Starbucks Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Starbucks Case Analysis - Essay Example The object of analysis for the purpose of this assignment is Starbucks, a vibrant international organization that offers a variety of products in the market, with its core business being the production and sale of coffee-based products. The company’s products are quite varied and include Frappuccino, double shot products, chilled cup coffees, canned and bottled coffees, coffee ice creams, fresh brewed coffee, customer CDs, and books. The company has an international market and features in countries including China, USA, UK, Europe and Canada. The company’s initial mission was to be the World’s premier purveyor of finest coffee without compromising its core principles. Currently, the company’s mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit - one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time. The company’s vision is to open 300 net new stores locally and internationally. The company strategically intends to position itself as the undisputed coff ee authority with a global presence. Like every other organization, Starbucks has its strengths and weaknesses. The strengths of any organization propel it toward greater success while its weaknesses pose a challenge to its continued success and existence. Yet again, every business organization exists in an environment what impacts its activities either positively or negatively. A strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis will be applied in analyzing the position of Starbucks relative to its competitors and success. Strengths Starbucks as a company has a long history having been founded in 1971(Shah and Thompson, nd). The company has undergone significant growth over the years establishing itself as a preferred band across geographical and territorial borders. Having been in operation with a history of success and a good reputation, the company is bound to achieve more success as it can easily capture a greater market share. The company’s success histor y has been overseen by a dedicated management team. Under the leadership of Howard Schultz, the management team has seen the company achieve significant growth in various lines of business. Orin Smith, Jim Donald and other directors of the company had a wealth of experience in their various specialties their weaknesses not withstanding. Currently, Howard Schultz remains the CEO of the company, his dedication and brilliant management and leadership skills bound to make the company retain its success path. Starbucks endevours to be a great place to work(Shah and Thompson, nd). In this respect, it has taken several measures to ensure employee motivation, satisfaction, and dedication. The company’s employees are knowledgeable about the company’s products and services and are free to communicate their ideas and feelings to management without the fear of facing reprisals. Some of the benefits that the company’s employees enjoy include healthcare coverage, opportunity to own stock, and good work environments. Furthermore, the employees are trained on various aspects in respect of the company’s products and services. Their contributions to the company are well recognized as the company has a recognition program. The situation that the company is in as a result of these measures is healthy considering that motivated and satisfied employees are never easy to lose. The company’s turnover rate is significantly low which means that it benefits a lot in terms of high reputation as a good employer, provides high quality service due to its highly experienced workforce and suffers low hiring and training costs. The company has a strong and loyal customer base across different countries. The company is bound to glide in success with such a level of trust from its huge customer base. The company has instituted a number of measures to ensure that its customers are served wherever they are by opening several stores in various locations and throug h its franchises. Starbucks has a strong mission and is guided by principles that are

Cold War Essay Example for Free

Cold War Essay Cold War was a period marked by political, ideological and economic rivalry that emanated from United States and Soviet Union after the Second World War. The animosity between United State and USSR lasted between late 1940s and late 1980s . Cold war was coined from the fact that the two sides feared the effect using weapons, instead they resorted diplomatic ideologies rather than force. The rivalry between these two supper powers was exposed through the weapons developments, military coalitions, advances in industrialization and technology. Cold war brought tension to international crises, for example the Berlin Blockade (1948-49), the Korean War (1950-53), the Berlin crisis in 1961, Vietnam War (1959-75) the Cuban missile crisis and the Afghanistan war which raised fear of a Third World War . The NATO exercise in 1983 patent the end such crisis. The collapse of the Soviet Union marked the end of cold war between late 1980s and early 1990s and the progress towards democracy began. The then president of United States, Ronald Reagan, came up with new policies. He increased economic pressure, military action and diplomacy on Soviet Union who by then was undergoing economic crisis . The clear cut regarding the origin of the Cold War is not well known. While some historians trace its origin to the end of world war 11, others argue that it began at the end of the First World War in the 19th Century with the United States, Russian Empire and the British Empire. The ideological differences between capitalist and communist started in 1970 with the coming out of Soviet Union from Russian Revolution as a communist state. This resulted to tensions between United State and USSR because of the changes that occurred. The change in political point of views after the Second World War ushered in the Cold War. The nuclear arms race brought differences between US and Soviet Union. Between 1960s and 1970s, both United States and the Soviet Union adjusted to a new pattern of international relations bringing unity in the world. From the commencement of the postwar era, Western Europe and Japan hastily recovered from the destruction of World War II and continued strong economic growth. The 1973 oil crisis, combined with influence of Third World alignments such as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Non-Aligned Movement, less-powerful countries had more opportunity to affirm their independence. 2. 0 Effects of Cold War on the World Economy The cost of the Cold War was terrific; the military expenditure by United State during that period was estimated to have exceeded more than $8 trillion and nearly 100,000 American solders lost their lives in Vietnam and Korean War. The number of lives lost in the midst of the war by Soviet solders was hard to estimate. Millions of soldiers died in the superpowers proxy wars especially in the region of the globe, most markedly in the Southeast Asia. Following to the disbanding of the Soviet Union, post cold war become unpopular with the United States becoming the only superpower in the world. On 21st Dec 1991, the Commonwealth of Independent States was formed and it was viewed by many as a successor of Soviet Union. Russia slashed military spending after the end of cold war, leaving many unemployed . The financial crisis and recession affected Russia in 1990s when they tried to reform their economic capitalistic. The cold war also influenced the world affairs. It defines the united state political role in post-world war 11. In 1953, the US president Dwight D. Eisenhower reduced military expenditure by brandishing nuclear control while continuing to fifth cold war The U. S held military alliances with some countries estimated to 50 allied to them and had more than 1. 5 million troops abroad in 117 countries by 1989. Most of the local conflicts and proxy war ended with cold war. The ethnic wars interstate war, refugees and revolutionary wars declined sharply. Cold war conflicts legacy can not be erased effortlessly as numerous economic and social tensions exploited in third world are still fresh and acute. The struggle to control those countries they ruled by Communist government has twisted it course and produced ethnic wars and civil wars especially in Yugoslavia. T he ends of cold war soup a new era of economic growth and numerous liberal democracies in East Europe. Afghanistan attained independence but unfortunately their state failure. International conflicts The war between America and Iraq, the US claimed that Iraq was preparing biological, chemical and nuclear weapons of mass destruction. Saddam Hussein who was then the Iraq president denied the allegation. This war almost brought down the US economy. The soviet-Afghan war took nine years. It was a conflict between soviet forces supporting Marxist Peoples Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) government and Mujahedeen Resistance. The latter got support from United State, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan and other Muslim nation in context to cold war. The incomplete conflict in Afghanistan has heathen tension in the war like that of Vietnam War. The U. S president Jimmy Carter said that the inversion of Soviet was â€Å"the most serious threat to peace since the Second World War† he later placed trade ban on Soviet Union. The tension was high and the Soviet took thousands military troop to oil rich region in the gulf. International diplomatic retort was harsh, Leading to boycott of 1980 summer Olympic in Moscow. The invasion and revolution in Iran, the US captive that accompanied them, the Iran–Iraq War, the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, the escalating tensions between Pakistan and India, and the rise of Middle East-born terrorism against the West, contributed to making the Middle East an extremely violent and turbulent region during the 1980s. Capitalism The capitalism is a state of government whereby economic production system are controlled by private sector rather than government. It is a social system based on individual rights. The exchange and distribution of capital between private persons or profit seeking legal are protected, and pricing of goods, distribution, services, income, and investment are determined through opened market economy in which any one can take part in supply and demand rather than central economic system. In to the history, capitalism has met resistance throughout. Some critics consider economic regulation necessary because it reduces negligence, corruptions and other problems arising from free markets. Trends associated to globalization have increased mobility of people and capital since 20th century. This has made capitalism to be viewed today as a world system. In the last half century, economic growth has been steady, life expectancy increased and infant mortality rate dropped in developing nation. In 2008, America and other governments were seeing state intervention in global markets signaling free-market capitalism. The financial Markets and uproar in banking system resulting from supreme mortgage crisis was at the peak in September 2008, this was seen by liquidity in global market and ongoing threats on investment banks. Communism Communism is a distinct socio-political philosophy that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless society that is willing to use force to accomplish its goals. Communism believes in equality force. They also embrace atheism and dismiss religion as basis formed by the rich and superpowers to lock off the poor. During cold war, communism spread into many countries. The Soviet Army captured several nations in both Eastern Europe and East Asia and expand communism. The Soviet communist took control in Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany and Czechoslovakia. After the Second World War, Albania turned out to be independent communist nation. By 1950, Chinese communists controlled the majority of populous nation in the World. Whit rising control of the communism in the world, it led to fight through guerrilla warfare and conventionalism i. e. Korean War Vietnam War Middle East. Communists attempted to unite with socialist forces and nationalist against what they perceived as western imperialism in poor nations. The fear of communism was seen when Italian resistance movements and Chinas involvement in the Second World War. Western democrats and capitalist saw communist as a threat. This rivalry between the two superpowers was at the peak during the cold war. Their difference polarized the world into two camps whit each camp strengthening military power, developing new weapons and nuclear, fought each other through proxy client nations, and competed in space development technology. The U. S. feared communist spread hence spurred aggressive investigations deputation of suspected people, blacklisting and red-baiting. The economic critics of socialism was seen when they introduced free price system in market economy to guide economic activities. Free Market economist felt that controlled or fixed price will give inappropriate information about relative scarcity. The market economist sees that comparing the cost to sales revenue will enable business owners to evaluate their viability. Socialist reject market mechanism of pricing claiming that market system is tending towards monopoly or oligopoly to some key industries leading to prices distortion.

Jack Russel Terriers :: essays papers

Jack Russel Terriers The Jack Russel Terrier is an amazing little dog. The breed has been used for centuries; with it’s main purpose being Fox hunting. It was not discovered until recently, however, what great companions they make. There are many aspects of the breed one should take into consideration before a puppy is purchased. The aspects that will be discussed in this essay are: personality, overall appearance, and training as well. The Jack Russell Terrier is a breed which takes a lot of effort to own, but is very rewarding once a strong bond has been developed with the animal. Before choosing a puppy a potential owner should study what characteristics they want out their Terrier and also what to look for when making a decision on a puppy. The breed has a size range from 10-15 inches at the withers in the standard of the Jack Russell Terrier Club of America and 12-14 inches in the American Kennel Club (AKC) standard. â€Å"It can have smooth, wiry, or broken coat. It is mostly white with black, tan, or brown markings† (Brown 35). There is also short and long legged varieties as well. There are many characteristics which make a dog â€Å"good† by the AKC and JRTCA. The dog must appear balanced and be in fit condition. Ears are moderately thick with the flap tipped forward towards the front of the skull. The chest is relatively shallow and narrow, giving an athletic appearance. The rear end provides power and propulsion, feet are cat-like with hard pads, and the high-set tail is docked to about four inches in length. Movement should be free, lively, and well-coordinated (Nicholas 42). Another important factor is the dogs bloodline, and if it is even certified. It is especially important if the potential owner cares to breed the dog that they take all these factors into consideration. It is much easier to find willing breeders when one owns an exceptional dog. One must remember though the dog’s characteristics and bloodline directly correlate to how expensive it is. Most owners, if asked, would not give up their Jack Russell for anything in the world, However, if asked in the first six months of ownership they would have given anything to get rid of it. The care and training of a Jack Russel Terrier are very important

Ikea SWOT analysis Essay

1. Customer knowledge: one of the key competitive advantages IKEA has the deep knowledge about the customer. The company understands the purchasing factors that influence customers to buy and implements the best practices to induce that decision. IKEA offers low prices and a huge range of products. Designers constantly introduce new design products that look stylish in the eyes of customers. All the products are designed so it would be easy to transport and assemble. Moreover, the company offers the widest product range and positive shopping experience. All of these factors are aligned with what customers want and need and which results in higher sales. 2. Constantly using innovations to drive costs down. Low prices are the core business of IKEA business idea and company always tries to do things as efficient and cost-effective as possible. To drive costs down all the time, the company must find new and innovative ways to do that and to incorporate them in its businesses model. The business’ innovations include new materials that help IKEA using the recycle material to become a friendly environment company or using the newest ways of packaging. 3. Supply chain integration. IKEA is committed to long lasting relationships with its suppliers. In this way, the company can order large volumes and benefit from lower prices and greater quality while suppliers are assured of guaranteed orders. IKEA sources its materials close to suppliers to reduce transporting costs. All the efforts of closely integrating supply chain results in lower costs and a competitive advantage. 4. Brand reputation and market presence. According to Inter brand, IKEA is the most valuable furniture retailer brand in the world, valued at nearly $US 12. 8 billion in 2012. The business operates 332 stores in 38 countries and is present in the major world markets. More than 600 million customers visit IKEA stores every year. Worldwide market presence and strong brand reputation ensures that customers will often choose IKEA over its competitors. 5. Diversified product portfolio. Unlike IKEA’s largest competitors, the company has fairly diversified businesses. In addition to its furniture products, the company operates restaurants, houses and flats. Although, firm’s main business is designing, manufacturing and selling furniture it is not so affected by the changing forces in this market as other furniture retailers. 6. IKEA uses cheap labor which keeps its costs down and gives them a competitive advantage. Starting from the days when it discovered that furniture manufactured in Poland was as much as50% cheaper than furniture made in Sweeden, IKEA has started looking for cheap labor. It top five supplying countries are China (21% of supplies), Poland (17%), Italy (8%), Sweden (6%)and Germany (6%). China, as everyone knows, provides really cheap labor so IKEA gets its largest chunk of furniture manufactured from there. Cheap labor keeps the costs down and allow them to charge customers low price and helps IKEA sustain its competitive advantage. (IKEA SWOT 2013 ) Weaknesses 1. Negative publicity. The company has been criticized many times for issues like poor treatment of employees, questionable advertising practices or lobbying government authorities. Negative publicity decreases brand reputation and customer loyalty. 2. Low quality of products and services. IKEA is unable to find compromise between continuous cost reductions while maintaining the same quality of products. According to UK Customer Insights report on IKEA by Verdict, IKEA’s customers are less satisfied with its product and services quality than the average customer in UK buying at other stores. Firm’s cost reductions lead to decreasing product quality, which was followed by higher number of products returned and damaged brand. Furthermore, the Ikea product lack of innovation like KEA designs the price tag first, then the product. IKEA’s product strategy council is so much Obsessed with low price that they spend almost no time on product innovation. IKEA has been enjoying sustainable competitive advantage due to their low cost strategy 3. Standard products. IKEA’s main competitive advantage derives from low costs, which in part are achieved due to standardized products. Standardized products attract fewer customer segments. Therefore, the business inability to offer better quality more customized products allows its competitors to fill that niche and fortify their position in it. 4. It lacks thorough market research on customers’ preference before entering into a new market. To provide a good quality product and also value the customers need and wants should be the organizational motto; this is because it’s a furniture company. IKEA did not do any sort of market research regarding customer’s needs and wants. So they should come up with a market research results that will give them more profit. > Furniture > Ikea Online > Strategic > Ikea Design Opportunities 1. Further expansion into developing economies. Retail markets grew by at least 5% on average in emerging markets in the last year, opening huge opportunities for IKEA’s revenue growth. The company currently operates in most of the developed economies but hasn’t firmly stepped into developing economies, except China. There are great opportunities for IKEA to expand into Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia and Malaysia to increase its presence in these markets to sustain future growth. 2. Growing online sales. Online retail sales account for 17% and 4% of total retail sales in UK and US respectively. Online sales grow constantly and with 870 million visitors to its website IKEA could exploit this opportunity and benefit from increased sales and lower costs. 3. Expansion to growing grocery market. The current trend of eating healthier food has resulted in higher demand for grocery products in many developed economies. IKEA has an opportunity to expand its grocery business by introducing more grocery stores in its current retail places. The company is already successfully managing its food outlets, so this expansion opportunity would be well aligned with the current operations. Threats 1. Intensifying competition. Many low cost retailers such as Walmart, ASDA or Tesco are entering homeware specialists market where IKEA operates. These large retailers have similar specifics as IKEA, including low costs, well managed supply chain and huge market presence and can easily gain some market share from IKEA. 2. Growth of average consumer income. Growth of average consumer income means that people buy less low price and low quality products, which is exactly what IKEA offers in its stores. With the rising income people will be less attracted to IKEA and will turn to retailers that offer higher quality home ware products. ( IKEA SWOT 2013 ) Porter†s Five forces Analysis 1. Rivalry within the industry In Sweden there is handful of companies involved in the furniture industry. Moreover there are a lot of retailers in the market. The condition is pretty much same in USA. There are Home Depot,Wal-Mart, Costco and many other small retailers. On top of this many retailers import from china and sell it in the market at low price. This indicates that the competition within the industry is very high. 2. Bargaining power of suppliers It can be say that the bargaining power of suppliers is low. IKEA has a well-established relation with suppliers all over the world. Till 2008 IKEA has 1380 suppliers in 54 countries 21% of which are in China. Moreover IKEA also own manufacturing company like Swedwood Manufacturer. So it is evident that IKEA can threats the suppliers to enter into their business. 3. Bargaining power of buyers There are a lot of retailers who are directly involved in price war against each other. There are importers who are importing from china also in direct competition in the market. So the consumers have many alternatives. They can chose which manufacturers they will buy from. So the bargaining power of buyers is high. 4. Threats of new entrants There are no entry barriers in the industry. But the intensity of competition may scare off potential entrants. The required initial investment is not too much. Anyone can open a retail shop with small investments. But if someone wants to become a major player in the industry; than the firm needs to invest a lot of money, need to establish relation with suppliers, select suitable locations for outlets. These will require a lot patience and capital. So it is safe to say that the threats of new entrants are high if competitors want to do business for a long term. 5. Threats of substitutes Since the born of civilization men are using furniture. The styles are changing so as the trends. The industry is moving wood to plywood, rot iron even plastics. As the market is becoming more environment concerned many firms are giving slogan to go green. But the basic functional demand has remained the same. So it is safe to say that there are no threats of substitutes Opportunities IKEA can expand its product line by producing high end products From the very beginning IKEA’s target market has been the middle class to lower middle class people. This strategy has been worked for a long time but IKEA never wondered about how farther they can reach. In USA the trend was changing; people were getting thirstier for elegant design. IKEA can develop products that are designed for the high class people who are sensible about the design and quality and do not care about the price. For example Toyota: Lexus. IKEA can expand its business into interior designing and crockery products IKEA can expand its core business of furniture to a next level. IKEA can place crockery item swith the kitchenware furniture. This way when a customer walks through the kitchenware department he/she will be attracted to these products and may end up buying some. IKEA can go for environment friendly technology Customers now a days are now more concerned about the environment than ever. So IKEA can make products that are environment friendly; products that consume less water so the carbon footprint will be at minimum. Product customization can boost up IKEA’s sales IKEA can call for idea from its customers. This will definitely bring in some unique idea to the tent. IKEA can initiate a service that will allow customers to order customized products for some extra charges. This will help IKEA to capture the particular segment of the market who loves customization Threats Changing social trend can hinder the growth of sales of IKEA IKEA’s objective is to provide products to its customers at cheaper rate than the competitors. This objective does not recognize the necessity of a constant development of design and quality. In the pursuit of becoming a cost leader in the market IKEA can lose a major portion of the market that want quality and well designed products. Accelerated market competition in USA The furniture market of USA is very fragmented. But there are some well-established retailers who are selling functional furniture at a very low cost for example: Wal-Mart, Office Depot. These retailers will be in direct competition with IKEA. On top of this there are also some high end retailers who sell high-quality, well designed furniture. These high-end retailers often provide additional services like interior designing, home delivery and free set-up. The risk of global financial crisis The global is under a constant threat of depression since 2007. The whole economy of the world is suffering from a recession since fiscal year 2006-07. This economic condition may affect IKEA. Since the purchasing power of buyers has gone down they would be reluctant to purchase products that are not vital to them. This can cause a free-fall of sale revenue of IKEA worldwide; especially in USA ( Dahman J 2011). Reference Dahman, J 2011, IKEA’s Strategic Management, Scribd, viewed 12 October 2013,< http://www. scribd. com/doc/59951004/Case-Analysis-IKEA>. SWOT analysis of IKEA, IKEA’s Strategic management, viewed 11 October 2013, < http://www. strategicmanagementinsight. com/swot-analyses/ikea-swot-analysis. html>

Gender Communication Differences in Traditional Marriage

A gender image of one’s self is first presented to a child by his/her parents. It is through the behaviors learned, the characteristics that are reinforced and the inappropriate gender traits that are punished that we, as humans, are able to grasp our larger role in society. These early concepts of gender identity, behavior and roles also influence how we communicate interpersonally. Two people of opposite gender joined in marriage have two very different styles of communication to the extent that this problem is sometimes insurmountable. Lack of clear communication between partners in a traditional marriage is often cited as the cause for divorce. Not so long ago, traditional gender roles, combined with an aversion for the stigma of divorce, were a huge factor in the length of a couple’s relationship. Men and women stuck it out for the long run, even when experiencing problems, and a breakdown in communication. Long before technology took over society and created more avenues for communicating with each, men were used to showing support by â€Å"doing things† for the family and women showed their affection through talking (Torrpa, 2002). Women expect their marital relationship to be based on mutual dependence and cooperation while men expect it to be based on independence and competition (Torppa, 2002). Clearly, these two different sets of expectations will have an effect on how the two partners communicate and ultimately, on the strength of the union. The current generation of young adults is waiting longer their parents to make an acceptable marriage match as opposed to the trend of earlier years when marriage the year after high school was expected. The tradition of marriage is still intact, but the demographics are changing. The fact that couples are waiting to tie the knot should also affect their ability to communicate with each other about important issues due to older partners presumably having a better idea of what they want in life and a better grasp on how to communicate it. According to Ohashi (1993) marriage is a system established on the assumption of a division of labor based on gender-role stereotypes (from Katsurada, Sugihara, 2002). Women traditionally tend to want to â€Å"make everyone happy† while men make decisions based largely on their own personal needs (Torrpa, 2002) – one aspect of marriage that is unchanged for the most part yet responsible for many breaks in communication between the partners. Differences in typical gender roles also affect communication between husband and wife. Typically, women are characterized as being the more talkative of the sexes as well as being comfort providers and more secure in showing their emotions. Women are also better at â€Å"reading between the lines† regarding interpersonal issues (Torrpa, 2002). Men, on the other hand, are known for their distinct lack of communication and inability to provide emotional support. Their ability to â€Å"read between the lines† regarding status is more pronounced than in women. With traditional roles in marriage declining and technology taking over, communication is at once both more effective and less available (Morris, 2001) – we have more ways of communicating (e.g. text messaging, Email, etc.) but we have less time to do so with multiple careers. Both male and female partners tend to see the other as being more controlling of the relationship (Torppa, 2002) and without the ability to communicate effectively, this assumption can be quite damaging to the marriage. This paper will explore the varying roles of a man and woman in a traditional marriage relationship, how these roles influence their ability to effectively communicate, and the level of satisfaction each partner feels based on their idea of whether or not they are communicating effectively with each other regarding large issues. According to Torrpa (2002): â€Å"understanding differences is the key to working them out†. References Katsurada, Emiko & Sugihara, Yoko (September, 2002). Gender-role identity, attitudes toward marriage and gender-segregated school backgrounds. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research. Retrieved September 5, 2007, from the Find Articles Web site: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2294/is_2002_Sept/ai_96736800/pg_2. Martinez, J.M., Chandra, A., Abma, J.C., Jones, J. & Mosher, W.D. (2006). Fertility, conception and fatherhood: Data on men and women from Cycle 6 (2002) of the National Survey of Family Growth. National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved September 5, 2007 from the CDC Web site: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_026.pdf Morris, Grantley (2001). Improving Communication in Marriage. Retrieved September 5, 2007 from the Web site: http://net-burst.net/love/talk.htm. Torppa, C. B. (2002). Gender Issues: Communication Differences in Interpersonal Relationships. The Ohio State University Extension Program. Retrieved online September 5, 2007 from the OSU Web site: h ttp://ohioline.osu.edu/flm02/FS04.html. Van den Troost, Ann (August, 2005). Marriage in Motion. Sociology Today, Volume 10. Leuven University Press.

Free Essays on Oliver Cromwell

Cromwell was more responsible for the overthrow of the Stuarts than any other man, and as the commander of a large, well-trained army, he had the power to establish a dictatorship. However, he was no ordinary military conqueror who sought civil power, and the real tragedy of his career was that he was forced to assume a political role in order to protect the ideals for which he and his men had fought. Although he was one of the greatest military commanders in history, he had little political imagination. He stumbled form one expedient to another in search of some form of government which a majority of Englishmen would support, but the painful truth was that the opponents of the Stuarts could agree on no alternative to Stuart rule. At first, Cromwell left civil affairs in the hands of the Rump-the unpurged members of Parliament-and an appointed council. He turned to Ireland, where he suppressed a rebellion with great cruelty, and then to Scotland, where he put down a Stuart uprising. The mercantile element in Parliament brought England into a war with the Dutch and passed measures designed to help big-city merchants. At the same time, Parliament was lax in the payment of troops, and some of its members were accused of accepting bribes. To ensure their continuance in power, they even decided to fill vacant seats by nomination instead of election. Cromwell could stand it no longer In April, 1653, he ordered his troops to disperse the Rump. As the members of Parliament departed, the general shouted: "It's you that have forced me to do this, for I have sought the Lord night and ay that he would slay me rather than put me upon the doing of this work." With the arrogant certainty of one who is convinced that h! e is doing God's will, Cromwell had now destroyed both king and Parliament. God was less helpful in revealing to Cromwell what alternate form of government should be established. At length, he was persuaded that the best way to s... Free Essays on Oliver Cromwell Free Essays on Oliver Cromwell Cromwell was more responsible for the overthrow of the Stuarts than any other man, and as the commander of a large, well-trained army, he had the power to establish a dictatorship. However, he was no ordinary military conqueror who sought civil power, and the real tragedy of his career was that he was forced to assume a political role in order to protect the ideals for which he and his men had fought. Although he was one of the greatest military commanders in history, he had little political imagination. He stumbled form one expedient to another in search of some form of government which a majority of Englishmen would support, but the painful truth was that the opponents of the Stuarts could agree on no alternative to Stuart rule. At first, Cromwell left civil affairs in the hands of the Rump-the unpurged members of Parliament-and an appointed council. He turned to Ireland, where he suppressed a rebellion with great cruelty, and then to Scotland, where he put down a Stuart uprising. The mercantile element in Parliament brought England into a war with the Dutch and passed measures designed to help big-city merchants. At the same time, Parliament was lax in the payment of troops, and some of its members were accused of accepting bribes. To ensure their continuance in power, they even decided to fill vacant seats by nomination instead of election. Cromwell could stand it no longer In April, 1653, he ordered his troops to disperse the Rump. As the members of Parliament departed, the general shouted: "It's you that have forced me to do this, for I have sought the Lord night and ay that he would slay me rather than put me upon the doing of this work." With the arrogant certainty of one who is convinced that h! e is doing God's will, Cromwell had now destroyed both king and Parliament. God was less helpful in revealing to Cromwell what alternate form of government should be established. At length, he was persuaded that the best way to s...

Getting into Editing as a Writer

Getting into Editing as a Writer Many writers expand their services to offer more than writing; are you a writer wanting to become an editor? Here’s how to pick up your first jobs and start editing away†¦ Associations and more Join editorial societies like the  Editorial Freelance Association  (EFA),  Society for Editing  (ACES),  Editors’ Association of Canada, and the  Society for Editors and Proofreaders  (UK) . They put you in touch with fellow professionals and clients through association job boards – and underwrite your capabilities as an editor. Rates and payments Suggested editing rates can be found at the  Editorial Freelance Association  (EFA, USA), the  Society for Editors and Proofreaders  (SFEP, UK) and the  South African Freelancers Association(SAFREA, ZAR). Stick to the market average: Not too low and not too high. Rates also depend on the project’s size, the level of editing needed and the editing type – specialized editing pays more. Insist on a deposit upfront for first-time clients and get the terms in writing. (Hourly Editing Rates Calculator) Types of editing†¦ Editors can specialize in nonfiction, short fiction, novels or

Visual Learning Style Traits and Strategies

Visual Learning Style Traits and Strategies Are you one of those people who closes your eyes to envision the exact location of where you left your car keys? Do you bring up mental imagery when youre trying to remember what you did last Tuesday afternoon? Do you remember the cover of every book youve ever read? Do you have a photographic or near-photographic memory? Perhaps you are one of those people with the visual learning style. What is Visual Learning Style? Visual Learning is one of the three different learning styles popularized by Neil D. Fleming in his VAK model of learning. The visual learning style means that people need to see information to learn it, and this seeing takes many forms from spatial awareness, photographic memory, color/tone, brightness/contrast, and other visual information. Naturally, a classroom is a very good place for a visual learner to learn. Teachers use overheads, the chalkboard, pictures, graphs, maps, and many other visual items to entice a visual learner into knowledge. Strengths of Visual Learners Visual learners typically do well in a modern classroom setting. After all, there are just so many visuals in classrooms  -   whiteboards, handouts, photos, and so on. These students have many strengths that can boost their performances in school. Here are just a few of the strengths of this learning type: Instinctively follows directionsEasily visualizes objectsHas a great sense of balance and alignmentIs an excellent organizerHas a strong sense of color, and is very color-orientedCan see the passage from a page in a book in his or her mindNotices minute similarities and differences between objects and people easilyCan envision imagery easily Visual Learning Strategies for Students If you are a visual learner, you may find these things helpful when sitting in class or studying for a test. Visual learners need things in front of them to help solidify them in their brains, so dont try to go it alone when listening to lectures or studying for your next midterm. Be sure to integrate these tips into your study routine: Color-code your notes, vocabulary words, and textbookBe sure to read the diagrams, maps, and other visuals that go along with text to help you remember itMake to-do lists in an agendaStudy in solitude. You need to see things to remember them and often, any noise will distract you.Take notes during lectures to capitalize on your learning styleSit near the front so youre better able to see everythingUse outlines and concept maps to organize your notes Visual Learning Strategies for Teachers Students with the visual learning style make up about 65 percent of your class. These students are the ones traditional classrooms are designed to teach. They will pay attention to your overhead slides, whiteboard, Smartboard, PowerPoint presentations, handouts, graphs, and charts. They will usually take good notes and will appear to be paying attention during class. If you use a lot of verbal directions without visual cues, visual learners may get confused, as they prefer to have something in writing to refer to. Try these strategies for reaching those students with the visual learning type: Supplement verbal lectures with a handout, diagram, or other visualsIncorporate color into your presentations, the classroom, and handoutsGive written instructions and expectationsVary your reading in class with solitary reading time so visual learners will take in the information better.Vary your instructional methods (lectures, group work, solitary work, pairs, circles) and assignments so every learner is challengedShow your students how to complete a task instead of just telling your students how to complete a task.Show students how to make great vocabulary flashcardsUse video and still images to enhance your presentationsProvide written feedback on assignments

South Texas Behavioral Health Center Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

South Texas Behavioral Health Center - Assignment Example With this in mind, it is important to concentrate on one specific player in the industry such as South Texas Behavioral Health Center, in order to get a clear picture of some of the strategies employed to gain competitive advantage. This requires a critical analysis and evaluation of both the internal and external environment of the health center. Gaining competitive advantage in the healthcare industry requires the provision of effective health care services. In most parts of the world, provision of health care services is done on a face-to-face basis with increased interactions between health care providers and patients. This implies that for health care providers to gain competitive advantage, it is important to improve interaction quality. For example, South Texas Behavioral Health Center specializes in providing personalized health care services that are carried out by highly qualified professionals led by a team of experienced psychiatrists (South Texas Behavioral Health Center, 2015). As such the quality of service delivery is seemingly high hence giving significant satisfaction to patients. The greatest resource in the healthcare industry is arguably a skilled and experienced workforce to ensure competence and quality service delivery. Nevertheless, incorporation of qualified physicians is a provision of the industry a s an effort to ensure appropriate service delivery. This can be attributed to the fact that the health industry is highly sensitive since it deals with the preservation of human health and life. However, the decision to ensure that health care providers are experienced is an effort by the health center to improve service quality hence gaining a competitive advantage due to patient satisfaction. South Texas Behavioral Health Center offers quality health care service through its six acute care hospitals.Conclusively, the healthcare industry plays an important role in the society since it ensures the health of the people. However, health care providers have to employ effective management strategies to ensure they gain competitive advantage. Health centers mainly focus on improving service delivery quality by ensuring they have a competent workforce. However, policies surrounding the healthcare industry provide for quality service delivery by ensuring employment of only qualified worker s. Additionally, the success of a health care center is heavily dependent on the external factors such as its positioning the level of competition it faces from other health centers. Therefore, it is important for health care centers to ensure they employ effective management strategies.

Quality of Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Quality of Life - Essay Example According to a report by MSN Staff, the annual human development index for the year 2009 was released ranking Norway on the top of the list of 182 countries. The lowest ranking is awarded to Niger while Canada comes on the number 10th . The statistics of human development report and resources provide essential information about the human development index and other indicators . HDRO uses the statistics taken from international data agencies. Data sources are provided at the end of each table that can be matched to references in the bibliography . Different units are assigned different jobs. The Outreach and Advocacy Unit holds discussions with policy makers and encourages public debates, and functions in the direction of bringing change on the basis of ideas and analysis of the HDRs. Currently, Wynne Boelt is the Outreach Analyst and Marisol Sanjines is the Senior Outreach and Advocacy Advisor of the Unit. The criteria used in establishing the QoL index are different in UNDP and other private agencies. The human development index goes beyond GDP to a wider definition of quality of life. It maps overall human development that is estimated from long and healthy life, education -- to be estimated from adult education and raw admission data, and a well maintained living standard to be estimated by equality in buying capacity, PPP, and income. The index is not a complete entity in human development as it misses on other crucial parameters of gender and income inequality or not easy to measure definitions of human dignity and political freedom. The index is a wide mirror of human growth and the complicated relationship between income and living standard (Human Development Report 2009). Out of many variants of HDI, short-term policy change is affected by income and

Balanced Scorecard & Tableau de bord Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Balanced Scorecard & Tableau de bord - Essay Example This paper discusses the differences and similarities between the two systems of measurements by reviewing their strengths and weaknesses and then recommending the balanced scorecard as the best to be used by the companies. Introduction Lately there has been an increased performance measurement’s system evolution. The use of measurements that are non-financial, together with more conventional economical, has become a common recommendation; even though its uses are not something new, they were only developed fully during then nineties (Anthony &Dearden, 2007, p23). The relationship between the process of strategic planning and measurement of performance has been emphasized, at all the levels of a corporation. Presently, the most highly rated system of strategic measurement is the balanced scorecard. Nevertheless, the balanced scorecard has actually brought about serious attention particularly in the United States of America, as well as in some other several countries (Atkinson, Waterhouse and Wells, 2007, p.43). However, in France, the system of performance measurement has not been welcomed with much enthusiasm like in the other countries. The academic reticence of France relies mainly on the fact that the Fre nch companies have used for more than fifty years a literary dashboard (tableau de bord), which is much more similar to the balanced scorecard. ... Balanced scorecard Since the year 1992, several articles and texts have been dedicated to the balanced scorecard. However, those who mostly advocated for the approach are Kaplan and Norton. Moreover, several publications have stressed its general deployment conditions or reported particular experiences. It translates a business unit’s strategy and vision into goals and measures of performance in four various areas namely; the financial, client, perspectives of growth and learning and internal business process (Kaplan and Norton, 1993, p.83). The financial viewpoint identifies the way the corporation wishes to be seen by its shareholders. The customer viewpoint identifies the way the corporation wishes to be seen by its clients. The internal business process viewpoint highlights the business process whereby the corporation has to be specifically proficient for the purposes of satisfying its clients and shareholders. This explanation results in the identification of the major in dicators of process that the corporation wishes to manage and which will be party to the balanced scorecard itself (Jenkins, 2000, p.73). Usage and effectiveness among the survey respondents Tableau de bord It is not an easy thing to describe the tableau de bord. The tableau de bord is old as compared to the balanced scorecard, and this means that it has gone through several changes since its inception. There are several versions of it than the balanced scorecard. In French, we find that the ‘tableau de bord’ refers to the dashboard, and therefore the manager is figuratively compared to a pilot. In accordance with this culture, it is a tool meant for the company’s top management, giving it a quick and worldwide

Several topics included in the uploaded file (questions from the case Essay

Several topics included in the uploaded file (questions from the case study) - Essay Example There are many methods of investment appraisal. Each method analyses the investment in different ways. The three main methods are: ‘Payback time’, ‘Average / Annual rate of return’ and ‘Net present value (NPV)’. Payback method is used to compare various projects for a business; the project which gives the best returns is considered. It generally calculates the time taken for the return of capital invested. Similarly if the annual return rate is considered, the projects are selected based on the one providing highest annual returns. The company’s cash flow can change from time to time; thus, this method is helpful as it considers the ‘rate of returns’. Usually, there is a time lag in receiving the payment for the business done and money value might be inflated or deflated during this time lag. Hence, in the ‘Net Present Value’ or ‘Discounted Cash Flow’ method, the ‘real value’ of the mone y is considered. The returns calculated using this method is called ‘Real Return’ (Investment Appraisal, 2008). With respect to Hazlewood Sandwiches, capital investment was made for the following reasons: It was observed that people, in general, had become very busy with their existing jobs or multiple jobs and hence had very little time to cook. This was the main reason to foresee an increase the demand for sandwiches. Secondly, due to good earning and spending power of the people, they preferred to pay others to get their food prepared, rather than painstakingly cooking food themselves. This served as a time saver and therefore increased demand for readymade sandwiches. Thirdly, Hazlewood Sandwiches could provide foodstuffs with better quality than the best existing in market, promising exponential growth in market. In support to these factors, the new factory setup assured a superior production flow line which decreased the number of workers needed to move materials within the factory and helped to manage the inward movement of raw materials to outward movement of finished goods. Hence, these three reasons mainly influenced Hazlewood Sandwiches’ decision to make capital investment. Q2: Discuss the differences, advantages and disadvantages of the three investment decision techniques mentioned in the case. Investment appraisal decisions are very crucial for any company, since it involves the future of the company. Decisions have to be made between various alternative project plans which decide the next steps of the company. There are 3 techniques of investment appraisal: The first technique is ‘The Payback Method’. It directly calculates how quickly the return of the investment covers the investment on the project. Returns on investment are calculated for all the alternative projects in hand. It is based on the shortest payback period, contributing in the prevention of cash flow problems. It is known for its simplicity and ada ptability to changing technology as the cost of machinery can be recovered before the next new model is released. The disadvantage is that the returns after this period are ignored. Additionally, the real value of money is not accounted since value of money is considered directly without considering the inflation effects on money value (Business Studies online, Investment appraisal, Chapter 4a.2.2, 4a.2.3). The ‘Average Rate of Return’

Drug-trafficking in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Drug-trafficking in the USA - Essay Example The Sinaloa Cartel supplies all five illicit drugs to expanded areas of the United States including cities and regions in the South. Los Zetas, Gulf Cartel, and Juà ¡rez Cartel mainly sell cocaine and marijuana to regions including New York, Florida, Southeast, Southwest and so on. BLO supplies cocaine, heroin, and marijuana while the remaining two cartels – LFM and Tijuana Cartel – sell cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine in almost the same primary regions. Overall, Mexican TCOs have their presence in more than thousand cities of the United States (US Department of Justice 2011, 7). Columbian TCOs also operate in various cities of the United States but mainly as remains of larger drug cartels. Columbian TCOs are involved with producing two illicit drugs, heroin and cocaine, as well as its transportation across the Columbian border. Transportation occurs primarily via smuggling pathways involving both air and sea channels often transiting through the Caribb ean. The primary regions of their operations are eastern markets of the US including major cities like New York and South Florida. Columbian TCOs also sell their drugs to Mexican traffickers and supply drugs to European markets.Ethnic Vietnamese TCOs, based out of Canada, are also active in the drug trade. They deal in MDMA and marijuana produced in Canada and smuggle them out of the country via the US-Canada border. The Northern Border acts as the main transportation route for the Canadian-based Asian traffickers.

International Business Management ( Final Project) Assignment

International Business Management ( Final Project) - Assignment Example The global expansion had increased their profit and market share in the global market; however, the company has also experienced numerous challenges in emerging markets like China. China was regarded as the second largest growing nation in the world during 2010, whose annual growth was above 10% (US-Pacific Rim International, Inc., 2010). This has attracted many companies especially, the retail companies, to expand their business in China so as to cater the needs of the world largest population. Despite the growing economy and lucrative business market, the foreign companies failed to continue a successful business in China because of various strategic issues (US-Pacific Rim International, Inc., 2010). The same situation was encountered by Tesco PLC who entered China through foreign direct investment in 2004. The reason for selecting China is that, many well known international brands such as Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco had to face a number of challenges and even failure due to a number of reasons; few of which is discussed in the report with respect to Tesco Plc. Therefore, it is quite interesting to know the fact behind the failure of Tesco plc to capture the Chinese market. Tesco Plc entered China during 2004 with the help of 50:50 ventures with local retailer Hymall. Nevertheless, soon after few years in 2006, the company bought another 40% of the venture (Tesco, 2015; Telegraph Media Group Limited, 2015). Tesco PLC in China employs around 21,000 employees and had opened more than 62 stores and has the goal of opening hundreds of stores so as to reach every corner of China during 2009. Analysts have depicted the fact that the Chinese market has the ability to become the largest country for the business of Tesco. Nevertheless, Tesco Plc had experienced a number of issues in China, which have forced them to close many stores in the past three years (Song, 2013). The main issue was related to the failure

Drug-trafficking in the USA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Drug-trafficking in the USA - Essay Example The Sinaloa Cartel supplies all five illicit drugs to expanded areas of the United States including cities and regions in the South. Los Zetas, Gulf Cartel, and Juà ¡rez Cartel mainly sell cocaine and marijuana to regions including New York, Florida, Southeast, Southwest and so on. BLO supplies cocaine, heroin, and marijuana while the remaining two cartels – LFM and Tijuana Cartel – sell cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine in almost the same primary regions. Overall, Mexican TCOs have their presence in more than thousand cities of the United States (US Department of Justice 2011, 7). Columbian TCOs also operate in various cities of the United States but mainly as remains of larger drug cartels. Columbian TCOs are involved with producing two illicit drugs, heroin and cocaine, as well as its transportation across the Columbian border. Transportation occurs primarily via smuggling pathways involving both air and sea channels often transiting through the Caribb ean. The primary regions of their operations are eastern markets of the US including major cities like New York and South Florida. Columbian TCOs also sell their drugs to Mexican traffickers and supply drugs to European markets.Ethnic Vietnamese TCOs, based out of Canada, are also active in the drug trade. They deal in MDMA and marijuana produced in Canada and smuggle them out of the country via the US-Canada border. The Northern Border acts as the main transportation route for the Canadian-based Asian traffickers.

Implementation of ISO 9001 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Implementation of ISO 9001 - Case Study Example Indeed, ISO 9001:2008 is the International Standard for Quality Management Systems of businesses. The design and purpose of the ISO 9001:2008 applies in any product or service, produced by any process anywhere in the world (9001Council 2013, p.1). The ISO 9001:2008 provides a set of principles for a company to ensure a common sense approach in the management of business activities for purposes of achieving consistent customer satisfaction. Upon implementation, the ISO 9001:2008 derives many benefits, which enables the improvement of operations in any business setup. Ideally, the ISO 9001:2008 involves developing quality management systems (QMS), management responsibility, resource management, product realization, measurement, analysis, and improvement (9001Council 2013, p.1). There are specific ISO 9001 requirements, which include establishing an organization's process-based QMS, documenting the organization's QMS, implementing the organization's QMS, maintaining the organization's Q MS, and improving the organization's QMS (9001Council 2013, p.1). ... ddress the implementation of ISO 9001 on organization workmanship performance in a case study that investigates the effects of ISO 9001 certification on organization workmanship performance using the construction industry. The case study compares the workmanship performance between ISO certified organizations and non-ISO-certified organizations (Iwaro & Mwasha 2012, p.53-67). Various companies seek to achieve ISO 9001certification for different reasons, which may include complying with a contractual or regulatory requirement, to motivate the staff by setting clear goals, and to satisfy the customers’ needs. In addition, companies seek ISO 9001certification as a factor in risk management programs and for purposes of achieving a competitive advantage over its competitors in the same industry who do not implement the ISO 9001 standards (ISO 2013, p.1). It is also a way of demonstrating the company’s commitment to quality and willingness to improving efficiency. Moreover, c ompanies seek the ISO 9001certification in order to boost the image and goodwill of the company to the employees, customers, and other stakeholders (ISOQAR 2013, p.1). In this context, the construction companies that sought to achieve the ISO 9001certification aimed at improving workmanship performance and workmanship factors in their respective companies. Indeed, through the implementation of the ISO 9001, these companies sought to enhance the designing process, improve workmanship quality, improve quality management system within their companies, and establish a management technique that would enhance workmanship performance (Iwaro & Mwasha 2012, p.60). Ultimately, the companies, which implemented the ISO 9001, sought to establish the extent of the relationship between ISO 9001 certification and

Lilypads Hotels Essay Example for Free

Lilypads Hotels Essay According to the Court, the Fourth Amendment is mute about undercover searches (inside the home or out), inspections of welfare mothers and probationers homes, flyovers of curtilage and trespasses on property beyond it, surveillance of public movements, most compelled testing for drugs and alcohol, dog sniffs of cars and luggage, and rummaging through garbage. n1 Why don’t you contact me directly at natashagils at yahoo dot com and we can make this work one on one instead of going through middlemen to get assignments done. And the Amendment is close to irrelevant in a host [*604] of other situations, including third-party subpoenas for documents, checkpoints for drunk driving and illegal immigration, residential and business health and safety inspections, and searches of junkyards for stolen parts. n2 Under current constitutional doctrine, the government needs no justification to engage in the first set of actions, and so little to carry out the second that it is virtually unregulated. †¦ A crucial initial assumption in this essay is that, at bottom, neither the language nor the legislative history of the Fourth Amendment drives the analysis on this issue. †¦ I am looking for socio-political explanations for our current Fourth Amendment doctrine, not formalistic ones. The most obvious such explanation for the decisions referenced above is that the Supreme Court does not want to shackle government law enforcement efforts. Undoubtedly, that is a large part of the answer. But it is not the entire story. As I have suggested elsewhere n5 (and briefly explain again here), effective crime control and a more activist interpretation of the Fourth Amendment are not necessarily mutually exclusive. Other explanations for the Courts less-than-robust reading of the Fourth Amendment focus on the ironic consequences of decisions, mostly generated by [*605] the relatively liberal Warren Court, that were meant to expand its scope. For instance, it is fashionable to place much of the blame for todays law on the Warren Courts adoption of privacy as the core value protected by the Fourth Amendment. This move, in Katz v. United States, n6 was hailed at the time as a major enhancement of constitutional protection against government intrusion. As many have pointed out, however, because privacy is a manipulable concept, the Court has since found it easy to declare that a large array of police actions-ranging from use of informants to public surveillance and school and workplace drug testing-either do not implicate or are only limply protected by the Fourth Amendment. n7 This diagnosis has some attraction as well, but fails to explain why even the more liberal justices have often gone along with many of the privacy-diminishing holdings of the Court. In this essay, I too suggest that the modern Courts early expansive stances on the Fourth Amendment have ultimately led to its diminishment. But Katzs expectation-of-privacy formulation is not the culprit. Rather, three other liberal dogmas-what I call the probable-cause-forever position, the individualized suspicion mantra, and the obsession with exclusion as a remedy-are the primary reasons we have a Fourth Amendment Lite. The end-logic of these three dogmas produce such unappealing results that even moderate and liberal justices have balked at them, leaving us with a search and seizure jurisprudence that is much less than it could be. When a search requires probable cause to be constitutional, courts are naturally more reluctant to denominate every police attempt to find evidence a search. When suspicion must be individualized, they are more likely to gloss over the harms caused by investigations of groups. And when the sole serious sanction for an illegal search or seizure is suppression at trial, many judges have less sympathy for viable claims, because they cannot stomach dismissal of criminal charges against guilty people. I. Probable Cause Forever Of course, probable cause is not required for every police action that is called a search or seizure. Terry v. Ohio, n8 a Warren Court decision, stands for the proposition that both detentions short of arrest and patdowns of outer clothing are permissible on reasonable suspicion, which represents a certainty level somewhere below the even-chance threshold often associated with probable cause. The Terry Court was willing to relax Fourth Amendment strictures with respect to stops and frisks because the governments interest in effective crime prevention and [*606] detection on the streets justified the brief, though far from inconsiderable, intrusion upon the sanctity of the person that these actions occasion. n9 In the seizure context, the post-Warren Court has routinely relied on this balancing approach-or what I have called the proportionality principle-in holding that several different types of detentions short of an arrest may take place on less than probable cause. n10 In the search context, however, it has been much less willing to follow this route. Instead, the Court has insisted, in the words of Justice Stewart in Katz, that searches conducted . . . without prior approval by judge or magistrate [and therefore without probable cause], are per se unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment, subject only to a few specifically established and well- delineated exceptions. n11 †¦ [In] T. L. O. .. [the Court] then went on to hold that probable cause was not required to search a school childs purse for evidence of disciplinary infractions, thereby creating the one major exception (other than Terrys frisk rule) to the probable-cause-forever dogma. Labeled the special needs doctrine, a phrase taken from Justice Blackmuns concurrence in T. L. O. , the exception, when it applies, requires only that government action be reasonable, n14 which in practice has meant that neither a warrant nor probable cause is required. But the special needs exception is usually only applicable when, as in T. L. O. , those conducting the government action are not police and are pursuing some end other than ordinary criminal law enforcement (e. g. , school disciplinary searches, drug testing for administrative purposes, checkpoints for immigrants, or inspections of businesses for regulatory, health and safety violations). n15 Indeed, the classic statement of the special needs paradigm is that it kicks in only when special needs, beyond the normal need for law enforcement, make the warrant and probable-cause requirement impracticable. n16 The Court has on several occasions called these special needs [*607] situations exceptional and limited. n17 In other words, outside of frisks, the usual law enforcement search for evidence of criminal activity requires probable cause. n18

Theories Of Punishment Understanding Deviance

Theories Of Punishment Understanding Deviance The classical school represented by the works of Jeremy Bentham and Cesare Beccaria assumes that the rational decision is always the decision that will maximise gain and minimise pain for each individual: the felicitation principle that lies behind the penal policy of deterrence. Hence, if the actor is rational, the state can influence any given decision by ensuring that the system of investigating criminal activity will swiftly detect the person responsible and the system of law enforcement through courts will dispense sufficient pain to each offender so that there will be both specific deterrence (i.e. that a particular offender will never choose to break the law again), and general deterrence (other potential criminals, observing the punishment of the one offender, will be deterred from following in his or her footsteps.  [1]  ) The Neoclassical School continues to adopt the traditional view that the punishment imposed by the state for the crime should reflect deterrence. However, they depart from the original theory by increasing the severity of sentences and limiting judicial discretion. This emphasises the social value of punishment rather than seeing punishment as an offenders just deserts in a system of retributive justice. It uses the offender as a symbol through which to send a message to society, rather than as a human being who should be judged on his or her own merits. It abandons the idea of proportionality between severity of punishment with the gravity of offence committed by the offender. This view has certain moral implications and high costs in maintaining a prison system for an increased number of prisoners. (Something which a third world country like ours could not certainly afford). Research has consistently shown that certainty of arrest rather than severity of punishment is the major det errent. According to Clarke crime is a purposive behaviour designed to meet the offenders common place needs for such things as money, status, sex, excitement, and that meeting these needs involves the making of (sometimes quite rudimentary) decisions and choices, constrained as they are by limits of time and ability and the availability of relevant information. i.e. offenders make decisions that appear rational to themselves, and they can be persuaded not to engage in crime. Through Rational Choice Theory, Cornish and Clarke  [2]  describe crime as an event that occurs when an offender decides to take risk by breaking the law after considering his or her own need for money, personal values or learning experiences and how well a target is protected, how affluent the neighbourhood is or how efficient the local police are. Before committing a crime, the reasoning criminal weighs the chances of getting caught, the severity of the expected penalty, the values to be gained by committing the act, and his or her immediate need for that value. The intention is to increase the perceived risks of apprehension, or reduce the anticipated rewards for a crime, or remove the excuses to compliance with the law. The intention would be to design out crime, i.e. to make the disincentives to the commission of crime consistently outweigh the potential benefits. This would involve concerted efforts by the manufacturers of standard equipment less prone to theft, to design b etter security systems so that stolen goods cannot be used without a PIN or can be otherwise tracked. It also involves the adoption of surveillance technology to tag goods in stores electronically, install camera systems to monitor behaviour, improve street lighting, have more police officers on patrol, assist householders to improve their home security, etc. A co-ordinated strategy would potentially prevent more crime and so be more cost effective than imprisoning the few offenders that are currently apprehended. This theory is predicated on the assumption that humans have set of hierarchically ordered preferences, or utilities. By reducing the opportunities for the commission of crimes and target hardening, i.e. making it more difficult to break into houses or to steal from shops, and encouraging more authority figures to assume responsibility, potential offenders will be deterred. There is, however, some criticism that better protecting one area will simply displace crime into a less protected area but the evidence is yet equivocal on whether such displacement does occur. The main problem, still remains in re-ordering the political priorities away from a penal-orientation and in favour of a prevention strategy. At present many states have invested heavily in the former and see no immediate need to change their policies. To further understand the concept of deviance, the differential association theory is probably the best known Interactionist theory of deviance. This theory focuses on how people learn to be criminals, but does not concern itself with why they become criminals. Sutherland was following the tradition of Gabriel Tarde who argued that criminals were ordinary people who learned criminal behaviour through imitation of those with whom they interacted. Sutherland refined this proposition by requiring that the interaction occur in intimate groups, where the level of communication is more personal. They learn how to commit the crime; they learn motives, drives, rationalisations, and attitudes. George Herbert Mead had developed the idea of the self as a social construct, i.e. a persons self-image is continuously being constructed and reconstructed in interaction with other people. People define their lives by reference to their experiences, and then generalize those definitions to provide a framework of reference for deciding on future action. From a researchers perspective, a subject might view the world very differently if employed rather than unemployed, if in a supportive family or abused by parents. Hence, individual might respond differently to the same situation depending on how their experience predisposes them to define their current surroundings. A wallet might be found on the street. One individual might see an opportunity for altruism, returning missing property to its owner. The other might see an opportunity for self-enrichment. Differential association predicts that an individual will choose the criminal path when the balance of definitions for law-breaking exceeds those for law-abiding. This tendency will be reinforced if social association provides role models of significance to the actor. This does not deny that there may be practical motives for crime. If a person is hungry but has no money, there is a temptation to steal. However, needs and values are equivocal. To a greater or lesser extent, both non-criminal and criminal are motivated by the need for money and social status. Frustration and boredom may be felt by all. Edward Sutherland and his students, Donald Cressey in particular, became the tenacious champions of the arguments that deviance is a way of life passed from generation to generation. First advanced in 1924, his theory of differential association attempted to make systematic the thesis that crime and deviation are culturally transmitted in social groups. It holds that criminal behaviour is learned in interaction with other people, especially in personal intimate settings, in a process of communication. Learning is held to embrace techniques of committing the crime and the direction of drives, motives, attitudes, and definitions of law. It was argued that a person will become criminal if he or she is exposed to an excess of definitions favourable to the violation of law over definitions unfavourable to violation of law, the process itself being described as differential association. Such differential association will be affected by variations in frequency, duration, priority, and inten sity. Sutherland supposed the learning of criminal behaviour to involve all the social and psychological mechanisms at work in other learning. Finally he claimed that although criminal behaviour is an expression of general needs and values, it is not explained by those general needs and values because non-criminal behaviour is also an expression of those same needs and values.  [3]   Finally the social disorganization theory(Chicago school) will clear the whole concept of deviance and delinquencies. Anthropology, the science of man has been mainly concerned with the study of primitive peoples. But civilized man is quite as interesting an object of investigation, and at the same time his life is more open to observation and study. Urban life and culture are more varied, subtle and complicated, but the fundamental motives are in both instances the same. Most sociology departments are inattentive to the physical and social contexts in which they exist. But the Chicago sociology was to become the sociology of Chicago itself, a detailed anthropological mapping of the social territories that made the city.  [4]  Urban life resembled a phantasmagoria, a welter of shifting scenes and identities; where everything is in a state of agitation everything seems to be undergoing a change. Society is, apparently, not much more than a congeries and constellation of social at oms. They maintained that knowledge resided neither in properties of the world alone nor in properties of the observer alone. Facts, it was held, not self-evident. They are selected and interpreted by the mind that surveys them. People with different perspectives and different problems will not see exactly the same phenomena. Thus the meaning of food will not be identical for the chef, the waiter, and the guest at meal. It will shift in response to the peculiar dealings which one has with the object. But that shift is not wholly dependent on the whim of the contemplating intelligence. The imagination is not free to create anything which it may choose to devise. It is constrained by the capacity of the world to answer back and impose itself upon thought.  [5]  Hence it came about that pragmatism placed effective knowledge in a transaction between the observer and the environment which he observed: the knowledge was no longer defined as a state or as a condition but as a process, an action. It proceeded from experiences in the world. Experience was to become elevated to a pre-eminent position: it was a guarantee of valid knowledge. Formal speculation was regarded as a pallid and misleading substitute for personal acquaintance with phenomena. It is the personal experience of those best qualified in our circle of knowledge to have experience, to tell us what is. Now what does thinking about the experience of those persons come to, compared to directly and personally feeling it as they feel it? The philosophers are dealing in shades, while those who live and feel know truth.  [6]  The real world was the experience of actual man and women and not abbreviated and shorthand descriptions of it that we call knowledge. The business of research is to understand the social world, and the social world is itself manufactured by the practical experience of those who live in it. Practical experiences themselves are responses to situations and problems, and they change as those problems change. Sociology is not devoted to the study of states but of process, of things and people in change. It must be so organized that it can observe and report processes over time. It must also be so organized that it can reach those processes practically and not by surmise and logic alone. The most effective research strategy is one that requires sociologists to participate personally in the world which they would analyse. Without such participation, knowledge is not experience but an uncertain commentary on experience. City life and urbanization were analysed by a collection of master forms which had been borrowed from biology. They were represented as the workings of an ecological order. Ecology is an emphasis on the patterns and organized changes which are produced by different species living together in the same physical territory. Whatever else men are, they are also animals, and as such they exhibit the effects of physical aggregation and of their habitat.  [7]  People are quite capable of detaching themselves from their own territories; they display rational behaviour; they can organise themselves into institutions which impose a distinct order; their works are modified by an elaborate technology; their activities are shaped by conscious planning; and they are governed by a symbolism which interprets and changes what they do. The city is not merely an artefact, but an organism. Its growth is, fundamentally and as a whole, natural, i.e. uncontrolled and un-designed. The forms it tends to a ssume are those which represent and correspond to the functions it is called upon to perform. The emergence of Chicago itself was explained by what came to be known as the zonal hypothesis, the contention that cities evolve in a series of concentric zones of activity and life. At the very centre is the business district which is typified by a small residential population and high property values. About it is a zone of transition whose population is fluid and poor, whose housing is deteriorating and whose stability is threatened by the encroaching business district. About that zone, in turn, are areas of working-class housing, middle-class housing, and, on the fringes, suburbia. Each zone is itself composed of diverse natural areas which abut on one another. They are natural because they are not entirely intended, because they manifest a rough correspondence to the territorial division of species in nature. It was found that there was massive concentration of pathological behaviour in the zone in transition. Partly because of its great visibility, such behaviour appeared to be confined to a limited territorial belt. Within that belt there was a piling-up of all those phenomena that are conventionally identified as social problems: mental disorder, prostitution, suicide, alcoholism, infant mortality, juvenile delinquency, crime, disease and poverty. The incidence of pathology could be plotted with data collected from court records, census reports, and special surveys. Deviance may have been present elsewhere but it was hugely conspicuous in the transitional zone. The Zone in transition was taken to be unruly. It housed people who were unaccustomed to one another, to city life, and to America. Lacking substantial resources and deserting much that had been familiar, they were required to establish a way of life in a difficult and shifting environment. One of the prime problems which they faced was the sheer array of different worlds around them. When the inner composition and external relations of those worlds appeared unstable, the whole invited the descri ption of social disorganisation. Disorganization was a face of moral dissensus: the degree to which the members of a society lose their common understandings, i.e. the degree to which consensus is undermined, is the measure of a societys state of disorganization.  [8]  Disorganization also characterized the fragmented, the fluid, and the anonymous elements of urban life: contacts are extended, heterogeneous groups mingle, neighbourhoods disappear, and people, deprived of local and family ties, are forced to live under loose, transient and impersonal relations.  [9]   Integral to the conception of disorganization was the companion idea of weak social control. Those who stressed internal disorder could cite numerous obstructions to social control. Moral habits could not be properly implanted. People were neither effectively curbed, nor could they curb one another. They did not know each other well, formed few commitments to the area or to its population, were confused by moral diversity, and were loath to intervene in the affairs of their fellows. Morality could not be taken for granted. It became relativistic and circumstantial, readily adapted for selfish purposes, permitted the evolution of extenuating accounts. More particularly, its influence could not extend very far. Those entitled to exercise moral claims were confined to the family and immediate neighbours, all other becoming moral strangers.  [10]  Their lives had been punctuated by cultural discontinuities which became especially taxing for the second generation. Morally displaced, e conomically and politically peripheral, they might innovate new modes of social organization. Most typically they created a social order which corresponded to neither the old world nor the new but was a shifting amalgam of both.  [11]  They also improvised new styles of behaviour and morality which could well embrace delinquency as a possible solution to the dilemmas of exclusion and impotence.  [12]  Crime and delinquency were, thus, explained principally by the effects of the isolation of certain natural areas. They became a kind of surrogate social order, an alternative pattern, which replaced the workings of conventional institutions.  [13]  Their forms were themselves explained as a functional response to deprivation, to the social and moral structures imported by immigrants, and to the experience of growing up in the inner city. Deprived of political control and economic resources, first and second generation immigrants produced their own shadow politics and shadow economy. Children raised in the crowded zone in transition led an intensely public life, playing with others on the street, forming into small groups which eventually crystallized into gangs. Such exposure placed the child under constant surveillance from others. From an early age he was awarded a communal identity and reputation. In an insecure social environment, the preservation of reputation acquired strategic importance. What is significant is the persistence of tradition in the zone in transition. Ideas of conduct are passed on from generation to generation of boys living the public lives of the street; traditions of delinquency are preserved and transmitted through the medium of social contact with the unsupervised play group and the more highly organized delinquent and criminal gangs.  [14]   Theories of punishment Each society has its own way of social control for which it frames certain laws and also mentions the sanctions with them. These sanctions are nothing but the punishments. In primitive society punishment was left to the individuals wronged or their families, and was vindictive or retributive: in quantity and quality it would bear no special relation to the character or gravity of the offence. Ordinarily there would arise the idea of proportionate punishment, of which the characteristic type is an eye for an eye. The second stage was punishment by individuals under the control of the state, or community; in the third stage, with the growth of law, the state took over the primitive function and provided itself with the machinery of justice for the maintenance of public order. Henceforward crimes are against the state, and the exaction of punishment by the wronged individual is illegal (compared to the earlier lynch law). Even at this stage the vindictive or retributive character of punishment remains, but gradually, and especially after the humanist government under thinkers like Beccaria and Jeremy Bentham, new theories began to emerge. Two chief trains of thought have combined in the condemnation of primitive theory and practice. On the one hand the retributive principle itself has been very largely superseded by the protective and the reformative; on the other punishment s involving bodily pain have become objectional to the general sense of society. Consequently corporal and even capital punishment occupy a far less prominent position, and tend everywhere to disappear. It began to be recognized also that stereotyped punishments, such as belonging to penal codes, fail to take due account of the particular condition of an offence and the character and circumstances of the offender. A fixed fine, for example, operates very unequally on rich and poor. With new criminological developments, particularly in the field of penology, it has been generally accepted that punishment must be in proportion to the gravity of the offence. It has been further suggested that reformation of criminal rather than his expulsion from society is more purposeful for his rehabilitation. With this aim in view, the modern penologists have focused their attention on individualization of offender through treatment methods. Today, old barbarous methods of punishment such as mutilation, branding, hanging, burning, stoning, flogging, amputation, starving the criminal to death or subjecting him to pillory or poetic punishment, etc. are completely abandoned  [15]  . Pillory was a method of corporal punishment under which the offender was subjected to public ridicule by exposing him to punishment in public places. Different poetic punishments were provided for different crimes. For example, cutting off hands for theft, taking off tongue for the offence of perjury, emasculation for rape, shaving off the head of a woman in case she committed a sex-crime or whipping her in public street and similar other modes were common forms of poetic punishment during the middle ages. Modern penologists have substituted new forms of penal sanctions for the old methods of sentencing. The present modes of punishment commonly include imposition of monetary fines, segregation of the offender temporarily or permanently through imprisonment or externment or compensation by way of damages from the wrong-doer in case of civil injury. The credit for introducing these penological changes goes to eminent criminologists, like Beccaria, Garofalo, Ferri, Tarde, Bentham, and o thers who formulated sound principles of punishment and made all out efforts to ensure rehabilitation of offenders so as to make them useful member of society once again. Garofalo strongly recommended transportation or banishment of certain types of offenders who had to be segregated from society. Modern penal systems, however, limit the punishment of transportation within the homeland so that potentiality of prisoners is utilized within the country itself. Of late, open jails, parole or probation are being intensively used for long-termers so that they can earn their livelihood while in the institution.  [16]   Though opinions have differed, as regards punishment of offenders varying from age-old traditionalism to recent modernism, broadly speaking four types of views can be distinctly found to prevail. Modern penologists prefer to call them theories of punishment, which are, The Deterrent theory; The Retributive theory; The Reformative theory; and The Preventive theory. Off late however, there has been the re-emergence of the Retributive theory in a diluted form and this is called as the Expiatory theory which was mainly in vogue in Ancient India and erstwhile Europe. Deterrent theory Earlier modes of punishment were, deterrent in nature. This kind of punishment presupposes infliction of severe penalties on offenders with a view to deterring them from committing crime. The founder of this theory, Jeremy Bentham, based his theory of determine on the principle of hedonism which said that a man would be deterred from committing a crime if the punishment applied was swift, certain and severe. This theory considers punishment as an evil, but is necessary to maintain order in the society. The deterrent theory also seeks to create some kind of fear in the mind of others by providing adequate penalty and exemplary punishment to offenders which keeps them away from criminality. Thus the rigor of penal discipline acts as a sufficient warning to offenders as also others. Therefore, deterrence is undoubtedly one of the effective policies which almost every penal system accepts despite the fact that it invariably fails in its practical application. Deterrence, as a measure of punishment particularly fails in case hardened criminals because the severity of punishment hardly has any effect on them. It also fails to deter ordinary criminals because many crimes are committed on the spur of the moment without any prior intention or design. The futility of deterrent punishment is evinced from the fact that quite a large number of hardened criminals return to prison soon after their release. They prefer to remain in prison rather than leading a free life in society. Thus the object underlying deterrent punishment is unquestionably defeated. This view finds support from the fact that when capital punishment was being publicly awarded by hanging the person to death in public places, many persons committed crimes of pick-pocketing, theft, assault or even murder in those men-packed gatherings despite the ghastly scene. Suffice it to say that the doctrine concerning deterrent punishment has been closely associated with the primitive theories of crime and criminal responsibility. In earlier times, crime was attributed to the influence of evil spirit or free-will of the offender. So the society preferred severe and deterrent punishment for the offender for his act of voluntary perversity which was believed to be a challenge to God or religion.  [17]   The punishment ought to be a terror to evil-doers and an awful warning to all others who might be tempted to imitate them. This contention finds support in Benthams observation, who said:- General prevention ought to be the chief end of punishment. An unpunished crime leaves the path of crime open, not only to the same delinquent but also to all those who may have some motives and opportunities for entering upon ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ we perceive that punishment inflicted on the individual becomes source of security for allà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Punishment is not to be regarded as an act of wrath or vengeance against a guilty individual who has given way to mischievous inclinations, but as an indispensable sacrifice to the society. Bentham, however, believed that offenders must be provided an opportunity for reformation by the process of rehabilitation. From this point of view, his theory may be considered forward looking as it was more concerned with the consequences of punishment rather than the wrong done, which being a post, cannot be altered.  [18]   Retributive Theory Retribution is the practice of getting even with a wrongdoer-the suffering of the wrongdoer is seen as good in itself, even if it has no other benefits. One reason for societies to include this judicial element is to diminish the perceived need for street justice, blood revenge and vigilantism. Retribution sets an important standard on punishment the transgressor must get what he deserves, but no more. Therefore, a thief put to death is not retribution; a murderer put to death is. In old times when a man injured another, it was considered to be the right of the injured person to take revenge on the person causing injury. Since the formulation of the Hammurabis Code, an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth has been accepted by the general public that is the criminal deserves to suffer. Later this stance changed, Adam Smith, who is credited as the father of Welfare Economics, wrote extensively about punishment. In his view, an important reason for punishment is not only deterrence, b ut also satisfying the resentment of the victim. Moreover, in the case of the death penalty, the retribution goes to the dead victim, not his family. One great difficulty of this approach is that of judging exactly what it is that the transgressor deserves. For instance, it may be retribution to put a thief to death if he steals a familys only means of livelihood; conversely, mitigating circumstances may lead to the conclusion that the execution of a murderer is not retribution. The adherents of retributive theory, that punishment satisfies the feeling of revenge, are few in number. As has been observed by Lee, An act which is described as a crime today was looked upon as a private wrong previously. The wronged party and not the State or that which stood for the State brought suit. Professor Gillin  [19]  quotes many illustrations of the working of private vengeance. Citing an instance of punishment for adultery in ancient Germany he observers: Its punishment is instant and at the pleasure of the husband. He cuts off the hair of the offender, strips her and in the presence of her relations expels her from the house and pursues her with strips though the whole village. Salmond as regards the theory observes: Conception of retributive justice still retains a prominent place in popular thought. It flourishes also in the writings of the theologians and of those imbued with theological modes of thought and even among the philosophers it does not lack advocates. Kant, for example, expresses the opinion that punishment cannot rightly be inflicted for the sake or any benefit to be derived from it either by the criminal himself or by the society and that the sole and sufficient reasons and justification of it lies in the fact that evil has been done to him who suffers it. The death sentence has been used as an effective weapon of retributive justice for centuries. The justification advanced is that it is lawful to forfeit the life of a person who takes away anothers life. A person who kills another must be eliminated from the society and, therefore, fully merits his execution.  [20]  On the same lines, in the case of the Chopra children murder case where the Honble Supreme Court while upholding the death sentence observed as follows: The survival of an orderly society demands the extinction of the life of persons like Ranga and Billa who are a menace to social order and security. They are professional murderers and deserve no sympathy even in terms of the evolving standards of decency of a maturing soc

The Narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart :: Tell-Tale Heart Essays

The Narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart Through the first person narrator, Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart" illustrates how man's imagination is capable of being so vivid that it profoundly affects people's lives. The manifestation of the narrator's imagination unconsciously plants seeds in his mind, and those seeds grow into an unmanageable situation for which there is no room for reason and which culminates in murder. The narrator takes care of an old man with whom the relationship is unclear, although the narrator's comment of "For his gold I had no desire" (Poe 34) lends itself to the fact that the old man may be a family member whose death would monetarily benefit the narrator. Moreover, the narrator also intimates a caring relationship when he says, "I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult" (34). The narrator's obsession with the old man's eye culminates in his own undoing as he is engulfed with internal conflict and his own transformation from confidence to guilt . The fixation on the old man's vulture-like eye forces the narrator to concoct a plan to eliminate the old man. The narrator confesses the sole reason for killing the old man is his eye: "Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees - very gradually - I made up my mind to rid myself of the eye for ever" (34). The narrator begins his tale of betrayal by trying to convince the reader he is not insane, but the reader quickly surmises the narrator indeed is out of control. The fact that the old man's eye is the only motivation to murder proves the narrator is so mentally unstable that he must search for justification to kill. In his mind, he rationalizes murder with his own unreasonable fear of the eye. The narrator wrestles with conflicting feelings of responsibility to the old man and feelings of ridding his life of the man's "Evil Eye" (34). Although afflicted with overriding fear and derangement, the narrator still acts with quasi-allegiance toward the old man; however, his kindness may stem more from protecting himself from suspicion of watching the old man every night than from genuine compassion for the old man.