The CFO & the Performance and Budget Review Assignment

The CFO & the Performance and Budget Review - Assignment Example If budget is over or underutilized then VP Marketing can give its justification and on the basis of whichperformance of entire marketing department can be evaluated. CFO has no role either in budget utilization of Marketing Department or achieving performance objectives of marketing except in analyzing ROI, Revenue & Profits. CFO approves finances against proposals or case presented by Marketing Department. So CFO also has good idea about the marketing campaigns launched by the company. CFO can only be involved in order to analyze actual financial impact of marketing budget and its performance (Miller, 200). Main objective of Marketing budget is to increase salesby attracting new customers and retaining existing ones through marketing activities. Increase in customer base will eventually lead to increase in revenue. President will call the CFO if marketing expenses and performance is not justifiable as per financial outlook. Marketing expenditure is considered as an investment for the Company. These expenditures have both short term goals (get new leads, retention of existing customers) and long term impacts such as relationship building, brand awareness etc. CFO role in this scenario would be to analyze facts such as why budgets are over or underutilized, what is actual ROI as per existing and new customers on the basis of yearly marketing expenditure, whether campaigns launched by the Marketing Department during the year generated any revenue or not, financial impact of the proposals presented by the Marketing Department VS their actual output, variance analysis of Marketing budget, and other financial factors which lead to the particular result. CFO in the meeting can also suggestto decrease or increase the Marketing budget after reviewing the performance, which marketing ventures feasibility will be effective and how company can improve the revenue

Professional development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Professional development - Essay Example The project, which will probably involve an element of problem solving, can relate to any aspect of the organisation so long as it is considered to be of use to the company. It is important that on completion of the project you obtain from your employer a written statement (on official company stationery) which gives his/her opinion of your performance in carrying out the investigation and presenting your conclusions and recommendations. The statement should comment on the overall benefit to the company of the investigation and any recommendations that you make. List in the order of Books, Journals and Website the sources you used in the Harvard Style. Remember the information here must relate to the in text referencing that has been included in the Harvard style throughout the main report, According to Learnthenet.com (2008) Â  netiquette, a term coined from either network etiquette or Internet etiquette comes in handy. To guide you through your online communications, here are a few pointers: When you talk with someone, the tone of your voice conveys great meaning. To add personality and humour to your messages, use smileys, also known as emoticons, expressions you create from the characters on your keyboard. A few popular ones include: Keep your written communications to the point. Few people like reading text on a computer screen. Many people now receive e-mail on cell phones and other portable devices. The tiny screens make reading lengthy messages particularly challenging. This is true whether you send e-mail or post messages online. To keep messages short, use some common abbreviations: A favourite is , which stands for Rolling on the Floor Laughing. A shortened version is --Laughing Out Loud. And if you get called away whilst in the chat room or on Windows Live Messenger try --Be Right Back. Remember that anything you post to a blog, newsgroup, forum or website

Distortion effect for electric guitar

Distortion effect for electric guitar Distortion Effect For Electric Guitar Using FPGA Introduction Project Goals And Objectives The goal of the project is to implement distortion effects for electric guitar on an FPGA board. The algorithm that is going to be used is The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The analog audio signal from the electric guitar is captured by the analog to digital converter (ADC) module of the board. The FPGA is going to send the digital audio signal to a speaker to be played. The algorithm is going to be implemented on FPGA instead of using ASIC design approach. The pros and cons of FPGA design and ASIC design are discussed on the Xilinx website. The design advantage comparison of FPGA and ASICand the design flow comparison of FPGA and ASIC (Xilinx Corporation, 2009). ASIC design has more steps to complete as can be seen . Also, it is suitable for very high volume designs. For a single unit, using FPGA is a better solution. FPGA has no upfront non recurring expenses. It is faster to implement. Manufacturing of ASIC design chips take long time. However, a design can be downloaded to the FPGA and programmed very fast. Considering all these, using FPGA design is more suitable for this project. Project Deliverables The deliverables include the Verilog HDL code of the design. It is going to be synthesizable and can be used with suitable FPGA boards. The final project report is going to be delivered. It is going to include the details of the hardware algorithm, the design process and the results obtained from the functional verification and the hardware validation of the system. A demonstration of the project is doing to be done with the developed prototype of the system. The electric guitar is going to be the input of the system. The output from the board is going to be played through speakers. Technology Trends Before the invention of FPGAs, CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Device) were the most complex programmable logic devices. And before CPLDs, PALs (Programmable Array Logic) were used frequently. PALs were introduced in March 1978 by Monolithic Memories, Inc. They are only one time programmable. PALs are consisted of PROMs (programmable read-only memory). They were mostly used in minicomputers. These devices have fixed OR and programmable AND arrays. This enables the implementation of sum of products logic. A simplified programmable logic device. Typically, PAL devices have a few hundred gates. CPLD devices have higher complexities compared to PAL devices. They have similar features to both PAL devices and FPGAs. Like PALs, they dont have external ROMs, which enable the CPLDs to start functioning just after startup. They have much higher number of gates compared to PAL devices. They have around thousands to tens of thousands of gates. However, this is low compared to FPGAs, since the number of gates inside the FPGAs can go up to a few millions. FPGAs have the most number of gates and flip-flops compared to the others. They are more flexible but their design is more complex. The first distortion effect for electric guitar wasnt produced on purpose. It was mostly caused because of damaged guitar amplifiers. One example was a recording by Johnny Brunette Trio, which caused a fuzz tone effect. (The Train Kept Rollin, 2009). Electronic based distortion and overdrive effects came to scene in 1960s and 1970s. The effects were achieved by diodes, transistors and amplifiers and most of these pedals were analog. With the improvement in the digital signal processing techniques, digital processors became an important part of the technology in the last decade. Market Research The digital products in the market nowadays feature more adjustable effects than just a distortion effect. Typically, they have parallel effect modules that can run simultaneously. They also have advanced software. They have preset tones and effect libraries, tuners and even more features. Also, most of them have USB interfaces with a PC or MAC for compatible recording software. So, the projects features arent going to be able to match the products features in the market. Boss, Line 6, Zoom, Korg, Digitech are among the major companies which produce digital guitar effects processors. The bestselling multieffect electric guitar processors on Amazon.com. It can be observed that Zoom and Digitech have the most market. Requirements Functional Requirements The electric guitar will be connected to the FPGA boards analog to digital converter input. The analog to digital converter is going to convert the incoming analog signal to an 8-bit digital signal. The sampling frequency is going to be 44100 Hz, which is the standard for most of the digital audio files. The reason for choosing this sampling frequency is the human ears ability. The human ear cannot perceive frequencies above 20 KHz. According to the Nyquist Sampling Theorem, a signal can be exactly reconstructed from its samples if the sampling frequency is greater than twice the highest frequency of the signal. If the highest frequency that the human ear can perceive is considered to be 20 KHz, anything above 40 KHz is going to be enough for sampling frequency (Schulzrinne, 2008). The signal is going to be processed inside the FPGA using The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The processing should be fast enough so that the human ear cannot understand the delay between the time when the player hits a note on the guitar and the time that the output is played by the speakers. After the processing, the 8-bit signal is going to be converted to analog. Finally, this analog signal is going to be sent to the speakers and played. The hardware functionality that the system is going to provide. Nonfunctional Requirements The most of important constraint on the system will be the time constraint. The delay between the input and output audio signals must be minimized. This requires the design to be fast. For this purpose, the resources available on the FPGA should be used efficiently. The most of important constraints on the timing of the design is going to occur due to the algorithm. Floating-point arithmetic might be needed to use according to the algorithm. This might cause the calculations to take longer. Also, another constraint on the system is the speed of the FPGA. The speed of the FPGA is not going to cause a problem for sampling the incoming analog audio signal. However, the speed of the FPGA is going to put a constraint on the speed of the algorithm. A pipelined algorithm might be used in order to satisfy the requirements for the speed and the timing of the system. There are going to be feedback loops, filters and saturator blocks in the system. So, a pipelined algorithm is going to increase the utilization of these blocks and this is going to result in the increase in the throughput. If there is a pipelined algorithm, more resources are going to be needed to implement the pipelined system. The limited amount of the resources such as memory blocks and arithmetic units might put a constraint on the design. Also, another constraint is going to be the data width of the ADC and DAC. Due to the limited number of bits on ADC and DAC, the quality of the digital audio signal is going to be limited. Product Requirements Analysis The product requirement analysis is done using Quality Function Deployment (QFD) technique. The most important criteria for customer satisfaction are low delay time and distortion effect level. Also, good sound quality is very important too. Implementation of additional effects is the least important feature of the product. Low power consumption, low cost, effect adjustability, good bass and treble sounds, good feedback are also expected to have good standards by the customer. In order to meet the customer expectations, most important step is choosing the distortion effect algorithm correctly. The use of external resources should be kept to minimum level in order to meet the speed requirements of the system. Any use of external memory is going to cause additional memory access time and cause the system to function slower. This is going to result in an unwanted delay time. Bit resolution is also important. It is going to affect the sound quality. The higher number of bits is going to increase the quality. It might also help us get rid of using floating point arithmetic for implementing the saturation algorithm. However, the higher number of bits might cause a problem with the pipeline implementation. Project Requirements FPGA has to capture the analog sound and this signal is going to come from the output of an electric guitar. The FPGA board that is going to be used is chosen to be Spartan-3A Starter Kit board because of its built in analog to digital converter and digital to analog converter modules. The board also has a stereo mini jack for audio. These features make this board very suitable for audio processing and thus, very suitable for this project. Also, the FPGA chip has 700 K gates (Xilinx Corporation, 2009). In order to play the output, stereo speakers are going to be connected to the board pin to which the output signal is connected. The design is going to be done in register transfer level (RTL). The RTL design of the system is going to be described using Verilog HDL. In order to do this, Xilinxs design tool Xilinx ISE Webpack 11.3, which is free a program, is going to be used. Before prototyping the system, functional verification has to be completed successfully. For this purpose, Modelsim, which is develop by Mentor Graphics, is going to be used. Before starting the hardware design of the system, the algorithm is going to be simulated and verified using functional blocks in MATLAB Simulink. The hardware requirements for the system are and the software requirements for the system. Design Architecture As discussed earlier, the algorithm that is going to be used is The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The algorithm extensively uses filters. The algorithm is modeled and simulated under MATLAB Simulink. The model consists of functional blocks. The filters are defined by their discrete transfer functions. There is also a feedback loop. The sound is amplified by a gain block and passes through a saturation block. The saturation block basically causes the signal to saturate if its amplitude goes over or below specific thresholds. So, the higher the signal is amplified by the gain block, the more the signal is going to get distorted; since it is going to be saturated from lower amplitude compared to its new peak value. The model of The Karplus Strong Algorithm. Since there are consequent filter blocks, the signal is going to be delayed. To overcome the problem, the level of parallelism should be increased. Since there are 20 block RAMs in the FPGA, these can be used for increasing the pipeline depth and the level of parallelism. When an 8-bit sample passes though the first filter, it is going to go to the second one. Instead of waiting and doing the second operation using the same hardware, we should maximize the use of the resources and send the data that passed through the first filter to another resource. During that time, the other sample can pass through the first filter. Usage of block RAMs might be very beneficial here, in order to increase the throughput and the speed of the system. Since the data that is going to be processed isnt going to be large, only the internal block RAMs might be enough. Also, use of an external RAM is going to put more delay on the line because of the longer memory access time. This is highly undesirable since the most important criterion for the system is its speed. Structure The system consists of four main parts. First part is where the user interacts with the system. The user is going to generate an output from the guitar and that output is going to be captured by the FPGA board. FPGA is going to the process the output and pass it to the third part of the system, speakers. The stereo output is going to be played by the speakers. Also, a PC is needed to send the .bit file to program the FPGA. The FPGA board. It has an audio output port on the right top. If needed, DDR2 SDRAM can be used as external memory. The analog digital circuitry is used for capturing the analog signal to the board. The circuitry has 2-channel 14-bit analog to digital converter and 4-channel 12-bit digital to analog converter. The switches can be used for turning the distortion on and off. Also, they can be used for the same purpose if additional sound effects are added to the system. Rotary knob can be used for adjusting the level of the distortion or the gain or the volume. The quantity that is going to be adjusted can be determined by the switches since there is only one rotary knob. Interface There are three interfaces in the system. The first interface is for programming the FPGA. The connection between the FPGA and the computer is going to be achieved with USB 2.0. Xilinx iMPACT tool is going to be used to program the FPGA. The second interface is for capturing the analog audio signal from the electric guitar to the FPGA board. The on board analog to digital converter is going to be used for that purpose. Analog to digital converter unit on the board. The third interface is going to be between the FPGA and the speaker. The digital signal is going to be converted to analog signal using Xilinxs digital to analog converter module and it is going to be sent to the audio jack port of the board. The stereo audio jack module. Implementation Implementation Scope As discussed in Section 3.2, the system consists of four main parts. The module for sending the .bit file from the PC to the FPGA is already given with Xilix iMPACT tool, so no implementation is required for this. The second module is the audio input to the board. This is the input module. The input module is going to be implemented with the help of on board analog to digital converter. As discussed earlier, the sampling rate and the bit resolution are the most important parts of the input module. The sampling rate is going to be 44100 Hz and the resolution is planned to be 8 bits. The captured analog signal is going to be converted to digital signal and sent to FPGA module for processing. FPGA module is going to be responsible for processing the digital signal. For faster and efficient processing, pipelined implementation is going to be done. This is going to be done using RTL description of the hardware with Verilog HDL. The output module is going to convert the processed digital signal to analog and send it to the boards audio jack port for playing the processed signal using speakers. Xilinxs DAC module is going to be used for the implementation of this module. Implementation Coverage The algorithm that is going to be used for implementation is The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm (Jaffe Smith, 1983). The block diagram of The Extended Karplus Strong Algorithm. The output is going to be sent to gain and saturation blocks. There are filter blocks and delay blocks in the system. These functions are going to be implemented inside the FPGA. The first functional block is a pick-direction low pass filter (Smith III, Pick-Direction Lowpass Filter, 2009). The second functional block before the feedback loop is a pick-position comb filter (Smith III, Pick-Position Comb Filter, 2009). In the feedback loop, there is a delay block on the top. The other blocks are again filters. After the delay block, the signal goes through a two-zero string damping filter (Smith III, Two-Zero String Damping Filter, 2009). Before the addition operation in the feedback loop, another pick-direction low pass filter is going to be used. After the loop, there is going to be dynamic level low pass filter (Smith III, Dynamic Level Lowpass Filter, 2009). After these filters and delays, there is going to be a gain block which is used for increasing the level of distortion. Distortion effect is going to be generated by a saturation block. The saturation can use either hard clipping or soft clipping. Soft clipping has higher complexity. It is a third order polynomial. It results in a smoother sound. However, for more distorted and fuzzy sound, hard clipping is preferred. Since it has a heavier sound and is easier to implement, hard clipping is going to be used. The input-output relations of hard clipping and soft clipping Develop Or Adopt Decision The most important part for the project is the FPGA board. It is going to be adopted. If I wanted to design the circuit with a PCB design tool in which I am not experienced, I would have paid a lot of money to get it manufactured. And the design has to be perfect before getting the chip produced. The decision of choosing whether to use FPGA design or ASIC design was discussed earlier in Section. So, buying and using an FPGA board is the best option here. Spartan 3A Starter Kit is going to be used for the project. For the output interface of the design, Xilinx has a module described in Verilog and is available for free. For DAC and output purposes, that module is going to be used. If there is an available module for the input port of the system for free from Xilinx, it is going to be adopted. Otherwise, the ADC module is going to be developed according to the ADC hardware available on the FPGA board. The design on the FPGA is going to be based on an algorithm but it is going to be designed by me. Also, an electric guitar and speakers with amplifiers are needed for the project. They were already available before the start of the project. For software, Xilinx ISE, Xilinx iMPACT, Modelsim XE and MATLAB are going to be used. MATLAB is already available and the others have free versions for students. Implementation Process Three modules are going to be implemented. Each module can be implemented independently from each other. Finally, all the modules are going to be connected under a top module. DSP module is the main part of the design where the algorithm is going to be implemented. The functional verification of the design is going to be independent from the other modules. Implementation Resources The resources for implementation can be grouped into two. First, we need hardware resources. The second group is the software resources. The most important resource for hardware is the FPGA development board. Spartan 3A Starter Kit is going to be used. This specific board is chosen due to some reasons. This board is suitable for DSP applications. It has ADC and DAC modules. It also has a stereo audio jack for outputting the processed signal. So, this board is going to be used for implementation. FPGA is going to be programmed from a PC. The hardware of the system is going to be described using Xilinx ISE tool, which requires a PC. So, we also need a PC for implementation. The connection of the board with the PC required a USB cable, which is provided with the board. We also need an electric guitar and speakers. The required hardware resources for implementation. Besides the hardware resources, some software resources are going to be needed too. First, before starting writing the code for the hardware, the algorithm is going to be tested and the functional blocks are going to be made clear using MATLAB Simulink software. For synthesis and implementation, Xilinx ISE is going to be used. It is going to synthesize and implement the hardware described by Verilog HDL. It also includes Xilinx iMPACT tool which is used for sending the .bit file to the FPGA for programming. For functional verification, Xilinx Edition of Modelsim, developed by Mentor Graphics is going to be used. Implementation Activities The project group consists of only one person. So design, verification, implementation and testing are going to be done by me. During the project, additional training and study is going to be required in digital signal processing and filters. Also, digital filter design should also be studied. Another thing that needs improvement is writing testbench to verify the designed system. Testing Testing Scope The testing of the system consists of two parts. There is a functional verification part and a hardware validation part. For functional verification, Modelsim XE software is going to be used with Verilog HDL. The parts that are going to be tested are the input module, the output module, the DSP module. After the integration of the modules in order to form the system, the whole system is going to be tested. Also, the hardware validation of the DSP and output modules can be done without a working input module. A randomly generated signal in FPGA can be processed and sent to output module for playing and this can be tested. Testing Coverage As explained in Section, the modules are going to be tested individually at first. The input module is going to get an analog signal from an external source. This might be coming from the electric guitar or directly from a PC. If the input signal is coming from PC, the signal can be adjusted to be simple and therefore testing can be simpler. After the conversion, the signal is going to be observed. Also, if the output module is working, the input signal can be directly transferred to the output module without any signal processing done on it. A randomly generated signal inside the FPGA is going to be enough to test the output module. DSP module is going to be tested by functional verification. The filters, the gain and the saturation blocks are going to be tested. After these, the whole DSP module is going to be tested. An example of input and output of the system with hard clipping. Pass/Fail Criteria The pass/fail criterion for the input module is going to be its analog to digital conversion performance. If a given analog input can be correctly converted to digital signal, it is going to pass the test. Digital conversion operation with its input and expected output. The module, the expected output is going to be the signal on the bottom (Azima DLI , 2009). In order to pass the test, the module has to give the correct output for each stimulus applied. The output module has to do digital to analog conversion and send the signal to speakers. For that, a signal is going to be generated inside the FPGA. This signals amplitude and frequency is going to be changed. According to the changes, we are going to expect different outputs. The output is going to be listened through the speakers. In order to pass the test, the output module should correctly respond to every amplitude and frequency change. The DSP module is going to be tested with functional verification. A reference model is going to be constructed in behavioral level. Randomly generated stimulus is going to be applied to the design and to the reference model at the same time. In order to pass the test, the results from the DSP module and the reference model have to match 100%. Another important criterion for the DSP module is its timing. The delay between the input and the output has to be below a determined quantity in order to pass the test. Testing Approach In order to test the DSP module, a self checking testbench is going to be written using Verilog HDL. There is going to be a behaviorally modeled reference unit inside the test bench. The test bench is going to generate random stimuli. These stimuli are going to be applied to both a design under test unit (DUT), which is a module from the design, and the reference model. Then, the results are going to be compared in a scoreboard. The verification approach. Also, the timing of the system is going to be considered since it is one of the most important parts of the project. After the functional verification, the timing analysis of the implemented system must be done using Xilinx ISE. Testing Resources First, in order to test the algorithm, MATLAB Simulink is going to be used. In order to test the input module, preferably a PC or an electric guitar is going to be needed as discussed in the second paragraph. To test the output module, speakers or headphones are going to be needed. For functional verification of the DSP module, Modelsim XE is needed. Also, for the timing analysis of the design, Xilinx ISE is going to be used. Test Cases After these inputs are applied, the outputs from the reference model and the DUT are also going to be stored in response file, which is going to be in .txt format. Finally, a log file is going to show where the errors occurred, if there are any errors or it is going to show that no errors occurred in the simulation. Looking at the log file and the response file, we are going to able to see where exactly the errors occurred. Test Activities Since the group has just one member, every part of testing is going to be done by me. More training about writing self checking test benches using Verilog HDL should be done. 6. Schedule If we look at the PERT chart, we can calculate the critical path. The critical path consists of the following activities: A-F-G-H-I-J-K. This path leads to a completion time of 133 days. If the most optimistic and the most pessimistic completion of each activity is estimated, we can calculate the expected completion time and the variance of the project. The expression for the expected completion time is given in Equation and the expression for variance is given in Equation. Using these equations, the completion time and the variance are calculated. The activities in the critical path are highlighted and the calculations are done according to the critical path. PERT calculation gives almost the same result with the CPM result. CPM result was 133 days. PERT calculation gives an estimated project completion time of 133.166 days. Also, the variance turned out to be 26.58. This means the project can be completed 26.58 days earlier or later. The Gantt Chart of the project is given. The estimated start date of the project is December 27, 2009. The project is planned to be completed on May 9, 2010. Bibliography Azima DLI . (2009, February 8). Analog to Digital Conversion. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from Azima DLI Corporation Web Site: http://www.azimadli.com/vibman/analogtodigitalconversion.htm Collicut, M. (2009, March 3). Extending the Karplus-Strong Algorithm to Simulate Guitar Distortion and Feedback Effects. Retrieved November 29, 2009, from McGill University Web Site: http://mt.music.mcgill.ca/~collicuttm/MUMT618/KSA_distortion_and_feedback.html Jaffe, D. A., Smith, J. O. (1983). Extensions of the Karplus-Strong plucked string algorithm. Computer Music Journal , 56-69. Schulzrinne, H. (2008, January 9). Explanation of 44.1 kHz CD sampling rate. Retrieved November 27, 2009, from Columbia University Web Site: http://www.cs.columbia.edu/~hgs/audio/44.1.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Dynamic Level Lowpass Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Dynamic_Level_Lowpass_Filter.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Pick-Direction Lowpass Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Pick_Direction_Lowpass_Filter.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Pick-Position Comb Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Pick_Position_Comb_Filter.html Smith III, J. O. (2009, March 21). Two-Zero String Damping Filter. Retrieved November 28, 2009, from Stanford University Web Site: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/realsimple/faust_strings/Two_Zero_String_Damping_Filter.html Sullivan, C. R. (1990). Extending the Karplus-Strong Algorithm to Synthesize Electric Guitar Timbres with Distortion and Feedback. Computer Music Journal , 26-37. The Train Kept Rollin. (2009, November 21). Retrieved November 21, 2009, from allmusic: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amgsql=33:jjfoxzq0ldte Xilinx Corporation. (2009, April 8). Getting Started with FPGAs FPGA vs. ASIC. Retrieved November 20, 2009, from Xilinx Corporation Web site: http://www.xilinx.com/company/gettingstarted/fpgavsasic.htm Xilinx Corporation. (2009, October 6). Spartan-3A Starter Kit. Retrieved November 27, 2009, from Xilinx Corporation Web site: http://www.xilinx.com/products/devkits/HW-SPAR3A-SK-UNI-G.htm

Lextura Dantis :: The Divine Comedy

Dante varies his presentation greatly throughout Malebolge. Each bolgia has its own particular atmosphere, and the abrupt tonal and structural shifts between them make the move from bolgia to bolgia a medley of styles and techniques. But no shift is so striking as that between the eighth and ninth, in which the reader leaves a bolgia marked by two eloquent, searching dramatic monologues for one characterized by pithy, epigrammatic comments. The heroic exhortation of Ulysses and the sinuous self-revelation of Guido da Montefeltro give way to the truncated, compressed rhetoric of Mohammed, Pier da Medicina, Mosca, and Bertran de Born. The earlier bolgia begs for psychological readings; the latter frustrates them. The structures of these cantos present a similar incongruity. Ulysses and Guido are given ample opportunity for leisurely expansion, and their stories have a smooth development and denouement. Each is the absolute star of his canto, and Dante records both their coming and going with reverent attention. Inferno XXVIII, however, presents a rapid succession of scenes, and the cuts between them are as savage and inexorable as those delivered by the devil to the damned. The canto seems unified only by Dante's desire to present the contrapasso in as many ways as he can. Those who sowed discord in life are hewn in imaginative ways __ Mohammed split from chin to anus, Ali sliced from chin to hairline, Pier da Medicina clipped and nicked in different places, Curio's tongue hacked out, Mosca's arms lopped off, and Bertran de Born neatly decapitated __ a near Baroque variation on a single theme. One horror follows on the heels of another, and each permutation replaces the memory of the ea rlier one. Despite this profusion in the particulars of the punishments, the structure of the twenty-eighth canto is relentlessly schematic. The canto can be easily divided into six compact episodes, four of which are fundamentally identical __ even somewhat repetitive. The canto begins with a familiar epic gesture: the ineffability topos. Dante despairs of ever doing justice to what he must describe (vv. 1-6): Chi poria mai pur con parole sciolte dicer del sangue e de le piaghe a pieno ch'i' ora vidi, per narrar pià ¹ volte? Ogne lingua per certo verria meno per lo nostro sermone e per la mente

The Host Chapter 34: Buried

Jared lunged forward, away from me. With a loud smacking sound, his fist hit Kyle's face. Kyle's eyes rolled back in his head, and his mouth fell slack. The room was very quiet for a few seconds. â€Å"Um,† Doc said in a mild voice, â€Å"medically speaking, I'm not sure that was the most helpful thing for his condition.† â€Å"But I feel better,† Jared answered, sullen. Doc smiled the tiniest smile. â€Å"Well, maybe a few more minutes of unconsciousness won't kill him.† Doc began looking under Kyle's lids again, taking his pulse†¦ â€Å"What happened?† Wes was by my head, speaking in a murmur. â€Å"Kyle tried to kill it,† Jared answered before I could. â€Å"Are we really surprised?† â€Å"Did not,† I muttered. Wes looked at Jared. â€Å"Altruism seems to come more naturally to it than lies,† Jared noted. â€Å"Are you trying to be annoying?† I demanded. My patience was not waning, but entirely gone. How long had it been since I'd slept? The only thing that ached worse than my leg was my head. Every breath hurt my side. I realized, with some surprise, that I was in a truly bad mood. â€Å"Because if you are, then be assured, you have succeeded.† Jared and Wes looked at me with shocked eyes. I was sure that if I could see the others, their expressions would match. Maybe not Jeb's. He was the master of the poker face. â€Å"I am female,† I complained. â€Å"That it' business is really getting on my nerves.† Jared blinked in surprise. Then his face settled back into harder lines. â€Å"Because of the body you wear?† Wes glared at him. â€Å"Because of me,† I hissed. â€Å"By whose definition?† â€Å"How about by yours? In my species, I am the one that bears young. Is that not female enough for you?† That stopped him short. I felt almost smug. As you should, Melanie approved. He's wrong, and he's being a pig about it. Thank you. We girls have to stick together. â€Å"That's a story you've never told us,† Wes murmured, while Jared struggled for a rebuttal. â€Å"How does that work?† Wes's olive-toned face darkened, as if he'd just realized he had spoken the words out loud. â€Å"I mean, I guess you don't have to answer that, if I'm being rude.† I laughed. My mood was swinging around wildly, out of control. Slaphappy, like Mel had said. â€Å"No, you're not asking anything†¦ inappropriate. We don't have such a complicated†¦ elaborate setup as your species.† I laughed again, and then felt warmth in my face. I remembered only too clearly how elaborate it could be. Get your mind out of the gutter. It's your mind, I reminded her. â€Å"Then†¦?† Wes asked. I sighed. â€Å"There are only a few of us who are†¦ Mothers. Not Mothers. That's what they call us, but it's just the potential to be one†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I was sober again, thinking of it. There were no Mothers, no surviving Mothers, only the memories of them. â€Å"You have that potential?† Jared asked stiffly. I knew the others were listening. Even Doc had paused in the act of putting his ear to Kyle's chest. I didn't answer his question. â€Å"We're†¦ a little like your hives of bees, or your ants. Many, many sexless members of the family, and then the queen†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Queen?† Wes repeated, looking at me with a strange expression. â€Å"Not like that. But there is only one Mother for every five, ten thousand of my kind. Sometimes less. There's no hard-and-fast rule.† â€Å"How many drones?† Wes wondered. â€Å"Oh, no-there aren't drones. No, I told you, it's simpler than that.† They waited for me to explain. I swallowed. I shouldn't have brought this up. I didn't want to talk about it anymore. Was it really such a big thing to have Jared call me â€Å"it†? They still waited. I frowned, but then I spoke. I'd started this. â€Å"The Mothers†¦ divide. Every†¦ cell, I guess you could call it, though our structure isn't the same as yours, becomes a new soul. Each new soul has a little of the Mother's memory, a piece of her that remains.† â€Å"How many cells?† Doc asked, curious. â€Å"How many young?† I shrugged. â€Å"A million or so.† The eyes that I could see widened, looked a little wilder. I tried not to feel hurt when Wes cringed away from me. Doc whistled under his breath. He was the only one who was still interested in continuing. Aaron and Andy had wary, disturbed expressions on their faces. They'd never heard me teach before. Never heard me speak so much. â€Å"When does that happen? Is there a catalyst?† Doc asked. â€Å"It's a choice. A voluntary choice,† I told him. â€Å"It's the only way we ever willingly choose to die. A trade, for a new generation.† â€Å"You could choose now, to divide all your cells, just like that?† â€Å"Not quite just like that, but yes.† â€Å"Is it complicated?† â€Å"The decision is. The process is†¦ painful.† â€Å"Painful?† Why should that have surprised him so? Wasn't it the same for his kind? Men. Mel snorted. â€Å"Excruciating,† I told him. â€Å"We all remember how it was for our Mothers.† Doc was stroking his chin, entranced. â€Å"I wonder what the evolutionary track would be†¦ to produce a hive society with suiciding queens†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He was lost on another plane of thought. â€Å"Altruism,† Wes murmured. â€Å"Hmm,† Doc said. â€Å"Yes, that.† I closed my eyes, wishing my mouth had stayed closed. I felt dizzy. Was I just tired or was it my head wound? â€Å"Oh,† Doc muttered. â€Å"You've slept even less than I have, haven't you, Wanda? We should let you get some rest.† â€Å"‘M fine,† I mumbled, but I didn't open my eyes. â€Å"That's just great,† someone said under his breath. â€Å"We've got a bloody queen mother alien living with us. She could blow into a million new buggers at any moment.† â€Å"Shh.† â€Å"They couldn't hurt you,† I told whoever it was, not opening my eyes. â€Å"Without host bodies, they would die quickly.† I winced, imagining the unimaginable grief. A million tiny, helpless souls, tiny silver babies, withering†¦ No one answered me, but I could feel their relief in the air. I was so tired. I didn't care that Kyle was three feet from me. I didn't care that two of the men in the room would side with Kyle if he came around. I didn't care about anything but sleep. Of course, that was when Walter woke up. â€Å"Uuuh,† he groaned, just a whisper. â€Å"Gladdie?† With a groan of my own, I rolled toward him. The pain in my leg made me wince, but I couldn't twist my torso. I reached out to him, found his hand. â€Å"Here,† I whispered. â€Å"Ahh,† Walter sighed in relief. Doc hushed the men who began to protest. â€Å"Wanda's given up sleep and peace to help him through the pain. Her hands are bruised from holding his. What have you done for him?† Walter groaned again. The sound began low and guttural but turned quickly to a high-pitched whimper. Doc winced. â€Å"Aaron, Andy, Wes†¦ would you, ah, go get Sharon for me, please?† â€Å"All of us?† â€Å"Get out,† Jeb translated. The only answer was a shuffling of feet as they left. â€Å"Wanda,† Doc whispered, close beside my ear. â€Å"He's in pain. I can't let him come all the way around.† I tried to breathe evenly. â€Å"It's better if he doesn't know me. It's better if he thinks Gladdie is here.† I pulled my eyes open. Jeb was beside Walter, whose face still looked as if he slept. â€Å"Bye, Walt,† Jeb said. â€Å"See you on the other side.† He stepped back. â€Å"You're a good man. You'll be missed,† Jared murmured. Doc was fumbling in the package of morphine again. The paper crackled. â€Å"Gladdie?† Walt sobbed. â€Å"It hurts.† â€Å"Shhh. It won't hurt much longer. Doc will make it stop.† â€Å"Gladdie?† â€Å"Yes?† â€Å"I love you, Gladdie. I've loved you my whole life long.† â€Å"I know, Walter. I-I love you, too. You know how I love you.† Walter sighed. I closed my eyes when Doc leaned over Walter with the syringe. â€Å"Sleep well, friend,† Doc murmured. Walter's fingers relaxed, loosened. I held on to them-I was the one clinging now. The minutes passed, and all was quiet except my breathing. It was hitching and breaking, tending toward quiet sobs. Someone patted my shoulder. â€Å"He's gone, Wanda,† Doc said, his voice thick. â€Å"He's out of pain.† He pulled my hand free and rolled me carefully out of my awkward position into one that was less agonizing. But only slightly so. Now that I knew Walter wouldn't be disturbed, the sobs were not so quiet. I clutched at my side, where it throbbed. â€Å"Oh, go ahead. You won't be happy otherwise,† Jared muttered in a grudging tone. I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn't do it. Something stung my arm. I didn't remember having hurt my arm. And in such a strange place, just inside my elbow†¦ Morphine, Melanie whispered. We were already drifting now. I tried to be alarmed, but I couldn't be. I was too far gone. No one said goodbye, I thought dully. I couldn't expect Jared†¦ but Jeb†¦ Doc†¦ Ian wasn't here†¦ No one's dying, she promised me. Just sleeping this time†¦ When I woke, the ceiling above me was dim, starlit. Nighttime. There were so many stars. I wondered where I was. There were no black obstructions, no pieces of ceiling in my view. Just stars and stars and stars†¦ Wind fanned my face. It smelled like†¦ dust and†¦ something I couldn't put my finger on. An absence. The musty smell was gone. No sulfur, and it was so dry. â€Å"Wanda?† someone whispered, touching my good cheek. My eyes found Ian's face, white in the starlight, leaning over me. His hand on my skin was cooler than the breeze, but the air was so dry it wasn't uncomfortable. Where was I? â€Å"Wanda? Are you awake? They won't wait any longer.† I whispered because he did. â€Å"What?† â€Å"They're starting already. I knew you would want to be here.† â€Å"She comin' around?† Jeb's voice asked. â€Å"What's starting?† I asked. â€Å"Walter's funeral.† I tried to sit up, but my body was all rubbery. Ian's hand moved to my forehead, holding me down. I twisted my head under his hand, trying to see†¦ I was outside. Outside. On my left, a rough, tumbled pile of boulders formed a miniature mountain, complete with scrubby brush. On my right, the desert plain stretched away from me, disappearing in the darkness. I looked down past my feet, and I could see the huddle of humans, ill at ease in the open air. I knew just how they felt. Exposed. I tried to get up again. I wanted to be closer, to see. Ian's hand restrained me. â€Å"Easy there,† he said. â€Å"Don't try to stand.† â€Å"Help me,† I pleaded. â€Å"Wanda?† I heard Jamie's voice, and then I saw him, his hair bobbing as he ran to where I was lying. My fingertips traced the edges of the mat beneath me. How did I get here, sleeping under the stars? â€Å"They didn't wait,† Jamie said to Ian. â€Å"It will be over soon.† â€Å"Help me up,† I said. Jamie reached for my hand, but Ian shook his head. â€Å"I got her.† Ian slid his arms under me, very careful to avoid the worst of the sore spots. He pulled me up off the ground, and my head spun like a ship about to capsize. I groaned. â€Å"What did Doc do to me?† â€Å"He gave you a little of the leftover morphine, so that he could check you out without hurting you. You needed sleep anyway.† I frowned, disapproving. â€Å"Won't someone else need the medicine more?† â€Å"Shh,† he said, and I could hear a low voice in the distance. I turned my head. I could see the group of humans again. They stood at the mouth of a low, dark, open space carved out by the wind under the unstable-looking pile of boulders. They stood in a ragged line, facing the shadowed grotto. I recognized Trudy's voice. â€Å"Walter always saw the bright side of things. He could see the bright side of a black hole. I'll miss that.† I saw a figure step forward, saw the gray-and-black braid swing as she moved, and watched Trudy toss a handful of something into the darkness. Sand scattered from her fingers, falling to the ground with a faint hiss. She went back to stand beside her husband. Geoffrey moved away from her, stepped forward toward the black space. â€Å"He'll find his Gladys now. He's happier where he is.† Geoffrey threw his handful of dirt. Ian carried me to the right side of the line of people, close enough to see into the murky grotto. There was a darker space on the ground in front of us, a big oblong around which the entire human population stood in a loose half circle. Everyone was there-everyone. Kyle stepped forward. I trembled, and Ian squeezed me gently. Kyle did not look in our direction. I saw his face in profile; his right eye was nearly swollen shut. â€Å"Walter died human,† Kyle said. â€Å"None of us can ask for more than that.† He threw a fistful of dirt into the dark shape on the ground. Kyle rejoined the group. Jared stood beside him. He took the short walk and stopped at the edge of Walter's grave. â€Å"Walter was good through and through. Not one of us is his equal.† He threw his sand. Jamie walked forward, and Jared patted his shoulder once as they passed each other. â€Å"Walter was brave,† Jamie said. â€Å"He wasn't afraid to die, he wasn't afraid to live, and†¦ he wasn't afraid to believe. He made his own decisions, and he made good ones.† Jamie threw his handful. He turned and walked back, his eyes locked on mine the whole way. â€Å"Your turn,† he whispered when he was at my side. Andy was already moving forward, a shovel in his hands. â€Å"Wait,† Jamie said in a low voice that carried in the silence. â€Å"Wanda and Ian haven't said anything.† There was an unhappy mutter around me. My brain felt like it was pitching and heaving inside my skull. â€Å"Let's have some respect,† Jeb said, louder than Jamie. It felt too loud to me. My first instinct was to wave Andy ahead and make Ian carry me away. This was human mourning, not mine. But I did mourn. And I did have something to say. â€Å"Ian, help me get some sand.† Ian crouched down so I could scoop up a handful of the loose rocks at our feet. He rested my weight on his knee to get his own share of dirt. Then he straightened and carried me to the edge of the grave. I couldn't see into the hole. It was dark under the overhang of rock, and the grave seemed to be very deep. Ian began speaking before I could. â€Å"Walter was the best and brightest of what is human,† he said, and scattered his sand into the hole. It fell for a long time before I heard it hiss against the bottom. Ian looked down at me. It was absolutely silent in the starlit night. Even the wind was calm. I whispered, but I knew my voice carried to everyone. â€Å"There was no hatred in your heart,† I whispered. â€Å"That you existed is proof that we were wrong. We had no right to take your world from you, Walter. I hope your fairytales are true. I hope you find your Gladdie.† I let the rocks trickle through my fingers and waited until I heard them fall with a soft patter onto Walter's body, obscured in the deep, dark grave. Andy started to work as soon as Ian took the first step back, shoveling from a mound of pale, dusty earth that was piled a few feet farther into the grotto. The shovel load hit with a thump rather than a whisper. The sound made me cringe. Aaron stepped past us with another shovel. Ian turned slowly and carried me away to make room for them. The heavy thuds of falling dirt echoed behind us. Low voices began to murmur. I heard footsteps as people milled and huddled to discuss the funeral. I really looked at Ian for the first time as he walked back to the dark mat where it lay on the open dirt-out of place, not belonging. Ian's face was streaked with pale dust, his expression weary. I'd seen his face like that before. I couldn't pinpoint the memory before Ian had laid me on the mat again, and I was distracted. What was I supposed to do out here in the open? Sleep? Doc was right behind us; he and Ian both knelt down in the dust beside me. â€Å"How are you feeling?† Doc asked, already prodding at my side. I wanted to sit up, but Ian pressed my shoulder down when I tried. â€Å"I'm fine. I think maybe I could walk†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No need to push it. Let's give that leg a few days, okay?† Doc pulled my left eyelid up, absentminded, and shone a tiny beam of light into it. My right eye saw the bright reflection that danced across his face. He squinted away from the light, recoiling a few inches. Ian's hand on my shoulder didn't flinch. That surprised me. â€Å"Hmm. That doesn't help a diagnosis, does it? How does your head feel?† Doc asked. â€Å"A little dizzy. I think it's the drugs you gave me, though, not the wound. I don't like them-I'd rather feel the pain, I think.† Doc grimaced. So did Ian. â€Å"What?† I demanded. â€Å"I'm going to have to put you under again, Wanda. I'm sorry.† â€Å"But†¦ why?† I whispered. â€Å"I'm really not that hurt. I don't want -â€Å" â€Å"We have to take you back inside,† Ian said, cutting me off, his voice low, as if he didn't want it to carry back to the others. I could hear the voices behind us, echoing quietly off the rocks. â€Å"We promised†¦ that you wouldn't be conscious.† â€Å"Blindfold me again.† Doc pulled the little syringe from his pocket. It was already depressed, only a quarter left. I shied away from it, toward Ian. His hand on my shoulder became a restraint. â€Å"You know the caves too well,† Doc murmured. â€Å"They don't want you having the chance to guess†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But where would I go?† I whispered, my voice frantic. â€Å"If I knew the way out? Why would I leave now?† â€Å"If it eases their minds†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Ian said. Doc took my wrist, and I didn't fight him. I looked away as the needle bit into my skin, looked at Ian. His eyes were midnight in the dark. They tightened at the look of betrayal in mine. â€Å"Sorry,† he muttered. It was the last thing I heard.

Using an example of an organisation, identify how the change in legislation was implemented and evaluate the impact of this on the service delivery

Our role as social workers is one of an empowering nature; we are or should be committed to equality and re-establishing equal power bases. Promotion of independence is fundamental to our role, for this reason I have decided to look at the implementation of the Direct Payments scheme, for disabled people; brought in under the Community Care (direct Payments) Act 1996. This was brought in as legislation, because of disabled peoples pressure groups, and in order to give disabled people further ‘independence and choice' (Abbot, D (2003)) further to this the Disabled Children Act 2000 extended the access to Direct Payments to 16 – 17 year old disabled people. Within this paper I will analyse the role of social services departments for disabled people before and after the implementation. In analysis I will identify issues that have arisen from this change in relation to the organisation of social services, the social workers and service users, analysing issues of interpretation, and cultural change. The legislation empowered local authorities to set up ‘Direct Payment' Schemes for disabled people that are entitled to community care services, under the community care act but discretion was given to local authorities on how to implement it. (Community Care, (1999) sept, 8th). Because of this discretion the take up and the manner of take up to the scheme differed which resulted in very little movement for a number of years. Husler (no date given) states ‘this legislation is permissive, which means councils can not ignore it, but they have discretions on how to implement it' (Ibid). This lack of guidance to implementation led to discrepancies in the implementation of the Direct Payments scheme Prior to the implementation of the direct payments scheme, the role of social services was to assess the needs and risks of the disabled person, and through this process of assessment seek to minimise or control risk and elevate need. This was done through the provision of services directly controlled or distributed from central government of local social services departments. We see in this situation the relationship of power was one of retention by the social worker within a culture of ‘Role' and ‘task' rather than person. Although many would argue with this point and state the cultural work base of this time was one of a ‘person' culture as defined by Burnes (2000)p.164), where the service users needs and wishes are prominent with the minimisation of the structural highrachy base. Handy (1986) would disagree with this notion and further argues that western organisations work predominantly from a role or task orientated cultural work base. This is evident in many of the recently published documents on working practices and guidelines on legislation interpretation, such as the ‘Working Together Document 2000 and the Assessment Framework 2000. Further, if look back to the development of the social services and the then Charity Organisation Society (COS) founded in 1869 we see evidence of similar practice in relation to current assessment of needs. This was also done by a COS worker who made judgements based on his of her knowledge, this is clearly an earlier form of means testing (Glasby & Littlechild (2002)). From this assessment a payment was given to the person or which then was referred to as ‘relief.' This was technically abolished in 1834; it continued to be paid in practice well into the twentieth centaury, as a range of complex measures for the support of the poor as unemployment soared (Thane. P (1996). The Poor Law was finally abolished in 1948 putting an end to payments to the poor by social services departments, and replaced by a national scheme for the payment of social security benefits and the provision of welfare services to the elderly and the Disabled. This allowed the practitioner to distance themselves from cash payments and the stigma of poverty, further this led to as Becker (1993) states ‘practitioners having little poverty awareness (p93) and further viewing money problems as being the problem of other agencies (Davies & Wainwright (1997) quoted in Glasby & Littlechild p 61) This desire for the social work profession to distance it self from the nineteenth centaury roots has, resulted in the resistance to the implementation of the Direct Payment Schemes. Although the Direct Payment Scheme is very different from the early payments made by the COS and earlier forms of social services departments. This resistance has been from the shop floor social workers to MPs such as Virgina Bottomly, who wrote to the MP introducing the Private members bill prior to its introduction to legalise direct payments â€Å"Social services legislation is concerned with†¦.services and not with direct payments which is the province of the social security system† (Quoted In Hatchett W, (1991): pp 14 – 15). Governmental ideology for the implementation of the Direct Payments scheme was to reflect the principles of participation, inclusion and equality through offering choice and independence. Because of the lack of clear guidance on interpretation this agenda has been misinterpreted and further resulted in the slow take up of the scheme. Roles and procedures have changed in departments which require operational changes, and a further shift in the approach to the concept of risk and control (Dawson (2000) quoted in Carmichael & Brown (2002) p.804) The involvement in service users lives by social workers has shifted away form one of assessment and the in house provision of services, to one of assessment and the provision of monies to purpose individual care form the quasi market place. This can be tailored to meet the individual needs and life of a person, rather than the one ‘size fits all' attitude of previous service provision (Glasby & Littlechild (2002)) this is in comparison to earlier payments being made by the Independent Living Fund indirectly through third parties (Brindle, D. (2000)) further key points to the misinterpretation and slow take up of the scheme is due to the ambiguous wording of the legislations guidance the ‘willing and able criteria' (Clark & Spafford (2002)) this point argues the service users must be able to ‘choose' direct payments, problems such as ability the to choose have arisen from this guidance as well as to whom the allocation of payment should be made. Who should have control over the money? Is a question the local authorities have struggled with when assessing people with severe disabilities and people with mental incapacitates. Authorities have taken this grey area of the legislation and effectively excluded people with mental incapacities because of the legal implications which resulted in the rejecting of an application. Further to this councils have adopted a top down model in which local disability organisations are not closely enough involved within. This bureaucratic model is arguably necessary because of the complexity of the system, the workforce need clearly structured role, responsibilities and lines of command for effectiveness (Coulshed & Mullender (2001)) this is for the purposes of accountability and stability in the system (Ibid).although this can restrict professional autonomy and offer further resistance to change (Aldridge (1996) quoted in Coulshed & Mullender, p 31) With the implementation of this scheme, there was a shift away from the old system of social worker control to that of user control, which social workers saw as a danger and who have voiced concerns of â€Å"vulnerable people managing their own services and whether it is right to risk such payments' (Snell, J. (2000)). This is clear indication as Cyert & March (1963) state ‘confusion over how political constraints on policy make a rationalist approach to decision making impossible (quoted in Burnes. B (2000)) This has led to social workers becoming uncertain as to what is needed from them, because of the role and responsibility change, as well as the cultural change in the departments, which has further left social workers feeling disempowered. Power and control is reduced from the social worker, and rebalanced with the service user, social workers have seen this as a perceived loss of their identity and status. (Clark & Spafford (2002) p 252) Confusion and lack of participation in the planning stages of the delivery of services has left social workers resenting the direct payments scheme, this has further led to slow take up and slow information distribution to service users. Etienne d'Abouuville (1999) states the schemes are floundering because local authorities are using social workers to advice on direct payments, rather than Disabled peoples organisations which can provide peer support. This is further evidence in the change of role change in the role of the care manager Glasby & Littlecihild (2002) argue workload implications and the low ratio of staff is a strong and potential barrier to the independence of disabled people. Mullins (1993) comments on this and states ‘commitment and cooperation to organisational goals will depend on how these are perceived to be in their own interests'. If we look at this in the context of the social worker who has been giving advice to the service user on, employers' responsibility, obligations and legal ramifications without training and on top of their ‘normal' workload we see why social workers are feeling stressed. Further too this reluctant to work in with the scheme (Hosler (1999)). Social worker having little involvement in the change has led to this resistance; this is perpetuated with the burdening of further responsibility on the worker. Mullender and Coulshed argue ‘where structures are going through change this is adapted to more quickly where there are open lines of communication and decentralised structures. If we analyse the impact of the organisational change to the service user we see a clear recondition of the social model of disability which as Oliver argues ‘It is not people impairments which limit people's ability to participate in society and to exercise their rights, but the organisation of society it self which causes the disability† (Quoted in Stainton, T. (2002) p 752) This social model articulates not how to find a way of compensating for the natural disadvantage, but how society can accommodate a range of differences (Ibid). Service users have stated they have rights and autonomy furthering the ability to be recognised as full citizens (Stainton, T (2002)). Many disabled people prior to the introduction of the Direct Payments Scheme were given little or no choice in relation to who provided the care, and to what extent. This was reflective of the funding structures and mechanisms of the social services departments (Statinton, T (1998)), here the departments or the family would access and commission the service, which resulted on many occasions being put on a waiting list. In this analysis we see little or no choice or control on the part of the service recipient, and further if criteria for service were not met then no service was offered. This coupled with resource constraints and tightly specified service contracts can together restrict the remits and activities of services (Glendininig, C, (2000)) With the new system the service user retains overall control on who to commission to carry out the work and for what period of time, the service user defines what needs are to be met and to what extent. A shift away from the social worker led assessment. With a recondition of the Disabled person's rights the Direct Payments Scheme also brought with it the responsibility of being an employer and with that obligation to contractual agreements. This could be seen as a potential barrier, but many disabled people have commented, â€Å"All the stress is worth having control of your own care† (Clark and Spafford (2002)) In conclusion we see how the change has resulted in a cultural change within the social services departments and further a shift away from the ethos of the social worker as the expert. This is welcomed by Disability groups who have campaigned for the Direct Payments Scheme, but resented by those whose job's it has affected with added workload and change in role. Change is a natural occurrence and some would argue inevitable to human evaluation, it is about recognising where sociality shortfalls are and actively seeking to rectify them. As with a majority of pieces of legislation they are based on social justice principles, but interpretation results in oppression and discrimination

Serial Killers essays

Serial Killers essays Focus: Abuse, genetics, chemical imbalances, traumatic events and societal injustices led to serial killing What do Ed Given, Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayce Gacy, Ted Bundy, Albert Desalvo and Jack the Ripper all have in common? They are just six among the hundreds of known serial killers. Every day people try and look at these people and figure out why they do what they do. Unanswered questions float around, and the families of victims may never find out why their loved one was killed. The truth of the matter is serial killers are insane. Many factors add up to show the motives behind serial killers. On a crime Web site (www.crimelibrary.org), author Shirley Lynn Scott blames abuse, genetics, chemical imbalances, exposure to traumatic events and perceived societal injustices for motives behind killing. All of these will be closely looked at to find out why serial killers kill. Child abuse can be the cause of therapy for the victim later in life. Usually, we don't think of abuse leading to serial killing. Albert DeSalvo, better known as the "Boston Strangler," was actually sold as a slave by his alcoholic dad. Many sadistic murderers portray their childhood as an endless chain of horrifying sexual abuse, torture and mayhem. According to the Web site, the mother is usually to blame for the behavior. Serial killers have described their mothers as "too domineering or too distant, too sexually active or too repressed." However, the mother is usually to blame over the father because he has at some point disappeared. When a father is in the picture, he is usually noted for his sadistic disciplinarian tactics, alcoholic rants and overt anger toward women. Due to the poor relationships with their parents, killers usually begin or end their reign of terror by killing their parents. The crime Website tells the story of Ed Kemper who, after beheading his mom, "shoved her vocal cords down the garbage disposal, raped her headless bod...