Sunday, October 6, 2019
Database Systems Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Database Systems - Essay Example Likewise, every new version bundled with the database, can easily be upgraded with the latest one, enabling enterprises to enhance web technologies and service oriented architecture (SOA) (, Oracle Forms). Industries that can benefit from this technology involves Financial institutions, Stocks and bonds, Communications, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Retail, Healthcare, Legal, Government and Educational institutes. Furthermore, Oracle Forms assist business developers to create all-inclusive java client applications rapidly, without writing any java codes. Similarly, these applications are created on the basis of rapid application development (RAD) and are optimized for Internet. Of course, java client applications meet and exceed requirements of professional user communities. Furthermore, these web-deployed applications are rich in functionality and available on demand for express processing of large queries and rapid achievement of complex calculations, transactions and analysis. The int egration of builders in ââ¬Å"Oracle forms developerâ⬠facilitates business developers to construct complex database forms and business logic robustly with nominal efforts and time. In addition, the developments tools provide powerful features including wizards, drag and drop, and built in menus. Moreover, these powerful features contribute for a creation of fully purposeful applications from database definition with minimum coding in record time. The Oracle forms developerâ⬠endow with an open and extensible user interface model, enabling full customization and integrations of applications with Java (, Oracle Developer Tools). To match the pace for the rapidly demands of changing business environment, developments teams are facing challenges, in terms of enhanced application functionality, enhanced user interface and high performance complex configurations. Finally, ââ¬Å"Oracle forms developerâ⬠provides a scalable and flexible architecture to deploy and develop h igh performance enterprise solutions to cater business requirements. Furthermore, the existence of integrated delivery environment is operational for Internet applications, to expand and perform by processing thousand of concurrent users (, Oracle Developer Tools). The limitations consist of the GUI functionality that does not work on the forms deployed on the web. For instance, it is not possible to program or modify the cursor style to hourglass. 2 Oracle Reports Oracle reports are an advanced reporting tool used for dynamic and enterprise level reporting. Moreover, it enables businesses to expand and organize information to all levels within in and outside of the organization. It is a component of Oracle fusion middle-ware which is Oracleââ¬â¢s award winning, high-fidelity enterprise reporting tool. In addition, this tool enables businesses to provide instant access to information at all stages in or outside of the organization in an expandable and safe environment. Oracle Rep orts includes Oracle Reports Developer - a prevailing, (WYSIWYG) report design tool and a J2EE 5.0 based Oracle Reports Server. Furthermore, it is a multi-tier architecture to access data sources and develop reports in any format for the web and paper, and to distribute reports to any possible target. Oracle vestiges committed to the development of this technology, and to the continuing release as a component of the Oracle Fusion Middle-ware platform (, Oracle
NYPD Stop, Question, and Frisk Policy Term Paper
NYPD Stop, Question, and Frisk Policy - Term Paper Example .. found that the stops were not actually finding or preventing crimes. 97% percent of stops resulted in no conviction at all, although they did still utilize city time and resources to reach those outcomes. ââ¬Å" (Clark, Meredith ââ¬Å"Reports Find 'Stop-and-Frisk' Does Not Cut Crimeâ⬠). Reports also say that the policy has only served to fuel racial discrimination charges as those stopped are supposedly mostly black and Latino men. A move that according to most, constitutes the violation of a person's constitutional rights. The American public has their right to privacy and has quite strict rules regarding racial discrimination across the country. The New York Stop-and-Frisk policy has chosen to ignore the constitutionally and legally protected rights of the New York citizens in an effort to ââ¬Å"keep peaceâ⬠within their borders. With an average of 88 percent of ââ¬Å"stop and frisksâ⬠resulting in the release of those being stopped without issuing a ticket or resulting in an arrest (ââ¬Å"NY 'Stop and Frisk' Policy Violates Minority Rights, US Constitution - Judgeâ⬠) , this policy should be seen as nothing but merely a nuisance. Evidence of this constitutional rights violation can be seen in the annals of the New York Attorney General's office as far back as 1999 when it was discovered that ââ¬Å"Black and Latino New Yorkers were stopped at far higher rates than white men and womenâ⬠(ââ¬Å"NY 'Stop and Frisk' Policy Violates Minority Rights, US Constitution - Judgeâ⬠). Such acts can be deemed as racial profiling which is a direct violation of the United States Constitution. The Fourth Amendment of the United States Constitution declares that people shall be protected from unreasonable searches. Yet in the state of New York, under the Stop-and-Frisk policy, at least 200,000 stops were made without reasonable suspicion from the year 2002 - 2004. Such a high rate of stops overall makes it quite evident that that there is no crime taking place and that the people being stopped were not in any way acting in a suspicious manner (Hanna, Jason ââ¬Å"Judge Rules NYC's Stop-and-Frisk Policy Unconstitutional; City Vows Appeal). Over the past decade, a total of 5 million stops have occurred involving mostly Black and Hispanic men. The New York Stop-and-Frisk Policy is nothing more than a violation of one's right to privacy according to some people who have been involved in the implementation of the policy. Under the 14th Amendment people, regardless of gender, race, and ethnicity are also protected and given the equal protection of the law (Adelmann, Bob ââ¬Å"Judge Rules New York City's 'Stop and Frisk' Policy Unconstitutionalâ⬠). This amendment in particular is violated by the stop-and-frisk policy because of the conscious decision of the police force to concentrate their operations on the members of the black, Latino, and Hispanic communities. Due to the existence of the stop-and-frisk policy, New Yorkers are gripped with fear that they can be apprehended on the streets for no apparent reason. It has led people to fear a police state coming into existence in New York City. This is a policy that must be brought to an end because: ââ¬Å"The NYPD's practice of making stops that lack individualized reasonable suspicion has been so pervasive and persistent as to become not only a part of the NYPD's standard operating procedure, but a fact of daily life
Saturday, October 5, 2019
Final Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 12
Final - Essay Example In particular, ââ¬Å"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Closeâ⬠by Jonathan Safran Foer appears to be the fusion of text and visual aids. As it is a literary work, text plays the leading role in rendering the ideas, while visual aids perform the supporting role and enhance the story telling by means of specifying and illustrating the narration. In accordance with McCloud, text and pictures interrelate in several ways in a piece. Despite the fact that McCloud discusses mostly graphic novels, or comics, his ideas can be applied to the novel under consideration as well. Based on McCloudââ¬â¢s work titled ââ¬Å"Understanding Comics: The Invisible Artâ⬠, there are two types of text and photo combinations in ââ¬Å"Extremely Loud and Incredibly Closeâ⬠, such as word specific combination and additive combination. The first type of text and photo combination presupposes that pictures mostly illustrate what is discussed in the novel. One of the best examples of the use of photos in terms of illustrations is Oskarââ¬â¢s visit to the art supply store where the boy sees his fatherââ¬â¢s name (actually his grandfatherââ¬â¢s name) written on the writing pads. The photos of writing pads are placed in the novel to illustrate that ââ¬Å"most people write the name of the color of the pen theyââ¬â¢re writing withâ ⬠and back up the managerââ¬â¢s words (Foer). Apart from that, these photos reveal no information. The second example is Oskarââ¬â¢s scrap book ââ¬Å"Stuff That Happened to Meâ⬠. For the boy, the book is of great importance for it bears valuable memories. Put exactly in this part of the novel, however, the scrap book can be regarded as the illustration of what is happening in Oskarââ¬â¢s head at a particular moment in bed at night. ââ¬Å"Stuff That Happened to Meâ⬠is the montage of photos (keys, Oskarââ¬â¢s fingerprints, Hamlet holding Yorickââ¬â¢s skull etc.) which reflects the welter of confused ideas and the boyââ¬â¢s state of perplexity at that very moment. The
Leading educational change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Leading educational change - Essay Example In the book entitled Schooling by Design: Mission, Action, and Achievement, Wiggins and McTighe (2007, p. 108) discussed the theory behind the ââ¬Å"Curriculum Design Cycleâ⬠. Although this particular framework is useful in terms of guiding the teachers on how to effectively change and create a new curriculum that can meet the needs of a commnity, this particular model is not applicable when it comes to the need to create educational vision on teacher empowerment. The Innovative Designs for Enhancing Achievements in Schools (IDEAS) by Andrews (2008) is more applicable when it comes to implementing change for the entire educational institution. Lastly, Eacottââ¬â¢s Strategic Model is all about the use of strategies when managing educational administration or educational construct. However, after examining the modern context of educational administration, Eacott (2008, p. 353) found out that the available strategies that can be used in the field of education is ââ¬Å"incomple teâ⬠and ââ¬Å"flawedâ⬠. Therefore, among these three (3) models, the model presented by Andrews (2008) is more applicable when it comes to creating an educational vision that could empower the school teachers. ... ng, group discussion and voting are all equally important when it comes to encouraging all stakeholders to engage themselves in participating in the process of designing a clear and inspiring vision on teacher empowerment. The construct of parallel leadership is one of the main constructs of IDEAS. Basically, the context of parallel leadership is highly dependent on mutualism, personal expression, and shared purpose, values, and beliefs (Andrews, 2008). Using this theory, one can argue that it is essential for both the school administrator and the primary school teachers to develop mutual respect and trust at all times. After developing a sense of mutualism, both parties are expected to work together towards the development of a single vision that could strengthen teacher empowerment within the primary school setting. During the initiative phase, the school administor and the primary school teachers are expected to participate in brainstorming and/or group discussion process. Basical ly, brainstorming is all about encouraging the school personnel to generate group ideas (Isaken & Gaulin, 2005). This will then lead to discovering and envisioning stage (Andrews, 2008). By encouraging the school staff to participate in a group discussion or brain-storming session, the school leader will have the opportunity to detect the personal opinion or stand of each school staff with regards to certain strategies that can be used in the promotion of teacher empowerment. Teacher empowerment is all about being able to strengthen the decision-making power of the primary school teachers through the use of either administrative strategies or pedagogy (Di Gropello, 2006, p. 4). In some cases, excessive use or implementation of rules and regulations, and red tape serves as a barrier behind
Friday, October 4, 2019
Our Buttocks Are Different Essay Example for Free
Our Buttocks Are Different Essay I have chosen Arthur Rimbaudââ¬â¢s poem entitled ââ¬Å"Our Assholes Are Differentâ⬠. The poem was originally written in French and has been translated in many different versions. Interestingly, the poem is also known as ââ¬Å"Our Buttocks Are Not Theirsâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ and carries a significant reference to the poetââ¬â¢s personal life as he was an unabashed homosexual. The poem is also a reflection on Rimbaudââ¬â¢s tongue-in-cheek and witty sense of humor that is his unique trademark in all his writings. In this paper, I will discuss his usage of tone, imagery and symbolism. First I am going to analyze tone. The poem is spoken in a direct, straight-forward manner with feelings of animation, pleasure and amusement. The poet is clearly thrilled with the idea of peeping into otherââ¬â¢s private moment of relief but instead of looking at them with disgust, the view provides him with romantic, happy, idle thoughts that remind him of freedom. The act of relieving oneself is actually a form of release and that the pleasure is both mutual, for the reliever as well as the watcher, ââ¬Å"And in those happy floods that youth set free I watched the architecture of our crotchâ⬠. To the poet, seeing the buttocks is a way of appraising nature as it occurs upon him that not one buttock is similar to the other. It is interesting how he describes the buttock similar to our faces, with ââ¬Å"a dimple indentââ¬â¢ and characteristic from one another, ââ¬Å"Its forms to muscles, and a wickerwork/ Of hairs; for girls, the most enchanting lurk/ In a dark crack where tufted satin growsâ⬠. The smooth roundness and blushing cheeks of our buttocks reminds him of the ââ¬Å"painted cherub on a Baroque shrineâ⬠known for their adorable exposed buttocks that are as chubby as the cheeks on their innocent, angelic faces. The touch and appearance of its softness from afar excites the poet as it inspires him the meaning of liberation, ââ¬Å"If only we were naked now, and freeâ⬠. And at the end of the poem the poet even sounds aroused when he declares, ââ¬Ëto watch our protruding parts align;/ To whisper ââ¬â both of us in ecstasy! â⬠. Next I will analyze imagery. Rimbaud uses simple language to describe his emotions and responses to something we often keep private. As he begins with describing his habit of watching people urinating in private, he describes them as how he sees them with a touch of romanticism. The poet is descriptive in the physical attributes of the buttocks similar to if he were looking and describing a building, ââ¬Å"I watched the architecture of our crotch/ Quite firm, in many cases, it owes its form to muscles, and a wickerwork/Of hairsâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ . While others would feel embarrassed to look, let alone illustrate, the sight of anotherââ¬â¢s private parts, Rimbaud is unabashed, telling them as Godââ¬â¢s enchanting work of art as he sees them as ââ¬Ëtouching and wonderful innocenceâ⬠. It is interesting how Rimbaud uses a small reference for relief (urinating) and transforms them into a bigger and more profound imagery such as freedom of the soul. And as one openly exposes oneself with his buttock, we might as well go completely naked to experience the ultimate form of relief ââ¬â spiritual liberation. Next I will discuss symbolism. On the surface level, Rimbaudââ¬â¢s buttock is extremely physical: one sees another urinating and the buttock is exposed for all to see, perhaps unintentionally. However, on a closer inspection, the buttock signifies an opportunity to be free, not just for the observed but also the observer. From just the mere sight of a personââ¬â¢s buttock, the poet is saying we are hiding something so marvelous and beautiful to behold, thus, let alone an entire body that would be even more marvelous to be shared, ââ¬Å"Oh! If only we were naked now, and free/ To watch our protruding parts alignâ⬠¦Ã¢â¬ . The buttock is an attribute we have behind us and that is constantly covered, like a best-kept secret. Yet it plays a crucial role for humans as it releases toxins from the body. And because it is always kept hidden, it becomes a wonder. And how we keep it ââ¬Å"quite firmâ⬠or ââ¬Å"a wickerwork of hairsâ⬠, is a reflection of who we are and our personality, much like a thumbprint. And thus, seeing glimpses of oneââ¬â¢s crack is much like having a preview into oneââ¬â¢s personality before you even get to know that person, and that creates another significant excitement for the poet. ââ¬Å"Our assholes are different from theirsâ⬠reverberate a connotation of distinction. It is as if the poet is saying, ââ¬Å"theirsâ⬠are different to mine. He describes the buttocks he sees and those of ââ¬Å"young menâ⬠depicting them as filled with youth and ââ¬Å"innocenceâ⬠. And if he could stand naked among them, his bottom would be ââ¬Å"whisperingâ⬠to theirs ââ¬â as if in humility ââ¬â the joys and pleasure to be firm, carefree and adolescent again. There are no worries and no hassles in life, just liberation. This poem has an odd topic for discussion, yet it makes a lot of sense about wanting, needing, and appreciating freedom. And what is unique about its symbolism, is that the poet uses a simple concept to teach us about freedom from the simple act of urinating and relieving oneself. The problems we bottle inside us are similar to the urine we accumulate throughout the day. And as we operate in a cycle from drinking to urinating, we need to do employ the same method in other aspects of our lives. Yet we do not. Imagine if we had the same discipline with our problems and our lifeââ¬â¢s choices. We have the ability to purge out unnecessary ââ¬Å"toxinsâ⬠in our body such as hate, anger, tension, stress, frustration and sadness on a daily basis, we would be leading healthy lives and cancer would not exist. Silly as it sounds, the poem about our buttocks is a good reminder of the little pleasures in life we often take for granted. And poems such as this are a reminder of why Rimbaud was hailed a brilliant poet. He succeeds in bringing to life imagery and symbolism that would otherwise make no sense to us.
Developing poise is a question of developing confidence in ones personality Essay Example for Free
Developing poise is a question of developing confidence in ones personality Essay Developing poise is a question of developing confidence in ones personality. Look at all the people who lack this confidence. The noisy are unsure of themselves and trying to attract attention. The awkward are over-anxious, worrying about the impression they are making. The clumsy are self-conscious, scared of disapproval. Some people lack poise because it requires ability to wait for people and things to come to you, rather than straining after them. This action demands a degree of self-confidence which they have not managed to acquire. The first essential to poise is a sense of well-being. It is difficult to be poised if you are suffering from poor health; so many things are apt to upset you. One should try to be as fit as possible by living and eating wisely, having sufficient rest, and by getting proper treatment when something is wrong. A second necessary part of the sense of well-being is scrupulous cleanliness and freshness with regard to oneself and ones person. Allied to this is appearance. You must look and feel that you look your best. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money on clothes, but it is vital that you should think you look smart, and that your clothes should be so comfortable that you can forget about them. Now behavior comes in, including the way we walk and carry ourselves, sit down, stand up, and move around. The body should be upright and well-balanced, head up, shoulders back, tail tucked in. We should aim to look alert and interested, to walk easily from the hips, neither mincing along in short tight little steps nor striding. We should study the way we sit down and rise to our feet. We should place a chair in front of a long mirror and see how well- or how badly- we do it, asking a sympathetic friend or a family member to criticize. It is mostly a matter of how we carry ourselves. We should watch the way we open and close doors and cupboards. We should learn to sit well back on a chair instead of perching on its edge. By far the most important part of good manners is consideration for others- putting people at their ease, making them welcome, seeing that they are comfortable and have what they need, stepping into the background to give them a chance to shine. We should always practice unfailing courtesy. There is also a matter of the way we talk. A pleasant speaking voice gives its owner tremendous self-confidence. Every now and then, as a check, we should listen to ourselves talking. Nervousness may be making us gabble, or on the other hand, slowing us down until we seem pompous. Or we may be pitching our voices too high or too low. Because poise is primarily a question of self-confidence, we must have a sense of personal worth- the feeling that we are wanted and have something to give the world. A feeling that we are unwanted and that the world would be better off without us gives rise to a reaction to avoid people or to become aggressive towards them. Financial insecurity, job worries, dull routine work that seems important, work that others take for granted, or anything that encourages us to believe that we are of no account destroys our sense of personal worth and with it our self-confidence. It is hard to feel at ease with people when we are resenting being made to feel inferior. There is also an unpleasant sensation of being out of things and not belonging which, in our minds at least, sets us apart from other people and causes us to be anxious about the impression we are making. Students and adolescents generally are difficult to reach and to get at, as we say, because they are so uncertain of themselves and their future. They are gauche and touchy because they feel insecure. To develop poise we have to find value in ourselves and meaning to life. In plain words, we have to do a job that strikes us as being worthwhile and useful, and acquire the skill which this implies. To achieve real poise, one must be careful about people. They are remarkable for their unpredictability, which means in terms of practical living that it is unwise to depend on them too much. Like us, they are swayed by their moods and feelings. If we often surprise and horrify ourselves, why should we be hurt or angry when others react in ways equally surprising? We have to learn to be self-sufficient in the sense of being able to stand aloof, relying on ourselves when necessary for our happiness. This is not difficult if we have a sense of personal worth and satisfying interests. We should avoid becoming emotionally involved in other peoples quarrels, prejudices, dislikes, and arguments. If we are forced to take part, we may try to be a calming influence.
Thursday, October 3, 2019
Explosion Of The Digital Era Public Relations
Explosion Of The Digital Era Public Relations Public Engagement is a modern paradigm in the PR context and sets out how professionals should be listening and engaging with their key stakeholders in the 21st Century. Marshall Manson, Director of digital strategy at Edelman UK, describes the terminology as advancing shared interest moving from an influence pyramid to a world of cross-influence (pg 5). According to Edelman there are four attributes of Public Engagement; it aims to be democratic and decentralized, inform the conversation, call for engagement with stakeholders and finally make it clear how reputation is important. Public Engagement has to work in all four areas (Richard Edelman, 2008). Trust building both internally and externally, reputation management and transparency are the hallmarks of successful PR initiatives besides positioning the CEO. Jean-Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill and G D H Cole (1968) came up with the term Participatory Democracy, which was the forerunner of Public Engagement. Mills supported a representative government with some form of public participation but on a limited scale. Wholesale participation could endanger political decision making and hence democracy. (Pateman1970) Engagement in politics had been regarded as reactive but it is now perceived as proactive. Dialogue and engagement with all parties is important to prevent loss of public trust (Edward Andersson, Simon Burall Emily Fennell, Involve 2010). The Big Society introduced by David Cameron 19 July 2010 sought public dialogue and involvement in decision making. Business and government rely on PR to establish trust and dialogue. Public engagement, like any conversation, is all about listening. Our world can be likened to a conversation and in order to be successful we need to listen ( Richard Edelman 2008). New technology has presented the public with effective tools for engaging in these conversations at a level never experienced before. A white paper published by Arthur W Page Society (2007) is a good example of how Public Relations practitioners and company leaders must change their strategies and business goals to be more authentic in the 21st century. The study looked at how CEOs saw their roles change with the culture of the environment. Environment is changing because of the emergence of all things digital, a global economy and a new breed of stakeholders. However, what it fails to do is to provide a way that can be used to enhance the role of the communication department in the future. According to the paper it believes that communication departments have lost control. In order to move forward they must adapt to new technologies, audiences and engagement models. Transparency is a key part of performing well in the 21st century, it encourages trust on behalf of employees and the public and is in demand more than ever (Michael Smith, Richard Hunter, Ken McGee, Gartner 2010). Public opinion surveys have confirmed the need for transparency in business and managing trust (Grunig, J.E 2009). For organisations to succeed in Public Engagement, they need to be informed, transparent, prospective and adaptive to their key stakeholders (Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, 2008). Prior to current publications on Public Engagement, the term was mainly connected to the science world. A report written by Demos (2009) stated that the UK was now seen as a leader in public engagement within the science world. Public Engagement, it argued would only work when interest groups were included. Matthew C. Nisbet Dietram A. Scheufele (2007) argued that communication must be accessible to all sections of society. Advocacy, a term used by PR company Weber Shandwick, is defined as Public relations caught the first wave, the adoption of new technology to spread information But that first wave, sharing information with more segmented audiences, is cresting. A new one, a fundamental transformation of communication from information to advocacy, is rising (Jack Leslie, Chairman, Weber Shandwick Worldwide). It argues that personnel engagement is needed in order to be able to communicate with their audiences. It is evident that universities are becoming involved with the term Public Engagement. The National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement (NCCPE) is part of the Beacon for Public Engagement project. Their aim is to encourage a change in how universities engage with the public and their stakeholders. ___________________________________________________________________________ Social Media Traditional PR skills are still helpful in bringing transparency to communications with stakeholders (Schlesinger 2010) but the introduction of Web 2.0 technologies has changed the world of communications for PR (Pavlik 2008) and Philips and Young (2009). Grunig, J.E (2009) noted that digital media has the potential to make the profession more global, strategic, two-way, interactive and socially responsible (pg 1 Paradigms of Global Public Relations in an Age of Digitalisation). However, he comments that this new media is being used ineffectively by practitioners. Some are using it, as they did with the old media, as a place to write messages rather than using it to interact with the public strategically. Grunig (2009) concludes that it can only be used effectively if social media is used to its full capacity. Public engagement has created new networks of influences and special online forums leading to a world of communication through Blog, Twitter and Facebook among many, impacting all walks of life (Edelman, 2009.) In 2009, 625 million people worldwide had access to the internet (McCann 2009). Sharing of social networking sites has created huge paradigms for PR. It has increased challenges for organisations for the crucial role played by transparency, quickness and clarity in response (Pavlik 2008). The rise in digital interaction and the surge in social media present the practitioners with enormous opportunities. According to McCanns Wave 4 report (2009), social media platforms are becoming the norm to create and share. In his study he noted how they presented unique opportunities to listen and observe. One way messaging is now outdated and anyone understanding this new communication world will succeed (Weber Shandwick). It is important to recognize that social media is also important within organizations, encouraging employee engagement. Enterprise 2.0 is a form of web 2.0 which is used for businesses only. They provide services such as Yammer, a corporate version of Twitter, and Chatter- a social-networking service (Economist 2010). According to Mashable (2010) the top five engaged brands in social media are Starbucks, Coca- Cola, Oreo, Skittles and Redbull. Starbucks have created a digital platform for the participation of public through My Starbucks Idea for communicating with customers by just listening to customers suggestions. Companies are benefitting from listening and improving their services for all stakeholders including customers. Richard Sambrook (the former head of BBC news) believes that every company should be a media company he says. Big companies are going directly to the consumer to engage them now, rather than through display or spot ads and the traditional means of trying to reach consumers. You cant just be out there shouting at people about your brand, youve got to engage with them quite carefully PR is there to help organisations to be honest and engaged with the Public in this new age of media and should not spin stories to the press (Independent 2010) A Stakeholder can be defined as anyone who is affected by the actions arising from any organisation, whether a public or private entity. When engaged, stakeholders can provide organisations with valuable feedback on society expectations leading to the generation of creative solutions and earning the organisation valuable stakeholder support (Lawrence Weber 2008). With the advent of technologically enabled tools there has been a democratisation and socialisation of the media leading to a greater involvement by all participants. Breaking news is today likely to be captured first on Twitter, or the like, rather than a news agency (WrightHinson 2009). This in turn has necessitated greater transparency and in turn enhanced the role of PR professional teams in the management of organisations day to day operations. The status of employees and customers has now been placed on an equal footing with shareholders and other governing participants. (Authentic Enterprise 2007). Evolving through p ublic engagement, the corporate communication function is set to play the role of catalyst in this new environment and the PR practitioner can help empower corporate culture and stakeholder confidence (Miller 2010). At a local level internal communication has become more significant in shaping the management and image of organisations (Authentic Enterprise 2007). Trust is a valuable commodity which needs to be nurtured; in times of crisis the trust relationship will play a significant role in shaping the outcome of adverse events. Encouraging a listening culture within management will enhance the perception of trust (Mazzei and Ravazzani 2010). This is a function that PR needs to develop to accommodate changing communication platforms and models. Strategies need to consider the social and behavioural changes brought about by the internet. There have been many communication models put forward over the past 60 years the principal ones being the Shannon and Weaver model 1949, Shramms Interactive Model 1954 and Grunigs and Hunts 4 Models (1984). It is important to look at communication models to see whether Public engagement is a new paradigm or simply an extension of these. Shannon and Wavers (1949) Mathematical theory of Communication is accepted as one of the most important models from which communication studies has grown ( Johnson and Klare 1961), albeit biased towards the technical aspects of communication research (John Fiske 1982). In contrast to the above models Schramm went on to create his model which emphasised two-way communication (1954) and introduced the concept of feedback. In problem solving scenarios open ended questions need to be asked in order to gain feedback and results. The two-way symmetric model, Grunig and Hunt (1984) is probably the most popular and widely used in todays PR industry. This model is described as being one that can build relationships and resolve conflicts. It is where the stakeholders have a say in what an organisation does and can have some power over policies. This model employs research, listening, and dialogue as tools to cultivate relationships with both internal and external strategic parties. Pieczka (1996) criticised the model as she felt that the study was biased to the two way symmetrical model and questioned the validity of his model. According to Phillips and Young( 2009),social media is causing a new communication paradigm. They believe that communication is shifting from the traditional hierarchical arrangement to an audience model encouraging horizontal discourse. This is confirmed by Edelman (2009). A further study by Grunig developed a model for excellent public relations ( Grunig 2002 ,Grunig Dozier ) It was found that the most successful PR departments took part or contributed to the strategic decisions of the company. Once stakeholders had been identified the study showed that successful PR departments developed programmes to communicate with them. According to Grunig (2002.) Excellence is seen as the balance between an organisation and the public. It was seen as the management of communications on a level that aided the strategic management role whilst maintaining the attention and cooperation of the public. As such the PR role was enhanced and perceived in commercial terms whereby long term relationships could be forged between strategic parties. Philip and Young (2009 ) argued that the new PR challenges the Excellence model. LEtang (2006) was also critical stating that the power imbalance between organisation and public was a flaw in the theory of two-way communication. However Grunig insisted that the model was revised over the years. There appears to be a gap in communication models in regards to Public Engagement although Grunigs fourth model is possibly the closest to it. It is evident that a new model of PR is needed. Whether it is to be called Public Engagement is something which has to be decided.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)