Working with a team on a project Essay Example for Free

Working with a team on a project Essay Teamwork is usually considered an important factor especially in a workplace. However, sometimes working in a team creates difficulties in achieving the objective of a certain project that the team is assigned. (Dyer, 1995) In any teamwork conflicts are likely to arise which relate to a specific job or project that is either being done in the company or outside the company. Some members may be dishonest to their colleagues especially on sensitive issues that touch the all group. In the team that I was taking part in I encountered negative experiences that were brought about due to individual characters. The problem with the team was the failure to reach a consensus on very important issues. It was caused by a few members who were either not patient or are just more action –oriented than others in their natural being because they are likely to exert pressure on the other members to accept their decision. This group of members was making decisions too quickly for the rest of the members which is contrary to the principles of meaningful teamwork. Good decisions are usually achieved over a common understanding by majority of the members and a unanimous agreement on the matter, but some team mates did not acknowledge that. At the same time some team members used personality to undermine others, even to the extended of undermining the team leader who was leading the team. This became a problem and the team could not achieve its targets. These differences became so critical that they kept being addressed daily; In the long run they lead into a breakdown of individual relationships which affected their productivity in general and stalled the project completely, we never went on with the project. Reference: Dyer, W. G. (1995): Team building: current issues and new alternatives. 3rd Ed. Pearson Education POD

The Process Of Workforce Planning In Supermarkets Business Essay

The Process Of Workforce Planning In Supermarkets Business Essay Work force planning is the process of analysing an  organisations likely future needs for people in terms of numbers,  skills  and locations. It allows the organisation to plan how those needs can be met through  recruitment  and  training. It is vital for a  company  like Tesco to plan ahead. Because the company is growing, Tesco needs to recruit on a regular basis for both the food and non-food parts of the business. Positions become available because: jobs are created as the company opens new stores in the UK and expands internationally vacancies arise as  employees  leave the company when they retire or resign or get  promotion  to other positions within Tesco new types of jobs can be created as the company changes its processes and  technology Tesco uses a  workforce planning  table to establish the likely  demand  for new staff. This considers both managerial and non-managerial positions. In 2008/09, for example, Tesco calculates that to support its business  growth  there will be a demand for around 4,000 new managers. The planning process This planning process runs each year from the last week in February. There are quarterly reviews in May, August and November, so Tesco can adjust staffing levels and recruit where necessary. This allows Tesco sufficient time and  flexibility  to meet its demands for staff and allows the company to meet its  strategic  objectives, for example, to open new stores and maintain  customerHYPERLINK http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/glossaryservice-standards-1285.phpservice standards. Tesco seeks to fill many vacancies from within the company. It recognises the importance of motivating its staff to progress their careers with the company. Tesco practises what it calls talent planning. This encourages people to work their way through and up the organisation. Through an annual  appraisal  scheme, individuals can apply for bigger jobs. Employees identify roles in which they would like to develop their careers with Tesco. Their manager sets out the technical skills,  competencies  and behaviours necessary for these roles, what training this will require and how long it will take the person to be ready to do the job. This helps Tesco to achieve its  business objectives  and employees to achieve their personal and career objectives. Job descriptions and person  specifications An important element in workforce planning is to have clear job descriptions and person specifications. A job description sets out: the title of the job to whom the job holder is responsible for whom the job holder is responsible a simple description of roles and responsibilities A person specification sets out the skills, characteristics and attributes that a person needs to do a particular job. Together, job descriptions and person specifications provide the basis for  job advertisements. They help job applicants and post-holders to know what is expected of them. As they are sent to anyone applying for jobs, they should: contain enough information to attract suitable people act as a checking device to make sure that applicants with the right skills are chosen for interview set the targets and standards for job performance Job descriptions and person specifications show how a job-holder fits into the Tesco business. They help Tesco to recruit the right people. They also provide a  benchmark  for each job in terms of responsibilities and skills. These help managers to assess if staff are carrying out jobs to the appropriate standards. Tescos  organisational structure  has the customer at the top. Tesco needs people with the right  skills  at each level of this structure. There are six work levels within the organisation. This gives a clear structure for managing and controlling the organisation. Each level requires particular skills and behaviours. Work level 1   frontline jobs working directly with customers. Various in-store tasks, such as filling shelves withstock. Requires the ability to work accurately and with enthusiasm and to interact well with others. Work level 2   leading a  team  of  employees  who deal directly with customers. Requires the ability to manage  resources, to set  targets, to manage and motivate others. Work level 3   running an operating unit. Requires  management  skills, including  planning, target setting and reporting. Work level 4   supporting operating units and recommending  strategicchange. Requires good knowledge of the business, the skills to analyse information and to make decisions, and the ability to lead others. Work level 5   responsible for the performance of Tesco as a whole. Requires the ability to lead and direct others, and to make major decisions. Work level 6   creating the purpose,  values  and  goals  for Tesco plc. Responsibility for Tescos performance. Requires a good overview ofretailing, and the ability to build a  vision  for the future and lead the whole organisation. Tesco has a seven-part framework that describes the key skills and behaviours for each job at every level in the company. This helps employees understand whether they have the right knowledge, skills or resources to carry out their roles involves attracting the right  standard  of applicants to apply for vacancies. Tesco advertises jobs in different ways. The process varies depending on the job available. Internal recruitment Tesco first looks at its internal Talent Plan to fill a vacancy. This is a process that lists current  employees  looking for a move, either at the same level or on  promotion. If there are no suitable people in this Talent Plan or developing on the internalmanagement  development  programme, Options, Tesco advertises the post internally on its  intranet  for two weeks. External recruitment For external recruitment, Tesco advertises vacancies via the Tesco website www.tesco-careers.com or through vacancy boards in stores. Applications are made online for managerial positions. The chosen applicants have an interview followed by attendance at an  assessment centre  for the final stage of the  selection  process. People interested in store-based jobs with Tesco can approach stores with their  CV  or register though Jobcentre Plus. The store prepares a waiting list of people applying in this way and calls them in as jobs become available. For harder-to-fill or more specialist jobs, such as bakers and pharmacists, Tesco advertises externally: through its website and offline  media through television and radio by placing advertisements on Google or in magazines such as  The Appointment Journal Tesco will seek the most  cost-effective way of attracting the right applicants. It is expensive to advertise on television and radio, and in some magazines, but sometimes this is necessary to ensure the right type of people get to learn about the vacancies. Tesco makes it easy for applicants to find out about available jobs and has a simple application process. By accessing the  Tesco website, an applicant can find out about local jobs, management posts and head office positions. The website has an online application form for people to submit directly.

The Allegory Of Young Goodman Essay -- essays research papers fc

In Hawthorne's 'Young Goodman Brown,'; the characters and settings are used to show allegory. The characters and setting are used in metaphor to represent something else. The whole story of 'Young Goodman Brown,'; represents the journey of everyman. It's path that everyone follows, or so Hawthorne seems to believe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The main character, Young Goodman Brown represents the sense of everyone. His last name, Brown, is a common name and therefore could be taken to mean everyone because it is so common. Young could mean someone who is innocent and inexperienced. He is newly married and starting his new life or journey down that path we call fate. Goodman represents just that, a good man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Faith, Goodman Brown's wife, represents just that, faith. She stands for Brown's faith in god or a greater power than himself. 'There was a scream, drowned immediately in a louder murmur of voices, fading into far-off laughter, as the dark cloud swept away, leaving the clear and silent sky above goodman Brown. But something fluttered down through the air, and caught on the branch of a tree. The young man seized it and beheld a pink ribbon. 'My Faith is gone!' cried he, after one stupefied moment. 'There is no good on earth; and sin so but a name. Come devil! for to thee is this world given.' '; (Hawthorne 196) The ribbon Brown seized from the branch was one of the things Hawthorne had used to describe Faith in the beginning of the story. ...

American History X Essay -- essays research papers

American History X Derek & Danny’s Turning Point   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many factors contribute to decisions we make, often life changing decisions, like we see in â€Å"American History X† with brothers Danny and Derek. Both are active skinheads in Venice California, under command of Cameron Alexander a Neo-Nazi leader. Derek and Danny were not raised as racist, but when their father was killed by a black gang member, their views changed. Derek’s turning point for the better was during his time in jail. His brother is headed in the same direction, but Derek was a major influence in his racist deprogramming.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Derek is the oldest of four children, his father was killed in a drive by, by a black gang member. This along with the persuasion of Cameron Alexander, Derek and his younger brother became hardcore skinheads. It took a lot of time, but Derek’s unfortunate experiences changed his racial views. The first we see this, is during the scene where he is released from prison. After his departure from jail, his old principal, Dr. Bob Sweeny, calls him and expresses his concern about the Hitler essay Danny wrote. Derek shares the principals concern and lectures Danny about what he has written, indicating that he has changed his views. Now that we realize he has had second thoughts, Derek warns Danny not to attend Cameron’s skinhead party, despite his word, Danny goes. Derek goes to the party to find Cameron, and tell him he is done, â€Å"I am done with all that bullshit out there and all of your bullshit. I’m out.† Cameron promises to kill Derek and Derek proceeds to beat him senseless. Danny refuses to go back with Derek, so he rushes out of there, after the other skinheads hear what he has done to Cameron.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the party, Danny catches up with Derek, and Derek explains what has caused him to reconsider his racist views. This is a crucial turning point, as we start to see his life in prison. While in jail, Derek becomes friends with the Neo-Nazi prisoners, but soon became disillusioned because of the inter-racial activities between his friends and the black inmates. Despite the racial hostility, the white prisoners bought drugs from the Hispanics. A large part of Derek’s rehabilitation comes when he bonds with a black inmate Lamont, another prisoner he works with. Lamont gives Derek helpful and friend... ... the same one he had a confrontation with earlier. Derek runs in and holds his head, and says â€Å"What did I do? God, what did I do?† This is powerful, in the sense that he feels responsible for the death of his brother, after they had changed their racist views torwards blacks.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The movie ends, with a powerful quote from Danny’s essay, although he is dead. â€Å"Hate is baggage. Life’s too short to be pissed off all the time. It’s just not worth it. We are not enemies, but friends.† â€Å" We must not be enemies, though passion may have strength, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic cores of memory will swell and again touch as surely they will be by the better angels of our nature.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In conclusion, I believe that the movie is teaching anti-racism, as seen in the turning point of Derek and Danny Vineyard. Although the movie has shocking scenes, it is the harsh reality of what is really happening in America. The characters were very strong, and had distinct personalities. You can debate whether this is a pro-white movie, or anti-white movie, but I believe that it shows both sides, and you gain what you want from it.

Usefullness of Mathematics in Everyday Life Essay -- Math Mathematics

Usefullness of Mathematics in Everyday Life G H Hardy once said that "Very little of mathematics is useful practically, and that little is comparatively dull". This statement is blatantly incorrect. Mathematics appears in virtually all fields in some form or another, and it is the only truly universal language. Even fields considered the opposite of mathematics, such as literature, are filled with different forms of math. Music is based very heavily on numbers, and even religions hold different numbers as sacred. Of course one could say that all these examples are merely basic arithmetic. What about higher mathematics? Can we really use algebra, probability, calculus or any other higher form of math in today's society? The answer to that question is a resounding "Yes!" Even higher mathematics has been and is still used in all sorts of fields, and it is the purpose of this paper to show just a few ways in which higher math has been applied to life. First of all, no discussion about the uses of higher mathematics in the real world would be complete without mentioning something that happened over sixty years ago. On September 3, 1939, Britain and France declared war on Germany in response to their invasion of Poland. To combat their new enemies, Germany quickly sent a land army to overrun France, and then prepared to take on England. Hitler's plan to defeat this small island was to stop all resources from getting through to them, effectively starving them into surrender. The Nazi army had a very effective weapon with which they could challenge the British supremacy of the waves, the U-boat. The German submarines wreaked havoc on the British supply routes, and Churchill knew that if a way couldn't be found to stop the German s... ...they owe the government and how to pay the least. Nearly all people on earth are affected by math everyday. Without mathematics, it is very possible that the Allies would have lost WW2 and we'd all be speaking German right now. Countless buisnesses would be alterred or totally gone if mathematics was not around. A world without math would certainly be a very different world to live in. Works Cited: [1] Davis, Donald M. The nature and power of mathematics. Princeton, N.J. : Princeton University Press, c.1993. [2] Prabhu, N. U. Stochastic storage processes : queues, insurance risk, dams, and data communication. New York : Springer, c.1998. [3] Stewart, James. Calculus: Early Trancendentals. Thomson Learning. Stanford, CT. 2001. [4] PBS Online c.1996-2001 WGBH Educational Foundation. Update Nov. 2000. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/ <October 11, 2001>

Blue Collar vs. White Collar Work Essay

Throughout history the lives of the people in the working class have not always been easy. People always work hard to earn money and support their families; however, people don’t always work in a suitable working area. The term â€Å"Blue Collar† is jobs that require manual labor from people. The problem with these kinds of jobs is that the places the people work in can be extremely unsanitary and may cause a bad working environment for the people in it. Blue collar work is also the work most people do not want to do but it is needed for the people who do white collar jobs to prosper. Also blue collar workers are known as people who did not do well in school or people that aren’t smart. Well that is not the case with these workers because without them we wouldn’t be able to do some of the things we do now or be able to survive. Also some blue collar workers are called undocumented workers in which they don’t have any documents to prove that they can work or are from this country but help the country in doing jobs that are needed for a low wage. Therefore blue collar workers are a very important part to society and we need them to thrive. For example in â€Å"Made in L.A† there are 3 young Latina immigrants who work in Los Angeles sweatshops they do manual labor for an extremely low wage. Even though they did the same work as others they got paid less because they are immigrants, it is hard work with low wages but they continue to do it to support themselves and their family just like the blue collar workers do nowadays. With the little voice they had, they protested and tried to make a difference for all future immigrant workers not to be treated inferior to them. People in blue collar jobs get paid less than white collar workers which are office work but they enjoy their job other than others even though it is dirty. Even though the U.S has strict policies on immigrants, they are actually needed because they do many of the blue collar jobs that are needed in the country. For example in the article â€Å"Putting a S top to Slave Labor† it says that† If we required good documents starting tomorrow, the nation would plunge into an instantaneous economic crisis† (p156). This would happen due the fact that they do most of the jobs that people don’t want to do and get low wages also which are blue collar jobs. There are many instances of unsanitary work places. In the article â€Å"Migrant Farm Worker,† by Studs Terkel shows the conditions of the working place and also shows child labor. He says the animals were being treated better than the workers themselves. â€Å"Veterinarians tend to the needs of domestic animals but they can’t have medical care for the workers.†(p133) this shows that the bosses who supply these people with blue collar jobs are being taken advantage of and that the animals are living better than the workers. Also this goes to show what little care the bosses had for their people and that they only cared about the money instead of the needs of these people. People need to see the working class as people rather than machines that do something over and over again. Just because someone has to work hours in front of a machine and have a dirty job does not mean that the person is not a human being. There are many people needed in the world to do some jobs that which most people would not do. If we didn’t have those kind of people and if everyone wanted to do the same thing as everyone else than we would have a hard time surviving since it is needed to be done. â€Å"The case for working with your Hands,† states â€Å"More fundamentally, now as ever, somebody has to actually do things: fix our cars, unclog our toilets, and build our houses.†(18) This goes to show that if no one does those jobs there would be a lot of problems and that we always are going to need blue collar workers perhaps more than white collar in most cases. â€Å"The Case for Working with Your Hands,† also states â€Å"The trades suffer from low prestige and I believe this is based on a simple mistake. Because work is dirty, many people assume it is also stupid.†(19) The thing that people don’t realize is that not every job is going to appeal to them because we are all different and different people do different things, just as some people like to sit behind a computer everyday some people will not do that. The treatment of workers is a growing issue and it’s going to keep on growing and growing if people don’t realize what these big companies are doing and put a stop to it. For example the shoe company Nike employs many people but the thing people don’t know is that there are 12,000 young women in Indonesia making the lowest amount of money and working long tiring shifts. Every $80 sneaker Nike makes it only costs them 12 cents for the labor. This shows the unfair treatment of these workers and how the company is taking advantage of them and it is not only Nike doing this but any major company uses the same force of labor. In â€Å"Who Makes the Clothes We Wear?† it says â€Å"Government officials raided a sweatshop filled with immigrant Thai women laboring as little as 59 cents per hour.†Also not only were they being taken advantage of the discipline was enforced by threats of rape and beatings.(26) This goes to show the little care they have for these workers and the actions that are being taken against them. It also shows a dark side to these companies in which the workers are being treated worst than dogs. In the article â€Å"Reapers† by Jean Toomer it says that â€Å"Black horses drive a mower through the weeds and there, a field rat, startled, squealing bleeds, His belly close to ground. I see the blade, Blood-stained, continue cutting weeds and shade.† (37) This article shows tough field work for black people back around the 60s. They were bleeding but their determination was too great and they continued to go and do their work. Slavery could be identified as blue collar work also. In the article â€Å"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?† Frederick Douglass says â€Å"There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven who does not know that slavery is wrong for him.† (140)This shows that everyone knows that slavery is wrong but they continue to do it disregard the health of the workers but the financial health of a company or a person. Slaves have to endure much pain and long haggard days with little to no pay working out on the fields and any other job that another man won’t do. Just like the slaves do these kinds of work the women in Indonesia could be compared to them because of the long working hours and the little pay with strict discipline. There is a growing problem with Third World women and how they are being used. The companies get young girls and give them work usually being blue collar work with bad working conditions and poor pay. In the article â€Å"Life on the Global Assembly Line,† it says â€Å"Older† women, aged 23 or 24, are likely to be laid off and not rehired. The lucky ones find husbands. The unlucky ones find themselves at the margins of society-as bar girls, â€Å"hostesses,† or prostitutes.†(29) This displays the women as disposable workers; once they get too old they are thrown out and out of a job. After that these women don’t have anywhere to go, some get a husband and are being taken care of and others have to resort to whatever that is needed to be done to get by. Although the problems to these blue collar workers are plain to see, the fact is that the country needs them for the economy to thrive. Even if blue collar workers are needed to have a successful economy it doesn’t change the fact that they need to be treated like people and not like dogs on the street.

Functions, Trends and Nature of Ownership and Control in the British Mass Media Essay

In this piece of writing I will attempt to explain the functions, trends and nature of ownership and control in the British Mass Media. At the end I will describe the features of a Mass Media conglomerate. The Mass media is basically any style of text or image that is viewed by a lot of people. For example T.V, radio, newspapers, books, magazines, billboards, etc are all forms of mass media. Some of these can reach millions of people like T.V, where as newspapers usually reach hundreds of thousands and so on. The media gives us things like, news, entertainment, advertising etc. TELEVISION: Television is the biggest form of media in the UK and in most countries in the world. There are two main types of T.V in the UK, public funded and independent. The BBC is publicly funded by T.V licence fees of around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 that cover all BBC related audio & visual broadcasting. The government does not have any direct influence over what is shown on T.V although there are regulators who decide what is acceptable and what is not. The BBC is controlled by their board of governors of which there are twelve who are appointed by the Crown to ensure that the BBC fulfils its obligations. Among them are National Governors for Scotland, Wales and N. Ireland. One Governor has special responsibility for the English Regions. All are part time non-executives. They meet monthly and hold the BBC’s managers to account for their performance against the agreed strategy and objectives. The BBC is led by the director-general, who is both chief executive and editor-in-chief. The Governors appoint the Director-General and (with the Director-General) the most senior management. BBC operations are run by the directors of nine programming and broadcasting divisions and six professional services, and by the Chief executives of the BBC’s two commercial businesses. They report to the director-general and together make up the Executive Committee. A less formal Leadership Group meets to discuss and develop a clear vision for the BBC. The independents are controlled by themselves. However thy may be part of a bigger conglomerate. The ITV is a federation of television companies holding licences from the Independent Television Commission (ITC) to broadcast in 14 regions covering the whole of the United Kingdom. Each licence is awarded for a minimum of ten years. The ITV network has 15 independent regional television licences in 14 regional areas (there are 2 licences for London, a weekday and a weekend licence). All programmes are designed for local audiences in each region. The ITV is controlled by the ITV Council, comprising the Chief Executives of each licensee. Each ITV licensee has rights over the programme schedule, and is responsible for the production and broadcasting of its own local programme and news services. The ITV and its independent companies are regulated and licensed by the ITC. The ITC is independent of the Government and of the broadcasters. They are funded from fees that the licensees have to pay. The ITC makes sure that the independent and commercial licensees provide quality programs and a high standard of competition among other things. They also set certain standards for the time allocated to certain styles of programmes. There are five categories of channel 3 programmes for which the ITC sets minimum requirements. These are, * National and International news Three programmes each day of 20 minutes (lunch), 15 minutes (early evening) and half an hour in peak time. * Current affairs One and a half hours weekly average * Children Ten hours weekly average * Religion Two hours weekly average * Regional Varies from franchise to franchise Although the ITC is involved in licensing and regulating all forms of digital television, the Broadcasting Act 1996 makes it specifically responsible for establishing Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in the UK. DTT is especially important because it carries existing free-to-air services provided by the BBC, ITV, Channel 4 (S4C in Wales) and Channel 5. At present, T.V broadcasting is mainly analogue, however within the next five years it will all be digital. Digital T.V will bring a bigger choice of programmes to watch, as it will have on average 200 stations. You can already do shopping and go on the internet with digital T.V, but by the time it takes over analogue completely it will have many more options and facilities. NEWSPAPERS: There are many distinguishing features in the British Press. Some of these are things like the differences between tabloid and broadsheet papers or the differences between national, local and regional papers. There are ten morning daily papers and ten Sunday papers which make up the national press. Fleet Street in London used to be the centre of the newspaper industry, but all the national papers have moved their editorial and printing facilities to other parts of London or away from the capital all together. National papers are often described as ‘quality’,’mid-market’ or ‘popular’papers because of their differences in style and content. Five dailies and four Sundays are usualy described as ‘qualitie’ papers. These papers are directed at people who want full information on a wide range of public maters. Popular newspapers are for the more light hearted reader. Mid-market publications cover the intermediate market. Quality papers are normally broadsheet (large-sheet) in format and mid-market and popular papers are tabloid (small-sheet) in size. Scottish editions of national papers usually only change things like the sports page and the T.V listings. Most places in the UK have their own regional or local newspaper. These can be anything from daily papers to evening ones, Sundays or weeklies. These papers concentrate mainly on local or regional stories although the dailies do print national and international news from a local viewpoint. Newspapers from the Irish Republic and the British national press are widely read in Northern Ireland. Several hundred free distribution papers, mostly weekly and financed by advertising, are published in the UK. They have enjoyed rapid growth in recent years. Ownership of the national, London and many regional daily newspapers lies in the hands of large corporations, most of which are involved in the whole field of publishing and communications (media conglomerates). Local papers however are owned by different companies’ altogether. Newspapers are also controlled by their boards of management. It is possible for two national papers to be owned by the same company and they can even be owned by broadcasting companies as a separate division, however influence between the two types of media is not recommended. There are local weekly papers for every district in Greater London; these are often different local editions of one centrally published paper. This does not just happen in London. A prime example of this in our area would be the Press and Journal. It covers the North of Scotland as well as some southern areas as far down as Perth and Stirling, but it produces different editions for every area of which there are eleven. These editions are classed as local editions. All newspapers are answerable to the press complaints commission, which responds to public complaints about printed items. RADIO: There are basically two types of radio in the UK. There is Commercial Radio and The BBC Radio. The Radio Authority governs commercial radio stations such as Moray Firth radio and XFM. The radio authority is basically the ITC of the radio. Like the ITC it also has no powers over the BBC. The BBC is fully independent. Although there are far more Commercial radio stations than BBC ones, the BBC is still ahead in ratings. The gap between BBC Radio and its commercial rivals has widened recently to show BBC Radio to have a share of 51.4% compared with 46.79% for Commercial Radio. In the neck-and-neck race for reach, the BBC edged ahead with 31.2 million listeners compared with their rivals’ 31.1 million. The figures released by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research Limited) cover the period from June 26 to September 17 2000. Radio can change on a daily basis because the control of its output is not restricted. The format usually stays the same although major changes in presentation can happen from time to time. Independent radio station change depending on their income and audience. The better the audience the better the sponsorships and advertisers. Things like audience talk shows on radio where members of the audience can phone in and participate are very successful. The BBC and large independent radio companies are controlled in the same way as they are on T.V. Although the majority are part of larger groups, local radio is controlled by local management. These groups use their own style in the local stations but adapt it to suit the area of broadcast. VOLENTARY & IN-VOLENTARY CODES OF PRACTICE: Independent T.V and radio are quite strictly controlled by the ITC and Radio Authority, but magazines and newspapers have more freedom. These, along with the BBC, ITV, Press Complaints Commission and the Broadcasting Standards all enforce their own codes of practice throughout the media. However, the law has the final say in control of the media in the following areas: Defamation: A statement which damages the reputation of an individual or company, i.e. false accusations, libel, innuendos, etc. Obscenity: The publication or broadcasting of material which will tend to deprave or corrupt. Incitement of racial hatred: 1986 public order act forbids material which is likely to incite racial hatred. Blasphemy: To pass the limits of decency and controversy and outrage Christian feelings. Only applies to Christians. Sedation: Forbids the publication of material that incites hatred towards parliament or the monarch. Official secrets act: Forbids the publication of official secrets. Contempt of court: Forbids you from pre judging a court case or to assume someone is guilty. MASS MEDIA CONGLOERATE: Carlton Media Group: The Carlton Media Group runs the following sixteen companies: Carlton London Region The London Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. Carlton Central Region The Central Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. Carlton International Carlton International is the largest distributor of classic British films and the biggest sales house for British TV outside the BBC. ITN ITN is one of the most respected independent news organisations in the world catering for news, sport, business and entertainments. Carlton West Country Region The West Country Region is one of three areas for which Carlton TV is the ITV broadcaster. Visit the site for regional company news. ITV Carries information about programmes on the ITV network. Action Time Television production company Action Time is a leading distributor of entertainments formats, including an extensive home video clip library. London News Network LNN is a TV and production company working for joint shareholders Carlton and LWT. Carlton Cinema Carlton cinema is a film channel available exclusively on On digital. Visit the website for comprehensive movie listings. Media Sales For information on rates, screen advertising, pitch time, sponsorship and career opportunities at Carlton. Carlton Communications Plc Carlton Communications Plc is the publicly quoted parent company of Carlton Media and other related media companies. Click here for the share price, financial and other investor information. ONdigital ONdigital was the first company in the world to launch a digital terrestrial television service delivering multi-channel TV and interactive services into homes through an ordinary TV aerial. Visit the website for listings. Simply Food SimplyFood.co.uk is the UK’s No.1 food and drink website and home to the Carlton Food Network. It has a searchable UK restaurant guide and a database of thousands of recipes, plus features and reviews. Carlton Video On the Carlton Video website you can buy videos and DVD’s of many of Carlton’s programmes and films, including classics like Inspector Morse, Soldier Soldier, and Britain at War. PeopleBank PeopleBank is the UK’s leading provider of internet recruitment services, bringing together quality candidates and employers. Online since 1995, PeopleBank has extensive experience in providing cost-effective e-recruitment solutions. HTV HTV, the ITV broadcaster for Wales, was recently bought by Carlton TV. Visit the site of the most popular channel in Wales. They also have â€Å"Carlton Books†. This shows that Carlton cover broadcasting, publishing, the internet, advertising, and marketing. This means that if Carlton have a successful income level from one of there companies it can benefit all of them and in turn make them more desirable to the public. Because of this they can use control there revenue a lot better without having to pay other companies to do things like marketing. They sell advertising space to make the initial money to fund projects such as a new drama series. They can then market and publish their own material and because they own all the copyright they can expand by using the internet. Although there is a national guideline concerning who owns what and the amount of fields you can spread into to prevent companies from becoming â€Å"all powerful† and swallowing up smaller companies, Carlton still has it’s eye on â€Å"Direct†. This is a group who run insurance and holiday companies. At present, Carlton are biding for the Scottish Media Group who have two radio stations, a newspaper group, Scottish and Grampian television. If they are successful in their bid, they will be able to grow to new heights and spread into both radio and print forms of media quite successfully in Scotland. Functions of the Mass Media: There are five main functions in the mass media. Entertainment functions: This provides healthy amusement and helps to divert the attention of the audience from serious social issues and inequalities. Information functions: This helps to structure a particular view of the world and to look at it in geographical, political and social terms. Cultural functions: This helps to develop mass culture at the expense of more diverse subcultures. That helps to maintain the status quo in cultural terms, but may also discourage change and growth. Social functions: These socialize us into beliefs and relationships which help us operate successfully in society. This naturalizes one view of society and stops us thinking, obtaining and acting on alternative views. Political functions: This helps us to understand the operation of politics in our society. However, it gives us the illusion of participating in the political process, but actually endorses the authority of those who continue to run our lives unquestioned. The media are also capable of shaping opinions about political events and issues. Current Trends in the Mass Media: When you think of current trends in the media at the moment two things come to mind, digital and conglomerates. A lot of companies are trying to branch out into other fields of the media at the moment. The Scottish media group for one are trying to expand their interests in radio although this could cause problems with it’s T.V. franchises. There are regulations set up to prevent certain big companies from taking over the media by branching ever wider into it. However there are discussions about these regulations which could result in big firms having huge ownership or control over certain areas of the mass media. The main trend of the moment has to be the evolution from analogue to digital. T.V. and radio are all a part of the growing trend and it doesn’t look like it’s going to stop there. Already you can tune in to the radio through digital T.V. as well as go on the internet, shop, play games, the opportunities are endless. The future however lies with a fully digital T.V. without the aid of ugly dishes on the side of your house or cumbersome boxes on top of you tele. With this you will be able to access anything you want. There will be no set programs, no times, just you, your T.V. and the whole media world at your fingertips. You will be able to pick anything to watch, read, here, play, buy, or do from your tele. This astonishing development is proving very expensive to produce, run, and buy if it is ever released. If it is released it will be the main media related technological break through in history.