Normal Business Operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Normal Business Operations - Essay Example Within this understanding and appreciation for the means by which key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats define the way in which this particular store will continue to integrate with customers in the near future, the following analysis will seek to provide something of a SWOT analysis with regards to this chain in the hopes that by understanding these key areas, the analyst will be able to define and appreciate the areas of opportunity and potential threats the firm faces both in the present and within the near future. Strengths: Firstly, with regards to the key strengths that Reeds grocers have within the current market, these can basically be understood with regards to the fact that they have established a resilient and well respected brand image among the client base and they also exhibit a resilient strength of the size and scope of their grocery store locations and offerings. Starting from a humble family owned beginning, Reeds transitioned over time, just as have so many other small firms, to encompass a great many stores and a wide variety of product and service offerings. Moreover, consumers of the firm have come to respect them within the world of grocers. This market presence along with a substantive level of respect and appreciation by a rather large client base is a net asset as well as a definitive strength upon which the firm can seek to leverage any further market growth or development within the near future. ... Another key weakness that the grocer faces is with regards to the fact that it cannot count on loyal consumers to carry it through economically difficult times. Whereas in the past grocers could count on loyal consumers to continue to derive a degree of revenue/sales, the current model indicates that less and less consumers are ultimately loyal to a single grocer and choose instead to shop many grocers in an attempt to maximize their savings. This represents an effective weakness that the firm is no longer able to attract and retain loyal consumers within a market that is more and more cut throat with regards to overall earnings and sales. Opportunities: Political/Legal With regards to the political/legal opportunities that the firm should seek to leverage, it is the understanding of this analysis that the firm, as well as any and all other firms within the system, should continue to engage with law makers and governments (at both the regional, state, and federal level) to continue t o lobby for tax breaks and business incentives so that they may continue to provide the most basic of goods to the consumers that they provide for; the need of sustenance. Economic Similarly, with regards to the economic opportunities that the firm is faced with, these can be understood with regards to seeking to model their business plan, at least in part, upon the runaway success that many of its greatest competitors have employed; i.e. offering at least a portion of overall goods to be sold as bargain buys and priced within the reach of a specific demographic of consumers that would otherwise be attracted to other stores instead. This serves as an economic opportunity that can be leveraged with very little overall cost to the firm and

Applied Ethics in Criminal Justice Management Research Paper

Applied Ethics in Criminal Justice Management - Research Paper Example Ethical questions and issues within the criminal justice system have become very popular. What is right and wrong, good or bad within the criminal justice system is an issue that needs to be demystified by studying and analyzing the criminal justice system. It is important for all stakeholders in the criminal justice system to be informed about issues of ethics so that high ethical standards can be maintained within the system. Criminal justice ethics is a pertinent issue in the leadership, supervision and management of the criminal justice system (Aldam, 2002). Any system or organization needs to be guided by certain ethical principles within that system, the criminal justice system being no exception. This is one sure way that can make the system effective and efficient in its functions and operations (Savelsberg, Lara & Cleveland, 2004). All the stakeholders and key player within the criminal justice system need to be made to understand ethical principles within the system and the value of ethics to the criminal justice system (Neocleous, 2004). These key stakeholders and player in the criminal justice system include the lawyers, judges, the police, investigators, parole and probation officer, correction officers, court officers, line officers and any other administrative personnel required to run the criminal justice system (Maguire, Rod & Robert, 2002). All these personnel, key player and stakeholders must be well versed in all the security, police and disaster or emergency procedures so as to help in upholding and maintaining the ethical standards required of the system (Fuller, 2005). The manager, supervisors and leaders of the criminal justice system must also be well trained in the administration of the criminal justice system so that they can effectively lead the other players towards achieving the common goals of the system

William Shakespeare: Research Assignment

William Shakespeare: Research Assignment William Shakespeare is most arguably the best English poet and story writer the English literature world has ever known. Some of his famous works that one may recognize includes Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and many others. But there were plenty of other things happening in England during the sixteenth and seventeenth century. Important events like the defeat of the Spanish Armada, treaty of peace between England and France, alliance between England and Netherlands, discovery and exploration of the new world, and the rise/fall of plenty of English rulers. All of these events impacted Shakespeare in one way or the other which could make one want to study Shakespeares work and compare/contrast the real world events with his work. If one doesnt know of William Shakespeare then theyve been hiding under a rock for centuries. William was a son of a wealthy business owner and active citizen of Stratford-upon-England. Shakespeare father then married Mary Arden in 1557 and had William on April 23, 1564. The black plague was decimating England in the fifteenth century and William was lucky that he survived. He lost several siblings to the plague including his older sisters Joan and Margaret. During that time period William and his brother Gilbert escaped the grasp of the deathly plagued and would both grow up to become successful people. William started school at the age of six at the Stratford grammar school. He was taught primarily in Latin but he also learned in English. Some believe that William was taken out of school at the age of thirteen due to financial problems but that wouldnt stop young William from learning. When he was about the age of eighteen he married a woman named Anne Hathaway, who was older and pregnant at the time. They had their first born in 1583 and they named her Susanna. Two years later they had twins by the name of Hamnet and Judith. Sadly one of the twins, Hamnet, died in 1596 due to unknown causes which affected William deeply. During this time, England was in a time of military dominance and golden age. They were about to go explore the new world and had unofficially involved in hostilities against Spain since the 1570s(Patrick, Pg 331). They were starting to gain wealth and power at a rapid rate. This certainly affected the citizens of England by ways of culture and entertainment. During this time, Shakespeare around the late 1500s was an inspiring actor and playwright. After gaining prominence in London, he became part owner of the Globe Theater and Blackfriars Theater in 1603. He continued acting until 1613 where he went to his hometown of Stratford to retire and sadly die in 1616, exactly 52 years to the day of his birth. William Shakespeare died in a time of religious controversy, exploration of life and values, and the start of personal freedom and protection. England was a country with many problems but that was only inspiration for Shakespeare along with personal events affected him. For example the death of his son caused sorrow for him which in turn was expressed in his writing. The sorrow also came through when he joined different acting troupes which also helped him to gain ideas and thoughts about drama. All of these events and tragedys eventually combine and come through Shakespeare writing and with his fame that he found during acting, it only took a matter of time for his writing to gain popularity. Though William Shakespeare was never a rich man, he still continued to follow what he loved most. He lived comfortably in Stratford which was all that he wanted for he would continue writing dramas and comedys that all would become famous either back then or right now. But people of England were not an easy crowd to please back in the 16th and 17th century. There was much upheaval in their government around this time which consisted of executions of political members to the public or assassinations. The Irish and Scots also were trying to gain their own independence from England around the late 1500s which made England be in constant war with countrys all around them. But even after Shakespeares death there was war and political unrest. The Thirty Years War begins, lasts until 1648,(britannia.com) and the exploration of the new world is fully underway which lead to England becoming more resourceful. Around the 1620s, ten years after the death of Shakespeare, King Charles I is forced to accept parliaments statement about civil rights in return for money so he can continue fighting his wars. This really marked the first time other then the Magna Carta that the king of England gives the people rights and civil liberties but of course they had to bargain for it. But not long after that King Charles I actually dissolve the parliament and rules England himself for the next 10 years. Dissolving the parliament wasnt actually a bad idea because King Charles I made peace with Spain and France which wouldnt of happened if parliament was still running. There has been many changes to England all during this time but its important to look back at history and truly see. William Shakespeare was in some way a motivator or influencer of England and its people who were in constant war and in chaos. If one looks back and compares the history of England to Shakespeares stories then they can see the similarities between them. When a reader today picks up a Shakespeare book or tale and reads it, its almost like looking back at England in that time period as if you were there and witness what it was like. Shakespeare gives us imagery and passion about England and thats why with his skills of writing and interesting dramatic stories that we still read about him and his tales today. Bibliography 1598, By. William Shakespeare. Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . Britannia: British History and Travel. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE. Web. 11 Nov. 2010. . James A. Patrick. Renaissance And Reformation. New York: Marshall Cavendish, Giovanni Caselli. The Renaissance And the New World. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1986. Catherine de Medicis. Reformation, Exploration, Empire. Danbury: Grolier, 2005.

Comparing the Salem Witch Trials and Modern Satanic Trials Essay

The Salem Witch Trials and Modern Satanic Trials      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Cotton Mather, in his The Wonders of the Invisible World, preserved for posterity a very dark period in Puritanical American society through his account of the Salem witch trials in 1692. His description is immediately recognizable as being of the same viewpoint as those who were swept up in the hysteria of the moment. Mather viewed Salem as a battleground between the devil and the Puritans. "The New Englanders are a people of God settled in those which were once the devil's territories. . . . The devil thus irritated, immediately tried all sorts of methods to overturn this poor plantation" (Mather 421). Here Mather is alluding to the Native Americans as being a people associated with the devil rather than with their God, a common point of view held towards all savage people. Mather saw the witches of Salem as being "his [the devil's] incarnate legions" sent to Salem "to persecute us. . ." (Mather 421). The Salem witch trials have become a part of American mythol ogy which has been passed down to each succeeding generation for over 300 years after the village of Salem sent its last witch to the gallows. However, it is the witch trials relevance to modern society more than any other factor that has contributed to its legendary place in American history and mythology. The witch trials that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, are the precursor to the modern trials where adults are accused of crimes including ritualistic sexual molestation of children. These types of ritualized abuse are commonly linked to Satanic cults. Modern beliefs in Satanists mirror similar beliefs held of colonial witches.    However comforting it is to look back at the Salem witch trials as a ... ...ct that the same social forces that were in place in Salem in 1692 are still present and at work in modern era courtrooms across the country where innocent people stand accused of horrific acts.    Works Cited Mather, Cotton. "The Wonders of the Invisible World." The Heath Anthology Of American Literature. Third Edition. Vol I. ed. Paul Lauter. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co. 1997, 421-424. Rosenthal. Bernard. Salem Story: Reading the Witch Trials of 1692. Cambridge Mass: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Sebald, Hans, Ph.D. Witch-Children: from Salem Witch-Hunts to Modern Courtrooms. New York: Prometheus Books, 1995. Starkey, Marion L. The Devil In Massachusetts: A Modern Inquiry Into The Salem Witch Trials. London: Robert Hale Limited. Victor, Jeffrey S. Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend. Chicago: Open Court, 1993.   

Financial Contingency Planning: Sources of Funding Essay

California has the largest prison population in the United States and some countries around the world. For over 40 years, the incarceration levels have risen. The prison rates have risen 700 percent since 1970, today it is estimated that one in 100 adults are incarcerated. Who pays the bill for this large increase, tax payers have and will continue until the Department of Justice and government have a solid plan to reduce the overwhelming criminal justice deficient. The taxpayers are not only paying to house the prisoners but to feed them and all their medical needs. One plan that was pass by the Supreme Court was to reduce the prison population, they gave California two years to do this (Henrichson, 2012). Revenue is big for state prisons; most states rely on taxpayers to foot the bill. Around the mid 1980’s is when prisons were financed by the pay as you go method and bonds there were $9.6 billion in construction costs. In the late 1990’s the expenditures were up to $ 22 billion dollars, this was over half the debt it cost to finance prisons. The general obligation bond was another way to pay for prisons, but this was financed by tax revenues and back by government credit. Getting prisons built pressured the Governor at the time, Mario Cuomo, he tried to use the Urban Development Corporation (UDC), and this fund was for oversight for low-income housing. This was shot down at the state supreme court. The lease revenue bonds became a way to pay for prisons. An entity or agency was created to build the prisons, they this agency would lease it to the government. In turn the taxpayers would pay back the loan, it was done this way because it did not require the government to ask the voters (â€Å"Public Bonds†, 2004). The Department of Justice (DOJ), just like most organizations has a contingency plan. The Antideficiency Act regulates what can and will not be paid for if the contingency plan is put into action. There are certain programs that will  always keep going; they are Diversion Control, Health Care fraud and abuse control, debt collection, asset forfeiture fund, and federal prison industries. According to â€Å"United States Department Of Justice† (2013), â€Å"Also, the Bureau of Prisons’ (BOP) Buildings and Facilities and Commissary accounts have multi-year authority and have adequate carryover funding to meet expenses during a lapse in appropriations †. In the event, the California prison system would need to activate their contingency plan the Bureau of Prison Buildings and Facilities and the Prison Industries and Commissary funds would carry over to meet any expenses. The employees, including medical staff are except from any finical constraints. (U.S. Department of Justice Contingency Plan). Public prisons became a drain on the budget since the mid 1990’s, and only getting worse. With the cost of living going up so does the cost of medical and psychiatric car. Also, another big stressor is the overcrowding in public prisons, with more inmates there is a need for more officers on duty, this results in more overtimes and hiring more officers. A way to lessen this burden is privatized prisons. There are several investors in the public stock market. Privatized prisons have investors that fund them. Miller (2012), â€Å"Private prisons can be defined in one of the following manners: a transfer of public facilities to a private organization; a contract to design and operate new prisons; and a contract to provide other services to public prisons such as transportation, medical care, food, and maintenance â€Å"(The Drain of Public Prison Systems and the Role of Privatization: An Analysis of State Correctional Systems). Private prisons do not have ties to the government , they are funded privately, however, and they may enter into a contract with the government. These contracts could be to house inmates and the government helps regulate private prisons. The public prisons use the private prisons to house many of the overcrowded prisons and the government has the power to place limitations and regulations on the organizations. AB 109 is a bill passed by the U.S. Supreme Court that ordered California to fix the overcrowding. This required California to reduce the prison population to 137.5 percent capacity. When the U.S. Supreme Court ordered California in May to fix its overcrowded prison problem, citing constitutional protections against cruel and unusual punishment, the court  rejected California’s bid for more time and upheld a two-year deadline to drastically cut inmate population in its 33 prisons to 137.5% of capacity by May 2013. To get there, there are several major steps, including a reduction of 10,000 inmates by November 28 to reach 167% of capacity. One idea California has is to use more community base programs for those non-violent prisoners who are released early. Some of the programs include transitional housing, jobs, and medical and mental health services. A poll was taken to see how the community felt about the early release of non-violent, non-sex, and non-serious offenders back into the community, they were in favor of them being released and managed within the community (Krisberg, 2011). The new parolees are supervised by the Post-Release Community Supervision program, about 104,00 are already living within the community. These changes would slowly take place. There are currently 65,000 current prisoners that fall under the AB 109 bill. These number will change as new people go to prisons and others are patrolled. A concern of the counties is funding, with the influx of offenders they worry how the communities will afford the large amount of people (Krisberg, 2011). Prison bonds are a fixed income security called lease revenue bonds (LRBs). These bonds are used to finance prisons. There are different types of bonds, traditional revenue bonds and lease revenue bonds. Traditional revenue bonds help repay the debt, the down side to these bonds is prisons do not generate revenue. The state treasury had to figure out how to create them, their solution was to have a private agency build the prison and then leases it to the state. The state takes money from one entity to pay another, a lot of the time it is taken from the general fund. These bonds are also tax except. The downfall to these bonds is the state can raise taxes to repay these obligations (Anderson, 2014). California has the largest prison population in the United States. Some of the questions asked about reducing the population are will this alter rates of incarceration, probation, supervision, and community programs. The state was giving a grant totaling $650.000 dollars from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the James Irvine Foundation, and the Public Welfare Foundation; this grant funded the Stanford Criminal Justice Center (SCJC) to  conduct the research. The SCJC was asked to effectively help California undertake and assess the realignment. This research this grant will provide will not only help California, but other states to reduce their prison population as well (â€Å"Stanford University†, 2013). There is another program called Fund for Nonviolence. This program is having several grants under the justice with dignity program. The total grants for 2013 were $372,500 and had 13 different grants that were awarded. Most of them were directed toward inmates who re leased back into the community; these grants were to help them to start over (â€Å"Fund For Nonviolence†, n.d.). It is predicted that in the two years over 3,700 more beds will be added to prisons. The state of California faces being held in contempt if they fail to meet their deadline of overcrowding. This brings up more costs for the state to have to fight this matter in court. Three judges orders 34 prisons to be downsized. The state faces two class-action lawsuits because the overcrowding has led to deaths. A report released by the correction’s department shows there is a $500 million dollar expansion project that would allow for two more prisons to be built, that means more officers, more health care staff, and more beds, just to 26,000. California passed the three strikes law and there has been a 36% increase in admissions. The three strikes law increased the prison population by 34,000. This is a record high for California (â€Å"Governing The States And Localities†, 2014). One answer California has to help offset the budget constrains is legalizing marijuana. The idea would be to use the excise tax, which could yield $770-900 million per year and the sales tax, another $240-360 million a year to reduce the states swelling budget. If the state was to legalize marijuana this would save over $200 million prosecution, arrest, trial, and prison time (Gieringer, 2009). The state of California is faced with a big challenge, how to reduce prison size and keep the re-entry rate low. The three strikes law has not helped with lowering the numbers. The Supreme Court passed AB 109, which told California they had two years to lower the prison population. California is faced with two on ongoing law suits that claim wrongful death suits. The state government has gone over how to reduce the budget and be able to find revenue to make the deficit lower. One thought was to legalize marijuana; this would not only bring a large  revenue but also save on costs from arrest, court, and jail time. Another approach was to build two more prisons to increase the population by 34,000. Also, the state could use more private prisons, they are funded by private entities but are still backed by the state. The prediction is the prison population will steadily increase, there for the need for more beds and more staff is apparent. References Anderson, A. (2014). Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/2008/10/22/prison-correctional-bonds-pf-ii-in_aa_1022fixedincome_inl.html Eaton, K. (2002-2011). BI. Retrieved from http://blog.bi.com/industry-news/ab-109-what-is-it-and-what-does-it-mean-to-california-counties Fund for Nonviolence. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fundfornonviolence.org/index.html Gieringer, D. (2009). California NORML. Retrieved from http://www.canorml.org/background/ca_legalization2.html GOVERNING The States and Localities. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/news/headlines/california-prison–overcrowding-its-going-to-get-worse.html Henrichson, C. (2012). VERA Institution of Justice. Retrieved from http://www.vera.org/sites/default/files/resources/downloads/Price_of_Prisons_updated_version_072512.pdf Krisberg, B. (2011). Berkeley Law University of California. Retrieved from http://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/REALIGNMENT_FINAL9.28.11.pdf Miller, D. (2012). Pro Quest A discovery guide. Retrieved from http://www.csa.com/discoveryguides/prisons/review.pdf

The Skipper in the Canterbury Tales

The Skipper The appearance and behavior of a character are extremely important. Whether it is in a movie or in literature physical description can say a lot. In the Canterbury Tales, the skipper had brown tanned skin and was the stout, fearless type. He was not one to be fooled with. He, in fact, was a tough and smart sailor. To cast his role today, a great choice would be Johnny Depp. The Skipper’s physical traits are brief, but say a lot.He wears a woolen gown that reaches his knees, has brown tanned skin, and most importantly has a dagger on a lanyard hanging from around his neck. The reason why the dagger is so important is because it shows that he is tough and fearless. It is almost like a symbol of power. The picture created is of a stout, strong, tough man. Johnny Depp is the first person to come to mind perhaps because of his history with the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series and his brown tanned skin.Behavior speaks louder than appearance in most cases. The skippe r’s behavior was unmerciful. He gave no mercy to the loser’s of fights and immediately made them walk the plank. In Chaucer’s words, he ignored the nicer rules of conscience. In spite of this, the skipper is very smart and a great navigator, which gives the reader the sense that he is also a leader. Johnny Depp has a history of playing roles that blend toughness, intelligence, and leadership which would make him ideal for this role.The characteristics of appearance and behavior reveal many pros and cons about the skipper. Although he was unmerciful, he was smart. Despite being unkind, he was a good leader. I personally believe that he would have been a good mentor as long as one could get on his good side. In modern times he reminds me of the actor I chose to play him, Johnny Depp. I think Chaucer wanted us to know exactly what I just explained. The skipper was a tough, unkind man, but he was very smart and was a great leader.