Affects of Capital Punishment on Society Essay

† To take a life when a life has been lost is revenge, not justice† ( qtd. in Anti-Death Penalty). Capital punishment, or the death penalty, has been around in some sort of variation for centuries. It is enforced upon criminals who have been convicted of the most heinous crimes, such as homicide. There have been debates throughout time as whether or not the death penalty is appropriate punishment. Valid arguments of support and contradiction of capital punishment have come up over time, making citizens believe it is a tough decision for lawmakers to choose whether or not to allow the death penalty. The decision is simple. Capital Punishment should be abolished throughout the country because it is an unfair and unnecessary way of castigation that contains many flaws and serves no justice for those involved. Executions have been held in the United States as far back as history recognizes. Beginning in 1976, states have begun to come to their senses and finally abolish the death penalty. The number of American civilians who oppose the death penalty have also more than double since then, showing that more than one-third of the population now oppose capital punishment ( 2001Jost 948). Since 1976, more that 1,000 executions have occurred in the United States. Between the thirty-eight states that approve of the death penalty, and the thirty-two that have used in since 1976, there are five different execution methods that are available, each having their disadvantages ( Friedman 85). The first of these execution styles is death by hanging. Until the late 1800’s, this type of murder was the primary execution type in the united states. Many states have since stopped hangings, but it has not been gotten rid of completely. Currently, it is still used in Delaware, Washington, and New Hampshire. The last record execution hanging dates back to January 25, 1996 in Delaware, when Billie Bailey was hung for being convicted of the murder of an elderly couple. Hanging is just one of the several disturbing ways in which â€Å"justice† is served in America ( Friedman 74). Another way of performing the death penalty is by the use of lethal gas. It is arguably the least violent of execution methods, and it does not mar, or disfigure, the body. There is little pain involved, and it takes minimal time to perform. Several states use this type of execution, including California, Maryland, Mississippi, and Wyoming. The latest recorded execution by lethal gas was in 1999 in Arizona ( Friedman 74). If there were such a thing as the â€Å"best† execution method, this would be the one. The rarest of type of performing capital punishment is by the use of a firing squad. First, the convicted is led into an execution room where he will sit upon a blood absorbing chair. He is placed before five gunmen, holding four bullet guns and a blank, so that the killers would not be identified. After being covered with a black hood, members of the firing squad aim for the heart, instantly killing the criminal. The latest firing squad execution was in January of 1996, when John Albert Taylor of Utah was sentenced to the death penalty. Death by firing squad is very uncommon and is used only upon an inmate’s request ( Friedman 74). The most currently used method of capital punishment is lethal injection. The performance consists of three drugs entering the bloodstream. They include sodium pentothal, which knocks out the person, pancuronium bromide, which causes widespread paralysis, and lastly, potassium chloride, which induces a heart attack, killing the convicted criminal. Death penalty supporters believe this type of injection is the most humane, because it is said that once the first drug enters the bloodstream, that the victim drifts off to sleep and feels no pain. However, there is no proof backing this theory up, and taking into the consideration of the strength of potassium chloride, it is nearly impossible to believe that the person does not feel any pain ( Friedman 77). Lastly, electrocution is the fifth and final type of execution. First introduced in the 1880’s, it is currently the second most common type of criminal murder behind lethal injection. The process begins with the criminal being thoroughly shaved to avoid interference with the electrical current. Then they are strapped into an electrocution chair. A saline-moistened sponge is placed upon the person’s head to conduct the electric current that flows throughout the body. This is then covered by a metal hat. The prisoner is then blindfolded. A flip is then switched, sending anywhere from 500-2000 volts of electricity through the body, hoping to kill the person within seconds. Ten states allow this type of execution, and it is the only type of execution permitted in Nebraska. It is by far the most cruel type of criminal punishment, due to the fact that the prisoner is caused an immense amount of pain. A specific case involving this occurred in Alabama in 1983. John Louis Evans caught fire while being executed, and it took over 14 minutes before he was finally pronounced dead. All types of the death penalty are brutal murders, but electrocution by far is the worst ( Friedman 75). † Because the current death penalty law, while neutral on its face, is applied in such a manner that people of color and the poor are disproportionately condemned to die, the law is legally and morally invalid† ( qtd. in Friedman 61). Capital Punishment is a heinous type of punishment as it is, and the fact the majority of cases are unfair makes it even worse. If the death penalty is to continue, a better effort at least needs to be made to make sure that only defendants that by the lawmakers standards â€Å"deserve to be killed† shall be executed. Whether the situation involves racism, the region in which the crime is committed in, financial wealth, or mental capacity, the death penalty is being unfairly applied upon too many individuals. Racism is one of the most common ways in which Capital punishment is unfairly enforced. In the year 2000, a series of studies was done by the United States Department of Justice. Results from the study show that Caucasians were more than twice as likely to receive plea-bargains in homicide cases than black defendants. A separate study showed that it was at least twice as likely that the prosecution would seek the death penalty if a black person killed a white person, than if a white person killed a black person. A similar 3,900 case study by Jack Boger, a law professor at the University of North Carolina, confirms the statement that if a white human is murdered, it is twice as likely the prosecution will seek the death penalty ( Progressive 135-36). The amount of black criminals that are on death row are beyond all imaginations. Richard Dieter, executive director of the Washington Death Penalty Information Center, did a studying on criminal cases in which capital punishment was sought by the prosecution. Results showed that 72% of these cases involved a black defendant. Amnesty International is also one of the many organizations that believe too that the death penalty is racist. The organization’s evidence shows that since 1977, the amount of black and white murder victims are nearly equal. However, over 80% of these homicides that received the death penalty involved having a white victim ( 2001Jost 952). Black people are unfairly treated when it comes to capital punishment, but they are definitely not the only ones. Secondly, the unfairness of capital punishment is brought out by a defendant’s wealth. Poor defendants receive attorneys who are inexperienced, underpaid, and unmotivated, giving them slim chances of having a chance of innocence. A statement from the United Nations Human Rights Commission stated that an poverty-stricken criminal’s chances of receiving the death penalty increase immensely compared to a rich person, only because of a poor defensive argument ( Parks 57). Amnesty International also reports that 95% of inmates on death row are not even wealthy enough to afford their own attorney, possibly being the reason that they are there ( 2010Jost 973). Although it is said that money cannot buy happiness, it sure has the ability to keep a convicted criminal alive. Over the past few decades, it has been evident that many parts of the country overuse the death penalty quite a bit. In a 2004 study by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it shows that that the south has carried out 85% of the nations executions, with over half of executions in the United States coming from Virginia, Florida, and Texas, who leads the nation with over 375 executions since 1976 ( 2005Jost 789). Also, out of the top ten states in which capital punishment is used most, the furthest north is the state of Virginia. With all the evidence pointing towards the south becoming a safer place by executing vicious criminals, it is actually the exact opposite. The south has the highest crime rate throughout the country by far, and is the most dangerous region to live in. On the other hand, the northeast has performed the least number of executions. The region also has the lowest murder rate in the country ( Friedman 37). Evidence clearly shows that the south is executing way too many people, and it part of the explanation as to why the south has so many homicides. â€Å"We shall never execute anybody who is mentally retarded† (qtd. in Progressive 132). This quote made by President George W. Bush shows that the debate of whether or not â€Å"mentally retarded† criminals should be up for execution continues today. Before 2002, 36 states had prohibited the use of capital punishment on â€Å"mentally retarded† defendants. In June of 2002, the supreme court issued a ruling, ending the execution of those with intellectual disabilities. Although this may sound like good news, it still is not nearly enough. Regulations for states classification of an intellectual disabled person include a significantly limited amount of functioning and behavior, and some states include that the defendant must have an IQ below 65 to be considered â€Å"mentally retarded†. These limitations may prevent some executions for mentally slow people, but certainly not all. One of the most nationwide known cases of this involved Virginia’s Earl Washington. In 1983, Washington, having an IQ of 69, was convinced by police that he was guilty of the rape and murder of a Virginia woman. After confessing he was sentenced to execution. In 2000, just days before his execution date, Earl was pronounced innocent and released from prison ( Intellectual Disability). This is just one of the many examples of unknown injustices that occur when mentally slow persons are available to receive the death penalty, no matter what their IQ is. It is believed that there are still over 600 people on death row that can be considered in some way, â€Å"mentally retarded† ( Ross 84). Capital punishment in the United States has numerous problems that hurts the justice system immensely. While real criminals are executed and taken off the street, the pro’s of execution do not outweigh the disadvantages of it. Cost, exoneration, time spent on death row, and the fact that capital punishment does not deter murder are all major issues that need to be understood so that people fully understand why the death penalty should be abolished. † The extra money spent on the death penalty could be spent on other means of achieving justice and making the community safer: compensation for victims, better lighting in crime areas, more police on streets, or longer periods of incarceration for certain offenders† ( Friedman 12). Cost is a big issue when it comes to the choice between capital punishment or keeping a criminal behind bars for life. Many believe that execution saves the country a great deal of money. It actually is the exact opposite, causing states such as Florida and Indiana an extra forty million dollars on executions annually for each state. The average cost of an execution in the United States ranges anywhere from 2-5 million dollars. This includes the time spent on death row, plus the execution itself. The cost to keep a criminal in prison until death is around $760,000. This surprises many individuals and knowing more information on the death penalty may changes the Capital Punishment views of Amer icans ( Fagan). The United States is known for being the most active state when it comes to executions. Those who believe this statement are absolutely correct, because the United States has more death row inmates than any other country in the world ( American Civil Liberties Union 126). All of these people on death row also spend an incredibly long time on death row, which is a main reason that the cost of an execution is so much. In most cases, a death row inmate will spend 10-20 years on average in prison before they are executed. This is due to several things. One is that the government wants to be absolutely sure that the criminal is guilty as charged, even though innocent people have still been executed. Another reason is the numerous appeals that these possibly innocent people file, trying to convince others of their innocence. These issues are important in showing that death row is full of inmates for years, where instead, the inmates could be at normal prisons serving a life sentence ( Frie dman 11). In August of 1993, Ruben Cantu of Texas was executed on charges of robbery and homicide. Later, new evidence, as well as a signed statement by the confessed murder, proved Cantu’s innocence. Many death row inmates have been exonerated through the history of Capital Punishment, and Ruben Cantu is one of many who have been wrongly executed. Another case involved Frank Lee Smith, who was convicted of raping and murdering an eight-year-old girl. Smith spend fourteen years on death row and died of cancer. It was later proven that he was innocent of all charges. Since 1989, there have been more than 180 post conviction exonerations, thanks to the use of DNA technology. The average person who has been exonerated in one of the 31 states where they have occurred has wrongfully spent twelve years behind bars ( Friedman 21). That is more than 180 too many, and not one of those wrongful convictions was necessary.

Cortes Discussion Essay

1. Why is Cortes’ letter a primary source?  2. Is there any information in his letter that he did not actually observe? How do you reconcile this fact with the idea that this is a primary source? Can a document be partially primary and partially secondary? (i.e., written by someone who did not witness the events or experience the emotion?) 3. What can you infer about Cortes’ motives in writing about â€Å"the wonders of Tenochtitlan† and the Aztecs? Why did he choose to write about the topics he addressed in this letter? Who is is intended audience, and how might that have influenced the letter? 4. Using Cortes’ comments in the first two paragraphs, what assumptions can you make about the wealth of the Aztec state? 5. List three characteristics of the Aztec religion. What religious practice did Cortes attempt to do away with? Do you think that he could have been successful? Cortes’ letter is a primary source because he witnessed the events he wrote about first hand. From what I gathered through his writing Cortes did not appear to leave any vital information out as he reported every aspect of the noble city. The way he was able to give his reader, or readers, vivid descriptions of Temixtitlan from the outside in, gives us reassurance that his letter is indeed a primary source. Unfortunately a document cannot be comprised partially primary and partially secondary. Primary accounts are characterized as the direct proof of a period, with material being delivered by eyewitnesses and in this case, Cortes’ time in Temixtitlan. Cortes chose to comprehend the significance of knowing the geology of the domain he wanted to conquer. Clearly, for early explorers knowing the terrain and being able to locate natural resources is the difference between life and death. He also chose certain topics because he is attempting to make his description audience-relatable, and more importantly, he is trying describe the degree of sophistication of this great city. According to the beginning paragraphs you immediately know that Temixtitlan is an exceptional city as Cortes stated the city had many rare and wonderful objects and that he would try to describe the wealth of what he had seen to the best of his ability. The Aztec religion was sacrificial, barbaric, and full of idol worshipping.

Individualism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Individualism - Essay Example This means that external forces do not have the right over the desires or goals of an individual. This includes the government, institutions or the wider society. Logically, the focus of individualism is the individual. This is because the individual is the focus as people try to obtain liberation. Moreover, people have the right to realize themselves and obtain their freedom. It is also logical that individualism is closely associated with one’s lifestyle and behavior that are led by ethics and positions that are philosophical. The world idea seems to appreciate that western civilization has promoted individualism. This is because capitalism promoted individualism as every individual works towards his or her goals in life. However, some people did not seem to agree with this because capitalism did not provide employment to all people. However, people still fought until capitalism was re-introduced. Arguably, this means that even people in Russia believed that capitalism was t he best was towards achieving one’s goal. In summary, individualism focuses on an individual and allows him or her to independence, which in the idea has been enhanced through capitalism. Body Section One People have over the time argued on the connection between individualism and capitalism. Ironically, this is an ideology since individualism believes that one is above all else. However, capitalism can be argued to show individualism only from an economic point of view. This is because what one obtains economically belongs to him or her. This is unlike what communism believed in, that what one has belongs to the whole society. Moreover, individualism rose when capitalism was introduced. This is because people were allowed to do what they desire to as long as it did not negatively affect another individual. For example, one can make a decision of what to or not to sell in the market or even what to buy. This means that people were free to make their decisions without external input while in the market setting. Some of the essays also agree with the fact that capitalism contributed to individualism. However, individualism is just an illusion (Fromm 329). This means that individualism will never be fully achieved. Moreover, it presented to people a lifestyle that was categorized into classes. However, some argue that the world will be chaotic as each person seeks self or individual satisfaction. In my own experience, capitalism has given me a sense of independence. This is because while earning my money, I am in control of my life. Therefore, I can buy go, buy or do what I want since I have my financial freedom. On the other hand, I also have my goals that I work hard to attain regardless of the goals that my family and friends have set for their own lives. According to the essays, capitalism has contributed to individualism. However, each one notes that individualism is just an illusion because it does not exist wholly. This is because one cannot be a co mplete individual due to many factors that ties individual. For instance, the market may seem free, but the financial ability of an individual allows him to buy or not buy certain goods. Moreover, employees have to work in accordance to the terms set by the employees. Consequently, individualism is an illusion. Body Section Two Individualism is about a person, the self. Moreover, the individual has desires, needs and goals that are separate from other persons. Arguably, an individual looks into his or her interest , does also consider that of

ANALYTICAL PAPER Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

ANALYTICAL PAPER - Assignment Example To top it, all off, the strategy in place, advocated more power seeking opportunities for the super power in that decade (Morgenthau & Kenneth 44). Noting the tactic used by the administration of Bush after the nine eleven attacks (Morgenthau & Kenneth 85). The tactic explains that instead of using a responsive strategy the administration used an offensive strategy that reaps from the Taliban attack in different ways that influence their hold on Afghanistan economically. The strategy used by the Bush doctrine was the liberal democracy that considered domestic factors as well as systemic ones that secure neo-dominance over the economic sector. To conclude the neoclassical realism theory, it is imperative to identify that the statesmen considered international imperatives, in the manner, that it affected the strategic nature of the decisions made, based on assessed threats and strategies that remain strategically viable in the response to the threat. The made consideration and the intervention play the role of the state in neo-classical school of foreign dogma theories. International politics theory gives a priori point of view that purposefully unrelated to reality intends on bringing order in the politics of the world in a phenomenal strategy. The theory explains how the politics of the past relate to the modern politics and the nature in which it affects the society and politics. The school views the system as one with system and balances. For the analysis of this school of politics, there is need to understand how it interprets the system. Realism views and defines politics as a society and that it stays governed objectively. The interests of a nation remain defined by its power; therefore, politics is autonomous from other spheres of the economy. But it works in sync with all the other spheres. The interest of a statesman defines the whole nation and

Improving the Interface of Empirical Modelling Tools Dissertation

Improving the Interface of Empirical Modelling Tools - Dissertation Example Related Work Throughout the Empirical Modelling research several tools have been developed to provide a definitive notation environment for developing models. Each of them serves different purpose, but most are based on the EDEN language. The most well known tool used in EM research is tkeden; many models have been built using tkeden. It is a definitive system that can manage definitions based on the EDEN language and is implemented with tk/tcl. Tkeden has had massive contributions throughout EM research and led to many variations based on EDEN. Abstract Definitive Machine Meurig Beynon, Mike Slade and Edward Yung designed the Abstract Definitive Machine (ADM) in 1988. It is designed as a computational model that is based upon definitive representations of state. ADM is a tool for animating the LSD specifications to represent concurrent action by parallel redefinition and reflects context dependence of agent actions by the use of scripts. Cadence Cadence is an environment that is based on the DOSTE interpreter. Candence IDE, the Warwick Games Design (WGD) library and EDEN are examples of modules that can communicate with DOSTE. DOSTE itself is conceived as a special kind of operating system, and has been deployed in this way [3]. In Cadence, DOSTE captures current state via a combinatorial graph: a family of nodes connected by directed edges. There are also labels nodes in the graph. The DOSTE state is constantly being updated, so the structure of the graph is subject to change.

The Compatibilist and Moral Responsibility Research Paper

The Compatibilist and Moral Responsibility - Research Paper Example However, the above person must comply with the United States laws to avoid causing discomfort among the other members of the community. The law prohibits the person from using a microphone to sing at a very loud boisterous level. The act would irritate the nearby apartment dwellers’ sleeping patterns. Singing at the top of one’s voice at 12:00 midnight may anger the next room dweller who needs the silence because her 8 month old baby is sound asleep.               In terms of love, the same individual can freely court whoever he chooses. The same person is free to love someone from the African American race, Asian American race, and European American race.   Same person can court a 40 year old woman or an 18 year old lady. Some confessed homosexuals freely enter into love relations with persons of the same sex. In fact, gay and lesbian marriages are allowed in some parts our United States.   However, the individual cannot force the other person to accept the individual’s love overtures. The other person has the right to freely exercise one’s freedom to accept or reject the love overtures of the suitor or suitors.       In terms of education, any person has the freedom to enroll in any school of one’s choice. The individual can prefer to enroll in Harvard Business School.   One can enroll in London’s Metropolitan University. The same person can study in Washington .D.C. however, the preferred schools have the right to refuse certain student applicants.   The schools can refuse entry to students who do not pass the school’s standard entrance exams.            In terms of work, every individual has the right to apply for work. One can freely choose to apply for a vacant job in any United States government agency. Every person can freely submit one’s job application letter to the London air force.   One can even apply for a job as the bodyguard of the victorious Barack Obama. However, the company or Barack Obama has the freedom to accept or reject the job applicant’s application letter.

Professional development, learning how to deliver Sport Education Assignment

Professional development, learning how to deliver Sport Education model - Assignment Example This study reviews all significant literature that is available in this field of professional development through sports education. The need to understand the impact of sports education on students is incomplete without a thorough understanding of how the education is provided to students in the first place. In a study to understand teaching processes, Curtner-Smith et al (2008), ran an experimental survey by interviewing six American and four British beginner level teachers of sports education. The paper is titled, â€Å"Influence of occupational socialization on beginning teachers’ interpretation and delivery of sport education†. The theoretical framework used to determine the course of action in the experimental study was the process of teachers engaging in sports education at the beginner’s level and then growing to become senior level instructors in one or more sports. To chart the journey of a teacher as he takes his job as a sports education provider seriously over PETE programmer, the different questions asked during the interview were based on three different phases of professional socialization which were acculturation, professional socialization and organizational socialization. The results found were based on all the here factors and would be considered influenced by organizational factors. The teachers were given individual space and interviewed one by one. Individual opinions were noted down and the data was collected from their comments, replies and observations. The procedures employed in the analysis included constant comparison and analytical induction. Most questions that were asked in the survey were directed towards assessing the level of occupational socialization and mode of teaching of sports education to students, which these teachers adopted. It was found that sports education was imparted to students in one of the three forms, namely, watered down version, cafeteria style and full version. The choice of teaching mode

Case Study on Aldi Supermarket Stores in Australia

On Aldi Supermarket Stores in Australia - Case Study Example The mission of this supermarket chain is to provide superior quality products to customers at considerably low prices. In 1990s the company has expanded its operations in Australia through opening few retail stores. Woolworths and Coles have dominated Australian retail market over the years. Aldi has posed a threat for these retail firms by offering wide array of products at low market price. However there are challenges witnessed by Aldi since 60% of grocery market share is owned by Woolworths and Coles. Australians prefer to shop from Aldi but the company would require time to gain competitive advantage in retail sector. In this study, micro and macro environmental factors affecting business operations of Aldi Australia shall be identified, followed by an evaluation on their current marketing strategies. Marketing mix elements would also be redesigned in later part of the study, so as to add value to Aldi’s operations. The first most important micro environment trend is competitors. Strategic advantage could be gained by firms only through positioning their products or services well against that of competitors. Aldi Stores, Australia needs to be proactive by nature rather than reactive. Competitors are an important micro-environmental trend because it decides upon effectiveness of business strategies. For instance, Australian retail industry is dominated by two large players – Woolworths and Coles. Aldi Australia can be successful over longer period of time if the company is able to analyze strategies of its competitors and undertake proactive measures (ALDI, 2015). The competitive trend is a threat for the firm. This is because any innovative strategy designed by competitors can acquire market share of Aldi Stores in Australia. Competitors as a micro trend is important compared to other trends since it cannot be controlled efficiently by the firm. Customers can be considered as the second micro-environmental trend. In case of Aldi Australia,

The Effects of Parental Abuse of Alcohol on Children of Alcoholics Essay Example for Free

The Effects of Parental Abuse of Alcohol on Children of Alcoholics Essay An estimated 6. 6 million children under the age of 18 are living with an alcohol dependent parent. These children are often subjected to a disheveled life style which affects them mentally, emotionally and physically. Researchers have examined the many ways in which this disease impacts children’s lives and if the life style or genetics of the addicted parent leads to a greater risk of dependency as the Child of the alcohol grows older. Addiction negatively affects everyone around it, especially children. The Effects of Parental Abuse of Alcohol on Children of Alcoholics Researchers have long studied the different effects parental use and abuse of alcohol has on children. They have used many methods of study and asked many different questions. Questions of a predisposition to alcoholism through a genetic link have been posed as well as the possibility of it being hereditary. The emotional effects parental alcoholism has on a child have been examined, reexamined and examined again. Researchers have wondered if the child(ren) of an alcohol dependent parent is in any way physically different then the child(ren) of a non-dependent parent. They have posed the thought that children of alcoholics (COAs) are at a greater risk for dependency to substances later in life. Researchers have suggested that inappropriate behavior is a direct result of their parent’s alcoholism, and that COAs experience a different childhood then non-COAs. Sociological researchers have asked if the child loses its identity as â€Å"the child† and takes on a different role in the family, or if the adjustments made by the family to this addiction hinder the growth of the child as a social being. Psychological researchers have examined the possible stunts in the psychological and developmental growth that a child may encounter when placed in the position of COA. A medical researcher may look for a gene that is prevalent in the alcoholic but missing in the non-alcoholic to try an answer if the COA will have that gene and if there is a cure. They may try and find a medical reason for the tendency for alcoholism in some and not in others. There are literally hundreds of studies, looking at hundreds of different things associated with alcoholism. Though researchers may not all look at the same question, they all want to know the same thing; Does parental alcoholism effect the child, and if so, how? Psychological Effects on the Child A COA can feel like they are all alone in a huge world, but the reality is, there are more COAs then we may think. According to Russell, Henderson and Blume (1984), roughly 6. 6 million children 18 years of age and younger live with at least one alcoholic parent. With such a drastically high number, it is of large concern that the child of an alcoholic will suffer some form of psychological trauma due to the parent’s abuse of alcohol. Multiple studies have been done to examine how a child will fare in the home of an alcoholic. Of these studies research has found that COAs run a higher risk, then non-COAs, for emotional, cognitive and behavioral problems. In a study titled â€Å"Children of Alcoholics: Vulnerable or Resilient? † the researchers found that children of alcoholics (COA) are at a higher risk for depression, suicide, eating disorders, chemical dependency and teen pregnancy then non-COAs (Mylant, Ide, Cuevas, Meehan, 2002). Further studies that have been done that compared non-COAs with COAs and found that higher levels of anxiety, general stress and depression are reported among the COA’s then the non-COAs (Schuckit Chiles,1978; Moos Billings, 1982; Anderson Quast, 1983; Preweet, Spence Chakins, 1981). A similar study was also done by Rolf, Johnson, Israel, Baldwin and Chandra (1988); they found that COAs conveyed feelings of loss or lack of control over their environment. Their study showed that COAs, when compared to non-COAs, gave more extreme self-reports of depression. It is not uncommon to find that COAs feel guilt, anger, hatred, fear, embarrassment and loss of control due to their parent’s alcohol abuse. Along with the emotional problems COAs exhibit, they are often involved in behavioral problems including, but not limited to, lying, stealing, fighting, and misbehavior at chool (West Prinz,1987). The school misbehavior can be so severe that COAs are often reported by their teachers as having conduct disorders, being overactive and impulsive (Knoop, Teasdale, Schulsinger, Goodwin, 1985; Schuckit Chiles, 1978; Bell Cohen; 1981, Fine, Yudin, Holmes, Heinemann, 1976; River, 1982; Steinhausen, Gobel Nestler, 1984; Merikangas, Weissman, Prusoff, Pauls, Leckman, 1985; Stweard, DeBlois, Singer, 1979) While their behavior may seem out of control to most people, it tends to be a result of the child’s lack of discipline and a cry for attention or help. While the research is still limited, studies have found that the emotional turmoil COAs report, in most cases, will lessen or cease to exist when the alcoholic parent stops drinking, however it will return if the pattern of alcohol abuse begins again. Moos and Billings (1982) studied the emotional problems of children in relapsed alcoholic families, children in families with a recovering parent and children in families with no alcoholic parent. They found that the children in a relapse home reported higher levels of depression and anxiety then those in recovery homes and homes without an alcohol problem. However children of relapse alcoholics have an equal emotional function level as children of a recovering alcoholic and children with no alcoholic parent. While the study finds that the emotional turmoil will lesson or cease, it is true that a lot of work must be done by the whole family to repair the damage done by alcohol. This work may include the use of a family or individual trained professional. This study does not include the children who escape alcoholic homes, either by age or other means, before the alcoholism has been resolved. Often times, those who leave before a resolve has been met will need to seek the help of a professional to find an end to their emotional struggle. Biological and Genetic Factors It has been said often, and by many people, alcoholism runs in the family. This statement has been proven to be a true fact. Multiple studies have been done on this one topic, all finding evidence of a genetic vulnerability to alcoholism when alcoholism is prevalent in the family (Kaij, 1960; Cloninger, Bohman, Sigvardsson,1981; Schulsinger, Hermansen, Guze Winokur, 1973). In other words a COA has a higher chance of becoming an alcoholic then a non-COA due to a genetic weakness they contain. This genetic vulnerability has been shown to be particularly high males when compared to females. One study found that early onset of alcoholism was more prevalent in males of an alcoholic father (fourfold more) then males of a non alcoholic father (Goodwin, 1985). While most people believe that middle school and high school age children are generally the largest risk group when it comes to addiction, it is, in-fact, another group that has topped the charts. COAs are now being listed as the largest and highest group of children at risk for addiction to alcohol and/or drugs; this is due to the genetic factor and the family environment in which they were raised (Kempfer, 1999). While Kempfer’s study lists environment as a contributing factor in the addiction of COAs, this may be a fraction of the overall reason. In a study done by Schuckit, Goodwin and Winokur (1972) the researchers found that COAs, even when separated from the depended parent and adopted by nondependent parents, continued to have a higher risk of abuse then biological children of nondependent parents. The increased risk is reported to be 2-9 fold greater than the average child of a nondependent parent. Nevertheless, environment cannot be ruled out entirely, two separate studies found that there was a strong connection between substance use/abuse by parents and substance use/abuse by their children. They both found that if a parent takes a substance it is almost inevitable that the child will eventually do the same. Some of the participants in the study reported that seeing their parents do the substance gave them the feeling that it was ok for them to also do the substance (Fawzy, Coombs, Gerber, 1983; Skiffington Brown 1981). Granted not all children follow this mold, but the studies found that as a general statement this will happen. Emotional effects on the child One of the most compiling reasons for research on this subject by a sociological researcher is the idea that family interactions and rituals become defined by the substance use and abuse of a family member. A great many studies have been done to determine just how much the family adjusts and readjusts to the alcoholic member and how these adjustments affect each member of the family. Families who are affected by alcoholism report much higher levels of conflict, stress and isolation then families naffected by this disease. Moos and Billings (1982) found that drinking is the primary factor of family disruption. They stated that a COAs family environment is often characterized by a lack of proper parenting, a lack of family communication, and poor home management. They also found that these deficiencies created a void of proper parental modeling on later needed parental skills. Moos and Billings study found that the void of a proper parental modeling will attribute to the COAs relationship problems later in life. They may encounter relationship troubles with their partners or their children. All families experience some problems; however families affected by alcoholism tend to experience a greater number of issues. These issues may all exist at the same time or may have been experienced at different times. The following is an example of some of the issues that may be experienced: increased family conflict, decreased family cohesion(unity), emotional and/or physical violence, family disorganization, family isolation, individual isolation, illness (mental and/or physical), and increased stress and work problems, financial issues and frequent family moves (Guebaly Offord, 1997). The moving of the family may be attributed to the stigma the alcoholic member has brought on the family through abuse or embarrassment or for financial reasons pertaining to loss of a job or income. Interestingly while alcohol dependent parents lack the skills and ability to provide proper structure and discipline for their children, they tend to demand their children be competent in a vast variety of skills and tasks at a much earlier age then children of non-dependent parents do (Kumpfur DeMarsh, 1986). This added pressure and extreme expectations tends to led to low self-esteem in the COA when the tasks cannot be completed. It may also cause anger and resentment towards the alcoholic parent. As the child grows older it becomes an area of great conflict between the COA and the addicted parent and could lead to the child leaving the home. One study found that 79% of child runaways and homeless adolescents report alcohol use in their childhood home, and 53% report a drinking problem in their childhood home (Booth, Zhang, 1996). Physical effects on the child Alcohol has been cited as an inciter to increased chances of child abuse. One study found that, when comparing parents with a history of alcohol abuse and parents without a history of alcohol abuse, the parents with a history of alcohol abuse had a higher potential for child abuse then the parents without an alcohol abuse problem. (Ammerman, Kolko, Kirisci, Blackson, Dawes,1999) The results of this study are backed by a separate study done at Columbia University. Researchers found that, as reported by child welfare professionals, three of every four child welfare professionals finds substance abuse to be the leading cause in child abuse since 1986. About 75. 7% of those same child welfare professionals finds that children of substance dependent parents are more likely to enter the foster care system and COAs stay in the system for a longer period of time then the other children do (Reid, Macchetto Foster; 1999). Often times it seems that one child will bear the brunt of the abuse more than his or her siblings. According to Tarter, Blackson, Martin, Loeber and Moss (1993) their study found that sons of alcohol dependent fathers received more damaging discipline from their parents then daughters of alcohol dependent fathers or sons and daughters of non-dependent fathers. In a similar study, it was found that mothers with an alcohol dependency problem were more likely to use corporal punishment on their children then mothers without an alcohol dependency problem. The strong likelihood of corporal punishment may account for the length variance of 24-29% (greater for COAs) when looking at inpatient admissions of COAs verse non-COAs. Of the reasons for admissions, the most prominent were substance abuse and mental disorders. In the same study, the researchers estimated that between 70% and 90% of all money spent on the child welfare systems is due to parental substance use/abuse (Reid, Macchetto Foster, 1999). Multiple theories have been formulated to try and explain what makes an alcoholic abusive. Miller, Maguin and Downs (1997) came up with three of their own. Their first theory is the Cognitive Disorganization hypothesis. This idea offers the explanation that the likelihood of violence increases due to the lack of communication among the family. The faltering communication is associated with the consumption of alcohol. When communication fails the alcohol dependent person may misinterpret general social cues, overestimate the presence of threat and underestimate the consequences of violent acts. Their second theory is the Deviance Disavowal hypothesis. This idea finds that the abuser removes the blame of the violence from him/herself and places it onto the alcohol. This action effectively minimizes their personal responsibility for their violent actions and removes all guilt they may feel. Their final theory is the Disinhibition hypothesis, this idea offers the explanation that alcohol has a pharmacological interference with the centers of the brain that inhibit socially acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. These theories are not a definitive answer, but they give some idea into what may be the reason for alcoholism and child abuse being so closely linked. Conclusion The studies have shown that a parents use and abuse of alcohol will affect their child in a negative way. While these studies still continue to be done, it seems that the number of children subjected to this life style still increases. It is impossible to deny that this is a real problem, as the COAs grow older and begin a life of their own, they risk repeating the cycle and subjecting more children to the same situation, or worse, then the one they were in. The studies have been done, now we need to find away to fix the problem before it gets any worse.

Physical Surveillance Essay Example for Free

Physical Surveillance Essay The act of surveillance is designed to observe individuals, areas or objects that are of particular interest to an investigator in order to collect information and evidence that may be associated with a suspect and his related criminal activities. Physical surveillance is a method of examination of a particular area that is linked to a crime scene or a suspect. This may include inspecting the area when the crime took place, as well as the victim’s and suspect’s homes, vehicles and paraphernalia. Examination will cover both the conditions of the places and items, as well as the position of the places and items in the particular areas. Physical surveillance is important in a crime scene investigation because it provides a way for the investigator to reconstruct the scene and make inferences on what actually happened during the incident (Gardner, 2005). Any area that is associated with a crime is identified as soon as a crime has been established or reported. In addition, these particular areas are protected from any type of disruption by putting a crime scene tape along the perimeter of the area concerned. It has been reported that the most complicate part of an investigation is the establishment and protection of the boundaries of a crime scene because the signs related to a scene are often elusive to an investigator. Other investigators employ search dogs to facilitate the establishment and tracking of a crime scene. Photography is commonly employed in the physical surveillance of a crime scene. This visual documentation of an area is very helpful to an investigator because it physically records the features of the area before any other activity is performed to the crime scene. Physical surveillance also involves marking all potential evidences to the crime. In addition to photographs, sketches of the crime scene are also important in physical surveillance of a specific area. Sketches are generally considered as essential information of crime scenes because these serve as detailed notes of the investigation, although the diagrammatic representation is of less quality than a simple photograph. Sketches provide measurements of the crime scene, including distances between two points of interest that are located within the area under investigation. An investigator often starts with a rough sketch and eventually moves on to a final sketch that is drawn to scale. These sketches are commonly employed as models during court hearings and trials because these provide the floor-plan of an area of interest, the elevation of the area and its details and other critical dimensions that may be helpful in the analysis of a crime scene. Physical surveillance serves more purposes in a crime scene investigation than a technical surveillance because it provides the investigator with sufficient evidence that may be important in linking a specific suspect to a particular crime. Technical surveillance does not provide the specific details that physical surveillance provides because it does not provide any associative details that are critical to an investigation. In addition, physical surveillance provides a view of the crime scene through an observer’s eyes and this usually provides a neutral view of the area, removing any biases and discrimination of certain items and areas. Physical surveillance also provides a better understanding of a crime incident through the note-taking that is performed on the area, including any traces of struggle or bullet holes. It also assists the investigator in reconstructing the sequence of events that are related to the crime, including the initial moments of what was said, done or executed by the victim and the suspect.

Organizational and Management Theories

Organizational and Management Theories Introduction: Organizational behavior is the backbone of any business. It is used to study about the internal character and the external character of the people in the firm. Organizational behaviour is the study of how individuals and groups perform together within an organization. It focuses effectively on managing individuals, groups, organizations, and processes (Steven Stralser, 2004). Organizational behavior is convenient shorthand that refers to the numerous interrelated influences on and patterns of behaviour of people within organizations. (Porter, Lawler and Hackman) The culture of the organization can be measured in the terms of the individuals, group as well as from the whole organization. So for the purpose of analyzing the factors that affect the organization we need to analyze the factors that will affect the character of the individual, group as well as the whole organization. The organization will run in different ways inside. Most of the times this is formal and sometimes this is informal as well. Most of the problems residing in the company are based on the interpersonal problems. To over come the problems within the employees the company has managed to come up with few ideas. Understanding Organizational Behavior Evolution of management: Classical organization theory evolved during the first half of this century. It represents the merger of scientific management, bureaucratic theory, and administrative theory. (David S. Walonick, Ph.D.) Scientific approach of management: (1) (2) The scientific management was formulated by Frederick Winslow Taylor (often called Taylorism) in the years of late 19th century in order to increase the productivity in the firm. His theory had four basic principles: 1) find the one best way to perform each task, 2) carefully match each worker to each task, 3) closely supervise workers, and use reward and punishment as motivators, and 4) the task of management is planning and control. Most of the principles are applicable to almost all the organizations and it was widely accepted by the firms in that time. The main objective that stands with this theorem is to gain economic growth by improving the labor productivity. All the things needed to increase the productivity of the firm had been included in this theorem. Taylor noticed most of the problems with the workers in terms of the intelligence, creativity, talent, motivation, skills and more. These differences are the main reason for the low productivity in the firm. Taylor was a lathe operator and foreman. The scientific approach developed by the Taylor is the first to use the science to weigh the value of the individual workers. He said that taking the decisions of the industry just by the wish of the decision maker and the thumb rule should be omitted and the importance should be given more to the careful study of the process of taking the decision. More analysis has to be done before taking any kind of decisio n. It created new era in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. Most of the firms in those days accepted the theorem as the new way to increase the productivity rather than taking the decisions by using the old imposed methods. The Taylors theorem was first coined as the term shop management or process management. Later it was changed to the name scientific management. This method is implemented in most of the firms to reduce the wastage of the resources and increasing the productivity in the company. Most of the industries in those days were based on product development. There were fewer firms based on the services oriented. So it was well applicable to those time period/ but later it was falling in the negative side, as it was giving more importance to the part of improving the productivity that the human value. For example, during one of Taylors own implementations, a strike at the Watertown Arsenal led to an investigation of Taylors methods by a U.S. House of Representatives committee, which reported in 1912. The conclusion was that scientific management did provide some useful techniques and offered valuable organizational suggestions, but it gave production managers a dangerously high level of uncontrolled power. After an attitude survey of the workers revealed a high level of resentment and hostility towards scientific management, the Senate banned Taylors methods at the arsenal. (3) Certainly Taylorisms negative effects on worker morale only added more fuel to the fire of existing labor-management conflict, which frequently raged out of control between the mid-19th and mid-20th centuries. Thus it inevitably contributed to the strengthening of labor unions, which was the opposite of any of Taylors own hopes for labor relations. That outcome neutralized most or all of the benefit of any productivity gains that Taylorism had achieved. Thus its net benefit to owners and management ended up being small or negative. It would take new efforts, borrowing some ideas from Taylorism but mixing them with others, to produce a winning formula. Classical theory of management: The classical theory of management has done most of its work on the flow of the control and the decision making capacity in an organization. It splits the organization into three levels based on the power they are having in changing the firm with their decisions. They are classified as top level management, middle level management, and Low level management. The top level management comprises of the directors and other board members who have the authority to take the decisions of the firm by themselves. In might include any acquisitions to be made, opening new departments, expanding in the international markets, applying innovations to create a new product, closing productivity of existing products etc. All the strategies that are going to affect the firm in a major aspect will have its birth from the table of the top level management. The middle level management is the supervisors who carry the decisions made by the top level to the bottom level. The middle level management is there to manage the decisions taken and to process those things to split the work among the different personnel across the organization. The low level persons are the real workers of the firm. They are the ones who execute the plans and the decisions of the top level management and the middle level management. These bottom line workers are the labors who were working for the hourly wage or sometimes as contractors. Most of the individuals in this level are low thinkers and capable of doing things they got expertise in. Hawthorne studies: (4) The Hawthorne effect an increase in worker productivity produced by the psychological stimulus of being singled out and made to feel important. Along with Frederick Taylors work, this study gave rise to the field known as Industrial Psychology as social group influences and interpersonal factors must also be considered when performing efficiency research such as time and motion studies. The major finding of the study was that almost regardless of the experimental manipulation employed, the production of the workers seemed to improve. One reasonable conclusion is that the workers were pleased to receive attention from the researchers who expressed an interest in them. The study was only expected to last one year, but because the researchers were set back each time they tried to relate the manipulated physical conditions to the workers efficiency, the project extended out to five years. Four general conclusions were drawn from the Hawthorne studies: The aptitudes of individuals are imperfect predictors of job performance. Although they give some indication of the physical and mental potential of the individual, the amount produced is strongly influenced by social factors. Informal organization affects productivity. The Hawthorne researchers discovered a group life among the workers. The studies also showed that the relations that supervisors develop with workers tend to influence the manner in which the workers carry out directives. Work-group norms affect productivity. The Hawthorne researchers were not the first to recognize that work groups tend to arrive at norms of what is a fair days work; however, they provided the best systematic description and interpretation of this phenomenon. The workplace is a social system. The Hawthorne researchers came to view the workplace as a social system made up of interdependent parts. Maslows Hierarchy Of Needs Abraham Maslow developed a theory of personality that has influenced a number of different fields, including education. This wide influence is due in part to the high level of practicality of Maslows theory. This theory accurately describes many realities of personal experiences. Maslow has set up a hierarchy of five levels of basic needs. Beyond these needs, higher levels of needs exist. These include needs for understanding, esthetic appreciation and purely spiritual needs. In the levels of the five basic needs, the person does not feel the second need until the demands of the first have been satisfied or the third until the second has been satisfied, and so on. Maslows basic needs are as follows: Physiological Needs These are biological needs. They consist of needs for oxygen, food, water, and a relatively constant body temperature. They are the strongest needs because if a person were deprived of all needs, the physiological ones would come first in the persons search for satisfaction. Safety Needs When all physiological needs are satisfied and are no longer controlling thoughts and behaviours, the needs for security can become active. Adults have little awareness of their security needs except in times of emergency or periods of disorganization in the social structure (such as widespread rioting). Children often display the signs of insecurity and the need to be safe. Needs of Love, Affection and Belongingness When the needs for safety and for physiological well-being are satisfied, the next class of needs for love, affection and belongingness can emerge. Maslow states that people seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation. This involves both giving and receiving love, affection and the sense of belonging. Needs for Esteem When the first three classes of needs are satisfied, the needs for esteem can become dominant. These involve needs for both self-esteem and for the esteem a person gets from others. Humans have a need for a stable, firmly based, high level of self-respect, and respect from others. When these needs are satisfied, the person feels self-confident and valuable as a person in the world. When these needs are frustrated, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless and worthless. Needs for Self-Actualization When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a persons need to be and do that which the person was born to do. However, it is not always clear what a person wants when there is a need for self-actualization. (from Psychology The Search for Understanding by Janet A. Simons, Donald B. Irwin and Beverly A. Drinnien West Publishing Company, New York, 1987) The hierarchic theory is often represented as a pyramid, with the larger, lower levels representing the lower needs, and the upper point representing the need for self-actualization as below: The above theories give rise to the necessity of Human relations and team dynamics which play a major role in the successful performance of a company. Human Relations: (5) Human relations can be defined as the cordial atmosphere in an organization in which people practice the art of living in such a way that they communicate, act, interact and transact in a cordial manner recognizing each others needs, views, values and temperaments so that every interaction and transaction which takes place in an organization would have concern for each others interests and feelings leading to better motivation and morale of people at all levels in the organization. The business organizations of today, and days to come, must employ and manage educated and enlightened human beings in their work force, in place of traditional, illiterate and less ambitious man power. Team dynamics: (6) Team Dynamics are the unseen forces that operate in a team between different people or groups. Team Dynamics can strongly influence how a team reacts, behaves or performs, and the effects of team dynamics are often very complex. It is the responsibility of the manager to look into the group regarding the communication issues. The managers have to make sure that there are no personal disputes in the group and the communication mode is perfect in making the decisions within the group. And the authority given for a person is used in the right way and has never been misused. The responsibility to make sure that the ideas of any individuals are freely opening in the group resides with the manager. The group is made of individual characters. Hence the dispute between any two of the characters will lead to the destruction of the whole team. The team is made up of different people, different gender, from different location so they have to develop the skills to learn from each other. They should find the opportunity in the difficult times. Thats the real way to learn the things. People from different location can learn each others way of living, way of habit, their cultures and more. Even there may be difference in t he way of learning. So, all the things will be helpful in a team. The size of the team will also sometimes influence the way of attraction or the way that is causing the dispute between people. If the size of the team is too small in a single digit, then managing that group is somewhat easier than the other. Some of the people in a group will actively participate in all the works of the group. But others used to avoid such things. They wont actively participate in the team events. Some of the positive aspects about the team dynamics are as follows: This drags others in the team to get into the discussion, So that the team friendliness increases. Will increases the social feel to the group and the people start taking the things at ease. Remove their hesitation to play and having fun with other. And that kind of friendship asks them to be more informal and make their minds free of the stress. So the people will not have to expect the motivation and encouragement from any of the formal persons or through the beneficiary acts. Their team members are there to please them at the needed time. But it has some negative effects too. If two people were friends in a group, then the other people might find it difficult to get between them. So eventually there will be two sub groups. Most of the information passed through these groups is not passed to other group. Social culture within them gets spoiled and the people are not actively participating in each others activities. The decision making of the group is to be done without the intervention of one of the groups. The miscommunication within the team will lead to the poor performance from that team. At the time of problem the members of the group have to find the solutions as a team. This will reduce the processing time of the problems as well as bring out lots of alternative solutions for a single problem. Likewise the solution may be innovative and smart and sometime it will reduce the amount of resource we need to reduce. Thus it reduces the cost of implementing the solution. Let us consider an example to understand team dynamics: Suppose in a small team of six people working in one office there are two people who have a particularly strong friendship. This friendship is a natural force that may have an influence on the rest of the team, and can be manifest in various ways, either positively or negatively. The positive effect of a strong friendship in a team might be: The friends communicate a lot together which naturally results in other members being drawn into the discussion which results in a good social feel to the group which makes people enjoy being in the group which improves motivation and commitment The negative effect of a strong friendship might be: To cause the other four people to feel excluded which means they are less likely to include the two friends in decision making which means that there are likely to be two sub-groups which means that information may not flow across the whole group, but only within the subgroups which means that miscommunication may lead to misunderstanding and poor collective performance Case Study: To discuss the organizational structure and its patterns lets look into the following case study on Wipro Technologies Wipro Technologies is one of the largest IT services firm in India that has been started in the year of 1985, by Azim Premji. The Wipro Technologies is the subsidiary of Wipro limited started first as the company that produced the sunflower oil and 787 laundry soap. The IT services of the Wipro are being providing its services to the companies in Europe, America, Japan and almost all the parts of the world. The company majorly operates in three segments such as Global services India and Asia pacific services Consumer care and lightning The company is having it services in almost all the parts of the business such as health care, insurance, banking, military, hospital, mobile, finance, media, business management and more. The services provided by the Wipro are as database management, customer relationship management, business consulting, business intelligence, network management, testing services, enterprise application development, security applications and more. Wipro is one of the IT firms that is giving importance to the innovations of the tag line Wipro Applying Thought Wipro is having more than 40 centers of excellence that provide solutions to the number of industries across the nation. With its unmatched business solutions through the process excellence, service delivery innovations innovation, Wipro is the first company to receive the CMMI level 5 in the software services company. And also to receive the IEEE software process award by a company that is outside of the United States. Wipro has strong faith in the innovation and according to them the innovation will act as a significant partner in developing the business and achieving high goals. The top management of the Wipro was keen in looking for the innovation within the organizations. The top management believes that to become top most in the IT servicing firms, it has to make lots of changes in the innovative way. Some of the innovations made within the company as per the recent trends are introduction of home networking, wireless communications and workplace collaboration. Wipro is the first company to make the multiprocessor systems in India and making mini computer along with the compiler that was written in India. In the later years the company made its step into the IT related services. By the years of 1990s it became one of the notable firm in providing the IT related services. After the Infosys and the Tata consultancy services, Wipro is the major software exporter of India. After globalization started making impact on the world market, the IT service providing in India got a boom. Wipro was one among them to take their ship in that wave and was successful eventually. However, just like any other organizations, Wipro has its own flaws and was not an exception, where the employees face the same challenges as any other IT firm would face. Below are some of the common problems faced by the individuals in a software firm: Benching: Whenever the software industry is in need to get the status of the multi national company they will have to show some internal status to get that MNC grade. For that they have to implement their offices for development as well as marketing in other nations also. Likewise they have to show the certain number of employees working in their company. Accordingly, more than the required number of employees will be employed for the projects. As some of the employees would not be assigned to any of the projects, they will be idle and this process is called being on Bench. During the bad economic times and recession they will terminate the employment of those who are not assigned to any of the send out the persons who were not assigned with any of the projects. The job of a person in the MNCs is not safe. But that person is provided with the huge salary. Technical up gradation: Most of the people in the software firm fail to update themselves with the software field needs updating frequently. Without the up gradation of knowledge no one can survive in the field. Since it is the emerging domain, employees have to keep themselves well prepared. The firms will keep on training the persons with new technology and keep on appraising on the basis of their knowledge. The persons showing poor result during the appraisals would be de-promoted or thrown out of the firm at any time. So, unless and until the employees keep themselves updated with the growing needs, their jobs are in danger. Inadequate Time span: The employees are getting less time to finish their projects and the companies are looking for cutting the unwanted cost and to gain more. The employees are stressed more to accomplish the tasks. So the software engineers are expected to put more hours to work which not only affects the potential of the individuals but also the work-life balance of ones life. Lack of training: Most of the people in the software firm are not getting enough training when they are placing them in new project with new technology. They are supposed to learn all those sort of new technologies by themselves. So their work will not have perfection. High stress: It is not the kind of job for the people who are not capable for solving their solving their stress. Because the software domain jobs are highly payable, it also produces more stress in you than other jobs. People work on their computers for longer periods of time without any movement around and cannot be felt relieved from stress. Though the entities are concentrating on the stress management programs, employees are not able to find value in them, as at the end of the day the project work is your first responsibility. Recommendations for effective Management for the above discussed problems: (6) Developing effective management skills to deal with specific challenges and problems of each organization is the urgent needs of many businesses and organizations in the global competitive environment, rapid changing of technology and environment. The new tendency of training and development of successful organizations over the world today is developing effective skills in dealing with specific challenge of their own organization to reach their own mission and objectives in the new organization that characterized by networked, flat, flexible, diverse, global organization. An effective management should have the following skills. Creative Problem Solving Skills: This includes identifying the cause of the problem, analyzing the problem and developing and implementing a creative and sensible approach for the problem Communication Skills: The effective communication should ideally include listening, presentation and report writing skills where the employees should be provided adequate training and awareness on. Conflict Management Skills: Management should capable of identifying any sources of conflict, understanding the style of conflict resolution and should be able to choose the best strategy for dealing the conflict Self-Awareness and Improvement: The management should emphasize on the concept of self-management and the effectiveness of self-management. This can be done by developing a holistic thinking and understanding the emotions in the work place of the employees Traditional versus Contemporary Organizational structure and Culture: (7) Traditional organizations emphasize a strict division of labor, top-down decision-making, and extensive rules and procedures where as on the other hand the contemporary design flattens the traditional pyramid structure, facilitates the flow of information to all parts of the organization and reduces response time to external and internal demands. It is to be noted that the traditional organization is a pyramid with a president at the top, a few vice presidents, and layers of management and the majority of employees at the bottom. Jobs are specialized, and information and authority flow from higher to lower levels. Wipro Technologies has been following the traditional organizational structure when it has first started with the production of sunflower oil and laundry soaps, until it entered the IT market. However, as the times passed by, due to the expansion of the firm in to global market with a variety of services, it chose to follow the modern organizational structure to grow as per the industry standards. In the modern times, especially for an organization like Wipro where it has emerged in to the global markets, the contemporary or the modern organizational structure suits the best as it is in par with the changing times. Conclusion: Thus, it is very evident that all the organizational and management theories put forward are to help the organizations to be successful in terms of their individual employees, groups, management and environmental changes. The organizations choose the type of organizational structure to be followed, either modern or traditional depending on the vision, industry and the market approach of the firm. It is no be noted that the individual employees contribute to the major part of the firms success and therefore the management should always bear in mind the human relations and team dynamics with in the organization while effectively managing the groups.

Essay --

Rivalry is a relationship between two or more actors characterised by extreme competitions, and usually psychological antipathy. It is shaped by the past relations between the antagonists and recent interactions between them. The definition of rivalry encompasses two dimensions: competitions over the issues and psychological antipathies. The issues in rivalry may comprise of external or domestic political factors. Rivalry requires a certain level of recognition by actors of two rival states to distinguish them from competitions. It is distinguished from competition among actors by its non-anonymity. In rivalry, each actor knows that autonomous actions will affect the behaviour of every other rival state. In response to these actions, other actors will also react self-protectively. Rivalry is a process that consists of two elements, competition and socialisation. Competition is a situation within which actors find themselves while socialisation is ongoing process that takes place within a competitive situation. Both, Competition and socialisation are determined by capabilities of the rival states. Capabilities allow state a certain position in the international system. If this position is attained it becomes a primary concern for socialization to maintain. Competition accounts for rivalries between states with similar capabilities. Thus, Rivalry is a dynamic state of affair which keeps on f luctuating over the time. Prior to Islamic Revolution, Iran and Saudi Arabia were both status quo monarchies under the US’s ‘twin Pillar’ System. It was the Iranian Revolution that spelt out a radical change in interstate relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia that led to an uncertainty in their relations. The threat that Islamic revolution... ...e. In case of Syria, Saudi Arabia has tried to topple down Iran’s important ally Bashar al-Assad regime. Saudi Arabia aspires to smash the axis between Iran and Syria. By this way, it weakens Iran’s influence in the region and disrupts Iran’s supply links to Hezbollah and Hamas which eventually weakens Iran. Thus, actions taken by Iran and Saudi Arabia against each other on various issues reflect the rivalry between them. In almost all parts of West Asia, the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is prevalent and inclined to increase in depth, scope, and intensity. The two states aims at steering the course of events, shaping developments, and influencing decisions according to their respective political preferences. Hence, it can be said that the rivalry between Iran and Saudi Arabia is shaped by the past relations along with the recent developments in the region.

Homes for the Homeless Essay example -- Sociology, Homelessness

Homelessness is a major health issue around the world that needs to be addressed. Many individuals in a community often misinterpret the cause of homelessness. Comments towards homeless people such as â€Å"get a job† or â€Å"go to school† often are used freely by members of soci-ety because they fail to look at the comprehensive of this oppressing issue. Homelessness has a strong link to the determinants of health (DOH), most notably income and social status (Fingfeld, 2010). The article, â€Å"No Funding for Homes for the Homeless† speaks on the issue of homeless-ness within the city of Prince Albert. Furthermore, the article illustrates that homelessness is a community issue not solely an individual issue. Therefore, this paper will discuss the issue of homelessness within Prince Albert and propose a plan of action for the community to see the â€Å"bigger picture† and address this issue utilizing a critical social approach. Homelessness The term homelessness can be used to recognize individuals and families living outdoors, in need of â€Å"core housing,† in emergency hostels, in shelters, and who are precariously being housed (Crowe, 2008). Stats Canada’s 2006 census found that 19,630 people in Canada are being housed in a shelter at any given time (as cited in Stuart et al., 2008). The most common homeless individuals are males aged 35 to 64 with an overrepresentation of Aboriginals (Stats Canada as cited in Stuart et al., 2008; Begin et al. as cited in Stuart et al. 2008). Crowe (2008) explains that homelessness is an emergency in almost all Canadian communities and that a ma-jority of communities are struggling with the same problems including an increasing number of homeless families, shortage of shelter space, concern about the ... ...Haradon, & Phinney, 2008). Therefore, if the government works with programs like the homes for the homeless in the community homeless rates will be de-creased within the city. Conclusion All in all, homelessness is a growing issue and requires social action to overcome the inequities. A nurse has the ability to help decrease inequities in society by working at an indi-vidual, community, and political level. CST can be used as a framework to target the issue and work with the homeless population. Many variables influence homelessness therefore a multi-factorial approach is required to produce a positive outcome. Further, taking into account the determinants of health, the underlying cause of an individual’s homelessness will be determined. Homelessness is an issue that affects the entire community, and should be addressed in a profes-sional manner.

Impact of AIDS on Sub-Saharan Africa’s Economy

Sub-Saharan Africa is the part of the world most terribly influenced by AIDS.   By the end of 2004 it was estimated that twenty-six million inhabitants in Sub-Saharan Africa were suffering from AIDS. Approximately seven to eight per cent of the grown population is affected, with occurrence rates getting as high as forty per cent in a few countries.Females are strangely infected, with adolescent girls five times more prone than teenage boys to catch AIDS. In 2004 only, two million people expired of AIDS in Sub-Saharan Africa.However the epidemic has far stretched from its peak, since infectivity rates are still exceeded casualties from AIDS. Due to the gap between infectivity and successive death, we have until now to see the full impact of AIDS on Sub-Saharan Africa’s society as a whole.There have been differing opinions over how AIDS has affected the economic future of the African continent. Mixed messages on the true economic repercussions of the spread of the disease have contributed to a limited response, despite the inclusion of combating AIDS in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).One of the least studied but most significant areas of the epidemic's impact is rural agriculture. Though long de-prioritized, rural agriculture is a source of livelihood for millions on the African continent and is now again being perceived as a crucial contributor to economic growth and development by such organizations as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).Hunger, food aid and agricultural subsidies are all key elements of the current discourse on Africa in policy circles and in the media, but few studies have assessed the impact of AIDS on agriculture to push for specific interventions to mitigate the impact of the epidemic on rural agriculture.This disease has affected millions of people and since many of them are farmers therefore it has indirectly affected agriculture also. Since agriculture is a major source of capital for individuals and t he country therefore it has affected the economy of Africa also. It seems clear that such high levels of illness and mortality will severely hamper economic performance in the most heavily affected countries.Yet over the last decade, a number of macroeconomic studies have declared that AIDS is not having a significant impact on GDP growth. These analyses are important because they provide ammunition that allows statesmen and scholars to dismiss the epidemic as not worthy of action and funding.In circles of power around the world, it is money that drives policy initiatives. The claim that AIDS is not impacting economic performance speaks loudly and prevents aggressive intervention.( n5)This paper will start with an assessment of a number of the macroeconomic studies that aim to measure the impact of AIDS on GDP growth, and which contribute to the justification of a limited international response to the disease.Macroeconomic Analysis Of The Impact Of AIDSThe assessments of the macroec onomic impact of AIDS have been largely dismissive due to the unique character of the epidemic. AIDS affects the poorest of the poor: those who are not recognized or measured by traditional macroeconomic indicators. (Ruxin, 2004)As a UN report on â€Å"The Impact of AIDS† notes, â€Å"those rural people whose activities are not counted by standard measurements of economic performance and productivity are among the most vulnerable to the impact of AIDS.†( Bloom,   Mahal, 1997, 108)By not fully accounting for the informal sector, the rural economy and small-scale agriculture are largely dismissed, and women, who play a large role in the informal economy and agricultural sector, are marginalized. While the macroeconomic studies assessing the impact of AIDS disregard them, in fact it is the poor, the rural and women who are most affected by the disease.After decades of neglect by governments and abandonment by structural adjustment programs, there is a renewed focus on a griculture by international organizations and groups such as the World Bank and NEPAD. Agriculture is once again being seen as a driving force for growth in Africa.The Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) released in July 2003 states that â€Å"the high economic growth rates envisaged by NEPAD cannot be realized unless farm production is significantly increased. Higher output will directly reduce hunger and bring down the cost of food imports.It will also have wider economic benefits, from stimulating rural incomes to providing raw materials for African industry.†(Harsch, 2004, 13) However, the rural areas are where AIDS is having its most devastating impact.At a time when population growth is high relative to other emerging economies, the amount of arable land is stable, the quality of land is degrading, and output per hectare stagnant, the rural areas are under increased pressure.Adding the AIDS epidemic into an already precarious mix of factors fo rces the agricultural sector into a dangerous downward spiral and threatens hopes for economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa.Few of the macroeconomic studies specifically address rural livelihoods and agriculture. They also assess the impact of AIDS without acknowledging that, from an economic point of view, the primary impact of the disease manifests mainly among individual economic agents, i.e. individuals and households. (Booysen, Bachmann, 2002)As a result, these macroeconomic models often fail to allow for the effects of a number of important microeconomic impacts which are endogenous to such models. (Booysen, Bachmann, 2002)Though the death of an individual might only represent a minor change in GDP, the macroeconomists fail to understand the ripple effect chronic illness and death has on communities. The impoverishment of communities cascades upwards and impacts macroeconomic measures. The traditional macroeconomic research approach is not sufficient in the face of the widespr ead devastation of AIDS.Microeconomic Analysis Of The Impact Of AIDSIt is vital for researchers to conduct microeconomic household-level studies on the impact of AIDS. Such analyses document the economic choices that households and individuals are forced to make in the face of the epidemic in terms of household composition, labor, productivity, savings and coping strategies.It is these behaviors that will inform observers of the real impact the epidemic is having on sub-Saharan Africa and will thus serve as the basis for understanding the effect of AIDS on families, communities and the nation.Rural Household StudiesIt is clear from existing microeconomic household-level analyses that AIDS is devastating and will continue to devastate Sub-Saharan Africa's rural agricultural sector and, through it, undermines the agricultural and rural revival that many see as the basis of Africa's recovery.As Carolyn Baylies notes, â€Å"AIDS is having a profound effect, undermining rural household production, contributing to declining agricultural output and affecting the very integrity of families and their sustainability as viable units.†(Baylies, 2002, 12)This paper will now delve into a number of the microeconomic studies, with a focus on rural agricultural household studies, to assess the house hold level impact of the epidemic and to investigate the effects that the macroeconomic analyses have largely missed.A 2002 household impact study conducted in South Africa by Frederick Booysen and Max Bachmann explores the impact of AIDS on families in the Free State province. Researchers note that deaths in the households due to AIDS mostly occurred in individuals in their 20s and 30s.A Rwandan study revealed that, for those that died, the average period of illness before death was 23 months: a long period during which care had to be provided and medicines sought. (Donovan, 2003) Household illness dramatically increases the dependency ratio in the home.Booysen and Bachmann note that the households affected by AIDS in fact have a smaller supply of labor than non-affected households, with a larger proportion of the household consisting of children and elderly persons. (Booysen, Bachmann, 2002) Furthermore, dependency is exacerbated by the fact that many individuals return to their rural homes to receive terminal care after becoming ill. (Jayne, 2002)The South African study also assesses the impact of AIDS on household income. The authors note that â€Å"per capita and adult equivalent income in affected households represents only between 50% and 60% of the levels of income in non-affected households.†(Booysen, Bachmann, 2002)This dramatic drop results not only from the loss of labor of the infected individual but also from the burden of care that falls on family members. Importantly, Booysen and Bachmann also explore the impact of the disease on expenditure levels.AIDS significantly alters the consumption patterns of households: â€Å"per capit a and adult equivalent expenditure is between 60% and 70% of the levels of expenditure in non-affected households.† (Booysen, Bachmann, 2002) Notably, affected households spend less on food than non-affected households, which has a negative impact on the health of household members.

Macduff †Banquo Comparison Essay

Dwight D. Eisenhower once said â€Å"peace and justice are two sides of the same coin†. Peace and justice are tied together, both must exist in harmony. In Macbeth we quickly see the injustice of murder destroy the peace of Scotland. It would take a force to bring Macbeth to his knew and order back into Scotland, setting the stage for Banquo and Macduff. Banquo and Macduff play large yet different roles in the demise of Macbeth. Banquo mentally troubles Macbeth causing his mental state to deteriorate, while Macduff capitalizes on the weakness and acts upon it. You will see examples throughout the book: when Banquo stays with Macbeth hiding his suspicion while Macduff rides away telling others of the murder, when the ghost of Banquo haunts Macbeth while Macduff refuses to attend the feast at all and finally throughout the play we see the prophecy of Banquo’s sons driving Macbeth mad; Macduff using Macbeth’s reliance on the witches as a weakness to attack and kill him. Banquo’s suspicion causes Macbeth to worry, not knowing that Macduff had left with his own suspicions. We see the different approaches of the two characters, Banquo hiding his thoughts and sticking close instead of openly discussing his thoughts like Macduff. Banquo has clued in on the connection between the wyrd sister’s prophecy and the murder of Duncan, questioning Macbeth’s morality â€Å"†¦ King, Cawdor, Glamis, all†¦ I fear / thou played’st most foully for it† (3. 1. 1-3). Banquo contains his distrust, watching Macduff from the shadows as he leaves the clearer target. Macduff was the first to find the body of Duncan and does not worry about his own safety, discussing his knowledge with Ross and the Old Man. We see his wording in act 2 scene 4 as doubtful, not believing Macbeth’s reasoning for killing the guards in Duncan’s room. Macbeth still does not see the works of Macduff, who does not attend his crowing ceremony, and is strictly focused on Banquo. He admits to having â€Å"fears in Banquo [which] stick deep† and plans on disposing of him (3. 1. 50-51). Macbeth knows he can no longer trust his once best friend as paranoia and insanity begin to set in. This distraction is the reason Macduff is given leeway to spread his distrusts through the group of secondary characters. In effort, Macbeth has made up his mind to continue onwards with fulfilling the prophecy, a decision that will literally haunt him greatly. The ghost of Banquo terrorizes Macbeth at his banquet, making him act a fool in front of all the thanes. Macduff denies Macbeth publicly by not attending, thus upsetting him greatly. Banquo’s role is further shown to be private or solely concentrated to Macbeth’s knowledge, giving him an insane outer appearance. Macbeth’s mentality only feeds the fire in Macduff as he gains more and more reassurance from the onslaught of murders. We even see his own wife accuse him of â€Å"displac[ing] the mirth, break[ing] the good meeting / with most admir’d disorder† (3. 4. 109-110). Banquo has terrified Macbeth, making his cheeks â€Å"†¦blanch’d with fear† (3. 4. 116) sending him looking for an outlet; the absence of Macduff. He admits to having â€Å" a servant fed â€Å" (3. 4. 132) in all of his thanes houses and knows that Macduff has denied the invitation on purpose. He takes this as an extreme insult, planning to kill Macduff’s family as a punishment. This section has shown Macbeth as very weak and incapable of rational thought processes, taking the absence of a thane as the reason to kill. The fate of Macduff’s family is set in stone, much like Banquo’s, yet it will not grant him anymore safety and will in fact lead him searching for security. Macbeth goes back to the wyrd sisters to gain some more insight on the prophecy. He goes out of desperation, hoping that his fate still holds true to what he has been told and the throne will be forever in his family. Banquo’s sons have forced the hand of Macbeth, pleading the witches not for the truth, but to hear what he wants. The haunting of Banquo’s children has led to the murder of Macduff’s. Action caused by children has connected Banquo and Macduff, as the newly deceased and the future kings will not let Macbeth free. Macbeth takes the witches new prophecy not for what it is, but as what he wants it to be. His head has been inflated, and no longer worrying about the throne’s next owner. Macbeth is at a point where he has nothing to lose and after his wife dies, he is at wits end. Macbeth knows the fate of his kingdom, and will â€Å"die with harness on [his] back† (5. 5. 51). He had thought he was invincible, Banquo had been a nagging recurrence and had punished him mentally. Exhausted, he chose to face and die by the army and Macduff, his true match. Through different ways, Macduff and Banquo were able to break Macbeth both mentally and physically, bringing his reign of terror to an end. Banquo, through suspicion was able to distract Macbeth, his ghost returning, constantly reminding him of his deeds. Macduff, meanwhile, gathered his thoughts and fought Macbeth every step of the way. Using rational methods, he was able to take down a very irrational man. Banquo had written the book all along, all he had to do was wait for Macduff to publish it.

Is Bottled Water Worth It? Essay

In somewhat recent discussions, one of the worlds favorite grab and go drink has come into question whether it’s safe enough to drink or not and that is, bottled water. A well-known convenient commodity to everybody, but some argue it is neither healthy for our environment, our pockets, or ourselves. The people from this perspective say bottled water deserves to be banned because the negatives indeed out weigh the positives. On a different side of the spectrum others use bottled water’s good marketability, convenience and it being a better alternative to soda and other sugary drink found in schools as excuses to keep bottled from being banned. Another interesting view expresses the fact that bottled water is silly in itself but it still should not be banned. So the question is to be banned or not to be banned? Millions of people drink it a day but do they ever question whether what may be in the water they’re drinking? Probably not, nor should they have to. The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit organization that strives to protect the public health and the environment using public information (Langwith 1), had one of the United States leading water quality laboratories test 10 commonly bought bottled water brands in 9 states and in the District of Columbia. What they found might be astonishing to some. They found these brands tested contained a total of 38 chemical pollutants and an average of 8 contaminants in each brand. A third of the chemicals found were not even regulated in bottled water (Langwith 2). Some of the chemicals and pollutants that were found in these 10 brands were things from disinfection products to caffeine and pharmaceuticals. Heavy metals and minerals like arsenic and radioactive isotopes were also found (Langwith 2). It is also not mandatory for bottled water companies to inform their customers when they get contaminants in their water (Langwith 3). So essentially, you don’t know exactly what your getting when decides to drink bottled water. Besides the effects it has on our health it also wastes our money. Two of the brands that were tested, Wal-Mart’s Sam’s Choice and Giant Acadia, were found to be chemically indistinguishable from tap water (Langwith 3). Basically people are just buying they’re water back for 1,900 the price of the tap water they could be getting at their homes for much cheaper. Damaging to the environment as well, out of the 36 billion bottles sold in 2006 only a fifth of them were recycled. The rest of the bottles ended up as litter in places such as landfills, land and in rivers, streams, and oceans. Producing water bottles in the U.S. uses around 1.5 million barrels of oil every year. This is enough energy to power 250,000 homes or fuel for 100,000( Langwith 5). Taking water for plastic bottles puts quite a strain on our rivers, streams, and community drinking water supplies. When water isn’t bottled from a municipal supply these companies must draw it from groundwater supplies, rivers, springs or streams (Langwith 5). Some people view bottled water as a good thing from a marketing point of view and a way to help children in general and in schools. With obesity rates rising in the United States claiming that 17 percent of children in the United States are overweight. Bottled water could be used as a healthier alternative then all the sugary sodas and other drinks that are found in schools. Schools and companies are trying to make bottled water a fun and healthy. Nestle, a bottled water manufacturer came up with the Aquapod, which is a rocket ship shaped bottle to attract the younger buyers (Tucker, Sprague 3). Other brands have also made fun water bottles as well. Bottled water is a constantly growing business. During 2007, bottled water accounted for 17 percent of the non-alcoholic beverages. By the year 2011 the bottled water market grew about 48.5 percent (Tucker, Sprague 3). Charles Fisherman provides an interesting view to the subject stating that bottled water is silly, yet it shouldn’t be banned. He gives an example of the silliness of water bottles with the company Pellegrino and how they wash their bottles with Pellegrino water. But he also says banning water bottles wont teach anyone anything. Regardless there will still be soda and other drinks available that are high in sugar for people to consume. People also need bottled water on campuses because they’re water fountains are dirty and unsafe to use (Fisherman 2). Though these arguments give valid points but do not address the effects that bottled water may have on ones health and environment that in turn is more important then its marketability and how convenient it may be.