following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China came a revolutionary new approach to not only producing films, but also film’s very role in communist society. During this period the state gained complete control of the filmmaking industry, decreeing that the utilitarian functions of art and literature were to become a powerful weapon in serving the revolutionary struggle. In an otherwise artistically stifling period in which socialist realism pervaded all creativeRead More Women In Films: User Or Victim? Essay1452 Words   |  6 Pages Women in Films: User or Victim? Women in Films: User or Victim? Designed to prove that a woman can be anybody she desires to be, the legendary film, Evita, is now shown to millions of movie viewers. Alan Parker=s Evita is a reflection of the much-publicized images of two popular self-made heroines of different era, Evita and Madonna. The discussion of this essay will show us how these ladies got far and revered once by their followers. The life of Evita Peron is almost like a dramatizationRead MoreEssay about Women, Sport Film1077 Words   |  5 PagesWomen, Sport Film In some ways, women today face more pressure to be perfect than ever before in history. The feminine ideal of the past has been replaced by a new face — stronger and more independent, but under no less pressure to conform to societys expectations than her predecessors. Todays woman must be all that she was in the past, and more. In addition to being beautiful, feminine, and demure, she must also be physically fit and academically and socially successful. It is no longerRead MoreKey Elements Of Women In Mustang : Crench Film Turkish-French Film926 Words   |  4 Pagesis an internationally produced Turkish-French film of the drama genre that was initially released at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The film follows five orphaned girls residing with their Grandmother and Uncle Erol in contemporary conservative Turkey; when they are spotted socialising with a group of males on a beach, they are trained in activities such as cooking that are seen as being the role of women in Turk ey. The film uses the key elements of film form in order to achieve this and reflect otherRead More Strong Chinese Women in Film Essay1843 Words   |  8 PagesIn Confucian thought, women had their purpose beside their men or within their households as mothers. However, the legend of Hua Mulan precedes Confucius. Mulan’s story had inspired early Chinese Feminists such as Qiu Ji to go against the society built to keep her space as a woman separate from the rest of the world. In modern times, Fa Mulan (from Disney) added more diversity to the usual Disney Princesses and gave westerners an image of Chinese culture. The Disney film about Fa Mulan and theRead MoreWomen Being Influenced by the Portrayal of Their Roles in Film861 Words   |  4 PagesWomen being influenced by the portrayal of their roles in film Assignment 2A By Hoe Shuhui Joanne (S9132359A) Group No. 25 Academic Writing WRIT001/Term 2 – 2010/2011 I declare that this Assignment is my original work and all information obtained from other sources has been cited accordingly. Joanne Hoe 17/02/2010 Turnitin _______________________ Similarity Signature and Date Index % Course Instructor: Katherine Barg As the definition of being a

Tragic Characters of Sophocles Antigone Examining...

As humans, we tend to place both familiar and unfamiliar objects alike in groups, representing certain characteristics specific to that object. This psychological feat is known as categorization. We categorize everything from the food we eat to the clothing we wear, and even the literature that we read. The groups of literary works are known as genres. Within this category of genres are plays, and a subcategory is the tragedy. Though not so romanticized by contemporary authors, tragedies were particularly popular during the ancient times. Through out his lifetime, Sophocles wrote tens of plays, but one in particular, Antigone earned him his esteemed title. In Antigone, there is much debate present about who the tragic character is. A tragic character (sometimes called tragic hero) is a character who undergoes a reversal of fate, essentially hubris. Many opine the Creon is the tragic character as he experiences the ultimate reversal of fortune when his son, wife, and niece die as a r esult of his own decision. An essential part of Creon’s fatal flaw is his pathological fear of loosing his crown and his control over the city-state of Thebes. As a result of this fear, Creon goes to unimaginable lengths to say that the people near and dear to him (Haimon and Tiresias) have betrayed him. Sophocles makes Creon’s paranoia evident by writing, â€Å" All my life long I have been a kind of butt for the dull arrows of doddering fortunetellers†¦ It is a sorry thing when a wiseShow MoreRelated Creon as Tragic Hero of Sophocles Antigone Essay593 Words   |  3 PagesCreon as Tragic Hero of Sophocles Antigone There has always been a bit of confusion as to the tragic hero of the Greek Drama Antigone. Many assume that simply because the play is named for Antigone, that she is the tragic hero. However, evidence supports that Creon, and not Antigone, is the tragic hero of the play. Examining the factors that create a Greek Tragedy, and a tragic character, it is clear that the tragic hero is in fact Creon. First, take into account the timeframe in which

Case Study Rogers’ Choclates Free Essays

CASE 9: Rogers’ Chocolates Strategic Management INTRODUCTION Rogers’ Chocolates is the oldest chocolate company in Canada based in Victoria, British Columbia. Rogers’ Chocolates focuses on the premium chocolate market and differentiates itself by delivering award winning quality products at a fair price; this combination creates a good value for its customers. They also have expertise at creating an outstanding customer experience within their Victorian themed retail locations that have also won awards. We will write a custom essay sample on Case Study: Rogers’ Choclates or any similar topic only for you Order Now The company is privately held and currently focuses its business in four market areas, direct retail , online/mail order , wholesale, and sales from a restaurant in Victoria. The company also produces and sells a line of premium ice cream. The company employes 130 people, the majority of which are in retail. Sales from the company’s retail establishments account for 50% of revenue. Production takes place on a one-shift operation in a 24,000 square foot facility and is labor intensive. There are currently no measurements in gauge productivity and efficiency in the plant. The past president focused a growth strategy in the wholesale market and current order fulfillment strategy is to give priority to online and mail-order business, followed by wholesale accounts, leaving the retail locations last to be serviced internally. Sales have seasonal swells during the holidays and demand forecasting has been an issue; they have increased inventory to deal with these sales patterns but still encounter out of stock situations. The new president has been given a goal by the board of directors to double or triple the size of the company within 10 years. PROBLEM STATEMENT The focus on the wholesale market does not inline with the strengths of the company. Furthermore, the issues in operational efficiency with regard to production capabilities and demand forecasting are hindering the company from increased growth potential. ALTERNATIVES Focus on strengthening current retail operations. Focus growing the retail business into new geographic markets. Continue to grow complementary business lines (ie. Ice Cream) Develop core competence in operations management to drive efficiencies and reduce inventories. Upgrade technology in production to increase capacity Create new product lines and packaging to broaden the customer base. Franchise Sam’s Deli. Franchise retail chocolate stores. ANALYSIS In 2006, the chocolate market size for Canada was US$167 million with the premium chocolate market growing at a rate of 20% annually. Competition within the premium market is a broad mix of small local niche players to large multinational corporations and is growing as larger traditional manufacturers enter the market via acquisitions or new product launches. Product differentiation is healthy and there are no indications of a price war starting between rivals. Product innovation appears limited, mostly focusing on new flavor introductions and variations in molding and coloring. Seasonal demands, especially the eight weeks prior to Christmas, can create demand that can challenge small companies with low production capacity and/or inadequate forecasting and inventory management. Competitors vary in the level of vertical integration and companies with large-scale operations and distribution networks enjoy a competitive advantage through economies of scale. Rivalry among competing sellers is active and fairly strong due to the following conditions: There is little to no cost for buyers to switch brand. There is a fair amount of product standardization in the industry. The products in the chocolate market have large seasonal swells and are perishable causing some price competition. Higher fixed production costs adds to this pressure. The addition of new competition by established companies such as Hershey’s and Cadburys. Competitive pressure from potential new entrants is medium as most of the major players in the industry are already in the premium chocolate market; the projected growth rate in the market will strongly attract new upstarts but they will have challenges developing distribution and retail penetration with little to no brand awareness. Firms in other industries will have little impact in this market as there aren’t any strong substitutions to premium chocolate. Competitive pressures stemming from supplier bargaining is mixed; large-scale manufacturers will enjoy less pressure from suppliers due to economies of scale while smaller niche companies will not have as much influence, especially in the area of organic and fair trade raw materials. Pressure from the buyer community is fair; demand is high but so is the ability to switch brands. Growing demand for socially responsible products, such as fair-trade and organic will increase pressure from the buyers. The current driving forces in the market are the high growth rate in the premium market and the entrance of new major firms; consumers’ emerging interest in fair-trade and organic products is also a force to be considered. Key success factors in this market include a well known and respected brand and strong direct sales and/or wholesale distribution; quality and efficient production capabilities are also key success factors. Although profit margins are down, Rogers’ Chocolates is in a strong financial position. Retail accounts for 50% of the company’s revenues although the two new stores in the company’s portfolio are not performing to expectations. Ice cream sales, although small compared to retail, show a strong contribution to overall sales. The key financial indicators are shown below; one area of concern is the major increase in the â€Å"days of inventory† and the accompanying decrease in â€Å"inventory turnaround†. This is a concern due to the perishable nature of the product and the negative affect on customer quality perception when product is sold past the expiration date which has occurred with some sales via wholesale accounts. {draw:frame} A SWOT analysis of the company has turned up the following points: STRENGTHS: a distinctive competence in retail, specifically the â€Å"customer experience† a strong financial base to grow the business a strong regional brand and company reputation to build upon better product quality relative to rivals ood customer service capabilities in retail and online sales. WEAKNESSES: weak wholesale network brand/company awareness is poor outside of the region weak supply chain competences in forecasting problems with operational efficiencies with old technology and high cost changeovers. OPPORTUNITIES: expansion into new areas entering into alliances or joint ventures to expand market coverage continued expansion of complementary products (premium ice c ream) explore new technology within production THREATS increased competition by new entrants in the market slowdown in market growth hift in buyer needs and tastes RECOMMENDATIONS I believe that Rogers’ Chocolates should implement a combination of the following alternatives: Focus on strengthening current retail operations. Focus growing the retail business into new geographic markets. Continue to grow complementary business lines (ie. Ice Cream) Develop core competence in operations management to drive efficiencies and optimize inventories. The Rogers’ Chocolates brand has been built based on a high quality product and the retail experience of their Victorian themed shops and packaging. This is their core competence and strength and it should be the focus of their growth. By solidifying the performance of the current locations and then opening additional stores in new areas the will expand their brand recognition while preserving the quality of their product. There ice cream line is complementary to the business and should be further developed and sold in the stores. Internally, and operational strategy to improve efficiencies in production and demand forecasting will reduce costs, preserve product quality and optimize production and inventory capabilities. How to cite Case Study: Rogers’ Choclates, Free Case study samples

The Tao Da Ching free essay sample

Tao Te Ching Underneath the mysterious language, numerous paradoxes, and ambiguity of the Tao Te Ching lies a helpful, concise passage and interesting way of life. Its complex yet simple verses can give one great insight on moral behavior and righteousness, how to live life simply, face and deal with struggles in both society as a whole and our daily lives, and how civilization should be governed. Written by Lao Tzu, meaning Old Master, Thoughts from the Tao-Te Ching is just a small excerpt from the 81 chapter philosophical document. The central teachings of this chapter include compassion, simplicity, and patience in order to be â€Å"at one† with the Tao and seek enlightenment. The poetic verses written in this chapter are written with a great deal of contemplation and symbolism all of which refer back to one of the three main themes. The way in which Lao expresses his ideas is sincere, simple in words yet complex in meaning, but to the point that his thoughts and ideas are valid enough to believe. We will write a custom essay sample on The Tao Da Ching or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The verses necessitate patience, understanding, and compliance in order to analyze their complex meaning. Lao Tzu puts a large emphasis on how a ruler should govern, in that a leader should be concerned with the lives of his people and not use much force. He states, â€Å"When the Master governs- the people are hardly aware that he exists. †(Stanza 17). He goes on to say â€Å"If you don’t trust the people, you make them untrustworthy. †(Stanza 17). These two of many lines about governing in the Tao, support his claim about little control and the importance of the people. Lao Tzu strongly emphasizes the need for the rulers to apply them throughout all aspects of their lives. He is simply stating that a Master should rule with such moderation that the people hardly realize he is ruling. In order to understand one’s people, a leader must be committed and loyal. He must take time to get to know the people so that their ideas coincide. â€Å"If you want to govern the people, you must place yourself below them. If you want to lead the people, you must learn how to follow them. †(Stanza 66). Governments that are alienated from the people and manipulative do not allow the people to live freely and manage their own ffairs are bad governments. Leadership and government according to the Tao causes less rebellion, honesty, liberty, appreciation, and satisfaction. â€Å"If you want to be a great leader, you must learn to follow the Tao. Stop trying to control. Let go of fixed plans and concepts, and the world will govern itself. † (Verse 58). The previous verse implied that to be a ruler one must follow the Tao, which is to live simply. He must also be patient and let fixed plans go, just let the natural flow of life happen. Lao-tzu emphasizes that good leadership involves having enough patience to wait for natural patterns of life to complete their cycles, and trusting that balance will emerge from those cycles. Wise leaders put power in the hands of the people by providing them with what they need and having the willingness to let the world flow freely. Not only is government a main concept in this chapter, but so is simplicity. Lao makes the claim that materialism and wealth are meaningless, and they only hinder one from reaching enlightenment. Simplicity is not just in living, but in ones thoughts and actions as well. Possessions and money are the root of all evil. The Tao considers wealth senseless, in that it only leads to competition and indulgence. The following quote proves how simplicity should be used in leadership, â€Å"If you want to learn how to govern, avoid being clever or rich. The simplest pattern is the clearest. Content with an ordinary life you can show all people the way back to their own true nature. † A life of simplicity is one without confusion, greed, and desire. By setting an example to the community, they too will apprehend the concept of simplicity and learn that life is much better without the heavy burden of materialism. Another large portion of the Tao is action through non-action, which is considered another form of simplicity. By practicing not-doing, one can attain true happiness in life. Non-action means eliminating actions that are unnecessary and un-called for. â€Å"The Tao never does anything, yet through it all things are done. If people would center themself in this, people would be content with their simple everyday lives, in harmony and free of desire. When there is no desire all things are at peace. †(Stanza 37) People should take things as they come in life and they will live a life full of happiness and pleasure. When a person rids themselves of desire, they can have peace with themselves because their want for things no longer exists. The stress of desire is eliminated and harmony can be reached. According to the Tao, if you let things take their natural course, everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. The concept of patience plays a major role in Lao Tzu’s teachings as well. It is the ability to halt action and give things a chance to settle naturally. He feels that a person must have equal patience with themselves, friends, and enemies. â€Å"The master does nothing, yet he leaves nothing undone. The ordinary man is always doing things, yet many more are left to be done. † (Stanza 38). This claim explains the meaning of patience in that you should ignore your own ambitions and goals because you lose patience if your expectations are not met. If you have your own goals then you will also have difficulty remaining patient. One will learn patience when they can overcome their ego and accept the present. Riding oneself of selfish involvement can create calmness needed to solve difficult problems. A quote that supports patience and ignoring one’s drive to achieve unrealistic goals is â€Å"The world is sacred, it can’t be improved. If you tamper with it, you’ll ruin it. If you treat it like an object, you’ll lose it. †(Stanza 29) If one has patience and resists tampering with things that can’t be changed or achieved, one will attain fulfillment rather than disappointment. A claim made in verse 61 also relating to patience and understanding is stated quite simply, When he makes a mistake he realizes it. Having realized it, he admits it. Having admitted it, he corrects it. If everyone were to embrace this quote and live by it, the change would be profound. Due to ego and fear of a tarnished reputation, people are afraid to admit their mistakes. People don’t realize that by admitting and fixing a mistake could increase integrity with others due to their ability to take accountability for their actions. Having patience with ourselves and others when either makes a mistake could eliminate many differences and lead to a gain in respect. If our nation decided to live by such an idea and became solely concerned with its own people rather than meddling in other affairs we would be at peace. The third teaching and major point found within this text is compassion. One must be able to admit and accept their own flaws and be loving towards their enemies whom also contain imperfections. Humans need to give up the concept that we have enemies in front of us, and learn to get past the differences. This claim is supported by â€Å"Therefore the Master concerns himself with the depths and not the surface, with the fruit and not the flower† (Stanza 38). Compassion is about looking internally and putting others before ourselves. We as humans need to attain compassion for others and see ones beauty for what’s on the inside rather than outside. Rather than fighting with others, we need to work on ourselves for personal growth and reconcile with people. We need not concern ourselves with the enemy or perceive that individual as such, for they are people just like us. The importance of compassion also plays a role in war, â€Å"His enemies are not demons, but human beings like himself. He doesn’t wish them personal harm. Nor does he rejoice in victory. How could he rejoice in victory and delight in the slaughter of men? † (Stanza 31). This quote is stating that we are all humans despite our differences. War is only an option in the direst necessity, and when entering war we must have compassion for the other side. We must not rejoice in victory because killing is not good in any way. The structure of Lao Tzu’s writing was essential in tying back to the main ideas in the chapter. The use of poetic verse provides one with a sense of musicality and softness, yet uses a sense of diligence to make its point. The form of writing makes it very direct and appears to be very simplistic in structure. His words, although they may seem simple to the eye, to the mind they are very complex in thoughts and beliefs. The words may be short in length, but they are very long in meaning. With just one simple sentence Lao Tzu can imply a great deal of ideas to the reader, such as not to interfere with things, and to let the world go on naturally and free of interruption. From the first chapter of the Tao-Te-Ching, the reader can grasp a small portion of Lao’s ideas. Many feel that his way of life is completely unrealistic or impractical. The point of this writing is not to force one into following the Tao if one does not want to; rather to show the importance of simplicity, compassion, and patience in our universe. If everyone implemented those qualities into their life, according to the Tao, one would seek a life of true happiness and true fulfillment.

Dismissal Meeting

Outline One of the most challenging roles of a manager is terminating an employee. Once the decision to terminate an employee has been made, managers find themselves in a rather awkward situation of having to break the bad news to the employee. Terminating an employee is not always a pleasurable activity because it comes with several challenges.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Dismissal Meeting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More First, it can be traumatizing to the laid off employee and the other employees who have remained behind. Second, layoffs have emotional effects on the managers who have to plan and conduct the whole process. Finally, termination always comes with issues of compensation and potential threats of lawsuits if it is mishandled. Thus, simply put, terminating an employee is one of the worst things a manager ever has to do. However, if the dismissal meeting is conducted in a professional manner, it can help maintain the employee’s dignity and help minimize any potential eventualities. Introduction One of the most difficult decisions for managers is that of dismissing an employee (Molinsky Margolis, 2006, pp. 145-159). Dismissing an employee often comes with several challenges especially when done in the context of a layoff (Grunberg et al, 2006, pp. 159-178). Yet, dismissal is one of the most common decisions managers must make. It is a usual practice in contemporary business management. Dismissal is usually done as a measure of cutting expenditure to achieve profitability (Gareth George, 2011). First lines managers usually bear the brunt of informing individual employees that they are to be laid off (Armstrong Baron, 2002). To do this successfully requires a lot of tact. Dismissing an employee who is friend is definitely a painful procedure. Such an exercise is bound to leave an indelible mark on the manager implementing the decision. Having to dismiss an employee creates a lot of negative emotions on the manager. Such emotions are sometimes so severe that managers tend to avid or distance themselves from having to undertake the process altogether (Grunberg et al, 2006, pp. 159-178).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Three ways that a manager can cope with any negative emotions that may accompany an employee layoff Layoff can cause negative emotions to a manager who has to implement the directive. Whereas some managers will adjust well after the layoff, some will become aloof and distressed. Still, others are likely to develop insomnia, or become increasingly insensitive (Grunberg et al, 2006, pp. 159-178). In some cases, some managers might become confused as to their actual roles. This creates a sense of guilt, breakdown, and failure. Because these negative emotions can cause heath complications, it is important to cope with them. How a manager copes and behave after the layoff will have a direct effect on employee’s behavior and, consequently, their motivations and effectiveness (Armstrong Baron, 2002). Managers can cope with the above negative emotions in several ways. First, managers can seek guidance from a counselor or a medical practitioner to help them overcome depression and guilt. Second, the manager should get assurance from their superiors that the decisions they implemented were right (Grunberg et al, 2006, pp. 159-178). This validation will help in eliminating feelings of guilt and help assure the manager that after all, they were merely doing their work (Knights Willmott, 2012). Third, a manager should have an open communication with other line managers, the employees and other interested parties. They can also meditate, take some leave, or engage in interesting events such team building, community service, or sports. These can go a long way in helping the manager cope with the above negat ive emotions. A step-by-step process of conducting the dismissal meeting An employee can be dismissed because of several reasons. Once a decision has been arrived at to dismiss an employee for which ever reason, the next challenge is usually how to break the news. The first thing is to organize for a professional dismissal meeting (Stewart Brown, 2012). The dismissal meeting should be arranged only after a well thought out ground work and documentation to validate the decision to dismiss the employee. The dismissal meeting should be done in a manner that maintains the employee’s dignity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Dismissal Meeting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is meant to reduce chances of the employee resenting the manager and the organization as a whole (Knights Willmott, 2012). It can also help in minimizing chances of former employees portraying the organization in bad light thereby sa feguarding the reputation of the organization. Communication should told direct i.e. one-on-one not using any other communication method. The dismissal meeting should be conducted by the immediate boss, who is usually the most conversant with the employee and the reasons for the dismissal (Stewart Brown, 2012). Sometimes, there is need to have a third party as a witness. Having a witness helps reduce the feeling of unfair treatment on the part of the employee being terminated. However, the manager must state categorically the role of the witness; that of observation and not to represent or speak on behalf of the employee. The meeting should be conducted in a quiet, private setting with no interruptions. According to Armstrong Baron (2002), the dismissal meeting should be held in a neutral place. It should neither be conducted in the managers’ officer nor in the office of the employee being dismissed. Although finding a private and neutral place can be a challenge in some ca ses, it is integral that the meeting be held where it is possible to manage any emotional involvements and where the meeting can easily be ended once the bombshell has been dropped. Good HR practice requires that a dismissal meeting be held earlier in the day and earlier in the week (Stewart Brown, 2012). Employees should not be dismissed on Fridays or on the eve of holidays. Dismissing an employee on a Friday might give them time to organize some retaliatory attack on the company. Dismissing an employee earlier in the week is a blessing in disguise to the employee since they are likely to have more time to begin another job search immediately. Similarly dismissals should be conducted in the morning hours when employees are fresher and relaxed. Later in the day, the employees will most likely have developed some work related stress (Quick Nelson, 2009) which might bring undesirable reactions to the dismissal.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In the actual termination meeting, the employee must be given an adequate reason why they are being terminated (Gareth George, 2011). The termination meeting should last between ten and fifteen minutes. This is because its purpose is to communicate to the employee in a simple and clear message that the employee is being terminated and the reason as to why. The reasons for dismissing an employee must be adequate and reasonable (Stewart Brown, 2012). The manager should probe the employee to gauge if they have understood and if they have any concerns to raise. By giving the employee a chance to respond and clearing any misunderstandings thereof, the manager will in essence, be minimizing any potential chances of lawsuits for wrongful dismissal. In clear and in no uncertain terms, the employee must be made to understand that that the termination decision is final. The employee needs to understand that the position has already been taken, all options have been explored, and that even o ther interested parties have agreed to the dismissal (Stewart Brown, 2012) and that the manager is merely acting as an informer. This will enable the manager to maintain their composure in the whole process. It can also help in avoiding any potential physical aggression from the employee. During the meeting, the manager must explain the company’s policy on reference checks (Armstrong Baron, 2002). The employee should be told how the company handles reference information. If the company has a policy on providing job designations, employment history, and salary information to prospective persons who request for it, this information should be communicated to the employee during the dismissal meeting. Upon request, the manager should provide a letter of service (Stewart Brown, 2012). The manager should collect company items from the employee. Such items could include job identification cards, company vehicles, keys, cell phones, or any other such materials. Granted, the manage r might opt to collect the items during the termination meeting. Alternatively, the manager might want to avoid embarrassing the employee and allow them to return the things at a future specified date. According to Stewart Brown (2012), these items can be collected later when the employee is formally handing over. Armstrong Baron (2002) have argued that the manager should also take some time to brief the employee on the issue of benefits in the course of the termination meeting. The compensation that the company may provide to the separated employee A number of compensation and benefits packages are available to the employee being terminated. Such compensation includes vacation compensation, severance compensation, and continuation of health insurance compensation (Stewart Brown, 2012). Others include unemployment insurance compensation and retirement benefits as provided for under the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (CORA) of 1985. Employers are obliged by these s tate and federal legislation to continue providing separated employees with such compensation. However, there are no legal provisions compelling employers to provide severance compensation or any other benefits to the separated employees. Because layoffs are usually rare, the employee can be paid in full, the last drawn salary in lieu of the notice period. If the employee if being terminated because of performance, the employee will be compensated their last drawn salary. If the employee is being dismissed for disciplinary reasons, the employee will not be paid for the notice period (Armstrong Baron, 2002). Such employees do not enjoy insurance and unemployment benefits. Finally, federal legislation provides that terminated employees are eligible for pension or profit sharing according to the terms of the plan. HR experts believe that as a good practice, the manager should prepare the final paycheck and have it ready at the meeting (Stewart Brown, 2012). This is a positive thing t o do and might help reduce feelings of resentment by the separated employee. A chart that depicts the timeline of the disbursement of the compensation Three ways that layoff may affect a company Layoffs may affect a company in several ways. First, the message might not be communicated well to the victims being terminated. This can infuriate employees and breed in them the feeling that management is insensitive to their needs. This might eventually damage the reputation of the company (Quick Nelson, 2009). Secondly, depending on the manner in which it is handled, layoff can push the sacked employees to seek redress though such acts as lawsuits for wrongful dismissal, vandalizing company assets, or theft (Molinsky Margolis, 2006, pp. 145-159). Thirdly, layoff can reduce the morale of the existing employees. Finally, witnessing an employee being laid off can create a sense of job insecurity and fear in the remaining employees. Thus, it is imperative that managers treat the affected victims in a dignified, respectful, and compassionate manner in order to minimize the above negative effects. Conclusion This paper has established that dismissal is a very challenging role that managers have to undertake (Molinsky Margolis, 2006, pp. 145-159). Managers who spearhead and implement the dismissal of employees usually undergo a lot of negative emotional and psychological stress. Layoff are painful experiences which are sometimes characterized by indelible memories which, if not well managed can lead to distress. Managers have been known to develop insomnia, become aloof or have little feelings (Grunberg et al, 2006, pp. 159-178). In order to cope with these negative emotions, the manager should see a counselor or a medical practitioner. Alternatively, the manager can have a candid communication with their superior and other line managers. Managers can equally meditate, take leave, or engage in team building exercises. When conducting a dismissal meeting, the manager m ust maintain the employee’s dignity and ensure that the meeting is done in a private place (Stewart Brown, 2012). Dismissals should be done in the morning hours, with employees being given adequate reasons why they are being terminated. Termination decisions are usually final implying that any relevant compensation like health insurance, unemployment insurance and retirement benefits should be clearly highlighted (Armstrong Baron, 2002). Layoffs have several effects on a company. If it is not well-handled, the company can find itself dogged with many law suits for wrongful termination. References Armstrong, M., Baron, A. (2002). Strategic HRM: The route to improved business  Performance. London: CIPD. Gareth, J. R., George, J. M. (2011). Contemporary management (7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Grunberg, L., Moore, S., Greenberg, E. S. (2006). Managers’ reactions to implementing layoffs: Relationship to health problems and withdrawal behaviors. Human Resou rce Management, 5(2), 159-178. doi: 10.1002/hrm. Knights, D., Willmott, H., (2012). Introducing organizational behavior and  management (2nd ed.) London: Thompson Learning. Molinsky, A., Margolis, J. (2006). The emotional tightrope of downsizing: hidden challenges for leaders and their organizations. Organizational Dynamics, 35(2), 145-159. doi:10.1016/j.orgdyn.2006.03.005 Stewart, G. L., Brown, K. G. (2012). Human resource management (2nd ed.). Danvers, MA: John Wiley Sons, Inc. Quick, J. C., Nelson, D. L., (2009). Principals of organizational behavior: Realities  and challenges (6th ed.) China: South Western, Cengage Learning. This essay on Dismissal Meeting was written and submitted by user The Watchers to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here. Dismissal Meeting Develop a fictitious company and write a brief description about the company Guild-ford is a company that specializes in processing and packaging yoghurt, cheese, and fresh milk. The company has its headquarters in California valley, United States. Guild-ford’s main competitor is the pacific gold producers. Guild-ford has 56 employees. They are all driven by their commitment to quality and high standards of service (Mathis Jackson, 2003).Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Dismissal Meeting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Guild-ford had previously faced an economic downturn because the market was becoming highly competitive. This challenge would only be solved by restructuring the company, a process that saw nine employees laid-off. This step was an absolute managerial tool rather than a first resort. Research shows that layoffs cause severe human consequences because they are costly for the individual s, their families as well as the entire community. It was inevitable to deal with emotions that the various affected employees had depicted. The remaining employees were also faced by severe emotions that if not handled properly, the company’s production level would have declined by 75% because of reputation decline (Mathis Jackson, 2003). Propose three (3) ways that a manager can cope with any negative emotions that may accompany an employee layoff It is possible that after retrenching some employees, the remaining employees will experience fear and insecurity. The main reason behind this is the uncertainty that is likely to be accompanied by this change. For instance, the left employees are uncertain about their job security. They cannot predict how the company will go on or even what roles they will be playing in the restructured company. The remaining employees live with the fear that the next lay-off might affect them, thus they become unstable in their performance. Ang er can particularly affect the management itself. The manager can feel guilty of laying-off its employees. The manager also has to cope with anger; an emotion that may affect the company’s performance. Moreover, the laid-off employee’s anger can lead to the filing of lawsuits. There is also a possibility that the left employees could engage in gossips that may ultimately affect the company’s reputation. This may go to the extent that the emotionally affected staff get physically sick and quit their job or start looking for other companies where they feel more secure. All the above emotions contribute to a decline in human capital and can be detrimental to the company’s performance (Miller Kahn, 2008). In a restructuring company, such emotions cannot be avoided. When they accumulate to high levels, they become more harmful and translate to serious negative impacts on the firm. The manager has to be keen on the above emotions and must be ready to reduce th eir effects as much as possible. In order to handle the challenges, the following solutions are recommended.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More First, the manager must understand the emotional side and handle it with appropriate sensitivity. The manager has the duty of communicating the importance of these emotions to the middle managers who in turn implement the restructuring decisions. If they fail to respect the emotions, the management might fail to control the anxiety and the fear of employees in the restructured company. The employees might be unable to perform well and to learn new skills. The manager must deal with this by being sensitive to emotions and creating management personnel that pays necessary attention to employees’ emotional problems (Miller Kahn, 2008). Second, enough mourning time must be accorded to the remaining employees. In this case, the employees are given time to share and talk about their emotions. Research has proved that creation of emotional zones can be a very powerful tool-for the obvious reason that if people share their problems with colleagues, they feel somehow relieved. Third, a manager who clearly understands the emotions that may accompany an employee’s lay-off has a better position of reducing the effect of these emotions. For example, the company should do the entire process in a humane way. The way a company handles the lay-off process determines the impact the process will have on the remaining employees. The manager can achieve this by offering the dismissed employees a severance pay and clearly elucidating why the process had to happen. Siemens and Cisco companies are relevant case examples given the way they treated their dismissed employees at one particular time. The companies gave their dismissed employees a fair compensation in form of money. This alone signaled the remaining employe es that the companies cared about their employee’s emotional welfare. An honest and open passage of a massage from the top management is highly appreciated. The laid-off employees get firsthand information on the reason behind the restructuring process, and their eventual lay-off (Miller Kahn, 2008). Describe a step-by-step process of conducting the dismissal meeting The following is a systematic process of conducting such a meeting. It is important to follow the acceptable criterion that does not interfere with the reputation of a company to the valued customers and employees.Advertising We will write a custom case study sample on Dismissal Meeting specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The dismissal meeting should be scheduled early in the week. This permits the dismissed employees an adequate time to apply for employment insurance benefits, connect with the outplacement counselor and review severance arrangements with legal advisors. If possible, the meeting should be convened at the end of a workday. This allows the dismissed to leave in privacy and meet with their families or friends for an emotional support. A third party has to be involved in the meeting who keeps a clear record of what both the employer and the employee say. The third party also confirms that a termination package or letter has been presented to the employee. A letter of reference should be presented to the employee at the dismissal meeting as well. The letter should depict honesty, truthfulness, and must not necessarily have the qualitative assessments of the employee. Similarly, an employee’s duly completed record of employment (ROE) should be ready to be given to the client during the meeting. This allows the employee to apply for employment insurance benefits immediately. A neutral location such as a boardroom or the employee’s own office should be used to hold the meeting. This reduces the level of intimidation of the affected employee. These are some of the valued humane and legal considerations. During the meeting, it is the role of the employer to act in good faith. If an employer for example proceeds in a manner that causes unnecessary embarrassment, then courts may argue that the duty to act in good faith was breached. During the meeting, the employer needs to be direct and to the point. Alternatives may include the use of an employment lawyer. It is also important to avoid debates during these meetings. â€Å"The employee should be told clearly the decision must be final† (Milkovich, Newman, Milkovich, 2005, p. 66). The representatives of the employer must avoid arguments regarding the reasons for the dismissal. In the event of a dismissal without cause situation, the employer should not disclose the reasons. On the other hand, if the dismissal was for cause, the employer has the obligation of reviewing the reasons for the decision. This eliminates the probability of the emp loyees claiming that they were dismissed for cause without being informed. After covering the above steps, the meeting should be brought to a conclusion. The employees have to return any company property they possess. The employee should be given an opportunity to collect personal belongings. Determine the compensation that the fictitious company may provide to the separated employee Guild-ford offered a number of benefits to the laid-off employees. These included the severance pay and unused annual leave. Severance pay was made available to any laid-off employee provided he or she did not decline an offer of a position that is in the same agency, in the same commuting area or that is two grades lower than the employees grade level. The employee, however, had to have worked with the company for one year. The separated workers can also redeem unused annual leave. This involves giving the separated employee a lump sum payment equivalent to the accrued annual leave (Bratton Gold, 200 0). Using Microsoft Word, a graph or an equivalent, create a chart that depicts the timeline of the disbursement of the compensation â€Å"Severance pay can be issued biweekly at the current employee’s rate before separation† (Milkovich, Newman, Milkovich, 2005.67). The total severance pay is carried out for the next 52 weeks. All the nine laid off employees were eligible for this pay. For the Annual leave, only the employees with over 12 months of service to the company were eligible to receiving an amount for their unused annual leaves (Milkovich, Newman, Milkovich, 2005). Only four employees had not received their leave. These were hence eligible for the annual leave compensation by the Guild-ford Company. It took 10 days (from May 1st to 10th) to provide these payments to the employees as follows. Employee’s Name Severance hours Current minimum wage Total amount 1 80 $7.25 580 2 90 $7.25 652 3 100 $7.25 725 4 50 $7.25 725 5 20 $7.25 725 6 10 0 $7.25 725 7 100 $7.25 725 8 90 $7.25 652 9 90 $7.25 652 The four employees eligible for the annual leave were compensated as follows. Employee’s name Annual leave amount Date issued 6 $1500 30th June 2013 7 $1800 30th June 2013 8 $1798 31st July 2013 9 $2000 30th August 2013 Predict three (3) ways that this layoff may affect the company As discussed in the above assay, the lay-offs are accompanied by many emotional stresses from the laid-off employees, the management, and the remaining employees. This can be detrimental to the general output of the company as most of the workers lack the morale to continue working.Advertising Looking for case study on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The fact that the company was undergoing restructuring was a direct implication that it was operating on a loss as elucidated in the essay. The amount of capital required to pay for the lay-offs is pretty a large sum that can cause another pressure on the company’s available funds for restructuring. However, Failure of the company to observe the law during the layoff process can lead to a poor image and reputation of the company from its internal and external stakeholders. This can affect its sales in future. References Bratton, J., Gold, J. (2000). Human resource management theory and practice (2nd ed.). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum. Mathis, R. L., Jackson, J. H. (2003). Human resource management (10th ed.). Mason, Ohio: Thomson/South-western. Milkovich, G. T., Newman, J. M., Milkovich, C. (2005). Compensation (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Miller, E.G., Kahn, B.E. (2008). Consumer wait management strategies for negative service events: a coping approach. Jour nal of consumer research, 34(5), 635 – 648. This case study on Dismissal Meeting was written and submitted by user Edith J. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Absurdity Of Catch-22 Through Comedy Essays - Fiction, Literature

Absurdity Of Catch-22 Through Comedy Essays - Fiction, Literature Absurdity Of Catch-22 Through Comedy ABSURDITY OF CATCH-22 THROUGH COMEDY The novel, Catch-22, is a comedy about soldiers during World War II. However, this comic scenes and phrases are quite tragic when they are thought about, as most things related to war are, which makes this comedy completely absurd. The best way to represent this idea is through the characters in the book, specifically, Yossarian, Huple, and Natelys whores kid sister and the events that occur with their thoughts and their actions. Clearly, the main character and one whose life is chiefly described, is Yossarian. Yossarian has a slightly sick sense of humor and way of looking at things. In the first chapter, Heller tells us that letters sent by the soldiers had to be reviewed in order to prevent any secret information going out to the public, or, even worse, to the enemy. Yossarian, from lack of anything better to do, censors all the letters. Sometimes he crosses out everything but a, an and the, sometimes adjectives, whatever he feels like that day. For his final gag he signs these letters as Washington Irving to totally confuse the readers of these letters. This is funny, however it is ultimately tragic. These are the letters that every wife, mother and daughter runs to the mailbox for in order to see that their husbands, fathers and sons are all right. This is a letter that could say: Honey, Im coming home, or I love you. When I come home I want to marry you. These letters could change the whole lifestyle of so many people and Yossarian alone is tampering with them. The absurdity of that is immense. A gag of slightly higher consequence occurred in Chapter 12, when Yossarian decided to move the bomb line over Bologna. What I believe is the most ridiculous in the whole process was his reason for doing it. Everyone did not want to go on this mission to capture Bologna. They prayed the rain would never go away, or that the bomb line would mysteriously move, anything just mot to go on this mission. Clevinger, in disbelief at the stupidity of these men, tells Yossarian: They really believe that we wouldnt have to fly that mission tomorrow if someone would only tiptoe up to the map in the middle of the night and move the bomb line over Bologna. Can you imagine? So Yossarian figures Why not?. As hysterical of a joke as this may be, an important city that was taken by the enemy had to be bombed, and now everybody thinks that it was captured already. This joke could have and may have lead to the deaths of innocent people, which is yet not only absurd but is also catastrophic. Two character that, for me, expressed the highest, but the most true absurdity in life are Huple and Natelys whores kid sister. These two characters have one thing in common. They both want to be adults too fast. Huple is only fifteen, and lied about his age to get into the army. The kid sister is twelve years old, but wants to be just like her older sister and seduce men. However the absurdity of this is not at all that they want to become older, because everyone at that age does. The absurdity is that the things they want to do as adults are the things that most adults resent most about being adults. The last thing most men want to do is to be drafted, and the last thing that most women want to do is to become a prostitute in order to support themselves. It is clear that Joseph Heller does not write in a certain pattern visible in the works of other writers. he has his own unique way of expressing the absurdity of the universe in a comic way. This style, in my mind, is very commendable because he makes us laugh, yet understand the meaning and maybe even seriousness of the idea he is trying to get across. The alternative would be to write a tragic novel about men at war which really would not grab the readers attention as comedies do and as this book did.

Law on Torts in Australia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Law on Torts in Australia - Essay Example The law is clear on the fact that the defendant had no right to touch the person of the plaintiff as the defendant did not have any arrest warrant authorizing him to take Tom into custody.3 Upon refusal by the plaintiff to accompany the defendant to the police station, the defendant should have left the premises and proceeded to go and obtain a court order or a warrant of arrest that would have allowed him to take the plaintiff into custody for questioning4. The plaintiff could argue that the actions of the two defendants caused economic injury to his business as a result of their insisting on questioning him within the premises of Tom’s business property at the reception area in full view of his waiting customers. Hargrave v Goldman (1936) 110 CLR 40, 495 (Windeyer J). Tom can argue that the actions of the two officers had adversely affected his business by portraying him negatively in full view of the customers. Tom can also claim that his business suffered extensive loss as a result of the Defendant officer Derk detaining him for longer than was actually necessary at the police station even after he had questioned him for a reasonable duration of time without a warrant or court order authorizing him to do so.6 Causes of Court Action Available to the Plaintiff The Plaintiff can take several legal recourses against the defendants. In the case of Tom, the plaintiff versus Officers Derk and Falcon, the defendants, he can be able to sue the two for trespassing onto his property as was seen in the case of Adams v. State of New South Wales & ors (2001) New South Wales District Court.7 The law defines trespass as â€Å"Trespass is a tortious cause of action dealing with direct and intentional interferences to either the person, land or to goods.† Reynolds v Clarke (1725) 1 Str 634. They can be sued as a result of their refusal to leave the plaintiff’s property even after he had asked them to do so. The two defendants also went on to search the p laintiffs workshop without a warrant and are liable to be sued for conducting an illegal search as was in the case of Curran & ors v. Walsh & ors (1998) unreported, New South Wales District Court.8 In the case of The Plaintiff Tom Versus the defendant Officer Falcon, the plaintiff can sue the defendant for trespass on his person. By placing his hand on the plaintiff’s shoulder, the defendant had directly and deliberately caused there to be physical contact between his person and the plaintiff’s person without the consent or the legal justification to do so and hence was liable to be sued.9 In the case of the plaintiff, Tom versus the defendant, officer Derk, the plaintiff could sue for economic damages sustained as a result of the officer retaining him for questioning at the police station for too long. In the case of â€Å"Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd v The Dredge â€Å"Willemstad† [1976] HCA 6510† Caltex were able to recover damages for the economic l osses they suffered without having suffered any actual physical damage.11 Tom was unnecessarily detained for questioning irrespective of the fact that the plaintiff had come to the station on his

CH s 310 - Summary In Your Own Words Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

CH s 310 - Summary In Your Own Words - Essay Example The song exists in the album Los Lobos del Este de Los Angeles produced in 1978 by Los Lobos. El Tilingo Lingo epitomizes the approaches, experiences, and attitude of Mexican laborers and farmworkers. The song El Tilingo Lingo Jimenez comprises outstanding lead melodies based on the rhythmic styles of requinteros like uis DelfiƒÂ ­n and Lino ChiƒÂ ¡vez. El Tilingo involves syncopated and vigorous plucking on twin harps and involves profound play of guitar accompanied with five sequences of strings, which adds the appeal to the listeners. The singers appear lively and all through, they show intricate percussive and unique footwork and the instruments. Singer Conjunto Hueyapan seeks to integrate the zapateado into the son both as separate and integral integrity during the performance. In addition, El Tilingo Lingo Jimenez displays colorful and brilliant lead vocals. They help exhibit elegant jarocho singing panache. Thus, the song is an absolute passion and essential constituent of

Development of The Constitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Development of The Constitution - Essay Example The English legal system denied provisions granting necessary resources and protection to the people accused of crimes; unless the allegations were proven true. It was the American law which initially offered legal asylum to the accused groups (Paul, 2006). The legal asylum does not imply special and lenient treatment, rather the defendants were provided with minimum services to defend their position. The intent of such measures has been to bring credibility to the judicial system of the United States. Before 1960s, the courts were reluctant to offer counsel services to the accused groups. The services for the counsel were either limited or rejected; the provisions for counsels were provided based upon the financial standing of the accused groups. It was in the case entitled Powell v. Alabama 1963, when the court favoured the counselling services for the accused groups; the ruling encouraged the states to offer judicial protection to the accused groups through counselling. This was considered to be the first ruling which blatantly refused and challenged the interpretation of the British law; the law which discouraged any such counselling provisions for the accused groups. The court ruling considered it to be the legitimate demand of the defence for provisions of legal counselling services; however the court involved the states to determine the extent and nature of counselling to the accused groups. In 1942 during the hearing of Bett v. Brady, the court ruled it necessary to provid e adequate legal protection to the accused group through counselling; however the requirement of legal counselling through lawyer to the accused group shall be evaluated on the basis of necessity. Such rulings confirmed that American law was adopting distinct approach, and in some cases challenged the interpretation of the English law. In 1960 the American law confirmed and reiterated its resolution to provide

Nutrition Comparison of Genders and Ages

Nutrition Comparison of Genders and Ages Day Meal Teenage male athlete Pregnant 30 year old Male elderly patient 1 Breakfast Alpen cereal with yogurt. 2 slices of whole wheat bread with soft cheese. Orange juice. Banana. cereal with milk and berries 1 slice of whole wheat toast. Glass of milk. Porridge. Banana Milk. Lunch Couscous. Chicken breast. Toasted almonds and dried apricot. Apple juice. Chickpeas and carrot. Cake and custard. Spaghetti bolognaises. Mixed salad. Apple juice. Ham in 2 slices whole wheat bread. Cucumber and tomatoes slices. Yogurt. Dinner sardines tined Mixed salad leaves. Sliced tomatoes. Jacket potatoes. Mango. biscuits 2 slices of whole wheat bread. 2poached eggs. Cheese sticks Mixed veg. Shepherd pie Runner beans and carrots. Cake with custard. 2 Breakfast Porridge with milk. 2 slice whole wheat bread with Nutella. Orange juice Apple Muesli with yogurt. Orange juice Apple. 1 slice of whole wheat toast with Nutella. 2 slices of whole wheat bread. 1 scrambled egg. Tomatoes. Orange juice. Lunch Macaroni cheese. Broccoli and cauliflower. Mix berries with yogurt. Baked pasta with chicken and tomatoes. Mixed leave salad and cucumber. Mango. Chicken casserole. Mix veg. Rice pudding. Dinner Ribeye steak in mushroom sauce. Roasted potatoes. Mixed veg (sweet corn, carrot and peas). Rice pudding. 2 slices whole wheat bread. Baked beans. Fruit salad with yogurt. Glass of milk. Noodle soup. Cheese selection. 3 Breakfast Cereal with milk Strawberries 2 slice whole wheat bread with soft cheese. Orange juice. Porridge with blue berry. Glass of milk. 1 slice of mixed seed toast with soft cheese. Banana. Cereal with milk. Kiwi. 1 toast with jam. lunch Sea bass Boiled potatoes. Steamed broccoli and cauliflower. Fruit salad and ice cream. Brown rice with chili con carne. Steamed broccoli, cauliflower. Banana. Orange juice. Fisherman pie. Peas. Apple pie. Dinner Spaghetti in tomatoes’ sauce. Grated cheese. Garlic bread. Mixed leaves salad with cucumber. Beef medallion. Roast potatoes. Mixt veg. Fruit smoothie. Bread roll. Chicken soup. 2 slices of whole meal bread. Peaches slices. 2) The teenage male needs an estimated average requirement of 2755 calories a day. Males require the most dietary energy during this age, due to the body needs of more energy and nutrients, because during teenage years the human body has a rapid growth and development rate. Teenager’s diet in general needs to be rich of carbohydrate, Minerals (calcium, iron ) and proteins which needed for muscle development, bones and growth. Also needs vitamins which are chemical compounds that are required for normal growth and metabolism. He also needs extra calories because he is an athlete. Thus his body needs more sugar to burn during exercise, potassium rich food (mixed berries)because of the excess sweating, more protein which improves athletic performance, carbohydrates and fat. The 30 year female needs 1940 calories and an extra 200 because she is pregnant. Her diet need to consist of high iron rich food like: meat, pulses, dried fruit and nuts, also food rich of vitamin C if she is a vegetarian to help absorb more iron to avoid been anemic. Consume food high in vitamins, folic acid for baby brain development. More Carbohydrate for energy needed, as she the life support for her baby. example of high carbohydrate rich food are pasta, potatoes ,cereals, rice and couscous. Proteins and calcium rich food for example: canned fish with bones, broccoli and dairy product, thus needed for baby development and her general health. Age is a factor that affect the estimated average requirement (EAR).therefore The elderly male does not need as much calories as the teenage athlete . He only needs around 2100 calories; however his body requires proteins to strengthen his immune system by making antibodies and heamoglobin, and increases his strength in general. Examples of high proteins rich food are: meat, seafood and eggs. He needs calcium because the bone density shrinks with age, and Carbohydrate needed for energy as it serve as the main energy source for the human body. TAQ2: Type 2 diabetes is a medical condition that causes the body blood sugar level to become very high. That does occur when the pancreas does not secret enough insulin to control glucose level. With type2 diabetes the body either does not produce enough insulin to control the sugar level (insulin deficiency) or the body cells stops reacting to it, which called insulin resistance. It’s most common in people over 40, however the number of younger people diagnosed is in the increase. The person that is more at risk of developing the condition is overweight or obese, the fat in the abdomen releases chemicals that affect the body metabolic function. Therefore regular exercise and balanced diet helps assist to maintain a healthy weight, which will decrease the risk of developing and managing the condition. Also there is a genetic factor, so if you have a relation with type 2 diabetic you are at risk of developing the condition.(1) Atherosclerosis is a serious condition where the arteries walls thicken, and become clogged up affecting the blood circulation. This is very dangerous for the body’s health as it restrict blood flow resulting in organs damage and malfunction. Furthermore if this fatty substances rupture it can cause blood clot, the latter can trigger a heart attack or a stroke. Atherosclerosis is a risk factor for number of conditions called cardiovascular disease (CVD) because it involves blood flow. In human body the arteries become narrow as the body age, leading to atherosclerosis. However life style plays big role in speeding the process, for example smoking and consuming alcohol. One of the major risk factors is obesity due to poor diet that is high in fat content, cholesterol and consuming food over the estimated average requirement for the person. Also high blood presser and diabetes, which also caused by obesity. (2) Rickets is a condition that affects the bones during development in early childhood. The bones become soft and weak, making them deformed. Rickets was very common in the past, but with medical progress and information it nearly disappeared. The diet plays a big factor in developing this condition, thus the lack of vitamin D and calcium is the most common cause. Therefore this deficiency causes rickets in children and osteomalacia in adults. Vitamin D is produced by the skin when it’s exposed to sun light, also found in fortified cereal and small number of food i.e. eggs. Calcium is found in dairy product such as cheese, and in green vegetables. This condition is common in children with darker skin because they need more sunlight in order to make enough vitamin D. (3) TAQ3: a) In order for the human body to be able to absorb nutrient it needed from the food to the bloodstream, the food has to be digested properly. So absorption and assimilation can happen only if food is turned into small molecules. For example when we eat a piece of bread, it start to break by been chewed in the mouth. This mechanism serve two purposes: 1 it become small to swallow.2saves body energy. Then the enzyme in the saliva breaks the carbohydrate into sugar which the body uses for energy. b) Organ/body part Process Importance Mouth/Buccal cavity Chewing /mastication Making food easier to swallow. Chopping food up into small bits. Signal to the body to start the digestive process. Oesophagus Swallowing, contracting or expanding (peristalsis). Pushing the food down into the stomach. Stops the food from getting to air pipe. Stomach Churning, emulsification and contracting. Turning the food into semi fluid. Storage of food, to prevent the small intestine from being too full. Small intestine Absorption. Most Nutrients are absorbed into the blood stream in the jejunum Fat absorption occurs in the duodenum. Large intestine Pushing of fecal matter out. Conserve. Conserve water and sodium. Transport fecal matters out of the body. anus Defecation. Stool excretion. c) Name of digestive juice Site of production Enzymes in digestive juice Function of the enzymes Saliva. Mouth Amylase. Lingual lipases. Digest the starch from food and breaks carbs into sugar. Digestion of fats within the stomach. Gastric juice. Stomach. Pepsin. Rennin. Lipase. Breaks down proteins into small peptides. Breaking down fat into fatty acids and glycerol molecules. pancreatic juice. Pancreas. Trypsin. Lipase. Amylase. chymotrypsin Breaking down large molecules of food, i.e. protein molecules into one-, two-, and three-amino acid chain Allow the gall bladder to release bile. Neutralize the hydrochloric acid. Continue the hydrolysis of starch. Intestinal juice. Small intestine. Maltase. Peptidase. Turns maltose into glucose. Dipeptides break protein into Amino acids. TAQ4: b) Digestive system organ Function(s) Stomach The stomach is responsible for the gastric stage of digestion. It breaks the food into liquid called chyme due to the hydrochloric acid, which works to decontaminate food from bacteria. The stomach wall is protected by mucous layer so the acid does not affect it .the gastric fundal mucosa produce pepsinogen enzyme and with the acid in the stomach it become activated as pepsin, the latter breaks proteins molecules into peptide. The lipase enzyme in the stomach is responsible for fat hydrolysis. The lower part of the stomach is called pylorus, which is responsible for empting the chyme into the small intestine and regulate the amount of acid produced by the stomach. liver The liver has a vital role in the digestive system.it secret bile into the small intestine to break fat molecules. The liver works as a sieve for harmful substances i.e. drugs, and has multiple functions throughout the body systems. Small intestine The small intestine is responsible for most of nutrient absorption and further digestion. The top part of the intestine (Duodenum) works as a neutralization chamber in which Bicarbonate decreases the chyme acidity. It’s in here that the pancreatic juice is secreted, the latter has enzymes: Trypsin, Lipase, and Amylase. And chymotrypsin, which break down large molecules of food. Most of nutrient absorption occurs in the Jejunum, the latter’s surface has villi which create large area for transport of nutrients from the lumen to the blood stream. Ileum is the last part of the small intestine, it absorb any nutrients left. The mouth The mouth is the beginning of the digestive system. Mastication breaks food into small piece that can be swallowed. This mechanical process safes the body’s energy. The enzyme in the saliva starts the chemical digestion. The Amylase which starts by breaking starch into sugar and Lingual lipases begins breaking of fats. TAQ5: The stomach The stomach is muscular bag, where gastric stage of digestion start. The food enters the stomach via the cardiac sphincter, the latter stops the contents of the stomach from splashing up into the oesophagus. The pyloric sphincter keeps food inside the stomach by contracting and controls the amount of food that passes into the small intestine. The stomach has three layers of muscle that contract in order to digest the food mechanically, which aid in breaking the food into chyme, mixing it with gastric juices and moving it around and through the stomach. The longitudinal muscles contraction causes the stomach to shorten and widen, the circular muscles that run around the stomach causes it to lengthens and become narrow, while the diagonal muscle cause it to twist. This muscular contraction called peristalsis. The geometry of the lumen increases the churning action in the stomach, and the rugae lining flatten to create more space for food and become folds when empty.so this movements an d changes to the stomach wall, combined with chemical reaction (mucosal glands secretion of gastric juice), breaks food molecules in the stomach. The small intestine is longer than the colon, but smaller in diameter (hence the name).When the chyme leaves the stomach it deposed in the first part of the intestine called the Duodenum. A canal is linked to this part from the pancreas and gall bladder. It’s through here that the pancreatic juice is secreted into the small intestine. The muscle coats: longitudinal and circular, contract and relax to aid the food to squeeze along the digestive tract. This is called Peristalsis. Most of nutrient the body needs is absorbed in the small intestine through its lining, which is covered by tiny microvilli, the latter gives the lining a large surface area for absorption. The large intestine (colon) is the last stop for food in the digestive system. Its longitudinal and circular muscles aid the movement of food in the colon. The latter is divided into four sections: the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the descending colon and the sigmoid colon. The colon is made up of the mocosa layer, which is lined with goblet cells that secrete mucous, the latter aids the food passage through the colon. The mucosa layer is in top of the submucosa layer, which is a connective tissue. The walls of the colon unlike the small intestine it has no villi, as not much absorption happen her. References: (1) http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabetes-type2/Pages/Introduction.aspx (2) www.nhs.uk/conditions/atherosclerosis/page/introduction.aspx (3) http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/rickets/pages/introduction.aspx Websites: http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09362.html http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/caloric-needs-athletes-7179.html http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa/tissues_organs/organs_in_animalsrev3.shtml http://my.clevelandclinic.org/anatomy/digestive_system/hic_the_structure_and_function_of_the_digestive_system.aspx http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Biology http://www.thevisualmd.com/health_centers/cancer/colorectal_cancer/colon_anatomy_function

The Blue Jean as Cultural Metaophor :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

The Blue Jean as Cultural Metaophor It may seem odd to consider items of clothing critical components of ‘popular culture’. Contemporary clothing is a key element in the construction of personal identity; it is used to denote an individual ‘style’ and a personality unique to its wearer. Yet from the corset to miniskirt, such items serve not only as practical coverings, but also as indicators for the current values and belief systems of a society. Thus I wish to examine what has become a most popular article of clothing – the ‘blue jean’1 [1] - in an attempt to unearth some of the socio-cultural phenomenon that is ‘popular culture’. According to Raymond Williams’ definition, the ‘blue jean’ qualifies as an object of popular culture due to its (a) wide-spread accessibility, (b) popularity, and (c) construction as an object intended to be popular.2 [2] But perhaps the ‘blue jean’ is not only a product, a piece of commercialism. I assert, rather, that this cultural icon has become a gauge of changing interpretations of masculinity in mainstream American culture. The ‘blue jean’, symbolically, is the white, middle-class, ‘All-American’ man. I would like to examine what, specifically, makes the ‘blue jean’ stereotypically ‘masculine’. Historically, fashion has upheld socially constructed notions of gender: the corset, for example, helped contain a woman’s ‘uncontrollable’ body, while the suspender maintained coverage of a man’s ‘unmentionables’. Similarly, from its design as a durable work pant for working men and laborers (farmers, railroad men, gold and coal miners, etc.), 3[3] the blue jean is closely associated with a muscular, super-virile ‘He-Man’.4 [4] First made wildly popular by the Western films of the 1930s, jeans became identified as a standard item of apparel worn by the ‘cowboy’.5 [5] Even mainstream advertising for these durable denim pants featured ‘manly’ rangers, taming their horses and lassoing the competition (image 1a). The concept of a heroic, blue-jeaned ‘Lone-Ranger’-esque cowboy seems to have remained in popular American psyche, as it is nostalgically associated with a notion of ‘old-fashioned’, well-mannered, moral man (image 1b). Authentic cowboys wearing Levi’s at this time were elevated to mythic status, and the pant was now associated more with a rugged American, symbolized by John Wayne. 6[6] (Wayne, for example, always seemed ‘ready for action’ with a holster comfortably around his jeans [image 1c]).

Approximately

Chapter 9 1)Approximately how much water do you need each day to stay healthy? Water constitutes 50% to 70% of the human body. Its unique chemical properties enable it to dissolve substances as well as serve as medium for chemical reactions, temperature regulation and lubrication (found in the knees and other joints of the body); it also aids in regulating the acid base balance in the body. It helps remove waste from the body and is the basis for saliva, bile and amniotic fluid. It is clear that obtaining the proper daily intake of water is extremely important.For adults daily water needs are estimated at 2. 7 liters (11 cups) for adult women to 3. 7 liters (15 cups) for adult men, total water is a combination of fluids and food. For fluid alone this corresponds to at 2. 2 liters of water (9 cups) for women to 3 liters water (13 cups) for men per day. (Fluid intake does not have to be derived from water alone). Identify at least two situations that increase the need for water. ?Dehyd ration: Dehydration is triggered after the loss of water due to illness and drinking alcohol.The following are signs of the early stages of dehydration: dry mouth and lips, difficulty concentrating, dizziness, headache, elevated heart rate and fatigue. ?Thirst: If you do not drink enough water your brain lets you know by signaling thirst. Your brain communicates the need to drink. Thirst mechanism can lag behind actual water loss after a prolonged exercise and illness, as well as in older people. Children that are ill especially those with fever, diarrhea, vomiting and increased perspiration should be encouraged to take in adequate fluids.Then list three sources of water in the average person’s diet. ?Liquids: Beverages that we consume, such as water, milk, coffee, tea, soda and fruit juices. Beer and wine are also considered forms of water however – these should be consumed within healthy daily guidelines (2 for men and 1 for women). Plain water is considered by many experts to be the best source as it provides water intake without adding any calories – even though it doesn’t provide any other nutrients. ?Foods: Much of the food we consume has water.Many fruits and vegetables are more than 80% water. ?Metabolic Water: Water as a byproduct of metabolism. 2)What is the relationship with sodium and water balance, and how is that relationship monitored as well as maintained in the body? Sodium is the major positive ion found outside cells and is essential to fluid balance and nerve impulse balance. The North American diet provides abundant sodium through processed foods and table salt. Table salt is chemically known as sodium chloride, it is 40% sodium and 60% chloride.The human body absorbs almost all sodium consumed. Once absorbed it becomes the major positive ion found outside of cells in extracellular fluid and is a key factor in retaining body water. Fluid balance throughout the body depends partly on the variation of sodium and o ther ion concentrations among the water containing components in the body. Sodium ions also function in nerve impulse conduction and absorption of nutrients like glucose. Both deficiency and toxicity can occur with sodium; the greater concern lies with toxicity.Sodium deficiency is less common than excess sodium since it is so readily available in the diet; many health problems can occur when either happens. Kidneys are essential for regulating the volume and composition of bodily fluids. Water balance is achieved by ensuring that the amount of water consumed and generated by metabolism equals the amount of water excreted by the body. Consumption side is regulated by behavioral mechanisms which include thirst and salt cravings. Urine is produced not only to eliminate cellular waste products, but also to control the amount and composition of extracellular fluid.Controlling the amount of water and sodium as well as other chemicals is essential to life – our body controls this b y producing various amounts of urine so that we can conserve water and chemicals when short in supply. Too much or too little water and/or salt in our bodies is dangerous. Therefore the amount of water and salt excreted in urine and the amount of urine excreted is adjusted to meet the needs of the body. 3)Identify four factors that influence the bioavailability of minerals from food. Food supplies us with many minerals, but the way in which our bodies are able to absorb them varies.The degree to which ingested nutrient is absorbed from food sources and is available to our body is called bioavailability. The bioavailability of minerals depends on many factors. The mineral content listed in food composition table for amount of a mineral in a food is just a starting point for estimating the actual contribution the food will make to our mineral needs. For example spinach contains much calcium but only 5% can be absorbed because of the vegetables high concentration of oxalic acid, a calc ium binder. Usually 25% of calcium is absorbed by adults.Minerals from animal products are absorbed better as binders such as fiber in plant foods are not present to hinder absorption. The mineral content of plants greatly depends on mineral concentrations of the soil in which they are grown. Refined plant food has a lower content of minerals. Four factors that influence bioavailability of minerals from food are outlined below: ? Fiber -Mineral Interactions: Components of fiber, particularly phytic acid in grain fiber can limit absorption of some minerals by binding to them. Oxalic acid is another substance in plants that binds minerals and makes them less bioavailable.High-fiber diets can decrease the absorption of iron, zinc and possibly other minerals. ?Mineral-Mineral Interaction: Many mineral, such as magnesium, calcium, iron and copper are of similar sizes and the same electrical charge causes these minerals to compete with each other for absorption, and therefore they affect each other’s bioavailability. An excess of one mineral decrease the absorption and metabolism of other minerals. ?Vitamin-Mineral Interaction: Many beneficial vitamin-mineral interactions occur during nutrient absorption and metabolism.When consumed in conjunction with Vitamin C, absorption of certain forms of iron such as that in plant products improves. The active Vitamin D hormone improves calcium absorption. Many vitamins require specific minerals to act as components in their structure and functions. ?Mineral Toxicities: An excessive mineral intake, particularly of trace minerals (such as iron and copper) can have toxic results. For many trace minerals the gap between just enough and too much is quite small. Using mineral supplements should be closely monitored and should not exceed any upper level set on a term basis.The potential for toxicity is not the only reason to carefully consider the use of mineral supplements – there can also be harmful interactions with other nutrients, as well as the possibility of the supplements being contaminated. 5) In terms of total amounts in the body, calcium and phosphorous are the first and second most abundant minerals, respectively. What functions do these minerals have in common? Approximately 99% of calcium is found in the bones. In addition to its critical role in bones, it also functions in blood clotting muscle contraction, nerve-impulse transmission and cell metabolism.Calcium requires a slightly acid PH and the Vitamin D hormone for efficient absorption. Calcium deficiency is a major factor in osteoporosis. Approximately 85% of the body’s phosphorus is found in the bones – the remainder is found in the bloodstream and functions inside cells. Phosphorus is a component of enzymes, other key compounds, DNA, cell membrane and bone. The body efficiently absorbs phosphorus at about 70% of dietary intake. The high absorption rate and the availability of phosphorus in foods makes this mine ral less important than calcium in dietary planning.The active Vitamin D enhances absorption. Although there is currently no specific disease associated with inadequate phosphorus intake, a deficiency may contribute to bone loss in older women. The functions that these two minerals have in common are that they are both critical to good bone health, have a cell function of sorts, the majority of each is found in the bones, and Vitamin D enhances the absorption of both. ? Chapter 10 1)How does greater physical fitness contribute to better overall health? Explain the process. Physical fitness has many health benefits.Physical fitness refers to the ability to perform moderate to vigorous activity without undue fatigue. The benefits of regular physical activity include, less injury, better sleep habits, reduced blood pressure, increased cardiovascular function and improved blood lipid profiles, aids in weight control/loss, increases muscle mass and strength, improves GI tract peristalsis , slows aging process, reduces risk of certain cancers, improves immune function, increases flexibility and balance, reduces stress and improves self-image, improves blood glucose, and strengthens bones and joints.Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends that all adults should be active to some extent – some activity is better than none. The Physical Activity Guidelines set specific time goals for adults – they are outlined below: ? For substantial health benefits, adults should do at least 150 minutes a week or moderate-intensity activity or 75 minutes of a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous intensity aerobic activity. For additional health benefits, adults should increase aerobic activity to 300 minutes a week or moderate-intensity activity or 150 minutes of a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous intensity aerobic activity. ?Adults should also include muscle strengthening activities that involve all major muscle groups at least two days a week. ?In order to stay with an exercise program the following are recommended: oStart slow oVary activities, make it fun oInclude friends and family Set specific and attainable goals and monitor progress oSet aside a specific time each day for exercise oReward yourself for keeping up with your goals oDon’t worry about occasional setbacks; keep focus on long-term health goals. 2)You have set a goal to increase muscle mass and decrease body fat. Plan a weekly fitness regime, specifying activity types, frequency, intensity, duration, and progression. Commitment is an important step in participating in a physical fitness program and is the first step in putting together a weekly fitness regimen.There are three main components to a good plan that will decrease body fat and increase muscle mass; aerobic, stretching/flexibility, and strength training. ?Aero bic: Aerobic exercise focuses on improving cardiorespiratory and cardiovascular health. oActivities: Walking, running, hiking, cycling, basketball, tennis, soccer, elliptical trainer, etc. o Duration: 20 to 60 minutes. oIntensity: 55% to 90% maximum heart rate or RPE of 4 or above. oFrequency: 5 days a week oProgression: Initiation Phase 3 to 6 weeks/Improvement Phase 5 to 6 months/Maintenance Phase plateau in gains in fitness. Stretching/Flexibility: Focuses on stretching muscles in an effort to maintain and increase mobility. oActivities: Yoga and stretching o Duration: 4 repetitions of 10 to 30 seconds per muscle group oFrequency: 2 to 3 days a week and during warm-up and cool down oIntensity: 5 to 10 minutes during warm-up and cool down oProgression: Start with smaller muscle groups (arms) and work toward large muscle groups (legs) ?Strength: Focuses on increasing or maintaining muscle mass through resistance exercise. oActivities: Weight lifting, Pilates, push-ups and ull-ups o Duration: 8 to 12 repetitions of 8 to 10 to different exercises oFrequency: 2 to 3 days a week oIntensity: Enough to condition major muscle groups of the upper and lower body. 3)How are carbohydrates, fat and protein used to supply energy during a 100-meter sprint, during a weight lifting session, during a 3-mile walk? Nutrients are converted to adenosine triphosphate (ATP) base on intensity and duration of any activity. Carbohydrates are the main nutrient for fueling exercise of moderate to high intensity, and fat providing energy during low intensity exercises.For example, fat is a great fuel for endurance events, but would not be good for 100-meter sprint. If exercising at a low intensity (50% of the max heart rate) you would have enough stored fat to fuel activity for hours or days as long as their sufficient oxygen to allow fat metabolism to occur. As the intensity of exercise increases, carbohydrate metabolism takes over. While it is more efficient than fat metabolism it has limited energy stores. This stored carbohydrate can fuel about two hours of moderate to high level exercise.One could continue with moderate to high intensity for longer by replenishing carbohydrate stores during exercise. If carbohydrates are not restored you will have to reduce your intensity and draw energy from fat. As exercise intensity continues to increase, carbohydrate metabolism efficiency drops and anaerobic metabolism kicks in – because the body can’t take in and distribute oxygen quickly enough to metabolism carbs or fat easily. Low amounts of protein are metabolized during all levels of exercise – slightly more in endurance exercise especially when carbohydrate fuel has been depleted.

The legal response to domestic violence The WritePass Journal

The legal response to domestic violence Abstract The legal response to domestic violence AbstractChapter 1: IntroductionChapter 2: Definition of ‘domestic abuse’ and a history of the police response.2.1 Definition2.2 Police Response to Domestic Violence Pre-19802.3 Police Response to Domestic Violence Post-1980Chapter 3: FeminismChapter 4: Legislation4.1 Criminal Law4.2 Civil LawChapter 5: Rates of reporting and non-reportingChapter 6: MethodologyChapter 7: DiscussionChapter 8: ConclusionReferencesRelated Abstract This dissertation examines the legal response to domestic violence, which, over the years has been subject to a variety of different terminology ranging from ‘wife battering’ (Pizzey, 1974; Walker, 1979) to ‘intimate partner violence’. Paying particular attention to the police, up until the early 1980’s some researchers described their general response and attitude towards incidents of domestic violence as being ‘dismissive and derogatory’ (Bourlet, 1990; Dobash and Dobash, 1980; Hanmer and Saunders, 1984; Edwards, 1989) and that, according to David Cheal (1991), the police perceive the family to be a private sphere to which ‘access to it by the state should be limited’. However, from the mid-1980’s it was recognised that there was a need for change not just in the police response, but the legal response as a whole and the Home Office began publishing papers on how domestic violence incidents should be tackled by the criminal justice system. Not only did this raise awareness of the issue but it also enabled different organisations, both statutory and voluntary, to work together which was part of the Home Office’s inter-agency initiative in 1995. More recently, there have been a number of statutes put in place that can further aid the police in their response to domestic violence and more importantly they enable them to treat incidents within the family between spouses as they would incidents that happen on the street between strangers. Chapter 1: Introduction Domestic violence has long been a problem amongst society, but until the 1980’s the agencies responsible for protecting victims of crime paid little or no attention to the issue itself, in particular the police showed reluctance to investigate and prosecute as they believed that ‘the family is a private sphere so access to it by the state should be limited’ (Cheal, 1991). However, it would be inaccurate to think that domestic violence is no longer a problem in society today and according to the 2009/10 British Crime Survey (BCS) seven percent of females compared to four percent of males aged between 16 and 59 are currently victims of domestic violence (Flatley et al., 2010). Statistics also show that between July and September 2009 there was a five percent increase in sexual offences which is in comparison to the same period of the previous year (Home Office, 2009). According to Walby and Allen, (2004) the British Crime Survey (BCS) estimated that a staggering 12.9 million domestic violence incidents against women and 2.5 million incidents against men happened in England and Wales in 2003 with 45 percent of women and 26 percent of men experiencing at least one incident of interpersonal violence in their lifetime. From this, it is therefore questionable whether or not domestic violence is regarded as being either legally or socially acceptable, as many researchers have found, from their research, that the criminal justice system appear to be ‘covertly tolerant’ (Berk et al., 1980) of the issue when really the offences committed in violent relationships are no different to that of an offence against the person. As a result of this alleged blasà © approach by the police to incidents of domestic violence, Smith (1989) found that victims of domestic violence only made contact with the emergency services as a last resort and on average s uffer 35 attacks before making the vital call to the police (Jaffe, 1982) which in effect goes against what the police as an agency stand for, that is, they are an emergency service and should act promptly and provide an effective service and not leave victims of domestic violence with very little faith in their work. However, according to Stanko (2000) even though only a small minority of victims report domestic violence to the police, with figures showing around 40 percent actually being reported to the police (Dodd et al, 2004; Walby and Allen, 2004; Home Office, 2002), they still on average receive one phone call every minute regarding domestic violence incidents in the UK amounting to an average influx of 1,300 calls a day or 570,000 calls per year. The next chapter to follow is the literature review in which the definition and ranges of terminology will be explored from past to present as to demonstrate the changes that have taken place throughout the years along with the apparent lack of coherence that have caused many researchers great difficulty when researching this particular area. The literature review will then continue to look at the police response to domestic violence from a historical perspective, namely pre-1980, and then move onto a more recent perspective from the 1980’s onwards as a comparative. Whilst the police response is of great importance to this dissertation, it is not solely directed at one single agency and the literature review will go on critically analyse the legislation, both civil and criminal, currently in place and legislation that was previously used to give an over view of the legal response as a whole and how it has changed alongside the changes in the police response. The final part of the literature review will look at rates of reporting and non-reporting of incidents to the police and examine whether or not there has been an increase of reported incidents since new legislation has been introduced and changes in police practices have happened or if there is still a reluctance by the victims to report it that has been evident in previous times. Chapter 2: Definition of ‘domestic abuse’ and a history of the police response. 2.1 Definition Over the years there have been a number of terms, ranging from ‘wife battering’ (Pizzey, 1974; Walker, 1979) to ‘intimate partner violence’, which have been used to describe what is most commonly known as ‘domestic violence’. One common issue that many researchers in the field have found is that of the definition and its lack of coherence between the writers of the issue, the Government and also the members of the public, who may merely use phrases such as ‘wife battering’ without fully appreciating the nature of the issue and the harm it can cause. In order to tackle this lack of coherence the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) set out an official definition of domestic violence which defines it as being â€Å"any incident of threatening behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, physical, sexual, financial or emotional) between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexuality†. (Home Office, 2010) This definition given by the Home Office has been expanded since the previous definition (Circular 19/2000), which vaguely described domestic violence as ‘any violence between current or former partners in an intimate relationship wherever and whenever it occurs’, and is now seen to further highlight the violence that can happen between family members who are 18 years of age and over and also includes various types of abuse that can also take place (e.g. financial, emotional etc.) as opposed to just being concerned with the physical violence. Previous to this updated definition, ‘domestic violence’ was recognised as the most commonly used phrase and the term of choice amongst researchers in the area (Smith, 1989) despite having a ‘far from uncritical reception’ (Mullender, 1996). Kashani and Allen (1998) commented upon this and stated that due to the sheer complexity of the issue, in terms of its elements (i.e. financial, emotional, psychological), that it would be unfair and unjust to solely regard it as an issue of ‘violence’ and so the term ‘abuse’ came about and has since made awareness of the fact that the issue isn’t just concerned with physical violence but also other aspects that aren’t considered to be violent, per se. 2.2 Police Response to Domestic Violence Pre-1980 Domestic violence is by no means a ‘new’ crime. Even dating back to the twelfth century domestic violence was prevalent, as church law stated in 1140 that ‘women were subject to their men’ and ‘needed to be corrected through castigation or punishment’. (Dutton, 1995 in Melton, 1999). The males have long been seen as having the power in the family and according to the Napoleonic Civil Code in 1804, ‘violence was only grounds for a divorce for a woman if the courts decided that it amounted to attempted murder’ (Dutton, 1995). English common law even allowed men to beat their wives with a stick no bigger than the width of their thumb, giving the term ‘rule of thumb’, and was said to be ‘uncivilised’ if the stick exceeded the rule (Brown, 1984). Given this, domestic violence wasn’t perceived to be a problem for the police as the laws in place actually condoned violence by men against women and only place d limitations as to how far the men could beat their wives, to which any further was only classed as being inappropriate, not criminal or punishable. More recently in the twentieth century, the police response to allegations of domestic violence has faced much criticism for their so-called ‘dismissive and derogatory way’ in which they have dealt with cases reported to them (Bourlet, 1990; Dobash and Dobash, 1980; Hanmer and Saunders, 1984; Edwards, 1989 also recognised by Women’s Aid). Buzawa (1990) describes the traditional response to domestic violence by the police as having an ‘overriding goal to extricate them from the dangerous and unpleasant duty with as little cost as possible and to re-involve themselves with real police work’. Berk (1980) went as far as saying that the criminal justice system show, through their policies and attitudes, a ‘covert toleration’ of domestic violence and further condone ‘rights of men to exercise their authority’ (Berk et al., 1980). Research by Smith (1989) suggested four main reasons as to why the police may have displayed this ‘dismissive and derogatory’ behaviour in their response and presented an unsympathetic attitude towards the victim. The first reason was that there were concerns surrounding the officers’ safety and research suggested that around 33% of all assaults against police officers happened whilst attending domestic incidents. Secondly, Smith suggested that the police didn’t regard it as ‘real police work’ and was often perceived to be ‘trivial’ with one Metropolitan police officer being quoted as stating that domestic disputes might be categorised alongside ‘stranded people, lost property and stray animals’ (Times, 4 October 1983). Thirdly, the police didn’t regard domestic violence incidents as ‘criminal’ as it happens within the family unit and they see this as more of private matter to which ‘access to it by the state should be limited’ (Cheal, 1991). Margaret Borkowski also stated in her book Marital Violence that the police thought that an arrest by them and a possible prosecution ‘may sometimes be unhelpful and may exacerbate strained marital and family relationships’. Finally, there was the view held that victims would be reluctant to cooperate and would eventually withdraw their allegations and drop the charges in due course. Stanko (1985) challenged these views held by the police and argued that the way in which the police responded to the female victims amounted to ‘secondary victimisation’. This idea of secondary victimisation was particularly evident in the findings of Katz and Mazur (1979) and Chambers and Miller (1983) which showed that women who did report domestic violence attacks to the police in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s had their ‘character and morality questioned in such a way as to imply some responsibility for their victimisation’. Likewise, Chambers and Miller (1987), from their research, presented a variety of ways in which the prosecution was found to use various ‘tactics’ to imply that ‘women complainants were somehow to blame for their victimisation and to throw doubt on the credibility of the case’. With reference to Adler (1987) ‘All but the most transparently flawless victim was liable to be bullied by interrogators and prosecutors, exposing her to a form of secondary victimisation’. This resulted in what Smith (1989) called the ‘don’t variety’ in which women were told ‘not to get upset, not to get things out of proportion, not to go out alone, not to go out at night, to avoid â€Å"dangerous areas†, not to put themselves at risk’ (Benn and Worpole, 1985 quoted in Walklate, 2004). This however was heavily criticised as it placed restrictions on the women’s sense of freedom and that anyone who failed to take notice of this advice should be at fault if she got attacked, as it was regarded as though she was being negligent and had brought it on herself. 2.3 Police Response to Domestic Violence Post-1980 From the mid-1980’s onwards the Home Office accepted that there was a need for change in police practices regarding domestic violence and rape. In 1983, the Home Office published a circular (Home Office, 1983) giving advice on how investigations should be conducted, the timing and conduct of medical examinations, the number of officers involved and, where possible, the importance of having female officers involved, as Chambers and Miller (1983) had found from research, conducted by the Scottish Office, that there was a widespread ‘lack of sympathy and tact by CID officers and un-uniformed policewomen’. With regards to police responses, a further circular published by the Home Office in 1986 (Home Office, 1986) gave more suggestions of effective working practices when dealing with domestic violence incidents and made it clear that it was of paramount importance to ensure and maintain the safety of the victim and also any children within the home. However, it was argued by Bourlet (1990) that in order for these suggestions to be effective then they must be adopted by the police within their policies and ‘translate directly into practice’ (Grace, 1995) in the fight against domestic violence. This was supportive of Edwards (1989) earlier argument that ‘police did not take seriously their response to crimes between intimates’. Changes in response finally came about with a circular to chief constables in 1990 (Home Office, 1990) with the aim of it being to urge the police to develop explicit force policies and develop specialist domestic violence units in all 43 forces. A number of central features were highlighted in the 1990 circular, that is, it was to impose an overriding duty to protect victims and any children by the police, to treat domestic violence as seriously as other forms of violence, as it was argued by Pahl (1985) that ‘police action differs between similar acts of violence, depending on whether they occur in the home or on the street’. The circular also put across the value of powers of arrest and made it clear that they should be exercised in these circumstances, it also reiterated the dangers of conciliation between the victim and the offender, the importance of effective recording and monitoring systems and also put forward the consideration to the police of pursuing a case, even if the victim had withdrew her support, as Hoyle (1998) found, along with many others previously, that victims of domestic violence were either very reluctant to make statements or completely withdrew them quite soon after making them, sometimes even before the offender was charged, so by the introduction, by the Home Office circular, of pursuing a case despite the victim withdrawing their statement enabled them to break the so-called cycle of the police ‘leaving the ball in the victims court’ (Hoyle, 1998). However, Dobash and Dobash (1992) argued that this change in police response articulated by the 1990 Home Office circular was one that ‘showed no sign of lasting improvement’ and that the police continued to adopt an approach that reflected ‘minimum involvement and disengagement’ based on their findings from their report in 1990 on an Assistant Chief Constable and police policies in South Wales. A later publication by the Home Office in 1995 (Home Office, 1995) encouraged the idea of inter-agency, or multi-agency approaches to domestic violence and has since then grown in popularity with the underlying idea that by different agencies, both statutory and voluntary, working together they can produce an effective approach by sharing their resources and the information that they have to provide a ‘seamless and consistent service’ (Hague, 1998). In 1999, the Home Office published the paper ‘Living without fear: An integrated approach to tackling violence against women’ (Home Office, 1999) which replaced their previous circular published in 1995. Within the paper, the Government gave recognition to the fact that violence against women was a ‘serious problem, with serious consequences’ (Harman, 2008), but also highlighted that there was some help for victims in certain areas, despite not being what Harriet Harman described as ‘comprehensive, consistent or easy to access’ in her 2008 paper ‘Tackling violence against women: A cross-government narrative’. However, for the majority, this help simply didn’t exist at all. Harriet Harmen, former Minister for Women and Equality, in the 2008 Government paper summarised and re-stated the main problems taken from the 1999 Home Office publication that the Government needed to tackle. That is, they needed to ensure that ‘violence against women was taken seriously by the Criminal Justice System, making it less of an ordeal for victims to testify in court and tackling the problems associated with securing convictions’. The issue of ‘addressing personal safety issues, including issues over housing; and protecting the children of victims of domestic abuse’ was also raised and finally they needed to ensure that ‘the Government acted in a ‘joined-up’ way to tackle violence against women’ and create a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach against it. Of late, the Home Office (2000a) 19/2000 Circular ‘Domestic violence’ which introduced the presumption of arrest where it was possible to do so, gave great emphasis on showing how local police forces deal with incidents of domestic violence based on their policies on how such incidents should be policed. A further Home Office paper ‘Domestic Violence: Breaking the chain, multi-agency guidance for addressing domestic violence’ (2000b) aimed to raise the awareness amongst all of the different agencies concerned with tackling domestic violence. Particularly, with regards to the Police, it was stated that ‘tackling domestic violence should be an integral part of their work’. It was also noted in the same publication that the Government, according to the Crime and Disorder Act 1998, expects that the crime and disorder audits carried out identify the ‘local level of domestic violence and for the Police to work with its partners to develop a strategy to address it as part of their overall crime reduction strategy’. Chapter 3: Feminism For Feminists, the law has long been regarded as being made for men and being made in the interests of men and throughout history there has been what Sachs and Wilson (1978) describe as a ‘male monopoly of law’ whereby the woman is perceived as being ‘inessential’ (De Beauvoir, 1949). Radical feminists perceive the family and marriage as the key institutions of oppression in society as the males appear to dominate the women through domestic abuse or by merely threatening the act, because of this, Millet (1970) and Firestone (1970) go on to argue that all societies have been founded on patriarchy and they see the male as being the enemy who exploit and oppress women in society. In their opinion, the patriarchal society is the chief element in explaining the reluctance of the police to investigate incidents of domestic abuse effectively in previous years and that for this to be abolished the patriarchal society needs to be overturned so that woman can live independently from the males. Chapter 4: Legislation With regards to legislation, there appeared to be a ‘lack of protection’ in the early 1970’s in the form of remedies available, particularly under civil law, as they were either ‘not easy’ to obtain or ‘inadequately used’ (Hague and Malos, 2005). It was also only possible to obtain a civil order if you were married to the perpetrator, which obviously left victims who weren’t married to their perpetrator with even fewer options of protection compared with those who were married. From this, Women’s Aid recognised that there was in fact a need for change within the civil law so that victims could apply for protection along with obtaining an occupation order of the matrimonial home based solely on their case of domestic violence without it being linked to any other criminal proceedings that may arise from the assaults as there was a resounding number of females who sought shelter at women’s refuges who had been driven out of their home and who didn’t wish to pursue help via the criminal law. 4.1 Criminal Law As mentioned before, there is no specific offence of ‘domestic violence’ under criminal law and naturally this has created difficulty for the police when dealing with such incidents as there are many different forms of offences that fall within and contribute towards the issue and so alongside the many Government papers published by the Home Office suggesting ways in which police practices regarding incidents of domestic violence should be handled, there have also been a number of different pieces of legislation introduced in the late 1990’s designed to aid the police even further. Similarly, with the paper ‘Inter-agency Co-ordination to Tackle Domestic Violence’ published by the Home Office in 1995 which suggested that both statutory and voluntary organisations should work together, the Crime and Disorder Act (CDA) 1997 also placed a duty on the authorities, thus supportive of the 1995 Home Office paper, to work alongside the police and other agencies at a local level through the provision of a Community Safety Strategy initiative. The idea being that each local authority will have in place an action plan which will provide ‘effective multi agency working to tackle domestic violence and provide high quality services’ (Lewis, 2005) for the people living in the community who may or may not already be victims of domestic violence. Likewise, the Protection from Harassment Act (PHA) 1997 enabled victims of domestic violence to have extra protection in place against stalking by ex partners and specifically section 2(1) of the PHA 1997 stipulates that ‘a person who pursues a course of conduct in breach of section 1 is guilty of an offence’ as Wallis (1996) found that, according to the Association of Chief Police Officers, 40% of harassment cases did in fact involve stalking between ex-partners or those who had been in a close relationship, something which Wallis described as a form of ‘post-separation domestic violence’. The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 also saw measures introduced which provided a link between civil and criminal law. As mentioned before s.2(1) provided an offence of criminal harassment, and, along with s.4 which provided a more serious offence of fear of violence, and so as a whole, the Act provided women with addition help in the form of a restraining order if their perpetrator was convicted of either offence. Section 4 proved to be particularly useful, despite there already being police powers under criminal law in existence, the powers in place only related to fear of actual physical violence whereas s.4 provided powers for fear of stalking which aimed to be more effective before any psychological or bodily harm had been caused, thus trying to nip the problem in the bus before escalating further. The Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act which was introduced in 2004 aimed to protect victims of domestic violence by firstly making common assault an arrestable offence (which has since been repealed by s.110 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005). Secondly, the 2004 Act made a breach of a non-molestation order not only arrestable but also a criminal offence and finally the Act was also concerned with widening the scope of the civil law in cases of domestic violence as it was particularly evident that the remedies available were designed and implemented for married opposite sex couples, which, as a result, left cohabiting same sex couples experiencing exactly the same treatment but more importantly with a feeling that there was nothing that could be done about it. 4.2 Civil Law Since 1976, injunctions against violent partners could be obtained under three different statues all with the underlying principle that it was designed to protect victims of domestic violence. The Domestic Violence and Matrimonial Proceedings Act 1976 gave female victims of domestic violence the right to stay in the matrimonial home and also granted them exclusion orders against their abusive partners which would effectively suspend their right to live in the matrimonial home and, at that time, was considered to be a successful tool in ‘protecting victims more comprehensively than had ever been possible under criminal law’ (Booth, 2003). The Domestic Proceedings and Magistrates Court Act 1978 sought to aid the use of injunctions as a preventative for added violence to the victim by the perpetrator whilst the Matrimonial Homes Act 1983 was focused on simplifying the powers to cease the rights of the violence partner to live in the matrimonial home. The piece of legislation that was to be selected to aid the protection of the victim was dependant on a number of factors, for example, whether the parties were married or not and also if she lived with her abuser. However, research by Barron (1990) showed that in the majority of cases injunction that were made were ineffective and would soon be breached, in Barron’s words, ‘not worth the paper they are written on’. The introduction of the Family Law Act (FLA) 1996, particularly part IV, sought to eradicate the mess and confusion caused by the three earlier pieces of legislation with regards to imposing injunctions. The legislation itself, under part IV, introduced a concise set of remedies whilst widening the scope of eligibility to a wider range of family members, which since then have been extended further under the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004. Under the Family Law Act 1996 there are two main types of injunctions that can be applied for under part IV. Firstly, s.42 of the FLA 1996 provides that a victim of domestic violence can apply for a non-molestation order against their perpetrator by whom they have been harassed or threatened by and further states that an applicant can only seek an order against a person with whom they are associated with, as set out by s.62 FLA 1996. This proved to be a useful tool, particularly for those who were either married, in a civil partnership, were cohabitants or even former cohabitants and tried to encompass a number of different types of relations and circumstances in the pursuit of combating not only physical violence but also intimidation and harassment from the perpetrator. A breach of such order is a criminal offence under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2000, and, if found guilty, the perpetrator can expect to receive a five year prison sentence on indictment, the aim of it being to reinforce and strengthen existing civil injunctions. Another form of injunction made available under s.33 and s.35-38 of the FLA 1996 for victims of domestic violence is that of an occupation order. An occupation order maintains and controls which party is to occupy either their present, former or intended home. To apply for this order the applicant must satisfy the requirement of entitlement under s.33(1) FLA 1996, that is, an ‘entitled’ person is one that has a legal right to occupy the property, for example, it is a matrimonial home, they have a tenancy agreement or some form of beneficial interest etc. Thus, it would be much harder for a cohabiting couple to show an interest in the property in comparison to those who are married or in a civil partnership as it is of the assumption that virtually all spouses will have at least some interest. Occupation orders can be considered to be extremely useful for victims of domestic violence, particularly if there are children involved, as the FLA 1996 introduced a test based on the ‘balance of harm’ and, in some instances, the test obliges the court to use the test to make an order. The purpose of it being to protect the applicant and more importantly any relevant child that is ‘likely to suffer significant harm attributable to conduct of the respondent’ (Family Law Act 1996, s.33(7)) Chapter 5: Rates of reporting and non-reporting The term ‘attrition’ is used to describe a process by which the total volume of crime that has been committed gradually gets eliminated leaving only a small proportion attaining conviction. This has come to be very evident in cases of domestic violence, with many police officers deciding to ‘no-crime’ the incident. As a result, it illuminates the issue of domestic violence as not being taken seriously by the criminal justice agencies and further highlights the problems many women face when exploring resolution via the criminal justice system and is supportive of what Hester and Westmarland (2006) found, that as little as five percent of domestic violence result in conviction. In 1992, a study by Grace et al. found that there were three main attrition points that hindered the criminal justice process of convicting perpetrators of domestic violence. As mentioned previously, some officers discretionally chose to ‘no-crime’ the incidents and as a result, disregarding it instantly. A second point was that the police and the crown prosecution service made decisions about whether or not they would proceed to prosecute, again leaving the victim in a predicament that was totally our of their hands. Finally, a third attrition point lay with the jury on whether they would choose to convict the defendant and according to Grace et al. cases which resulted in a conviction ‘were most likely to involve a young, single woman who had never seen their attacker before and were physically injured during their attack’, they also pointed out that ‘a â€Å"classic† rape, was still the most likely to result in a conviction’ compared t o a domestic violence incident between intimates. Throughout the years this has led to a culmination of reasons why many women may not have reported incidents of domestic violence and amongst these reasons there is one common denominator; the police response. Many women fear that because the abuse they face can take on many different forms, aside from just physical violence, that they would be wasting police time in a matter that the police may not classify as being ‘criminal’ similar to that of what Buzawa (1990) found that man police officers were keen to get involved with ‘real police work’ and, ironically, along with this they also fear that because it is a family matter then the police won’t really want to intrude and essentially get involved; something which many researchers such as Cheal (1991) have found before regarding police attitudes towards domestic disputes. A second concern for many women is that if they do call the police, they fear that they may not be taken seriously by the attending officers and become subjected to their so-called ‘dismissive and derogatory’ ways in which some officers are alleged to respond to such incidents. Horley (1988) found that victims perceived the police to be unsympathetic of their circumstances and according to the Women’s National Commission (2003) victims were sometimes asked ‘if you put up with it for so long, why are you now reporting it?’ This in turn can also have a damaging effect on the victims as if they do call the police and not a great deal gets done many women fear that as a repercussion for their actions they may provoke further violence by their partners and so it appears to be instilled in them that it’s easier to adopt a ‘put up and shut up’ attitude. Another problem which affects the report rate of domestic violence incidents is that many victims are either too reluctant to make statements or completely withdraw them quite soon after making them as Hoyle found in 1988, and, as a result, this has created what some researchers have described as ‘inadequate recording practices’ (Smith, 1989) and thus disguising the true figure of the crime itself despite the fact that sexual offences was the only crime to have a five percent increase compared to other types of crime, such as criminal damage, fraud and forgery, in 2009 (Home Office, 2009). Chapter 6: Methodology This dissertation is concerned with the legal response to incidents of domestic violence, starting from a historical perspective and moving through to a present day view of how effective the legal response is in dealing with such incidents. It has become to be an area of particular interest to myself as it incorporates an extremely important issue of domestic violence from the discipline of Criminology along with the application of relevant legislation from the discipline of Law. Given the sensitive nature of the topic area being researched, it was felt that the use of secondary sources to conduct this dissertation would be the most appropriate type of source to use and would automatically eradicate any ethical issues that would inevitably arise if primary research were to be conducted. Conducting secondary research also has many practical advantages; the main being that it has already been collected and, as aforesaid, diverts past any ethical implications that may arise from primary research, especially in a topic area as sensitive as domestic violence. The use of secondary sources also enables comparisons to be made between historical findings along with present day findings therefore providing a comparative and an overall picture of any trends that there may be. Finally the collection of data being used has been uninfluenced by the research process in comparison to findings that you would get from primary research, which tends to be more biased towards the researchers’ views. More specifically, secondary data analysis as a research method enables the combining of not only quantitative data but also qualitative data and overall will provide a detailed look at the changing response to incidents of domestic violence from a wealth of literature already surrounding the area, both historical and recent, along with government papers detailing rates of reporting to the police reflecting victims perspectives of them as an agency. This multi-dimensional approach was first coined as ‘triangulation’ in social research conducted by Campbell and Fiske (1959) but became more predominant following the work by Webb et al. (1966) which was based on unobtrusive measures and social research. Triangulation can be particularly useful as a process of ‘cross-checking findings from both quantitative and qualitative research’ (Deacon et al. 1998) and whilst Webb et al. noted that individual research methods aren’t ‘scientifically useless’ they stated that ‘the most fertile search for validity comes from a combined set of measures’ and Denzin (1970) further stated that triangulation ‘is the key to overcoming intrinsic bias that stems from single method, single observer and single theory studies’. Maguire (2000) also argues for ‘utilising as many diverse sources of evidence as feasible to answer a research question’ and that combining two methods overall increases the validity of the research. That is, by bringing together two approaches that equally have their own strengths and weaknesses can overall counter each other with their strengths and it is argued that if different methods draw to the same conclusions then this in itself makes for a stronger argument in that they are more plausible and credible (Noaks and Wincup, 2004). Due to the nature and area being explored in this dissertation it was felt that adopting the use of secondary sources would be more compliant with the ethical considerations that underpin conducting research. According to Diener and Crandall (1978), ethical considerations can be divided into four main areas. That is; whether there is harm to participants, whether this is a lack of informed consent, if there is an invasion of the participants’ privacy and finally, whether deception needs to be used in order to conduct the research. If primary research were to be conducted the two main areas for concern, according to the categories as set out by Diener and Crandall, would be the potential harm that could be caused to the participant in re-living psychologically painful and damaging events they may have been through for the purpose of this dissertation along with the inevitable invasion of their own personally privacy. The initial literature search was conducted by using key words or phrases related to the specified topic area of ‘domestic violence and the legal response’ which in turn provided a wealth of literature. However, this method of finding literature makes for the obtaining of unreliable sources more vulnerable and so for that reason only academic texts and journals were selected which covered area of domestic violence and the legal response and so provides a high quality of authority which is much more reliable. Naturally, only the most up to date texts were preferable but inevitably, with a topic area that requires comparatives to be made between historic views and contemporary views, many of the sources date back to the early eighties but is done so as to enable a critical analysis of area being researched. As a result of the literature search, the literature that was subsequently gained was done so by a snowball effect; identical to that of snowball sampling where one source leads to another and so forth. This, combined with the use of both governmental and non-governmental papers, again standing with high authority, enabled for a greater critical analysis between the issue of domestic violence and the legal response. Chapter 7: Discussion The overriding purpose of this dissertation was to critically examine the legal response to incidents of domestic violence; that is, examine the full spectrum of responses ranging from the police, the legislation in place designed to aid the police and also initiatives put forward by the Government. As stated previously in chapter two, domestic violence has long been a problem amongst society and throughout history it appears to have fought against the odds to be recognised as being truly criminal, as it is clear that the physical elements alone mirror those that can be found in Offences Against the Person Act (OAPA) 1861 yet shockingly the issue appears to have been covertly tolerated by the agencies (Berk et al., 1980). In the early 1990’s there was a dramatic shift towards the fight against domestic violence and as many as fifty percent of police forces had opened up specialist domestic violence units (Grace, 1995) presenting recognition for the issue and opposing Edwards (1989) earlier argument that the ‘police did not take seriously their response to crimes between intimates’. Despite this apparent dramatic shift towards the fight against domestic violence, the initiatives introduced and the policies and procedures in place, up until the mid-1990’s these policies and procedures needed to ‘translate directly into practice’ (Grace, 1995) in order for what Bourlet (1990) would consider to be effective policing. Yet quite shockingly, at this time when policy and procedures were in place, and even more recently where the issue of domestic violence is even more so   abundant in society in Harriet Harman’s (2008) â€Å"Tackling violence against women: A cross-government narrative† it was highlighted that there was still only some help for victims in certain areas, of which the help was not regarded as being ‘comprehensive, consistent or easy to access’; quite alarming for something described as being a ‘serious problem, with serious consequences’. In terms of reducing domestic violence from a policing angle, it has been found that a clear definition of domestic violence is needed between the police and also the other agencies as to eradicate its lack of coherence that has been evident in previous times. Along with this, consistency in their response needs to be clearly visible, despite some Feminists arguing that approaches such as restorative justice make male violence against women somewhat lawful. On the other hand, utilising powers of arrest and pursuing a case despite the victim withdrawing their statement, therefore enabling them to break the so-called cycle of the police ‘leaving the ball in the victims court’, whilst this approach apparently ‘legitimises’ male violence (Stubbs, 1997 in Cook and Bessant, 1997), in terms of effectiveness from a reducing domestic violence point of view; pro-arrest strategies can be seen as favourable. Training of domestic violence awareness, policy and practise also needs to be exercised along with an adoption of a more sympathetic style in order to successfully put an end to ‘inadequate recording practices’ (Smith, 1989) and remove the victims instilled feeling that it’s easier to ‘put up and shut up’. As an agency dealing with such incidents as sensitive as these, it is paramount that their response is one which is equally sensitive in reciprocation, and, whereas before victims have been left feeling helpless, their response should be one that leaves the victim feeling comforted, informed and in the knowledge that there are services designed specifically to aid them with such incidents as opposed to feeling isolated and subjected to ‘secondary victimisation’ (Stanko, 1985) where their ‘character and morality is questioned in such a way as to imply some responsibility for their victimisation’ (Katz and Mazur 1979, Chamber s and Miller, 1983). Chapter 8: Conclusion Drawing back to the beginning of this independent study, the overriding aim was to examine the legal response to incidents of domestic abuse by looking at the police response, the legislation available and finally the Governments standing on the issue itself. This was done by using an approach known as ‘triangulation’ originally developed by Campbell and Fiske (1959) whereby a mixture of findings from both qualitative and quantitative measures, founded by high standing scholars in the field, were cross-examined to overall increase the validity of the research and provide a more well-rounded stronger argument. From the research it is clear that domestic abuse, for many years, has somewhat been a ‘taboo’ subject and it can be appreciated from the wealth of literature surrounding the area that many merely ‘covertly tolerated’ the issue due to a variety of reasons; namely down to the relationship between the culture, law and society working against each other and having their own preconceptions. However, it’s not without notice that the days of Pizzey’s (1974) ‘wife battering’ are long gone and much in the way of change has happened. One aspect that has come to be particularly clear from the research is that in modern society today there are in fact Government initiatives in place alongside reams of legislation that can be utilised and used in conjunction with one another to aid the police in their own response and, overall, provide an effective legal response as a whole. However, this doesn’t detract from the feeling that still, despite the recognition and improvements made; no one really knows how to deal with it, despite not being as ‘taboo’ as it were previously. What is needed is a multi-dimensional approach, that is, for each of the agencies, both voluntary and involuntary to work alongside each other and utilise the resources between them lawfully in order to pin-point particular areas for concern, much like that of triangulation used in the methodology of this independent study. For Webb et al. (1966) stated that ‘the most fertile search for validity comes from a combined set of measures’, and, if the same principles are applied to the way in which the agencies work, by combining themselves and working as one, they provide themselves with a more successful chance of reducing domestic violence. References Adler, Z. (1987) Rape on trial, London:Routeledge. Barron, J. (1990) Not Worth the Paper? The Effectiveness of Legal Protection for Women and Children Experiencing Domestic Violence. Bristol: Women’s Aid Federation England. Benn, C. and Warpole, K. (1986) Death in the City, London: Canary. Berk, R. (1980). Bringing the cops back in: A study of efforts to make the criminal justice system more responsive to incidents of family violence. Social Science Research, 9, 195-215. Berk, R., Fenstermaker, S., Newton, P. (1984). Cops on call: Summoning the police to the scene of spousal violence. Law and Society Review, 18(3), 479-498. Booth, C.. (2003).  Beating the Batterers. Available: guardian.co.uk/world/2003/dec/09/law.ukcrime1. Last accessed 13th Jan 2011. Borkowski, M. (1983) Marital Violence: The Community Response. London: Tavistock Publications. Bourlet, A. (1990) Police intervention in martial violence. London: Open University Press. Brown, S. (1984) Police response to wife beating: Neglect of a crime of violence. Journal of Criminal Justice, 12, 277-288. Buzawa, E., and Buzawa, C. (1990). Domestic violence: The criminal justice response. London: Sage Publications. Campbell, D. and Fiske, D. (1959) ‘Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix’, Psychological Bulletin, 56: 81-105.    Chambers, G. and Miller, A. (1983) Investigating Sexual Assault, Scottish Office Research Study, Edinburgh: HMSO. Chambers, G. and Miller, A. (1987) ‘Proving sexual assault: Prosecuting the offender or persecuting the victim?’, in Carlen, P. and Worrall, A. (eds) Gender, Crime and Justice, Milton Keynes: Open University Press. Cheal, D. (1991) Family and the State of Theory, Harvester. De Beauvoir, S. (1949) Le Deuxieme Sexe (The Second Sex). Vintage Books. New York. Deacon, D., Bryman, A. and Fenton, N. (1998) ‘Collision or Collusion? A Discussion of the unplanned Triangulation of Quantitive and Qualitative Research Methods’, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 1: 47-63. Denzin, N.K. (1970) The Research Act in Sociology. Chicago: Aldine. Diener, E. and Crandall, R. (1978) Ethics in Social and Behavioural Research. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Dobash, R.E. and Dobash, R.P. (1980) Violence against wives. London: Open Books. Dobash, R.E. and Dobash, R.P. (1992) Women, Violence and Social Change. London: Routledge. Dodd, T., Nicholas, S., Povey, D and Walker, A. (2004) Crime in England and Wales 2003/2004. Home Office Statistical Bulletin. London: Home Office. [online] Available at: http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/hosb1004.pdf [Accessed on 9th February 2011] Dutton, D (1995) The domestic assault of women: Psychological and criminal justice perspectives. Vancouver: UBC Press. Edwards, S. (1989) Policing domestic violence. London: Sage. Flatley, J., Kershaw, C., Smith, K., Chaplin, R. and Moon, D. (2010) Crime in England and Wales 2009/10. Home Office Statistical Bulletin. London: Home Office. [online] Available at: http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb1210.pdf. [Accessed on 20th October 2010] Grace, S. (1995) Policing Domestic Violence in the 1990’s. Home Office Research Study No 139. London: HMSO. Grace, S., Lloyd, C. and Smith, L. (1992) Rape: From recording to conviction, London: Home Office. Hague, G. and Malos, E. Inter-agency approaches to Domestic Violence and the Role of Social Services. Br. J. Social Wk. (1998) 28, 369-386. Hague, G. and Malos, E.. (2005). Legal remedies and the court system. In: Hague, G. and Malos, E.  Domestic Violence: Action for change.. England: New Clarion Press. p.86. Hanmer, J. and Saunders, S. (1984) Well founded fear: A community study of violence to women. London: Hutchinson. Harman, H. (2008).  Tackling Violence Against Women: A cross-government narrative.  Available: equalities.gov.uk/pdf/Tackling%20Violence%20against%20Women%20April%202008.pdf. Last accessed on 10th January 2011 Hester, M. and Westmarland, N. (2006) Service Provision for Perpetrators of Domestic Violence, Bristol: University of Bristol. Home Office (1983) Circular to Police 25/1983. London: HMSO. Home Office (1986) Violence Against Women. Circular to Police 69/1986. London: HMSO. Home Office (1990) Domestic Violence. Circular to Police 60/1990. London: HMSO. Home Office (1995) Inter-agency Co-ordination to Tackle Domestic Violence. London: HMSO. Home Office (1999) Living Without Fear: An Integrated Approach to Tackling Violence Against Women. London: HMSO. Home Office (2000a) Domestic Violence. Circular to Police 19/2000. London: HMSO. Home Office (2000b) Domestic Violence: Breaking the Chain, Multi-Agency Guidance for Addressing Domestic Violence. London: HMSO. Home Office (2002) Crime in England and Wales 2001/2002 (London: Home Office) Home Office (2009) Crime in England and Wales 2009/10: Quarterly Update to September 2009.   Home Office Statistical Bulletin. London: Home Office. [online] Available at : http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0210.pdf. [Accessed on 20th October 2010] Home Office. (2010) Domestic Violence: Available: http://rds.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/violencewomen.html. Last Accessed on 19th October 2010. Horley, S. (1988) Homing in on Violence. Police Review, January. Hoyle, C. (1998) Negotiating Domestic Violence: Police Criminal Justice and Victims. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jaffe, P., Wolfe, D.A., Telford, A. and Austin, G. (1986) The Impact of Police Charges in Incidents of Wife Abuse. Journal of Family Violence. 1(1) p.37-49. Kashani, J. And Allen, W. (1998) The Impact of Family Violence on Children and Adolescents. London: Sage. Katz, S. and Mazur, M. (1979) Understanding the rape victim, New York: Wiley. Lewis, J. (2005).  Nottingham Domestic Violence Strategy.  Available: ndvf.org.uk/nottingham_city_council_policies_practice_strategy_on_domestic_violence. Last accessed 12th January 2011 Melton, H. Police Response to Domestic Violence. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, Volume 29, Numbers 1-2 (September 1999) pp. 1-21. Mullender, A. (1996) Rethinking Domestic Violence. London: Routledge. Noaks, L. and Wincup, E. (2004) Criminological research: understanding qualitative methods. London: Sage Publications. Pahl, J. (1985) Private Violence and Public Policy. London: Routeledge. Pizzey, E. (1974) Scream Quietly or the Neighbours Will Hear, London: Penguin. Sachs, A. (1978) ‘The Myth of Male Protectiveness and the Legal Subordination of Women’, in C. Smart and B. Smart (eds) Women, Sexuality and Social Control. London: Routledge. Smith, L.J.F. (1989) Domestic Violence. Home Office Research Study 107. London. HMSO. Stanko, E. (1985) Intimate Intrusions: Women’s experiences of male violence, London: Virago. Stanko, E. (2000) â€Å"The Day to Count: A Snapshot of the Impact of Domestic Violence in the UK† Criminal Justice 1:2. Stubbs, J. (1997), ‘Shame, Defiance and Violence against women: A Critical Analysis of â€Å"Communitarian† Conferencing’, in S. Cook and J. Bessant, eds., Womens Encouters With Violence: Australian Experiences. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Walby, S. and Allen, J. (2004) Domestic Violence, sexual assault and stalking: Findings from the British Crime Survey. Home Office Research Study 276. London: Home Office. Walker, L. (1979) The Battered Woman, New York: Harper and Colophon. Walklate, S. (2004) Gender, Crime and Criminal Justice, 2nd edn, Cullompton: Willan. Wallis, M. (1996) Outlawing Stalkers. Policing Today. Vol.2, 4 (pp. 25-29) Webb, E., Campbell, D., Schwartz, R. and Sechrest, L. (1966) Unobtrusive Measures: Nonreactive Research in the Social Sciences. Chicago: Rand McNally College Publishing Company. Women’s National Commission (2003) Unlocking the secret: Women open the door on domestic violence. Findings from consultations with survivors. (Women’s National Commission)