An Individual Detailed Analysis on the Style, Editing Techniques Mise-En-Scene and Cinematography in the Film “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”

An individual detailed analysis on the style, editing techniques Mise-en-scene and cinematography in the film â€Å"Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind†. Michael Gondry’s Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind (2004) is not your typical Hollywood rom-com. Its cinematic style is very original and by far out of the ordinary for its genre. The use of techniques and the way the film is produced is the reason why it is so memorable. The non-linear narrative is based around a middle-aged guy who falls in love with a woman, who, after a while into their relationship decides to erase every single memory and feeling towards him.The story is told in flashbacks that slowly reveal the time and space the couple spent together and all the events that made up their relationship. Silvey states that â€Å"The innovative use of narrative, mise en scene, cinematography, editing and the soundtrack in the film all serve to convey the tenderness, confusion, miscommunication, pain and hope that accompany romantic endeavours. † [SILVEY 2009: 139]. I will be discussing and critically analyzing the exact same concepts as above in my argument and how they contribute to such a stylistic storyline. I will also be comparing techniques used in this film to such ones in other films.Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind is a mind-blowing story about a man called Joel Barish who finds himself in a life-changing situation when he accidentally discovers that his long-term girlfriend, Clementine Kruczynski has undergone a brain procedure which erases someone from the mind, in this case clementine erases Joel from her memory, leaving her with no memories what so ever of him. He decides the best way to cure his broken heart is to undergo the same process and erase Clementine for good. But as his memory loss commences he finds himself trapped in his own memories, watching them as they disappear.Half way through he realizes he no longer wants to erase Clementine and tries his ver y best to keep hold of his living memories. The style of editing in Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind is undoubtedly the most recognizable aspect that separates this film from a ‘normal' love story. It has the typical love narrative moments but the way it is pieced together with its innovative narrative style is what puts it at a whole new level of originality. The film begins just like any other straightforward storyline would, but as the film continues it becomes clear to the audience that it is a non-linear narrative.For the first couple of scenes the film doesn't give away any signs that it is beginning with the end of the film as their are no use of flashbacks or unusual techniques involved, but when Joel goes to sleep you realize that he is watching himself in his own dream, like he is having a flashback of himself talking to his neighbour about valentines day just hours after he had gone to sleep. He seems anxious and uncomfortable with the topic of conversation, es pecially when his neighbour mentions Clementine’s name.This is the point where you start to realize that the film is possibly in a non-linear narrative as his neighbour mentioned Clementine being Joel's girlfriend but the audience have only seen the couple together as friends and at the start of their friendship. From then on the film is told in flashbacks from the memory of Joel Barish' mind as he makes the decision to have the same procedure as Clementine did. As he watches his memories of Clementine fade away he realizes he is still in love with her and no longer wants to erase her so he tries everything he can to stop the procedure and keep the memories alive.The story of Joel and Clementine is then told through Joel’s memory erasing but it feels as if the story is being told backwards as each memory fades away. Objects, locations and people just disappear in front of Joel’s and the audience’s eyes. The editing in the film makes the storyline more com plex then it actually is. As Silvey writes â€Å"It plays a crucial part in the construction of the circular narrative† [SILVEY 2009: 1]. The misleading techniques used when Joel’s memories start to disappear give the audience an understanding of the confusion and frustration that Joel is going through.There are plenty of examples of continuity editing in Eternal sunshine, both temporal and spatial are used. Discontinuity is used throughout the memory erasing scenes with the deliberate use of ellipsis as Joel relives his memories in flashbacks. Some of the shots from Joel’s memories are put together in a montage edit; this is another example of discontinuity editing. There are multiple uses of crosscutting in the film, which is when there are a series of shots that keep cutting back and forth from one shot to another shot, this occurs in a lot of the flashback scenes.Also there are several jump cuts, which brakes the †continuity edit† as in order to achieve a smooth and non-noticeable cut from one shot to another the camera must move 30 degrees or more to attain the continuity in the movement of shots. But a jump cut is deliberately shot without using the 30-degree rule. Therefore when you put the shots together they make a â€Å"jump† affect and it brakes up the continuity of the edit. In this case, Gondry intentionally directed the crosscutting and jump cuts in order to express Joel’s reactions to the procedure.At the beginning of the film the editing picks up a rhythm and runs smoothly, giving a perfect example of continuity editing, but as the film goes on it begins to switch between continuity and discontinuity as the edit balances out the changes between reality and the distorted memories. There are a variety of editing techniques that are used in the film, the use of Jump cuts, fast paced scenes and the different varieties of camera angels give a real sense of Joel’s life. The purpose of the variatio n and different techniques is to deliver the feelings of emotion, confusing, frustration and regret that Joel is experiencing in his memory loss.The memory erasing begins with Joel’s most recent memory spent with Clementine; it then works its way backwards ending with his memory of when he very first met Clementine. There are slight uses of special effects in each memory loss scene as everything in the memory disappears. Joel is watching all the objects and people around him dissolve in front of his eyes. Some scenes are sped up in the edit and some are slowed down and certain shots are reversed. The use of light and sound are two main sources that build up the scenes to make them look as if Joel is experiencing something out of the ordinary.When a memory of him and Clementine begins to be erased, it gets darker and there are spotlights that focus on Joel and Clementine. The sound is very disturbing and almost irritating but this is done on purpose to describe how frustrating the process is for the characters and how uncomfortable the experience is for Joel, just like it is for the audience to hear the sound and watch the fast cut scenes. The eye-line match technique is frequently used when Joel moves from one memory to another, as he is constantly moving from different events he has to re-focus and this is when the eye-line technique is used.The scene where Joel is chasing after Clementine in his car after they have an argument was a big give away to the non-linear structure as at the beginning of the film you see Joel approach his car in the morning where he notices the damage in which he then leaves a â€Å"thank you! † note on his neighbour’s car to suggest that his neighbour did it, but in actual fact it was Clementine who created the damage but due to his memory erasing he cant remember as this scene is actually the morning after his procedure. The structure of the edit in the car scene isn’t very straightforward and discontin uous, which may confuse viewers slightly.You see Joel climb into his car and reverse away from the bollard that Clementine parked up against, chasing after her in the car as she walks along the street alone. He then stops and follows after Clementine on foot but as he runs after her the tracking shot of him is slowed down and then confusingly he is no longer running towards her and ends up in front of his smashed car at the other end of the street that he parked it at. He stops in confusion and turns around to see Clementine walking the opposite direction, so he beings to follow her again.The cinematography in this scene is very realistic, it is hand held which would have been carried out with a stead-cam, Director of photography Ellen Kuras mentions in â€Å"forget me not† by John Pavlus what Gondry wanted â€Å"In one of the scenes, he wanted me to shake the camera so we could see it was a handheld effect in camera, as opposed to a locked-off superimposition effect or doub le exposure. † [PAVLUS 2004: 1] The movement of shots makes the scene more realistic rather then having static shots. The purpose of this is to make the audience feel they are involved in the scene rather then just sat there watching it.The style of cinematography in the film is very similar to the techniques that would be employed to produce a documentary. There is a lot of hand held camera work involved and the camera angles and shots have the documentary feel to them. The changes in focus are noticeable and in this case intentional as Gondry directs this style of camera work to give it that documentary feel. Use of pull-focus from one character to another is often seen in this film, for example Clementine is stood in the foreground and Joel is stood in the background as the camera pull-focuses from Clementine onto Joel.Particular shots are out of focus such as objects and people in front of Joel, the reason for this is to show the distortion and deterioration of Joelâ€℠¢s memory. Crane shots are used in the scene where Joel is left alone on the iced over lake, he is looking up at the sky whilst pleading for the procedure to end. This high long shot signifies how little Joel is compared to everything around him, and how impossible it is for him to call the procedure off by simply shouting into the sky. It also signifies how alone he feels, being left behind when everything around him is dying.As Corrigan says â€Å"In any film, from the most realistic to the most theatrical, there are specific properties of the mise-en-scene at which to direct your attention. † [CORRIGAN 2010: 54]. This quote from the book ‘A short guide to writing about film’ gives a precise example of the way the mise-en-scene contributes to this film. The mise-en-scene plays a big significance to the story and characters in eternal sunshine; the effort and thought put into the sets is so complex. The film relies on the imaginative use of mise-en-scene to unfo ld the story bit by bit.The thought behind this is to the balance between the real world of reality and the dream world. Although Joel is experiencing real life memories, he is also asleep, therefore all the random scenes which don’t completely make sense is the â€Å"dream world† balancing out with reality because in your dreams you experience real life situations but often with the occasional random events which lead to a completely different subject and it throws you off track. And that is exactly what Joel is experiencing whilst re-living his memories.The most memorable scenes and uses of mise-en-scene were the snowy beach scene where Joel and Clementine end up in their double bed together. This scene is so dream like with it being on a beach in the middle of winter, with snow covering every inch of the shore and just them two led there in their double bed in the middle of this isolated location is definitely something you wouldn’t come across on a normal da y, therefore it is another dream like situation and a very significant scene. The scene where Joel and Clementine rush into Dr. Howard Mierzwaik’s office is extremely surreal. It’s the type of thing that would pop up in a dream. The scene is dark and the only light is a shinning bright spotlight on positioned on each character. The camera is eye-lined positioned in front of Joel and Clementine following them into Dr. Mierzwaik’s office. This is an example of the use of an eye-match edit, when Joel reaches the office he looks at something off screen, then the shot changes to what he is looking at which is Dr. Mierzwaik sat at his desk.As Joel begins to discuss that he no longer wants the procedure to continue to Dr. Mierzwaik colleagues at the surgery appear and their facial features are non-existent. All you see is a plain face with nothing on it. Joel begins to freak out and you can understand the terror he is feeling. The darkness of the scene and the small co nfined room that it is set in provides the viewers with a sense of how Joel is feeling, a definite atmosphere of being trapped and the thought of knowing that there is no escaping the process.Every scene in this film is so detailed, built to its individuality and pieced together with such original editing techniques, which is why each scene is gratifying to watch because the amount of creativity that Gondry has put into it all. This film is very unpredictable; it goes from one scene to a completely different scene when you least expect it. As you sit and watch this movie you feel so engaged with the story and the characters and personally The reason behind this is all down to its style and filmic techniques.This quote by Timothy Corrigan illustrates this: â€Å"In a movie, it is the camera that eventually films a mise-en-scene: when you watch a movie, you see not only the settings, actors, lighting but all these elements as they are recorded and then projected. † [CORRIGAN 20 10: 61] what Corrigan is saying is that cinematic practices make the most integral contributions to the construction of a film and Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind serves as an exceptional example of this.BibliographyCORRIGAN, Timothy. 2010. A short guide to writing about film. Seventh Edition. New York. PAVLUS, John. 2004. â€Å"Forget me not†. American Cinematographer. [online] Available at: http://www. theasc. com/magazine/april04/cover/index. html [accessed 2010] SILVEY, Vivien. 2008. ‘Not your average love story: film techniques in Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind'. Screen education. [online] Available at: http://gateway. proquest. com/openurl? url_ver=Z39. 88-2004;res_dat=xri:iipa:;rft_dat=xri:iipa:article:fulltext:iipa00527918 [accessed 2010].

Demand and Supply for Money

DEMAND AND SUPPLY FOR MONEY – MACROECONOMICS REPORT DEMAND FOR MONEY * What is Demand for Money? The demand for money represents the desire of households and businesses to hold assets in a form that can be easily exchanged for goods and services. Spendability, or liquidity, is the key aspect of money that distinguishes it from other types of assets. For this reason, the demand for money is sometimes called the demand for liquidity. * Many factors influence our total demand for money balances. The four main factors are 1. the level of prices 2. the level of interest rates . the level of real national output (real GDP) 4. the pace of financial innovation * Three Reasons or Motives for a Large Demand of Money Economists have identified three primary motives for holding money: †¢ To settle transactions, since money is the medium of exchange. †¢ As a precautionary store of liquidity, in the event of unexpected need. †¢ To reduce the riskiness of a portfolio of assets by including some money in the portfolio, since the value of money is very stable compared with that of stocks, bonds, or real estate. * Transaction Motives Money is an essential element in order to have a purchasing power. * This is money used for the purchase of goods and services. The transactions demand for money is positively related to real incomes and inflation. As an individual's income rises or as prices in the shops increase, he will have to hold more cash to carry out his everyday transactions. The quantity of nominal money demand is therefore proportional to the price level in the economy. * The  transactions motive  for demanding money arises from the fact that most transactions involve an exchange of money.Because it is necessary to have money available for transactions, money will be demanded. The total number of transactions made in an economy tends to increase over time as income rises. Hence, as income or GDP rises, the  transactions demand  for money also rises. * The transactions motive for money demand results from the need for liquidity for day-to-day transactions in the near future. This need arises when income is received only occasionally (say once per month) in discrete amounts but expenditures occur continuously. Example: Households and firms hold money or demand money in order to conduct regular payments of goods and services they purchase from the market. * The households and firms hold money to pay for daily expenses such as food, clothing, transportation, and rentals. * In other words, people hold money for transactions purposes – hence the motive is for transaction. * Precautionary Motive * This is money held to cover unexpected  items of expenditure. As with the transactions demand for money, it is positively correlated with real incomes and inflation. People often demand money as a  precaution  against an uncertain future. Unexpected expenses, such as medical or car repair bills, often require  immediat e payment. The need to have money available in such situations is referred to as the  precautionary motive  for demanding money * People need to be financially secure in the future, especially in financing or paying for unforeseen events. * Example: Money is used for emergency expenses such as hospitalization, accidents, contingency funds for unidentified household or business expenses. * Speculative Motives This is money not held for transaction purposes but in place of other financial assets, usually because they are expected to fall in price. * People want to earn the highest possible income from their different investments. Hence, they hold money to invest into assets or business prospects that have a promising steady flow of returns or income. * It depends on the decisions of households and firms to hold other assets that are liquid and free risks of depreciation in terms of money. * People hold money to make profits or avoid possible losses when the opportunity in the fina ncial market comes. Example: If the bank interest rate is low, the amount of money held for speculative purposes is higher while it is lower if the interest rate is high since the interest rate is the ‘opportunity cost’ of holding cash. QUANTITY THEORY OF MONEY (QTM) It states that the level of prices in the economy is dependent on the amount or level of money circulating in the economy. * The level of prices in the economy is basically the inflation rate. It is the rate at which prices are increasing. * Inflation – refers to the increase in the general level of prices and therefore is the result of too much money circulating in the economy.What would happen if there is an increase in the supply of or too much money circulating in the economy? * There is a possibility that every actor in the economy has so much money and it is natural for them to purchase goods or even services in the economy. An increase in the demand of goods and services without accompanying i ncrease in the available supply will cause the equilibrium price in the economy increase. This premise can be clearly explained if we discuss the quantity theory of money. The Quantity Theory of Money can be expressed by the equation: MV=PYWhere: M= quantity of money or money supply V= velocity of money P= price level Y= aggregate output * PY can be interpreted as the market value of output of the economy or the national income or the GNP. * PY refers to the total income or expenditure for the economy’s final goods. Since it is the value of all final goods and services produced in the economy. It is simply regarded as the nation’s GDP. * From the given equation, velocity of money or V can be expressed as the ration of GNP and money supply. Let us take a look at this equation: V=PYM= GNPM For instance, GNP is equal to P300 B while the amount of money supply in the economy is P50 B then the velocity of money is equal to 6. V= GNPM= 30050=6 * This means that a peso was us ed six times that year to purchase goods and services. * It also being interpreted as the speed of money per year in the circulation. * The QTM assumes that the velocity of money (V) and aggregate output (Y) are fixed, or at least for simplicity purposes, we assume that these factors do not change (or do not change much) MV=PY As a result of the assumptions we made, changes in prices level (or the inflation level in the economy) is directly proportional to changes in money supply * It means that a percentage increase in the money supply will cause an equal percentage increase in the price level or will lead to inflation. THE COMPONENTS OF THE MONETARY STOCK There is a wide range of financial assets in any economy. * Money in the economy is not confined to be circulating paper, bills and coins and the reserved money in the vaults of banks. * Money has many forms which comprises the monetary stock or the money supply in the economy.However, the question is, which part of these is call ed as or being considered as money? * The following table shows the classification of the monetary stock or the money supply. Definition of Money| Components| M1| Currency + Checking Deposits + traveler’s Check + other checkable deposits such as NOW and ATS| M2| M1 + Savings and Small Denomination Time Deposits + Money – Market Mutual Funds| M3| M2 + Large Denomination time Deposits + Repurchase Agreements| L| M3 + liquid assets such as securities (i. e. Treasury Bills), Bankers? Acceptances, Commercial Paper| M1 comprises claims that are liquid. This refers to claims that can be used directly, instantly, and without restrictions to make payments. It consists of items used as medium of exchange. * M2 includes in addition, claims that are not instantly liquid, those that may require notice to depository institution or banks. * M3 includes items that are held primarily by large corporations and wealthy individuals. * L consists of several liquid assets that are close sub stitutes for money. MAIN FEATURES OF THE COMPONENTS OF THE MONETARY STOCK Liquid Low interest earnings Less Liquid High interest earnings It should be noted that from M1 to L, the monetary stock is becoming liquid. M1 is directly used for transactions and L is less liquid and cannot be directly used for transactions purposes. * However, the trade-off is that if the individual hold more M1 than L, the individual is forgoing potential interest earnings from L. the L is being offered at a higher interest rate as compared to the M1. * In general, if you hold more M1, you are very liquid yet you earn little. On the other hand, if you hold more L, you find it very difficult to conduct day-to-day transactions yet you are earning much.Basic Concepts in Definitions * Currency * It refers to coins and bills (paper money) in circulation. * Checking Deposits * Accounts that grant a depositor the right to write checks to individuals, firms, or the government. This component is used in order to a void carrying large amount of money. * This particular component can be considered as money because checks are accepted as for of payments or exchange. * Traveler? s Check * It includes checks issued by non-banks such as American Express 8checks issued by banks are not checking deposits).It is usually used by travelers and tourists, since personal checks are not acceptable in other territories. Therefore, traveler? s check is generally accepted as payment in different territories. Negotiable Order of Withdrawals * A check is invented by thrift institutions as a way getting around the prohibitions of having checking accounts. It is almost same function as travelers check. * Automatic Transfers from Savings Accounts (ATS) * When deposit holders keep money in savings account, the bank automatically transfers from the savings account to the checking account when payment has to be made.This method is usually for bank to bank or institutional transactions. All commercial banks offer this service where savings account can be transferred to other forms of financial assets such as checks or current account (e. g. Land Bank ATS and Metro Bank ATS) * Savings Deposits * Deposits at banks that are not transferable by checks and are often recorded in a separate passbook or ATM (Automated Teller Machine) card kept by the depositor. * Time Deposits * These are the accounts in a bank which require certain maturity date. * Money Market Mutual Funds Interest-earning checkable deposits in financial intermediaries that raise funds by selling shares to individual savers and invest in short-term assets. In addition, these are built-in in all commercial banks such as the BPI Mutual Funds and PNB Mutual Funds * Repurchase Agreements * These are transactions in which bank borrows from a non-bank customer * The bank sells a security today and promise to buy it back at a fixed price tomorrow (that is why it is repurchase) * In that way, the bank gets to use the amount borrowed for a day * Liquid Assets These are assets that can be easily converted into cash such as stocks, cash on hand, cash in banks and accounts receivable- * Treasury Bills * Securities that are issued by the government that have certain maturity date. For instance, the Philippine Government treasury bills (such as the Centennial Treasury Bills). * Banker? s Acceptance * These are orders to pay specific amount at a specific time. This concept usually arises from future date and guaranteed by a bank that stamps it as accepted. * Commercial Paper * It refers to a liquid short term debt instrument issued by private corporations.

Reward or punishment Essay

â€Å"The right to life and dignity are the most important of all human rights and this must be demonstrated by the state in everything that it does, including the way it punishes criminals.† – Justice Arthur Chaskalson. The death penalty is considered, â€Å"the legal† punishment for a criminal. Although the death penalty has been used for many years, the thought of it continues to bring shivers down the back of most of society. Even though there has been an abundant of debates whether it should be abolished or not, citizens do not really know the facts behind it. Most of the society assumes that the death penalty is less expensive than life in jail without parole. United States citizens believe that this punishment will eliminate any revenge thoughts and therefore increase public safety. Being a factor of death, it should not be taken as lightly as it has been. Although sentencing the death penalty may seem the proportional punishment to a brutal crime, it is n ot a good alternative, because the cost of execution hurts our economy, it lacks closure for victims, and it violates the U. S. Constitution. Most of society assumes that the death penalty is less expensive than to keep a criminal in jail for life. Little did they know that it actually costs the U.S. less for a criminal to live in prison than to be executed. According to Dellapiana author of â€Å"Should We Put the Death Penalty on the Chopping Block?† not only is there cost for pre-trials, trials and courts but there is â€Å"additional costs amounting to $4.2 Million per death penalty† (Dellapiana 1). It is high priced because â€Å"the consequences or error and procedural unfairness are magnified when life is in the balance; thus, courts have imposed astringent due process protections.† (Dellapiana 1) Being in really tough economic times, wasting all that money on the death penalty seems inappropriate. All that money wasted on murdering someone, could might as well be used somewhere else in a productive manner. Dieter believes and states â€Å"the death penalty in the U.S. is an enormously expensive and wasteful program with no clear benefits. All of the studies on the cost of capital punishment conclude it is much more expensive than asystem with life sentences as the maximum penalty.† (Dieter 2). The money accumulated to be used in the death penalty is desperately needed in other important programs. For example, â€Å"In Florida, the courts have lost 10% of their funding, with another cut expected, as home foreclosures accelerated. Philadelphia is leaving 200 pol ice positions unfilled. In New Hampshire, civil and criminal jury trials were halted for a month to save money; in one county, 77 criminal trials were delayed for up to six months.† (Dieter 12). Clearly showing the United States is greatly affected by the death penalty. By the absence of the money needed for jobs, it has been forced to cut jobs strongly needed to protect society. As it can be seen, all the money spent on the death penalty is crucially affecting the economy. The process of following through the death penalty is lengthy; an entire appeal process can take more than 15 years before executions take place and in some cases it never goes through. â€Å"Sentences or convictions can be reversed, defendants may die of natural causes or suicide, governors occasionally grant clemency, and entire statutes can be overturned by the courts.† (Dieter 28). Meaning, most of the sentences don’t result in an execution, which only consumed an exaggerated amount of money when the process is over. Not only is the appeal high priced, pre-trials and trials only add much more money to the high amount already accumulated. Instead of finding a more appropriate approach, so ciety spends millions of dollars into a system that doesn’t produce results. Although many citizens do believe the death penalty is effective, they also believe the price is worth it. â€Å"This is because life is invaluable; there is no amount of money or prison that could equal it† (Roberts –Cady 3). Taking away their freedom is a way of restraining their moral behavior in society. â€Å"Because the wrongdoers had unfairly gained an extra measure of freedom from moral restraint, the natural way to restore a fair balance is to reduce the protection he ordinarily would have gained through moral restraints on the conduct of others. By treating the wrongdoer in what is ordinarily a forbidden way, we strip away part of the protection that moral restraints on behavior would ordinarily have afforded him. Thus, we remove precisely the sort of advantages he has gained.† (Roberts- Cady 3). A punishment is supposed to make the criminal reflect on their wrongdoing and get them on the right path. But why give the criminal the easy way out. Although many citizens believe in the saying â€Å"an eye for an  eye†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the death penalty does not necessarily bring closure to the victims’ family. â€Å"Because of the extensive constitutional due process requirements in deat h penalty litigation, trials are lengthy, and appeals can go on for decades, for families of victims, there is no closure.†(Dellapiana 5). Life sentencing with no parole is a much faster process and ensures closure to the victims’ family. For most of the victims’ families, the death penalty is a â€Å"punishment that is justified because it is a reward [or an easy way out] for wrongdoing† (Roberts – Cady 2). Not only does it lack closure to the victims’ families but it isn’t morally acceptable. This is because â€Å"if life has unconditional, incomparable worth, then we cannot and should not compare the worth of one person’s life with that of another† (Roberts-Cady 4).Taking the life of the murderer will not be the same as taking the life of the victim. For example, taking the murder’s life by injection can’t be brutally equivalent to taking the life of the victim. Some citizens believe the death penalty as punishment does provide closure. Many families consider this as closure because the murder has been killed. But as Roberts –Cady states â€Å"Taking the murders life cannot be said to be even roughly equivalent to taking the life of the victim.à ¢â‚¬  (Roberts- Cady 4) If it is not equivalent why not let them suffer in prison. Although life is the biggest blessing one could ever have, many criminals prefer death rather than to get life sentenced. So why give them what they prefer? And, who are the judges to decide who deserves to live and who deserves to die? Although many citizens believe the death penalty is a logical punishment, it violates the United States Constitution. The death penalty goes against the Eight Amendment in which it states it â€Å"prohibits the use of cruel and unusual or excessive punishment.† Thus, this amendment protects the criminal from receiving a punishment that can be considered comparable to the pain caused to the victim. The death penalty easily violates this amendment because it is cruel and unusual punishment since the result is death. Not only does it violate the United States Constitution it also violates the Declaration of Independence which says â€Å"All men are created equal†. It also violates this because of the discrimination by the judges and courts. An example is in case DeLuna v. The State of Texas (1986). In this prejudiced case, Carlos DeLuna was an American Hispanic who was put to death even though he was innocent. DeLuna was convicted of murdering a convenience store clerk,  Lopez. Although all assumptions pointed towards DeLuna, he was innocent. DeLuna repeatedly stated his innocence and stated the real killer was Carlos Hernandez. The judge discriminated him for being Hispanic, neglected to listen to his statements, nonetheless he claim ed â€Å"calling Hernandez a â€Å"phantom† and â€Å"figment of DeLuna’s imagination.† After being wrongfully executed, a professor and five of his students opened the case causing questions to rise and evidence to be found. The re-opening of this case showed tampering evidence. Hernandez already had a criminal record for being a repeatedly violent offender and known for slashing women. As the case was ongoing, police tampered the evidence. For example, as the investigation was occurring â€Å"the police said they couldn’t find a â€Å"Carlos Hernandez† [with a criminal record] despite his long rap sheet.† There was also a bloody foot print outside the store which was never processed. The judge was influenced by his ethnicity and appearance. He looked like the criminal, therefore for the judge, he was the criminal. Nor the judge or the court gave DeLuna the opportunity to prove himself innocent. Many people don’t categorize the death penalty as cruel and usual punishment; therefore, it does not violate the Eight Amendment. According to the dictionary, cruelty means causing somebody to feel pain or suffer. The Eight Amendment does not specify if emotion is part of this law. Death penalty should not be used to punish our society. It has been clearly explained how the death penalty is ineffective. A serious impact will continue to be seen throughout the United States economy if the death penalty is not abolished. It would take years for victims’ families to find the peace needed for closure. Death penalty does not only violate the U.S., but it violates The Declaration of Independence as well. As stated, it is proven the death penalty is not a good punishment but an easy way out therefore â€Å"Our country will never gain peace if we are killing our own citizens.†

William O'Douglas' (The Black Silence of Fear), Essay

William O'Douglas' (The Black Silence of Fear), - Essay Example In this enlightening document, he points out how intolerance and arrogance play major roles where the minorities are concerned, suppressing them still further into a corner of oblivion. However, O’Douglas believes that if a person has to fully understand and apprehend its meaning, he has to leave his own country and lose himself in the dark regions, and absorb himself in the trials and tribulations of other civilizations. He feels that after this is carried out and when the person comes back to his own country, he would definitely be shocked at the intolerance and arrogance exhibited by the leaders who hold public office, the press and the general attitude of the Americans towards their Asian counterparts. He would also understand that thoughts were becoming standardized, ideas limited, discussions narrowed because minds have become closed. According to O’Douglas, the very thought of it, is rather disturbing especially when one loves his country. He believes that the ph ilosophy of strength brought about through free speech, is being replaced with the philosophy of fear due to repression. The author takes the example of the Soviet society when Russia was ruled by Lenin. During that time ministers and officials were allowed to debate and come out with new ideas or criticism, but once a final decision was taken, there was no question whatsoever, of either disagreement or dissension. However, in the case of Stalin’s rule, the system of control remained totally under his custody and there was absolutely no question of free speech nor action. O’Douglas believes that America too is moving in the same direction and closely resembles the Soviet society because of the intolerance and arrogance it exhibits towards the developing and underdeveloped countries like Asia. He drives this point home when he says that the Asians identify the Americans not by freedom but by guns. Therefore, the fear mounts as the Soviet imperialism expands and while th e free world contracts without putting up a fight. Communism within the country is another manifestation of inherent fear among the people, as its glories are being magnified and exalted beyond all reality. Fanning the flames of fear are some irresponsible people, especially those at the helm of affairs. Suspicion has been substituted for the goodwill of people, while character assassination has become the norm of the day. Innocent acts now bear the stamp of disloyalty. In O’Douglas’ opinion, the days when we could bravely debate, challenge, question or present our thoughts, ideas or even solutions to problems are gone because no one is permitted to enjoy such freedom. The author once again points to Soviet Russia’s policy and strongly feels that America is closely following in its footsteps and therefore the resemblance between America and Russia becomes all the more evident. According to O’Douglas, orthodoxy has gained popularity due to the rising growt h of suspicion, because orthodoxy seems to be the safest bet that supports Communism. When suspicion mounts, there is no question of trust. This is the reason why there is competition for embracing orthodoxy because those who follow the path of unorthodoxy would always remain suspect. People who do not adhere to the military policy makers become suspect. All those who stand up and oppose are called ‘subversive’. People who are honest and truthful are suppressed and pushed aside. All these forces fan fear and encourage it to run rampant. Shedding light on our present way of thinking and reacting, O’

Management - Change Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Management - Change Management - Essay Example The restaurant’s menu is designed to meet all taste and the purchasing power of the customers. The company has been a global operator and its experience in the market and well-established services make the company market structure moral stable. From the large number of the customers who feed in the restaurant every day and well management of the funds the company financial situation is extremely stable. In order to meet the competition in the industry, Cafe de Coral Company has commenced planning, leading and implementing management changes needed to improve effectiveness and performance. Change Management Change management is never a choice between technologies, organizational or employee oriented solutions, but it involves combinations for best strategies designed to produce results. Hughes (2006, P. 180) indicates that the future scenarios are dynamic as they depend on the company’s abilities to manage them properly. According to Kam and Ming (2006, P. 217), the effe ctive and progressive management of change can assist in shaping a future that will better the enterprise’s survival prospects. The managers and companies operating in public or private will continue to be evaluated depending on their capability to manage change efficiently. Cafe de Coral Company has a larger global market place that has been made smaller due to the enhanced technologies and competition from abroad. Hughes (2006, P. 129) claim that Companies should note that planned change management is not impossible, but it is difficult. The significant point is that change management is an ongoing process, and it is incorrect to think that visionary Cafe de Coral Company can be reached in a highly programmed way. The growth of the company from the local operator to a global operator it shows the company is a different from what it was ten years ago. Kam and Ming (2006, P. 217) indicate that the company has developed strategies that have assisted in responding to competitiv e pressures so that it can transform the company. The Cafe de Coral Company has tried to manage and organize it human and technical resources in order to respond promptly to issues they encounter. The company has achieved the change of taste and preferences of client via harnessing the analytical skills and imagination of all company personnel to improve and introduce new products and services. Various factors have contributed to positive and negative changes in the Cafe de Coral Company. The significant change has transformed both internal and external situation of the company that was initiated due to the discomfort with the status quo. The change of Cafe de Coral led to changes in the internal organization and difficulty of operations in the company. The company noticed there was a gap between the set target and actual result in terms of market share and employee productivity. Therefore, there was a need for the company to reduce the gap and handle the forces of change. Adamson ( 2005, P.358) claim that the Cafe de Coral competitive strategy, and leadership shape has contributed a lot in the change of preference and the taste of the product and services. Meanwhile, the Cafe de Coral wanted to meet the employees’ needs and values that made them change their policies. For instance, it introduced attractive financial incentives that motivated employees and provided autonomy at work to attract and retain its effective employees.

Distributed systems and cloud computing Coursework

Distributed systems and cloud computing - Coursework Example buted and cloud computing to meet the requirements of the Agency, keeping in view the main issues includes: the security, cost, scalability, and extensibility. The document focuses on the system architecture components include, but are not limited to the operating system, client interfaces and data storage required to successfully implement the requisite system for the Letting Agency. After thorough analysis and keeping in view the Agency’s situation and considering the advantages and disadvantages of both solutions i-e SOAP based web services and RESTful web services, the recommended design solution is based on SOAP. Finally, the document presents key features of the proposed system design keeping in view the main issues of the Letting Agency and the breakdown of the system component (Coulouris, Dollimore, Kingberg and Blair, 2012). As the ‘Letting Agency’ deals with the trading of the property containing confidential information, therefore, the Agency has allowed accessing the system from the internal network only. This causes a problem that even the employees cannot access the system from any public network. The Agency is facing many problems due to the inconveniences for storing and accessing information from the premises of the customers or public network. In order to solve the problem, the Agency decided to implement web services solution based on the distributed and cloud computing. Currently, there are two (2) main solutions based on the distributed and cloud computing includes: the Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) based web services and Representational State Transfer (REST) web services. Each of the web services solutions has its own pros and cons, constraints and limitations. One of the main deliberations required to be considered while designing the solution is the issues pertaining to the agency’s scenario. The issues of the Letting Agency regarding the development of the system include, but are not limited to the scalability of the

Research and Development Skills Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Research and Development Skills - Essay Example Poor image classification leads to poor study results. The research aims at ascertaining the principle behind image classification and as well as focussing on higher achievements to be made with regard to factual findings on the same. The main problems associated with image classification, is the failure to ascertain and clearly present picture. Considerable progress has been made in the 21st century with the development of artificial satellites. This has progressively improved the research on earth observation and environmental The development on image classification has been brought about with regard to research groups like Silicon Valley, NASA Research Centre, GTE and others leading to the development of Fourier transform techniques bringing about notable enhancement with classification of imagery data. This brings about the concept of research enhancement to considerably bring to record other spatial and planetary data needed to make out new findings. With regard to ethical issues, the research ensures adherence to the set ethical standards set with respect to electromagnetic properties researches. The search for perfect data should not deceive through data alteration, circumvention of existing laws and the transgression of reasonable and legitimate expectation of

Ethnographic and Community Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethnographic and Community Analysis - Essay Example However, with the changing nature of the world, education has become a prime reason for which people move from one place to other. Owing to this aspect, cultural and ethnic diversity can be apparently observed to be prevailing in educational institutions (Parvis 120-130). In order to depict their specific identity and main cultural heritage, students in educational institutions form clubs based on culture or ethnicity. The Saudi Students Club (SSC) is one of amid those cultural clubs which exist in various educational institutions. It has been noted that the mission and the vision of the club in Boise State University (BSU) is to promote knowledge along with awareness of culture and historical significance of Saudi Arabia. The sole aim of the group is to remove cultural and ethnic barrier between students from Saudi and students belonging to other community within the university (3Boise State University, â€Å"Enjoy Saudi Culture at Sept. 27 Celebration†). THESIS STATEMENT The principle intent of the paper is to analyze SSC at Boise State University (BSU). Contextually, the paper would present the sameness and the differences that exist between the members of the groups. This would be performed through practical understanding and research. THE SAUDI STUDENTS CLUB (SSC) IN BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY (BSU) As mentioned earlier, almost every university has clubs based on diverse culture or nationality. The Saudi Students Club (SSC) is quite common in this regard in various universities. Usually, these groups aim at promoting the interest and the welfare of the richness of culture and history of Saudi Arabia. Other cultural groups also set similar kind of objectives for their existence. The SSC in various universities also seemed to be inclined towards ensuring formation of greater affiliation amid the students and the faculties. In this regard, the group strongly believes that by forming greater association between the students and the faculties, the students o f Saudi and others belonging to diverse culture along with community can develop their overall performance and career by a considerable level. Apart from that, such cultural and ethnic groups also work towards maintaining understanding between two nations which further impacts beneficially on the welfare of overall community of the university. Correspondingly, the SSC of BSU also depicts their presence with similar kind of objectives. It has been noted that out of 579 international students in BSU, 262 of them are from Saudi Arabia. This aspect depicts the strong presence of Saudi students in the university. The SSC of BSU intends to develop an environment within the university wherein people from different cultures can recognize and respect each other’s culture and ethnicity. Contextually, the group celebrates Independence Day of Saudi Arabia, observe the festival of Eid within the institute and organize various other cultural events wherein each and every member of the univ ersity is heartily welcomed and their valuable ideas are greatly valued. Notably, the group also assists the newly joined Saudi students in the university every year by helping them to get acquainted with the prevailing atmosphere of the university and ensures a better future by forming greater association between them and BSU. In precise, it can be stated that the SSC in BSU intends to develop a strong affiliation between the Saudi students and students of other community in the same campus. The main principle of the club is to assist new and existing students of Saudi community so that they could be able to reap significant benefits both socially and academically. This aspect might permit the Saudi students to succeed in their academic career by a certain degree. Ahmad Almotairi, the President of the SSC

Contextual Analysis of Rodney Graham's Halcion Sleep Term Paper

Contextual Analysis of Rodney Graham's Halcion Sleep - Term Paper Example The pill has been presented as the leap from the societal pressures that an individual takes to escape the pressures of society, which is certainly inappropriate for him. In the film Halcion Sleep, Rodney Graham has been filmed on the backseat of a car in the state of unconscious due to the dose of drug. The whole film is a sequence of Graham’s journey in an unconscious or sub-conscious state from the room of the motel, where he has consumed the drug, to his apartment in the center of Vancouver city. In the film, the city lights and life of Vancouver is being focused through the rear windshield of the car. The total length of the film is twenty six minutes in which the journey of sleeping Graham has been presented; however, the production of the film is contained with deeper interpretations which will be explicated in the following paper (Graham 0:01-26:21). Halcion Sleep is metaphoric representation of the average human individuals who bears significant and severe societal pr essures to survive in the society. ... Although these problems are diverse and multilateral in nature, but it can be categorized in multiple dimensions from which the pressure on individuals builds up. The most significant and grave problems, which develop pressure in individuals are social problems which are further correlated with political problems (Sterba 103-114). The political structure of a society determines the quality of life, economic conditions and stability and individual’s status and roles in a society. These determinations are necessarily coupled with several responsibilities for each individual to survive in the society. In the traditional or modern, that is capitalist system, systems, every individual cannot be pertained to be considered on similar grounds. These grounds are being measured in terms of social economic status of individuals. As this dissimilarity among the individuals of society is developed, the society becomes divided into classes in which individuals belonging to lower or middle c lasses are pertained to struggle more than the higher economic class. These struggles are largely focused on the acquisition of better economic status by which there social status can be raised (Sterba 120-126). These striving life of individuals make them mentally fatigued and pressurized due to the political and social structure of the society. It is the class difference, which inevitably creates the divide in individuals of the society. It is because of the class difference, there is status divide and with this discrimination, individuals are brought to mental and physical pressures. Life’s struggle which is actually futile in a sense has to be made by each member of the society, because the society sets a tradition that every man is part of this competition. Consequentially the

Child Language Acquisition Essay Example for Free

Child Language Acquisition Essay Linguistically, both of these infants are at different stages of their language development. The lexical choices made by each child can show what stage they are at in developing their language and applying it to situations and conversations. Sophies use of the word Bissie, meaning biscuit shows that she hasnt quite been able to pronounce the sound therefore makes an alternative word up that sounds similar, that is understandable by the childs carer/parent, but is easier to say than biscuit. Other lexical choices Sophie uses, tend to be commanding words, such as me want No. As the child is young, she realises to get what she wants; she has to ask for it and by using the commanding words, she is airing the fact that she wants something to her parent/carer. According to Hallidays functions, this language is regulatory, as well as being instrumental. She is controlling the behaviour of others (telling Fran that she doesnt want to tidy the dolls house) and she is obtaining material needs (wanting a biscuit). Katharine has grasped the concept of pronouns. She uses the personal pronoun I to refer to herself Now Ill do Jason, and she can even use we as the collective term for her and her mum together We do Jason again shall we? Sophies sentences have basic structure to them, as she voices what she needs to say, in the simplest way to say it. They are quite short, and to the point. Her language acquisition is at the stage where she knows how to communicate, speak and use words in a simple sentence to voice what she wants. Mary come me, meaning Can Mary come and play with me, is a very simple form of the sentence, but still communicates to her mum what she wants to do. She uses me instead of I to refer to herself. This confusion of pronoun usage is common among young children. Some of the words she uses, she omits the prefixes of the sounds, such as nother instead of another. This makes it easier to say, and shortens what she says. Katharine on the other hand, who is involved in an activity, is communicating with her mum using more structured sentences. Her mum is constantly questioning what she is doing (Skinners theory of reinforcement and imitation (response)) Wheres his body? then Katharine replies; Deres his legs, touching his mouf. The pronunciation of the words isnt as important as the fact that she is constructing sentences and answering questions herself. A word such as there has a consonant cluster at the beginning which is hard to say for young children, therefore they change the pronunciation, so it still sounds like there but is easier to pronounce. She understood the question her mum was asking, and actually understood it was a question, maybe because of the intonation her mum wouldve had in her voice. This shows that she is capable enough with language to turn take, in a small conversation with her mum, talking about a subject/activity. This shows that her language acquisition is slightly more advanced than Sophies, as Sophie doesnt turn take, she doesnt answer questions either, she asks them and is at the stage of using why as a questioning word. Sophies conversation with her mum doesnt flow like Katharines, it is full of statements and commands rather than a question answer structure. Turn taking is apparent in both these conversations as the parents are initiating the conversation and getting the children to talk, causing no interruptions. Sophies utterance lengths are longer than Katharines on average, but the fact that Katharine is involved in an activity has an affect on her utterances, due to concentration. Comparing the utterance lengths, Katharines are more advanced with the syntax structure, as her sentences make more grammatical sense than Sophies. This doesnt make Sophie incorrect in her structure, she is just at a different stage of language acquisition than Katharine, and she is in the middle of developing her sentences. Age isnt a factor in language development, as every child is different. Katharines mother uses tag questions, such as; isnt it? This encourages Katharine to answer her mum. Katharine does also use tag questions herself, to get a response from her mum, shall we. She has probably learnt how to use tag questions from listening to the way her mum speaks. This is quite advanced for a child as it shows they use a different way of getting a response, rather than just saying why or using commands. She also uses encouraging sounds, which is back channel behaviour; uhuh and mmhu, to show she is listening and taking in what Katharine is saying. Sophies carer/parent however doesnt use tag questions and neither does Sophie. The conversation between the child and parent/carer is very simple and uses statements rather than questions, encouraging Sophie to talk. It is just a short conversation, with Sophie controlling it, rather then the parent/carer trying to encourage her to talk and say things. Of course, the pragmatics behind the conversations are for the parents/carers to get the children to speak and further their knowledge and understanding of the language. It is merely to get them to practice speaking, so they acquire language. There is a large difference between the two conversations, as they are in different environments (the contexts are different), with the children taking part in different situations. This is a factor which affects their language use and the way they use it in the context. After considering all of the factors to do with both conversations, I have come to the conclusion that Katharine is more linguistically developed and seems to be at a more advanced stage of language acquisition than Sophie. Katharine has a wider knowledge of the language and applies it to a conversation better than Sophie, as her sentences are constructed better and flow well.

Skills for Project Leadership and Team Building

Skills for Project Leadership and Team Building ABSTRACT This report is based on project leadership and team building i.e. PLTB. The various skills required for PLTB, human resources needs and challenges in PLTB and the role of PLTB in adding the value to the project management scenario. The implementation of self directed teams into the project management has been increased and has replaced the traditional manufacturing ways. According to many experiments done, self directed teams provide the performance effectiveness to the organization. For a successful project management, the organization has to define various key performance contributors like selection of team, clear project objectives, innovation and the commitment of the project team members. All the four aspects are important for the success of any project. First of all the concepts like project management, product life cycle, team building, human resource development theories and innovation for team building are discussed. After that a case study RL Wolfe, a pipe manufacturer, has been taken and the impact of implementation of self directed teams on the organization is discussed. Further the recommendations and conclusion are made. INTRODUCTION The scenario today has changed to a kind of frame where the self direction, self motivation are the main concerns. The project management if understood in simple words is nothing but the set of stages where the each stage has got the equal importance. The success of a project is mostly dependent on the project manager or project leader because the leader will have to make the goals, get the employees together and make them as a team and ultimately guide them till the end. The team selection or building team in itself is a very tedious and intelligent task because it is always very difficult to understand the capabilities and hidden qualities of the employee and the way to use it for the project. The cross-cultural conflicts are also to be dealt with in order to confirm the success of the project The report will include the necessary the practical, theoretical and empirical examples to support the statement of the report. The report will be guided with the help of relevant case studies as well wherever needed. MAIN BODY Project Management The project management does not simply means to execute a certain job, rather it is set of activities one followed after the other and in some cases it some activities are not even in the to do list but are instant and demand for prompt response. The project management is supposed to be the set of activities which includes the planning, initiating, monitoring and finishing the project. This is basically the art to get the work done form the various elements involved. As Peter Drucker once said that management is doing the things right, leadership is doing right things, this means there has to be a proper balance in the management and leadership. As it has been a matter of debate since the beginning that what the difference between the leader and manger is, can a manager be a leader or vice-versa. The trait theory has said that there are certain traits which decide whether the particular person is a leader or not and it can be concluded from other theories as well that there are certa in traits which are innate and some qualities can be learnt with the experience over the period of time. A per Lock D (2007:8), Project management has got one purpose to foresee or predict as many dangers and problems as possible and to plan, organise and control activities so that the projects are completed successfully in spite of all the risks. He has also argued further that the role of a project manager is to justify his/her existence by satisfying the stakeholders by cost cutting and successful ending. There has to be particular model for the particular project but general there are the following steps: Integration Scope Time Cost Quality Human resource Risk Communication Procurement The project leadership is the point which is there to direct and control the task. The leaders are always gaining the trust; there is a relation of trust between the leader and followers. This point is justified by the lecture given by Murray Johannsen that managers are the one which are having the subordinates to help them or to listen to them whereas the leaders have the followers. The difference here lies in the way to get the work done. It is pertinent to mention the fact a follower will never feel uneasy to do any task given by leader but a subordinate will always find the faults in the managers work. This is the basic human tendency which the leaders always win upon. The project management is also further defined as Project management is a set of principles, methods, tools, and techniques for the effective management of objective-oriented work in the context of a specific and unique organizational environment Knutson, J. Bitz, I., (1991:2). The common methods used for achievin g the targets are PERT, CPM. The main logic of using the scientific methods for project management is to minimize the risk factor and be competitive. The project leadership is a very important in todays market place because the team building has grown very critical. The one most important thing is that the project leader should use empowerment and let the employees take some crucial decisions. It has been demonstrated through several scholarly researches that the most important and valuable concept in self directed teams is of empowerment. Empowerment in simple manner can be understood as gaining the power by giving away the power or authority. As per a web source, according to Harvey, L, (2004-9) Empowerment is a continuous process comprising a series of conscious steps taken by individuals to gain access resources; to better express and defend their rights and in the process. Empowerment is not about wresting power from an individual or group of individuals and handling it over to another. It is the means to an end, not an end in itself. Also, the time does not allow today to give the reaction after the action, rather the projec t leader should be proactive in nature and should try to foresee the changes and should form a team which always gives critical remarks. This will ultimately help in the successful completion of the project. As it has been quoted several a times that leadership is ultimately held responsible for the things. This is also supported by the article of Dr. Keith Mathis where he says Everything rises and falls on leadership. This quote is especially true in running successful projects. You must have strong leadership, or things fall through the crack. Every individual must be committed to do what they say they will do. Source: http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/six-ways-to-give-proper-project-leadership.html Cited on: 25/03/2011 Project Life Cycle The diagram below shows the four common stages of the Project life cycle: Source: http://www.onestopsap.com/images/project-lifecycle-v2.jpg Cited on: 20/03/2011 As per westland, J., 2007 the four stages can be understood as following along with their relevance: Within the initiation phase, the business problem or any conflict or risk or opportunity is found and further a solution is found. This is followed by the team building. In Project Planning, is all about creating a framework, assigning duties and taking care of risk issues. In project Execution, the plan is followed upon, the various measures are employed and it is checked whether some alteration is needed or not In project Closure, included the final derivates to the end consumers in the desired format, some lessons are learnt for the future form eth experience of the whole project. Now this particular concept has to be related to the self directed teams and the team should be well aware of all the steps. The advantage of using self directed team is clearly understood in the case study of R L Wolfe the pipe manufacturer company, which has employed it in 2004 and the results were seen very soon. The self directed teams are nothing but the Self directed teams SDT are natural work groups. Each SDT is responsible for a business process that delivers a product or service to an internal or external customer. Each SDT manages its business is continued improvements for the success of the business are the measurements of its performance. (Wentz, 1998, p. 59) There is one more thing that counts a lot in terms of the success of project i.e. Project Initiation Document (PID). This is a kind of checklist which reminds of the certain things to be upright at all times which includes the controlling of risk factor, budget factor, deviation control and human factor control. The project leadership should always keep in mind the critical success factors. Let us understand this with an example from the real estate field. While launching a new project there are several things that can make it a success or sell it at a faster pace. The project manager should employ some special people for the particular projects because the word of mouth marketing plays a vital role in real estate. The flexibility of the prices and the total expenses on the marketing should be kept in mind along with the break even points. The another example can be thought of electronic gaint SONY, whenever SONY launches any new product in the market it has still got the beats and sound system because that is its USP. Scenario of the Question Now in this particular section this will be discussed that why the company has hired the group of consultants. On a very simple logical note this can be thought of if the company is working properly why will it be hiring any consultants. Now the situation here arises that: there might be some change or a new project, which is scheduled to be taken place There is some conflict in the company which needs to be care of The company is working fine but it wants to be more competitive because the competitors are more solid on the balance sheets Also, this can be the case that there are some aspects in the company which can be useful for cost cutting, but the company is not having any expertise on that matter. As per the scenario it is clear here that the company which is of concern here has recognized some of the facts which are related to the human resource management and development and more specifically to the team building. Here the company thinks and it is logical as well to think that team selection, clear objectives and innovation are key success factors. The company is now moving forward and is ready to invest on the human resource aspect. As said above that the consultants are the group of people which have different expertise, but in this case more of them will be form the team building or human resource management side. Now the consultants here will work to form the self directed teams and to train them in the specific context for the success of project. The term which is meant to define is self directed teams, it simply means the group of people working together in order to achieve something on the similar platform but are much focussed and self driven and self motivated. Normally when there is a team of consultants it includes the people of various expertises like from marketing, sales, finance, operations management etc. so in this scenario as well there will be different expertise working together because the project management calls for collective effort of the human resource Team Building Now here comes the main part of the report and the role of consultants. The team building or getting some people along to work is a very tedious task. The reason for this is that the different people have got the different backgrounds, learning, roles or simply speaking the postionality of every individual is very different. The conflict management and cross cultural management is the key factor for the success of the project. The effective leadership has to take care of this, especially in this case. The company should always take care of all the issues related to the employees, the relation with the employees is the one which needs to be managed. For example, if someone in the morning feels sad about going to the office, that employee cannot be an asset for the company; rather the company should try to make him so enthusiastic that every morning the employees should be willing to go the office. There have been several theories on this that what can motivate an employee or what can foster in to the employee the zeal to work and achieve. Malows Need Hierarchy Theory This model has been a very famous and well applied as far as the needs and motivation factors are concerned for the team building. This should always be kept in mind while team building by the project leadership. For example, a small monetary gift cannot be the motivation for the upper management but is a too much appreciation for the lower grade employees. Source: http://www.businessballs.com/images/maslow%27s_hierarchy_businessballs.jpg Cited: 25/03/2011 Herzbergs Two Factor Theory This theory states that motivation and job satisfaction are the factors which if taken care of can result in a very good team building. The project leadership should take well care of the factors that cause satisfaction and which cause dissatisfaction. There are some hygiene factors, which are not the exact satisfaction factor but their absence will cause some de-motivation like fringe benefits, salary hikes and all. HRD/HRM Theories Now comes another step in the project management is that how to get the proper people for the project. The project leadership should take this thing very carefully otherwise it can result in a disaster. The human resourcing and team building also shows the efficiency of the project leader in ensuring the project. In building the right team it should be taken care of that there is proper communication channel upwards and downward so that the information is exchanged. The objectives and goals are properly inculcated into the team members in to be truly efficient and effective. This can be understood with the example of sports as well. The way the Australian have led their team since last 7-8 years has been marvellous. This has become a case study for the students in various schools. The attitude, response and responsibility have all been the strong killing points of the team. To play and end a series is same as to execute a project. There has to be proper strategy that how to play whic h players to use, what strategy to employ including everything else. The Austrian team has been famous for the mind game, to handle the pressure and the as the real warrior. The captain and coach in this case work as the project leader and help the whole team to win. They are the people who decide that which bowler to use and how Now other responsibility of the project manager or leader is to manage the change. The concept which is very important to be taken care of is the change in technology because there is a foremost characteristic of the employee to resist the change but it has to be implemented for ensuring the successful project management. Hence it is pertinent to mention here that a team of consultants should always comprise of the people from several fields having the proven expertise because this will certainly help the project to in the end. This thing is supported by the diagram given here that how the various tasks are allotted to various people in the team in order to maintain the accountability. Source: http://www.fieldsrecruitment.com/media/img/team_structure.gif Cited on: 21/03/2011 The team structure depends from project to project but the team should be built in accordance to the project needs. The fresh talent should always be mixed with the experienced talent. Innovation in Project Management and Leadership for Team Building Team Building is a very critical task for the management as it involves getting people along to work together for a particular goal, of different backgrounds, beliefs, religions etc. Team building is main key factor for the success of any project and for a good leadership. Hence there is a need for continuous innovation and positive changes in the project management for the successful achievement of the project objectives and leading a team in a better way. The innovation can be operational innovation, management innovation, product service innovation and strategic innovation. Innovation is front and center on the corporate agenda, according to a global survey. Executives are adding more breakthrough innovations and business model changes to their portfolio to fuel the growth engine. (Business Week, November 16, 2009). The innovation process into project management and leadership starts with the setting up the stage and defining the concepts and objectives. Then the opportunities ar e discovered by understanding the needs of the employees. After finding out the opportunities, the ideas are developed. The forth step involves the conversion of the ideas into actual operations. Finally the commercialization of the innovation ideas is done i.e. the success rate, financial impact transition etc. of the ideas. Various innovation theories can be used in project management and leadership for team building. Diffusions of innovation theory has four main elements i.e. innovation, communication channel, time and social system. Diffusion is a special type of communication that helps a team in spreading the messages within the time limit that pursue the new ideas for team building. The innovation in project management and leadership for team building can involve implementation of new ideas for the improvement in motivation and satisfaction level of employees, implementation of an effective leadership style is also important like entrepreneurial leadership, creative leadership or transformational leadership, removing any kind of discrimination developed into the minds of employees etc. Hence innovation plays an important role in the development of a team and success of any project. Case Study In this section the company profile will be studied and the main components of the statement of the question with reference to the company. Company Name RL Wolfe RL Wolfe is a plastic pipe manufacturing company having head quarter in Houston, Texas. The company has a net worth of $350 million. PAST In 2003, when RL Wolfe purchased Moon Plastics which was a small family owned business of customs plastic manufacturer in Corpus Christi, they found an opportunity to implement the concept of self directed teams into their new plant. Surprisingly after the implementation of self directed teams, their reports show around 40% improvement in their productivity and quality of the products as compared to their traditional way of manufacturing products as self directed teams increases the motivation and satisfaction level of employees. John Amasi, the director of production and engineering at RL Wolfe, was the one who suggested the idea of the implementation of self directed teams to the organization. In 2007, an assessment took place for the evaluation of the implementation of self directed teams. And again the productivity level was 82% higher than the other RL Wolfes Columbus and Austin plants but still they have to achieve a target of 95%. RL Wolfe used to have three shifts per d ay of eight hours each. In traditional manufacturing way, the work was divided among the foreman, production operators, line operators, downstream technicians, loaders and finished material handlers. PRESENT John Amasi has planned for the Corpus Christi Experiment i.e. he is planning to get an approval from the board of directors for a long sought concession in health care coverage for increasing the commitment and satisfaction level of employees that further increases the productivity level. Also due to the implementation of self directed teams, the organization is achieving 95% or more design capacity. The leadership style also plays a positive role in productivity level as more than 80% decisions were taken at the ground level by the line operators or material handlers through the directions given by the coordinator. The implementation of SDTs divided the work among two parts i.e. technicians and line operators or material handlers. PROBLEMS -The assessment done in 2007 i.e. after 4 years of implementation of self directed teams, exposed few problems along with the increased productivity. The implementation of self directed teams provides ongoing tensions to the technicians as the technicians provide the engineering oversight and it is the duty of technician to ensure the workings according to the plans made. Evaluating the performances of the employees is another problem faced due to the implementation of self directed teams. It is only the performance evaluation that shows the positive and negative aspects of implementation of any new ideas or practices. The assessment shows a decrease in absenteeism level for first and second shift while there is no change in the third shift i.e. the night shift. Many employees are not interested in doing the management type work and hence their satisfaction decreases. It also leads to labour turnover as the manager level employees have assigned the lower level jobs under sel f directed teams and hence they demoralize and leave the organisation. Recommendations for the problems faced in Self Directed Teams No doubt that innovation, self directed teams, clear objectives and commitment of employees leads to team building and better project management. The implementation of self directed teams is increasing in todays organizations over the traditional ways of handling teams as its implementation has shown tremendous project effectiveness. Along with the advantages, self directed teams have few disadvantages as well. These problems have in the above paragraph. For minimizing the negative impact of self directed teams, various measures can be taken. As many employees cant take the management workload, hence the employees should first get scheduled for their own work load and assignments and then further management work can be given to them. Slowly, over a period of time further responsibilities can be transferred to the employees under self directed teams. To decrease the absenteeism and employee turnover because of the dissatisfaction from the type of work given, the employees should be as ked first that what type of assignments they would like to do and according the work should be divided. An implementation of self directed teams increases the employee skills and employees motivation level which further increases the productivity and quality of products and services. The implementation of SDTs without considering the various aspects like effective planning requirements, training needs, coordination with the organization etc. put an adverse impact on the performance of the organization. The cost of implementation of SDTs is quite very high and the organization has to make special budget for the same. Also time to time evaluation is important for knowing the progress of the organization. CONCLUSION Project Leadership and Team Building add value to the success of project management. Various factors affect project management like leadership style, innovation, coordination, methods of team building etc. Leadership and team building are the two most important factors that affect the project success. Many surveys and experiments have proved that Self Directed Teams contributes to the effectiveness into the performance of an organization. This effectiveness is in terms of higher productivity, higher quality, employee satisfaction, team effectiveness, cost effectiveness etc. From the case study of RL Wolfe, it is very clear that adaptation of self directed teams is very helpful in success of any project but again its impact on the organization cannot be ignored.