How The Media Influences Public Perceptions Media Essay

How The Media Influences Public Perceptions Media Essay 3.1 Introduction to the media The mass media is one of the most influential sources of providing news to members of the public. It also has a powerful impact on public perceptions of specific issues, for example sex offenders (Brayford Deering, 2012). In order for a story to enter any form of the mass media, it needs to meet certain newsworthy criteria to help media companies entice greater audiences, thus increasing overall profit (Galtung Ruge, 1965). Female sexual offending fulfils key aspects of newsworthy criteria. The cases covered tend to include elements of seriousness and negativity, which appeals to audiences (Greer, 2003). Child sexual offenders have long received much negative coverage by the mass media, causing a topic for public debate (Kitzinger, 2004).This chapter focuses on how the media represents FCSOs, with particular reference to the Vanessa George case, and examines how it can influence public perception of FCSOs. It is important to note that most academic research involving child sexual o ffenders, and also the media, focus on sexual offenders in general rather than specifically FCSOs. Therefore this chapter bases its conclusions on the limited research available. Another important issue to consider is that the media provides conflicting representations of women as offenders, in particular FCSOs. On the one hand, female offenders, like Myra Hindley, who receive large amounts of media attention, are demonised, but on the other hand, many other FCSOs go unnoticed in the media due to the traditional concepts of femininity (Giguere Bumby, 2007). These contradictions are often mirrored in public reactions, creating complications. The challenges in understanding representations of FCSOs are explored during the course of the chapter. How the media influences public perceptions of FCSOs The hypodermic syringe model is a theory which describes the media like a drug, injecting opinions directly into the minds of readers (Kitzinger, 2004). This is one way of understanding the effect of the media on public perceptions of FCSOs. It can produce a powerful effect, as the emotion produced by these offences could be why the media choose to report on them. Reports may cause outbursts of street anger and violence, stemming from moral panic, creating hysteria among the public (Thomas, 2005; Cohen, 1972). This is evident in the case of nursery worker Vanessa George (BBC, 2009) who abused children in her care. The media coverage of this case may have made the public start to look at women, particularly those working with children, in a different light, with the same suspicion as men. However, evidence suggests that this has only been provoked by the rare number of FCSO cases actually reported on, as most of the time society has a blind spot regarding female-perpetrated sexual abu se (Tsopelas et al., 2012). This is due to the care-giving roles which females are expected to hold towards children (Finkelhor et al., 1988), which are habitually represented in various forms of the media: films, news reports, TV, etc. It could be argued that, depending on which particular ideology the media decides to report on with regards to FCSOs, their portrayal will have a significant impact on how society views them. This illustrates the complications created by the media, providing contradictory perceptions of FSCOs, causing confusion as to how the public should perceive them. The media uses tactics such as emotive language and imagery to influence how the public view certain criminals. One example is the use of the iconic image of Myra Hindley within media reports. The picture showed her as emotionless and cold, making her seem masculine (see appendix 1). Being such a powerful and well-known case, it also shaped how society imagines FCSOs to look (Kitzinger, 2004). Even though this was proved to be a co-offending case, it showed how society views any female involved in such crimes as going against the traditional gender model of women. This relates to the theory used by many feminists who argue that such women are regarded as double deviant, and receive harsher treatment by society, as they not only breach the law, but also break feminine norms (Heidensohn, 1987). Applying this theory, FCSOs may be regarded as the worst form of criminals, due to the seriousness of their offences. This could explain why they receive such negative portrayals within the medi a. However, a counter-argument is that females involved in child sexual offending may be viewed by the public as harmless, and their involvement is not perceived as a form of abuse. If the media do not themselves believe that female-perpetrated sexual abuse is a problem within society, they can hardly provide such negative representation with impunity. This is supported by Denov (2003), who states that the public perceive FCSOs as committing less serious offences than male sexual offenders, due to the common belief that women cannot be capable of committing such crimes. Thus, it appears that the media is likely to hold similar views in order to serve the interests of the public, and focuses attention primarily on issues involving male sexual offenders. There is strong evidence to suggest that FCSOs are treated as double deviant, although some theorists would refute this, with the rationale that they are perceived as less serious criminals than their male counterparts. However, when considering examples such as Myra Hindley, that would appear to be a false supposition. Media representations of FCSOs Historically, FCSOs have rarely been reported on by the media. This may be due to the myth that abuse by a female is seen as a confused form of love (Gannon Cortoni, 2010: 13), and suggests that even if women do sexually abuse children, it is in a less aggressive manner than male sexual offenders, and may not necessarily inflict damage on a child. The media is unlikely to report on these cases, as they do not fit newsworthy criteria discussed earlier. This could be why the public generally has a lack of knowledge concerning issues surrounding female child sexual offending. As Strickland (2008) argues, men are traditionally viewed as having more aggressive personalities, and are more likely to commit criminal offences. Consequently, it can be argued that these stereotypes make it easy for the media to report on issues and cases linked to them. Moreover, the lack of reports on FCSOs could explain the reason for the lack of disclosure by their victims (Denov, 2003). This is discussed i n Chapter 5. As indicated in Chapter 1, any abuse committed by females is usually referred to in the media as a relationship or affair (Tsopelas et al., 2012: 306) compared with when the perpetrator is a man, in which case the reporters often refer to them as abusers, again resulting in lack of reports on cases perpetrated by females. This encourages academics to ask the question of whether female-perpetrated child sexual abuse is under-reported, due to the above reasons, or if it is so uncommon that there are not enough cases for the media to actually report on. Nowadays increasing knowledge and awareness about issues of female child sexual offending has roused strong societal reactions, resulting in increased coverage in the media. Newspapers frequently portray FCSOs as evil monsters (Gakhal Brown, 2011). This shows a dramatic change from when they were largely ignored in the media, or seen to be coerced into abuse by a male, and has given society a new perspective on the problem. One of the most dramatic cases with wide media coverage was that of Vanessa George. A mother of two, she worked at a nursery in Plymouth. In December 2009 she was convicted of sexual assault, and the making of and being in possession of/distributing indecent images of children, and was given an indeterminate prison sentence with a minimum requirement of seven years. In November 2010, a serious case review was conducted (PSCB, 2010), and it was discovered that the nursery provided an ideal environment for the abuse to be carried out. It found that certain gaps wit hin the system allowed George to commit these offences, such as the nurserys phone line being out of order, allowing workers to bring their own mobile phones in for emergencies. This presented George with an opportunity to take indecent images of children on her mobile. Yet the media reports paid little attention to these mistakes, focusing primarily on her abusive behaviour. It was also discovered during the investigation that she was an active part of a co-offending group, initiated by a male perpetrator, Colin Blanchard, and yet interestingly, the media attention focused primarily on George. In the serious case review, it was noted that she had no previous convictions, the abuse only starting when she came into contact with Blanchard over the internet. George was manipulated into committing abuse and sharing images with him. These facts were, however, expressed in a completely different manner throughout the media reporting on the case. This warrants further examination, by analy sing reports from various media sources. Analysis of the media reports on the Vanessa George case Chapter 1 indicated that there is substantial evidence to suggest that many FCSOs are regarded as harmless because they may only target adolescent victims (Mathews et al., 1989). However, this is not applicable in the case of Vanessa George (BBC News, 2010). The media coverage generally concerning this case highlighted the serious issues surrounding female-perpetrated sexual abuse in the UK, different media types reporting in diverse ways. In order to understand how the media represents FCSOs, a comparison needs to be made between the various media types, using a critical discourse analysis. There are many definitions of critical discourse analysis, but, within this dissertation it is referred to as the analysis of language used in speech and writing within media reports as a form of social practice, where specific ideologies are reproduced through the language in the texts (Wodak Meyer, 2009). This method is appropriate here, enabling analysis of the language used by the media wh en reporting on FCSOs, and uncovering the hidden ideologies in the text which are used to change the readers opinion on the issue of female sexual offending. It is also important to look at the discursive construction of FCSOs, which refers to the way in which the women are defined through the language used in media reports, and how these construct FCSOs as a concept. Almost every article written about FCSOs can be analysed using critical discourse analysis, reporters being required to make certain decisions as to how they want to represent particular ideologies in their article, e.g. the terms they use to describe an FCSO, or which quotes to use from members of the public. These can add to the way the ideology in the text is portrayed overall, and thus how it affects society as a whole (Richardson, 2007). The three main articles analysed were drawn from different news outlets which hold conflicting ideological stances. Firstly, Public enemy number one was taken from The Sun (Coles, 2011), a newspaper which represents right-wing principles. Secondly, Vanessa George jailed for child sex abuse was extracted from The Guardian (Morris, 2009) which expresses mostly liberal interests. Finally, Little Teds was ideal place for Vanessa George abuse was traced from BBC News (2010b), which is commonly known to represent a centrism approach to reporting. The Sun, known for its exaggeration of the truth in order to attract the attention of more readers, reported on the case of George as one that caused so much outrage and shock that the police needed to step in to stop the abuse aimed at her by the public. The way the article presented these dramatic views is interesting for critical discourse analysis. It was outwardly biased, presenting only the feelings expressed by parents of possible victims, rather than facts of the case. Therefore the analysis made could support the theory that the facts of the case are spun to present a particular viewpoint here, that FCSOs are extremely disturbing to society and uses particular language aimed to influence readers into holding the same opinions. This is evident in the following quotes: Public enemy number one, Sick b****, The van taking Vanessa George to prison is attacked (see appendix 2 for more examples). The above quotes use emotive language to express the disgust and anger felt by the p ublic. These quotes are used to align the public voice to that of the reporters, obscuring the ideological underpinnings of the article. This supports Gakhal Browns (2011: 3) argument that the media provides stereotypical portrayals of sex offenders in general, using words linked with monsters and evil perverts. Moreover, this choice of language helped provide a negative perception of FCSOs. The fact that the reporter purposely used a collective noun in the article title Public enemy number one- suggests that the paper was implying that George was hated by all members of the public, and that readers should share these feelings. The fact that the article concentrated on quotes and opinions of parents involved in the case shows how the reporter wanted to present only one ideological viewpoint. Furthermore, it can be argued that this negative portrayal of George, an FCSO, by the media reinforces the argument previously put forward regarding female offenders as displaying double devia nce (Heidensohn, 1987). On the other hand, the article in The Guardian expressed a more balanced stance, presenting the audience with facts of the case. The image of George used by the reporter shows her as a smiling, friendly character. This could be aiming to send out a message that, unlike the stereotypical image of most sexual offenders, an FCSO can be any ordinary woman. Perhaps, because such cases are so uncommon, there is so far no stereotype of an FCSO. Thus, it appears that the media can play on the fear of the public, to make them wary of whom they trust for childcare. Furthermore, its choice of image shows how George was part of a co-offending group (see appendix 3), and although she solely committed the abuse in Little Teds nursery, she was in fact in contact with two others, one of whom (Blanchard), was coercing her to commit the offences. The article reported that George was besotted with him. This both presents FCSOs in a negative light, and provides a more nuanced understanding of the case, constructing her as submissive, under the control of Blanchard. It also covers other issues faced by society, for example the influence male sexual offenders can have on females, forcing them to also commit sexual offences. However, when analysing this article, it can be argued that the reporter was somewhat biased, using post-modified terms such as paedophile, which disguises the fact that the choice to commit these crimes is not just down to sexual preference, but is a way in which an offender exploits and holds power over children (Kelly, 1998). It also links to the same ideology presented in The Sun, by describing George in a negative light: Cold and calculating. These quotes, however, came from the judge in charge of the case, possibly a more reliable source to reproduce the ideologies through language than that used by The Sun. The way in which The Guardian presented a balanced stance is arguably similar to how the BBC reported on the case of George. They provided the facts of the case and referred to the serious case review (discussed earlier), as well as other reliable sources, such as the councillor for Plymouths Efford and Lipson ward, in order to fulfil their reputation of being a dependable source. When analysing this article, it is clear that the ideology behind it is to provide the public with the facts, whilst preventing moral panic, by reporting on the positive responses of professionals towards the case. The reporter used passive verbs, such as reassured (see appendix 4 for more examples), and quotations from Ofsted Ofsted has already implemented a number of changes, to show the public that society can learn from the mistakes made in this case, and to prevent future similar cases. However, the BBC also used a disturbing criminal style image of George within this article, which imitated the report ing techniques used in the Myra Hindley case, reinforcing the stereotypical image of how an FCSO may appear (Kitzinger, 2004). Therefore, it could be argued that no matter what type of media outlet, there is always some form of bias in the way reporters present their ideology through the language and images they choose to use. Another observation made when analysing this article, is the sub-heading entitled Explicit culture, which went on to report on the co-offending details of the case. The fact that the reporter used a sub-heading, together with the chosen language, shows an attempt to make readers aware of the increasingly serious problem of co-offending child sexual offenders within society. This critical discourse analysis has identified the right wing (The Sun) constructions of FCSOs as aggressive, sick and evil, which relates to the theory of female offenders being double deviant. However, competing constructions with a different ideological base come from other media outlets such as The Guardian, constructing female sexual offending as a male-coerced crime. It is clear that different media types report in different ways: some use stereotyping FCSOs as a powerful influential tool, others are more objective in presenting the facts of the case. It should be recognised, however, that all have had an impact in raising awareness of new issues faced by society with regards to female sexual offending. Much work still needs to be done within all areas of the mass media, in order to educate reporters. When they provide representations of FCSOs, they should appreciate the gravity of the issues raised, and the traumatic results that articles can have on victims and members of th e public (Tsopelas et al., 2012). However, the primary aim of media companies is to sell more papers, so unfortunately they will continue to sensationalise articles to increase profits, using cases of female-perpetrated sexual offences to do so.

Critique of Mary Worley’s Article: Fat and Happy

As obesity escalates towards becoming an epidemic in modern day America, pressures to stay fit have become overwhelming from media and doctors. Mary Ray Worley, a member of the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA), believes that modern day society is completely intolerant of obesity so much as to say that they â€Å"would rather die or cut off a limb than be fat† (492). She has made it a priority to convince Americans to accept obesity which she fights for in her essay, Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance. She believes that people should not be ashamed of their bodies, or try to change them to fit in with the crowd. She discusses a new outlook on body image and believes that we all should create â€Å"a new relationship with our bodies, one that doesn't involve self-loathing† (496). In her essay, Worley compares twentieth-century society to a NAAFA convention she attended. Worley describes her home as a place where â€Å"you’re grateful if you can find clothes that you can actually get on, and forget finding clothes that actually fit you. † In Worley’s eyes American culture has always treated obese people as a lower class and pushed aside anything that was designed for a fat person. On the other hand, at the convention she finds a planet created specifically for overweight people. The convention opened her eyes to an entirely different planet that is free of inhibitions with nothing to be ashamed of. There she could find clothes that shaped to her body perfectly and she was entertained by belly dancers of all shapes and sizes that â€Å"were exquisitely beautiful and voluptuous† (493). She then goes on to discuss how society views fat people and how she believes health care professionals are prejudice towards them. Mary concludes by arguing that like her, all obese people can learn to love their bodies and â€Å"play and dance without self-consciousness† (496). Appearance seems as if it’s almost everything in today’s society, especially with women. Worley explains that society feels that losing weight is easy and that â€Å"it is acceptable to shun fat people and make them the butt of cruel jokes† (492). Without a question, it is not fair that overweight people go through their entire lives being criticized and taunted for their weight. Worley explains how rude comments discourage fat people from exercising because they are embarrassed and â€Å"they don’t have the support they need to continue† (494). It is the stares and snide remarks that give overweight people low self-esteem. Worley justly states that â€Å"you’re entitled to the space you take up† (496). No person should feel like they need to hide away from the world. Not all of Worley’s claims have valid points however. She stated that â€Å"health professionals are among the most prejudiced people around† (494). She is implying that the majority of health professionals are prejudice towards all of their overweight patients. Yet her reasoning was not supported and her claim was fueled solely by resentment. She also explains that overweight people do not like going to doctors or weight loss clinics for medical needs, because â€Å"the goal is usually to lose weight as quickly as possible, as though to snatch the poor fat soul out of the jaws of imminent death†(494), in contrary to focusing on just being healthy. This is true with some health professionals, but it should not hinder someone from finding an adequate physician or nutritionist Worley further excuses obesity by giving many reasons as to why obese people don’t try to lose weight. She excuses inactivity by the embarrassment of exercise; however, she does not address any other contributors to obesity such as diet. There is no excuse for eating unhealthy on a regular basis. It is alright to treat oneself once in a while, but junk food on a daily basis is not excused. Poor eating habits are not excused for overweight or thin people, because healthiness is not determined by how fat someone looks. Worley also states that â€Å"body size is primarily determined by one’s genetic makeup† (493). Although there is evidence to support that the overall size of one’s body is genetically determined, DNA however, does not force oneself to have an extreme excess of body fat. Worley may have discussed that exercise plays an important role in overall health and happiness, but she did not focus on the many other factors that lead to obesity and health issues. Worley is right to say that one’s happiness and healthiness should not be determined by weight. All people, fat or thin, should feel comfortable in their own bodies. No person has the right to tease or criticize someone else’s body to lower someone’s self esteem. On the other hand, people that are overweight cannot blame their health problems on other people. They need to take charge of their life by exercising, eating healthy and seeking good medical advice. It is not right to make hasty generalizations against health professionals, because there is a reason why doctors go through eight or more years of schooling. All current knowledge of obesity has been derived from physicians and scientists studying the anatomy and physiology of the body. Overall, one’s goal should not be to lose weight, but to be healthy and feel great. Living a healthy lifestyle will lead to higher feelings of self worth, which can overcome the psychological effects that fat jokes create. Worley encourages her readers to â€Å"be proud of yourself and never dread unwanted attention† (496), and that is possible. Not everyone may accept obesity, but it is the overweight people themselves that must learn to make good lifestyle choices and accept themselves in order to truly be fat and happy. Works Cited Worley, Mary Ray. â€Å"Fat and Happy: In Defense of Fat Acceptance†. Writing and Reading Across the Curriculum. 9th ed. New York: Pearson, 2005. Print.

Human Resources Function In Pizza Express Essay

Introduction Pizza Express is a public limited company (PLC), which was established in 1965. It has 350 restaurants in the UK and between twenty to thirty international franchises in countries like France, Egypt, Spain and opening soon in the Philippines and it has also expanded by 40% in recent years. It’s a restaurant in different countries, which provides food, and drink services to the customers. The company has different range of employees, 39 in total including cleaners, chefs, waiters and waitresses, supervisors and managers. Role of human resources The organisation has two human resources namely the main HR known as the headquarters and the local HR’s. The local HR recruits the workers by advertising in the media after which they train the selected ones to very high standards so that they deliver high quality services to the customers. This creates a good repetition for the company so they receive more customers therefore increasing profits too. Training the workers on how to use the equipment also helps the company in a way that they will have fewer or no claims for damages in case of accidents. The local HR’s also carry out transfers with other restaurants of the organisation, which helps them maintain the good workers. This can also be a way of practising flexible working conditions for their staff. In case of any member of staff acting against the organisations rules, the local HR’s have to discipline him/her so that they can change and if they fail they lose the job. This helps the company dismiss bad members of staff who can cause trouble or even pass on their bad behaviours to new recruits. Lastly, the local HR’s act as the voice for the workers i.e. they raise any problems that the workforce might be experiencing so that they can be solved. This creates a good relationship between the workers and the management, which is a very important thing if they are to work as a team to deliver good services to the customers. The main HR i.e. the headquarters carries out the more complex tasks of the organisation. It reviews the labour turnover and predicts what staff the company will have to recruit and during what time they will have to. It sets the pay rates and increases in the organisation which is a very crucial thing when carrying out the company’s budget because they don’t want to pay out much or less but just the right amount to their staff. It also recruits it’s own staff and management and train them. It has to be very careful when doing this because it has to makes to sure it gets the right people who will be able to manage the local HR’s or else there will be poor management which can lead to serious problems in organisations. Lastly, it makes the rules and procedures that have to be followed in the organisation. This is very important because it lets the workers know what they can do and can not when on the company’s premises and also for any organisation to run properly and smoothly, there must be rules and regulations in place to be followed. E2 Staff labour turnover The staff /labour turnover for the Kingston branch was not known because they had just opened but for the old branch, they had 50 people leaving with an approximation of 25 staff which means the turnover was 200%. This is mainly because the workers tend to transfer with their managers when they change branches, which happened last year. From the research that I carried out, these were my findings KINGSTON LABOUR MARKET (2001-02) Aged 16 and over Economically active In employment All 124000 85000 81000 Male 63000 48000 46000 Female 61000 37000 34000 WORKING AGE (16-59/64) 2001-2002 IN KINGSTON Working age (16-59/64) Economically active In employment All 102000 83000 80000 Male 55000 48000 46000 Female 48000 36000 33000 AGE BREAKDOWN (full and part-time employment) 2001-02 All Full-time Part-time 16-19 * * * 20-24 11000 8000 * 25-49 53000 45000 8000 50+ 14000 10000 4000 Source: www.statistics.gov.uk KEY * Sample size too small for reliable estimate Pay and hours worked The chefs in the new Kingston branch get a maximum of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½8.50 an hour if they are of grade four and those on lower grades 1-4 get a maximum of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½6. The waiters get à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½4.20 an hour with tips as well and cleaners get à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½5-6 an hour. They all get double pay on bank holidays and they work a maximum of 48 hrs apart from part time workers who usually have 3-4 shifts a week with no set minimum hours of working. Productivity The businesses productivity depends on how many customers they get i.e. if they produce more if there are many customers to be served and they produce little if there are hardly any customers to be served. Generally, they measure productivity by the average times for making items. The more items they make, the more profits they get and the fewer items they make, the less profits they get. Fulltime/part time working For the particular branch in Rotunda, there are three fulltime workers and twenty part time workers. Changes in working practices The company also tries to please its workers by changing their working practices. This is carried out by exchanging staff with other restaurants since it’s a big company. This helps them get experience in working in different areas and conditions, encouraging more advanced training so that they get promoted which again makes workers feel that their effort is being appreciated by the management and lastly giving them flexible working hours so that they don’t feel that they are being over worked or exploited. Company use of the information The company might have used this information when planning its human resources in a way that when you look at the labour market, there are more people economically active and in this particular area there is relatively low unemployment. This means that they will find it difficult to recruit new staff and it can be very costly in a sense that to attract possible workers, they will have to advertise themselves more, they may have to pay more wages or invest more in training. They may also have to design development programmes so that potential employees see there are promotion prospects in the organisation therefore making them feel wanting to join the company. By also looking at their labour turnover which is very high, they might want to try and find out why many people are leaving. This can help them find the reasons why the workers are leaving and find solutions to them which means they will keep their staff longer. Still looking at their own labour turnover, they can also find out the skill that people who are leaving had and recruit people with the same ones which decreases the budget of training. Since their work force is in the mid 20’s and mostly part time, they can decide to recruit more people between the age of 25-49 because those between 20-24 working part time are very small size of the population. When planning its productivity, the company can decide to recruit more people and give them intensive training to become professionals which also increases efficiency. C1 Analysis of external labour market To interpret my labour market further, I compared it with that of Richmond, London, & UK with also last year’s trends and these were the results. The working-age employment rate in London, Kingston, Richmond & UK (March 2000-2001 and Feb 2001-2002) Area Percentage of population 2000-2001 2001-2002 Richmond 84.5% 80.8% London 70.2% 70.4% Kingston 76.4% 78% UK 74.1% 74.4% From the results above, we see that Richmond had the highest working age employment rate which was 80.8% followed by Kingston which was 78% then UK with 74.4% and lastly London which was 70.4%. Looking at the trends, we see that Richmond’s working age employment has gone down by 3.7%, London’s has only gone up by 0.2%, Kingston’s has gone up by 1.6% and lastly UK as a whole has just gone up by 0.3%. With this information, Pizza Express can decide to recruit workers from London since it has the least working age employment so they will find it easier to recruit people but then it will have to increase spending on transport if the workers are not willing to spend their own money and if they are willing to, Pizza Express will have to pay them high wages so that they can afford the costs. Advertising costs will also go up because they will have to advertise in the media other than on their windows because they are trying to recruit people in a totally different area. Graph showing working age employment rate in London, Kingston, Richmond and UK (2001-02) Economic activity rate by sex (working age 16-59/64) in Kingston & Richmond (March 2000-2001 & February2001- 2002) Area % No. of males % No. of females 2000-2001 2001-2002 2000-2001 2001-2002 Richmond 93.7 89.0 80.5 76.5 Kingston 87.6 87.4 70.1 75.0 From the information above we see that there were a higher number of males in economical activity in Richmond than Kingston with a difference of 1.6%. With the females, the number was still higher in Richmond than Kingston with a difference of 1.5%. Comparing the percentages with last years, Kingston had a very little difference in 2000-2001 than in 2001-2002 of males in economical activity which was only 0.2%. For the females in Kingston, the percentage number went up from 70.1% in 2000-2001 to 75.0% in 2001-2002, a difference of 4.9%. The higher the economic activity rate, the better so when you look at the figures, Richmond’s economic activity rate is high but it keeps going down within the two years so it can be risky wasting their money to advertise in the area while in Kingston, though the figures are low, they keep going up within the two years so it can be safer to carry out their advertising campaigns in the area if they are sure they will keep going up. Economic activity rate of males in Richmond and Kingston (2001-02) Internal staffing information For the Kingston branch, the company had 20 staff and three of them working part time. Most of them are mainly in their mid 20’s though they have no age restrictions at upper end of age band. Most of them are students or local people of the area they are situated in. Since the company has just opened, it has recruited all its work force but in the future as the business expands, they may need more staff. Interpretation of labour market information When we look at the labour market information, we see that Richmond is doing better than Kingston economically. There are more people working in Richmond which means that there are more jobs than in Kingston. This might affect the company in a way that they will find it more favourable to recruit people from Kingston than in Richmond because the labour force will be relatively cheaper. They will also find it hard to recruit people from Richmond because most of them have got jobs and if any, they might want high wages because there is less competition. With the fact that they are also located in Kingston, they may want to recruit the workers from there because costs such as transport and advertising will be low. E3 Recruitment and selection The main documents used when recruiting staff are the staff application form which is used to get details of applicants like their address, date of birth e.t.c. Gathering this information is very crucial because the company can always keep in touch with the applicants, know of any disabilities they have if any and also get information about their qualifications. The second document is the job advert. This is a promotional document of the company attracting the applicants to apply. It talks about the skills needed so the applicants can only apply if they got them therefore saving the company time in sorting out the people with the right skills. It’s made up very carefully with pictures making it very appealing. Basically it’s a form of advertising job vacancies in the company in an easy and attractive way. Lastly, the job description is also handed out to the applicants. This describes what they are expected to do if successful in getting the job. It shows what the job is about in more detail. First, it talks about the aim of the job then the workers responsibilities, what authority is to be held and lastly the standards of performance expected. Effectiveness of documents 1. Job description The job description is effective in a way that it’s lay out is simple and easy to understand. On top is the pizza express logo and pictures to attract the reader. It clearly shows that the descriptions are for waiters/waitresses so they there is no chance of a worker in a different field mistaking it to be meant for them. It clearly outlines the aim of the job in relation to maintaining the company’s standards. Second, it talks about the responsibilities that the worker has when doing the job. Too much text is used here but there seems to be only one strange word, â€Å"Adherence†. This means that language used is quite easy to understand for the reader. Next, it also talks about the responsibilities the applicant will have to carry out if successful and less text is used here so there is less difficulty in understanding the point they are trying to bring across. Lastly, it shows the standards of performance. All the major headings are written out in bold letters and also underlined to make them stand out. 2. Application form The application form is also a very detailed document. It has got a heading on top in bold letters to show what it is, with a pizza express logo which is also a way of promoting the company and showing its loyalty. It’s designed in a simple way asking for relevant information from the applicants. It has got boxes in which they can fill in the information they are being asked. The company tries to avoid collecting irrelevant information by giving them choices in some of the questions where they can only answer yes or no e.g. have you worked for Pizza Express before: Yes ? No ?. It also helps the applicants understand the questions easily. Some questions require a lot of detail and the form provides enough space for the answers like in one question which asks if the applicant is disabled and if their answer is yes, it provides more space to give the details of their disability fully. Lastly, it is typed out on white paper with blue colourings around it to make it more attractive . Generally, no complex language has been used. Everything is simple and straight forward. 3. Job advert Like all the other documents, the job advert is also laid out in a simple way and easy to understand. It is explaining how it is like to work in pizza express by posing questions then giving all the possible answers which are of course attracting the reader to apply. It also talks about the roles and explaining some of the complex words like â€Å"remuneration†. The salaries of the assistant manager and restaurant manager are also shown. This is also done to attract people so that they apply. It has got pictures about a man who has been successful. This shows the chances of success that the applicants are likely to have if they apply. Lastly, it has got detailed information about how you can get in touch with them like telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Stages in filling a vacancy FLOW CHART There are various stages involved in filling a vacancy. First, the job vacancy is identified and then a job description is written up. This is the document describing what the job is about and what it requires the person to do. A person specification is also written out describing what the qualities and qualifications the applicant should have then an appropriate advertising medium is chosen e.g. newspaper e.t.c. The type of medium chosen depends on the size of the company, what type of job is being advertised or even the current financial status of the company. Next, you send out application forms to the people who have replied to the adverts so that they can fill them in after which they send them back and you short list them to get the right ones. There are crucial things that should be considered when carrying out the short listing process like not discriminating people on grounds of their sex, race or ethnicity. After short listing them out, you arrange interviews for the selected ones where you set the date and time to meet. This can give the interviewer time to make up the questions to be asked and the common ones are normally about the candidates work experience history, why they have applied for the job, what makes them think they will be good at, how they will travel everyday if successful e.t.c. This is a good process because you get to see and speak to the candidates and evaluate how they express themselves, test their communication skills, check how they get on with other people and also check their behaviour i.e. if they are polite e.t.c. you might want to carry out other assessments like work sampling or testing then job offer references are made up. Copies of acceptance and turn downs are sent out to the applicants and the successful ones are given a contract and after their induction they start their job with some training. This is the form of help given to them to get used to the work place and equipment they have to use, know better how the job is carried out in the company and also get used to the old staff. This helps them develop more understanding of the company’s cultures working practices which leads them to becoming professional staff and if very hard working, they can end up getting promotions. Conclusion Based on my findings, I conclude that pizza express is doing well with the fact its expanding in other countries which means that it has a big market, a very crucial part in business developments.

Chocolate and Ice Cream Comfort Food of Women - 2462 Words

Chocolates and ice cream: comfort food of women A research paper presented to Ms. Ellen P. Noveras Taytay United Methodist Christian School In partial fulfillment of the requirements in English IV Rizalene Joice R. Linzo IV- Saul January 8, 2010 Table of contents Chapter Page I. Acknowledgement†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.3 Introduction Background of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦4 Statement of the Problem†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦...4 Significance of the Study†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..4 Scopes and Delimitations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..5 Materials and Methods†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦5 Definition of Terms†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 II. Discussion†¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦...†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.8 III. Summary†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦..†¦.12 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦..12†¦show more content†¦A substance, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, or beta carotene, thought to protect body cells from the damaging effects of oxidation† (http://www.answers.com/topic/antioxidant). Cannabinoid. â€Å"Psychoactive drugs, such as marijuana, derived from the cannabis plant. This plant, cannabinoid, causes a feeling of relaxation which affect special receptors† (http://www.answers.com/topic/cannabinoids-1). Chocolate. â€Å"It is made from a plant which means chocolate contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables† (http://www.answers.com/topic/chocolate). Cocoa. â€Å"It is the dried and fully fermented fatty seed of Theobroma cacao, from which cocoa solids and cocoa butter are extracted. Theobroma cacao is considered as the basis of chocolate as well as many Mesoamerican foods such as mole sauce and tejate† (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocoa_bean). Comfort food. â€Å"Comfort foods are familiar, simple foods that are usually home-cooked or eaten at informal restaurants. These are foods that are often emotionally significant to a person or group of people and are sometimes related to pleasant memories of childhood† (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comfort_food). Emotional eating. â€Å"Emotional Eating is when one eats in response to his feelings, especially when not hungry. Emotional eating means one’s emotions - not his body – dictate how much he eats† (http://weightloss.about.com/od/emotionsmotivation/qt/bleewhatis.htm). Ice cream. â€Å"Ice-cream isShow MoreRelatedThe Mall Of New Jersey992 Words   |  4 Pageselongated brown brick walls made me feel like I am walking into a dungeon, into the land of the abyss. It was not a joyous place for a child to visit. On one occasion, my mother brought me an ice cream cone and with one lick it was on the floor. I never saw my mother so mad before; she picked up the ice cream and demanded I receive another one. Little did I know that this dark dreary space was going was my future place of employment. The mall was not a place I hung out at as a teenager, first, itRead MoreIce Cream Dessert6274 Words   |  26 PagesChapter I Introduction Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavors. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners. In some cases, artificial flavorings and colorings are used in addition to the natural ingredients. 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