Political perspective on employees performance

The supervisor helps the department or team he or she is leading to clarify their goals and mission as well as approaches to achieving their aims. He or she helps to shape the common goals and approaches of the team. Thus, he or she builds confidence and commitment to the team and every individual in the team.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Political perspective on employees’ performance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Supervisors empower members of their team with problem-solving, technical, teamwork, functional, interpersonal as well as decision-making skills. They have the power and the ability to manipulate forces within the team or department towards common direction or objective. The political perspective assumes that an organization is a political arena which comprises selfish goals, deception as well as in-fighting. Thus, they always manipulate, push as well as bargain to advance their own inter ests as well as the interests of their teams or departments (Katzenbach Smith, 2003). They can therefore easily convince others, especially their subordinates, to achieve the desired results. This may sometimes involve deception tactics or selfish acts even though the supervisor may do that for the benefit of the organization. He or she is the advocate of the organization and institutes actions plans and programs which are in line with the organization goals. Some tactics applied by the supervisors could include keeping the goals flexible as well as manipulating the channels of influence to achieve the desired result. They may also advance their agendas patiently to achieve the determined aims. It is the supervisor who is in direct contact with the workers and responsible for managing performance within the departments or organization. Therefore, he or she can always investigate the cause of performance problems that exist within the workplace, department or organization. They also give direct attention to the cause of the performance problem. Thereafter, the supervisors can develop action plans to overcome the problem and achieve the results. The action plan includes empowering workers to find a solution to the problem or devise an alternative to the problem. Supervisors provide direct communication to workers about the goals of every task which are always in line with those of the organization. Supervisors are responsible for setting goals for every task or for the particular department. This can be achieved effectively by incorporating the subordinates within the department in setting the goals of the task or the department.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After formulating the goals, the supervisor communicates the goals to the employees and puts in place strategies which ensure that the goals will be attained. He or she provides feedback to work ers on whether the goals are being achieved or not. The supervisor conducts performance appraisals regularly and assesses employee performance to enable him or her to communicate what the employee can do to improve his or her performance. Besides, supervisors are responsible for instilling strong organizational cultures in employees by communicating their goals and ideas about the work to employees. Strong cultures encourage commitment, flexibility as well as adaptability among the workers (De Silva, 2010). The role of supervisor as coach and resource coordination Supervisor as a coach provides training and promoting of the employees. He or she ensures that new members of staff in his or her department and the organization as a whole are oriented to the tasks assigned. Supervisors develop training plans with the staff to ensure that employees acquire the necessary expertise in performing their jobs. They work with the staff/subordinates to set suitable goals, time lines as well as a ction plans. They are also responsible for delegating duties and providing support and guidance to the employees on how to go about the job. Since supervisors are the ones responsible for overseeing as well as observing their units, they have the responsibility of ensuring that resources are available to employees. They have to negotiate and help to secure resources for their departments or teams in order to maintain workflow in the department. This enables supervisors to acquire and achieve cooperation from the team as well as individual within and outside the organization (Byham, Wellins Wilson, 1991). As decision makers within the department, supervisors allocate resources and determine how the limited resources are distributed within the tasks in the department to achieve maximum effectiveness within the team.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Political perspective on employees’ performance specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Supervisors also need to help their subordinates identify action plans which enable them to solve their performance problems. They are in charge of the production process and responsible for the products until they leave the production area to the market. This means that they have to offer additional training or help employees to devise action plans which improve their performance, and hence, quality of the product or service. They are to help employees who experience performance problems which need corrective actions and make them do what the employees aspire to achieve. The supervisor has to empower the employee to implement the action plan successfully. Helping employees identify and implement action plans motivates the staff eliminates the possibility of poor quality products and gives employees confidence in their jobs. They also develop trust and confidence in the supervisor. Dimensions of performance Performance dimensions are measures for evaluating em ployees. They are universally applied to employees within the organization. Thus, they are those characteristics or things that an employee has to demonstrate to be effective in the organization or workplace. He or she represents knowledge as well as skills which are necessary for the success of the organization. This includes critical aspects within an employee’s roles in the organization. They are normally organizationally focused and not job focused. Performance dimensions are usually included in each employee’s performance plan. According to Sanderson and Urwin (2002), performance dimensions are designed to examine competencies of individual employees. Some of the dimensions for measuring competencies of employees include determining the employee’s verbal/nonverbal communication abilities/skills, relationship skills, organizational skills, ethics and integrity, decision making and analytical skills, objectivity, leadership and initiative skills as well as fl exibility and adaptability.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More They also include examining the employee’s application of the organization’s policies, standards as well as procedures. However, the dimensions may vary from organization to organization depending on the sector in which the organization operates in as well as its vision and goals. Absolute judgment scale Advantages of absolute judgment scale Absolute judgment scale can be utilized in evaluation of responses which do not have physical measurable items or characteristics. This makes it be an appropriate tool for conducting performance appraisal of employees’ performance dimensions which can not be quantified. According to Helson (1954), the method does not require direct comparison of variables and standards. Evaluation is done by performing a weighted geometric mean of the current and past behavior or characteristic. The judgments are therefore based on comparative rating scale such as low, medium and high. The absolute categories offer fair distribution of appra isal characteristics over a range of stimuli in use. In addition, absolute judgment scale can be used to conduct performance appraisals for groups or departments since it allows experts or a team of managers to discuss and come to a consensus. Disadvantages of the absolute judgment scale In some cases, the absolute judgment scale results in a skewed frequency-distribution curve where the predominance of judgments is placed at the upper end of the scale. It means that it is subject to relative judgment by the individual doing the appraisal/evaluation. Besides, the judgments are also relative to the standard of reference adopted by the organization. Judgments are sometimes influenced by the relative time-error in that the person or panel performing the evaluation may make their judgments based on the past characteristics or behavior of the employee. Judgments could also be affected by individual bias by the person conducting the evaluation. Thus, the confidence/accuracy level of absol ute judgment scale may be low in some cases, and in addition, the judgments can not be quantified. Reference List Byham, W., Wellins, R., Wilson, J. (1991). Empowered teams: Creating self-directed work groups that improve quality, productivity, and participation. New Jersey: Jossey-Bass. De Silva, S. R. (2010). Human resource management, industrial relations and achieving management objectives. Web. Helson, H. (1954). The use of comparative scales for the evaluation of psychological data. The American Journal of Psychology, 67(2), 321. Katzenbach, J. R., Smith, D. K. (2003). The wisdom of teams: Creating the high-performance organization. New York: Harper Business Essentials. Sanderson, M., Urwin, C. (2002). A performance dimension approach to competence. Web. This report on Political perspective on employees’ performance was written and submitted by user Paula E. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Cinema is an Adventure , but the difficulty is that it is an adventure that you have to strive continually to control The WritePass Journal

Cinema is an Adventure , but the difficulty is that it is an adventure that you have to strive continually to control Abstract Cinema is an Adventure , but the difficulty is that it is an adventure that you have to strive continually to control AbstractIntroductionJean Rouch as a Film maker and an Ethnographerâ€Å"Les Maitres Fous† (The Mad Masters)ConclusionBibliographyRelated Abstract The very perceptions and style of ethnographic cinema was changed with the intervention of late Jean Rouch’s films. He was considered as one of the founding fathers of Cinema Verite   or Real Cinema In France,   and Surrealism. Jacques Rivette (1968) considers Rouch as the force behind the entire French cinema made in past ten years. Rivette comments that the importance of Rouch is much more in the evolution of French Cinema than Godard with few people realizing it (Rivette,1968). According to Henley(2009) his sudden death in a road accident, in February 2004, made Visual Anthropology lose one of its precious gems. Rouch was a visionary and a true believer in the strength of lenses. In most of his interviews he talked about the power of camera and the responsibility attached to it. He believed that camera had the power to reveal the inner most beliefs and impressions of mankind (Henley,2009). My first encounter with Rouch’s films was in my Visual Anthropology classe s. At first I found it quite difficult to understand his films as most of them were in French. However Rouch’s different and controversial approach to ethnographic cinema with his very interesting personal touch in all his films molded me to watch his movies in spite of such difficulties. Henley comments that though Rouch made more than one hundreds of films but only handful films have been distributed far wide while majority of the films remain unknown and difficult to see specially for English speaking world (Henley,2009). The most interesting fact about Jean Rouch’s cinema, as Mick Eaton puts forward was that, Rouch believed that more observations can be done with a film rather in direct observations. He suggested that through films you can get more feedback from your subjects and participants which make the observation far more interesting and trustworthy. Rouch belived that his films were for greater number of people, it is a fight against the colonial oppressions and colonial notions of other societies as savages.(Eaton, n.d) Through his films he conveyed the message that was given by Malinowski long back. He asked people to understand each society in their own unique context and to respect their values and institutions. Rouchs films are true representation of his thoughts on humanity and global understanding (Eaton,n.d). Introduction My earnest desire to write a Visual Anthropology essay on the works and contributions of Late Jean Rouch grew more profound after watching his film† Les Maites Fous† (The Mad Masters) .The film was released in the year 1955 and was a subject of great dispute among the various African intellectuals and French scholars. At the first glance I felt very uncomfortable with the scenes and visual presentations of the Film, but as I kept on watching it, true meanings of the film kept on unfolding in front of my eyes. One of the major reasons for choosing Jean Rouch and his film as the topic of my essay is because through my research I realized that most of the scholars and researchers have avoided critical evaluation and organized research   on Rouch’s films due to unavailability of the films and also because major number of films are in French. This has diminished the contribution of Jean Rouch and his films in the sector of Anthropological and Ethnographic films to an extent especially in the English Speaking Countries. The neglecting behavioral pattern towards Rouch’s films instigated me to find out more about Jean Rouch and his films. As Paul Stroller (1992) puts forward, that Jean Rouch is not given the right place in the history of anthropology and film and is often misunderstood and condemned by different scholars. In this essay I will talk about the various notions attached to Jean Rouch and his films, while critically evaluating his work â€Å"Les Maitres Fous†(The mad masters), 1955. Jean Rouch as a Film maker and an Ethnographer Jean Rouch saw cinema as an adventure and himself as an adventurer. As Claude Jutra(1960) comments â€Å" A chronicle of the Rouchian adventure is certainly an exciting prospect , but it is one that I approach with caution. One never admires without reservation. Any tribute carries within it an element of denunciation. No eulogy deserves to be trusted unless it is combined with certain degree of meanness†. (Jutra,1960:2). Jean Rouch dreamt of cinema as the only means of telling truth about people and societies. Stroller designated Rouch as the most prolific ethnographic filmmaker in the world whose ethnographic works are much unknown (Stroller,1992). Rouch clearly represented a unique combination of anthropology and art in his films. According to Brink, he was a filmmaker who did the most initiating job in pushing the boundaries of visual anthropology to an extent whilst still following the important norms and perceptions of visual anthropology of his time (Brink,n.d). Henley(2009) claimed that his films blurred the distinct lines between fiction and reality. As Jean Rouch himself, elaborately comments â€Å"For me as Filmmaker and ethnographer, there is practically no frontier between documentary film and fiction film. Cinema art of the double, represents a transition from the real world to the world of the imaginary, while ethnography, the study of other a peoples’ system of thought, involve s a permanent criss-crossing from one conceptual universe to another, a form of acrobatic gymnastics, in which losing your footing is the least of the risks†.(Rouch,1981:31) Rouch’s most remarkable films were Les Maitres Fous (The Mad Masters 1955),Moi Un Noir (1958),Jaguar (1967), andChronique d’un ete (1960).  Ã‚   Grimshaw and Eaton suggested that Jean Rouch’s films were much controversial in nature as well as did create a lot of debates among the scholars and intellectuals of younger generations. Surprisingly enough, among the anthropologists, there has been a substantial transformation in the approach towards Rouch’s films which has made it as one of the best examples of traditional ethnographic films. Stroller comments Jean Rouch as the Champion of the African Ethnography and the â€Å"Father of The Nigerian Cinema†(Stroller,1992).Brink states that Rouch gave primary focus to African people in his films, which made his cinema appealing and engaging to a limited number of audiences (Brink,n.d). According to Eaton, Rouch wanted his cinema not only to serve the purpose of anthropological education but also to use i t in much greater scale in order to understand the universal human interests and disciplines (Eaton,n.d). Henley remarked that Rouch believed in 100% participation in the events he filmed (Henley,2009). According to Edgar Morin, Rouch was a â€Å"Filmmaker Driver† who immerses himself into the life of his subjects and participants. Morin who was a well known French sociologist, worked with Jean Rouch in one of his most celebrated works â€Å"Chroinicle of a Summer† or â€Å"Chronique d’ un ete†in 1960. It was him who categorised Rouch’s films as â€Å"Cinema Verite†. Morin has explained this term as â€Å"there remain the most difficult, the most moving, the most secret (aspect of social life): wherever human feelings are at stake , wherever the individual is directly involved , wherever there are interpersonal relationships of authority, subordination , comradeship , love , hate in other words everything connected with emotion fabric of h uman existence . There lies the great terra incognita of the sociological or ethological cinema , of â€Å"Cinema Verite† . There lies its promised land (Morin, 1962:5) â€Å"Cinema Verite† is very much different from the direct cinema. Rouch viwed â€Å"Cinema Verite† as   â€Å"Cinema Provocation†. He explained that through this provocation a new form of cinema emerges which is more realistic than the real. The most interesting fact is that at first Rouch, himself was a great supporter of direct Cinema but with the time he got more indulged into the fictional films following the ethnological perception.   According to Michel Marie (1976), â€Å"Direct† in the technical sense of the term designates the synchronous recording of image and sound , the concept of direct cinema designates first of all a new technique of recording pro-filmic reality. This term replaced the more enigmatic cinema such as â€Å"Cinema Verite† at the beginning of the sixties, applies beyond a simple technique, to the whole new stream of practices which overthrew methods of film making that was previously standardized completely through the industrial model. Marie commented that â€Å"As opposed to industrial cinema, fictional and spectacular, in case of direct cinema the action to be filmed is void of an anterior status† (Marie,1976:35). â€Å"Cinema Verite† It is a kind of cinema where there is a good amount of conversation and interaction between filmmaker and his subject. In this form of cinema there may be also little provocations which can be noticed from the filmmakers side to his subjects (Feld,2003).   Rouch as a kid was very much influenced by the film â€Å"Nanook Of the North† (1922), which became an inspiration to the films that he made in later life. Brink states that Rouch inserted new forms and ways in the style of film making. With his work he blurred the difference between real and unreal, truth and fantasy and literally played with his lenses. It was interesting to note that his inquisitive nature and the use of new technology gave birth to a different genre of cinema which more or less became unique in its own ways.   As Mick Eaton (n.d) suggests that Rouch has tried to defend his film making practice in a very significant way, according to Rouch his presence during the film making is a very crucial factor not because people i.e. his subjects and participants will reveal themselves more openly and honestly out of trust and faith but more because they will lie and feel uncomfortable. It is the manifestation of this side of participants which will be regarded as more profound disclosure than anything â€Å"candid camera† or â€Å"living cinema† ever could disclose. Eaton followed the words of Jean Rouch believed that camera uniting with presence of its director acts as a catalyst to the whole process of film making.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Thompson comments that Surre alism played a very important role in the development of Rouch’s films (Thompson,n.d). Surrealism as a cultural movement influenced the mind of Jean Rouch to a great extent. It was a philosophical movement which according to Henley became very popular in Paris during the world war. Jean Rouch claimed in 1967 that for him making a film or cinema is like a surrealist painting. Rouch was a bridge builder in true sense. He bridged the gap between film and anthropology along with an introduction to new techniques and style of film making. Brink comments that â€Å"The filmmaker who was educated as civil engineer became a true bridge builder between film and anthropology, film and art, fiction and documentary , Europe and Africa†(Brink,n.d:2) Grimshaw states that Rouch’s Anthropological films are mostly based on the sense of intuition and are idiosyncratic in approach. His films are a visual treat for the students of visual anthropology. Grimshaw strikes a comparison between the anthropological cinemas of Jean Rouch and Mac Dougall where she describes Mac dougall cinema as detailed and practical while Rouch’s anthropological films to be more idealistic and imaginative. According to Grimshaw , rouch was a visionary   who used his films as a way to interpret the complexities and connections between the world and humanity. His ethnographic films were very much influenced by the political situation at that time. Rouch was very much inspired by the different freedom movements by the colonial people during that time which brought huge political, economic and social transitions around the world saw the colonies as oppressive masters. According to Grimshaw, Rouch was not only supportive of these movements but also gave different humanitarian expressions to it (Grimshaw,2001). Rouch’s ethnographic sensibilities as a film maker and anthropologist was very much shaped by his individualistic nature, background and political circumstances in France during that time (Grimshaw,2001). Rouch as an Anthropologist was very much trained in the path Maussian ideologies a very well know French anthropologist during 1920s till 1940s. Henley comments that Rouch himself never met Mauss but he came to know about his contributions in Anthropology through his supervisor Marcel Griaule who was a student of Mauss himself. Maussian influence is very much evident in earlier works of Jean Rouch, especially in the films he and Rosefelder produced together during their expeditions. Inspired greatly by Mauss’s idea to use camera gave birth to Rouch’s lifelong interest in â€Å"salvage ethnography†(Henley,2009). The most significant and appealing part of Rouch’s journey is that though other leading ethnographic film makers such as Robert Gardner and Judith Mac Dougall (2006) have made films based on different continent. However, Rouch’s focus has always been on Paris and Africa, with more concentration on Niger.   This approach of his was mostly influenced by Griaule (1938) and Dieterlen (1987) who believed that it takes twenty to thirty years to understand and have a deep knowledge about a particular society. This view is significantly supported by Jutra’s comment â€Å"Rouch, the ethnologist! Rouch, the explorer! Rouch, the traveler ! mere appearances. Rouch has two very circumscribed habitats : Paris and Niger†¦ he has no desire to cross these boundaries that he has so carefully traced†¦. Rouch is sedentary, a stay – at – home.†(Jutra,1961:116) From all the works of Jean Rouch I will consider Les Maitres Fous as the starting point of his greater expression for universal humanity. This film is notable in ways that it establishes and evokes the contours of Rouch’s humanistic vision (Grimshaw,2001) â€Å"Les Maitres Fous† (The Mad Masters) This film was first screened in Paris in the year 1955. According to Grimshaw the small number of audience of African intellectuals and French anthropologist present in the premiere of the film in Musee De l’ Homme was largely antagonistic in its response to Rouch’s works. Marcel Griaule called for the fim to be destroyed; Africans present during the screening of the film rejected it as bigoted and insulting. Shortly afterwards British government banned this movie to be shown in the colonial territories of West Africa (Grimshaw, 2001). Today† Les Maitres Fous† is widely accepted and considered as a classic of contemporary cinema. After watching the film consecutively for the third time I realized that the film’s power to move and perturb the audience has not reduced at all with the passage of time. Grimshaw comments that â€Å"Les Maitres Fous† inaugurates the distinguished series of films, which Rouch made between 1954 and 1960. Some of the fi lms which were made during this time was Jaguar, â€Å"Moi Un Noir†and â€Å"Chronique d’un Ete†, the most important fact about all of these films was that all f them were based in different themes. It is one of the most significant films in the growth of Rouch’s works as an ethnographer (Eaton n.d). Feld (2003) illustrates that Les maitres Fous was the earliest departure from purely evocative cinemas into a more unreal approach to event structures. He claims that having experiencing a ceremony several times, Rouch thought of breaching the vital aspects and approaches them as dramatic narratives. According to Eaton Rouch was asked to make this film after him and his wife Jane had given lecture at the British council in Accra. Rouch was approached by some of the Hauka priests and initiates present in that lecture who approached him to film their Hauka Annual Ceremony. The priests wanted to record the event not only to preserve it as a film and memory but also so that it could be used I the ritual itself (Eaton,n.d) . Grimshaw reflects that the film basically documents the course of possession ceremony held during one Sunday by members of the Hauka sect working as migrant labourers in Accra. During 1920s there was a form of strong resistance against the French colonial rule by this Hauka cult who had moved from their villages to work in Kumasi and Accra , the commercial areas of British dominated Gold Coast (Grimshaw, 2001)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   . According to Feld the Haukas were the most famous possession cult among the Songhay , that reached its full expression in Ghana, brought by the migrants from Niger. Mick Eaton explained that these ceremonies of Hauka sect started in the late 20s in the upper Niger region. Discriminated by the French colonial administration and adjudicated by rigid Islamic supporters many of the members of the Hauka sect moved to Ghana in the thirtees working as a migrant labourer throughout the gold coast region. Haukas defined themselves as the â€Å"new gods† the spir its of power and the winds (Eaton n.d) .The film vividly views the members of the Hauka cult working at menial task in the city during the week then in the possession trance during the weekend and again back to work in the week. The film starts with the scene of Bustling city of Accra where different people from across West Africa jostle up with one another sharing the â€Å"Great African adventure of work and life†. From the start the film appears to be imparting a sense of complexities, movements and characteristics of urban life.   Then there is sudden shift of events and audience find themselves plunged into a dark deep forest where Hauka people travelled by buses and trucks. According to   Rouch’s commentary   this was the place where the Hauka annual ceremony takes place and where the high priest of Hauka known as Mountebya lives.   The film shows the preliminary stages of confessions and appointment of new members before arriving into a dramatic climax w here members become possessed, adopting the identities and conventional behavior of British governor and his crew. The ceremony reaches its peak with the killing and eating of a dog, slowly Dusk approaches and Hauka people emerges from their trance and get prepared to return to Accra. The film ends with streams of flashbacks. Rouch is shown to return the following day to the same Hauka members who were possessed in the ceremony, calmy and efficiently working in their respective jobs (Grimshaw,2001). The possessed and frothing of the mouth, dribbling saliva flecked with the blood of the butchered dog, the violent and uncontrollable body movements and disturbing style of eating the dog meat are the most troubling factors of the film which shocks the senses of human mind and leaves a lifelong impression in ones’ mind. These shocking scenes of the film justify the fact behind the film being rejected by most of its audience as a whole. Indeed as James Clifford notes that this film stands as Rouchs’s manifestation of Griaule’s recognition that ethnographic observation involves conflict. According to Grimshaw â€Å"Les Maitres Fous†, reveals the sharp contrast between the conception of a shared or participatory anthropological cinema persued by Mac Dougall and the one practiced by Rouch†(Grimshaw,2001:101) â€Å"Les Maitres Fous† is distinguished for its intricate style camera work which Rouch adopted during his earlier life after the destruction of his tripod. Grimshaw (2001) also talks about Rouch’s narration in the Film as improvised or unrehearsed. It is his commentary that makes the film comprehensible and incomprehensible at the same time. Feld commented that Rouch made the film â€Å" Using a montage to create contexting boundaries and making the most of the technical limitation of twenty five second shots (he was still using a 16mm camera),Rouch was able to make a short film with more explicative depth and synthesis than his previous ethnographic studies†.(Feld,2003:5) As   Feld (2003) and Eaton (n.d) both expressed   that the film was shot on a hand cranked 16mm Bell and Howell Camera which allowed for 25 second shots, but it was also edited in the camera as much as possible and the ultimate shooting ratio turned out to be 8 – 10. The sound was recorded by Lam Ibrahim Dia and Damoure Zika, one of the first Africans whom Rouch knew quite well from his first trip to during the war, using a scubitophone which is a portable though heavy tape recorder with a clockwise motor that had to be wound up between takes.   Henley   added that the film is of 28 mins, edited by Suzzane Brown and produced by Les Films de la Pleiade and was awarded Grand Prix in the ethnographic category of the Venice Film festival in 1955 (Henley,2009). Eaton significantly estimated that Rouch’s use of voice over in â€Å"Les Maitres Fous† does not preserve the primacy of the images rather sets up completely different relation with sound and image. Rou ch not only translates the ceremony held by Huaka sect but more or less acts it out which in a way kills the authenticity of an ethnographic documentary (Eaton,n.d). Cooper (2006) suggests that though Rouch has tried to gain ethnographic knowledge through his ethnographic films as claimed by Jay Ruby (2000) but there is still a lot of space in acknowledging the fact which cannot be known or understood through the lenses. With no formal training in film making and direction, Rouch suprsing arose as a rule breaker in the Film world. Les Maitres Fous was one of the biggest examples of such rule break. According to Cooper† Les Maitres Fous† as a film can be represented in two ways at first considering the fact it is filmed by a western filmmaker it can be interpreted as a show of uncivilized attitude by the African Hauka people and secondly it can also be deciphered as African representation of the oppressive colonial western culture and its position in their society (Cooper ,2006). According to Homi.K .Bhabha the film is a clear representation of mockery to the oppressive colonial rule and their power show while showing the deep sighted pains of oppressed Africans (Bhabha,1994). The voice over used by rouch in the film is quite assertive and does influence the thinking process of the audiences a lot. Conclusion Rouchian cinema indeed consists of the most exciting form of ethnography which can be traced in all of his movies. My personal experience of Rouch’s film is a mixture of both the senses of agitation and fascination simultaneously. His film is indeed an experience of life time which stays in your memory till the last days of your life and which evokes the true spirit of humanity irrespective of class race and ethnicity. Through this Essay I have tried to discuss the various aspects of Jean Rouch’s cinema significantly concentrating my attention on â€Å"â€Å"Les Maitres Fous†. This movie disturbed my senses and my thinking about the human acceptance of culture. Through this film I realized that each society is different and is composed of different social dynamics. To me this film is a clear representation of the influence of oppressive western civilizations on the Africans and there after effects on African society. Though it should be also noted that this film has a element of fiction into it which sometimes covers the facts and presents a new form of truth which cannot be trusted sometimes. Cinema is the combination of rational, irrational, fiction and fact. Rouch expresses these elements more profoundly through his movies. Bibliography Henley, P .2009. The Adventure of the Real: Jean Rouch and the craft of Ethnographic Cinema. London and Chicago: The University of Chicago Press Ltd. Grimshaw, A . 2001. The Ethnographer’s Eye : Ways of seeing In Anthropology .New York , Cambridge and Melbourne: Cambridge University Press. Stroller, P.1992 .The cinematic Griot:the ethnography of Jean Rouch .London and Chicago: The University Of Chicago Press. Cooper , S .2006. Selfless Cinema?:Ethics and French Documentary. London: Legenda. Bhabha, H.K.1994. Bhabha: The Location Of Culture. New York: Routledge. Ruby ,J. 2000.Picturing Culture: explorations of film anthropology. Chicago and London:The University Of Chicago Press. Griaule , M. 1938. Masques Dogons. California:Institut dethnologie . MacDougall , D.2006. The corporeal image: film, ethnography, and the senses. Oxfordshire and New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Eaton, M.,n.d. Chronichle. In: Eaton. M,ed. 1979. Anthropology Reality Cinema: The films of Jean Rouch. Colchester and London:British Film Institute. p 1-34 Michel, M.,n.d. Direct. In: Eaton. M,ed. 1979. Anthropology Reality Cinema: The films of Jean Rouch. Colchester and London:British Film Institute. p 35-39 Eaton, M.,n.d. The production of Cinematic Reality. In: Eaton. M,ed. 1979. Anthropology Reality Cinema: The films of Jean Rouch. Colchester and London:British Film Institute.p 40-53 Rouch,J.,n.d. The Camera and Man. In: Eaton. M,ed. 1979. Anthropology Reality Cinema: The films of Jean Rouch. Colchester and London:British Film Institute.p54- 63 Brink.J.T.,n.d. Introduction. In.Joram .T.B,ed. 2007.Building Bridges: The cinema of Jean Rouch.London and New York :Wallflower Press.p 1 Nijiland,D.,n.d. Jean Rouch: A builder of bridges. In.Joram .T.B,ed. 2007.Building Bridges: The cinema of Jean Rouch.London and New York :Wallflower Press.p21 Grimshaw.A.,n.d.Adventure on the Road:Some reflections on Rouch and His Italian Contemporariries. In.Joram .T.B,ed. 2007.Building Bridges: The cinema of Jean Rouch.London and New York :Wallflower Press. Thompson.C.,n.d. Chance and Adventure in the Cinema and Ethnography of Jean Rouch. In.Joram .T.B,ed. 2007.Building Bridges: The cinema of Jean Rouch.London and New York :Wallflower Press Feld.S.,2003. Cinà ©-ethnography Jean Rouch.Minneapolis:University Of Minnesota Press

Virtual and Real Communities Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Virtual and Real Communities - Assignment Example Unlike the traditional methods of learning, distance learning took a different form of teaching that allowed people in different locations around the world to learn in real time and without many barriers in their way. Other areas of life picked up this model of communicating over the World Wide Web to increase the communication rates around the world (Doheny-Farina, 1998). This saw to the birth of social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus that virtually brought people from many locations around the world into a community with many similarities to a real and geographically located one. This paper shall concern itself with the comparing and contrasting of these two types of communities. The advantages and disadvantages of each type of community shall be discussed and expounded upon to give a true picture of each type of community. The first part of this paper shall argue in the favor of online communities and the benefits they bring to the human community. First of all, the term ‘virtual community’ is a direct derivation of a 1993 book by the same title written by Howard Rheingold. Rheingold is one of the most known proponents of virtual communities and is even dubbed the first citizen of the internet (Gauntlett, 2008). He points out several benefits he attributes to virtual communities found solely on the internet. ... These communities enable the members share information on the care they receive and ways of handling complex situations which other members may not be aware of (Horsley & Gauntlett, 2004). This group of communities, as Rheingold puts it, has been known to save many lives at a cheaper cost than real and geographically conscious ones would. One other advantage with these virtual communities is that, due to their virtual nature, they enable the members discuss issues they would otherwise find hard to discuss with other people on a face to face basis. Being virtual also enables the members seek the specific information required without being bothered with procedures that may not make sense to them in any way. Another evident advantage of being a member to a virtual community is it enables the members find ideas that they could not manage to get anywhere else without much of a hustle. Information has been of late flowing faster on social networks compared to other forms of media. Online p latforms have enabled youths especially to air their voices to the wider world without a need for seeking out a government form of media (Howard & Jones, 2013). This has also forced politicians into taking their campaigns online since there are larger communities there whose votes can be tapped at a cheaper and more satisfying rate compared to physical campaigns. Few ideas are thus hidden from the public when a majority of the citizens are online where information easily goes viral and gets to most social site users. A fourth point in favor of virtual communities is the freedom that comes with the use of the sites that host the virtual communities. While the geographical and real communities would

Week Four Assignment Caledonia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Week Four Assignment Caledonia - Essay Example Thus, the yearly cash inflows realized in Project A can be utilized for another investment that will even yield more than $40,000 profit by the end of 4 years. It is through utilizing the IRR formula that reflects the acceptability of Project A because IRR considers all cash flows and time value of money, both crucial and important in the real business world. When analyzing the financial considerations under the lease versus buy decision process, one needs to consider the LCC (Life Cycle Cost) of either leasing or buying and operating and maintaining the hardware. The most meaningful financial comparison is the cost of lease financing versus the cost of debt financing (which are both not mentioned on this given problem). While comparing absolute LCC is important, it is equally critical to take into consideration fiscal budgetary constraints. While the LCC of leasing may be higher over the entire term the hardware is leased, the annual expenditures may fit better with budgetary limitations. However, the lease versus buy decision cannot be based purely on financial data or budgetary considerations. The decision must be made on a best value consideration. A best value selection analysis would introduce intangible benefits that could be benefits of either leasing or

Letter of Recommendation Essay Example for Free

Letter of Recommendation Essay I am proud to recommend a beloved student, Kaya Stone, for your fellowship program. I was asked to write as one who has functioned in the capacity of an employer of Kaya, but I would first like to say a few words about him as a student. Kaya is a highly intelligent, perceptive young man. He came to our institution committed to capitalizing on the opportunity of a third year of study in Israel, and he left with the satisfaction of having accomplished that goal. Kaya grew in learning, in character, in depth of understanding. He seeks truth in each and every area of his life, whether in learning, discussing philosophy, or relating to his fellow students and his teachers. Because of his positive disposition, his reflective way of operating, and all of the character traits that make him so special, Kaya’ s questions never go unanswered, and his searches always bring him to exciting new discoveries. As a student, Kaya is outstanding. As an educator, I have watched him grow, seen his talents and abilities not only in the classroom but outside its walls, when interacting with all types of people, as well. During his time at our institution, Kaya, who as I’ m sure you know is an excellent writer and publicist, also has done a good deal of work for the yeshiva. This has included the text for many public relations brochures and packets, letters to parents, potential donors, and alumni, and essentially any correspondence which I have requested that he compose. The feedback is always overwhelmingly positive, and he has done so much in that way for our yeshiva. Even today, while he studies elsewhere, he continues to do a great deal of this work for our institution, in addition to the recruiting and other services he performs for the yeshiva. Always, in his work, Kaya is consistent, dedicated and passionate, enthusiastic, cheerful, and a pleasure to work with. He has incredible creative energies and a refreshing idealism tempered only enough to accomplish what needs to be done. I highly recommend him for any position of work, leadership, education, or any other capacity in which he can spread his excitement and share his talents with others. At our institution, we are expecting big things from Kaya in the way of educational and communal leadership in the years to come. And knowing Kaya, he will not disappoint, and probably will exceed our expectations. Thank you once again for the opportunity to recommend such a special and impressive young man.

DNA Analysis: Validity And Doubts :: essays research papers

DNA : Criminal Identification Validity and Doubts   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DNA, although controversial on accuracy, has provided a new means of identifying criminals where there is little physical evidence. This allows you to take a piece of hair, a spot of blood, or skin tissue and make a positive identification on a suspect. Since it's first use by the FBI in December 1988 it has grown to become a major factor in criminal investigation. This new key gives them help when the crime scene lacks evidence. DNA evidence also allows detectives to narrow down suspects and keep innocent people from being prosecuted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In 1990 the FBI began development of a national DNA identification index. The FBI has received over 10,000 submissions of DNA evidence from police agencies and DNA evidence has been used in over 500 cases throughout the United States. The FBI performs testing for free to all police agencies to help keep costs down in prosecuting criminals. More than 50 laboratories perform DNA analysis around the US. The chances of two people having the same DNA profile is 1 in 50,000 all the way to 1 in 5 million according to scientists estimates.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DNA controls all our inheritable information like eye color, hair color, skin color, etc. DNA differs in all people except for identical twins. All cellular matter contains DNA: this includes white blood cells, bone cells, tissue cells, spermatozoa, and hair root cells. Adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine are the building blocks of DNA strands which make up the letters of a genetic code. In certain regions of a DNA strand the sequence of genetic code is unique which allows scientists to identify an individual and exclude others.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The FBI, Cellmark, and Lifecodes are the 3 major laboratories that courts accept DNA profiles from. As estimated by the FBI, the chances of two DNA samples being the same is as low as one in a trillion. Critics of DNA say that the FBI has falsely applied theories of population biology behind it's calculations, so courtrooms make DNA seem inaccurate. More than half the states have a mandatory DNA testing of all people convicted of sexual charges and violent offenses, to help in future criminal investigations. Although some people say that this is an invasion of privacy, it's a good way to prosecute repeat offenders and find suspects when only DNA evidence is available.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As accurate as DNA profiling is, there are still many questions about the

Moral Values Essay

Morality is the differentiation of intentions, decisions and actions between the ones that are good and the ones which are bad. The philosophy of morality is ethics. Morality is a synonym of goodness. Laurence Sterne has rightly said â€Å"Respect for ourselves guides our morals; respect for others guides our manners†. Moral values are important to an individual as it makes one feel peaceful. They give your life a purpose and make it meaningful. Honesty, decency, modesty, kind heartedness, sincerity, forgiveness and gratitude are some of the moral values. It is very easy for a person high in ethics to control his life. It changes your perspective. You only look at the brighter side of anything. The negative forces do not hold you back any more. It becomes easier for you to strive towards your aim in life. Moralistic approach seems virtuous. It helps you bond with the world far and away. Moral values make you trustworthy and accord you a respectable place amongst the others. World can be easily captivated by you as people count on your fair and sincere approach. Not only to others, moralistic approach assists yourself too. Your integrity will allow you to advance in both personal and professional life. Being compassionate is like a big virtue. It helps you deal with any misfortune that comes your way. Also you can be a big support to your friends and fellow beings in their difficult times. While I was studying, in my college days, I was more of a notorious child. Never realising the value of time was one main thing which I used to do. I never used to finish my assignments on time, always used to be late for lectures and even bunking the classes at times. I can still recall number of events where I had submitted late work. I never used to study regularly. Always kept on piling up work till the last day of assessment. A day prior to the exam used to be like hell on earth for me. As I had never prepared for the exam before I usually got low grades in the examinations. My parents always told me to adopt good values but I never listened. My mother always instructed me and even told me the ill results, but as is expected of youngsters I even ignored her. One similar day I went to the college. Walking confidently, showing off myself, typical me. When I reached my classroom what I saw shook my very foundations, it was an exam day. Only because I had never paid attention in the class I didn’t know about it. I somehow mustered my courage and sat for the exam. I saw everyone engrossed in writing and I was all blank. However the day passed. The worst had yet to come. It wasn’t far and the results were out. As expected I flunked in the subject. I was down with shame and disrespect not just because of failing but because of the extremely low grades. My grades were perhaps the lowest in the entire batch. I could not find any place to hide my face. It is still very difficult for me to put it in words how I faced my friends and family post the result. I went home, low and forlorn. The only person I could share it with was my mother. I know she was heartbroken, but she held me tight and told me there is never any time in life when you cannot rise up again and correct your improprieties. I hugged her tight. Her warmth gave me the strength to rise up again. From that very moment I resolved to leave behind all the bad habits and move on the right track. I did stick to this and was always moralist in my approach thereafter. It was then I realised how irreverent and impertinent I was and such a human being is incapable of any type of self-abandonment. He is either a slave of his pride or his egoism which ultimately makes him a prisoner of himself. This is exactly what happened with me. I was blind to values. I never gave things a chance to unfold themselves in their proper character and approached everything in such an importunate way that I only listened to myself and ignored the rest. Now I can proudly say adopting moral values has made me overcome any obstacle that has intervened my way of progress. I ended up my college with outstanding grades not only the result but I also managed to get myself a respectable job. I joined in a company as a business development executive and was eventually promoted to the post of a business development officer. I always wanted to excel in my professional life. But to achieve higher levels I needed higher education. MBA was my dream. But to adhere it I went through a difficult time phase. I was impatient as time was passing by but at the same time I had to be responsible to the compliance. As recognized by Socrates and Plato, it is better to suffer injustice than to commit it; I stuck to my moral values and didn’t lose patience. My hopes were always high. I knew I would attain my dream. Now I am in a foreign land, perusing a different course, for which I waited three long years. Things around me have changed. There is one thing that hasn’t and will not change ever – and that is my values. I follow them and they acknowledge me. I have been through quite a lot of experiences in the recent few years. All I can say is moral values are extremely important for your wellbeing. They will always keep your stress levels lower and help you lead a harmonious life. You are able to direct your behaviour towards beneficial and fulfilling activities. Moral values are the highest amongst all natural values. Positive values are the focus of the world whereas negative values are the greatest evil. Man himself is responsible for all his deeds and actions. Martin Luther King Jr said, â€Å"If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover those precious values – that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control†. (Cravvley & Kendall, 2009) In goodness there shines a light which bestows on the good person an intellectual dignity. I feel I am lucky I was born in a family which withholds strong moral values.