Capitalization requirement and efficiency Essay

Capitalization requirement and efficiency - Essay Example This issue is highlighted in the study of Ahmed et al. (2001) where it is noted that ‘Islamic banks perform both commercial and investment banking services but do not establish firewalls to separate these two services legally, financially, and managerially’ (Ahmed et al., 2001, p.169); in accordance with the above researchers the effectiveness of Islamic banks could be increased if their activities were appropriately categorized and distributed among different organizational departments. On the other hand, Chong et al. (2009, 125) state that the most important characteristic of traditional Islamic banking is the Profit and Loss Share scheme – in Islamic banks there is no interest on transactions, a fact that differentiates these banks from Conventional ones; the daily functions of Islamic banks have to be aligned accordingly. Through the study of Chong et al. (2009) it has been also proved that the use of PLS scheme in Islamic banks worldwide has been limited under the influence of the Conventional-banks practice of offering interest on investments and transactions; through this way, it is proposed by Chong et al. (2009) that the rules regulating the activities of Islamic banks worldwide would be changed and introduce similar principles with those applied on Conventional banks. The need for update of the existing operational principles of Islamic banks has been highlighted by the Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions; the abo ve organization has proposed the development of ‘accounting standards for Islamic investment vehicles and the conduction of related training and publicity’ (Pomeranz, 1997, p.123); in other words, the weaknesses of the current Islamic banking system are recognized; however, it is noted that the improvement of Islamic banking system should be developed independently from the Conventional banking, i.e. through the establishment of principles and practices that they will

Msc management and marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Msc management and marketing - Essay Example In the UK car market, there has been a high number of big automotive profiles, so it is of utmost significance that any car manufacturer invests a huge amount of capital in the marketing communication to develop a high brand awareness and sustain the same. Back in the year 2005, the expenditure in the UK media has been  £ 600 m which contributed 2 % of the total sales. Due to the high competitive prices, longer product life cycle of the new cars, competition from the second hand automobiles, having a brand identity at the front position is important for the success of the automobile manufacturer. Looking at the current UK automobile market scenario, mass market media like television and press have been considerably significant in the marketing communication mix to attract more customers. However in the current market scenario, significance of other communication media is growing gradually. Organisations must frame and introduce programs to apply and promote the brand positions, the organisation has opted for. If a car manufacturer wants to establish itself as manufacturr of premium quality cars at a high price, it needs to have in house production facilities to sustain the high quality. At the same time, they need to communicate this quality to their customers in order to rationalize the premium pricing for their products (Oxford University Press, 2004). Before considering and implementing the integrated marketing communication strategy, Land Rover must investigate into a number of issues which can impact on the organisation. There can be a number of issues in this automobile industry; few of them have been discussed here. High purchasing and running cost of the automobiles: The purchasing and running cost of the cars has been quite on higher range. A number of factors have been influential to decide on the cost incurred for the same. While some of the costs may not be so new for the consumers, some other new additions have raised the concern. Some of the

Focal Point Consultants Essay Example for Free

Focal Point Consultants Essay While observing CanGo for last two weeks we at FPC (Focal Point Consultants ) have identified some six major issue that we feel should be addressed to allow the organization to better achieve there over all goals. First Concern—Priority 1 CanGo appears to have a financial issue and there is has not been a complete audit to address this issue. Also CanGo needs to learn how to use the resources that they already have and redefine the processes and procedures. First Recommendation The financial team at CanGo needs to work with all the key areas of the company to conduct an audit of current processes. This audit will allow for everyone to review all the current processes that are in place and determine what they can do to enhance them and at the same time the financial team can use this data to outline how much the current processes are costing the company overall. At the conclusion of this analysis the reports will allow for the company to cut spending in the correct areas so that they can improves the others. There are many things that can be done to make improvements without spending money or having to acquire new technology or devices. Within the warehouse for example the layout can be enhanced even more so that people are not wasting time walking. Minor and Major changes to just the layout will allow the CanGo to improve efficiency and overall performance. Each department head needs to complete a detailed time study on the processes they outlined above. Once this time study is complete then the data can be used to see what is taking the longest and make changes to that process. By taking these steps it will allow CanGo to approach improvements in the correct manner by taking those actions that don’t have ny hit to the company’s bottom line. After all these types of changes are complete that is when and only when money should be spent on new technology and devices to make processes more efficient. Second Concern—Priority 2 The loyalty of customers for the specific targeting market is declining. Second Recommendation Think about how you want to be treated as a consumer. Now apply that same concept to the targeting market. Review the evaluations that are submitted by the consumers. It will tell what impression the company is making. Also, spend time in the Customer Service department. This the first point of contact for consumer. How they are handle will determine whether a consumer will return: Customer service might just be the most critical of all in running your business. If your customers like how they are treated, not only will they keep coming back, but they will refer you to others. Treating customers as individuals and not as a stepping stone up your ladder of success can go a long way. Listen to their concerns and build a relationship with them. If your customer feels as though you have their best interest they will be loyal to you. Your customers can really do a lot of your marketing for you. Word of mouth, especially in a world where Facebook and Twitter are some people’s main way of communicating, is a very powerful tool (Debs Marketing Connections, 2012). Third Concern – Priority 3 Online purchases CanGo has talked about that they have a high rate of items added to the online shopping cart. Although this information does not support the amount of purchases actually received via CanGo’s online website. Third Recommendation  Having a high rate of items added to an online shopping cart means that you have a good storefront and getting customer’s to actually place the items within there shopping carts. This is only one piece of the multipart puzzle. The shopping site needs to be enhanced to entice the customer to actually complete their purchase as that is how we are going to make money overall. Since there is a high traffic volume to the website we would also recommend that the marketing team reach out to a third party website advertising company that will pay to place ads on CanGo’s website. This will drive also be another source of revenue for CanGo so they can then reinvest this money back into the company. Fourth Concern – Priority 4 While Reviewing the videos from weeks 3 and 4 I saw a issue that they is an issue within the warehouse and they do have a solution but no really reviewed the reports that Debbie provided. I think that these reports should have been reviewed while in the meeting so that they could have discussed all the points of the issue and the recommended solution to the warehouse productivity issue. Then Liz asked the group a question I wonder how the board will feel about this recommendation. Fourth Recommendation A solution to this problem would be to complete a full audit of the issue and do a trial run analysis of the proposed solution. This would allow for recommendations to be made to the board and the results of the proposed solution can be given right away. As people need to see measurable figures so that they can tell if something will be worth putting the time and money into the project. Fifth Concern – Priority 5  In the week 4 Videos they are talking about the market segment of boys in Japan. They ask each other questions about how they can get the market analysis complete and then the gentlemen having lunch say that I will do it. Fifth Recommendation There are a couple of thing on this problem that needs to be solved first managers should not interrupt an employee’s lunch unless it is extremely urgent. This is an issue because the employee stated he is Just trying to enjoy my lunch break. The Manager should have approached the employee at a later time when he was not at lunch. Then there is the issue of the market analysis. This assignment should get assigned out to a third party marketing company that can tap into the market in Japan and gauge what the consumer wants. This would be a lot more cost effective than attempting the complete this analysis on their own and wasting resources that they dont have in the first place. Sixth Concern – Priority 6 Sales are not increasing as projected for the company possibly due to the design of the online purchasing process. Sixth Recommendation Place a test run on the current online purchase process as a consumer. Time the entire process to see how long it takes. As the test run is being completed, keep the consumers’ needs and wants in mind. Determine if needs were met as well as satisfied. View the information available to see if it’s appealing to lead to the purchase the item. Also, notate likes and dislikes of the experience. Have a group of employees to assist to gather more information for comparison. Determine what updates can be implemented to entice the consumer to make a purchase. Keep track of different trends to keep a competitive edge for things like: 1.  In-store pick up. In the past few months we’ve seen Walmart implement in-store pick up for orders placed online, while Sears and Kmart are going a step further bringing online purchases out to your car. In Chicago, Sears and Kmart are even testing home delivery and bundling items with those from its retail partners at Sears’ Marketplace, further blurring the lines between online only retailers and those that came before. And in Florida, Farm Stores lets shoppers order groceries online and pick up at a drive through. 2. Pick up depots.  Smaller retailers without a vast network of stores like Walmart or Sears may open designated pick up locations for goods ordered online. Retail consultant Neil Stern of McMillan/Doolittle points to French retailer Chronodrive. com as an example. 3. Mobile Apps. Smartphones are the dominant cell phone and apps for all platforms are growing. The ones that allow for price comparisons or send out coupons are already among the most heavily used with good reviews, but we’re just getting started. 4. Less flash more function. Forget about flashy apps or features like virtual dressing rooms.  Consumers haven’t responded to these and rightly so. Maybe the technology will get there, but until it does, user reviews are better gauges of clothing fit and quality than any technology can offer. 5. Video. Look for more user-generated video on retail sites. Retailers are letting customers upload video clips modeling new clothes or using a new purchase. Davis believes this is one trend that will definitely pick up speed. 6. Social networking. Facebook and Twitter aren’t even close to played out yet. Consumers can increasingly â€Å"like† or follow a favorite retailer and get discounts or tips on deals.  JCPenney is using Facebook to actually sell goods and more than 12 million consumers â€Å"like† Victoria’s Secret on Facebook as of last month (March), making it the most popular retailer on the site (its Pink brand ranks No. 2, according to the ChannelAdvisor Facebook Commerce Index). That’s an active population of customers reaching out and requesting information from the retailer. And social shopping is just getting started, says Jim Okamura, managing partner at Okamura Consulting, a group specializing in online retail. There’s evidence (that Facebook offers) a good return on investment and there are a lot of retailers that haven’t done anything yet,† he says. â€Å"This is going to be the year of Facebook testing. 7. Daily deals and flash sales. This may seem like a very crowded playing field, but sites like Ruelala and OneKingsLane are reproducing at a furious pace. And based on how quickly many items sell out, often within minutes of email notifications going out, more will jump on this popular trend. 8. Retail based social networks. This is one trend experts don’t expect to happen at any large level. Sears is still trying to build a social network of its own customers and Walmart tried and abandoned a similar effort, neither attempt bodes well for its success. Facebook really owns this space, but look for small, focused sites to create communities of like-minded users, says Okamura. 9. International. â€Å"There’s been an accelerating trend in international or cross border e commerce, of small niche online retailers are now doing 10-20% of their sales outside of their own country,† says Okamura. Look to online shops like SousVide Supreme that sells specialized cooking equipment and StyleTrek. com, a community built to launch up and coming international designers as models. Other big name retailers like Zara and Top Shop are building out their online business to reach U. S. shoppers, even as the store base grows more slowly. 10. Deal aggregators. Of course there are always deal sites, like Dealnews, ConsumerSearch, FatWallet and Brad’s Deals that are cutting through the din of so many sites and sales to bring consumers only the information they’re interested in. (Forbes, 2012).

Causes and Solutions to Prison Overcrowding

Causes and Solutions to Prison Overcrowding Introduction The purpose of this paper is to look at the overcrowded prisons that are plaguing the U.S. The prison system that we have is constantly evolving, but seems to circulate through the same prison philosophies. An overcrowded prison does not lend itself to a productive environment for inmates. Many would not care about the environment that the inmates encounter as they feel the inmate has brought this upon himself through his deviant behavior, however not all inmates will stay in prison forever. We will examine some possible solution to curb the overcrowding that is prevalent in prisons today. Solutions to Prison Overcrowding Prison overcrowding has been a problem that has plagued the U.S. prison system since its inception. The solution to this problem for many has been to build more prisons to house the additional prisoners that have been sentenced there. Those who advocate building additional prisons fail to look at what is behind the overcrowding in the first place. Research has found that crime rates are decreasing. It has also shown that prison populations are increasing. Much like the Kevin Costner movie Field of Dreams with the infamous quote, If you build it, they will come that by building more prisons, we will only seek to put more prisoners into them. To fully understand our current overcrowding issue, we must look at the history of the U.S. prison systems and the philosophies that drove them. Then we must look at the sentencing practices that have increased the number of inmates that are incarcerated. This will include the truth-in sentencing laws, the impact of the war on drugs and the enforcement and the increasing of the length of prison terms for certain offenses. We will also take a look at the cost of building a prison and the daily costs of housing an inmate. Then we will look at solutions for reducing prison populations which include rehabilitation and the release of aged offenders and inmates with minor offenses. The U.S. derived many of its ideas about the prison system from England. In the Middle Ages, prisons were used for housing criminals as well as debtors. Juvenile delinquents also began to be housed in prisons. As prisons developed and emerged, the purpose of them changed as well. Drawing from the ideas presented in Essays on Crimes and Punishment by Cesare Beccaria in 1764 a move towards less physical punishment for crimes was made. Beccaria was also responsible for the idea that a punishment should be severe enough to deter crime, but not too extreme. In 1557, England began the use of workhouses. Initially, they were to remove the homeless and vagrants from the streets during the day. During this time, many believed that most criminals were lazy and committed crimes as a result of that. This allowed inmates to work, however they did not learn any useful skills and were not kept in the workhouses overnight. In 1790, the Quakers from Pennsylvania reformed the Walnut Street jail into a prison. The Quakers drew from their religious background and sought to use the prison as a place for an inmate to perform a penance and to make amends for their actions against society. Also, known as the Pennsylvania System, the prison layout allowed for solitary cells. The inmate was placed in the cell, so that they could think about their actions and gain remorse. Work was completed in the cells as well, so the interaction with others was limited to an hour of exercise a day. Although the prison sought to reform the inmates through solitary work, some prisoners could not handle the solitary times and reform did not occur. There was also a high cost involved in maintaining this type of prison. In an effort to improve the prisons, the Mass Prison Era was implemented in 1825. Also known as the Auburn system after the first facility in Auburn, NY, this prison featured areas where inmates worked in groups. However, prisoners still maintained solitary cells when they were not working. When in work groups, silence was enforced. This was done through corporal punishment to maintain order and obedience as well as a strong code of silence at all times. The Auburn prison was also the first to experiment with solitary confinement as a punishment for not following the rules of the prison. One huge difference which produced negative results when compared with the Pennsylvania system is that inmates were not allowed any exercise and they were not given any work to complete. In this system, many inmates went insane, were suicidal and classified as unfit for re-entry into society. Unhappy with their current prison system, The Reformatory Era was developed next. This was the first to introduce the concept of indeterminate prison sentences in the U.S.. This concept came from two European counterparts. The first leader who emerged during this time was Captain Alexander Maconochie who was a warden at Norfolk Island, a prison off the coast of Australia. Maconochie was alarmed at the condition of the prison and sought to reform it. He developed a system where prisoners could earn an earlier freedom with good behavior. Ultimately, it placed the inmates freedom in the hands of that inmate. This was the introduction of the concept of indeterminate sentencing. Another leader during the Reform Era was Sir Walter Crofton who was aware of Maconochies progress and adapted it to the Irish Prison system. Crofton was able to set up a four stage system. In the first stage, prisoners stayed at Mountjoy Prison in Dublin. They were restricted in their activities and movement. In the second stage, they were in Spike Island where they were to begin work. In the third stage, the prisoners were placed in the community on public-service projects. The fourth stage was called the ticket of leave where inmates were allowed to live and work in the community under mild supervision. The response to this was positive until there was an increase in crime which resulted in longer sentences. Crofton did not have the citizens support and could not keep it up. Back in the United States, the indeterminate sentence was introduced by Gaylord Hubbell who was impressed by the Irish Prison system. The indeterminate sentencing was started with approval from The New York Prison Association. Hubbell worked to implement the reformatory practice where prisoners who showed themselves as reformed could earn an earlier release. There were criteria that needed to be met in order to qualify for the indeterminate sentencing: the offender had to be between 16 and 30 years old and it had to be his first offense. Unfortunately, the reform prison era did not last too long as offenders would reoffend. Similar to Ireland, society was not willing to risk the higher crime rates and did not lend its support. It still was the basis for many of the ideas that we hold regarding parole, training and education today. As well as emphasizing the reform of a prisoner over the punishment of a prisoner. In 1890, the Industrial Prison era was sparked. This era brought to light an option to profit from the increasing prison population. There were several systems that utilized inmate work to bring an income into the prison system. The inmate labor systems were: contract system, lease system, piece-price system, state- use system, public-account system and public works system. In contract system, labor was contracted out to private businesses through the prison. Work took place in the prisons, but supplies were provided by the private businesses. In lease system, inmates were taken out of the prison facility and leased out to a private contractor for the day. Piece-price system was similar to the contract system, but inmates produced products that were sold to private businesses. The state-use system had inmates producing products for state offices. The public-account system was a combination of contract, piece-price and state-use systems where inmates produced, managed and sold product s in the free market that was fully run by the prison. Finally, the public-works system had inmates working on roads, highways, cleaning public areas like parks, and restoring other building in the community under the supervision of prison officials. During this time, inmates produced furniture, clothing, cleaning products and other items. The Prison Industry Era was running quite smoothly and making a substantial profit until workers from society like mechanics complained that inmates were taking over their jobs and with cheaper labor. Workers could not compete with them and felt it was unfair. These protests lead to the Ashurst-Summers Act of 1935 where Federal legislation which specifically prohibited the interstate transportation and sale of prison goods where state laws forbade them. (Schmalleger, 2007). This limited the sale of inmate produced products. In conjunction with the Depression, the once profitable Prison Industry ended. The Prison Industries Era lasted for over 40 years and was followed by the Punitive Era. The focus moved back to an age of confinement where the prisoner was to be locked away for their crimes. During this time, larger maximum security facilities were built like Alcatraz. Prisoners who were released from these types of facilities did not receive any education, valuable skills or treatment. The rate of recidivism was high. Luckily, this type of prison systems only lasted about 10 years. The Treatment Era began in 1945. This era relied on treating the inmates like patients versus inmates. Based on a medical model where a therapeutic perspective on correctional treatment that applies the diagnostic perspective of medical science to the handling of criminal offenders. (Schmalleger, 2007) One-on-one therapy was introduced as well as group therapy helped to get an understanding of the emotional and psychological reasoning for crime. There were drawbacks of this era, too. Some inmates fought against being forced to participate in these programs. Prison guards were not properly trained in how the medical model functioned and were also not trained in how to handle the inmates. In 1967, the Community-based Era arrived. In this era, prisons were again faced with overcrowding and coming off of the medical model with the optimistic view that inmates could be rehabilitated. This time they would move them back into the communities where they had committed their crimes to serve their time. The belief was that inmates would not be able to fully rehabilitate in a prison setting. The halfway house was reintroduced and gave the inmates the opportunity to work and reside in the community while being watched at the same time. However, lack of programs caused the inmates to be returned to society the same as they were before committing their crimes. The U.S. watched as recidivism rates and prison populations soared as they entered into the Warehousing Era. Deterred by the crimes that were committed by those inmates who were on work-release or residing in a halfway house, the U.S. decided to limit the liberties that the inmates had once enjoyed. The Warehousing focused on imprisonment for inmates to remove them from society to avoid the possibility of further crimes being committed. In 1970, a new treatment model emerged call the nothing works doctrine which was popularized by Robert Martinson that correctional treatment programs have had little success in rehabilitating offenders. (Schmalleger, 2007). This doctrine helped to implement the mandatory minimum sentencing provision and truth-in sentencing requirements. Calls for truth-in sentencing occurred when the average inmate was serving one third of their time that was handed out by the judge at sentencing. Victims and other citizens were dismayed to learn that the full sentence was not being fulfilled. In the 1990s another popular law was developed called the three strikes and youre out in California and was soon adopted by many other states. The premise for the three strikes law is that if someone was to commit a felony three different times, then the only option was to sentence them to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This has also contributed to a dramatic increase in prison populations. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, in 1985 there were approximately 550,000 inmates in the U.S. prison and this figure jumped to 1,400,000 by 1995 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011) Opponents of this law argue that this law costs too much with the increased number of inmates, that it unfairly targets minority offenders, does not help to decrease crime and that not all who were convicted under the three strikes law were convicted of serious, violent crimes. Besides the sentencing guidelines, there was also a war on drugs that was taking place. Sentences for drug-related offenses became more severe and more of the sentence that was handed out by a judge was actually being served. The current era that we are in is the Just Desserts Era which started in 1995. Prisons had now become essentially warehouses for inmates who were receiving longer sentences for the same crime. Rehabilitation was not working, so the inmates are essentially being held. When we look at the past prison systems of the U.S., it is important to look at the goals that each of the systems advocated. Starting with the Penitentiary Era the focus was on rehabilitation and deterrence. The Quakers utilized their religious belief that time alone would lead a person to become remorseful for their actions. The Mass Prison system focused on deterrence as well as incapacitation. The Reformatory Era was focused on rehabilitation. The Industrial Era reverted back to incapacitation and restoration. The philosophy of retribution was strong in the Punitive Era. Not surprisingly, the Treatment Eras philosophy was on rehabilitation. In addition to rehabilitation, the Community-based Era also looked at restoration. The Warehousing Era looked at incapacitation. Finally, the Just Desserts Era looks at retribution, incapacitation and deterrence. The task before us is to find the right balance for todays society of rehabilitation, retribution and deterrence to decrease our pri son populations. One strategy to reduce or stop the increase in our prison populations comes from the sentencing phase. It is important to know the different goals of sentencing. They are: incapacitation, retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation, vindication, and punishment. In incapacitation, the offender is sentenced to a prison with the goal of not allowing them to commit further crimes. In retribution, which was popular in the early ages of history, the goal is to seek revenge against the offender. An example of this is the eye for an eye mentality. Deterrence refers to stopping criminal behavior and there are two types: general and specific. General deterrence refers to the ability stop the criminal behavior by the public. An example, would be watching someone getting their hand cut off for stealing. The hope is that it serves a general deterrent to the public to not commit that crime as you have seen what happens to a person when they commit that crime. In specific deterrence refers to the offen der specifically in order to stop them from committing that crime again. Rehabilitation is means to change a persons behavior, so that they no longer commit criminal acts. Vindication refers to the making and enforcing of the law and punishment that goes along with a criminal act. Finally, punishment is the punishment of an offender fairly and equally. The consequences of the punishment for the offender are not taken into consideration. Currently, the determinate sentence law is used throughout the U.S. This started when the government and citizens gave up on the idea of rehabilitating prisoners. Its goals were to have a punishment in proportion to the crime and eliminate the disparity in the prison terms. There are three levels of a term that is ordered by a judge depending on the facts of the case. The terms are called: presumptive, aggravated and mitigated. Presumptive terms are the middle of the road terms. In an aggravated term, there may things that occurred that made the crime a little more severe when compared with similar crimes. In a mitigated term, the offender may have had a limited role in the crime or the crime was not as severe. Another caveat in determinate sentence law is that there is typically not any parole. Once the inmate has served their time, they are released automatically. Also, inmates may work to earn days off their sentence. Prior to 1970, the indeterminate sentencing law was used. This law felt that rehabilitating inmates was the number one priority. Known for parole which released inmates into the community after part of their time was served in prison, indeterminate sentence law failed in the successful rehabilitation of the inmate. In indeterminate sentence law, judges were handing out a minimum and maximum time for a sentence. Then a parole board would complete an annual review of the inmate to determine if they were ready for release. The process was not consistent which caused many to become upset with the unfairness. Another important factor to consider is what do we hope to achieve with those individuals who have proven that they are not able to follow the rules of society? If our goals come from retribution, then we are not looking at deterrence, reformation and economic considerations. We are only looking at public safety. If our goal is to rehabilitate, then will we risk public safety in releasing supposed rehabilitated inmates. While we have increased our prison capacity we have also increased our prison populations. We have now learned that we cannot hold all these inmates as our prison are becoming overcrowded which is unsafe for the prison guards and staff who run them as well as to the inmates who reside in them. One major contributor to the increasing population is the mandatory drug laws. It is not uncommon to find stories of inmates who received a mandatory minimum sentence for their minimal parts in drug offenses. According to Family Against Mandatory Minimums, there are many stories those affected by the strict sentencing laws that were created during the war on drugs. Here is one of them: Stephanie dated several men who were involved in selling drugs. At times, they would help Stephanie support her family. In exchange, she occasionally delivered and sold drugs and took messages for them. On October 26, 1993, police arrested Stephanie after she was found sitting on the front porch of a house next to a bag that contained cocaine residue. She confessed she had crack in her possession and surrendered it to the officers. She received probation. On November 10, several weeks after her arrest, police sent a confidential informant (CI) to make a controlled drug buy from Stephanie. On November 15, the CI purchased two crack rocks for $120. On December 8, the CI bought $40 worth of crack from Stephanie and several codefendants. After this final controlled buy, officers searched Stephanies residence and found four pieces of crack cocaine and drug paraphernalia. Stephanie was fined and sentenced to nine months in jail. Nearly three years later on August 16, 1996, police raided Stephanies residence after a CI reported that he had seen crack in the house.   Officers found 500 grams of powder cocaine and $13,710 in an attic safe belonging to Stephanies former boyfriend, Michael. In the master bedroom, police found utensils that tested positive for drug residue. Michael had the key to the safe, along with $797 in cash in his pants pocket. He confessed to police that the money, the cocaine and the paraphernalia belonged to him and that the $797 was from 500 grams of crack he had already sold. Later, Michael would testify that he paid Stephanie to let him reside and store crack at her house. At the time of her arrest, Stephanie had no cash, no bank account and owned no other property besides her car, valued at $2,500. She depended on food stamps and welfare to provide for her children. Stephanie went to trial. She was held accountable for 500 grams of powder cocaine found in the attic safe as well as 500 grams of crack that Michael said he sold.   Several of Stephanies codefendants who dealt drugs with Michael testified against her. Because of their uncorroborated testimony, Stephanie was held accountable for an additional 290 grams of crack, for a total of 1,290 grams (about 2.84 pounds). Stephanie received a sentence enhancement for obstruction of justice because she testified that she had no knowledge of and did not participate in Michaels drug activity.   Because of her 1993 drug offenses, Stephanie was categorized as a career criminal, an enhancement which mandates a life sentence. Despite his objections, Judge Roger Vinson was forced to sentence 26-year-old Stephanie to life in prison without parole.    At sentencing, Judge Vinson said to prosecutors: Theres no question that Ms. George deserved to be punished.   The only question is whether it should be a mandatory life sentence I wish I had another alternative. He told Stephanie, Even though you have been involved in drugs and drug dealing for a number of years your role has basically been as a girlfriend and bag holder and money holder.   So certainly, in my judgment, it doesnt warrant a life sentence. Stephanie received the longest sentence of any of her five codefendants. Over a decade ago, the young mother of three was led out of the courtroom quietly crying. She has now been incarcerated for over 14 years. Her children have grown up without her and her older relatives have aged and passed away. Stephanie has been a model prisoner, actively participating in vocational and educational training and working hard at her prison job. She has completed drug treatment and is sober. Unfortunately, the mandatory minimum life sentence prevents Stephanie from ever having another chance (Families Against Mandatory Minimums, 2011). Stories like Stephanies are not uncommon. Like the judge stated Stephanie needed to be punished for her actions, however it seemed extreme to be sentenced to life in prison for such a minimal role. In many of these cases, the person who was more invested in the illegal activities seems to get away with less time in prison as they were able to make deals with the prosecution. The reason that this occurs is that the person with the most information is in a better position to help prosecutors out and may bargain smaller time in prison for themselves while the person who may have had the smaller role is left holding the bag. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics from a report in 2009, crime rates have remained the same or decreased since 1994 in areas of rape, burglary, property crimes, robbery, motor vehicle theft, and homicide (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2011) In contrast, the number of inmates in the corrections system which include probation, prison, jail or parole, has increased. The trend remains that prison populations are slowly increasing as well. In 2009, the FBIs Uniform Crime Report (UCR) reported a 1.9 percent decline in violent crimes and a 0.8 percent decline in property crimes reported in 2008. This drop in crime came at a time when the prison and jail growth rates fell from previous years (2008). This data shows that while crime rates were decreasing in contrast the incarceration rates had increased. There should also be guidelines when determining who should be sentenced to prison instead of community service orders. A person should be sentenced to prison or jail if any lesser punishment would depreciate the seriousness of the crime that was committed, imprisonment is needed in order to deter them from crime, and if the person has had other sanctions applied to them. The cost of building a new prison is rather staggering. The estimated cost to build a new prison is $250 million and another $45 million a year to run it. In todays economy, it would be unwise to not consider economical factors when debating the construction of new prisons. It is not a mystery that a majority of inmates that were sentenced to prison will one day be released back into society. It is important to remember that once a person has spent time in prison, the chances that he will return are quite high. In a two year time frame, it was found that 70% of inmates committed another offense and were returned to prison. Since we know that many of these offenders will be returning to society (some for a shorter amount of time than others), it is important to ensure that are prisons provide inmates with opportunities. One opportunity that is a win-win situation for all is prison industries. Federal Prison Industries (FPI) emerged during the Prison Industries Era, but was limited by the Ashurst Sanders Act. Today prison industries are in place making license plates, office furniture and other items. However, they are limited as to who they may sell things to. This seems to be a resource that is not fully appreciated. If we were to implement additional trades to provide inmates with some skill upon leaving the prison system, then they would be better able to make the transition into society. Many inmates have an 8th grade education. If they were appropriately trained, they would be able to pay compensation to the victim of their crime, assist in supporting their family while in prison and build confidence in knowing that they have a skill that would allow them to work on the outside. Some examples of valuable skills would be to teach welding skills, automotive skills, electrical skills, farming techniques and other technical skills. Also, the profit that the prison industry makes could go to costs of running the prison facilities, provide education to the inmates, and other rehabilitative programs. There are those that against the prison industries who say that the inmates are being paid unfair wages, however the inmate is currently being housed, fed and clothed which are huge expenditures by a citizen out in society. It appears to balance out. There are others who dont think that the skills being taught are not useful; however it is a skill that they did not have prior to arriving at prison. It also gives the inmate something to do while incarcerated. Boredom in a prison is not a good thing; it could lead to violence and riots. Lets look at some other solutions or alternatives to building additional prisons. It is clear that in order to avoid building new prisons, the inmate population will need to either decrease or remain the same. An alternative to imprisonment would be day fines. Day fines are successfully being collected in both Germany and Sweden. The day fine process has two steps. First, you need to consider the severity of the crime. For example, the more serious the crime the higher the fine will be. Second, you need to look at the income of the offender. Currently, in the U.S. day fines have not completely caught on. Many times, day fines are not enforced or collected. This is the result of fines handed out that a lower income person could not afford, so they dont put utilize resources in collecting them. The day fine could be used as a better deterrent for someone who is rich as they would feel it the same as a person who does not make as much. For example, if you get a $500 speeding ticket and you are someone like Paris Hilton that will not really deter you from speeding again. Now if the fine was raised to $50,000, it could deter you from speeding in the future. An idea that stirs up great controversy is the release of inmates prior to the term deemed by a judge. However, we should remember the war on drugs and many of the sentences set forth by the judge were mandated to the judge. There are many cases where judges at the sentencing stated their unhappiness with being bound to the sentence. Discretion should be given to judge when making sentences, so that the punishment is fitting to the crime. The judge is present at the trial and has access to the pre-sentence report. Having seen the full picture, the judge should be able to hand out the best sentence for the offender. The mandatory minimum sentence law should be replaced with flexible guidelines. We should also look at the idea that not all who are convicted of a crime should go to prison. There are other alternative besides sending someone to prison for committing crimes. These are often cheaper when compared with housing an inmate in a correctional facility. According to the state of Georgia, it costs $28,936 a year for a minimum security prison to house an inmate compared with $1,434 for an offender with intensive probation (FY2009 Costs of Adult Offender Sanctions, 2008). Community corrections is the when punishment involves more community supervision and activities and less confinement. Probation is one of the most commonly used sentences that are applied. There are two types: general and specific. General probation is just that, these are the rules that many offenders must abide by. They direct that the offender must obey all laws, stay within the jurisdiction of the courts, stay employed, allow access to their homes by a probation officer or police officer and not be i n the possession of a firearm. In specific probation, the judge may add specific limitations and rules that pertain specifically to that offender. For example, if the offense was drug-related perhaps mandate drug tests and rehabilitation programs in addition to the general probation guidelines. Intermediate sanctions or alternative sentencing strategies are sentencing alternatives that cover a variety of options. Split sentencing is usually completed in a jail versus a prison. Then there is shock probation where the offender is sentenced to prison, but serves only a short amount of time, they are then released with probation. The goal of this is to surprise the inmate with a shorter prison term. Shock incarceration has the offender in a boot camp like setting for about 90-180 days to shock the inmate into better behavior. It is more commonly used for young offenders and first time offenders. Community service is a common punishment where the offender must dedicate some of their time to a community organization. Some pick up trash on the side of the road or volunteer in soup kitchens; this is usually reserved for minor offenses. Home confinement is another alternative to prisons. This is beneficial as it allows the offender to remain in his community, has the ability to keep his employment, and with his family. They utilize an ankle bracelet which is equipped with GPS to know the location of the offender. This is easily monitored 24 hours a day. Some monitoring devices are able to detect alcohol in the offenders system which would be useful in settings where alcohol or drug use was forbidden. Today satellites assist with detecting the location of the offender. This technology is constantly evolving and is sure to develop some other useful tools in monitoring large amounts of offenders. These are also done at a lower cost compared with incarceration. The Irish System that was created by Sir Walter Crofton is a good basis for the parole system. Under this system, inmates would be able to demonstrate that they have changed their behavior and are ready to enter back into society. It would be a system where they would have to work to be able to move into the next level and are rewarded with additional freedoms. Communities would benefit from the free labor that they receive from inmates through their trash pick-up and the fixing of buildings that are in disrepair. The ticket of leave inmates could be monitored with a

World Systems :: essays research papers

World Systems The world history does not always go in the same route. Change in the balance of power all around the world and existence of big events such as the foundation of press are effective in the conversion of the way it goes. With the effect of these rotations, systems are also changing. The world system between 600 and 1500 is not same with the system after 1500. This differentiation in system at that time was related to the exploration of America. After the big geographical explorations, a new Euro-centric world system emerged. The Old World system was mainly Asia-centric. European states were far behind the Asian and Middle Eastern ones. According to the article of Janet Lippman Abu-Lughod which is named â€Å"The World System in the Thirteenth Century: Dead-End or Precursor†, beside the world system there were subsystems which were not â€Å"depending on each other for common survival in the thirteenth century†. There were three big circuits: Westers European, Middle Eastern, Far Eastern. â€Å"At that times the strongest centres and circuits were located in the Middle East and Asia. In contrast the European circuit was an upstart newcomer that for several early centuries was only tangentially and weakly linked to the core of the world system as it had developed between the eight and eleventh centuries.† As she mentioned, Europe joined the advanced world system of that time after 11th century, yet till 15th century it was not so effective. Although the states in east were developed, t his did not reflect to political arena. Every state was powerful in its own niche and as a result of this there was not a hierarchical form of political balance. These states could be thought as pockets. Nature of this system was production. As Janet L. Abu-Lughod mentioned â€Å"the production of primary and manufactured goods was not only sufficient to meet local needs but, beyond that, the needs for export as well. Then, the way of function of this system can be understood: trade. Trade was the main economic activity of the Old System. Trade was mostly depending on exchange of goods. In spite of this, Chinese merchants were using paper money like a credit card and Arabic dinar was the dollar of that time. All of these show us that the trade was also Asia-centric. The popular trade ways were through Middle East and Asia. Beside the economic side, trade was integrating cities and societies.

Education Philosophy Statement :: Teaching Education Essays

Education Philosophy Statement As a sophomore, I was required to compile a genre of educational philosophies and create my own philosophy in the process. Today, as a senior I am required to â€Å"revise† that statement into one that is sophisticated and intelligent based on new information that I have received in the last two years. One instructor said to me, â€Å"Your view on educational elements may have changed,† and another said, â€Å"Randy, your philosophy on the way you view yourself as a teacher and the view of your classroom may have evolved into a more manageable, realistic perspective,† and they were both right. In the first draft of my philosophy, it states that I see myself as a teacher with an â€Å"eclectic† view on teaching children. Although I still believe in my â€Å"eclectic† ways because it gives the students and me a variety of ways to learn, it has â€Å"evolved† into a more specific, eclectic philosophy. For example, I stated that in my classroom the children would be involved with as much of the classroom decisions as possible. In contrast, I now believe that the instructor is the primary decision-maker allowing the students to give their input on certain situations and keeping their concerns in mind when making the final decision. Why do I feel that way now? I have observed two different schools and two different grade levels – an 8th grade classroom and a 12th grade classroom. What works in at one level does not work at the other, meaning, observing a teacher who incorporated the student government, so to speak, in her classr oom did not always succeed in getting anywhere in the end. I have learned that the students are not as diplomatic as I once believed, followed by the fact that the students do not always know what they want or what is the best for them as a class. While I am on the subject of observing classrooms, another area of my philosophy that I now view with a sophisticated, intelligent insight is extra-curricular activities.

Good Hotel: Doing Good, Doing Well Essay

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to explore Case Study # 10 – Good Hotel: Doing Good, Doing Well?excerpted from Strategic Management: Planning for Domestic and Global Competition Thirteenth Edition authored by John A. Pearce II and Richard B. Robinson published 2013 by The McGraw – Hill Companies New York, NY. This paper will seek to address five issues concerning the Good Hotel case study. This paper will discuss the vision/mission behind the concept of the hotel. Pam Janusz’s considerations that she may present to the new hotel ownership will be discussed. The Good Hotel’s target customers will be defined and assessed. The marketing strategy of jDV for the Good Hotel will also be assessed and discussed. Finally, this paper will give insight as to how the Good Hotel should be competitively positioned against its rivals. Keywords: Hotels American Pacific International Capital, Inc. acquired the Good Hotel located in San Francisco in May 2010 and is now managed by HAIYI Hotels and Management Group. (Hotel Interactive, 2010) Joie de Virve was the prior management of the Good Hotel. (Pearce and Robinson, 2013) The hotel is referred to as a â€Å"hotel with a conscience.† (Pearce and Robinson, 2013) The hotel desires to inspire the â€Å"good in us all.† (Pearce and Robinson) Mission/Vision The Good Hotel’s mission is to make differences for guests and associates by sharing passions for work, life and individualized experiences. (Haiyi Hotels). Its vision is to be a unique boutique hotel with its own character  and style.(Haiyi Hotels). Pam Janusz Considerations Pam Janusz weighed three different options for the hotel to present to the new ownership. She considered the continuing, expanding, or discontinuing Good Hotel’s concept. The continuation of the current concept would have a minimum effects on operations. The recently trained staff embraced the current concept which led to increased customer satisfaction and occupancy, and financial results were being met or exceeded. Continuing the concept of the hotel can also have disadvantages. Increased awareness of the need to become more friendly to the environment may lead to a more competitive marketplace. The employees could become complacent and may resist future needed changes. The hotel may acquire a greater market share if the current concept was expanded. This option could increase the hotel’s occupancy and increase the financial bottom line. Since the associates have recently been trained on the current concept, they may be more receptive of additional training to expand the concept instead of replacing the concept completely. The decision to expand could have some repercussions though. Employees may be resistant of the additional training and there would be additional costs and decreased productivity, because of the training. The third consideration of Pam was to completely discontinue the current concept of the hotel and seek a new direction. If this option was chosen, then there would be a fresh new start under new management with a new concept of the hotel. This decision may be beneficial or detrimental to the hotel. It could be beneficial because of a fresh new start. The hotel could re-brand itself by setting a new tone and image. The cons of the decision to discontinue the current concept are similar to the cons of expanding. With discontinuing the current concept, associates may resist the change especially since they have recently been trained on the current concept. They would have to be trained a new concept and the training comes with a monetary cost. Good Hotel’s Customers The Good Hotel targets customers who are environmentally conscious. These customers are referred â€Å"Cultural Creatives† by sociologists(Pearce and Robinson, 2013) These customers tend to be younger in age and hold the belief that they are to be responsible both economically   environmentally. JdV’s Marketing Strategy Chip Conley, JdV’s founder and CEO, stated that he became interested in hospitality industry because he â€Å"enjoyed commercial real estate but hated the transactional part.† (Pearce and Robinson, 2013) Per Conley, if a customer perceives a hotel as an extension of themselves, then the hotel would be an aspiration to them. JdV’s strategy is being â€Å"geographically focused and product-line diverse.† This strategy may suffice, but it can also have disadvantages. The greatest disadvantage of this strategy is the limitation placed upon itself by filling a niche market which will lead to a smaller segment of customers desiring their services. Competitive position The Good Hotel has positioned itself competitively in relation to industry rivals. Great strides were made by the Good Hotel from 2009 to 2010. The hotel’s twelve month occupancy from 2009 to March 2010 increased 61.3%. (Pearce and Robinson, 2013) The industry’s twelve month occupancy declined 9.9% over this period. (Pearce and Robinson, 2013) The hotel has a great outlook for future profitable business. References Haiyi Hotels. About Haiyi Hotels. Retrieved 05/07/2014 http://www.haiyi-hotels.com/ soma-hotels-san-francisco-en.html Hotel Interactive. May 3, 2010. Haiyi Hotels and management group assume ownership of three San Francisco hotels subsidiaries of American Pacific International Capital, Inc (APIC) make first U.S. Hotel purchases in San Francisco, California. Retrieved 05/07/2014 from http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=16899. Pearce, John A. II and Robinson, Richard B. Robinson, Jr. Strategic management. 13th edition McGraw Gill. 2013.