Testifying as a Law Enforcement Professional Research Paper

Testifying as a Law Enforcement Professional - Research Paper Example The testimony of any investigator or professional should be confined to the scope of expertise of that person as demonstrated by experience, training and education. The extent of the experience, training and education needed to testify is determined by the legal authority in which the professional witness is testifying. It is also permissible for an investigator and professional to render an expert opinion (Kleinig and Zhang, 1993, p. 19). A testimony serves to prove a point or element of the case against a defendant. A professional witness or law enforcement officer should never underestimate their role in establishing a defendant’s guilt. Establishing a defendant’s guilt is based upon the strength and totality of the evidence presented. If the evidence is not convincing, then a jury or judge must acquit the defendant, but if powerful pieces of evidence are present, then it can lead to conviction of the defendant. Only witnesses having firsthand knowledge of the import ant facts of a case are allowed to testify at a trial. However, their testimony is restricted to their personal knowledge. This is what they personally know about the victim or defendant. Thus, a person who witnesses an accident and the first law enforcement officers to be at the scene have personal knowledge of the occurrence leading to the case and are likely to be summoned to testify about what they witnessed. A professional witness, on the other hand, gives a professional opinion on a case. Professional witnesses are involved in a case when technical, specialized or scientific knowledge is required to establish a fact that is controversial. A witness may be qualified as an expert by education, training, skill, experience, or knowledge. The witness may, therefore, testify basing his or her on the evidence he or she gathers (Kleinig and Zhang, 1993, p. 25). A law enforcement officer has a responsibility as a professional witness. The law enforcement officer has a crucial role in t he successful conviction of a criminal. Therefore, the officer must determine whether the evidence established is sufficient enough to proceed with a trial. It is the duty of the officer to make sure all relevant and appropriate evidence comes to light. The enforcement officer must fully record all visual, sensory and verbal observation, know what to listen and look for and be motivated to apply their skills and knowledge to aid him or her in succeeding in the trial. It is fundamental for a law enforcement officer to prepare as a professional witness before trial. The officer should recognize relevant and significant evidence and document it in field notes. The notes should be compiled, and a complete and accurate report should be written. Prior to the testimony, the officer should review the case file, mentally organizing the facts of the offense and evidence supporting it. The officer should also organize clearly and convincingly the testimony to be presented to the jury. Once the officer is notified of the trial date, the officer should review all reports and records. He should also compare notes with other officers, revisit the scene if required, discuss with the prosecutor the details of the testimony and the case, and make sure copies of all required documents by law in his or her jurisdiction have been given to the prosecutor (Kleinig and Zhang, 1993, p. 59). A law enforcement officer should dress professionally and neatly. Uniformed officers are preferred to wear their uniform. One should wear pants and a jacket if he or she is on civilian clothes. Flashlights, sunglasses and other cumbersome equipment should not be taken into the courtroom, unless they are needed for demonstration (Kleinig and Zhan

Theories on Motivation in Human Resource Management Assignment

Theories on Motivation in Human Resource Management - Assignment Example ory had been applied in US organizations and later exported to other regions of the world, it has lost its significance in the current global business environment. The theory is founded on mere assumptions rather than relevant facts or research. It is absurd to think that individuals would carry on moving toward growth and finally attain ‘self actualization’. If this theory can be relied, for ample workforce motivation the management has to identify the active needs of each employee. The theory flaws in the practical side as it is impossible to categorize employees based on their physiological and psychological requirements. The weakness of the theory is more prevalent in the case of multinational companies (MNCs) which are having the features of virtual organizations with broad pool of human. Although this theory had been applied in US organizations and later exported to other regions of the world, it has lost its significance in the current global business environment. The theory is founded on mere assumptions rather than relevant facts or research.

Two theories of motivation

Two theories of motivation Motivation is an intangible human asset which acts as a driver that pushes humans to be willing to perform certain actions. In just about everything we do there is something that moves us to perform the action which involves some motivation allowing us to perform tasks or actions which produces some type of personal benefit as a result. The general theory would be that, the greater the personal gain in performing the task for the individual, the more motivated they are to try at the task to achieve the best outcome. Motivation is usually stimulated by a want where there is a gain to be had as a result of performing a certain task. As Todes, McKinney, Ferguson, Jr. (1977) p.223 states, A person is a wanting being he always wants, and he wants more. Therefore if there is nothing that an individual wants, there would be no need for them to perform a certain task as there is nothing they can gain from it. Over time there have been many motivational theories developed to try and explore what motivation is and how different levels of motivation can be achieved with different inputs. Two of the most widely recognised motivational theories come from Abraham Maslow (hierarchy of needs) and Fredrick Herzberg (two factor theory). Managers in businesses would use these theories in an attempt to motivate staff to provide them with job satisfaction and in return receive better task performance. Through extensive research Maslow and Herzberg developed their own theories which are now used in businesses all around the world. Both differ in how they are applied but in the modern world they are seen as being totally true by many although they should be perceived as being an interesting problematic set of observations about what motivates people (Finchman Rhodes, 2005) p.199. This is due to the lack of evidence to say that they are completely true despite applying to the overall majority. Each is very similar in the way that there are certain requirements that must be fulfilled before high levels of motivation can be obtained. Abraham Maslow sets out a hierarchy of importance where human needs are arranged in a series of levels (Todes et al. 1977). Like Herzbergs two factor theory, the needs in Maslows hierarchy can be split into two levels. The first set being the basic needs, contain physiological and safety needs. The second set can be seen as the motivators consisting of social, esteem and self actualizing needs. In comparison to Herzberg, basic needs would be the equivalent of hygiene needs consisting of: salary, colleagues, supervision, policies and environment. Herzbergs second set (motivators) includes: recognition, promotion, achievement, responsibility and intrinsic job aspects, all of which are individually quite self-explanatory and fairly interlinked (Finchman Rhodes, 2005). As the structure of Maslows hierarchy suggests, the higher motivators are harder to achieve than the previous and there is an order to which they must be acquired. If the previous motivator has not been reasonably satisfi ed then there will be no desire to try and obtain the next. The physiological needs are reflected in the human need to eat, breathe, rest, drink and engage in active endeavors (Todes et al. 1977) p.244. These needs can be seen as essentials for survival making it logical to be place at the bottom of the hierarchy and as the lowest motivator (Todes et al. 1977). Safety needs come in the form of feeling secure in the job that you have which means that there is a requirement of: shelter, a strong feeling of job security and as Todes et al. (1977) states, a need for protection against physical dangers along with the need to earn a fair salary that can satisfy a given standard of living which is an element in Herzbergs list of hygiene factors. A manager would be able to fulfill the basic needs by giving suitable amount of time for breaks in which the physiological needs can be easily met. Safety would derive from supervision and policies of the company where they act as a guide, helping the employees progress giving them a feeling of being well supported. The environment that they work in would also help with employees feeling safe as long as there is the avoidance of physical dangers. Also there is the conflict of whether or not salary is a motivator. Managers may think that employees would work harder for a raise whereas others believe it is ineffective. Although necessary, hence it being placed in the hygiene factors and incorporated in the safety needs, it is not a motivator. The reason for this may be that although one receives more money for what they do, they will not necessarily work harder having acquired the raise. This therefore links salary to the motivator, promotion which would be the reason for why there is a sudden increase in an individuals income. The motivators, beginning with social needs, (Maslows third need which could be seen as being at the base of the motivational hierarchy) cannot be achieved unless the basic needs prior to it are in place and adequately satisfied. Social needs can be seen as the desire for interaction, acceptance and a sense of belonging with associates and personal acquaintances (Todes et al. 1977. With Herzberg, it can be argued that the social motivator is split between both the categorical factors contradicting Maslows perception of it. As the hygiene factors of colleagues and to an extent, supervision, fulfill the social need for interaction, the motivator recognition would lead to meeting the need for acceptance and belonging. Herzbergs motivator of recognition combined with promotion, responsibility and perhaps achievement would also be linked with Maslows fourth need, esteem. This, a more personal, perhaps egotistical need, is much harder for a manager to incorporate into the working environme nt due to the managerial trend of reducing most jobs to their lowest level of job content (Todes et al. 1977). Being noticed for good performance through praise and recognition, which could lead to the achievement of a promotion where responsibility is increased, can all be contributors towards fulfilling esteem but never effectively satisfying it entirely. Even if it does, it will only be temporarily and perhaps not enough for the peak need of self-actualisation to start being met. It therefore acts as a constant motivator to work harder or continue working to meet the higher needs (Finchman Rhodes 1977). Self-actualization is where an individual grows towards a firm understanding of their abilities and utilises these skills at an optimum level (McGregor. 1964). This final need however, is rarely met, hence it being at the top of the hierarchy as the idea of: as you progress up the hierarchy, the peak of each need that must be passed is higher than the need before it. Not only is this an important factor, there is also the requirement that the previous needs, although less dominant in focus, must remain active and acceptably satisfied before the next factor can be of any interest to the individual (Krech, Crutchfield Ballachey cited in Todes et al. 1977). Due to this and the general fact that self-esteem is satisfied in small quantities and not regularly, it does not make acquiring self-actualization an easy task due to the previously described theory rule. Although Herzbergs theory operates similarly, there is not as strict an order to follow as to whether a specific factor must be met before another one can become of any interest other than working on the basis that all hygiene factors must be adequately satisfied before any motivators can begin to be of any relevance to the individual. In this aspect the model is more lenient and due to not having a strict order of how they must be met, any factor within their respective categories can be acquired in any order making it easy and ready to be tested. Not only this but each factor is very much interlinked and compliments one another in the way that when one is achieved, other factors can be acquired in quick succession. Managers could then incorporate this into the way that tasks are delegated so that when an employee completes one task they obtain a certain amount of need satisfaction. On the next task performed, more needs could be fulfilled and unknowingly, employees would be progressing through the fulfillment of either Maslow or Herzbergs needs where they attain either more self-actualisation or job satisf action. What needs to be kept in mind is that although the two are very similar, Maslows hierarchy can be applied almost any situation with the aim of exploring psychological progression. Whereas Herzbergs theory outlines more of what factors must be in place before job satisfaction can be achieved relating more specifically to motivation and its impact within the work place (Finchman Rhodes. 2005). The intrinsic job aspects would be the closest motivator related to personal accomplishment as this need involves the employees feeling that through working they are benefitting and developing as an individual. This therefore means that a manager would need to try and identify which of the two theories they think would be most effective and achievable in developing employee motivation. Do they want their employees to acquire job satisfaction through Herzbergs motivators or to be self actualizing being more willing to work understanding themselves and what they are capable of. A combination of th e two could be possible in Maslows basic needs and Herzbergs hygiene factors but the acquisition of both does not necessarily mean that motivation or job satisfaction would be obtained, it just means that job dissatisfaction would be likely to develop without it (Finchman Rhodes 2005). Another point to remember is that not all individuals are the same in what they want hence the models not being universally accurate. A situation where either model would not be fully applicable is where one is happy with their current position and the tasks that they perform. As a result of the fulfillment of an unwanted need such as promotion, that particular employee may underperform as they have lost the job satisfaction they had prior to the acquisition of that motivational need. Whereas another who may have wanted such a need would be discouraged due to them not receiving the promotion and as a result de-motivated the employee. As mentioned, everyone is different in their levels of satisfaction and motivational priorities, some of which would be unknown to the individual. Even if known they may not know what to do to obtain them. From this a manager would have to find a way of being able to match the needs of people with appropriate incentives (Todes et al. 1977) p.165. Of course for a manager to fulfill all these needs they would have to be able to relate to the motivational needs of the employees beneath them and incorporate them into their strategy so that employees would be able to achieve them through the tasks they perform. As these motivational needs are met, employees may be more motivated to work and unknowingly develop other motivational needs that are fulfilled through the managers task setup. A very important factor for a manager to remember according to Finchman Rhodes (2005) p.266, is that the principle of behaviour that is rewarded tends to be repeated and that which is punished, avoided. From this, it can be seen that managers have a strong ability and in fluence on their employees behaviour. Therefore both motivational theories are not total opposites of each other but are in fact very similar. Both focus on the motivators as being contributors to psychological growth and development (Finchman Rhodes, 2005). Each has certain requirements which must be met before someone can progress onto achieving motivational needs, such as in Maslows case the basic needs and the hygiene needs in Herzbergs both are seen as being needed to be in place before there can be any progression onto the next set of motivators. This also expresses how both are similarly split into two groups. A big difference would be how Maslows theory can apply to any situation but Herzbergs is more applicable in the workplace and set out in a way that made it easy to prove correct, whereas it was more difficult with the former despite being taught as true (Finchman Rhodes, 2005). Managers could effectively incorporate the motivational techniques into developmental strategies by designing a work environment w here employees would be able to develop personally as they work, in turn they could unknowingly acquire motivation (Todes et al. 1977). This way employees would be more willing to perform their tasks and develop needs encouraging them to work harder, becoming more motivated to meet these new needs. But perhaps the most obvious and important similarity is that although they are taught as being true, a manager would need to keep in mind that they are not. Even though they apply to the majority, different people have different needs and levels of satisfaction therefore either model cannot be totally relied on for a manager to try motivate employees (McGregor. 1964). Reference List: Finchman. R Rhodes. P, Principles Of Organisational Behaviour, 2005 P.199, P.233 McGregor. D, The Professional Manager, 1964 P.11, P.75 Todes. J.L, Mckinney. J, Ferguson Jr. W, Management Motivation, 1977 P. 165, P. 223-227, P.244

A Separate Peace :: essays research papers

Sitting in my third grade classroom we chattered anxiously, waiting for the spelling quizzes to be passed back. My teacher placed them all facing down on our desks, a rather pointless effort when she was already aware that at any moment the room would burst into havoc with yells of "what did you get?", shouting numbers back and forth, and of course superior comments from the students proud of their marks. I quickly flipped mine over and grinned at the 8/10 scrawled in red marker near the top of the page. "What did you get?" sure enough my friend Jenny thrust me her paper. As I stared down at her 100% sitting aside a bright yellow smiley sticker I felt a familiar twinge of jealousy. From that day on I had a secret goal to achieve higher marks than my friend. I can not remember when this rivalry ended, but I do know that it is normal behavior. Each person feels rivalry or competition to other humans, for the majority of their lifetime. This rivalry greatly affects our ability to understand others, and this eventually results in war, discrimination, and enmity. Children are definitely culprits for acting inhumane to each other with teasing, competition, and often hurtful remarks. Although this is the way children often act, it is in the teenage years realization, along with careful thought and consideration, brings each individual to understand wider prospects of human nature; that people coldly drive ahead for themselves alone. Man’s inhumanity1 to man is a way for people to protect themselves from having pain inflicted on them by fellow humans, and achieving their goals and desires free from interference of others. The concept of man’s inhumanity to man is developed in John Knowles’ novel, A Separate Peace. The primary conflict in this novel centers on the main character, Gene, and his battling of jealousy, paranoia, and inability to understand his relationship with his best friend Phineas. Yet the larger battle of man’s inhumanity to man is portrayed by the backdrop of World War II. Gene Forrester is an average, studious, young man attending Devon school in New Hampshire during the second World War. His roommate at Devon, Phineas (otherwise known as Finny) sends Gene on an unexpected journey of self discovery. Finny represents man in his innocence, a kind of edenic2 Adam. He is very athletic, honest and trusting.

The Silver Linings Playbook Chapter 14

I Can Share Raisin Bran On the drive home from Cliff's office I ask my mom if she thinks asking Tiffany on a date is the best way to get rid of her once and for all, and Mom says, â€Å"You shouldn't be trying to get rid of anyone. You need friends, Pat. Everyone does.† I don't say anything in response. I'm afraid Mom is rooting for me to fall in love with Tiffany, because whenever she calls Tiffany my â€Å"friend,† she says the word with a smile on her face and a hopeful look in her eye, which bothers me tremendously because Mom is the only person in my family who does not hate Nikki. Also, I know Mom looks out the window when I go on my runs, because she will tease me, saying â€Å"I see your friend showed up again† when I return from a jog. Mom pulls into the driveway, shuts off the car engine, and says, â€Å"I can loan you money should you ever want to take your friend to dinner,† and again, the way she says â€Å"friend† makes me feel tingly in a bad way. I say nothing in response, and my mother does the strangest thing – she giggles. I finish my weight training for the day and put on a trash bag, and as I begin stretching on the front lawn, I see that Tiffany is jogging up and down the length of my parents' block, waiting for me to begin running. I tell myself to ask her out to dinner so I can end this madness and get back to being alone on my runs, but instead I simply start running, and Tiffany follows. I go past the high school, down Collings Avenue to the Black Horse Pike, make a left and then another left into Oaklyn, run down Kendall Boulevard to the Oaklyn Public School, up past the Manor Bar to the White Horse Pike, make a right and then a left onto Cuthbert, and I run into Westmont. When I get to the Crystal Lake Diner, I turn and jog in place. Tiffany jogs in place and stares at her feet. â€Å"Hey,† I say to her. â€Å"You want to have dinner with me at this diner?† â€Å"Tonight?† she says without looking up at me. â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"What time?† â€Å"We have to walk here because I'm not allowed to drive.† â€Å"What time?† â€Å"I'll be in front of your house at seven-thirty.† Next, the most amazing thing happens: Tiffany simply jogs away from me, and I cannot believe I finally got her to leave me alone. I am so happy I alter my route and run at least fifteen miles instead of ten, and when the sun sets, the clouds in the west are all lined with electricity, which I know is a good omen. At home, I tell my mother I need some money so I can take Tiffany out to dinner. My mother tries to hide her smile as she retrieves her purse from the kitchen table. â€Å"Where are you taking her?† â€Å"The Crystal Lake Diner.† â€Å"You shouldn't need more than forty dollars then, right?† â€Å"I guess.† â€Å"It'll be on the counter when you come down.† I shower, apply underarm deodorant, use my father's cologne, and put on my khakis and the dark green button-down shirt Mom bought me at the Gap just yesterday. For some reason, my mother is systematically buying an entire wardrobe for me – and every piece is from the Gap. When I go downstairs, my mom tells me I need to tuck in my shirt and wear a belt. â€Å"Why?† I ask, because I do not really care if I look respectable or not. I only want to get rid of Tiffany once and for all. But when Mom says, â€Å"Please,† I remember that I am trying to be kind instead of right – and I also owe Mom because she rescued me from the bad place – so I go upstairs and put on the brown leather belt she purchased for me earlier in the week. Mom comes into my room with a shoe box and says, â€Å"Put on some dress socks and try these on.† I open the box, and these swanky-looking brown leather loafers are inside. â€Å"Jake said these are what men your age wear casually,† Mom says. When I slip the loafers on and look in the mirror, I see how thin my waistline appears, and I think I look almost as swanky as my little brother. With forty bucks in my pocket, I walk across Knight's Park to Tiffany's parents' house. She is outside, waiting for me on the sidewalk, but I see her mother peeking out the window. Mrs. Webster ducks behind the blinds when we make eye contact. Tiffany does not say hello, but begins walking before I can stop. She is wearing a pink knee-length skirt and a black summer sweater. Her platform sandals make her look taller, and her hair is sort of puffed out around the ears, hanging down to her shoulders. Her eyeliner is a little heavy, and her lips are so pink, but I have to admit she looks great, which I tell her, saying, â€Å"Wow, you look really nice tonight.† â€Å"I like your shoes,† she says in response, and then we walk for thirty minutes without saying another word. We get a booth at the diner, and the server gives us glasses of water. Tiffany orders tea, and I say that water is fine for me. As I read the menu, I worry that I won't have enough money, which is silly, I know, because I have two twenties on me and most of the entrees are under ten bucks, but I do not know what Tiffany will order, and maybe she will want dessert, and then there's the tip. Nikki taught me to overtip; she says waitresses work too hard for such a little bit of money. Nikki knows this because she was a waitress all through college – when we were at La Salle – so I always overtip when I go out to eat now, just to make up for the times in the past when I fought with Nikki over a few dollars, saying fifteen percent was more than enough, because no one tipped me regardless of whether I did my job well or not. Now I am a believer in overtipping, because I am practicing being kind rather than right – and as I am reading the diner menu, I think, What if I do not have enough money left over for a generous tip? I am worrying about all of this so much that I must have missed Tiffany's order, because suddenly the waitress is saying, â€Å"Sir?† When I put my menu down, both Tiffany and the waitress are staring at me, as if they are concerned. So I say, â€Å"Raisin bran,† because I remember reading that cereal is only $2.25. â€Å"Milk?† â€Å"How much is milk?† â€Å"Seventy-five cents.† I figure I can afford it, so I say, â€Å"Please,† and then hand my menu back to the waitress. â€Å"That's it?† I nod, and the waitress sighs audibly before leaving us alone. â€Å"What did you order? I didn't catch it,† I say to Tiffany, trying to sound polite but secretly worrying that I will not have enough money left over for a good tip. â€Å"Just tea,† she says, and then we both look out the window at the cars in the parking lot. When the raisin bran comes, I open the little single-serving box and pour the cereal into the bowl the diner provides free of charge. The milk comes in a miniature pitcher; I pour it over the brown flakes and sugared raisins. I push the bowl to the middle of the table and ask Tiffany if she would like to help me eat the cereal. â€Å"Are you sure?† she says, and when I nod, she picks up her spoon and we eat. When we get the bill, it is for $4.59. I hand our waitress the two twenties, and the woman laughs, shakes her head, and says, â€Å"Change?† When I say, â€Å"No, thank you† – thinking Nikki would want me to overtip – the waitress says to Tiffany, â€Å"Honey, I had him all wrong. You two come back real soon. Okay?† And I can tell the woman is satisfied with her tip because she sort of skips her way to the register. Tiffany doesn't say anything on the walk home, so I don't either. When we get to her house, I tell her I had a great time. â€Å"Thanks,† I say, and then offer a handshake, just so Tiffany will not get the wrong idea. She looks at my hand and then up at me, but she doesn't shake. For a second I think she is going to start crying again, but instead she says, â€Å"Remember when I said you could fuck me?† I nod slowly because I wish I did not remember it so vividly. â€Å"I don't want you to fuck me, Pat. Okay?† â€Å"Okay,† I say. She walks around her parents' house, and then I am alone again. When I arrive home, my mom excitedly asks me what we had for dinner, and when I tell her raisin bran, she laughs and says, â€Å"Really, what did you have?† I ignore her, go to my room, and lock the door. Lying down on my bed, I pick up the picture of Nikki and tell her all about my date and how I gave the waitress a nice tip and how sad Tiffany seems and how much I can't wait for apart time to end so Nikki and I can share raisin bran at some diner and walk through the cool early September air – and then I am crying again. I bury my face and sob into my pillow so my parents will not hear.

Mass Media Audience in Malaysia Essay

In the mass media perspective, have two types of audience which is the passive audience and the active audience. But sometimes, they maybe act both of these types. So, in discuss this both type of the audience, I have pick up the difference theory to explained how their style can give the powerful effects to mass media or by their attitudes make the mass media have the limited impact on them. Lots of theory that has been discussed on passive audience, and state that people are easily influenced by the media. While active audience concept can be viewed as a theory that focuses on accessing what people do with media. This concept said that the people make more active decisions about how to use the media (Stephen W. Littlejohn and Karen A. Foss, 2008). For that reason, this concept can be referred to as audience-centered rather than source dominated. Baran and Davis (2006) suggested that this concept should be looked under micro level perspective rather than macro level perspective. These ideas of audience are associated with various theories of media effects. The powerful effects theories tend to be based on passive audience, whereas the minimal effect theories are based more on an active audience. During the 1970s and 1980s, more researchers became increasingly focused on media audience. Most of them focus to gain more useful understanding of what people do with the media in their daily lives. As this research develop, new and less pessimistic conceptualization of audience began to develop. Empirical researcher start to reexamined limited-effect assumption about audience and argued that people were not as passive as these effects theory assumed (Baran and Davis, 2006). Media audience is a group of people who participate in an experience or encounter a work of art, literature, theatre, music or academics in any medium. Audience members participate in different ways in different kinds of art; some events invite overt audience participation and others allowing only modest clapping and criticism and reception. Media audiences are studied by academics in media audience studies. Audience theory also offers scholarly insight into audiences in general. Early research into media audiences was dominated by the debate about ‘media effects’, in particular the link between screen violence and real-life aggression. Several moral panics fuelled the claims, such as the incorrect presumptions that Rambo had influenced Michael Robert Ryan to commit the Hungerford massacre, and that Child’s Play 3 had motivated the killers of James Bulger In the 1990s, David Gauntlett published critiques on media ‘effects’, most notably the â€Å"Ten things wrong with the media effects model† article (George Rodman, 2009) . Active audience was define as the audience for a media product, seen not as accepting a product as it is presented to them, but as interpreting, interacting with and using it for their own agenda. Frank Biocca (in Littlejohn, 1999) (in George Rodman, 2009) discussed five characteristic of the active audience implied by the theorist. The first is selectivity. Active audiences are considered to be selective in the media they choose to use. The second characteristic is utilitarianism. Active audience are said to use media to meet particular need and goals. The third is intentionality, which implies the purposeful use of media content. The fourth characteristic is involvement, or effort. Here audiences are actively attending, thinking about, and using the media. The last characteristic is impervious to influence, or not very easily persuaded by the media alone. According to uses and gratification media effects assumed the audience brought their own needs and desires to the process of making sense of media messages. Needs and desires structured how messages are received and understood by the audience. Theory uses and gratification was the first to champion the cause of â€Å"the active audience†. It shifted the emphasis from what the media do to people and placed the issue of what people do with the media. U and G state the audience as more active in the decision to watch television and what to watch. Kartz, Blumler, and Gurevitch (1974)(in Saodah Wok, Narimah Ismail and Mohd. Yusof Hussain, 2005) described five elements of the U and G. First, the audience is conceived of as active, an important part of mass media use is assumed to be goal directed. Second, in the mass communication process much initiative in linking need gratification and media choice lies with the audience member. Third, the media compete with other sources of need satisfaction. Fourth, many goals of mass media use be derived from data supplied by individuals themselves, they can report their interest and movies. Lastly, value judgments about the cultural significance of mass communication should be suspended while audience orientations are explored. Besides that, information Processing Theory also used to describe and interpret how each of us take in and makes sense of the flood of information our senses encounter every moment of each day. It assumes that individuals are active in operate with certain built-in information-handling capacities and strategies. Each day we are exposed to cast quantities of sensory information. We filter this information so only a small portion of it ever reaches our conscious mind. Only a tiny fraction of this information is singled out for attention and processing, and we finally store a tiny amount of this in long-term memory. We are not so much information handlers as information avoiders-we have developed sophisticated mechanisms for screening out irrelevant or useless information. Passive audiences usually had received information with little or no effort on their part. The audience is passive in the receiving and interpretation of media. Based on that statement, Noelle-Neumann (1981) (Shirley Biagi, 1999) introduced her spiral of silence concept to support the powerful of media. She argued that her perspective involves a â€Å"return to the concept of powerful mass media†. She wrote, â€Å"as regards the connection between selective perception and the effect of the mass media, one can put forward the hypothesis that the more restricted the selection the less the reinforcement principle applies, in other words the greater the possibility of mass media changing attitudes†. She contends people who feel they are a minority opinion remain silent, thereby reinforcing or enlarging the majority position. These people take a silent stance on an issue. Their silence result in a kind of contagion of silence among others who share the minority view; and this ever-spiraling or enlarging silence plays into the hands of the vocal majority. The mass media exert great influence and have powerful effects because publicize which opinion they consider important and give clues to the public about opinion people can talk about or advocate without becoming isolated. The media, because of a variety of factors, tend to present one sides of an issue to the exclusion of others, which further encourages those people to keep quiet and makes it even tougher for the media to uncover and register that opposing viewpoint. Once a spiral of silence is initiated, the magnitude of media influence will increase to higher levels over time. Spiral of silence theory argues that media can have a powerful influence on everyday talk; this was linked with the concept passive audience. Media can literally silence public discourse on certain topics by declaring them to be settled in favor of one or another. Besides that, Habermas (1962) (in John C. Merrill, John lee and Edward Jay Friendlander, 1994), gave a unique explanation of the social structure and the audience in it. Within his concepts of the â€Å"public sphere†, the residents consume the culture and information and the audience is portrayed as a member of the society, who participates in the exchange of ideas. Even though this audience participation was interpreted as bringing â€Å"degeneration in the quality of discourse† (Calhoun, 1993) (in John C. Merrill, John lee and Edward Jay Friendlander, 1994), his glimpse of the â€Å"audience activeness in participation† plays a role in connecting critical theory, which focuses more on the passive audience under fundamental economic determinism, to cultural studies, which regard the audience as more active within the extensive structure of the society. Critical theory’s main focus is on economic determinism, in which capitalistic power controls the mass media ownership and its messages, and in turn, controls the audience’s perception and activity. The audience is not regarded as being as important as the mass communicator, but is treated as a side issue in the mass communication process. In Malaysian, the issues about media violence especially on the television programs and the impacts on children’s behaviour it’s always being discuss among the society and academician. The study about these issues was started from 1950’s until now. It’s become more critical when a lot of improvement have on media technology, especially on the content. This is because, the technology is always developed. Most people do not believe that media violence has had any a negative effect on them. In public opinion polls, typically 88% of people say that the media have not affected them personally (Whiteman, 1996; in W. James Potter, 2003). But, in reality the media continually and profoundly affect everyone, and when the messages are violent, people are at risk for a variety of negative effects. Basically people do not perceive these negative effects happening to them in their everyday lives, not because those effects don’t exist, but because people do not know what to look for as evidence of the effects. Schramm and his associates reported that children were exposed to television more than to any other mass medium (Shirley Biagi, 1999). In Malaysian context media violent bring the huge impact to our society development. According to Orestes (2002), media violent is a major problem threatens the harmony of family life. According to him, many media spread the mistaken notion that sex, pornography, porno-actions, violence, terrorism extreme and wild life, all of these aside from culture and religion. He also found, reflecting the influence of irresponsible media lead to moral standards in the Asian youth is declining, 20% of teenagers involved with adultery, 24% were involved with pornography and porno-actions, 21% sex before marriage and 35% of juvenile cases. All this will lead to teen more problematic and involves the breach of discipline problems at school very significant. According to Amir Hassan Dawi (2002), films, newspapers, magazines, novels, books, internet, interactive media and television to highlight the culture of yellow has been a problem in changing the behaviour of physical, verbal, nonverbal, antisocial and crime among students. He reported that the sex scenes and violent action seen in the media that will make young minds hard and greedy. He also stated that this matter cannot be denied because their average age between 12 to 20 years of age is a stage is still considered raw. At this stage, students easily stimulated because they are in the process of change to natural puberty. Thus they will aggression that was adapted to use information to media practiced in their daily behaviour. Violent programs in the media as well as imitation of behaviour problemspersistent to the teenagers (Ralph, 1999). According to him, when many violent and behaviour that aired in the media with easily influenced and imitated by the children and adolescents. These issues become even worse what if the parents knowingly make a media a place to escape from educating children as fatigue factor, career and finding sources of income (Rogers, 1980) (in Rosly kayar, 2007). Thus, character building children depend on viewing and simple materials found in the media. This will cause teenagers to make the material as a medium for viewing learn something and then practiced in life. Consequently, violent treatment of pleasure and in accordance with the instinct of youth will be the main mechanisms of adolescent attitudes and behaviour. Thus, the adolescent will be more wild and vulnerable violent activities (Baron, 1973) (in Rosly Kayar, 2007). This entire technological advance occurred simultaneously with profound alterations in Malaysian society. Stanley J. Baran and Dennis K. Davis (2009) state, the new social landscape took shape at precisely the same time that the new mass medium arrived. So, after the rapid social change in the Malaysia especially, the serious social problem also had the rapid rise. Based on that situation, in my opinion audiences in Malaysia was an active audience. To relate these ssues with my statement, I have chosen the Uses and Gratification Theory by Bumler dan Katz in 1974 to understand more how the communication technology advancement will be effect the children’s, and also its will answer why I said the audience perspective in Malaysia is active audience. In the Uses and Gratification Theory, active audience from the violent media site, can be described as how the teenagers us ed the variety way to achieved their satisfaction by using television. This theory emphasizes the willingness of consumers and not the content of the message. Media is considered as a way to meet the needs of the audience and the audience is assumed to be active. While Saodah Wok, Narimah Ismail and Mohd Yusof Hussain (2005) states this theory can explain why some of the contents of television are not watched by the audience. Maybe it does not interest them or do not have the required information. This theory also explains how the individual characteristics of the different character of the television media channels to satisfy the requirements and to solve problems. Certain individuals, especially teenagers have different goals to support treatment. According to Rice and Williams (1984) (in Sobhi Mohd Ishak, 2003), the emergence of new media is the best field to test the various theories and models. One of the theories that the media are often used to analyze new media Uses and Gratification theory is the requirement. Other than Rice and Williams, several other researchers are also using this theory as a reference for research on mass media such as Williams, Strover and Grant (1996) (in Sobhi Mohd Ishak, 2003). As the theory relating to â€Å"active audience†, Uses and Gratification Theory of the Will provides perspective on how audiences respond to new media-rich information resources. The active audience can be seen in this issues when the audience watch the violent content on the media like television, they have the tendency to behave or talk like what they watch without realizing what they had follow is negative or positive. So this action can be considered as active audience. This because, they watch the media content, then they practices on their live. From their act they would change the perspective of media in terms of carrying the message to give the information. For example, the results of the present widespread television exposure, exposure to sex is also becoming more numerous and easier to achieve.