Sinises film version Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Sinises film version Of Mice and Men Essay Analyse both the beginning and ending of Steinbecks novel with the opening and closing sequences of Sinises film version Of Mice and Men They are many of difficulties that a director faces when adapting a classic novel to the big screen. One of the biggest difficulties Sinise would have faced in adapting Of Mice and Men in to a film would have been living up to the standard and expectation of the book. Imagination is a lot different to reality but imagination is extremely hard to capture on the Big Screen because there is possibility that what someone imagines is completely different to the film and therefore be disappointed in the film. There is also a lot of description in the book that paints a picture for the reader and he will have to try and involve some of this in the film. They story of Of Mice and Men is set during the depression that followed the Wall Street Crash of 1929. It involves the effects of poverty and the difficulty of getting a job. It follows two men, George and Lennie and their struggle to find employment. The novel show a great bond between them and how the two try and overcome Lennies disability. In the beginning of the novel Steinbeck creates a calming mood wereas in the film it starts with action. He also used a lot of effective description that helps the reader get a clear understanding of the setting he uses On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees- willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf juncture the debris of the winters flooding When describing the two men he gives the reader the impression that one seems to be more powerful than the other even in the open one stayed behind the other. He also describes the first man as having restless eyes this tells you he is always looking out for his friend. His friend was the complete opposite , a huge man, shapeless of face, with large, pale eyes, with wide sloping shoulders; and he walked heavily, dragging his feet a little, the way a bear drags his paws. The way he has described the way he walks shows his strength. The beginning in book and film is most important because the author or film maker needs to attract the attention of the audience, interest them in what is going on and make them want to read or watch more. The way Steinbeck and Sinise have done this is both effective and creative but both different. They both start in different settings. The book describes every thing about the setting and its surroundings and doesnt introduce any characters till about the fourth page. It also starts as if everything is happening there and then and doesnt mention anything about a flash back, whereas in the film it starts as a flash back.. In the film George is shown on a train in a fast mid-shot sitting in the corner lonely and isolated in a crouched position, it shows him in thought. It then goes on a CU of George that shows we are going into his thoughts. It cuts to an MS of a woman running in a red dress (representing danger) which is ripped. It zooms in slowly and ends on a CU of woman and shows her emotions and tells the audience she is afraid and terrified. This is not mentioned at all in the beginning of the book. It soon cuts to a LS of two males running. There are rapid changing of shots showing action in the film. MS on males, cuts to a CU of viscous dogs barking and then LS on horses that gives the impression of hunting and also shows time in setting. The audience is involved when the camera is placed in the water that the males (George and Lennie) run through. The music in the film is slow at the start which creates a mood of sadness to the film and relates to the persons emotions, it tells you that George is upset. The music starts slow then gradually gets faster and tells you something is happening (chasing) it is also serious. Not a lot of dialogue is used at the beginning. You hear a woman screaming sounding frightened. You also hear a man shouting Come on! Lennie This tells us that they need to get away from what is happening and also gives one name of a character. There is a lot of SFX are used effectively during the beginning, dogs barking, a train, the music ends abruptly and you can hear the woman out of breath. You can also hear men running and splashes of water. The book lacks action and starts more calmly than the film. The book doesnt tell you why the men are running away and doesnt mention the woman, train or dogs at all during the beginning. The introduction to the two characters (George and Lennie) is very different. In the book it starts with a great deal of description. The film shows you they are in some kind of danger whereas in the book it introduces them calm and with a lot of description about setting and location. The death of Lennie shows alot more emotion in the novel, compared to that of the video. this is because it is slow, and it moves the reader, and makes the reader become emotionally involved. Steinbeck has used some short sentences to create a more dramatic effect of for example: George was silent. This shows Georges emotion. Not long after And he fell silent again. This again shows his emotion and that he just cant cope. Lennie at this point is confused, he has realised that he has done another bad thing but doesnt understands why George isnt angry at him. Lennie tries hard to understand and came to his own conclusion that George would live a better life without him and was willing to leave and let George carry on with his life. George lets him know that he doesnt want him to leave him, even though deep down he agrees that without Lennie he would live an easier life, not having someone to watch all the time. They then start talking about the dream they both had where they would own a place of their own and every thing was perfect. George shakily said Take off your hat Lennie The way he said it shows that he is not showin confidence. George told Lennie to look away, this gave him time to get ready and he used Carlsons Luger too. Which is the same way the dog died, this tells the reader that a death might occur. He looked at the back of Lennies head, at the place where the spine ant the skull were joined. He is thinking very hard here at which would be the least painful for Lennie, who is still no wiser that soon he will die, by his best friend. He is very child like and the book shows this by him giggling while thinking of the dream. He also has an obsession on rabbits (like the way a child would) and shows a lot of excitement towards the dream because he would finally get to tend the rabbits. George wanted Lennie to die happy and finally built up the courage to do it at his happiest. At first his hand shook violently this again shows his emotion. Steinbeck now used another short sentence for effect He pulled the trigger. This is used to shock the reader and also show emotion towards Lennie. The novel ends coldly with a cold-hearted remark from Carlson, Now what the hell ya suppose is eatin them two guys? In the film the death of Lennie is a lot quicker and shocking. When talking about the dream George shoots him first time Lennie says and I get to tend the rabbits Lennies child like features are shown again when he is dead because once he is shot he lies curled up like a baby with George standing over him. It shows Georges emotion towards Lennie and the close bond the had. In the film it doesnt show the audience his struggle to build up the courage to shoot him. It then cuts back to a CU George on the train again, like in the beginning. This time we again go in to his thoughts as he remembers the good times with Lennie. It then shows George and Lennie side by side, Laughing and smiling. Lennie puts his arm around George like a child wanting affection from his mother. This caption is in slow motion to show the audience how close they were and it also gets the audience emotionally involved again and makes them feel sorry. The music used in this part of the film is sad and slow, again for emotion. In my conclusion I have found that there can be a lot of differences between the book and the film. In my opinion I didnt prefer either one because I liked both of them but for different reasons. I liked the book because I liked the idea that Steinbeck emotionally involved the reader with the death of Lennie. It was in my opinion more emotional than the film even though it is upsetting because the music sad and the flash back at the end makes you feel sorry for Lennie and also George.

Corporate Governance Failures And Scandals In Recent History Accounting Essay

Corporate Governance Failures And Scandals In Recent History Accounting Essay In this essay, we are going to contemplate law, which is one of the most fundamental jurisdictional areas at present. Value will be given to the unraveling of the significant area of company law. One should acknowledge that in the past two centuries, several corporate collapses have overturn the facts in the business world and brought many changes in the corporate field in UK and abroad. In approaching this issue, the government seeks to prevent the repetition of accounting scandals and fraud. It introduces governmental regimes, that will set the framework in the UK corporate system. We are going to examine and analyze the basic legal issues arising with the application of the Combined Code and the UK legislation and whether their usefulness to the objectives of a company, is a fact or whether is a virtual reality. In assessing this question, it is important to state that a good corporate governance is an indispensable demand for a large organization. A corporate governance, is considered to be the framework of rules, relationships, systems and processes within and by which authority is exercised and controlled in corporations, while it encompasses the mechanisms by which companies and those in control, are held to account  [1]  . The main purpose of corporate governance is the facilitation of effective, entrepreneurial and prudent management that will be able to deliver the long-term success of the company  [2]  . The objectives of a company, are achieved through the completion of the procedures of corporate governance principles, that are set out in the Combined Code. Corporate Scandals Corporate governance failures and scandals in recent history, must be taken into account, in order to comprehend the reasons that have led to the creation of the Combined Code. The scandals came into the light involving well-known firms such as Maxwell, that was brought to the attention of the general public for problems associated with the management of pension funds and their security  [3]  . Another major scandal was the Enron scandal, who concerned several parties who gained personal benefits from illegal accounting procedures. In addition, WorldCom corporate scandal was the one where accounting irregularities led the firm to bankruptcy. In Polly peck the owner was accused of fraud because he owed a vast amount of money to investors. BCCI was found guilty of accusations of deception and the laundering of money. An important example which showed the need for an effective system was Parmalat which was similar to Enrons. The former events have highlighted serious shortcoming in worldwide pension legislation, and were behind policy-making throughout the decade  [4]  . Committees These unforeseen corporate scandals gave impetus to governments and regulatory bodies to draft a Code that will guard the future of companies from situations such as these. Several committees were formed, concerning the development of corporate governance which is considered the internal means by which corporations are operated and controlled  [5]  . Initially, the Cadbury  [6]  Committee drafted The Report of the Committee on the Financial Aspects of Corporate Governance which encouraged the firms to alter the structure and responsibilities of the board of directors, to increase the value and effectiveness of the audit and the relationship between the board and shareholders and concerned the responsibilities of institutional shareholders  [7]  . The Cadbury committee was followed by the Greenbury  [8]  committee, where it was acknowledged that the examination of directors remuneration was a necessary demand. The Hampel  [9]  committee that took place in 1998, rev iewed and updated the earlier recommendations by the two previous committees. This Final report emphasized on principles of good governance rather than explicit rule in order to reduce the regulatory burden on companies and avoid box-ticking so as to be flexible enough to be applicable to all companies  [10]  . Furthermore, the Higgs  [11]  and Smith  [12]  Reviews formulated the Combined Code 2002. According to the Higgs Review the effectiveness and independence of non-executive directors are of importance, while with the Smith Review the role of the audit committee is established. Corporate Governance Code 2010 The recommendations and principles of the committees on good corporate governance, have developed the Combined code. The Combined Code was first issued in 1998 and had received many updates since then. The Code that is in effect now is the Corporate Governance Code 2010. The Revised Code sets out standards of good practice in relation to board leadership and effectiveness, remuneration, accountability and relations with shareholders  [13]  . It sets out principles designed to encourage shareholders, non-executive directors and auditors to accept their legal responsibilities and scrutinize the stewardship of companies  [14]  . The Code is considered to be a voluntary code, which applies to an extent in any company that chooses to adhere to it  [15]  . The committees made several recommendations. At first, they recommended that every company should be headed by an effective board, which will be collectively responsible for the success of the company and will provide entrepreneurial leadership, in setting the companys strategic aims  [16]  . In the Code it is mentioned that the board must have a sufficient size where the balance of skills and experience is the appropriate for the requirements of the business  [17]  . Accordingly, it suggested that the responsibilities at the head of the company should be divided between the running of the board and the executive responsibility for the running of the companys business  [18]  . In addition the roles of chairman and chief executive should be divided  [19]  . An illustration that supports this, is the scandals that were created by the Polly Peck, were Asil Nadir the owner abused the power that was in his hands. This is considered to be a distinguished provision and if it is followed then balance of power will take place and similar situation will not be repeated. In the Corporate Governance Code the issue of remuneration is being highlighted. The code provides that the role of the remuneration committee is an integral component for the corporate governance process and companies must go through a formal process in considering the developing policy on executive remuneration  [20]  . It provides that the board should establish a remuneration committee of independent non-executive directors, which should make available its terms of reference, explaining its role and the authority delegated to it by the board  [21]  . The remuneration committee should consult the chairman or the chief executive about their proposals relating to the remuneration of other executive directors  [22]  . In Tyco scandal the chairman along with the chief executive were involved in fraudulent practices that were estimated at the loss of million dollars and were used for personal benefit. Apo4ii The Cadbury Report referred to the important duties and responsibilities of an independent audit committee over the processes of corporate governance. The board should establish an audit committee of at least 3 non-executive directors, each of whom is independent and financially literate  [23]  . The audit committee assists the board in fulfilling its statutory and fiduciary oversight responsibilities relating to the companys financial accounting, reporting and controls  [24]  . The report of the Blue Ribbon Committee on Improving the Effectiveness of Corporate Audit in 1999 pointed out that the audit committee should encourage procedures that promote accountability among the internal auditor, and the outside auditors , ensuring that management properly develops and adheres to a sound system of internal control. An audit committee is designed to provide a level of assurance within the scope of corporate governance. In light of Enron and similar situations, scrutiny of audit c ommittee performance is likely to increase, therefore it is more important than ever to ensure that audit committees are satisfying at least the basic standards of conduct  [25]  . Evaluation of the Corporate Governance Code In the Corporate Governance Code importance needs to be given to the non-executive directors (NEDs). They were introduced by the Combined Code in order to prevent any future corporate governance problems. Each board should have non-executive directors  [26]  . NEDs have a crucial role in the operation of the board as members of a unitary board. In spite their knowledge and skills, they should constructively challenge and help develop proposals on strategy, they should examine the performance of management in meeting agreed goals and objectives and finally satisfy themselves on the integrity of financial information  [27]  . A fundamental quality that a NED needs to posses is independence  [28]  . This had become essential after the Enron and WorldCom scandals, because of the sensitiveness around remuneration, accuracy of financial disclosure and consequence of flawed strategic decisions  [29]  . Being independent means being capable of exercising objective judgment to task where there is a potential conflict of interest  [30]  . The crucial issue is whether NEDs are independent. They are appointed by executives and shareholders and it is accepted that most of them are considered to be from the same background as the executives and therefore to have a more friendly relationship between them. This might affect their performance because if a problem occurs they might overlook it because of the more friendly association. NEDs need to be objective and not to be affected by additional factors. At the beginning, it seemed to be distinctly effective, since they would ensure the directors actions and the company in general, in order not to give impetus to imminent scandals. However, we can state that they are not considered as a great solution since the work is not so effective. Furthermore, the shareholders effective communication needs to be evaluated. According to the principle there should be a dialogue with shareholders based on the mutual understanding of objectives  [31]  . It is considered very essential that the board is given the opportunity to communicate with shareholders. This will achieve a better governance because the aims and scopes of shareholders will be heard and hence comprehended by the board. Shareholders and the board, can have the potential to be each others greatest source of development. Thus, by reinforcing each others opinion will result to great solutions of numerous concerns and this will accomplish better governance strategies. Additionally, a comply or explain basis is used when applying the Code on Corporate Governance. This approach was forwarded by the Cadbury Committee. According to this approach companies were obliged to either indicate whether they achieved to comply with the code in their annual reports or otherwise explain any areas of non-compliance  [32]  . This approach is not considered to be legally binding instead it is voluntary. Companies have the right to choice, yet when they choose not to implement the Code, a rational reason must be given to the shareholders since they are going to be judged by it. The area of non-compliance is not very clear instead it is critical, but there is not an obligation to comply because the Code is not legally enforced. However the Code provides flexibility for those who choose to apply it  [33]  . Therefore this needs to be examined for a more effective work of the Code, nonetheless the comply or explain mechanism can achieve a good governance struct ure . The Code has raised the standards in the field of corporate governance. Through its implementation, it has  become effective for several companies. From the first time it was introduced since now it has received many updates, in order to reach perfection. Nevertheless, the various principles provided by the Code need to be critically observed and improved. It is very important to signify that corporate scandals have been reduced, yet they are not vanished. Regulators need to focus on existing problems and provide major developments of unclear areas of the Code. Conclusion As has been shown, several issues arising from the application of the Combined Code and the legislative framework have been analyzed and embodied in the essay. Their extensive investigation, helped us root out whether the government actions in achieving satisfactory corporate governance procedures, can be established. Consequently, the Combined Code has improved the corporate governance standards, yet there are several inadequate areas that need to be developed. Concurrently, it is essential to justify that in order to promote a good governance, all aspects of the Code need to be effectively welcomed and applied, with both knowledge and awareness of their usefulness, by the corporate system. A combination of the right people at the right place along with the current governance regime, can constitute the vital ingredients that over time, will ensure a successful company.

Motivational Factors of the Public Sector

Motivational Factors of the Public Sector The idea that money motivates people to work is a much disputed subject with many differing theories. It is an imperative reality that companies must have a firm awareness of how to motivate their employees in order to encourage the acceptance of organisational goals (Kleinbeck et al. 1990).The range of contradictory research makes it difficult for companies to decide upon one effective way of motivating employees. Mullins (2007) describes how there are two methods of motivation extrinsic and intrinsic. Money is an extrinsic motivator as it is a tangible reward, whereas motivators such as recognition and achievement are intrinsic and offer intangible psychological rewards (Mullins,2007). Theories on motivation often focus on either intrinsic or extrinsic motivation and do not speculate on the effect of a mix of these motivational methods. Taylors (2003) rational economic concept of motivation is based upon the principle that staff are mostly motivated by money due to their economic needs. In contrast, Kusin (2005, p.76) argues that work is about letting people know they are important and recognition, can sometimes be more important than money. This argument is supported by theorists such as Maslow, Alderfer and Herzberg. Many theories discuss whether or not employees are motivated by money but there is no extensive regarding the extent to which money motivates employees and the differing motivational impact it has on people working in different sectors. It would therefore be beneficial to conduct a research project into the extent to which money motivates employees and if this differs between sectors. This research could help organisations to follow a basic model which would suit their sector, aims and objectives. Conducting research into public sector employees such as nurses and teachers will allow me to see if motivational factors are different to those employees working within a purely profit driven organisation. It is important to conduct the research on the identified subject (employees) through the correct medium in order to achieve accurate results. Stockport Removals and Storage Limited is a small/medium sized company operating within the North West. They have agreed to participate within the research project providing research on employees working within a profit making, private company. The company has been operating for 20 years and has a number of long serving employees as well as recently recruited staff. This will allow research to be conducted across a range of employee contract types in order to see the variety of factors which motivate employees. Stockport Removals offer remuneration in line with competitors within the area as well as providing overtime and bonus schemes. The midwifery department in Stepping Hill Hospital NHS have also offered to take part in the study in order to offer an insight into motivational factors within a public sector company. Remuneration within the public sector is a much discussed subject within the media. The NHS have recently made plans to make 35,000 (employees) redundant unless staff accept a pay deal that will see them lose up to several thousand pounds a year (Observer, 2010). This makes NHS workers a particularly effective source of research as pay and motivation will be at the forefront of operations at such a time. Comparisons in research between public and private sector organisational motivation will help to see if remuneration motivates every employee to the same extent regardless of job type of sector of the organisation. Literature Review Reviewing current literature that is available on motivational ideas, can help to gain background information on the subject and acquire a further understanding of the studies and theories already published. This will demonstrate the research gaps in current information on motivation and remuneration. There are arguments for and against the idea that employee motivation is enhanced through remuneration. Taylor discussed the theory of motivation within his Scientific Management model. Within this model, the term maximum prosperity is key when understanding his suggested link between motivation and money. Taylor (1998) argues that the interest of both the company and the employee are maximum prosperity and in order to create wealth for the company, a worker must be given what he most wants high wages. When a business provides maximum prosperity for employees, the employee will not only become motivated through remuneration, but the process will result in the development of each man to his state of maximum efficiency which will in turn create an affluent firm. (Taylor 1998, p.1.) Lawler (1971, p128.) supports Taylors theory as he believes that individual incentive plans typically lead to substantial increases in productivity. Although it could be argued that some research shows that job performance can be improved through remuneration, the significance of motivation cannot be assumed. (Kelly, 1982). A main drawback for money being the sole motivator is that the scientific management theory had an overly simplified view of motivation (Taylor 2003, p.5.) only focusing on one aspect of motivation the tangible benefits given to employees. It also does not take into account other intrinsic factors that could be improving motivation within any studies. Despite Taylors argument, there is much literature that documents the findings that money is not a motivator. It is clear that employers benefit from a motivated work force, and it is therefore important to provide the correct methods of motivation to employees. Saunders (2003, p.75.) argues that the benefits that people want depend on their individual circumstances. Management Today have reviewed that it is time for companies to circum to the realisation that money is no longer an effective way of motivating a workforce (Management Today, 2003). People are now motivated by less easily defined needs than money, such as psychological work factors. Saunders explains how once basic money needs are satisfied, they act as little motivation for the majority of a work force. Employees gain more satisfaction and motivation from intrinsic benefits such as job satisfaction, enjoyment and feeling part of a social group. These factors are not only beneficial to employees, but are welcomed by com panies as they are cheap in comparison to economic incentives. Saunders also believes that managers would be better off investing time in employees in order to get the bases of the psychological benefits in place rather than investing in monetary rewards (Saunders, 2003). The Chartered Management Institute conducted The Business Energy Survey:2005 in which they examined motivation levels within organisations, and what factors are most influential in motivating staff. Their key findings were that professional and individual development are much higher level motivators than money and financial rewards to employees. The most highly ranked motivation factor was a sense of purpose in work in contrast to one of the lowest ranking factors being performance related rewards and incentives. Cook and Jackson (2005) conclude that intrinsic rewards such as challenge and sense of achievement outweigh factors such as remuneration and financial rewards when trying to motivate employees. Many elements of these arguments are also included in theorist models. Models of Motivation There are many concepts surrounding motivation in the workplace. Motivation theories and models such as Herzbergs Two Factor Theory and Maslows Hierarchy of Needs give a greater insight into the factors which encourage motivation. Maslow turned attention away from economic benefits and to the human nature and the psychological side of motivation. According to Maslow human motivation is a complex matter governed as it is by a hierarchy of needs(Bennaars 1993, p.81). A further insight into motivation is evident in Maslows Hierarchy of Needs model. Maslows model has been a widely used paradigm in business (Maslow 1987, p.12). Maslow used a framework in which needs are arranged in stages, in order of importance often documented as a pyramid of needs. Basic needs were described as physiological needs. Leavitt (1988, p.20) describes these physiological needs as the the starting point for motivation. When relating to Maslows intended use for the motivation theory human psychology, they are needs such as hunger, thirst, shelter and a need for oxygen. In theory, laws will protect employees from the lack of these and ensure that in the workplace, physiological needs are satisfied through legislation such as Health and Safety at Work Act (1974). If these basic needs are not satisfied however, then more advanced needs would become irrelevant as desire for psychological needs would dominate. The next stage within the motivation pyramid is safety needs which are concerned with safety, job security, and the need for order. It is evident that people prefer a safe, orderly, predictable, organized world (Steers and Porter 1991, p.201) which can be related to the workplace. Once this has been satisfied, the next motivator is love needs. These needs are associated to social interaction and can be satisfied through cohesive work groups, friendly supervision, and professional associations. The next need to be satisfied after love would be esteem. People within our society have a desire for a stable, firmly based, high evaluation of themselves for self respect (Maslow 1964, p.183). Steers and Porter (1991) describe how when relating esteem needs to organisational factors, they would translate as achieving social recognition, having a impressive job title and working within a high status job. The final stage of the model is self actualisation. This is concerned with the self development and realisation of ones potential. The rewards of this would be growth, progression and creativeness through a demanding job and achievement within an organisation. Leavitt (1988, p.28.) described this as achieving the desire to become everything that one is capable of becoming. Once a lower need is satisfied, it no longer acts a motivator and therefore employees will strive to be motivated by the next level (Mullins, 2007). Management Todays Andrew Saunders is an advocate for the Maslow Theory and claims that his theory remains watertight despite the model being over 60 years old (Saunders 2003, p.75 ). A clear drawback for relating Maslows Hierarchy of Needs to motivation in the workplace is that his research and theories were not originally intended for use within a corporate environment. We therefore rely on assumptions of interpretations of his model. After further research, Wahba and Bridgewell (1976, pp.212-140) found no clear evidence for Maslows proposition except with regard to self-actualization. Herzbergs Two Factor Theory is based upon the idea that there are two aspects which have an influence upon motivation hygiene factors and motivator factors. Hygiene factors must be in place in organisational environments for the prevention of dissatisfaction(Herzberg 1993, p.16). These factors include environmental motivators such as salary, working conditions, job security and interpersonal relationships. Herzberg goes onto describe how the second factor, motivator factors, are the aspects that motivate employees. These factors include psychological rewards such as a sense of achievement, recognition, responsibility and personal growth. It is argued that companies emphasis should be on the strengthening of motivatorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ hygiene is not enough (Herzberg 1993, p.132). In effect, this raises the issue that remuneration is in fact an element that could dissatisfy employees if it is not present, and that money rewards and payment is not enough to motivate employees alone. Critics of Herzbergs model claim that the theory only applies to unskilled, repetitive jobs and the methodology of collecting results and interpreting the data, resulted in bias findings (Mullins, 2007). Despite the criticisms of the theory has had a considerable effect on the rewards and remuneration packages offered by corporations (Crainer and Dearlove 2001. p. 361) Similarities can be drawn from reviewing Herzberg and Maslows models of motivation. Neither model uses remuneration as a high level motivator. Herzberg argues that salary is a hygiene factor and will de-motivate employees if it is not present. Pay therefore does have a correlation between motivation and job satisfaction but is not a key element in achieving high levels of employee motivation as growth factors are more influential. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs also has remuneration as a basic need in which pay is necessary in order to prevent dissatisfaction and motivates at lower levels in the short term but is not a high level motivator once satisfied. There is a distinct lack of academic sources, information and research relating to motivation within public sector work forces. It is important to consider that managing people continues to be essential to performance in public organisations. It is argued that in the public sector, there is a conflict between employees fulfilling organisational goals, and employees fulfilling their right to self-expression. This possibly decreases motivation in the workplace (Kearney and Berman 1999, p.2). My research would be beneficial in order to see if public sector workers have separate motivational factors to private sector workers. To summarise, is it clear that money is an ambiguous subject in the discussion of motivation. It is considered within many theories, however it can be argued that to what extent and how important it is depends upon employees personal circumstances and the other satisfactions they derive from work. (Mullins 2007, p255). The main problems with the current literature are that they often focus solely on one area of motivation extrinsic motivation or intrinsic motivation. Theories also contradict each other and make it difficult to derive a definitive answer as to when/if/how money motivates and to what extent. Further research is necessary in order to discover if money is an influential motivational factor in all sectors within the workplace. Research Design In order to solve the research problem effectively and gain the correct information for analysis it is important to choose between a quantitative research method and qualitative. Qualitative research is used to investigate attitudes, beliefs and experiences whereas quantitative research will generate statistics and numerical information (Dawson, 2006). As this research proposal wishes to explore to what extent employees are motivated by money, a qualitative approach would produce the most effective data. It is proposed to conduct two case studies on employees within a private business (Stockport Removals) and employees working within the public sector (NHS staff). Interviews will be used as the method of gathering data on to the extent which remuneration effects employee motivation in the public and private sector. 10 employees from each organisation will take part in the research. This figure has been taken as resources do not allow the entire business population to be interviewed although multiple interviews need to take place to ensure reliability of results. I will use a semi structured interview technique as I wish to gain specific information and ask certain questions to every interviewee whilst allowing room for elaboration on certain topics. This will allow me to gain a more in depth insight into the employees views and analyse data effectively. I can then evaluate responses of employees working in the public sector in comparison to employees working with the private employees to draw conclusions. This style has been chosen as an unstructured interview would collect lots of irrelevant data which would then make data analysis difficult to conduct. A structured interview would produce quantitative data which is not relevant to the research problem as motivation is such a personal, emotive subject. Asking open ended questions will help to gain an insight into employees feelings and beliefs and therefore quantitative data methods would not be functional. Appendix 1 shows the interview structure to be used. These questions are mainly open ended and allow for the interviewee to give a more in depth and personal account of motivation. The initial question allows the researcher to establish if the candidate is motivated in their current working position. This is essential as if they are not motivated in their work, then they will not be able to give full explanation as to what motivates them in their current role. The second question explores the factors that motivate the employee aside from motivation. This question aims to see if members of the organisations are motivated by intrinsic factors when disregarding payment schemes. This is important in order to establish the main aim of to what extent motivation is related to remuneration. Question four and five on the interview schedule (Appendix 1) help to evaluate the current motivational theories and models already published (Maslow and Herzberg) and see if the interviewees feel that the areas and factors within them are relevant to their personal motivation. This may also help issues arise that are not covered within the models in the literature. Further questions include topics on intrinsic motivation. It is important to establish to what extent interviewees are motivated by intrinsic factors in order to compare with the extrinsic factor of motivation. If candidates are more motivated by intrinsic factors such as praise and recognition then they may be less motivated by financial payments. Question eight asks whether the company values motivate the employee. This is an essential question in order to establish the difference between motivational factors in the public sector and the private sector. The final questions help to establish whether motivation changes with the length of services as some literature states that members may initially enter a career for remuneration factors but are motivated by different intrinsic factors once established in the role. Appendix 1s interview questions help to establish the extent to which motivation is influenced by remuneration, and evaluate the current strategies that are used for motivation (eg Maslow and Herzberg) for effectiveness. This will help to see if there are any other main factors in aiding motivation. To ensure that the interviews are consistent and structure, I will develop an interview schedule detailing the topics and questions to be covered (Appendix 1). This will ensure that I have no leading questions and will prevent interviewees from digressing from the topic area. It will help to add focus to the interviewer. Questions will be asked such as what makes you feel motivated at work using elements of theories to explain points and gain an insight into whether employees are motivated by extrinsic or intrinsic factors. A tape recorder will be used in order to collect the data whilst enabling eye contact and positive body language to be maintained with the interviewee. It is important that the method of recording does not alter the rapport I build with the interviewee as some methods can make the subject feel uncomfortable. Recording the interview will make data analysis easier as the interaction between researcher and interviewee can be recorded and analysed at a later date. (Dawson, 2006). I will however, have to ensure that equipment is operational as relying on technology can often result in mishaps. Interviewees may also become nervous of the tape recorder thus producing an emotional barrier. In order to overcome any potential problems with the methods of recording data I may take some notes of important topics and points drawn through research throughout the interview. This will produce a backup in case there are technical difficulties and data is omitted. Ensuring eye contact is kept with the interviewee is essential to keep them engaged and to prevent an interpersonal barrier. In order to conduct interviews, research candidates must be chosen. Sampling is required as it is unrealistic and impractical to interview all members of staff within the organisations that have agreed to participate in the study. The sample chosen needs to be large enough to create reliable results using the resources available and give a representation of all members of staff at that specific level in the hierarchy. In order to make a sample from the business population I will use a probability sampling method called stratified sampling. This will involve dividing the population (of the organisations) into groups based upon characteristics. The key characteristics of the employees I wish to interview are; they must be working on a permanent basis, at a non managerial level, working for remuneration. The advantage of stratified sampling is that it will ensure that results are representative of the people within the whole of the criteria population. Despite stratified sampling being used, resources do not allow us to interview all of the people that fit the sample criteria, as this would be 20 people within the private sector business and 32 within the public sector organisation. This uneven sample size would result in inaccurate data being retrieved. Sample sizes should be the same in order to make truthful comparisons. Simple random sampling could then be used in order to narrow down the interviewees further. This method means that each member of the current population has an equal chance of being chosen (Bryman and Bell, 2007). This can be used as employees within the remaining population already fit the characteristic required of the research project. All employees within the sample will be on the same level of the hierarchy and managers will not be included in the study in order to ensure that there is little sample error as peoples motivation may change as they are promoted up the hierarchy. Rapport is a type of relationship in which trust and mutual respect is built. During data collection it is argued that building a rapport is essential in order to encourage the interviewee to participate in the interview and feel relaxed to give quality answers (Bryman and Bell, 2007). Through conducting research, Toma (2000) found that rapport helped to give interview candidates more of an understanding of the question and enhanced the relevance and quality of answers. I will try to build rapport by delivering questions and avoiding the use of jargon so the research subject does not feel uneasy or intimidated by language used. I will also maintain eye contact and ensure that candidates know that the questions are for research purposes and will not affect their employment positions or be forwarded to managers or senior members of staff. Anthropologist Roslie Wax (1971) as cited in Marshall and Rossman (2011) highlighted the importance of establishing a relationship with the research study subjects and used methods to demonstrate flexibility and trust between researcher and interviewee. It is, however, possible to have too much rapport as well as too little (Seidman, 1998) in order to achieve accurate non bias results therefore I will try to strike a balance between these roles. Data Analysis Once data is collected, to effectively identify the extent to which remuneration has an impact on employee motivation and evaluate if current motivational strategies in literature are contributory factors to motivation in the workplace, the findings from data collection and research will be analyzed. Based on this analysis, conclusions can be made as to whether money is a motivator and recommendations can be made as to how to motivate employees to improve productivity and job satisfaction. It is important to have a planned strategy in place to analyze findings as leaving all the data collected to the end will make analysis more difficult as it can be over facing and the researcher may loose track of the themes and findings within each interview. Maxwell (2005) argues that an effective qualitative researcher will instigate data analysis after each interview. During this research process data analysis will be an ongoing method throughout both the data collection process and as a final assembly at the end of data collection. Analysis will not be left purely to content analysis after collection. In order to continually analyze the data collected, interview summary forms will be used for data analysis at the end of each interview (Appendix 2). Appendix 2, is based upon the model of Dawson (2006, p113). These forms help researchers gain a firmer understanding of the responses and aid knowledge when trying to draw on final conclusions. Heinrich (1984) used a similar method when conducting his research project on biological data. He analysed data on the same day as collection and believed that this helped to track progress and built up the data analysis through the collection. Analysis on interview summary forms from early interviews may result in topics and issues arising that were not foreseen. This will then allow the researcher to analyse this information and include it in the next subsequent interviews in order to receive the most in depth and relevant information possible. Qualitative data analysis is an individual process and different researchers may derive different conclusions from the same information (Dawson 2005, p.111). In order to ensure relevant information is analysed, content analysis will be used at the end of the data collection process. This will help to reflect on the interview summary forms and use the data collected in order to make sense of the information. In order to analyse the data, coding will be used. Coding is analysis through segmenting and reassembling of the data, aiming to transform the data into conclusions and understanding (Boeije 2009, p.94.). The initial stage in content analysis is gaining understanding of the documentation created (interview summary forms) and data collected. All documentation will be reread and the tape recorded interviews will be listened to in order to recap on the research conducted and gain a firm perceptive of the research data. The question, research problem and objectives should be reread in order to maintain focus on answering the research proposal and drawing relevant information. Through listening to the tape recordings and reading the documentation, notes can be made to draw out frequently occuring topics. This is the segmentation of the data (a concept within open coding) by looking for themes that derive from the interviews. I will highlight important topics and be aware of the frequency of words, phrases or incidents that the candidates discuss. The topics that are uncovered can then be used in comparison with current motivational theories such as Maslows Hierarchy of Needs and Herzbergs Two Factor Theory in order to see if our research shows a similar link between remuneration and motivation findings. The research findings may contradict or support a particular theory within literature and the research hopes to draw conclusions to clarify effective motivational factors. This is being conducted in order to overcome the conflicting literature. It is also important to check that the sample has achieved sufficient relevant research responses. If analysis doesnt uncover relevant responses to the aim of the research proposal then further sampling and research may need to be carried out. Uncovering themes or codes can then help to draw upon findings and aid in the effective analysis of data. Anticipated Problems There are problems and risks that can be anticipated when conducting research with people and within companies. Firstly, the research method must be correct. As we are using a semi structured interview, the disadvantages of this method need to be highlighted. The main disadvantage of this interview technique is the time that it takes to conduct and the data analysis. Data analysis can be difficult due to the extent of the responses within each interview question. Relevant information must be sifted out ensuring that no interviewer bias is added. This could also cause problems with the organisation as the opportunity costs of the time it takes to interview employees must be taken into account. Whilst employees are conducting the research interview, they are not carrying out their employment tasks and responsibilities which could cause friction between the employee, employer and the researcher. Displeasing the employer could have detrimental effects on the interview process as this could result in bias information or termination of the research project all together. This should be avoided by ensuring the employers are made fully aware of the intensions of the interview and that the interviews will be conducted as time efficiently as possible. A further concern would be that the organisations could influence employees answers by briefing them to ensure they do not reveal certain information about the company. This would also bias results and not capture employees in a comfortable position to open up. This will be avoided by choosing employees at random and ensuring that organisations are aware that the information found will not be publicized in order to scrutinize the brand or image of the business. The drawback of researching with private sector employees from one company and public sector employees from one organisation is that they may not be representative of the entire population of workers within each sector. If this surfaced as a problem, then one could increase the sample size to research further into different sizes and types of public and private sector businesses. The sample size needs to be large enough to get enough relevant data as the larger the sample, the more accurate the data is of the population. However, it is unrealistic to choose the whole population of private and public sector workers as there would be too much information which would then be difficult to code and analyse. The sample size needs to be manageable to prevent information over load and ensure that the topic is at the heart of the data found. This problem had been overcome by using a sample size of 10 employees within each organisation being researched. During the interview process, there will be a conscious effort to ensure that no barriers will impact on the reliability and validity of the findings. Physical barriers will be avoided by allowing the interviewee to have the interview conducted where they feel most comfortable. Psychological barriers will be avoided by ensuring that interviewees are not overloaded with information and jargon isnt used for they feel relaxed. Avoiding these barriers will aid effective communication and ensure that rapport is built between researcher and interview candidate. This rapport will help interviewees to open up and give detailed and accurate information on the personal topic of motivation. Ethical Considerations When conducting research with the public, ethical issues can often arise. There are many factors to take into account in order to ensure no harm is done to the organisation, the participants are employed by the organisation and myself as the researcher. Firstly, the research will be conducted overtly as all participants will be informed of the purpose of the research and no form of under cover observation will be conducted. I will ensure that all members of the participating sample give full consent to taking part and will provide a Code of Ethics in order to document how the information will be used, and how they will be protected. Privacy, confidentiality and anonymity is essential during this research proposal as it is preferred that the candidates feel at ease and open about their feelings on the subject. I believe that if participants feel that the information they

East Timor Crisis :: essays research papers

East Timor was ruled by Portugal for about 17 centuries. During World War I, hundreds of East Timorese lost their lives helping Australia forces fight against the Japanese. East Timor was then invaded by Indonesia shortly after Portugal suddenly left in 1975, this was the day after U.S. President Ford’s visit to Indonesia, with what people have suspected as being a green light to invade. At that time, Indonesia had military, economic and political support from countries such as UK, USA and Australia, for various reasons including the oil and gas reserves, a strategic location, various trade and cheap labour related interests. 100,000,000,000 people are said to have been killed since 1975, on third of the entire East Timorese population. Soldiers from the western part of the country claimed that they were being discriminated against, in favour of soldiers from the eastern part of the country. There has also been tension between the military and the police force, comprised of more westerners and even former members of the Indonesian military. 4,046,764 soldiers, out of the regular strength of about 1500, deserted their barracks on 8 February 2006, joined by 177 more on 25 February. The soldiers were ordered to return in March, but refused, and were fired. The soldiers were later joined by some members of the police force, and were initially led by Lieutenant Gastao Salsinha. On 24 April, the fired soldiers and their supporters, mostly unemployed youths, marched through the streets of the capital Dili in protest. The initially peaceful march turned violent when the soldiers attacked a market run by people from the east of the country. The protests continued over the next several days, until on 28 April the former soldiers clashed with military forces, who fired on the crowd. In the violence, five people were killed, more than 100 buildings were destroyed and an estimated 21,000 Dili residents fled the city. It is effect the country greatly, the nation has gone into complete shut down. The crisis has had an impact on the political landscape of East Timor. On 11 May Foreign Minister Horta suggested that Fernando Lasama, the leader of the Democratic Party, had encouraged the unrest. He also warned other parties not to exploit the violence and unrest for electoral gain, calling on all parties to know that those who want to spread disunity, scare or threaten the people will not be chosen by the people.

romantic love :: essays research papers

I choose to describe the putative relationship between Adam and Caroline in the movie â€Å"Untamed Heart†. It starts off with Caroline in a just ending relationship where she is hung up on the guy that left her. Her friends call her on it and help her refrain from trying to repair it. This guy Adam is a hard working, quiet, shy, very shy especially around Caroline, because he has a serious infatuation about her. Every thing she does he studies. In the beginning of the movie it starts out that he has a deep infatuation with her. He even follows her home without her even knowing, until one day she was almost getting raped, and he saved her because of his infatuation for her. She bandaged him up in her woman caring way and he couldn’t even speak. He just stares at her with a blank look. He has analyzed all of her properties and likes his infatuation of her.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In Nozick’s Chapter â€Å"Love Bond† he describes what romantic love is and what it is not. I thought this would be a good movie to relate it to because it’s a romantic love story, about a guy that has a serious infatuation of creating a we with Caroline, who is played by Marissa Tomei. Christian Slater plays the guy Adam. For the remainder of this essay I will refer to them by Adam and Caroline. I reinforce my view that Adam has an infatuation or crush on Caroline because he’s always thinking of her, watching her when she doesn’t know. He’s just daydreaming of the we he would like to create with Caroline. This relates to the way Nozick said, â€Å"Love, romantic love, is wanting to form a we with that particular person, feeling, or perhaps wanting, that particular person to be the right one for you to form a we with, and also wanting the other to feel the same way about you.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The guys that tried to rape her obviously had an infatuation with her, for her characteristics only, her looks. Which turned out to be very unhealthy, but gave Adam his chance to prove his love for Caroline. He rescues her then takes her home to her house. She learns of his infatuation of her after this, which seemed to spook her but she knew it was in a sincere caring way. But I mean following her home, and it took him awhile to get the courage to save her from being raped exposing his infatuation.

Bodegas Caballe – an International Recruitment Excersise

Case Study 2: Bodegas Caballe – An International Recruitment Exercise Bodegas Caballe – An International Recruitment Exercise Dear Mr. Caballe, Dear Bodegas Caballe Selection Committee, First of all we would like to thank you for putting trustfulness in our work as newcomers in your company Bodegas Caballe. After considering the commissioning letter and the four reports we have analysed them carefully to make a reasonable choice, who is the most suitable applicant. We established the following criteria to select the best applicant for your company: Nationality, marital status, current employer and position, reason for leaving, expected salary, educational background, language skills, professional background, further information and interview assessment. We have ranked each applicant from 1 to 4 in all criteria. On top of that we have evaluated the importance of each criterion for your company. Based on this we have multiplied the ranking with the quantifier. So in the end the best possible result is 1, while 4 is the worst case. In the following section you will find the explanations for the weighting of the criteria. We evaluated the nationality and the marital status as least important, because these criteria have no significance about an applicant’s qualities. The criterion â€Å"Reason for leaving† has more importance, due to the fact that based on this point general working attitudes can be assessed early and possible problems in business relationships can be foreseen. However this should not be the most decisive factor in comparison to other criteria. Your company proposes a yearly salary of $45000 – $60000. Therefore we quantified this criterion less important, because no applicant exceeds this limit significantly. The educational background has more relevance because it offers a first sight on the applicant’s knowledge. Hence, this criterion has middle weight importance for the assessment of the applicants. The further given information and the applicants’ interview outcome are of equal importance, because they indicate more information about the applicants’ personalities and characteristics. The language skills are of crucial importance. In consequence of your expansion to Central Europe and especially Poland, we expect good communication qualities in English and Polish. The current employer and position of the applicant is weighted as a significant factor. With the aid of this information you can tell if the applicants are able to represent the company and if they have sufficient abilities in the fields of coordination and management. The most essential criterion is â€Å"Professional background†. It describes working experience, market knowledge and external relationships that are of high relevance for the applicant’s position at Bodegas Caballe. Ranking chart The chart below shows the above mentioned criteria and their weighting-quantifier. Furthermore you can see the applicants ranking for each criterion in detail. The lowest row â€Å"Total result† shows the overall ranking. Criterion |Quantifier |Boleslaw |Maria |Sergei |Stanislaw | |Nationality |2,50% |1 |2 |4 |3 | |Marital status |2,50% |4 |2 |3 |1 | |Employer & position |15,00% |2 |4 |3 |1 | |Reason for leaving |5,00% |4 |2 |3 |1 | |Salary |7,50% |4 |2 |1 |3 | |Education |10,00% |3 |2 |1 |4 | |Language skills 12,50% |1 |2 |3 |4 | |Professional background |25,00% |4 |2 |3 |1 | |Further information |10,00% |3 |2 |4 |1 | |Interview assessment |10,00% |1 |3 |4 |2 | |Total result |100,00% |2,75 |2,4 |2,875 |1,975 | Discussion of applicants The results of our assessment show a great tendency towards Stanislaw Michalski. Maria de la Garriga is ranked second with an average score of 2. 4. The third position is held by Boleslaw Piasecki with a total result of 2. 75. The least qualified applicant with a score of 2. 875 is Sergei Nikitin. In the following sections each applicant will be discussed separately. We have an overall negative impression of Sergei Nikitin. He seems to be very dissatisfied with his current employer and showed unsuitable behaviour during the interview. Although he has a good educational background and experience as a sales representative that should qualify him to realize the expansion plans in Central Europe, his company does not want him as the manager of the sales team. So there must be a reason in his attitude or work that makes him less suitable for such an important position. He has the lowest expectations of salary with $45000, however his plans to move to the United States and his American working mentality do not fit into your company. Furthermore, his language skills are not optimal for a position in Central Europe and Poland. The third ranked applicant Boleslaw Piasecki has the best language skills among the four applicants and he made a good impression during the interview your company held with him. His current employer Torum Hotel and Restaurant and his position as the Manager of Catering Services and Purchasing seem to be rather fitting for Bodegas Caballe at first sight. But his rankings in the other criteria are mostly 3s and 4s. His reason for leaving indicates that he has very high expectations of compensations from his company. Therefore he wants to earn $65000 per year, which is above your limit of $60000. On top of that he demands commission, car and expenses from Bodegas Caballe. Especially his previous education and professional background as a priest and Ph. D. in history do not lead to choosing him, because it is rather unusual for the business world. The further information given on Boleslaw shows that he has overbearing manners and irregular working attitude. Maria de la Garriga is ranked second in almost every criterion, which would be a generally good choice. Her experience and position at the University of Cracow show that she did not work in the sales of wine and spirits for the last 10 years. But during the interview she made clear that she wants move into selling, because she is tired of the academic world. Her nervousness and little signs of arrogance appear as character weaknesses that may result in problems when entering a new market and establishing business relationships. Apart from that she has good qualities in various fields. She is capable of leading projects and has achieved great management skills in her position. For example she provided other universities with training programs. Her language skills of Spanish, Russian, English and Polish and her degree in Foreign Literature and Languages are suitable for the central European region. She expects a salary of $55000 per year, which is in your proposed range of $45000 – $60000. Moreover, she established good contacts with major retailers during her activities at the University. As stated above our preferred applicant for the position as the Sales Representative is Stanislaw Michalski. Although his educational background (High-school leaving certificate) as well as his language skills are not impressive, he has reached a high position on the career ladder and seems to enjoy a quite good reputation in the market. He started with merchandising, stocking and ordering, moved into buying as Assistant Buyer and is currently the Head Buyer of alcoholic beverages. This implicates that he has been always loyal towards his company. His reason for leaving Intersection Hypermarkets is perfect for Bodegas Caballe. He wants to move to Poland together with his wife and his four kids, which indicates that family is of high importance for him. His expected salary of $60000 for this position is also your proposed limit, which should definitely not be a reason for refusal. The extended information you provided on Stanislaw makes a great impression of his character and personality. He is involved into different cultural, ethic and public organisations, which shows that he can take over responsibility and reliability. He has great knowledge of and interest in Poland, so he will have no problems communicating and working in Poland. The evaluations and recommendations stated above should only be regarded as an advice for your final decision. Depending on how the different criteria are weighted, some deviations may occur. Nevertheless we think that either Stanislaw Michalski or Maria de la Garriga are the most suitable applicants for your company and the position offered, because both applicants convince due to their skills and attitude.

British Parliamentary

British parliamentary The British Parliamentary Debate Format Robert Trapp, Willamette University Yang Ge, Dalian Nationalities University A debate format consists of a description of the teams in the debate and the order and times for the speeches that make up that debate. The British Parliamentary debate format[1] differs from many other formats because it involves four teams rather than two.Two teams, called the â€Å"First Proposition† and the â€Å"Second Proposition† teams, are charged with the responsibility of supporting the proposition while two other teams, â€Å"First Opposition† and â€Å"Second Opposition,† are charged with opposing it. Two speakers represent each of the four teams and each speaker gives a speech of seven minutes. The following chart describes the basic format and time limits. As you will see from the chart, each speaker is given a unique title. British Parliamentary Debate Format Speaker |Time | |Prime Minister |7 minutes | | 1st speaker for 1st proposition: | | |Leader of Opposition |7 minutes | |1st speaker for 1st opposition: | | |Deputy Prime Minister |7 minutes | |2nd speaker for 1st proposition: | | |Deputy Leader of Opposition |7 minutes | |2nd speaker for 1st opposition: | | |Member of Government |7 minutes | |1st speaker for 2nd proposition: | | |Member of Opposition |7 minutes | |1st speaker for 2nd opposition: | | |Government Whip |7 inutes | |2nd speaker for 2nd proposition: | | |Opposition Whip |7 minutes | |2nd speaker for 2nd opposition: | | As can be seen from the table above, the first four speeches are delivered by the First Proposition and the First Opposition teams then the last four speeches are delivered by the Second Proposition and Second Opposition teams. Therefore, the First Proposition and First Opposition teams generally are responsible for the first half of the debate and the Second Proposition and Second Opposition teams have the responsibility for the second half.The table above describes all of the formal speeches but it does not describe one of the most important and dynamic parts of the debate: points of information. Points of information provide opportunities for members of each team to interact with members of the teams defending the opposite side of the motion[2]. Points of information can be requested after the first minute of a speech and prior to the last minute of the speech. The first and last minute of each speech is â€Å"protected† against interruption. The point of information can last no more than fifteen seconds and may take the form of a question, a statement, or an argument. Only a debater defending the opposite side of the proposition as the speaker can request a point of information.In other words, the debaters for the proposition can request points of information of members of the opposition teams and vice versa. To request a point of information, a debater rises and politely says something like â€Å"point of information please,† or â€Å"on that point. † The debater giving the speech has the authority to accept or to refuse the request for a point of information. In general, debaters should accept a minimum of two points during their speech so that the judges and the audience will know they are able to answer points quickly and directly. Accepting more than one or two points is not advisable because to do so may have the effect of disrupting the speech.To refuse a point of information, the debater may say something like â€Å"No thank you† or â€Å"not at this time,† or may simply use a hand gesture to indicate the person should take return to their seat. If the request for a point of information is accepted, the person who has requested the point has a maximum of fifteen seconds to make the point. As stated earlier, the point can be a question, a statement, or an argument. Sometimes points of information are made to force an opponent to clarify a position but more commo nly, they are made to attempt to undermine an argument being made by the speaker. After accepting a point of information, the speaker should answer the question directly.The person offering the point of information is not allowed to follow-up with additional questions. Points of information are among the most important and most interesting parts of British Parliamentary debate because they introduce an element of spontaneity to the debate and give each debater the chance to demonstrate critical thinking skills. Although points of information are a common occurrence in every speech in the debate, each speech contains elements that are unique to that speech. The following table explains the basic responsibilities of each speaker in British Parliamentary debate. Following the table is a fuller explanation of the responsibilities of each speech. Speaker Responsibilities for British Parliamentary Debate Speaker |Speaker Responsibilities | |Prime Minister |Defines and interprets the moti on | |1st speaker for 1st proposition: |Develops the case for the proposition | |Leader of Opposition |Accepts the definition of the motion | |1st speaker for 1st opposition: |Refutes the case of the 1st proposition | | |Constructs one or more arguments against the Prime Minister’s interpretation of the | | |motion. |Deputy Prime Minister |Refutes the case of the 1st opposition | |2nd speaker for 1st proposition: |Rebuilds the case of the 1st proposition | | |May add new arguments to the case of the 1st proposition | |Deputy Leader of Opposition 2nd speaker for 1st |Continues refutation of case of 1st proposition | |opposition: |Rebuilds arguments of the 1st opposition | | |May add new arguments to the case of the 1st opposition | |Member of Government |Defends the general direction and case of the 1st proposition | |1st speaker for 2nd proposition: |Continues refutation of 1st opposition team | | |Develops a new argument that is different from but consistent with the case o f the | | |1st proposition (sometimes called an extension). | |Member of Opposition |Defends the general direction taken by the 1st opposition. |1st speaker for 2nd opposition: |Continues general refutation of 1st proposition case | | |Provides more specific refutation of 2nd opposition | | |Provides new opposition arguments | |Government Whip |Summarizes the entire debate from the point of view of the proposition, defending the| |2nd speaker for 2nd proposition: |general view point of both proposition teams with a special eye toward the case of | | |the 2nd proposition | | |Does not provide new arguments. |Opposition Whip |Summarizes the entire debate from the point of view of the opposition, defending the | |2nd speaker for 2nd opposition: |general view point of both opposition teams with a special eye toward the case of the| | |2nd opposition | | |Does not provide new arguments. | The following sections briefly describe the speeches given by each of the eight speakers listed in the previous table. These are very brief descriptions that will be expanded in later chapters. Prime Minister The debate begins with a seven-minute speech by the Prime Minister.The Prime Minister has two basic responsibilities: to define and interpret the motion and to develop the case for the proposition. The first of these responsibilities is to define and interpret the motion for debate. The definition and interpretation is particularly important because it sets the stage for the entire debate. Remember, the Prime Minster has the right to define the motion and the responsibility to do so in a reasonable fashion. Therefore, if the Prime Minister’s interpretation is a poor one, the likely result will be a poor debate. In order to properly define and interpret the proposition, the Prime Minster should do the following: 1)Define any ambiguous terms in the proposition. )Show how these definitions are reasonable ones. 3)Outline a model that will be used by all teams in advancing the debate. More will be said about these three points in Chapter 5 on constructing a case for the proposition. The second responsibility of the Prime Minister is to construct a case for the proposition. Simply stated, a â€Å"case† consists of one or more arguments supporting the Prime Minister’s interpretation of the motion. Therefore, the Prime Minister will outline the arguments supporting the interpretation and begin to develop each of those arguments. The Prime Minister need not present all of the arguments for the First Proposition team.In many cases, the Prime Minister will state that the First Proposition team will have a certain number of arguments and that some will be presented in this speech and the Deputy Prime Minister will present the rest. Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition has three primary responsibilities: to accept the definition and interpretation of the proposition, to refute part or all of the Prime Minister’s case, an d to present one or more arguments in opposition to the Prime Minister’s interpretation of the motion. First, in most ordinary situations, the Leader of the Opposition should explicitly accept the definition and interpretation of the motion as presented by the Prime Minister.In extraordinary cases, when the definition is completely unreasonable as to preclude meaningful debate, the Leader of the Opposition has the right to reject the definition. The problem with rejecting the definition is that such an action will ultimately lead to a very bad debate and the First Opposition team likely will get the blame. Therefore, even in the event of an unreasonable definition, the Leader of the Opposition should point out to the judge and the audience that the definition and interpretation presented by the Prime Minister is unreasonable and then should go ahead and accept the definition for the purposes of the current debate.Second, the Leader of the Opposition should refute part or all of the Prime Minister’s arguments for the motion. Because of the limits of time, the Leader of Opposition cannot reasonably expect to refute all of the Prime Minister’s arguments. The proper goal is to select and refute the most important arguments presented by the Prime Minister. Finally, the Leader of the Opposition should present one, two, or three arguments directed against the Prime Minister’s interpretation of the motion. These arguments are different from those arguments offered in refutation. They should consist of the most persuasive reasons that the Leader of the Opposition can present to convince the audience to reject the proposition. Deputy Prime MinisterThe Deputy Prime Minister has three primary obligations: to defend the case presented by the Prime Minister, to refute any independent arguments presented by the Leader of the Opposition, and to add one or more arguments to the case presented by the Prime Minister. First, the Deputy Prime Minister d efends the case presented by the Prime Minister by engaging any refutation presented against the case by the Leader of the Opposition. This task needs to be accomplished in a very systematic fashion. The Deputy should take up the Prime Minister’s argument one by one and defend each argument against any refutation by the Leader of the Opposition. Thus, at the end of this section of the Deputy’s speech, the audience should see that the case originally presented by the Prime Minister still stands as strongly as it did when initially presented.Second, the Deputy Prime Minister should refute any of the independent argument presented by the Leader of the Opposition. Like the Leader of Opposition, the Deputy should not try to refute all arguments, just the most important ones. Finally, the Deputy Prime Minster should add one or two arguments to the case presented by the Prime Minister. The reasons for adding new arguments in this speech are two-fold: First, the Prime Minister may not have had adequate time to develop all of the arguments that the First Proposition team wishes to present and second, presenting these additional arguments gives the judges and audience a way to judge the ability of the Deputy Prime Minister with respect to the ability to construct arguments. Deputy Leader of the OppositionThe duties of the Deputy Leader of the Opposition are similar to those of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Deputy Leader should 1) defend the refutation offered by the Leader of Opposition, 2) defend the arguments offered by the Leader of the Opposition, and 3) add one or more new arguments to those being offered by the First Proposition team. First, the Deputy Leader should defend the refutation offered by the Leader of the Opposition. The Deputy Prime Minister will have engaged the refutation presented by the Leader of Opposition. At this time, the Deputy Leader needs to show that the original refutation is still sound. Second, the Deputy Leader should def end the arguments presented by the Leader of the Opposition.The task of the Deputy Leader is to make sure that these arguments still stand firm in the mind of the judges and audience. To do so, the Deputy leader needs to consider each argument one by one, engage any refutation offered by the Deputy Prime Minister, and therefore rebuild each argument. Third, the Deputy Leader should present one or more arguments against the proposition. These arguments can be similar to those arguments raised by the Leader of the Opposition, yet they should be new ones to give the judges and audience the ability to judge the Deputy Leader’s argument construction skills. Member of Government The Member of Government initiates the second half of the debate.The Member of Government needs to defend the general direction taken by the First Proposition team but needs to offer a new perspective from the Second Proposition team. In other words, the Member of Government needs to defend the thesis of th e First Proposition team while doing so for different reasons. The obligations of the Member of Government can be summarized as follows: 1) Defend the general perspective of the First Proposition team, 2) Continue refuting arguments made by the First Opposition team, 3) Develop one or more new arguments that are different from but consistent with the case offered by the First Proposition team. The first responsibility of the Member of the Government is to defend the general direction of the debate as started by the First Proposition team.In so doing, the Member of Government demonstrates a sense of loyalty to the other debaters defending the proposition. This part of the Member’s speech is important but need not be time consuming. One or two minutes devoted to this aspect of the speech will probably be sufficient. Second, the Member of Government should continue refuting arguments made by the First Opposition team. The Member of Government should not use the same refutation a s provided by debaters of the First Proposition team, but should introduce new points of refutation unique to the Second Government team. To the extent possible, the refutation should focus on the arguments presented by the Deputy Leader of the Proposition.Finally, the Member of Government should develop one or more arguments that are different from but consistent with the arguments offered by the Prime Minister. These new arguments sometimes are referred to as an â€Å"extension. † This extension is one of the most important elements of the Member of Government’s case as it provides an opportunity to distinguish the Second Proposition team from the First Proposition while simultaneously remaining consistent with their overall approach. Member of Opposition The Member of Opposition begins the second half of the debate for the Opposition side. Like the Second Proposition team, the goal of the Second Opposition team is to remain consistent with the First Opposition team while presenting a unique perspective of their own. To accomplish this goal, theMember of Opposition needs to fulfill three obligations: 1) Defend the general direction taken by the First Opposition team, 2) Continue the refutation of the case as presented by the First Proposition, 3) Provide more specific refutation of the arguments introduced by the Member of Government, and 4) Present one or more new arguments that are consistent with, yet different from, those presented by the First Opposition team. First, the Member of Opposition should defend the general perspective taken by the First Opposition team. This need not be a time-consuming enterprise, but the Member of Opposition should make clear that the Second Opposition team is being loyal to the arguments of the First Opposition team.Second, the Member of Opposition should briefly continue the refutation of the case presented by the First Proposition team. Again, this continued refutation should be brief and should involve new points of refutation not yet considered by members of the First Opposition team. Third, the Member of Opposition should present more specific refutation of the arguments introduced by the Member of Government. Refutation of the Member of Government’s arguments is an important task because these are completely new arguments supporting the proposition side and have not yet been joined by the opposition side. Finally, the Member of Opposition should present an extension—an argument consistent with, yet different from that presented by the First Opposition team.Like the Government’s extension, this is an important responsibility of the Member of Opposition because it allows the Second Opposition team to show its loyalty to the First Opposition team while clearly differentiating themselves form the First Opposition. Government Whip The whip speakers for both teams have the responsibility to close the debate for their respective sides. The Government Whip should acco mplish three goals: 1) Refute the extension offered by the Member of Opposition, 2) Defend the extension offered by the Member of Government, and 3) Summarize the debate from the perspective of the Proposition side. The first responsibility of the Government Whip is to refute the extension offered by the Member of Opposition. This extension has yet to be discussed by the Proposition team and doing so is an important responsibility of the Government Whip.Second, the Government Whip should defend the extension offered by the Member of Government. The Member of Government’s extension is a very important party of the Second Government’s case and in all likelihood has been refuted by the Member of Opposition. Therefore, defending this extension is an important responsibility of the Government Whip. The final, and perhaps most important responsibility of the Government Whip is to summarize the debate from the perspective of the Proposition side. The summary may be accomplish ed in a number of ways. One of the most effective ways is to identify the most crucial issues in the debate and discuss how each side has dealt with each.The summary should, of course, be made from their side’s perspective while being and appearing to be fair-minded. Similarly, the summary should be fair to the First Proposition team but should focus on the arguments pursued by the Second Proposition team. Opposition Whip The responsibilities of the Opposition Whip are almost identical to those of the Government Whip except they are accomplished from the perspective of the Opposition side rather than from the Proposition side. Again, the Opposition Whip should 1) Refute the extension offered by the Member of Government, 2) Defend the extension offered by the Member of Opposition, and 3) Summarize the debate from the perspective of the Opposition side.The details of this speech are exactly like those of the previous speech except that they focus on the Opposition side of the d ebate rather than the Proposition side. Once again, the primary goal of this speech is to summarize the debate from the perspective of the Opposition side, particularly from the point of view of the Second Opposition team. This summary should fairly support the Opposition side of the debate while focusing on the accomplishments of the Second Opposition team. Summary This then is the basic format of British Parliamentary debating: four teams of two persons each engage one another through a series of seven-minute speeches interspersed by points of information.The teams from each side attempt to maintain loyalty with one another while simultaneously demonstrating the unique qualities of their own arguments. Much has been introduced here that was not fully developed. Later chapters will further explore issues only mentioned here, issues such as case construction, opposition arguments, points of information, refutation and many others. ——————â₠¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ [1] British Parliamentary debate sometimes is referred to as Worlds-style debate or simply four-team debate. [2] The topic for the debate is called the motion, proposition, resolution, or sometimes just the debate topic. All of these words are used interchangeably.