Sherry Turkle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Sherry Turkle - Essay Example But this means many things are lost. For one, people have lost the ability to actually converse with each other in person. People in work spaces â€Å"feel they are bothering† each other when they actually go and talk in person, but don’t get that same sense of intrusion when they send an email or send a text (Turkle). This means that people are creating â€Å"personal bubbles† around themselves at all times (Kakutani). People might spend more and more time together, in both physical and digital spaces. But this does not mean that they are actually communicating the things that are important – rather, they are spending time adjacent to one another while really spending time only with themselves. I see this a lot in day to day spaces. One of the most frustrating things in the world is when people say they want to â€Å"hang out† but then don’t actually want to do anything together during their hangout times. They want to consume media while ad jacent to each other, for instance, or hang out while constantly checking their phones or doing other things. This means that they are not truly interacting – they find it convenient to share physical space for a brief period of

The Pros and Cons of the Libel Defences of Justification and Fair Comment Essay Example for Free

The Pros and Cons of the Libel Defences of Justification and Fair Comment Essay Libel law in England is incredibly tough, so much so, that if found to be liable of a defamatory statement, ‘a statement which lowers someone in the eyes of reasonable people ’ [Quinn 2009: 210] the consequences can be very costly to both the journalist themselves and their newspapers and therefore it is very important for the defences of defamation to be used to full effect an example of this is libel tourism and the case of involving Roman Polanski 2005.The magazine had said that the event had take place before the claimant’s wife’s funeral, but it had in fact taken lace after the funeral, which Mr Polanski completely denied. As it could not be proved, the claimant won ? 50,000 in damages. There are seven different defences for the act of defamation, of which two of these, Justification and Fair comment, we will analyse the advantages and disadvantages below. For the defence of justification to apply, the defendant must prove that what they have written and published is substantially true. If this can be proved by the defendant then they will have a complete defence against the claims of defamation. The defence of justification may only be used where the defendant has published a statement of fact. One of the main disadvantages of the defence of justification is that the burden of proof relies upon the defendant, which means that they must prove what they have published to be true. Furthermore, the claimant does not have to prove that what you have written is false or that any fact found to be false was damaging to their reputation. Another disadvantage of this defence is that ‘A defendant cannot rely on the defence of justification in relation to the publication of the details of spent convictions, as efined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974’ [1] This Act has been brought in to help with rehabilitation of offenders and prevents journalists from acting in a malicious manner when relating to cases of this nature. An advantage of the defence however is that the journalist does not have to prove that what they have published was in the public’s best interests and furthermore they do not have to prove that they acted in a malicious manner. A further disadvantage to the defendant is that any rumour they chose to publish must be backed up by evidence of the accusation made within the rumour. This means that the defendant cannot base their evidence alone on a previous rumour. However an advantage to the defendant comes by way of a case where the claimant alleges that more than one fact within a publication is untrue. In such a case, the defendant need not prove that all claims within the publication to be true and must only prove that ‘the ‘sting’ of a libel’ [Quinn 2009: 212] to be true. This suggests that only the most important allegations, which are damaging to the claimants reputation, need to be determined to be true. This can be seen in the case of Turcu News Group Newspapers, where the defendant was sued after publishing a number of defamatory statements including some which were found to be untrue. However the statement made that the claimant was a ‘petty criminal with a long list of convictions’ and that ‘he was willing to take part in criminal activities’ were true, and the defence of justification stood on the grounds that the sting of the statement remained true. A further advantage to the defendant is that ‘A claim of justification need not only be based upon facts as were known at the time of publication; if other facts come to ight during the period between a claim and the case coming to court, they can be used to back up the defence. ’ [Quinn 2009: 214]. This appeared in a case in which involved Kate Moss and Channel 5, where a documentary was claiming that Moss had taken cocaine on a photo shoot in Barcelona and fallen into a coma. Kate Moss sued channel 5, but during proceedings she was captured in pictures taking cocaine. Due to such evidence, Moss chose to drop her claim. A final disadvantage to any defendant involves the likely case where, the defendant uses the defence of justification and is unsuccessful. In such a case ‘an unsuccessful defence of justification is likely to increase the level of any damages awarded. ’ [2] In the case of Archer v News of the World (1987) the newspaper was successfully sued by archer after claims were made by the paper which they could not prove, this in turn resulted in a payout to Mr Archer of ? 500,000 damages. It was later discovered that the claims made about Archer were true and he was consequently imprisoned for perjury. This case is a clear example of a situation where the jury are start struck and are therefore biased in favour of the claimant. The defence of fair comment applies to cases where the defendant has been accused of publishing a defamatory comment or opinion. For the defence to apply, the defendant must prove that, the words complained of were a comment or opinion, not a statement of fact, the words were about a matter of public interest, any facts which the comment was based on are true, or subject to privilege and that the comment was made without malice and so was an honest belief of the defendant. The first and main advantage of Fair comment applies to a case where the defendant can prove that the statement made, was one of personal opinion and one hich they fully believe ‘to have been made honestly’ [Quinn 2009: 216]. This was shown in the case of Branson v Bower (No. 1) where the claimant tried to sue on the grounds that the comment made could be taken as statement of fact. The court of appeal disagreed, stating that it was clear that the statement published by the defendant was an opinion. Another advantage of this defence is that much like that of justification, the defendant must not prove that each of the facts in the publication to be true, as long as they can prove that those facts commented on were true. In the case of Galloway v Telegraph Group Ltd (2006) the defendants claimed that they had based opinions upon facts they believed to be true about the claimant. The defendants pleaded fair comment but this was refused by the court stating that ‘the stories were allegations of fact’ [Quinn 2009: 217]. Again, a disadvantage of this defence, much like that of justification, is that it is the defendant’s responsibility to prove that ‘the underlying facts are true. If he or she is unable to do so, then the defence will fail. ’ [3] This appeared in a case involving Gordon Ramsey, where the defendant during a review complained that some scenes within the show were staged. The defendant could not back up these claims and consequently had to pay ? 75,000 in damages. Another advantage to the defence of fair comment is that any person may be entitled to comment, when the subject in matter is of interest to the public, due to either interest or concern at a matter which could affect them or another. A disadvantage to the defence of fair comment is where the claimant can show that what has been published against them has been done so with malicious intent. In such cases the defendant will not be able to use the defence of fair comment. This was shown in the case of David Soul v Matthew Wright, where the defendant criticized the claimants acting without having been to see the show. As he had not been to see Mr Soul’s play he had no facts to base his criticism on and consequently had to pay damages. A final advantage of this defence is the definition of fair comment. It is stated that ‘even very rude and critical reviews can be covered by the defence of fair comment, so long as the facts on which they are based are true. [Quinn 2009: 220] this basically means that it must only be proved that the facts upon which the opinion is based upon must be true for the defence to be used. This was seen in the case of Tse Wai Chun Paul v Albert Chang, the courts stated that ‘even where a writer is motivated by ‘spite, animosity, intent to injure, intent to arouse controversy or other motivation’ they can be covered by fair comment’. [Quinn 2009: 219] In conclusion, I’d say that in both of the defences the claimant has the advantage. The first of these reasons is due to the burden of proof, which the defendant holds, nd in turn puts the claimant in a no lose situation. The second of these reasons is the possibility for further damage to the defendant in a case where they cannot prove their innocence. This leaves the defendant in a position where they must risk further detriment to prove their case. Also, and finally, where a defence fails, this can prevent the public from knowing information which may be within their [the public’s] best interests, which could subsequently harm the good of the public. Due to the many implications and faults of the law, it is soon to be changed.

Importance of Planning within the Business Environment

Importance of Planning within the Business Environment The objective of this assignment is to show the understanding of the business environment and management in construction and property. To achieve this, two core elements associated with management will be examined and compared with an existing construction company such as Wilmot Dixon, which is struggling with the current economical climate. This study will discuss the implementation of planning using innovative management strategies and tools required to assist companies to be better positioned for sustainable growth. Defining the Business Environment According to Palmer Hartley (2006) the business environment can be defined as everything which surrounds a system. For example, if we take a business as the core of a working system, there are surrounding influences which contribute to the workings of this system within the macro environment. For a business it can be difficult to identify what the elements are within the environment. We can demonstrate important factors relating to the business environment using the PESTEL model as illustrated in Figure 1.0 Businesses survive by turning inputs into goods and services which customers in the environment want to purchase. The current climate suggests we are still in a down turn market. With reference to Wilmott (2011) in an exclusive interview, he suggests that 2011 will be an extremely tough year due to the soaring costs associated with the supply chain and materials. Another politically associated topic is the increase in VAT. According to the Federation of Master Builders (2011), increasing VAT from 17.5% to 20% could lead to over 11,000 job losses in the construction industry over the next decade. Such an increase may deter many businesses from starting new projects and where projects are starting, contractors are not breaking even. An example of this can be related to Willmot Dixon, a primary tier contractor where they have forecast a slowdown in the property market. According to Willmot (2011) Firms are pricing below cost because they are talking themselves into believing the market price for materials and supply chain will continue to fall so then they can recover the difference. A fundamental issue with companies facing such a troublesome year would be to implement a business management plan looking to read the environment and understand how the business system will evolve in the future. Such a strategic move would involve essential planning. Planning 3.1 The purpose of planning Essentially, the purpose of planning is to contemplate future actions whether this is economic, political or environmental. According to Brews Purahit (2007), as business conditions become additionally unstable, companies tend to adapt a planning strategy. Change in the business environment creates uncertainty. It enables companies and people to adapt by establishing goals and objectives and sets out how to achieve them by implementing a business plan. With reference to figure 1.1, the initial approach would be to identify the purpose of planning, identifying the companys current position in the market and identify where they want to be. Once this has been established it will offer a clearer direction to employees. This will enhance motivate to increase control by allowing people to measure their progress against set targets and allow the company to use its resources efficiently. With reference to one of Wilmot Dixons senior partners, Willmot (2011) announced one of the companies key objectives due to the politically associated development of re-furbishing un-occupied housing Willmot Dixon is diversifying into new areas such as private residential and mixed-use regeneration development. We can associate this back to the PESTEL model where we can look at the political issues and demographics of the current economy. A major issue is that there is a shortage of housing with an ever increasing population. The government is looking to r e-furbish un-occupied properties scattered around the UK and put these properties back to council housing, an area Willmot Dixon has proposed to target. 3.2 Contents of planning Companies expanding in business or are looking to adapt to change in the business environment, prepare a business plan. According to Mckeever (2010), a business plan is a document that sets out the markets the business intends to serve. There are different plans which a business will decide upon, for example: A strategic plan sets out the overall direction for the business. It is broad in scope and covers all the companies major activities. A strategic business unit consists of a number of closely related products, which is meaningful to formulate a separate strategy. An operational plan details how the overall objectives are to be achieved, by specifying what is expected from senior management experts from specific departments or functions. Annual plans are common amongst most companies focusing on finance and setting budgets for the coming year. What is common in all business plans is focusing on the direction of the business in short and long term planning. Key aspects of planning include the strategy of the company and the development of the business to enhance profit. A planning hierarchy can be seen in figure 1.2, showing how the characteristics of plans changes at each level. According to Mathews (2011), a government plan to cut the cost of public construction projects by a fifth, through standardising buildings, was published alongside the recent Budget. With the property market having been so affluent and now with the market and the country progressively slipping into further recession, it would seem that more construction companies would be looking to plan long term, using a more strategic option rather than plan for the short term. 3.3 The Process of planning The process of planning relates to how plans are produced for a business or organisation to succeed. According to Jennings (2000), companies change their approach to planning as conditions change. There are seven iterative tasks which can be performed when making a plan as shown in figure 1.3. Figure 1.3 Seven iterative tasks in planning. Any plan depends on gathering information. Reverting back to the PESTEL model is good practice when sourcing information such as market trends, formal analysis of the political and legal factors, current economy, socio cultural factors, technology and issues relating to the environment. Whether the company is a centralised company where the decisions are taken at the centre of the company, or a decentralised company, where the decision-making is delegated to lower levels of management, within the organisation casual encounters with colleagues is a major influence in gathering information. Once all of the information has been accumulated a mission statement can be compiled showing the organisations direction and overall goal in the construction market. It will guide decision making and should inspire and motivate the workforce to accomplish the desired result. As a result of the mission statement, a SWOT analysis can be used to evaluate the company in the current economic climate. Conducting a SWOT analysis as defined in figure 1.4 will enable companies such as Willmot Dixon to define their key strengths and weaknesses. Completing a SWOT analysis integrates the external opportunities and threats, as example, according to Lowery (2011), the economy is shaping to be a tough year for the construction sector. VAT increases and higher employer National Insurance contributions combine with government spending cuts to spell a year of contraction. Articles such as this are a means of monitoring progress externally as well as internally. By evaluating how the economy will effect an organisation and by completing a SWOT analysis, allows companies to set their goals and objectives . Goals and objectives give focus to a task such as what will be achieved and when. Setting goals is difficult for companies as they have to look beyond their present status and predict how their role as a business will fit in with the changing economy. The criteria for assessing goals is to be realistic and this can be achieved using the SMART acronym. Specific: Does the goal set specific targets? Measurable: Goals can be defined precisely enough to measure progress towards them. Attainable: Goals should be challenging but not unreasonable. (Goal setting theory suggests the motivational consequences of goal setting. Rewarded: People see that attaining a goal will bring reward. Timed: Does the goal specify the time over which it will be achieved, to a reasonable and acceptable standard. Goals and objectives provide the reference point for other decisions within the management plan, formulating the criteria against which performance can be measured. Creating a set of goals and objectives will direct a company to identify what actions and resources are necessary in order to accomplish the set goals and objectives. This will identify what needs to be done, who will do it and communicate this information to the relevant personnel. With reference to Lynch (2005) specifies that managers handle this aspect of planning in 3 ways: Comprehensively: where managers decide to make a clear cut change in direction. They assume that success depends on driving the changes rapidly and in a coordinated way across the company that implies a comprehensive business plan, Incremental or directional plan: where areas of the business plan are uncertain such as a volatile market, or where the company is depending on the outcome of research. Important strategic areas may be left deliberately unclear until the outcomes of current events have been established (Lynch, 2005, Page 633), or the third way, selective planning when neither of the other two methods are the best way forward and managers implement major change only in some areas of the business plan. Plans will vary for different companies, as an example, Grant (2003), gives an insight into the way mangers can develop strategy. For instance his study in 6 major oil companies used a clear planning process as detailed in figure 1.3. The details varied between companies but all shared the common components. Figure 1.3 The generic strategic planning cycle Source: Based on Grant (2003) Once a plan has been formulated the objectives and actions of the plan needs to be communicated to managers and employees. In larger organisations this can incur time and effort but is carried out to ensure: Everyone understands the plan Allow time to resolve any issues, confusion or ambiguity Communicate judgements and assumptions that underline the plan Ensure the plan is instigated and activities are organised in practice and on paper. 3.4 Outcomes of planning However good a business plan is, unless it is implemented nothing normally happens. To ensure the plan is instigated, progress needs to be monitored. This can be monitored in a number of different ways such as, output and profit or by completing goals and objectives. By constantly evaluating the progress or the company and monitoring the results, objectives and targets can be changed to suit the business if for example there is change in legislation. This is why gathering knowledge and using a fundamental element such as the PESTEL model is a continual cycle to ensure sustainable growth. Conclusion Business plans will vary in every company, but the major elements will always remain consistent. In order to survive the current economic climate it is time for business to make significant changes. It is essential for companies to gather information that is to date with legislation, politics, technology etc and all the elements associated with the PESTEL model. This will enable companies to alter the business plan to constantly evolve with the market trend. The construction industry, according to many major companies and societies, is still in recession and with a new government introducing legislation involving tax increases and spending cuts, construction companies need to rethink their current strategies. Willmot Dixon, as an example, is looking to diversify into different areas of property development, with consistent work sprouting from maintenance and refurbishment work. Examples like this can demonstrate positive management thinking that will be the flagship for other smaller companies to follow. Bibliography Robson W., (1997). Strategic Management Information Systems. 2nd Ed. Great Britain: Pearson Education Limited. Palmer, A and Hartley, B., (2006). The Business Environment. 5th Ed. Great Britain: McGraw-Hill Education Harris, F and McCaffer, R., (2006) Modern Construction Management 6th Ed. Great Britain: Blackwell Publishing Limited Broddy, D. and Paton, S., (2011)). Management An Introduction 5th Ed. England: Pearson Education Limited

Free Essays - All Quiet on the Western Front :: All Quiet on the Western Front Essays

about men, but of German soldiers and their hardships during World War I and how their attitudes changed throughout the war. â€Å"We believe in such things no longer, we believe in the war†(p.88). This novel portrays the overwhelming effects and power war has to deteriorate the human spirit, scar physically, and scar mentally.   You start out leaving you’re home and family proud and ready to fight for you country, to toward the end of the war, you become tired and scarred both physically and mentally beyond description. At the beginning of the novel nationalist feelings are present through pride of Paul and the rest of the boys. However at the end of the war many come to the realization of how pointless and horrific war really is.    All Quiet on the Western Front is a novel that greatly helps in the understanding the effects war.   The novel best shows the attitudes of the soldiers before the war and during the war. Before the war there are high morals and growing nationalist feelings. During the war however, the soldiers discover the trauma of war. They discover that it is a waste of time and their hopes and dreams of their life fly further and further away. The remains of Paul Baumer's company had moved behind the German front lines for a short rest at the beginning of the novel. After Behm became Paul's first dead schoolmate, Paul viewed the older generation bitterly, particularly Kantorek, the teacher who convinced Paul and his classmates to join the military. â€Å" While they taught that duty to one’s country is the greatest thing, we already that death-throes are stronger.... And we saw that there was nothing of their world left.   We were all at once terribly alone; and alone we must see it t hrough.†(P. 13) Paul felt completely betrayed.   â€Å" We will make ourselves comfortable and sleep, and eat as much as we can stuff into our bellies, and drink and smoke so that hours are not wasted. Life is short.† (P 139) Views of death and becoming more comfortable with their destiny in the war became more apparent throughout the novel.   Paul loses faith in the war in each and every passing day.   Ã‚  Throughout the novel it was evident that the war scarred the soldiers permanently mentally.   Everyone was scared to go to war when it started. Young recruits were first sent because the veterans knew they were going to come back dead.

Reality TV Shouldn’t be a Reality Essay

When you turn on a television today, reality TV litters the media. This is what our generation idolizes. But is it appropriate? Is this what we should be watching? When I see adults making immature and stupid decisions, I can only say, â€Å"No†. So I purpose that we ban the brain-melting reality TV material. Most reality TV shows, like â€Å"Jersey Shore†, is just a brain-numbing wreck that most children, teens, and even adults get sucked into. All this is doing is glamorizing bad decisions, stupidity, and bad behavior. Teens and kids want to be like these people, but is this how you want them to be? Of course not! So why allow children and teens watch reality television? Aside from the horrifying incompetence, reality television is a complete waste of time. Children and teens waste hours of watching reality television. Stupid dialogue and inappropriate behavior is no reason to waste hours of their lives! They could be doing more important things than to watch reality TV. By allowing them to watch reality television, parents are giving children the right to follow these â€Å"reality TV stars’† horrible example and waste away their lives. Another reason we should stop reality television is that it could disrupt our community. Instead of going outside and being active, a lot of people prefer to stay inside to watch reality television. Instead of filming documentaries that can inspire and prosper, filming crews work with degenerates that pollute our minds. And instead of living a good, clean, and meaningful life, the reality TV stars spend their life’s acting foolish and immoral. Unfortunately, this is a normal truth of our society, though I believe it shouldn’t be. Reality television shouldn’t be the center of our attention. So as you can see, reality TV should be banned form our society for multiple reasons, including that it glorifies and promotes bad behavior, is a waste of time, and that it could disrupt our community. There has to be a better way to use our time, money, and life’s.

A library of ancient information

Inside most of the cells in each human being resides molecules known as DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid. These molecules are made up of four different bases which are assigned the letters G, C, A and T (for guanine, cytosine, adenine and thymine) and the manner by which these bases are arranged or sequenced defines the particular kind of protein that they will give rise to. Given that humans are highly complex organisms, it is natural and correct to assume that we are made up of a huge number of different proteins that are coded for by an equally large number of different DNA sequences known as genes (Krogh, 2003). The totality of an organism’s genes is known as its genome and since each gene provides the instructions for making a specific protein, the genome can be thought of as a collection or library of instruction manuals for producing all the proteins necessary for an organism to function normally and survive (Krogh, 2003). This collection though, is not one that is built up as the organism grows but rather, one that is inherited from the organism’s parents. Human beings have 46 sets of these instruction manuals called chromosomes. Chromosomes come in pairs but during reproduction, only half of each pair is passed on by each parent to their offspring so that the offspring would likewise end up having a total of 46 chromosomes (Krogh, 2003). This goes on for each new generation of offspring produced and so if we try to trace things back we can imagine how we have, for example, inherited the gene for our particular hair color from either our mother or father, and how they in turn have likewise inherited theirs from either of their parents. Going a long way back towards our ancestors’ generation, we can therefore imagine ourselves as having inherited inside us a library of ancient instruction manuals which tell our body how to produce proteins practically the same way that they have been produced in our ancestors. Naturally though it would be expected that during the course of time, modifications may have been made in these instructions but the fact still remains that these basic instructions were passed on from one generation to the next so that the information it carries may serve succeeding generations.