Change management situation in a Police organisation

Change management situation in a Police organisation This essay will analyse a change management situation in a Police organisation, comparing approaches to leadership, analysing the efficiency of interpersonal skills for a Leader and analysing the role of a Leader within the Police environment, taking cognisance of the principles, theories and approaches to Leadership. Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realise your own leadership potential. The Police service in Scotland has under gone many Change Management Situations over the years. In 1975 the Local Government reorganisation brought about the amalgamation of the Burgh and City police forces into the eight territorial forces that we recognise today. At the present Strathclyde Police are undergoing a significant change management situation, the result of which is the implementation of Variable Shift Agreement (VSA) across the force at operational level. EVALUATE APPROACHES TO LEADERSHIP The introduction of the VSA saw the force revise its traditional four group system for core uniform coverage into a five group system. The demands of the new arrangement meant that the leader (Chief Constable) was tasked with altering the resource management for each of Strathclydes territorial divisions considering factors such as: Length of Service and age Specialities i.e. Public Order , Firearms Gender These factors were all considered to provide an equal share of skills and experience across a Division as possible. This could prove the cause of friction between the management and subordinates, as well formed; productive shifts could be fragmented and divided up across a division. Kotter (1990, cited in Leadership 2009) observed that managers and leaders have three main tasks that they accomplish in different ways: Deciding what needs to be done Shift pattern must change to give better work life balance, better service to the public and more efficient use of resources. Creating networks of people and relationships that can accomplish the agenda Setting up of a review and implementation team, looking at best use of resources. Trying to ensure that people actually do the job monitoring the results of the newly formed shifts through Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) such as cases submitted, stop searches undertaken and absence management. In the implementation of the VSA shift pattern the leader involved, more or less followed the three tasks as observed by Kotter, however depending on the leaders rank within the hierarchy, their approach to the same task will differ. Remembering that there is a difference between leaders and managers Kotters approach allows Leaders to concentrate on the creation of strategies and visions for the future, communicating and committing to achievement of these visions and motivating others despite obstacles to change. During this change management situation the Leader was more concerned with focusing on the implementation of the VSA rather than focusing on the needs of the employees. Lewin et al (1939, cited in Leadership 2009) identified a leadership approach, sometimes referred to as the behavioural approach: Autocratic (or authoritarian) style where the leader concentrates on getting the job done; the leader takes responsibility for everything that is done e.g. making decisions , allocating work, setting targets and ensures , through the use of rewards and punishments that team members obey. Democratic (or participation) style where the leader concentrates on the needs of the group or team; leadership is shared with team members who have a greater say in the decision making; how tasks are allocated and so on. Laissez Faire (or delegative) style as its name suggests this is where the leader deliberately allows the team to decide what has to be done and how to do it; the leader is available for help and advice if needed but does not interfere. According to Lewin et al the leader utilised an autocratic style of leadership when implementing the VSA, controlling decision making and task setting. Shown with the formation of the VSA implementation team. They had the set task of rolling out the shift plan to each division in turn, with target dates set for this roll out. Furthermore, the Chief Constable regularly chaired a strategic tasking and co-ordinating group, receiving feedback from the implementation team and Divisional Commanders, whilst making all the decisions regarding the implementation, without handing any of these decisions down to subordinates to undertake, showing that in this case he was taking responsibility for everything that was done. A different approach to leadership is that of Hersey and Blanchard (1988, cited in Leadership 2009) theory known as situational leadership, they make use of observing members willingness to perform a task and from this select a suitable leadership style. The four stages of readiness are described as: R1 unable and unwilling R2 unable and willing R3 able but unwilling R4 able and willing Most personnel which would be affected fell into: R2 New Probationers who do not yet have the necessary skills and had not experience any other shift pattern. And R3 More experienced officers who could foresee that the shift pattern was not as favourable as the current one, some possibly resistant to change. But others able to argue that there would be problems with child care, longer working days and frequent cancellation of rest days with the VSA. The leadership styles suggested are: S1 telling or directing requires state of readiness R1 S2 selling or coaching requires state of readiness R2 S3 participating or supporting requires state of readiness R3 S4 delegating requires state of readiness R4 From this theory the leader should have adopted a combination of S2 and S3 styles to communicate and sell the VSA and support those who require it. However in choosing to implement S1 (similar to the autocratic approach) with telling and directing the VSA implementation, does not follow Hersey and Blanchards theory and could create more friction by choosing the wrong leadership style. This is shown in the table below. This table shows that different readiness levels require differing styles of leadership, leaders should consider their relations with others, and the structure of the task before determining what style of leadership to adopt, evolving their leadership style as readiness levels change, as with many things one size does not fit all. ANALYSE THE EFFECT OF INTERPERSONAL SKILLS ON LEADERSHIP When a leader decides upon a particular leadership approach to their given task, they must then interact with others and consider their own interpersonal skills. A successful and effective leader requires a range of interpersonal skills such as listening, asking questions, giving feedback, being assertive and so on. This section will analyse two particular aspects of interpersonal skills: Influencing trying to get someone to do, or to think, something that they might not otherwise have done. Managing Conflict coping with disagreements between people(in broad terms) Using interpersonal skills is not just a matter of knowing what they are, but about being aware when they are suitable and knowing how to use them effectively. According to French and Raven (1959, cited in Leadership 2009) power comes from five sources: Reward Power Coercive Power Referent Power Legitimate Power Expert power Power is an abstract concept and is difficult to define; basically A has the ability to make B behave in a certain way. The types of power demonstrated by the leader, throughout the organisational change was a mixture of coercive and legitimate power. The leader had the authority to influence behaviour through their rank within a disciplined hierarchal organisation, the force were presented with the VSA or an alternative of an even older shift pattern without consultation. Influencing Leaders are likely to adopt a particular style or approach when trying to influence someone, the balance of power between both parties will possibly determine the strategy, these may include: Reason using reason and logical argument. Assertion making a direct request with no argument to support the request. Exchange negotiating to arrive at a mutually acceptable outcome. Courting Favors friendship and positive behavior to encourage others to behave in the required manner. Coercion using or threatening to use some form of sanction. Partnership gathering support from both sides to build a coalition. And also the style used, Manning and Robertson (2004, cited in Leadership 2009) suggest six possible influencing styles: Strategist this is where the influencer is clear in what they what to achieve and has considered it before hand .A strategist style tends to favour reason, assertion and partnership styles of influence. Opportunist this style involves responding opportunistically to the situation facing the influencer. An opportunist style tends to use courting favour and exchange strategies. An opportunist is unlikely to prepare much beforehand but will attempt to grasp chances that come their way. Collaborator this style as its name suggests, involves collaboration with others for the overall good. A collaborator style concentrates on partnership, reason, exchange and courting favour strategies. Leaders who favour consensus are an example of collaborator style. Battler this is where the influencer concentrates on what they want and the sanction that they will use if they do not achieve this. A battler style tends to make use of coercion and assertion styles. A battler style is associated with people who want to get their own way and are reluctant to take no for an answer. Shotgun this strategy involves attempting to influence on a frequent basis and by use of a number of different strategies. Bystander those who adopt this style tend to engage in relatively few influencing attempts and make use of a restricted use of strategies. For the VSA to be implemented the leader combined their influencing strategy and style, using assertion and coercion. By making a direct request to Divisional Commanders to introduce the VSA to their respective divisions, through the VSA implementation teams, underpinning this with their legitimate power by virtue of their position within the force. The leader wanted to get their own way, however reluctant to take no for an answer from their Divisional Commanders. This resulted in conflict, which may have been avoided had the leader utilised a partnership or reason approach, justifying the reason behind their requests. Managing Conflict On some occasions leaders can use the previously discussed influencing strategies and power levels to assist them in managing conflict. Robbins (1996, cited in Leadership 2009) describes conflict as a process that begins when one party perceives that another has negatively effected, or is about to negatively effect, something that the first party cares about . Buchanan and Huczynski (2004) argue that conflict is a state of mind . Some will argue that conflict is a necessary part of organisational growth and development, where some will claim that an absence of conflict could be seen as an indication of complacency. However conflict has functional or potential benefits such as: Enabling opposing parties to gain a better understanding of each others views. An essential part of the process by which a team becomes effective. Leads alternative suggestions being made. Helps to implement a change successfully. Leads to an agreement that establishes a framework for future working. It is not always straight forward to manage conflict; some measures can be used to contribute to reducing the conflict at an organisational level reminding those involved of the rules and procedures, but also of remits, targets and goals of the organisation, however sometimes it is these that are the root causes of the conflict. Leaders will all handle conflict differently depending on the type of conflict faced; Thomas (1976, cited in Leadership 2009) suggests five styles for managing conflict: Avoiding this means doing nothing to tackle the conflict, this can be used when the issues are trivial and there is no chance of resolving the conflict. Accommodating this means accepting the existence of the conflict, this can be used to maintain harmony and allow people to learn from their mistakes. Compromising this involves some form of bargaining or negotiation; this can be used when getting a solution is important and both parties have equal power. Competing the opposite of accommodating and pursuing the interests of one party at the expense of the other, this can be used in an emergency and a quick solution is necessary. Collaborating working out a solution that is acceptable to both parties and meets all their concerns, used when it is important to gain long term commitment and issues are to important to compromise. Successful influencing and conflict management was certainly required with the initial introduction of the VSA. Firstly the leaders had to influence the core shifts and federation into accepting that it would provide a better quality of service and greater work life balance. The conflict arose through others unwilling to accept the terms of the VSA; however the leaders in managing this conflict firstly adopted an avoiding strategy during the initial pilot stage of the VSA. At the conclusion of the pilot and in preparation for roll out the leader, still facing resistance changed into competing. The leader believed the shift plan would work force wide and therefore would be implemented, with no consultation and no argument to justify the reasons for implementation. Either that or resort backwards to an older shift pattern. In implementing the VSA the Chief Constable has made effective use of their interpersonal skills, in their own distinct approach to this particular change management situation. However a more beneficial approach may have been a mix of accommodation, accepting that there were flaws in the VSA, and the existence of conflict with its implementation, collaborating with subordinates to work out a better solution for the long term strategy of the VSA. ANALYSE THE ROLE OF LEADERS IN ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE Organisational change is about closing the gap between where the organisation is at the moment and where it wants to be. It is the leaders role to close this gap. Senior (2002, cited in Leadership 2009) has identified four levels of change in which some, if not all would be involved in, Fine tuning Incremental adjustment Modular transformation Corporate transformation According to Senior the level of change that the VSA posed to the force was that of a modular transformation, as a significant number of the force, but not all, would be affected by its implementation. Kurt Lewin (cited in Leadership 2009) suggests that there are three main stages of change, unfreezing, change and refreezing. For the change to happen, the Leader firstly recognized the need for change, with a new shift pattern, following this with proprietary planning with the implementation team before the unfreezing stage. At this point resistance to the change should have been addressed, but the leader chose to avoid the conflict. The change period was overseen by the leader through chairing tasking meetings and monitoring its progress. During the refreezing period the VSA became an everyday part of life, the change was institutionalized, to give no chance of reverting back to previous shift patterns. Within these three stages people will play different roles in this organisational change; Kanter (1992, cited in Leadership 2009) distinguishes between three different types of people; Change strategists or initiators who initiate change and set the direction for it. Change implementers who co-ordinate and carry out the change. Change recipients who are effected by the change e.g. officers on the street. Change strategists are normally leaders the Chief Constable, change implementers are normally managers Divisional Commanders and the VSA implementation team, and subordinates are the recipients of change Officers on the core shifts. Force field analysis is a technique for analysing the internal and external drivers that can influence any organisational change; some of these driving factors for this organisational change can be identified as PESTEL factors, such as: Political MPs and councilors demanding more police presence on the streets. Economic overtime cost, reduced budget and the new Chief Constables promise to cut costs. Social-cultural alcohol induced anti social behavior. Nearly all forms of change will be met with some resistance, the VSA being no different. Strebel (1996, cited in Leadership 2009) argues that employees resist change because it disrupts the personal contract between employees and the organisation. Resisters to this organisational change can fall into different categories, Parochial self interest those employees resistant to change, they think that their position will be threatened and will make them worse off, the same employees that fall into Hersey and Blanchards R3 state of readiness. Misunderstanding and lack of trust employees misinterpreting the reasons behind the change, due to a lack of communication, viewing this change as just one of many For this organisational change to be successful the leader had to reduce resistors and increase drivers for change in an attempt to reach equilibrium. To do this they communicated the benefits of change, through more days off and a better work life balance; however there was an element of manipulation used to show employees that they would have more weekends off. Under the current shift pattern officers received one weekend off in every four, the VSA would allow two weekends off in every five. Look back at the current shift pattern over five weeks, officers were already receiving two weekends off in every five. The leader used this information selectively thus attempting to paint a rosy picture of the benefits of the VSA. A better way may have included an element of participation helping to build commitment to the change and negotiation, which could avoid some resistance from the employees affected by the change. CONCLUSION Drawing a conclusion for this essay, firstly considering the approach to leadership undertaken by the Chief Constable during this, change management situation. In their autocratic (or authoritarian) approach they concentrated in getting the job done and took responsibility for all the decisions made. Had the Chief Constable approached the organisational change according to Hersey and Blanchards situational leadership, identified their officers level of readiness and adopted the suggested leadership style, they may have been faced with less friction or resistance by the officers that would be affected by the VSA implementation. Secondly, in analysing the interpersonal skills and its effect on the organisational change, the Chief constable utilised their legitimate power to achieve the implementation, in adopting an assertion style of influencing with no argument to their request, coupling this with the conflict management style, by firstly avoiding and then competing. Had they followed an alternative style suggested by Thomas (1976) such as accommodating and accepting the existence of conflict or resistance to the VSA, they may have been able to negotiate better with the federation and the officers affected by the change to find out the root causes of conflict and address them at an early stage. Thirdly, considering the Chief Constables role within this organisational change was that of a change strategist, they initiated the VSA and set its direction, posing, as Senior (2002) identifies as a modular transformation to the force. With some officers resisting due to a parochial self interest, whilst others through misunderstanding and lack of trust in this change, the Chief Constable had to reset the balance by education and manipulation, driving his vision forward. One thing certain from this is the Chief Constable requires managers with the skill, knowledge and experience of organisational change, enabling them to have the ability to change and adapt their leadership style to suit each given change management situation. These managers may not be able to ease all of the resistance to change, but should be able to reduce it considerably to implement future changes that are required.

Hadyn Middletons Lie of the Land :: Middleton Lie of the Land Essays

Hadyn Middleton's Lie of the Land The mystical premise William Blake uses as the basis for his poetic work is not one based on a transcendent God, but the "Universal Man" who is himself God and who incorporates the cosmos as well. Blake elsewhere describes this founding image as "the human Form Divine" and names him "Albion." After becoming more familiar with the "myth" William Blake uses in his poetry, it is clear that Hadyn Middleton doesn't simply refer to Blake throughout the telling of Lie of the Land, his myths live quite comfortably inside within it. Nennius is not simply inspired by the work of Blake, he becomes Blake's work. Nennius becomes Albion. Blake's attempt to articulate a full myth of humanity's present, past, and future is clearly mirrored in Middleton's beginning, middle and end. What both Blake and Middleton explore is the fall of a man from humanity into a lower "state" of being. The fall, in Blake's myth, is not the fall of humanity away from God but a falling apart of primal people, a "fall into Division." In this event the original sin is what Blake calls "Selfhood," the attempt of an isolated part to be self-sufficient. The breakup of the all-inclusive Universal Man in Eden into exiled parts identifies the Fall with the creation-- the creation not only of man and of nature as we ordinarily know them but also of a sky god who is alien from humanity (20-21, here and throughout, page numbers refer to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 6h ed. v.2). Middleton takes Nennius and plops him smack dab in the middle of Blake's poetic structure, in the middle of what ultimately becomes the lie of the land. When Nennius discovers the "woman's" presence, as a very young boy, he begins his "separation" into a state of selfhood; perhaps without really being conscious of this movement. He gives his life over to the power he thinks the woman possesses. He lives his life believing the "end" will eventually be brought to him from the spirit. Thus, he retreats into a world of his own making. Nennius imposes exile upon himself. The world excludes his wife, his child and all forms of human pleasure as well as human pain. Further into Blake's myth, Universal Man divides first into the "Four Mighty Ones" who are the Zoas, or chief powers and component aspects of humanity, and these in turn divide sexually into male Spectres and female Emanations (21). Hadyn Middleton's Lie of the Land :: Middleton Lie of the Land Essays Hadyn Middleton's Lie of the Land The mystical premise William Blake uses as the basis for his poetic work is not one based on a transcendent God, but the "Universal Man" who is himself God and who incorporates the cosmos as well. Blake elsewhere describes this founding image as "the human Form Divine" and names him "Albion." After becoming more familiar with the "myth" William Blake uses in his poetry, it is clear that Hadyn Middleton doesn't simply refer to Blake throughout the telling of Lie of the Land, his myths live quite comfortably inside within it. Nennius is not simply inspired by the work of Blake, he becomes Blake's work. Nennius becomes Albion. Blake's attempt to articulate a full myth of humanity's present, past, and future is clearly mirrored in Middleton's beginning, middle and end. What both Blake and Middleton explore is the fall of a man from humanity into a lower "state" of being. The fall, in Blake's myth, is not the fall of humanity away from God but a falling apart of primal people, a "fall into Division." In this event the original sin is what Blake calls "Selfhood," the attempt of an isolated part to be self-sufficient. The breakup of the all-inclusive Universal Man in Eden into exiled parts identifies the Fall with the creation-- the creation not only of man and of nature as we ordinarily know them but also of a sky god who is alien from humanity (20-21, here and throughout, page numbers refer to The Norton Anthology of English Literature, 6h ed. v.2). Middleton takes Nennius and plops him smack dab in the middle of Blake's poetic structure, in the middle of what ultimately becomes the lie of the land. When Nennius discovers the "woman's" presence, as a very young boy, he begins his "separation" into a state of selfhood; perhaps without really being conscious of this movement. He gives his life over to the power he thinks the woman possesses. He lives his life believing the "end" will eventually be brought to him from the spirit. Thus, he retreats into a world of his own making. Nennius imposes exile upon himself. The world excludes his wife, his child and all forms of human pleasure as well as human pain. Further into Blake's myth, Universal Man divides first into the "Four Mighty Ones" who are the Zoas, or chief powers and component aspects of humanity, and these in turn divide sexually into male Spectres and female Emanations (21).

What do you consider to be the main causes of social conflict in Britain’s cities in the last ten years?

What do you consider to be the main causes of social conflict in Britain's cities in the last ten years? Stephenie Thourgood What do you consider to be the main causes of social conflict in Britain's Cities in the last ten years? This essay aims to introduce types of social conflict that prevail in today's society and identify possible causes to the social conflict that has occurred in British cities within the last decade. Social conflict is the struggle between individuals or groups of people within a society that have opposing beliefs/ interests to other groups. From these struggles, tensions are produced and are expressed in a variety of ways often through anti-social behaviour such as theft, drugs, riots, attacks, demonstrations, strikes, hooliganism and vandalism. The main focus of this paper will be the causes behind the riots in British cities in the last ten years, as riots are a form of social conflict easier to measure than the other forms; Riots occur sporadically and last for a certain duration. Crime for example is an ongoing process in all areas of the country. The essay will conclude by suggesting changes to be made to reduce social conflict in Britain. Britain has a history of city riots that were probably most prominent in the 1980's in areas such as Brixton and Manchester. There have been thirteen recorded riots between 1991 and 1992 where the police temporarily lost control over the violence. All of the riots occurred in council estates on the periphery of London in low-income areas with long standing socio-economic problems. Unemployment levels were far above the national average. The participants were predominantly young white British males aged between 10 and 30 years old. There tended to be a high concentration of young people, in some areas over half of the residents were under 24 years of age (Power, A 1997. ppix). Individuals in society have labelled this group of people the ‘underclass'. There are however different understandings of what is meant by the ‘underclass'. It would seem that in a time where the class system is supposedly dead, class differences still exist. The ‘underclass' in this paper will be considered as people with † low educational attainment, a lack of adequate skills †¦. ,shared spatial location, dependency on welfare, unemployment and under-employment†¦ pathological family structures and the inter-generational transmission of poverty; involvement in the unreported economy and a pre-disposition to criminal and disorderly behaviour†( Crowther, C, 1997 pp7). In the way that the working class had little power in the capitalist system until they formed a global alliance of all workers (proletariat), the underclass too struggle to make a difference until they unite and riot (Dicken, P 1990). There are many reasons behind social conflict and there are also catalysts that trigger the social disorder such as riots. Community is often a group of people with shared interests, a neighbourhood where residents feel a sense of identification and belonging. Traditionally a sense of community was based around the neighbourhood you resided. This concept is fast deteriorating as new community identities within communities evolve e. g. the ‘gay community' and ‘ethnic communities'. These divisions within the community produce conflict as the various groups have different interests and perceived priorities in the neighbourhood (Hogget, P, 1997). Social tensions also occur due to demographical factors surrounding the communities. The housing estates that often witness violent outbreaks tend to have a population of predominantly young people, unemployed or on a low income, living in council housing. The estate is then branded an economically deprived area. If there were a mix in the wealth of the estate then role models for the less affluent would exist and give the deprived younger resident something to aspire to. Due to the young age of a large percentage of the residents, they are easily influenced and attracted to the mobilized violence, as there is support from fellow young residents and peers. Smaller groups of youngsters living on the estates would find it difficult to make an impression as numbers would be too small to cause the large scale of disorder evident in the riots of the last decade. â€Å"A mix of more mature households with younger families would provide stronger community constraints† (Power, A etal, 1997, ppxi). There was an increase in the amount of migrants living in Britain since the 1950's, this is no longer encouraged and constraints have been placed upon the process. Newly arriving immigrants were housed in the poorer areas of Britain. Obviously different ethnic groups have different cultures and interests. By housing them alongside the poorer British residents, very different groups were forced to live together in one community. As a result of this process there became a high concentration of poverty stricken ethnic minority groups living in densely overpopulated areas, which created tensions and pressure on local services. Equal opportunities policies sought to eliminate racial discrimination suffered by the ethnic minorities, by increasing the amount of minority employees. White unemployed residents job-hunting would find themselves in direct competition with the minority groups and therefore feel bitter that the minority groups can obtain work in Britain where some of the British can not (Crowther, C 1997). â€Å"Although race was not a dominant issue in the riots, individual minority families became targets of hate† (Power, A etal. 1997 pp 20) The white residents of the estates wanted to blame someone for their undesirable situation and targeted ethnic minorities as scapegoats to take their anger out upon in some of the riots. The economic disadvantage of the residents of these estates also contributed to the outbreaks. Education was often not reinforced by families on the estates, as they too had never had the importance of education demonstrated to them. Due to the lack of education, they knew of no alternative option to voice their opinions other than by violent methods such as rioting. Low educational attainment meant that children did not have the skills required of them to become a member of the labour force, and so often became dependent upon welfare (Crowther, C 1997). The provision of welfare undermines individual responsibility by giving rational human agents the incentives to not work and provide for themselves, thereby creating welfare dependency† (Crowther, C 1997. pp9). Girls very rarely played any major part in the rioting. This can be explained by the fact that girls achieved higher in school. They were more successful than boys in gaining employment and so had a sense of self-fulfilment. As boys' educational attainment levels were lower they were exposed to the feeling of failure, which carried on into their years of job seeking (Power, A etal, 1997). Many of the girls may have been mothers and as mother women may have recognised their responsibilities socially and did not want to be associated with the violence. Males, however, did not maintain their social role as a father and readily participated in the riots (Ginsberg, N 1993). The recession contributed to rioting also as it caused changes in the labour market that when combined with racial competition led to ever increasing tensions: â€Å"Throughout the course of their struggle to improve their market situation the ‘white' labour force often entered into antagonistic relations with ‘black labourers. Thus the segregation of ‘white' from ‘black' workers is shaped by individual attitudes and actions† (Crowther, C 1997, pp 12) The young unemployed people become bored as they have much free time and limited finance to pursue on interesting activities/hobbies. As a result of this they often turn to crime for means of enjoyment, excitement and to increase their income. Unemployment can give people a feeling of low self worth and a lack of respect from their family. Various types of crime such as stealing a car may often earn them respect from their peers and families especially if there is financial gain. This had a circular effect however as crime on the estate caused conflict between the victimised residents and the criminal population of the area (Altman, I 1975). Political factors can also help to explain the reasons behind social conflict. The areas that tend to be prone to disturbance tend to be areas that major government programmes are focussed upon. The Government created massive programmes that entailed investing money to improve housing, transport and urban renewal. An estate based housing office, a tenants association, health projects, community development trusts, policing projects are examples of the types of programmes initiated. They aimed to improve the immediate vicinity of the poorer estates, but the programmes had a short-term impact. It is true that the projects improved the quality of life for the residents, but nothing was done to increase education or job prospects. The government provided the estates with no means to continually support themselves and sustain their improved lifestyle. After time the services became run down again and the unemployed resident is still poor and frustrated. Government resources were scarce as they tried to divide the budget between all the different needs of the sub-communities within the community (Hogget, P 1997). â€Å"The cost of growing dependency by community organisations on such programmes in any areas became apparent†¦. community groups often found themselves in a struggle for scarce resources†¦ which exacerbated existing lines of tension between communities of difference† ( Hoggett, P 1997 pp10). Residents were previously not involved in the decision-making process on how funding was to be spent; they had no control over what was done in their community space. Had they been consulted they would probably have opted for a scheme that aimed to obtain businesses reinvestment in the area. â€Å"Most externally funded programmes were driven by outside constraints and did very little to change the prospects for young men or their stake in what happened† (Power, A etal 1997. ppx). Social aspects are considered to cause social conflict. All of the aforementioned reasons for social conflict lead to an accumulation of pressure upon a family. Home is perceived as a haven where people can take shelter from society, if the home is of poor quality and overcrowded with family breakdown there is no escape for those residing there; they are constantly faced with their deprivation and problems (Dickens, P, 1990). An increase in single parent families means for many youngsters there is no role model to reinforce ideal behaviour. From a study on youth and crime undertaken by ‘The Joseph Rowntree Foundation' it was discovered that damaged adults create damaged children (Power, A etal 1997). Poor quality parenting, parental conflict, little enthusiasm for education, criminal behaviour and poverty set examples to children that they too would follow. Pressure on the head of the family to be the provider can lead to tensions particularly if the family is in poverty and the parents are unemployed and dependent on welfare. The rest of the family may lose respect for that person, as they cannot provide an affluent lifestyle for their children. The media contribute to social conflict, as they provided a method by which the residents could communicate to the wider society. The media always reported on the riots and often exaggerated the situation. In some cases the media have been prosecuted for encouraging youths to riot so that the reporters could gain a good story for the sake of ratings. â€Å"the newspaper headlines provide a relentless reportage of the consequences of the collapse of excluded communities† (Hoggett, P 1997 pp13) Areas were often stereotyped as being ‘bad' by the media. The estates then experienced difficulties in trying to escape this labelling especially when applying for jobs. Weak social control caused by weak links with the wider society also contributed to social conflict. The youths were rarely punished for the riots and often gained support, attention and funding from the Government as a result. Due to lack of enforcement upon them they were constantly pushing the boundaries. They felt they had nothing to lose by rioting. Changes in society lead to increased tensions between marginalized groups and the police service. The police provided little protection to the community, they only responded to reported crimes. Due to the intimidation of the residents from the criminals on the estates, police struggled to find witnesses for the incidents. The police were therefore limited. Tensions between the criminals and the police grew, as the youths antagonised the police knowing that the police were unable to arrest them (Crowther, C 1997). During the riots the battle between the police and the youths was therefore often personal (Power, A etal, 1997). A diagram to show how rioting may occur. Riot Denial of voice Alternative power Boys excluded from family, Control battle school, work, leisure facilities Violence in public areas Loss of control Alternative voice Control vacuum Gang Formation Police challenge Hard tough style Rumbling disorder Intimidation, law-breaking Display of power Notoriety (Power A etal, 1997 pp53) Several case studies can be used to reinforce the reasons given. I have selected Blackbird Lees, and Bradford. Blackbird Lees is a housing estate located on the periphery of a large town in the Midlands in the 1950's and 1960's to house workers from the local industries. Only 8% of the houses were owner-occupied. The estate had few basic services such as shops, a medical centre, public houses and a bus route to the town centre. The population was predominantly young with 56% being under the age of 25, and 94% of the estates population were white. Unemployment levels were high at 42% and 22% of households were single parented. By the mid 1980's the estate was perceived as being one of the least desirable estates in the area. The area has a history of anti-social behaviour such as crime and harassment. The ethnic minorities were usually the first to be harassed. In 1992, the estate was awarded 15 million pounds to improve housing, services, diversify the tenure and increase resident involvement. A particular activity of the youths was to steal and ride motorbikes over the large areas of open space near to the estate. Residents wanting to use the green for other purposes felt too intimidated to do so. Petitions were drawn up and handed to the police who found it hard to impose control. Bikes were difficult to chase and often the bikers outnumbered the police. The riot was triggered by the arrest of three youths for a motorbiking related offence. Later that day fifty youths congregated and caused damage to the surrounding area in protest. More youths were arrested and the disorder continued and escalated over the following nights. On the fifth night 150 police with protective equipment took control of the situation and the disturbances ceased. Many residents, police and Councillors felt the disturbances were minor, and that the media exaggerated the events. There were conflicting perspectives of the role of the police; some believed they neglected the brewing problems for too long, whilst others believed they overreacted to the disturbance (Power, A etal 1997) Bradford is another area that suffered riots only this year. Bradford used to be dominated by the textile industry; due to the industry's decline many people were made unemployed. During the summer of 2001, riots broke out sparked by the general election. The area has a large ethnic minority population, high unemployment numbers and a substantial young population. A high percentage of voters supported the British Nationalist Party (BNP). The BNP gained much of their support by feeding from the tensions between the minorities and the ‘whites'. The BNP fuelled ideas that the ‘Asians' were taking all the benefits and jobs from the ‘whites', and that the ‘Asians' were the reason the whites were deprived. Both gangs had been involved in attacks prior to these riots. One night the ‘Asians' congregated in the streets and caused a full scale violent riot where the local vicinity was attacked and vandalised. It is thought they did this due to the propaganda spread by the BNP, which made them feel alienated in their own neighbourhood. The riot was very territorial fighting for social space to exist freely within (www. bbc. co. uk. news 2001). In conclusion, social conflict is the result of a concoction of factors that when fused together result in an explosion of disorder. The factors are social, economical, racial, demographical, political and geographical (Benyon, J 1987). When the status of these factors leads to a socially excluded deprived ‘class' of people who feel discriminated against, rioting is often witnessed. There are however, some more deprived areas where rioting has never occurred. This may be because there is stronger police control, or the age of the population may be evenly dispersed. All the areas that witnessed riots had large groups of young unemployed males living in a similar deprived geographical location (Crowther, C 1997). These men are â€Å"more vulnerable to group solidarity with other, similarly excluded, vulnerable, disorientated and poorly prepared young men† (Power, A etal, 1997. p51) These men were socially excluded and so rioted to release aggression, to be noticed, and to attempt to break the vicious circle they were born into. Riots are perceived by many as the ‘revenge of the socially excluded' (Crowther, C. 1997). Riots can produce results. The people involved in the riots are very rarely reprimanded for their actions, instead more money and programmes are set up to improve the infrastructure, services and support. Positive action needs to be taken in order to prevent further outbreaks. For a stable future young people should be taught that there are other non-violent ways to voice their opinions and recognise that an interest in their education can lead to better job prospects. A population mix should be generated in order to diversify the types of people living together. Activities within the community to relieve boredom and give people a shared interest should be initiated. Improved support should be given to parents and families and to community development groups. These ideas should be taken into account when planning future housing development and regeneration (Power, A etal, 1997). It is also argued that planning decisions from the past have contributed to the racial tensions and exclusion of certain groups by creating ‘ghetto' type areas through the housing policies (Solomos, J 1993). There are many aspects as discussed previously that when integrated lead to social conflict; the major cause being the long term exclusion and deprivation that the so-called ‘underclass' are made to suffer. They endeavour to change their situation but with so many limitations upon them, they are rarely successful other than through rioting. Multiple deprivation has dangerous consequences.

The Isotope Of A Isotope Analysis - 1491 Words

The scholarly article that I have chosen that depicts an isotope analysis is based on the stable isotope Carbon, found in nectar beverages. The main method measures the carbon of C3 photosynthetic cycle in commercial apple flavored nectars, which then has the determination of the exact legal limit to identify the beverages that do not conform to safety standards that were previously set by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply. The term adulteration is used in the article. Adulteration is essentially the contamination that is in foods and beverages and the challenges that the industries face is a wide issue known today. According to (RICARDO; FILHO; GASTONI; CARLOS, 2013), â€Å"To identify such adulteration, the isotope analysis is the most sophisticated and specific technique used in the food and beverages area. Stable isotope techniques have been used by official institutions in the quality control of beverages as an instrument of tax assessment for fraudulent products.† This goes back to show how sophisticated the methods are with respect to quality control in the beverage environment. The methodology for the determination of the carbon isotope ratio (13C/12C) is based on a mixture of compounds produced from plants of the C3 photosynthetic cycle (apple, grape, orange, etc.) and C4 (sugarcane, corn, etc.). The C3 vegetables have relative isotope enrichment (ÃŽ ´13C) from -22.00 to -34.00 per mil (†°). In C4 vegetables, theShow MoreRelatedMulti Isotope Analysis : Significant Lifestyle Changes1794 Words   |  8 Pages Multi-isotope analysis demonstrates significant lifestyle changes in King Richard III. In 2012 the human remains of what was believed to be of King Richard III were discovered under a parking lot in Leicester. 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