Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Influence Of Hard Rock Music Media Essay

Influence Of Hard Rock Music Media Essay Hard rock music is a type of music that is characterized by heavy use of drums, bass and electric guitar. The music is observed to have its origin in the United States and United Kingdom in 1960s. Susan (2001), and Andrew (2007), indicate that the music has borrowed its style from the other music such as rock music, rock and roll and blues rock music. The music is characterized to be so loud and aggressive. It was sometimes called cock rock because historically, it has been played by the male species to emphasize masculinity. Its crowd is usually made of the adolescent whites who are of working class. In the late 1096s, hard rock was also referred to as heavy metal but the term did not last long as bands came up with distinctions between the two types of rock music. It was noted that heavy metal was played at higher volume, pitch and intensity than the hard rock music. In the early 1970s the heavy metal took the darker side and developed some minor genres such as hard core punk and extreme metal, and this characteristics differentiated the two types of music. In the mid 1960s, the American British Bands made the efforts to make some modifications in the rock and roll music. They introduced heavier guitar use, more loud and bombastic drumming and hard sounds on the standard music and this made it different from soft blues. Examples of the hard rock music that were developed include (I cant get no) satisfaction which was sang by the Rolling Stones in 1965, You really got me bad sang by the Kinks in the year 1964 and My who sang by Who in the year 1965. From the above discoveries, it was now possible to differentiate the music as either hard or soft music. Soft music involved more emphasis on the harmony of the song and its melody but hard music had more emphasis put on the instruments that accompanied the music and melody (Mick and Gianni, 2003). Some of the bands that emerged to sing this type of music includes; Blue Cheer, Iron Butterfly, Vanilla Fudge and MC5. As time passed on, more bands were developed and other even mixed the two types of music (mixed early rock bands music and hard blue rocks). Examples of such bands included the Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest and Black Sabbath. In the year 1972, Alice Cooper received credit on producing top ten hard rock albums in the United States. In the year 1974 onwards to 1975, some bands from Canada came up with distinctively hard rock music and released albums (with songs such as fly by night, caress of steel and rush) that were played in Britain and United States. Glen et al (2006) noted that the music continued to be modified by more bands that emerged afterwards until there was a differentiation between heavy metal music and hard rock music. In the 1990s, the hard rock music became so dominant in the United States charts. In the year 2000s, Peter (2003), observed that very few bands from 1970s and 1990s had managed to survive recording hard music. Some of the existing bands that survived into the 2000 era and onwards include; Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, The Who and The Black Sabbath. The era has also seen the emergence of more rock genres such as post punk, metal genres and the garage rock music and bands like Wolfmother. Influence of hard rock music According to Smith and Boyson (2002), music has been seen to be one of a factor that has consequential effects to the one listening. Majorly, it is assumed that those who listen to rock music are harsh, aggressive and arrogant in real life. Masling (2002) indicates that most parents and society norms warn their adolescents against listening to rock music. However, this is not always the case as is to be seen. Although hard rock music is observed to initiate violence in individuals, Masling (2002), noted that most of the rock music melodies contained a message that could change someones lifestyle. He noted that most of rock music feature on love and peace as its main themes. Rock musicians have been known to talk about social issues that affect a nation or its citizens. Some of inspiring songs were heard during the Vietnam War and the songs were sang musicians such as Bob Dylan and John Lennon. Susan (2001) noted that most of the songs had protests message against violence and encoura ged people to kip the environment clean. Some of them have even undertaken the responsibility to perform charity services and at the same time preaching the message using their songs (Glen, 2006). Glen (2006), has also noted that some rock music have been developed and they posses strong Christian values. However, a few Christians are still against the music claiming that the beats and styles used are immoral, satanic and are too sensual to be listened in the church. Thus, according to them, any song that is in the Rock, Reggae or Hip-hop genre is satanic regardless of the lyrics in the music. It has been estimated that violence acts and aggression are can be found in almost 70% of rock music and raps (Barongan and Nagayama, 2005). There were also evidence that most people who listened to these types of music displayed violent behaviors to their spouses (women especially). According to Nicholas and Dibben (2001), a brief exposure to a violent music video or listening to the music for just 10 minutes would change the emotions of an individual. Most of the percentage have been said to change the person negatively. An archival research performed by Atkin et al (2002), indicated that listening and watching to rock music attributed to more violence, aggressiveness and use of explicit language. Emotionally, Nicholas and Dibben (2001), depicts that soft music invokes a positive thought in an individual while listening to a hard rock music invokes negative emotions. According to Atkin et al (2002), some rock singers confuse its singers by the lyrics they compose. He noted that some famous musicians contradicted themselves when they released a song that illustrated non-existence of God, meaning they are atheist in nature. This can be influential to their fans that may end up believing in what they sing about. An example is John Lennon who sang the song Imagin (the song described that the world would be a better place without religion). American Psychological Association (2002) observed that most rock musicians love being identified as unique and standing out. Most of them isolate themselves and even use drugs to make their life different from a normal individual. Most of the musicians depict a lifestyle that is characterized by drugs and sex. They were known to attract attention of young girls groupies who later developed to become prostitutes as a result. They were also characterized by a hard drinking habits and lack of order in what they do. Masling (2002) depicts that the bands were influential to the young youths who still were naÃÆ'Â ¯ve and they followed everything they saw and heard. Some bands used satanic imageries and this influenced the viewers too. As they appreciate their stars, they also appreciate the images they use in their music. To conclude, music is defined by the type of message and comfort one derives after listening to it. Todays society is not happy with the hard rock music and its effects. From above explanations, it is noted that hard rock music has more harm than good to our society. It is the responsibility of parents and the community to educate their children on the need to watch out on the type of music they listen to as it may have permanent effects in their lives.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Essay example --

The book In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick, is an inspiring story about an Essex from Nantucket, getting attacked by a eighty-five ton sperm whale miles deep out in the ocean. In these times, going on any ocean expedition had its precautions. While much focus on food, drinking water, medication and a method to cure illness, the most overlooked impairment was the creatures of the ocean. While the men of this vessel left the docks as predators, the survivors of the ninety- three-day journey on three small harpoon boats came back as prey. This story gives a great depiction of the potential of the sperm whale as well as the devastation that they can bring. While whaling isn’t nearly as popular today, in this time many men made, or attempted to make, a living in this industry. Despite the hard work, dangerous standards and general intimidation, shipmates were lured into the industry for the high pay. When feeling protected by a large ship, weapons and a fearless captain, it was easy to forget the power of what they were hunting. The sperm whale is the largest of all the toothed whales, with males maturing at an average size of fifty- two feet and sometimes can reach up to sixty-seven feet in length. â€Å"It’s twenty-foot-wide tail pumped up and down.† (Philbrick, 2000, 82) The domain of life that the sperm whale belongs to is the Eukaryote. This is because the sperm whale is an organism that is made up of cells that contain a nucleus as well as other structures that are enclosed by the cell membrane. The kingdom that it belongs to is the Animalia. This is because they are multi-cellular organisms. These a nimals contain other distinct features including; â€Å"interior digestion of f... ...ats of the whale are still used in some of today’s industries. These parts of the whale have numerous applications in biotechnology. Some of which include, but are not limited to; candles, oil lamps, soaps, and lubricants. Even though their oils have significance in certain applications, the sperm whale is considered an endangered species. This is primarily because of being over hunted. They also have been known to get caught in fishing nets, subject to pollution, also can be severely affected by ocean debris. There are many creatures that live in the sea. The sperm whale being one of many creatures that has a huge impact on the ocean. They are very unique creators, who most people tend to forget about. The sperm whale created a huge conflict for the Essex, leaving the reading wondering what is going to end up happening. This book inspired the book Moby Dick.

Saturday, January 11, 2020

Human Resources Management Essay

Activity 1: Understand the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to be an effective HR practitioner 1.1 Explain the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to be effective in an identified HR role The CIPD created an HR Profession Map which provides a framework for self-assessment activity which forms the basis of Continuous Professional Development. The map is suitable for anyone operating anywhere in the world and it has been designed to support HR professionals at every stage of their career. It is a view on how the HR department functions and adds value to any organisation in all sectors no matter the shape or size. Through its simple and flexible structure the HRPM covers ten professional areas and eight behaviours and it is set out in four bands of competence. The HRPM was elaborated starting from two key professional areas: ‘Strategy, Insights & Solutions’ and ’Leading and managing the function.’ ‘Strategy, Insights & Solutions’ is at the core of HRPM because it grows actionable insights and solutions, prioritised against deep business awareness. The ‘Leading and managing the function’ professional area provides activ e, insight-led leadership. The eight professional behaviours that HR practitioners need in order to be effective and make a contribution to the success of the organisation are: decisive thinker, skilled influencer, personally credible, collaborative, driven to deliver, courage to challenge and being a role model. There are different mixtures of behaviours that link to each professional area, but there are no requirements as to what behaviours are required for a certain role; however the four bands of professional competence will position the different levels of performance. The staff at Band 1 level are involved in support with administration providing first line advice, effectively managing information. Mainly customer support focused, they follow agreed methodology and processes and are usually flexible to change when new ideas are agreed. They have knowledge about how to deliver high quality service, handle and resolve complaints and approach difficult customers. At this level of competence staff actively develops understanding of the HR profession both within, and beyond the organisation and work positive with other areas of HR to deliver objectives. They search for advice from team leaders and colleagues in order to achieve objectives  and supply the organisation with ideas, observations and suggestions for improvements when they become apparent. Staff at Band 1 plan and execute personal and professional development and are aware of the organisation structure, culture, values, operations and goals, its range of products and services and its customer base. The technical knowledge required for the role is met in professionals at this level of competence. They perceive the significance of how the component parts of HR combine together to create an overall service for the business objectives. They comprehend how to work with others in HR to prioritise tasks and manage time to reach objectives. Professionals at this level of competence are confident in: asking questions and seeking clarification, pursuing and reflecting feedback on personal performance and using it to modify practice and plan development (curiosity) using previous experience, standards, procedures and common sense to make decisions (decisive thinking) identifying the key points to communicate, selecting the right means for the message and audience (skilled influencer) demonstrating a consistently strong disposition for action and a desire to succeed (driven to deliver) making a positive contribution to the team, supporting and coaching colleagues through their day-to-day work( collaborative) taking satisfaction in being considered trustworthy and reliable by stakeholders and colleagues (personally credible) advocates personal, departmental and company values, processes and behaviour(positive role model) building relationships with colleagues in HR and with customers The staff at Band 2 level has a clear understanding of the evaluation process and has the ability to resolve satisfactory problems, where Band 3 acts as consultants, leading the professional area. They spend their time in understanding the functional and business realities providing solutions. At Band 4 level are leading the function or professional area and are development and performance coaches for the hard issues. They develop the organisation and human resources strategies. Activity 2: Know how to deliver timely and effective HR services to meet users’ needs 2.1 Identify the needs of those using HR services within an organisation and explain how conflicting needs are identified and prioritised In order to deliver excellent customer service there are needed a mixture of both knowledge and skills. There is need of knowledge of the products and services supplied to the external customers for those services and products, the systems and procedures within the organisation and the network of internal customers. The HR department is a service department to a range of customers. These can be external customers such as legal or government agencies, or within an organisation, the internal customers are Employees (current and potential), Line Managers, Senior Managers and Directors. Employees need professional HR support from real people partners and HR must be responsive and clear about what services it offers. HR has to be easy to contact and able to respond quickly and effectively, able to motivate its customers in order to increase their efficiency (bonuses and promotions), because the success of any organization depends on the employees potential. Employees are the main asset of any organisation. They require accurate and on time pay and benefits, to be provided the motivation to work and given the opportunity for training and development. Managers want an HR function which understands the workforce and can help manage the balance between employee and business needs. They need a proactive HR function which identifies issues before they happen and works with managers to address them. They would like HR to help them with their most challenging personnel issues including motivation, change and skills development. Line managers need to be supported by strong organisational values and they also need to feel confident that their own managers will treat them with respect. They need to be encouraged to reflect on their own behaviour and how they are perceived by those they manage and they need to understand their impact on motivation consequently on performance. The needs of employees and managers may sometimes be conflicting. For example, managers require tasks t o be completed as quickly as possible with very good results whereas employees want more time in order to complete certain tasks. An effective HR department must use knowledge, diplomacy and confidence in dealing with both groups to find the right balance. A way of resolving these conflicts is to focus on the overall needs of the organisation by ensuring that employees with the right skill sets are recruited. The skills and abilities of the employee must be aligned to their job role and HR has to honour development  and training to ensure productivity is reached and recognise people effectively with own selected ways of recognition. Despite the best efforts of HR departments there are some times when customers’ needs cannot be met. In this case fair reasons must be provided in a professional and sensitive way. 2.2 Identify different methods of communication and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each Communication plays a very important role in the development of an organisation. Every task in any role in a Human Resources department calls for good communication and is the simplest way to transfer information from one place to another. When a new employee is hired, good communication skills help pick the right person and make sure the person hired knows what the job involves. When training, coaching, or evaluating an employee superior communication will clarify the expectations from that person. When conflicts arise high standard communication skills resolve the issues without creating more. Good communication can help to: improve relationships and teamwork, boost performance and productivity solve problems effectively, create an environment conducive to openness for others. Oral communication is one of the most effective means of communication. Oral communication is very easy and simple. Also it avoids time wasting. Spoken or Verbal Communication is required in situations like: face-to-face meetings, telephone, team briefings, conferences and seminars. Advantages of verbal communication are: the opportunity for instant feedback to make sure the message was understood and the opportunity of making decisions without any delays the occasion to utilize nonverbal clues (tone, body language, inflection) the permission to make specific points in detail and elaborate on any that are unclear points are broken down and clearly understood the offer to the recipients of undivided attention making them feel more important is very useful when it comes to the transmission of very private and confidential information relatively cheaper means of communication it can be achieved without the need of travelling to communicate with people outside the organization is particularly good when one wants to persuade or motivate people into doing something. simplicity in identifying mistakes and correction of the ones already said However, there are several disadvantages and the main one is miscommunication. In other words, whatever the listener hears is often not what is meant. The simplest words, for example, have a different connotation for different people. The most important disadvantages of Verbal Communication are: there is no formal record of transaction which could later cause problems if the verbal message is passed on along the hierarchy, then some distortions can occur during the process. lengthy and distant communications cannot be effectively conveyed verbally receiver may be in receipt of the message in his own perception and thus misunderstand the intent of the message. spontaneous responses may not be carefully thought about. things like background noise could interfere during the transmission of information and render the information ineffective Using non-verbal communication (e.g. body language, gestures, eye contact and posture) is another efficient method of communication. Body language can transfer attitudes toward a speaker even before a word is said and can be used to show the speaker engagement in the conversation. Non-verbal communications include facial expressions, the tone and pitch of the voice, gestures which can give clues and additional information and meaning over and above spoken (verbal) communication. The advantages of non-verbal communication are: possibility to speak with a person who cannot hear it gives the chance to communicate in places where talking audibly is avoided ability to communicate from small distance without needing to raise the voice The disadvantages of non-verbal communication are: impossibility to carry out long conversations the variety from culture to culture particularities of messages cannot be discussed in detail that it is not a useful tool for public communication that it is less influential than verbal communication Written Communication includes: letters, e-mails, books, magazines, the Internet or via other media. Writing skills are an important part of communication. Good writing skills allow the possibility to communicate messages with clarity and ease to a far larger audience than through face-to-face or telephone conversations. The advantages of written communication are as follows: strengthens and clarifies a verbal message allows records to be kept for future reference more reliable than oral communication more precise than any other means of communication can be stored for future analysis can be easily distributed to recipients that are in different locations. Disadvantages associated with the written communication are that can take a considerable amount of time to produce inflexibility feedback is not immediate slows down the decision making process can be very expensive to produce and to disseminate 2.3 Describe how to build and maintain effective service delivery The HR professional ensures that the delivery of HR service and information to leaders, managers and staff within the organisation is accurate, efficient, timely and cost effective. Feedback and complaints are important as they give HR assistants the opportunity to improve themselves, their processes and services. When dealing with complaints in order to obtain a positive result the problem must be clarified and solution options must be identified. By solving customers problems, or fulfilling their needs loyalty and competitive advantage is being built. Activity 3: Be able to reflect on own practice and development needs and maintain a plan for personal development 3.1 Explain the concept and importance of CPD Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is a combination of approaches, ideas and techniques that will help me to manage my own learning and growth. The CIPD CPD principles are as follows: development is continuous in the sense that members actively seek to improve their skills, knowledge and performance members show an active interest in the internal and external environment and in the continuous development and improvement of self and others at both organisation and individual levels development is owned and managed by the individual, learning from all experiences, combined with reflection as a key activity 3.2 Undertake a self-assessment of capabilities as an HR or L&D practitioner and identify development needs Studying CPD is important as it gives me a number of benefits and helps me to build my own confidence and credibility with employers CPD enables me to: take steps to achieve my goals by focussing on my training and development be more productive and efficient highlight my skills and achievements within a framework that is recognised by employers. 3.3 Evaluate options to meet identified development needs Advantages of distance learning are: does not require commuting can study from anywhere while pursuing the education of my choice gain extra knowledge self-paced learning Disadvantages of distance learning are: costly and complex technology requires advance planning and time management to get make sure assignments are done on time the hidden costs does not offer immediate feedback distance learning degrees may not be acknowledged by all employers distance learning does not give the opportunity to work on oral communication skills do not get the practice of verbal interaction with professors and other students social isolation Overall saves you money and time as you can schedule learning around other aspects of your personal and professional life. You do not have to live in the same city or the same country to attend the learning institution of your choice. You can study wherever you have access to a computer and Internet connection. You can transfer the computer and Internet skills that you will gain in the process of your distance learning experience to other facets of your life. However social isolation is lessened with advances and use of communication technologies such as bulletin boards, threaded discussions, social networking, chats, email and video conferencing.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Physical Education for Special Needs Students

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)  states that physical education is a required service for children and youth between the ages of 3 and 21 who qualify for special education services because of a specific disability or developmental delay. The term special education refers to specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents (FAPE), to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom and instruction in physical education. The specially-designed program will be outlined in the childs Individual Education Program/Plan (IEP). Therefore, physical education services, specially designed if necessary, must be made available to every child with a disability receiving FAPE. Physical education for a special needs child will develop: Fundamental motor skills and patternsSkills in aquatics and danceIndividual and group games and sports (including intramural and lifetime sports) One of the fundamental concepts in the IDEA, Least Restrictive Environment, is designed to ensure that students with disabilities receive as much instruction and as much general education curriculum with their typical peers as possible. Physical education teachers will need to adapt instructional strategies and activity areas to meet the needs of students with IEPs.   Physical Education Adaptions for Students with IEPs Adaptations may include narrowing the expectations of students according to their needs.  The demand for performance and participation will naturally be adapted to the students ability to participate. The childs special educator will consult with the physical education teacher and classroom support staff to decide if the physical education program requires mild, moderate or limited participation. Remember that you will be adapting, modifying, and changing the activity and or equipment to meet the needs of the special needs students. Adaptations may also include larger balls, bats, assistance, using different body parts, or providing more rest time. The goal should be for the child to benefit from the physical education instruction by experiencing success and learning physical activities that will build the foundation for life-long physical activity.   In some cases, a special instructor with special training may participate with the general education physical educator.  Adaptive P.E. needs to be designated as an SDI (specially designed instruction, or service) in the IEP, and the adaptive P.E. teacher will also evaluate the student and the students needs.  Those specific needs will be addressed in IEP goals as well as SDIs, so the specific needs of the child are addressed.   Suggestions for Physical Education Teachers Consult with parents and specialized support staff.Do not require students to do activities they are not capable of.Dont have student selections for teams and games that will leave the special needs child the last to be selected.Whenever possible, create tasks that the child with a handicap is capable of performing, this helps self-respect.There are a wealth of resources online and with associations concerned with exceptional children. Search out these resources. Remember, When Working Towards Inclusion,  Consider: How can I change this activity to suit the student?How can I adapt this activity?How can I modify this activity?How will I assess the physical activity?Can I involve a teachers assistant or parent volunteer?How will I ensure the rest of the class involves the student with a handicap? Think in terms of action, time, assistance, equipment, boundaries, distance, etc.