Collaboration between agencies working together with children and their families will never work. - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 13 Words: 3921 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Politics Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Collaboration between agencies working together with children and their families will never work. Discuss. Multi-agency working is not a new development for years its importance has been recognised for professionals from inter-agencies to collaborate, even as early as the mid nineteenth centaury health and social workers, worked in partnership to help reduce poverty in England. (Cheminais 2009; 1) Many changes have occurred over the years, which have stressed the importance of collaboration between agencies working together who are closely involved in the services working with children and families. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Collaboration between agencies working together with children and their families will never work." essay for you Create order (Waller 2009; 152) However, in spite of the beneficial outcome collaborative working has achieved for patients, clients and for the professionals themselves. (Leathard et al 2003; 131) Many children are still lsquo;being failed by the absence of collaboration between agencies to meet their needs; and this was epitomised by the circumstances surrounding the death of Victoria Climbieacute;. Wilson et al (2008; 519) This essay will discuss the collaboration between agencies looking at legislation and policies that the government has put into place to drive multi-agency working, the essay will also cover the benefits of Multi-agency working as well as the challenges and barriers between professionals working in health, social services and education. Furthermore, the essay will focus on private, independent and voluntary sectors discussing multi-agency working between them. Throughout the essay a placement of a medical centre (see Appendix) will be referred to where a Health Visitor (h ere after HV) will be discussed as to whether collaboration in childrens services is beneficial to children and families or if as literature suggests is failing. Throughout this essay a variety of terminology will be used, according to Lumsden in Waller (2009; 156) lsquo;In practice, the terms partnership, collaboration, interagency work and working together are often used interchangeably and different professionals can have different interpretations of what they mean. In this essay the following definitions will be used all to refer to agencies and professionals working together with families and children, these are defined below: lsquo;Collaborationlsquo; Interdisciplinary process of problem solving, shared responsibility for decision making and the ability to carry out a plan of care while working towards a common goal. (Mckay et al. 2008; 110) lsquo;Multi-agency working More than one agency working with a young person, with a family on a project (but not necessarily j ointly). It may be concurrent sometimes as a result of joint planning or it may be sequential. (Lloyd et al. 2001) lsquo;Partnership Working lsquo;A collaborative professional working relationship with other in both the professional and para-professional world of all agencies who work jointly to deliver services to local children and families. (Gasper 2010; 24) lsquo;Interagency working lsquo;This involves two or more agencies working together in a formal and planned way, but each agency will maintain its own identity as it works alongside other agencies. (Fitzgerald 2007) When referring to the above terms the agencies that will be addressed within the subject of collaboration will be social care, health care, and education. The above services are a fundamental role for both children and families, who may need the help of these agencies, helping families and children to have a positive outlook. For many years the government have released legislation and policies to hig hlight the importance of agencies collaboratively working together, to help children and families, especially safeguarding children. More recent legislation has imposed agencies such as health, social care and education working jointly together. As frost proposes lsquo;the concept of joint working in safeguarding children and family support services is central to the governments approach, which acknowledges the inter-relatedness of family needs in the fields of health, social services, law enforcement, child welfare, housing and education, and aims to make the delivery of services more efficient and effective. Frost et al. (2007; 185) However as much of the literature suggests there are many restrictions between agencies working together. The Implementation of the Children Act 1989 highlighted the importance of collaboration between agencies, lsquo;the act clearly confirmed that multi-agency approaches were seen as the most effective way of protecting children from abuse. Fitzger ald (2008; 35) The Act (1989) defines in section 47 how agencies from lsquo;any local authority; any local education authority; any local housing authority; any health authority; and any person authorised by the Secretary of State for the purposes of this section has the right to join together and protect the child from harm by providing and sharing information. Childrens Act 1989 HM Government (Section 47; 11) Cheminais (2009) concurs with Fitzgerald (2008) stating lsquo;The Children Act 1989 established the statutory requirement for inter-agency collaboration and joint working in relation to children and young people, requiring professionals to lsquo;work better together. Cheminais (2009;1) The government have produced many legislative documents on collaboration between agencies lsquo;working together. The Working Together to Safeguard Children document (DfES 2006) was first published in 1999, but a more recent adaptation was produced in 2006, which shows how agencies and pract itioners should be working together to promote and safeguard the wellbeing of children. The more recent version of the paper reflects the new developments which have happened through policies, legislation and practice. (Wilson 2006; 4) The paper was formed for anyone who works with children and families, it expresses how agencies and professionals should be working together to meet the legal requests of both the Childrens Acts 1989 and 2004. (Barker 2007; 4) lsquo;Working Together to Safeguard Children describes comprehensively how agencies should work together and gives guidance on investigations and conduct of case conferences. Brammer (2006; 249) The guidance in the document sets out a national policy to help safeguard children which are based on the green paper lsquo;Every Child Matters outcomes. lsquo;Be Healthy; Stay Safe; Enjoy and Achieve; Make a Positive Contribution and Achieve Economic Well-being Every Child Matters (2003:1) lsquo;In achieving these outcomes working toget her stresses the importance of an integrated multi-professional approach by all organisations and agencies to the assessment, planning, intervention and review processes for all vulnerable children. Barker (2007;5) The Working Together to Safeguard Children (2006) document underpins many important government legislations from the Childrens Act 1989, Childrens Act 2004 and the Green Paper Every Child Matters (DfES 2004) In 2003, the Laming Report was made public and brought 108 recommendations for changes to childrens services at a national and local level, and within and between the different agencies and professionals. The Laming report led to the Green paper lsquo;Every Child Matters which set out five main outcomes for children to achieve there wellbeing, the legislation was aimed at children from birth to nineteen years. It was the tragic death of Victoria Climbe in 2000 which was one of the main contributions to the Green Paper Every Child Matters (DfES 2003) lsquo;The legac y of Victoria Climbie is that her death provided both the government and professionals with the permission to refocus on the importance of working together, thus integrated services are at the heart of the government initiative Every Child Matters, and the Children Act 2004 provides the legal framework to facilitate the programme of change, Lumsden et al. in Waller (2009; 153)Victorias death was a result of horrifying abuse which was caused by her great aunt and her boyfriend. However Victoria was seen by many agencies lsquo;during her time in the UK Victoria was seen for health and welfare reasons, by a wide range of representatives from different social services departments, health services and hospitals as well as the police, but all failed to intervene appropriately to protect her. Barker (2009; 9) Every Child Matters tried to build on existing plans put together by the government to strengthen preventative services, social exclusion and tackle poverty for children and families by focusing on four key themes; lsquo;Supporting parents and carers; Early Intervention and effective protection; Accountability and integration of services; and Workforce reforms. (Baldock et al (2007; p70) In 2004 Every Child Matters lsquo;Change for children was launched alongside the Childrens Act 2004, lsquo;providing the legislative spine for the wider strategy improving childrens lives. Tunstill (2007; 26) lsquo;The United Kingdom have witnessed 30 years of fatal child abuse inquiries or serious case reviews. Reader et al. (2004; 96) lsquo;During that time there have been about 40 public inquiries overall and between 50 and 90 local case reviews under part 8 of the lsquo;working together guidance each year. Reader et al (2004; 96; Department of Health 1999) These terrible consequences of past inquires have influenced the services provided to children and families through changes to policies and in practice, however public inquiries have also seen similarities. It is over 3 0 years since the publication report was released looking into the inquiry of the death of seven year old Maria Colwell who tragically died from abuse of her step-father. This tragic death caused shock in society and there was lsquo;utter determination that such tragedies like this would never happen again Lonne (2008;18) However despite the governments backing of policies and produced reports there have still tragically been other victims. The inquiries of Victoria Climbe and Maria Colwell have identified a number of common themes; as Parton (2004; 82) describes lsquo;considerable confusion and a failure to communicate key information, so that as a consequence both children fell through the elaborate welfare net. lsquo;Nevertheless failures of agencies to co-ordinate their efforts continued to be seen as a significant contributing factor in the death of children through abuse. Maynard (2004; 182) When yet another tragedy occurred in 2007 the death of lsquo;Baby Peter or lsquo;Ba by P, who suffered abuse from his mothers boyfriend a very similar case review to Victoria Climbe. lsquo;Canning et al (2010; 70) states lsquo;both childrens names will be a constant reminder to professionals of the shortfalls and failings that can occur in relation to the protection of the welfare of children. Therefore working collaboratively continues to be a child protection theme, both in terms of government guidance and in primary legislation. Maynard (2004; 182) As we have seen the consequences which can occur when mistakes are made in multi-agency collaboration, are often disastrous. Therefore preventative methods needed to be put into place, as part of the lsquo;governments strategy for more integrated childrens services in 2003 the development of the lsquo;Common Assessment Framework (CAF) and lead professional (LP) was established. Brandon et al (2006; 397) The CAF aims to lsquo;deliver frontline services that are integrated and are focused around the needs of children and young people. (ECM 2009) The Framework lsquo;helps practitioners from a variety of agencies (health, education, social services, youth offending ect) to access childrens services earlier and more effectively, develop a common understanding of those needs and agree a process for working together to meet them. Hall et al (2009; 81) Through developing the use of CAF different agencies can use the same assessment for families and children without overlapping or having multiple assessments for the child. An important role in CAF is the Lead Professional which is an lsquo;important part of the strategy, the Lead Professional is a single point of contact for children, young people and their families. Hall et al. (2009; 82) The Common Assessment Framework aims to: lsquo;Reduce the number of assessments for children with additional needs to reduce stress on the chid and family Ensure that services delivered by multi-agencies to the same child/ family are appropriately coordinate to reduce overlap and gaps in service provision To ensure professionals are aware other agencies are involved to share information about any concerns about a child. (Baldock 2009; 84) However there are also limitations to using the lsquo;Common Assessment Framework, as it is a new form of assessment it will mean more of a workload for professionals and Lead professionals therefore it may hinder collaboration and children may slip through the net as professionals may be too busy filling in paper work, to visit the family and child. (Fitzgerald 2007; 63) Other limitations include agencies not working together, as Brandon (2006; 405) states lsquo;some areas identified problems in getting particular agencies and sectors to sign up for these multi-agency processes. Another restriction is implementing it into the workforce, and getting all agencies involved in using CAF as soon as possible. Every Child Matters (2009; Online) states lsquo;AllLocal Authorityareaswere expected to implement the CAF, along with the lead professional role and information sharing, between April 2006 and March 2008. However when in placement setting in 2009 with a local Health Visitor they were still in the process of putting CAF into practice, (see Appendix) therefore we cannot yet prove that it is going to be successful, to help agencies work jointly together. However as a result of the CAF not being implemented throughout agencies there were gaps, and children still slipped through the net as a result, Gasper (2010; 126) states, lsquo;All agencies responded in unison following Lord Lamings report into the death of Victoria Climbe and there was a surge in the momentum to work more closely together across agencies and professions. The common assessment framework has been the outcome, but even that has not prevented continuing tragedies such as the case of lsquo;Baby P in 2007. To help meet the governments strategy of multi-agency collaboration, alongside the Every Child Matter agenda, the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge was introduced. (HM Government 2006) As part of the skills there are six areas of expertise that all practitioners includi ng volunteers across disciplinary background will be expected to put in to practice when working with children and families: lsquo;Effective communication and engagement Child and young person development Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of the child Supporting transitions Multi-agency working Sharing information Fitzgerald (2007; 125) lsquo;Inter-agency and multi-agency work is an essential feature of all training in safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Working together to safeguard children (DfES 2006; 94) As part of the Multi-agency strategy Local Safeguarding Childrens Boards (LSCBs) have been established to replace Area Child Protection Committees. lsquo;LSCBs were established through the children Act 2004 there main remit is to develop policies and procedures for lsquo;Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children in the area of the authority. Fitzgerald (2007; 62) LSCBs lsquo;put in place legislative arrangements for implementing the proposals in the 2003 Green Paper lsquo;Every Child Matters placing working together on a statutory footing for both the statutory and voluntary agencies and the community. Robotham et al. (2005; 177) Through producing strategies like CAF and LSCBs the government are working towards closer integration between services, where al l agencies understand and work from the same documents then this should help agencies as they both share the same understanding. Agencies working collaboratively together from private, independent voluntary sectors shall now be discussed, in relation to multi-agency working. When out on placement an issue that occurred in one particular family was domestic violence, (see appendix) the HV collaborated with multiple agencies from different sectors to help keep the welfare of the mother and child safe. The Health Visitor helped the mother to get in contact with a voluntary agency WAVES (womens centre against domestic violent events), the mother was able to contact them through using the Childrens Centre which is a statutory sector and was also given advice about counselling which is private sector. This involved the use of multi-agency working which for this particular case was a successful collaboration between agencies involved. Through the HV being in contact with the children s centre, the voluntary and private run group, it assured that the needs of the children and family in this case were being met. Working Together to Safeguard Children (DfES 2006;94) document states; lsquo;Training and development for inter-agency and multi-agency wok should be targeted at the following practitioner groups from voluntary, statutory and independent agencies, for those who are in regular contact with children and young people. Multi agency working should include services provided by use of Private, independent and voluntary sectors (Maynard 2004; 189) for overall collaboration between different agencies, and the strategies in place to work together. The effectiveness of agencies working collaboratively together will now be discussed. There are many benefits for multi-agency collaborative working in social care, health care, and education settings. However lsquo;There appears to be limited positive evidence on outcomes from integrated working with much of the curren t work focusing on the process of integrated working and perception from professionals about the impact of such services. Brown et al (2006; 16) One positive aspect is it lsquo;leads to enhanced and improved outcomes for children and young people, through a range of joined-up services advice and support being readily available and easily accessible. Cheminais (2009; 26) When observing the collaboration of agencies within the placement setting, it was clear that there was good partnerships between the agencies, this especially was shown between the health visitor and the local Childrens centre (see appendix) as part of the drive for greater collaboration Sure Start Centres were also brought in to enhance multi-agency working by providing many professionals in the same centre, therefore all families have access. Another positive outcome to agencies collaboratively working together is improved cost efficiency, when all services work together they have to use less individual resources. (Johnson et al 2003) Another positive outcome to multi agency working is when services work together they share information therefore this makes it less stressful for families, but also helps agencies to not overlap, as Fitzgerald et al (2008; 28) States; lsquo;The main strands of childrens services -education, health and social services have in the past developed separately within differently established services. This separate development ultimately led to a fragmented pattern of services for children, with gaps and overlap in service provision and a work force divided by different professional cultures, different remits and goals and ultimately different views of children and childhood. Therefore when agencies to work together collaboratively great successes came become of this for both children and families, however there are also many barriers to different agencies working together. Although there is much legislation, policies and documents on how to have successful collabor ative agencies working together, there are also many barriers that can occur when these different agencies come together. One of many problems which has been highlighted in case reviews of working together is lack of communication and information sharing between agencies and professionals. Gasper (2010; 126) describes what can happen if agencies fail to communicate effectively; lsquo;More than one tragedy has been shown to be the direct result of failures of professionals to communicate and to take responsibility for seeing through concerns raised by one or more person or agency. As this has been the main issue in the Laming reports, the government produced an lsquo;Information sharing Index or lsquo;Contact point to help overcome this barrier for professionals. lsquo;The purpose of contact point is for professionals involved with a child and family to be aware of other agencies and professionals who are also working with them. Buldock (2009; 88) When in the placement setting the HV (see appendix) was in contact with many other agencies, about particular children and families. Even though contact point was only just being set up in the setting, through using contact point the HV is able to establish if the child has a CAF, agencies involved with the families, and contact details of the agencies this makes the process of information sharing much more simple and accessible to practitioners. This is aimed at aiding rapid and effective inter-professional co-operation and ensuring better information sharing than previously. Buldock (2009; 88) Another barrier in the challenges of multi-agency working is funding, lsquo;concerns in relation to sustainability, for example conflicts over funding within and between agencies; a general lack of funding for multi-agency training and development work and to cover accommodation and on-costs for services delivery. Cheminais (2009; 27) Sloper (2004; 578) discusses how funding can be a barrier to collaboration between agencie s, through having different and short-term budgets. lsquo;Financial uncertainties, short term funding and lack of joint and equitable budget between partners are barriers, it is often suggested that coordinated working will produce cost savings by cutting down duplication of assessment and provision and providing a more appropriate and timely service to meet needs. lsquo;Many studies stress that time is the essence in setting up projects and developing relationships and it is difficult to maximize collaborative advantage when funding is short term. Gannon-Leary (2006; 669) However, Hudson (2002) argues that when agencies work together through sharing funding it can help to have a positive effect on collaboration between agencies. lsquo;Formal sharing of financial resources appears to have a number of benefits, promoting collaboration and cutting down on duplication Hudson et al (2002) in Sloper (2004; 578) Another important barrier, which often occurs in agencies working together , is the cultural issues, roles, and responsibilities. lsquo;The management of different professional and multi-agency service cultures, for example, staff recruitment and retention, disparities in status, pay, conditions of service working hours and working conditions. Cheminais (2009; 27) This can all make it very difficult for professionals from different agencies to work together, although when out on placement this did not occur other professional may feel they are more important in status and power than other professionals from different agencies. Foley (2008; 109) states lsquo;On the one hand, they want to be seen as being professional in terms of their specialised knowledge about children and their skills, on the other hand, its obvious that elitism and professional language can act as a powerful barrier. When working together the language barrier and the use of jargon between different agencies can often cause conflict. Fitzgerald (2007; 55) states lsquo;terminology attitud es to information sharing and professional principle can cause tension between agencies and poor integration of service delivery. Sloper (2004; 578) states how overcoming the barrier to working together can be very difficult between professionals who may not work together, lsquo;Findings on the barriers to multi-agency collaboration indicate the difficulties to be overcome. There is now some evidence that shared learning and inter-agency/ inter-professional training especially as part of continuing professional education, is one way of promoting better multi-agency collaboration. Sloper (2004; 578) However if this barrier is over come then the services provided to children and families should be a positive experience; where agencies are using the same focus and goals to deliver services. lsquo;All childrens services are working towards achieving the five outcomes of Every Child Matters, therefore developing a common vision at operational level and strategic level is of utmost imp ortance. Canning et al. (2010; 70) This showing that in order for successful collaboration between agencies on of the key themes is training and updating knowledge. The government are recognising the importance for further training for the professionals, who will be working with the future children, and have designed the Early Years Professional Status; lsquo;the government wishes to have EYPs in all childrens centres by 2010. CWDC (2006). In Conclusion it has shown that there are many positives to collaborative working between agencies, and we have witnessed in first hand experience (see appendix) with the Riley Family. It has shown that agencies are able to collaborate with each other to provide services to help children and families, however it has also revealed the consequences which can happen if agencies are not prepared to work together to safeguard children, in cases such as lsquo;Baby P. Therefore with current legislation, and policies like Every Child Matters, Workin g Together to Safeguard Children, CAF, Contact Point, and Common Core Skills, agencies are guided into collaboratively working together and overcoming the barriers, to provide successful services to children and families.

The Watergate Scandal An Ethical Breach - 2253 Words

Watergate Scandal and Ethics Watergate Scandal has been considered as one of the darkest chapters in American history. The event not only refers to unethical use of power by the public representatives but also levied great deal of attention on the mechanism of surveillance over the activities of public servants. Watergate scandal provides ethical directions not only to public servants but also provides ethical guidelines to the lawyers and media representatives as well. This incident reveals how ethical lines were crossed time and again by the politicians, legal attorneys and media for their own purposes. Ignoring the righteousness of the outcomes, events like these cause severe damage to the publics trust vested in these authorities which takes a long time to restore. Watergate scandal clearly defines new law graduates and junior lawyers what not to do. The subject is of such fundamental importance that John Dean, who was the White House Counsel in 1973 and was disbarred after pleading guilty of forfeiting confidentiality, has been involved in delivering lectures on Ethical values for lawyers and the course is made mandatory by the Illinois Supreme Court for the lawyers practicing in the same state. Ad per Dean, if these ethical obligations would have been known to the lawyers back then and if we would have complied with it, such event would not have occurred in the first place. The Watergate Scandal drew a great deal of attention towards the regulations applicable toShow MoreRelatedEssay on Ethics and Corruption in Governments Around the World1384 Words   |  6 PagesEthics are the means by which one can decide what actions are permissible and what actions are not. Government ethics constitutes the application of ethical rules and norms to the government. It covers issues of honesty and transparency in government, political corruption, police corruption, bribery, legislative ethics, regulatory ethics, conflict of interest, avoiding the appearance of impropriety, open government, and legal ethics. In India, bureaucracy is arranged in a way that people can moveRead MoreOn April 29, 1974 A Relatively Unknown Freshman Member1790 Words   |  8 Pagesillegal and unethical activity surrounding what is now known as â€Å"Watergate†. That woman was Barbara Jordan. After the Watergate scandal broke wide open, the American people had their faith in politicians shaken to the core and trust was at an all-time low. How, then, could the people trust politicians to right the wrong that had been done? What words could be said that would show the people that something good could come from this scandal? Enter Barbara Jordan. A skilled attorney, Jordan became the firstRead MoreEssay on Investigative Reporting is the Driving Force in Journalism2455 Words   |  10 Pageshe joined the paper, the scandal of the Profumo affair broke so he began to produce a weekly detailed account of what had happened, digging deeper into the background story. Shortly after that, the first truly investigat ive article written by Hall was an account of the life and misdeeds of Rachman, the corrupt slum landlord. In the course of his 20 years on the paper, he was associated with some of its most important investigative stories, including the Philby spy scandal, thalidomide, and the remarkableRead MoreEssay on World Phone Hacking Scandal2506 Words   |  11 PagesThis was when the public became aware of an ongoing investigation into a scandal that had started years before. Every corporation faces ethical decisions on a daily basis, including the news media. While a news outlet may not have to worry about consumer safety or environmental factors as much as a factory or another type of company, unethical practices do occur. The way in which information is obtained is highly regarded ethical practice in the journalism world. Hacking into cellphones and voicemailRead MoreInternational Management67196 Words   |  269 Pagesto face in the coming years. x DOH New and Enhanced Themes and Structure †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Thoroughly revised and updated chapters to reflect the most critical issues for international managers. Greater attention to and focus on a global and ethical perspective on international management. All new opening World of International Management features written by the authors on current international management challenges; these mini-cases were prepared expressly for this edition and are not available

Music Has Lost Its Meaning Free Essays

Back in the day a performance qualified as someone walking on stage and bearing their soul. It was about the music, and it was about the talent. Now an artist qualifies as someone who is so bizarre, so outgoing, so appealing they can sell anything. We will write a custom essay sample on Music Has Lost Its Meaning or any similar topic only for you Order Now Lately the music industry has been lacking in real talent. Many artists are truly talented, that goes without saying. But this talent tends to be hidden because of the glamour and popularity of their appearance. The reason why certain artistes are so widely popular despite their lack of talent is because they appeal to the masses. Lady Gaga is someone who has entered the world of pop culture and has taken it by storm. Behind all the crazy makeup and fashion choices, Gaga has raw talent. She can actually sing, and her songs are Gaga original. But people don’t see Gaga for her vocals; they see the overexposure. Justin Bieber has found a way to go from a small town boy to one of America’s heartthrobs. Bieber is so widely known and is selling out show after show because he appeals to the younger generation. It doesn’t matter whether he can sing or not. If the masses find him attractive, he will find a way to stay famous. It’s a popularity contest, and he is one of the winners. Now an artist is all about the hype. The music is lost behind all the glitz and glam. No one notices what an artist is trying to say when they’re distracted by fire and lights and the bizarre. It is entertaining, no doubt about that. It’s fun to see people suspended in midair doing flips, and it’s fun see people jump through flaming hoops. But where’s the music? Where are the lyrics? Where’s the heart? The definition of a musical artist has evolved and changed. Now it is not about the music, just the appearance. It is not about the talent, just the entertainment value. The music industry has lost most of its credibility and needs to find a way back to when it was about the feeling and the words, to when lyrics meant something and were not just random ideas strung together nonsensically. That was when music was the greatest it has ever been. First, you should orient yourself with a marketing term known as â€Å"positioning†. That will help to understand how products styles get pigeonholed or stuck into a way of being perceived by the general public. Fundamentally, rap is very lyric dense poetry in tight syncopation with a rhythm. Like spoken word that rhymes, with a percussion track. So, lyrics can be about ANY subject. However, due to rap’s typical lyric subject matter, based on the culture of those who started it, rap has position in society. Because of this position, it’s difficult to create lyrical themes for rap that deal with other cultures or genres. Commercialism does manage to do this, however, this is the point where we wonder if an artform has lost its meaning. In other words, when McDonalds, Ford, Mountain Dew and Coors Light commercials include hot guitar solos or hot hip hop grooves with lyrics merely selling a product, it’s hard to maintain a special place in your soul for the genre. It’s also hard for the artists themselves to feel good about their style, when they could be sounding just like another burger commercial. This is why things cycle out and new things have to come in. The advertising agencies never start artforms. They pick up what the people have their attention on and try to piggyback their junk food, clothing lines, cars, soft drinks– whatever onto anything that will give their stuff the same attention. Then they will sell more. Any â€Å"popular† form of communication art, is subject to exploitation. Then, you have to move onward, if you are depending upon communication arts to help you get meaning from life. So, obviously this isn’t simply about rap. Every genre is in the same boat. Artists have to out-create and stay ahead of the commercialism in order to stay sane and maintain meaning. The good news is that artists do keep creating. You just have to keep up with who the real ones are. Check out the real music magazines (not the lifestyle ; fashion ones). Find out who the artists are listening to and who they like. Skip the critics, because they often represent the commercial side. Serious rap artists have to stay ahead in order to survive and keep the meaning in rap. If they sell out, rap just becomes a product that people grow bored with. First, you should orient yourself with a marketing term known as â€Å"positioning†. That will help to understand how products ; styles get pigeonholed or stuck into a way of being perceived by the general public. Fundamentally, rap is very lyric dense poetry in tight syncopation with a rhythm. Like spoken word that rhymes, with a percussion track. So, lyrics can be about ANY subject. However, due to rap’s typical lyric subject matter, based on the culture of those who started it, rap has position in society. Because of this position, it’s difficult to create lyrical themes for rap that deal with other cultures or genres. Commercialism does manage to do this, however, this is the point where we wonder if an artform has lost its meaning. In other words, when McDonalds, Ford, Mountain Dew and Coors Light commercials include hot guitar solos or hot hip hop grooves with lyrics merely selling a product, it’s hard to maintain a special place in your soul for the genre. It’s also hard for the artists themselves to feel good about their style, when they could be sounding just like another burger commercial. This is why things cycle out and new things have to come in. The advertising agencies never start artforms. They pick up what the people have their attention on and try to piggyback their junk food, clothing lines, cars, soft drinks– whatever onto anything that will give their stuff the same attention. Then they will sell more. Any â€Å"popular† form of communication art, is subject to exploitation. Then, you have to move onward, if you are depending upon communication arts to help you get meaning from life. So, obviously this isn’t simply about rap. Every genre is in the same boat. Artists have to out-create and stay ahead of the commercialism in order to stay sane and maintain meaning. The good news is that artists do keep creating. You just have to keep up with who the real ones are. Check out the real music magazines (not the lifestyle ; fashion ones). Find out who the artists are listening to and who they like. Skip the critics, because they often represent the commercial side. Serious rap artists have to stay ahead in order to survive and keep the meaning in rap. If they sell out, rap just becomes a product that people grow bored with. How to cite Music Has Lost Its Meaning, Papers

Document Design and Production for KMP Pty-myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theDocument Design and Production for KMP Pty. Answer: Company Background In an organization useful information are maintained in the database of the company and is maintained and updated timely. The process involves inputting the financial data, account of customers and personal information and medical records or purchase orders into the computer system of the company. In many cases, the information entry involves administrative duties like typing memos, forwarding circulars and delivering mails. KMP Pty is a textile manufacturer that employs 500 employees. Documents of each of the departments are processed separately. Information Entry As soon as any information enters the organization it is being processed. Previously the data entry and management was done manually. The company now uses computer system for maintaining important data. That information that is not to be circulated to the employees are generally stored in the data base of the company with the help database management system software. Important documents of the organization include memos, business letters, reports, budgets, employee handouts, notices, circulars and others. Storage The crucial information of the organization is stored in the computer systems. Database management system is the software that company uses for storage of the data. Important dat if not protected properly might be lost (Turner et al., 2016). Data therefore needs to be stored. Previously KMP Pty used to store important data in the files and folders. Output Some of the information will be stored while some will be drafted in form of documents for distribution among the employees. Soft copies of the information will be mailed to the employees while hard copies, the print outs of the document would be distributed to the employees. The company allocates 5 percent of its total budget for document design and production (Leijten et al., 2015). Quality of document design and production The business letters, notices, forms, reports and budgets would be made using templates. Formal language would be used for drafting the contents of the documents. Companys future capability In future, the company is planning to expand its business in two other cities as well. Expansion of the company might require more documentation. The amount of information will also increase. I future the company will have a separate department that will take care of document design and production. As the number of employees would increase, the requirement for circulating necessary documents will also increase. Information technology will also be advanced in future. New technologies might be used for data storage and processing. KMP will also require changing the technology it uses for data storage. Currently the company distributes documents like, memos and circulars with emails. Hard copies of notices and employee handouts are distributed among the employees. The company is planning to improve the quality of the documents by setting a standard for documentation. Previously no such standards where used and hence there were many errors in the document. The errors even caused confusio n for the customers (Campbell, 2013). Currently, KMP Pty uses a variety of documents that are in PDFs, PPT, Spreadsheets and Word document. It depends on the content of the document for using any of the formats. Usually pdf is used for employee handouts, the printouts of the employee handouts are distributed to the employees. Word document is used for business letters, circulars and notices. Excel documents are used for maintaining records, like sales records, customers records and employee records (Brumberger Lauer, 2015). Documentation standards For all the important documents, a standard would be used. Templates would be used in order to avoid errors in documentation. For employee handouts the paper used would be A4 size and the font size used is ideally 12 Times new Roman. Tasks for documentation would be: Two employees would be hired for document design and production. The tasks included in the process of document design and production would be Designing the documents as per the standard template Reviewing the designed the documents Correcting the errors if found Drafting the document Forwarding the document for approval of the Director/CEO Publishing the documents Finally taking out the hard copies of the documents if necessary for distributing to the audience (Blythe, Lauer Curran, 2014) For document production updated software would be used like, desktop publishing, various application software like spreadsheets, Microsoft word and Microsoft PowerPoint for making audio visual presentations. Right tools would be used for drafting the documents. Designed documents should be able to communicate the information for which it has been drafted. References Blythe, S., Lauer, C., Curran, P. G. (2014). Professional and technical communication in a web 2.0 world.Technical Communication Quarterly,23(4), 265-287. Brumberger, E., Lauer, C. (2015). The evolution of technical communication: An analysis of industry job postings.Technical Communication,62(4), 224-243. Campbell, K. S. (2013).Coherence, continuity, and cohesion: Theoretical foundations for document design. Routledge. Leijten, M., Van Waes, L., Schriver, K., Hayes, J. R. (2014). Writing in the workplace: Constructing documents using multiple digital sources.Journal of Writing Research,5(3), 285-337. Turner, J., Schomberg, J., Cole, K., Bergman, B. J., Kurtz, D., Peters, V., Bothmann, R. L. (2016). Inclusivity, gestalt principles, and plain language in document design.The Library with the Lead Pipe.