Soul Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Soul Theory - Essay Example The answer to this question goes to an extent of providing the conditions under which we cease to survive and the conditions under which we survive in the process of particular adventures. The adventures do not have to look fancy as the cases of either brain swaps or human fission. Personal identity theory attempts to tell us if we can exist through the possession of cognitive capacities from fetus to person development or if we could have survived accidents if we found ourselves in a constant vegetative condition (Korfmacher, 2006). The personal identity theories have significant metaphysical and ethical implications and in association with particular normative premises, they can support the condemnation or justification of certain issues such as euthanasia or infanticide, or they could falsify or prove certain characteristics of the religious outlook. These implications assist in making decisions such as whether and how we can be resurrected and if we are the true possessors of souls in which their existence is similar to ours (Korfmacher, 2006). Many of the philosophers have attempted to find the solutions to the problem of personal identity or have dedicated themselves to metaphysical systems that have significant implications in regard to the personal identity problem. Other than the philosophers, majority of the religious belief systems have attempted to offer explicit answers to the question of persistence. It is not surprising that almost everyone holds the notion of pre-theoretical personal identity theory in the sense that they believe in life after death and know the meaning of death (Korfmacher, 2006). The task of solving the metaphysical problem of personal identity essentially involves answering the question of how the phenomenon or principle in virtue of which â€Å"entities like us† persist through time is to be specified, under the widely but not universally accepted premises that there is such a phenomenon or principle and that

Article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 13

Article review - Essay Example For example, whereas prize vases from the 4th century are engraved with Athena Polias, while the headings of alliances and treaties done on marble were engraved with Athena Parthenos. Athena personifies Athens not as a goddess but as a symbol of the city’s power (Murray, 1890). However, the Parthenos was not only symbolic if the city was partaking in an act of peace, such as the Parthenos holding the acrostolion. Usually, the Parthenos as used to personify Athens was a likeness of Pheidas’ earlier creation, in which she is taking the hand of an allied state. The author considers the likeness of the Parthenos as found on an engraved gem in Cyprus created during the 4th century. She represents Athens, standing in an aegis and helmet, while she has a spear and shield to her left, as well as a serpent to her left (Murray, 1890). However, this particular Athena digresses from the usual Parthenos as created by Pheidas, as she holds an acrostolion in her right hand, rather than a victory figure, such as that on the stern of a naval ship. The acrostolion was known as being symbolic of a naval victory. While there were other symbols of naval victories, such as the bronze mast with three gold stars at the corner or at an angle, the author contends that, the Athena gem from Cyprus symbolized a naval victory because the acrostolion was a well-known emblem for the same purpose (Murray, 1890). The writer also uses the example of a silver coin from Cyprus that also showed the Athena Parthenos used as a symbol of naval victory. In this case, the Athena is quite similar to that from the earlier example but sits on a ship’s prow as she holds the acrostolion in her right hand (Murray, 1890). The coin, he argues, is commemorative of a battle victory for a town in Cyprus aided by Athens. As he stated earlier, this coin could have been used to symbolize an alliance with the town, thus the use of Athena Parthenos. He also argues against the

Audio-Visual Techniques for Communication and Expression

Audio-Visual Techniques for Communication and Expression Use of Audio-Visual Techniques in expression of ideas – an insight into the use of effective techniques Word Count: 2554 Table of Contents (Jump to) 1. Introduction – Audi visual techniques and communication 1.1 Background of Study 2. Marry Me 2.1 Narrative 2.2 Characterisation 2.3 Genre convention and variation 2.4 Specific technical features 3. Photo Booth 3.1 Narrative 3.2 Characterisation 3.3 Genre convention and variation 3.4 Specific technical features 4. Conclusion References 1. Introduction – Audi visual techniques and communication The use of the different audio visual techniques in communication and expression of ideas has been widely regarded as an important and significant evolution of the different techniques used for communication that emerged from the use of print medium and incorporation of multimedia. Communication has always been an important part of human existence and throughout the history of mankind; the same has seen a transformation from mere papyrus sheets to the incorporation of the elements of sight and sound (Branston and Stafford, 2010). The opinion of experts on the transformation on the use of visual communication is diverse, but all of them are believed to be in affirmation with the fact that the use of different audio visual techniques in communication is considered to be the most effective and efficient by senders and receivers alike (Cunningham and Turner, 2010). The reason behind the same being the fact that the incorporation of the different audio visual formats helps in the presentation of the communication in a most concise manner, yet again enabling the sender to create a long lasting impression on the mind of the receivers (Chandler, 2004). 1.1 Background of Study The aim of this academic work is to highlight the importance of the different audio visual techniques and formats and its application to the creation of two astounding creations – short films, that have made it to the finals of Tropfest, considered being the most prestigious recognitions of Australian short film categories. What makes the feature more important and relevant is the fact that annually only 16 short films are considered by the jury as finalists from a pool of more than 700 entries annually. The two important finalists to the same event that have been selected for analysis in the study are director Michelle Lehmann’s Marry Me that had been adjudged the winner of 2008’s Tropfest. The other short film is that of Photo Booth, which had been directed by Michael Noonan (http://tropfest.com, 2014). The following sections of the academic work will be individually considering taking into consideration the narrative, characterisation, genre convention and specific technical features that have helped these short films receive the accolades (Cunningham and Turner, 2010) that have led to the popularity of the films in the Australian and International film circuit as well. 2. Marry Me Michelle Lehmann’s short film Marry Me that is of 7 minutes duration. The plot revolves around a little boy and girl with their individual attention and objects of interest. The following sections provide an insight into the narrative, characterisation, genre convention and highlight the technical features that have set the film apart from the rest of the entrants to the contest (O’Donnell, 1999). 2.1 Narrative The film is seen to revolve around the interest among two young individuals and the communication or the idea that has been expressed in the film has been carefully crafted, reflecting the different individual pursuits of two young people, which have been seen to have a strange co-incidence to real life drawing significant parallel to people’s needs and wants. The film depicts the girl is particularly interested in the boy who is overwhelmed by materialistic pursuits signified by the love for his little BMX bike. The message and expression of the idea of the film is clear through the emotions that have been captured through the girl’s expressions and gleam in eyes every time he sees the boy. The girl is depicted to have fallen in love with the bike riding boy and the same has been clearly expressed through the attempts by the girl to draw the boy’s attention through a number of different ways (http://tropfest.com, 2014). Many are of opinion that the film is about the complexities of emotions of the young, but it also subtly underpins the interest and love of two different people – love for the boy for the girl, and the boy’s (Jason) interest in nothing but the bike that he has. 2.2 Characterisation Michelle Lehmann had drawn crucial similarities to the character of the girl as she had stated that even as a 5 or 6 year old girl, she had experienced the same emotional tension as being attracted to a boy who had been her neighbour and like Jason, had been found to have a particular knack to materialistic pursuits that are considered to be natural (O’Donnell, 1999). The girl who is seen to endlessly pursuit her love interest in the film has been named Chloe and the boy Jason. In order to express her idea clearly to the audience, Michelle has carefully selected the two most astounding young actors in the roles of Chloe and Jason who have been able to win the hearts of the viewers through their childish charms and natural acting. For Jason, the need was to portray a character that was very much in skin of the role portrayed by him – a young BMX enthusiast and the ease with which Jason has been seen to express his disinterest for Chloe busy fixing the wheels of his little bike makes on feel as if it is almost real and not a short film. On the other hand, the role that had been portrayed by the young girl Chloe has been nothing less than au naturel. The determined look and the expression on her face towards the end of the short film as she approaches the high plank constructed by Jason leaves one spell bound and many would wonder whether the expression can be attributed to the next to impossible task in real life (http://tropfest.com, 2014). 2.3 Genre convention and variation The genre of the film is based on the complexities of human emotion and it needs to be highlighted that the message that has been attempted to be conveyed through the short film is largely based on the different emotional pulls and pushes one might experience at a young age. Much of the film is aimed at the general audience who would leave the screen enthralled and spellbound by the enigma of analysing the meaning and idea behind the short film. The convention of the genre is based on the fact that the theme of the film holds true for human beings in reality as well. Most individuals are often engaged in the tireless pursuit of something or the other in life that is perceived to have been difficult to attain for them. The same has been carefully highlighted in the feature film through Jason’s character as he is seen to remove the ancillary supporting wheels from his bike at first, failing to successfully ride his bike without the use of the same. In the background, the girl is shown being able to learn what Jason fails. A little later, Jason attempts a small jump off the plank created by him, which also leads to a fall. Chloe tries her best to impress Jason and draw Jason’s attention; successfully achieving the feats which Jason attempts to achieve a number of times (http://tropfest.com, 2014). The variation that needs to be highlighted in the same is that human beings sometimes become so engrossed in being able to achieve a particular job or accomplishment, that they end up undermining the abilities and success of other human beings that are near to him, failing to even to pay attention to any important or critical messages that the other might convey. The same has been specifically observed while Chloe tries to give her opinion to Jason about the bike and riding. 2.4 Specific technical features Though the film does not showcase any impressive graphic or video filming in conveying the message across, one cannot help but wonder about the smallest details that have been used in the film for spreading the intended message (Cunningham and Turner, 2010). For example, when Jason removes the red coloured attachments to the spokes of his bike wheel and expresses his disinterest in them, the emotional attachment of Chloe is also expressed through the same behaviour. In the same scene, if it is considered that Jason had been rotating the wheel simultaneously whereas Chloe is seen to focus more on Jason instead of her bike, the emotional quotient is carefully reflected. More camera focus has been devoted to capture emotions on Chloe’s face as it must have been found that the girl would be more expressive in terms of emoting by the director. These are small and important specifications that need to be captured and presented by any short film director to successfully convey the intended message and at the same time be able to keep the audience entertained. 3. Photo Booth Michael Noonan’s short film the Photo Booth is an interesting and contemporary take on the aspect of hope and despair that has been portrayed in the short film of around seven minutes’ duration. The film captures the important themes of human life and the message it tries to portray is an important aspect for critiques and short film enthusiasts around the world (O’Donnell, 1999). The short film revolves around three solders on a war torn landscape who suddenly find an abandoned photo booth in the middle of nowhere, whereby the pictures coming out as print carry messages for each of them. 3.1 Narrative The narrative of the short film revolves around three soldiers and their fate outside an abandoned photo booth in the middle of a war torn landscape that keeps the audience glued to the screen to wonder about the outcome and message of the film unlike that in the case of ‘Marry Me’. The narrative is unpredictable and has successfully incorporated one of the most critical elements of movie making – uncertainty and suspense. These are considered to have an everlasting impact on the viewer and many regard the same to have a lasting impact on the mind of the viewers as the key element of surprise and awe is always a key ingredient to the success of a film or small movie (http://tropfest.com, 2014). The narrative brings to light the plight of three soldiers who are trying their best to survive and do not know for themselves the future of their predicament in war. Suddenly, they are met with an unpredictable situation, that of a lonesome photo booth in top of a small hill. Curiosity is one of the most dignified and yet sometimes cursed traits of human behaviour and the same has been highlighted in the film as the soldiers wonder what awaits them at the photo booth and goes on to investigate, under estimating the threats of being exposed to enemy observation and gun point. 3.2 Characterisation The characterisation of the short film is an important attribute as it becomes the responsibility of the actors in the film to bring to life the relevance of each of the characters that are planned and incorporated in the film. The film revolves around the three soldiers and each of them is found to display three different emotions among human beings – adventure, curiosity and suspicion (http://tropfest.com, 2014). The first soldier who enters inside the photo booth is unsuspecting and is taken by surprise once the flashes of the camera start to go off. The second soldier is portrayed to have a trait of curiosity and wariness as he is seen to be cautious when he enters inside the photo booth after seeing what the first soldier had been presented with. The third soldier had to be portrayed to be suspicious of turn of events and this is the same reason why there have been extra alertness displayed by the first and the second soldier while guarding the booth as the third entered inside. The three of them have been shown to have different outcomes based on the character portrayed by them. The first one, unsuspecting and taking life as it is, is presented a picture which shows him part of a beautiful family comprising of a beautiful wife and twin daughters. The second soldiers displays mixed traits and is shown to receive a picture with only his companion who gradually disappears from the frames while the third is shot dead by enemy gunfire as he was the most suspicious one and enters the booth at the last. Through the characters, the director tries to portray the message that it is perception and thought process of individuals which leads to the outcomes. 3.3 Genre convention and variation There have been two specific genres displayed in the short film – that of human nature and the relation between the thoughts and outcomes faced by human beings in reality. It needs to be highlighted here the fact that initially the genre of the short film was thought to be related to war and the outcome of the film being rendered predictable. However, the message and surprise element of the film clearly unfolds when the pictures are presented to the soldiers (http://tropfest.com, 2014). In the end, what makes the film so interesting is that the film portrays a multitude of different factors that are related to human life and fate, and it is highlighted how the thought process of human beings influence the outcomes and fate that is met by individuals in the real world. Genre convention and variation is an important aspect of any communication to large section of viewers as the same enables the makers of the short films to captivate the interests of the audience and keep them glued to the outcome of the message to be portrayed in the film. 3.4 Specific technical features The film is considered to be richer in terms of the technical features that have been included in the film. The aim of the director was to include the elements of surprise more on the lines of shock and the same has been effectively incorporated in the sound designing of the film which makes the film more relatable to reality and one can identify the suspense and uncertainty that is faced by soldiers in the war field. Fear and anxiety has been portrayed well in the movie as the soldiers are successful in expressing the same feelings on their anguished faces (http://tropfest.com, 2014). Moreover, the loud snapping of the shutter of the camera has been effectively used to shock the audience which is considered to be an important component of film making. Especially in the last scene when the third soldier gets shot and there is an element of confusion clearly depicting the mental state and trauma of the soldier when he gets to see his picture in the photo is considered to be outstanding in highlighting the theme of despair as the soldier is shown to lose composure and his guard at the most critical time – in the face of enemy gunfire, when in the previous scenes, he is portrayed to be most suspicious of the circumstances. 4. Conclusion There are different factors and aspects that are considered to have an impact on the success of film making and the effectiveness of the director to incorporate these elements determine the ability of the production to captivate audiences and determine the outcomes of film making. This academic work was aimed at highlighting these specific factors in film making and the effective incorporation of the same in the two short films that have been highlighted in the study. References Branston, G. and Stafford, R. (2010). The media student’s book. London: Routledge. NB Chandler, G. (2004) Cut by Cut: Editing Your Film or Video. Studio City, CA: Michael Wiese Cunningham, S. and Turner, G. (2010). The media and communications in Australia. Sydney: Allen Unwin. Marry Me, Michelle Lehman (director), Australia, 2008  http://tropfest.com/au/2011/12/08/marry-me/ Morley, D. (1996) Television, Audiences and Cultural Studies. London : Routledge. ODonnell, P. (1999). The other 66 per cent? Rethinking the labour market for journalism graduates. Australian Journalism Review, 21(1), 123-142. Photo Booth,  Michael Noonan (director), Australia, 2012http://tropfest.com/au/2012/02/04/photo-booth/ Ruthven, K. (1998). The Future of Disciplines: A Report on Ignorance. In Knowing Ourselves and Others: The Humanities in Australia into the 21st Century. Australian Research Council Vol. 3, pp. 95-113.

Hitlers Rise To Power :: essays research papers fc

Hitler’s Rise To Power   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Who or what was responsible for Hitler’s rise to power? Many believe that there was only one factor for his rise to power. Some state that Hitler could not have risen to power in any other than Germany, implying that he was nothing more than a product of German culture. Others say that Hitler made himself dictator by means of his political genius. And yet still others claim that it was the weak democratic government of the Weimar Republic or Germany’s social and economic scene in the 1930’s that made the people restless and ready for a dictator to come to power. There was no sole cause for Hitler’s rise to power. There were two. The political and economic chaos of the 1920’s and the 1930’s joined forces with German culture that enabled Hitler to rise to power. Both play an equal part. Together, both reasons fit together like pieces of a puzzle, to create a unique situation for Hitler’s rise.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hitler was in part a product of German culture. German culture stands out as particularly aggressive and racist. The values and ideas found in this culture’s history inspired Hitler to do many things that he did and can explain in part why he felt the way he did on certain issues (Stern).   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‚  Stevens 2 Hundreds of years before Hitler emerged, German philosophers and artist preached an almost religious worship of the state. They discussed the idea of the master race, and created a mythology of German heroism that encouraged loyalty to the group and glorified death for the country. Hitler and many Germans like him, was an enthusiastic student of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel who argued that the State â€Å"has the supreme right against the individual, whose supreme duty is to be a member of the State.† Hegel foresaw in the early 1800’s that â€Å"Germany’s hour† would come and that the country’s mission would be to redevelop the world. A German hero would complete this mission (Landry). Like Hegel, another German philosopher more directly portrayed the conventionality and obedience necessary for a secure State. Heinrich von Treitschke espoused that it was of no consequence what you thought about anything, just as long as you obeyed German law. Germany’s tradition also produced Friedrich Nietzsche who preached the coming of a master race and the superman who would conquer, impose a glorified state, and purify the master race.

Opening the Books for change at Norwest Labs Essay

Change at Norwest Labs In 1991, Jean Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin, the CEO of Norwest Labs initiated a series of events which would significantly alter the face of his company. Norwest had reached a point where it could no longer grow without becoming prohibitively inefficient. The decision-making responsibilities, which up to now had been centralized in the hands of its CEO, would now have to be delegated to subordinates in order for Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin to address issues of a more strategic nature. With the help of external consultants, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin went on to modify his organisation with the hope of creating a decentralised, business-oriented company of empowered individuals. Unfortunately, by 1994, it was becoming quite clear that the transformation had not been entirely successful. The Symptoms Via the change process, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin had hoped to redirect certain behaviours to bring them more in line with his new company objectives. While the process did modify behaviour, it did not, unfortunately, lead to the desired ones. Worse, it even brought about undesired behaviours that had previously been absent. The clearest sign of the unsuccessfulness of the change process expressed itself in employee disorientation. Several behaviours attested this state including, confusion about the bonus system, new job descriptions, and Norwest’s relationship with a former partner turned competitor. There seems to also have been clear apprehension as to the future of the company and confusion as to interdepartmental as well as hierarchical relationships. Perhaps the most disturbing sign that things were not going according to plan was the appearance of animosity at Norwest. Following the company’s restructure, conflicts began erupting between the CEO and general managers who were clearly angry about losing some of their independence. Conflicts also appeared between the more business-oriented staff hired after the reorganization and the more technically oriented staff hired previously. At a broader level, the company even began to experience tensions across departments. The change process also seemed to have brought about increased employee apathy, as can be seen from declining morale, the indifference displayed towards any goals that gain sharing might serve beyond handing out pecuniary rewards, and the continued apathetic tolerance of an opaque bonus system, whose favouritism and unfairness had been widely criticized and yet accepted. Perhaps the most striking evidence that the change process had not reached its goals can be seen in the poor performance displayed by the employees who were promoted as a result of it. There seemed to have been a collective inertia among them as they refused to be empowered and continued to rely on Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin for decision-making. They even went as far as being cynical of the new employees who were more in line with company objectives. The Causes In order to correct the behavioural challenges identified in the previous section it is imperative that we determine what caused them. To that effect, we will analyse the situation at Norwest using the tools provided by the organizational behaviour theories of change, culture, leadership, motivation and empowerment. The Change Process As mentioned previously, Norwest underwent important changes in 1992. These changes, unfortunately, did not bring Norwest to the point where its CEO had planned that they would. We will examine the change process in two parts. First, we will try to get an understanding of why the change process failed. Later, we will try to see how the changes could have caused the undesirable behaviours currently taking place at Norwest. By understanding the direct causes of the undesirable behaviours we hope to be able to stop them. By understanding how the change process failed we hope to be able to devise a new course of action for Norwest that will allow it to become the kind of company its CEO had hoped it would become. Lewin’s Change Model Lewin provides us with a concise model for managing change. It consists of three steps: unfreezing, moving and refreezing that must be consecutively followed in order to maximize the chances for success. It is this model that we will use to understand what went wrong at Norwest during the months in which the changes were implemented. The unfreezing phase, according to Lewin, is the stage where the organisation is readied for the upcoming changes. In the case of Norwest, it appears that this stage was, at the very least, hurried through. It is unclear whether Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin even conducted a readiness assessment. While he clearly, had a good idea of what the driving forces of the changes were (increasing competition, desired growth and regulation changes), he neglected to consider what restraining forces might be working against him. Many of these resistance factors might have successfully been predicted, like the fact that some employees would reject empowerment and attempts to change the existing bonus program. Finally, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin clearly failed to arouse dissatisfaction with the status quo and to involve employees in the decision-making process. The second phase of Lewin’s model, the moving phase, is the stage where the actual changes are implemented. While Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin clearly had his own mental blue print for the upcoming changes, he failed to establish specific goals for the initial changes and, as a result, created, in his employees, unnecessary confusion about the company’s future direction. Most importantly, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin did not institute small, incremental changes. Instead, he created, all at once, a corporate services division where accounting, marketing, information systems and quality assurance were rounded up. This department was staffed by the promotion of employees and by externally hiring. Unfortunately, it soon became evident that many of the promoted employees were out of their element. Outside of corporate services, lack of openness and two-way communication led to significant conflicts between Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin and the general managers of the labs. The final stage of Lewin’s model, the refreezing stage, is the stage where changes are stabilized. In Norwest’s case, this stage was entirely skipped. Targets for change and company focus to meet them were not established and, as a result, no successful experiences were built. No system was put in place to reward behaviours that reinforce the changes, instead the old bonus system, which was seen as arbitrary at best and biased at worst, was kept. Finally, no structures, such as regular and objective performance reviews, were developed to institutionalize the changes. Overall, it seems clear that the change process at Norwest gave unsatisfactory results because it failed to address several significant steps of Lewin’s model for change. As a result, the changes Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin had hoped would occur never did and employees continued to come to him for decision-making. The Human Side of Change We saw in the previous section how the change process at Norwest was fundamentally flawed. We also quickly examined how its inherent weaknesses could have caused the undesirable behaviours we now see. We will now explore this link in more details. In this context, Kanter’s framework for managing the human side of change provides us with a powerful tool for understanding the mechanisms that triggered the employees’ reactions to the change process. In 1992, the creation of centralized corporate services at Norwest was a major source of conflict between Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin and the general managers. Research indicates that change is exciting when it is done by someone but threatening when it is done to someone. In the case of Norwest, while some general managers may have been involved the consultant’s review process of the organization, they were never involved in the recommendation process. As a the implementation of the consultants’ recommendations got under way, the general managers naturally started to feel that they were losing control over their position and responsibilities. This feeling of powerlessness leads people to try to reassert their control by rejecting other people’s ideas and even sometimes by behaving in â€Å"petty, territorial ways†, something that undoubtedly would fuel tensions with Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin. Another interesting dimension of Kanter’s model that may shed some light into this conflict is the idea of loss of face. The notion that the organization has to change and that general managers will lose authority can be inferred to mean that general managers were not up to the job. Resistance therefore becomes a way for them to oppose this conclusion and to save face. One of the major reasons why Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin’s culture change seems to have failed is because individuals who were promoted to corporate services did not want to be empowered. Kanter tells us that very often people tend to â€Å"resist change because of personal concerns about †¦ future ability to be effective after the change.† This seems particularly relevant in the context of Norwest whose scientists, according to Maurice, were â€Å"strong technical people, not strong business people† and who ‘did not consider â€Å"business empowerment† as being part of their job.’ Scientists may understandably have felt inadequate when entrusted with responsibilities for which they had no background or training. To a more limited extent, the more work factor is also interesting in explaining the outcome. Promoted employees may have resisted the change in their work description simply because it increased their workload beyond what they were willin g or capable to achieve. Unfortunately for Norwest, after gain sharing was introduced, the situation reached such a point that some employees began worrying that â€Å"Jean was taking the company down a path that would lead to its end.† This mistrust in Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin may have been the end result of too long a period of what Kanter calls excess uncertainty. Employees in companies undergoing changes need to be kept up-to-date at every step of the change process. They need to clearly know where they are heading. Although Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin may have clearly known where he wanted to lead his employees he may not have communicated that plan well enough. As a result, employees came to the conclusion that the continuous surprise changes were a symptom of improvised management and lost faith in their president. There seems to be a clear dichotomy at Norwest between the few employees embracing the changes (most of whom were hired after 1992) and those who do not (hired before 1992). Worrisomely, this dichotomy has led to tensions between the two groups. Tensions can, of course, be caused by the conflicting goals of both groups. It is also, however, an inevitable by-product of the differences brought about by change that has been studied and identified as the difference effect. When â€Å"different† individuals are introduced in a rather homogenous group, they make the group feel self-conscious and cause it to question its habits. This effort is burdensome and leads to irritability, which in turns leads to tensions. It is tempting to jump to the conclusion that employees are not interested in gain sharing from the reaction they displayed when first confronted with the possibility. However, a better understanding of the reaction can be achieved when studied in the light of Kanter’s past resentment factor. According to Kirk, there was clearly â€Å"a great deal of negativism surrounding [past] bonuses.† We know from research that people are more likely to resist change when they harbour unresolved past grievances. Culture and leadership In addition to the change process, it appears quite clear that culture and leadership played a significant role in the how the situation at Norwest unfolded. In a large sense, culture and leadership are bonded together by corporate blood. On the one hand, the leader impacts the company and its culture with his/her unique personality and leadership style; on the other hand, different forms of organizational culture demand and breed relevant and compatible leadership as well as resist and expel the outdated or incompatible ones. In Norwest’s case, the lack of supportive culture and appropriate leadership certainly share part of the responsibility for the failure of its first reform in 1992 and, could lead to the failure of the coming one in 1994. Looking at Norwest from a cultural perspective, we can see that it has deeply-rooted technical norms, values and beliefs. This culture was implanted and encouraged by Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin over the years and adhered to by Norwesters, most of whom were scientists. Because of the early success Norwest gained, we may deduce that this culture, if not supportive, was at least not obstructive to Norwest’s objectives. However, after the organizational changes were brought about, we can see that the old culture was now more or less obsolete. First, apart from Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin, few focused on the external environment and what it meant for Norwest. Second, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin’s long-term plans alienated the employees’ whose focus was on the short-term. Third, morale was low. Fourth, cynicism was growing. Fifth, group relations deteriorated as animosity and conflict among departments appeared and finally, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin, as the leader and the founder for Norwest and its culture, failed to play his role of being the hero of Norwest culture and, therefore, was objected and isolated by his subordinates with their negative reaction. Simply put, Norwest’s culture was, considering the degree of resistance, disadvantageously strong. It failed to support the mission, goals and strategy of the organization and, thus, became a liability. In order to successfully bring about changes in an organisation, effective leadership is absolutely necessary. Unfortunately, in the case of Norwest, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin failed to achieve this. Not only did his leadership fail to mitigate the resistance to change, it may even have to some extent led to the undesirable behaviours currently displayed at Norwest. What Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin possessed was good business sense and charm derived from his personality and experience; what he lacked was the ability to selectively and discriminatively project his objectives/goals onto Norwest and its employees. To be fair, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin’s leadership was not always inadequate for Norwest. Considering that most Norwesters were scientists with little business sense and skills, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin tended to be more task-oriented and to tell them what to do instead of promoting self-leadership through empowerment and training. This pragmatic leadership style worked well until Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin himself realized its limit, as Norwest grew larger and larger. Unfortunately, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin could not adapt his leadership style to effectively implement his changes. Sadly, he failed in four major aspects of successful leadership. He could not inspire employees by creating a clear and understandable vision. He could not communicate effectively, especially in crucial moments. He could not empower his employees and finally, he turned a blind eye to his own personal weaknesses and, when others pointed them out, refused to acknowledge them and change. Unfortunately for Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin, despite somewhat practicing a higher, more advanced form of leadership, he failed because he was not aware of the vulnerability of such leadership. Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin unintentionally differentiated Norwesters by their business skills. He told most old Norwesters what to do, while he allowed more business-oriented people, such as Maurice and Kirk, to participate in policymaking and even delegated to them some decision-making power. This form of situational leadership, which balances between a task and relationship orientation, could have been beneficial to Norwest had Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin realized what he was doing and communicated it clearly to his employees. However, his inability to do so isolated the employees with whom he shared values and attitudes through spontaneous leader-member-exchange from the rest of the company who simply took Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin’s attitude towards these employees as â€Å"obvious favouritism†. Another element of Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin’s style that produced negative results was his quiet leadership. Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin never seemed to bother to explain the reasoning behind some of his decisions, such as how he handed out bonuses, his corporate empowerment or gain sharing attempts. Although Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin was evidently being nobly selfless and, with hindsight, was leading Norwest the right way, his opaque style couldn’t help but spawn scepticism about his impartiality and professional capability. Needless to say, such doubts were devastating for morale at Norwest. Interestingly, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin was quite aware of the close relationship between culture and leadership. In fact, one of his main goal was what is called leader substitution, an attempt to have a new culture, as defined by rules, policy and values take over some of the work that was accomplished by his leadership. In that way, Norwest would stand more chance to survive were something to happen to him. Unfortunately, the culture change was not a complete success and ironically Norwest now finds itself in a situation where more than ever it needs strong leadership. Motivation By all accounts, the change process at Norwest exacerbated the decreasing employee motivation. Poor performances, general disinterest and, most of all, declining morale are all symptoms of this. Because motivation is so complex and because it is so crucial for the health of a company, it will be studied independently here. Employee motivation can be clearly explained by the individual process designed by Handy (Understanding Organizations, 1993, p.38). The process is based on the idea that we are self-activating organisms and can, to some degree, control our own destiny and our response to pressure, that we can set our goals and choose the path toward them. Each of us has some needs and some desired results (our own personal objectives). The decision to do or not to do something, and the energy we put into it (the ‘E’ factor), derives from a calculus we interiorise. Each calculus, however, depends on our personality and is operated within the limits of a psychological contract (coercitive, calculative or co-operative) – between the company and the individual. What exactly is missing then at Norwest Lab that prevents the motivation calculus from operating? If we apply Hertzberg’s two-factor theory prior to the first change in 1992, we see that hygiene factors were already not completely satisfied because of problems with bonuses that people felt were arbitrarily handed out. However, satisfaction from motivating factors compensated this shortfall. After the change, however, the motivating factors once satisfied no longer were, thereby deteriorating an already fragile situation. Not only did the change impact the employees’ satisfaction, but by changing the actual scope of the job, it also somehow modified what the desired or obtainable results were. It is even possible to go further in the analysis and see how the change impacted the contract itself, passing from a calculative to a slightly more co-operative one where the calculative contract is a voluntary one, with an explicit exchange of goods and money for services rendered, while the co-operative contract requires a major identification of the employee with the organization. In addition, while Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin changed the company’s people orientation (as defined by Holland) from realistic (practical jobs) to enterprising (business-oriented jobs), employees maintained a realistic people orientation. It is not surprising then that employees, finding themselves structured in an unknown contract, with different goals and low motivation, responded by reducing the ‘E’ factor in th eir job. A second element further complicates the situation. While it wouldn’t be fair to say that Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin did not truly do his best for both his company and its employees, he clearly failed in his application of theory Y. He presumed that his employees possessed those traits that make theory Y applicable: that they want job satisfaction, that they would seek responsibility and be self-starters. Unfortunately, he simply required them to be business-oriented and self-sufficient without providing them with adequate coaching and training. In order to increase performance and morale and to reinstate a sense of team-identity, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin must figure out a way to instil new confidence and motivation in his employees. There are two major activities to which Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin should devote his energies: 1) modify the employees’ motivation calculus variables to increase their resulting ‘E’ factor and 2) smooth his Theory Y approach to be more supportive. Though not an easy goal, this is certainly achievable if well planned and given the required efforts and resources available. Recommendations We have seen how the change process at Norwest was fundamentally flawed and how it triggered undesirable behaviours. We also saw how Norwest’s leader and culture not only failed to support the change process, but further aggravated the situation. Finally, we saw how motivation, as a result, was deeply affected. Fortunately, the situation is far from hopeless. Below are detailed a series of steps that will both reduce the actual conflicts and redefine a successful path for the company. Become a Transformational Leader Obviously, Norwest is not on course to reach the objectives set out by Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin. Therefore, any recommendation we will bring will involve further changes at Norwest. Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin must learn from past mistakes. He must adapt his leadership style to facilitate the transformation. Not surprisingly, being a transformational leader involves the application of Lewin’s change model and therefore every recommendation that follows is done in this spirit. Improve Communication with Employees The first stage of Lewin’s model involves arousing dissatisfaction with the current state. Things cannot go on the way they are and Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin must communicate this to his employees. Given the current state of things at Norwest, it should not be too difficult. As a transformational leader, Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin needs to form a vision and a plan for his company and he needs to explain them to his employees. As Lewin’s moving phase suggests, his plan must be made up of small incremental steps so that the change is less disturbing. It is important to underline how the implementation of the plan requires extra efforts from everybody and how, at the same time, it offers new excitement and opportunities for those willing to take them. A two-way communication channel should be defined during the change period, maintained and improved afterwards as an efficiency and transparency tool. This is absolutely necessary to counter the uncertainty created by change. Involve Employees in the Change Process Employees need to be aware of the change, of its reasons and of its goals. They must also see themselves as active agents in the change process. This is necessary to counter the loss of control that employees feel in times of change. It is also an integral part of Lewin’s unfreezing phase. For those employees willing to, a chance should be given to take part in change teams. The empowered teams, and the individuals that make them up, must be given well-defined goals and coached in how to accomplish these tasks. Doing this would increase motivation by matching results, needs, contract and orientation in each employee’s motivation calculus. A one-to-one communication will make the change process more effective and smooth and as a result establish more trust across the whole company. Enhancing the participation and cooperation will also boost the moving phase of the change process. Finally, the leadership role would be reinforced, implanting the idea of the leader as a chief advisor, chief guardian of principle, chief accountability officer and chief encourager of Norwest. Give Employees Greater Control over their Careers Employees should be given greater freedom in defining their role within the company. Forcing R&D guys to be business-oriented will help neither business development nor R&D. A driving message should be the empowerment of those wishing it, underlining that all the others will be able to continue their job as they did before. In such way Norwest would enhance motivation, allowing employees to retain their desired position inside the company. Following this approach and, again, communicating it to the employees will pinpoint the source of resistance and minimize it prior to change Provide Training to Employees In the change process, employees will be required to face new responsibilities and new challenges. It is absolutely necessary for them to be trained and coached; otherwise, as we saw earlier, employees will resist the change because of concerns about their ability to perform new duties. A good way to do this is through team building is to train the whole change-process team together. Training would enhance motivation, help employees understand gain-sharing more and generally smooth the overall change process. Rely on internal hiring External hiring should be limited to some few individuals recognized as bringing outstanding expertise in a field until such a time that unity and culture have been recreated. The few new-hires should be given a clear message about the culture of the company and should be trained on the internal policies and rules. Relying on internal hiring has the advantage of retaining top performers by giving them the chance for promotions. Internal hiring will also reduce the difference effect felt by employees. Define goals and performance evaluations Lewin’s third phase, the refreezing phase, involves building success experiences by setting change targets and having everyone work towards them. Consequently, each change-process team or any empowered individual should be given clear and objective goals. Goals should be set slightly over the reachable level and bonuses should be proportionate to the effort. Most important is that whatever bonus is defined for teams and/or individuals; strict rules must be set to let everybody know when and how they are evaluated. To implement such a change, coaching and evaluating processes that reinforce desirable behaviours with clear verbal and material messages must be defined. In such processes Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin could even credit the work that has been accomplished during the first change in 1992. Setting an appraisal and coaching process enhances corporate culture and cohesion; it helps to stabilize changes and to keep everyone on the right track in the new system. Define a Reward System Lewin’s refreezing phase also encourages the rewarding of the desired behaviour. In the case of Norwest, an inadequate bonus program is presently in effect. Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½pin should first address the issue of the old bonus plan and recognize its major flaws. Doing so will address the past resentment of employees. Discussions concerning the timing and approach to a new reward system could be handed over to the change-process team. Gain sharing could certainly be an option. The important idea is that the choice of the reward system should involve the employees. In the end, the bonus plan could even be inserted in a cafeteria-style benefit plan, where employees can choose to opt-out or not in exchange for higher salaries.

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.