Monday, December 23, 2019

The First Starbucks Store - 2811 Words

The first Starbucks store was set up in 1971 by three individuals who had a common liking for coffee and exotic teas- Jerry Baldwin, History teacher Zev Seigel and writer Gordon Bowker. The store was named Starbucks Coffee, Tea and Spice in the tourist’s Pikes Place Market in Seattle. However, later the name was changed to Starbucks Coffee Company. The logo was designed to be a two tailed mermaid encircled by the store’s name. The name was inspired from the coffee loving character in Herman Melville’s Moby Dick The store was a success with excellent sales records and thus several Starbucks stores mushroomed in several parts of the US. Howard Schultz later joined the company as a marketing executive and then acquired it in 1987.In 1992†¦show more content†¦The study enumerates the challenges faced by the company, the various alternatives it has and what factors it takes into consideration before making a final decision so as to minimize its risk and maximize profit. Some premium brands also may do well in certain developed nations where people have higher purchasing power and may not do as well in emerging countries. Starbucks has been able to be very successful in China just like in the US despite the vast cultural difference. A similar model can be adopted in India which just like China is a tea loving country. The potential of growth is a lot in these emerging countries and it is important to formulate effective strategies to be successful here because the local market in the US is slowly getting saturated. Starbucks has always followed very stringent measures to ensure the highest quality be it the coffee beans it uses or the layout of its stores. As a result the organizational structure is vertically integrated and all processes like sourcing roasting and distributing is done through the company owned stores. The coffee producing locations are very carefully chosen and the processes used for roasting them are very exact. The beans which do not meet standards or those that remain in the bin for more than one week are donated to charity. This is another decision making criterion which needs to be considered during expansion since the choice of not sourcing locallyShow MoreRelatedStarbucks Opened Its First Store1186 Words   |  5 PagesAbout the Company Starbucks opened its first store in 1971 in the city of Seattle, Washington. Three men by the names of Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker came up with idea of the shop from Alfred Peet, also known from Peet’s Coffee Fame (Starbucks, 2015). In the beginning Starbucks only sold coffee beans and equipment and not so much the beverages they are known for these days. By 1981, Starbucks acquired Howard Scuhltz to be their Director of Retail Operations. Shortly after he startedRead MoreEffect on Starbucks Store Design on Consumer Behavior in China1634 Words   |  7 PagesHow Starbucks store design affect its consumer behavior in China. Starbucks Corporation is an American global coffee company, coffeehouse chain stores that adapt Italian-style coffeehouse. It is the largest multinational chain of coffee shops with 20,366 stores in 61 countries, including 13,123 in the United States and 732 stores in China. The first Starbucks opened in Seattle, Washington, on March 30, 1971 by three partners: English teacher Jerry Baldwin, history teacher Zev Siegl, and writer GordonRead MoreCoffee and Starbucks1360 Words   |  6 PagesCHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Company Profile Starbucks Corporation is an American global coffee company and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 20,366 stores in 61 countries, including 13,123 in the United States, 1,299 in Canada, 977 in Japan, 793 in the United Kingdom, 732 in China, 473 in South Korea, 363 in Mexico, 282 in Taiwan, 204 in the Philippines, and 164 in Thailand. Starbucks locations serve hot and cold beveragesRead MoreStarbuck Coffee Corporation Stands Alone1233 Words   |  5 Pagescompanies in the coffee industry, but there is nothing like Starbucks. Starbucks Corporation is an international company of coffee founded in Seattle, Washington in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker. Starbucks has taken a coffee bean and turned it into beverages that people around the world crave. They are the leading competitor in the coffee industry, and our well known for their quality and customer service. Starbucks has changed the world with their products, their pricing, theirRead MoreStarbucks SWOT Analysis1001 Words   |  4 PagesStarbucks SWOT analysis allows the company to see their current position in the coffee industry. The company’s strengths are that it is a market leader In the coffee industry, it has 16,859 stores by the end of the year 2010 and continues to grow (Starbucks Corporation, 2010) a second strength is the e xpansion rate they have of opening stores internationally and domestically the only fault with the expansion is that they are opening stores that are right next to others and losing money in each storeRead MoreStarbucks in Japan1077 Words   |  5 PagesExecutive Summary Thirty years ago, Starbucks was a single store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market selling premium-roasted coffee. Today it is a global roaster and retailer of coffee with some 17,000 stores, 40% of which are in 50 countries outside the United States. In 1995, with 700 stores across the US, Starbucks began exploring foreign opportunities. The first target market was Japan. The potential for coffee sales in Japan is significant. The Japanese economy is the third to the United StatesRead MoreStarbucks : A Strong Shaper Of A People Essay1306 Words   |  6 Pagesexecutive officer and chairman of Starbucks keep respect for every local culture. He summed it up when he said, â€Å"We remain highly respectful of the culture and traditions of the countries in which we do business. We recognize that our success is not an entitlement, and we must continue to earn the trust and respect of customers every day.† Starbucks could not have predicted the enormous change it was about to go t hrough almost 20 years ago. There are more than 24,000 stores in 70 countries, and it is clearRead MoreStarbucks Keeps It Brewing in China1603 Words   |  7 PagesAssignment 1: Starbucks Keeps It Brewing In China Shianne Dance Edwards Strayer University Marketing 510 Professor Karen Mountain January 20, 2013 How I love the smell of a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee to get the day started. As a coffee lover, I often venture to Starbucks to meet my caffeine needs. Starbucks began as a single storefront located in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. As of July 2012, the company has 17, 651 stores in 60 different countries around the worldRead MoreStarbucks Case Study Business Policy1042 Words   |  5 PagesIntegrated Business Policy and Strategy First Short Case Report Group STARBUCKS OVERVIEW Starbucks is the world’s most successful transnational coffeehouse. Established in 1971, Starbuck’s overwhelming success has led it to operate more than 17,000 stores, recording 2011 revenues of $17 billion at approximately a 15% profit margin. This case report will explore what has allowed Starbucks to dominate the coffeehouse market and the opportunities and threats for future operation. CAUSES OFRead MoreStarbucks in Japan1105 Words   |  5 Pages 13716002514600Case Study – Starbucks in Japan 00Case Study – Starbucks in Japan 2775585164592000 Executive Summary Thirty years ago, Starbucks was a single store in Seattle’s Pike Place Market selling premium-roasted coffee. Today it is a global roaster and retailer of coffee with some 17,000 stores, 40% of which are in 50 countries outside the United States. In 1995, with 700 stores across the US, Starbucks began exploring foreign opportunities. The first target market was Japan. The potential

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Starbucks Assessment Free Essays

Company name and brief background Starbucks is an American global coffee company which it is the largest coffeehouse company in the world. I think anybody know Starbucks that provide to enjoy the best coffee in the world. Starbuck brief background; the opening of the first Starbucks in 1970s which was small restaurant order to enjoy coffee and it was in the city of Seattle. We will write a custom essay sample on Starbucks Assessment or any similar topic only for you Order Now At the same time many people liked to drink over milk coffee and chocolate coffee, so that was more and more popular. Nowadays, Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17000 stores in 60 countries including Canada, Japan, UK, South Korea, India, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand so on. The Starbucks promotion its product or services The beginning Starbucks only sold coffee and espresso drink as well as coffee bean. Nowadays, it sells hot and cold drink, coffee bean, hot and cold sandwiches, sweets, salads, snakes and items such as mugs, glass and tumblers. Also, its products are seasonal. However, it provides various services such as entertainment (music, newspaper, magazine, free internet), and offers good or quick services. How the promotion techniques used help the Starbucks to attempt to increase its sale. Well know, Starbuck is the world brand that itself have a certain visibility, so that it rarely uses advertising on television and magazine because it don’t spend a lot of money on advertising, but it used some advertisements on billboard. We find some billboard at the highway, building or station. In addition, it used short video upload on YouTube, Blog, social network ( e. g Facebook, Twitter),website. Also it is actually in the position of strength region which is the premium brand because it chooses the position in more streams of people. However, it grow into one of the world know brand. How Starbucks maintain customer loyalty Starbucks loves hearing from customer all question, comment that is always welcome while provides the experience of quality coffee and warm service. Also, it uses a various promotion different countries such as in Taiwan uses half price discount for the period. It offers fast-forward services and high quality coffee. In addition, the customer buy a Starbucks tumbler get one free drink. In Hong Kong Starbucks promotion is free internet. For example, f you buy Starbucks drinks that you use internet its shop also it offers free newspaper, magazine and comfortable environment area for the customer. It believes that many people love drinking Starbucks coffee because it twenty types of coffee so that customer can choose different taste coffee. However, more and more people like drinking Starbucks coffee. How the Trade Descriptions Act affects the way that Starbucks promotion its products and services Starbuck need to be aware of laws in every country, so that it has law for employment, health and safety regulation and product restriction. Beside Starbucks takes action to reduce waste for its operation and recycle, also it considers preserve the earth’s natural resource and enhance the quality of live around the global. In addition to, Starbucks actively seeks opportunities to minimize environment impact and help create a healthy planet, so that it takes steps to be environmental mission statement. Most importantly, it improves coffee quality in order to have commitment to origin TM that helps to improve the lives of coffee farmers and protect the environment where they grow their beans and can keep its highest-quality coffee standard. It is imperative that Starbucks understand commodity–grade coffee to be trade on a highly competitive market. Obviously, for the last several years, a global oversupply of coffee has been getting high price. So that it keeps steady price standard. Specifically, it provides in the fair trade certification system for importer, roaster, and retailers purchases coffee at favorable guaranteed price from farmers who registered with Fairtrade Labelling Organization International. Overall, I think it is a role promotion in the business which is important. Many people want to have a success on their own business, but they don’t have achievement of promotion, so that they will lose their business. On the other hand, Starbucks has a success promotion of business in the world. It is not only promotion activities, also it has supervise responsibilities, the promotes employee becomes responsible for administrative assistants and other staff. How to cite Starbucks Assessment, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

IQ and EQ free essay sample

The differences, similarities, and interdependance of IQ and EQ. This paper critically evaluates the respective importance of IQ and EQ for organizational effectiveness. It does this by first defining what is meant by IQ, EQ and organizational effectiveness. Once the author defines these concepts the essay then determines active strengths and weaknesses of both IQ and EQ in terms of their contributions toward organizational effectiveness. From the paper: The reason for defining IQ in this way is that, in the author?s opinion, all the major definitions, theories, standpoints and constructs of IQ have some aspect that can be described as a cognitive ability that can in turn be identified by psychometric tests. This is because the abilities represented by cognitive ability may be broad. Knowledge about emotions is concerned with understanding both the determinants and consequences of moods and emotions, and how they evolve and change over time. The central proposition of this construct is that people differ in their awareness and understanding of how different situations, events, people and other stimuli generate emotions. We will write a custom essay sample on IQ and EQ or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It further claims that appreciation of the consequences of moods and emotions also varies across individuals. In other words, some people have a rudimentary understanding of how they are influenced by feelings, while others are more insightful of the effects of emotions on their actions.

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Jan. 1923 Invasion of the Ruhr Essay Example

Jan. 1923: Invasion of the Ruhr Paper Invasion of the Ruhr The Ruhr is one of Germany’s most valuable industrial and mining area. End 1922: Germany failed to pay reparations to France as part of TOV In response, the French occupied the Ruhr. Campaign of ‘passive resistance’ was Germany’s response and resulted in a decline in industrial productivity ‘Passive resistance’ affected Germany economy Weimar government still dedicated to maintain commitment to TOV o Reparation bill: US $32 billion Instead of raising taxes, gov borrowed heavily and printed new money Sparked greatest inflation in history o 1914: US$ =gt; 4. 2 marks 1919: US$ =gt; 8. marks 1923: US$ =gt; 25 billion marks German money was valueless causing enormous hardship †¢ Real wages declined, life-time savings wiped, people on fixed incomes †¢ This invasion should be considered against French fears about security. France had been increasingly concerned about security since the collapse of the Anglo-American guar antee that would have given the French support in the event of German attack. In addition, France had been unsuccessful in her attempts to partially dismember Germany. By 1921, Britain and the USA were retreating into isolation and removing themselves from the affairs of the continent. In Britain, there was growing sympathy towards the idea that Germany had been treated harshly and that she should be able to recover economically as means to promote European recovery. †¢ The reparations commission had determined in 1921 that Germany should pay 132 billion gold marks to the allied powers. The French were anxious to enforce the reparations settlement in full for two reasons: 1. To use reparations to pay their debts to the US. 2. They could continue to weaken Germany by collecting the reparations and thus limit the speed and extent of German economic recovery which could pose a serious threat to them in the future. The British attitude towards reparations was hesitant. As much as they needed the money to pay the USA but they were also aware that continued German economic weakness would limit the recovery of British trade. Britain believed also that if Germany was conciliated, she would slip into the Soviet orbit, something which Britain did not want especially aft er Rapallo. France wanted an excuse to demonstrate her hard -line approach towards Germany and the opportunity arose when Germany missed a delivery of timber as part of her payments. We will write a custom essay sample on Jan. 1923: Invasion of the Ruhr specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Jan. 1923: Invasion of the Ruhr specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Jan. 1923: Invasion of the Ruhr specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer So, on 11 January, 1923, French and Belgian troops invaded the Ruhr. †¢ †¢ The French object was to collect reparations through seizing the output of the mines and factories of the Ruhr and shipping them to France. However, the German workers refused to co-operate and went on passive resistance. †¢ The result was inflation. The Weimar government simply printed more money to support the workers to a point that paper money became worthless. †¢ Middle classes in Germany who had saved money were totally destroyed and demoralized since their savings became worthless. Many people lost faith in the democratic system and would turn later to extremists like Hitler. In fact, Hitler made his first attempt during these hard times. However, the breakthrough came with the appointment of Gustav Stresemann as Chancellor of Germany. He cancelled the passive resistance and announced that Germany would comply with her obligation as in Versailles. The French withdrew as their relations with Britain and the USA were sort of damaged and was now willing to reach an agreement with Germany over the crisis. †¢ Charles Dawes, a key player solved the crisis when he proposed the Dawes Plan. This plan allowed Germany to reschedule her reparations payments so that the total amount was reduced and the deadlines were extended. In order for the German economy to recover extensive foreign loss, largely from the United States, were arranged. In addition, much private American capital flowed into German businesses and German government bonds. The resolution of the Ruhr crisis was followed by the Locarno Treaty. Accordingly, Germany accepted her current borders with France and Belgium as permanent. Also, these borders were guaranteed by Britain and Italy. Also, as a result of Locarno, Germany entered the League of nations. However, Germany’s eastern borders had not been guaranteed. Britain refused to guarantee the countries to the east of Germany which gave Germany the impression that she could change the borders with little objection from the Allies. The spirit of Locarno improved the general atmosphere and later the Allies removed their troops from the left bank of the Rhine and the Allied commission to supervise German disarmament departed in 927. The spirit of Locarno was best exemplified in the Kellogg-Briand Pact.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Gender Roles in Same-Sex Relationships and our Countrys Res essays

Gender Roles in Same-Sex Relationships and our Countrys Res essays Gay rights have been an issue for many years. Although there is much progress being made on eliminating the discrimination of gays, one issue still remains: marriage. Society has become more accepting of same sex marriages; however, most of society still views same sex relationships as morally wrong. It is a life-style that is practiced by millions which has touched all levels of society including the well educated, the sophisticated, the business and industries, and even the government. Many homosexuals become devious as they attempt to cover up their behavior, and fear of discovery becomes an obsession and a heavy load of guilt is carried by many as they realize the moral implications of the practice. Such behavior cannot be dismissed simply as an alternate life-style or a different sexual orientation. Neither can it be argued that any gay person was born this way. The establishment and perpetuation of the human race through the sexual union of a man and a woman is the basis for our society, consisting of a father, mother, and a child. If gay marriage beco mes legal, it would go against every family value that this country was founded on. Furthermore, we as a society are still fighting to understand the legal theory of a gays rights law. We have decided, for instance, that racial equality is so important weve given up our freedom to discriminate against another person on the basis of race. That decision is widely supported by the American people. We have similar laws banning discrimination on the basis of gender, national origin, or religion. This does not mean that homosexuals should not have rights as individuals. On the contrary, they should have equal rights with everyone. Democracy is about expanding the rights of individuals. While collective action and strong government are essential in securing the blessings of liberty, the rights of the individual are the foundation of ...

Friday, November 22, 2019

Case Study Analysis †Acme Mineral Extraction Company

The case of Acme Mineral Extraction Company helps in identifying the management approach and the leadership styles that lead to the success of the project based work teams in a particular situation. The case demonstrates that a particular management style does not suit all situations. Successful leadership styles are often situation driven. The difference in response of the workers at the two sites that the company implemented the same project shows that success of leadership styles not only depends on the right methods and processes being used by leaders but also upon the personal charisma of the leaders. The respect that leaders command from the subordinates makes it easier to implement new programs and bring about change. Trust plays a great role in implementing new ideas of the leaders. The concepts like the ‘problem chat’ and the SPITS brought the members from all the three functional groups together to accomplish the task of solving common problems. The cross-functional teams introduced in Wichita, by the way of problem chat and STIPS proved as an effective means for allowing people across the departmental boundaries to exchange information, develop new ideas and solve problems. The guidance of Peterson and the cross-functional activities helped in achieving better coordination and cooperation among the team members. The work team at Wichita evolved through the various stages of team development starting from the forming, storming, norming and performing. The formation of ‘problem chat’ was the first step of forming a work team. The storming stage was full of conflicts, frustrations and anger followed by norming stage, when the people gradually started trusting each other. The performing stage of the team evolved with the introduction of SPITS groups, where the team members had the authority to address problems. Donald Peterson played a significant role of an effective leader for the work team based productivity project at Wichita. The success of the cross-functional teams at the Wichita Pilot project, under the leadership of Donald Peterson, demonstrates the role effective leadership. The Fiedler contingency model proposes that effective group performance depends upon proper match between leader’s styles and the degree to which the situation gives control to the leader (Robbins, 2000). While Suzanne Howard was a transactional manager, trying to motivate the company employees towards established goals by clarifying the role and task requirements, Peterson played a transformational leader with proven charisma. Workers and engineers from the different functional groups in Acme, Wichita, trusted Peterson because of his competence, loyalty to the firm, and openness. This trust in Peterson, increasingly gave him the access to the team members decisions, thus helping him to be able to form an effective team. The similar approach of introducing the â€Å"problem chat† and the SPITS (select a problem and implement a tailored solution) groups implemented at two different sites of Acme, resulted in distinct responses. Trust appears to be the primary attribute associated with leadership (Robbins, 2000). Employees at Wichita were willing to share their problems and knowledge with the rest of the team because they had an identification-based trust in Peterson and were confident that there rights and interests were safe under his leadership. Conflict resolution was the primary objective of Peterson and he adopted the Collaborating Style of conflict management. High on assertiveness as well as on cooperativeness, Peterson valued the concerns of the labor as well as those of the professionals, thus gaining commitment of both the parties. The expertise and first-hand experience of the problems at the different positions in the company added to the successful leadership role of Donald Peterson. Having served at all range of positions, he understood the psychology of workers at each level and so was able to develop a network of cooperative relationships among them. Howard comment on the absence of Peterson in Lubbock being the cause of failure is a self-evident fact. For Suzanne Howard and her team to attain the desired success at Lubbock, they must initially understand that behavioral approach of the management must keep up the contingency approach in order to be successful at different situations. It is important to understand that the situation and the problems at Lubbock might be very different and so the response or the approach must be appropriate .In the absence of an acquainted leader, the formation of work-team necessitates building trust and involvement among the people. Making the attendance mandatory demonstrates an assertive style and a task-oriented leadership, which is not a source of motivation for the members. Employing intervention strategies such as development of individuals, working on the a sense of common purpose and commitment among the employees and tackling the barriers between the various organizational units can be tried as efforts towards bringing people together and gaining their trust. Howard’s team must give ample time to the people to evolve as a team. Working for the commitment and enthusiasm of the staff must be the first target to develop effective teams. Once an effective team has been built, Howard’s team must work towards conflict resolution, team building exercises and other efforts to improve the performance of the team. References Robbins, S.P., (2000). Organizational Behavior, (9th Ed.). India: Prentice Hall of India.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

IPHONE 5 SCENARIO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

IPHONE 5 SCENARIO - Essay Example These are the most common methods of research that are used today. They take advantage of the internet, which is a common form technology nowadays; they advertise their products here and ask the customer to fill in a presented survey form. In this way, the company is able to sell its product and get feedback at the same time (Hague, 2003). The company doing the research can host some of their customers for interviews so that the customer can tell the company of the difficulties associated with their products. This is a recommended method of research since the company will get a direct feed back from the customer. The interviewer can also ask for further explanation regarding a point that was not clear (Hague, 2003). The company can also carry out the research using their website; the customers can visit the website and post comments about the company’s products and other services. During the research, this information can be used as a source of viable data. This is a very good method of research only if the company’s website is frequently visited (Hague, 2003). All the different market research tools have one major purpose; this is to assist the company in decision-making. The company has to make decisions in respect to the consumer needs, and this requires research, which can be carried out using different tools of research (Hague, 2003). Websites and online surveys are a good method of research since a company enjoys high popularity through websites and blogs. Customers come up with the online product rating while they are at the company’s website. Using this information then the company can be able to determine the rating of its product. This can be used as a method of research for a long time amounting to years since people now embrace the internet through participating in online shopping over the internet (Hague, 2003). Interviews are a very effective method of research; it is the most commonly used research method. It entails

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Mother Tongue Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Mother Tongue - Essay Example For those people who use English as their second language it is particularly difficult because their imperfect expressions of their thoughts often limit their opportunities in a given situation. Despite all difficulties, Tans story proves that good knowledge of English is really important for everyone because it goves more life opportunities and makes it easier to communicate with representatives of other cultures. Learning language is totally different from hard science as it is always certain; all people know that there is only one right solution in algebra but there are several ways to render the same thought in speech. Amy Tan uses this line of reasoning to explain why her grades in hard science have always been higher than her average achievements in English. Her explanation applies to my case as well. I find it easier to learn some historic dates or facts than language. Learning English as my second language is difficult because it presupposes a bit different way of thinking. When I use my native language, I rarely think about formulations because I make up phrases automatically. It is really different with English because there are many synonyms that have slightly different meanings. Native speakers can easily differentiate emotional connotation of particular words, but it is rather difficult for me. As a result, sometimes I use some words in the context which is not really appropriate for them. Language people use with their loved ones is always different from one they use in public. It is the reason why Amy Tan confesses that she uses the same language as her mother when she communicates with her. Even her husband speaks the same way as it is a sign of intimacy between them. The language I use in my family or with my friends is also different from one I use in writing. When I have to write an essay, I think carefully about words I use to express my thought to make them as clear as

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Forensic Scientist Research Paper Essay Example for Free

Forensic Scientist Research Paper Essay Definition of a Forensic Scientist There is a definition for a forensic scientist. According to Career Information Center, there is a definition for forensic scientist, â€Å"forensic scientists gather and evaluate evidence from victims, vehicles, and scenes of crimes.† â€Å"Their findings may help to convict or prove the innocence of a person accused of a crime.† Nearly all forensic scientists work for federal, state, or local law enforcement (Engineering. 126). Entry Requirements There are entry requirements to become a forensic scientist. According to Career Information Center, to be a forensic scientist, one needs at least a bachelor’s degree in physical or natural science. However, most crime labs prefer employees that have a master’s or doctorate’s degree in forensics (Engineering. 126). Working Conditions Forensic scientists work varied hours. According to Career Information Center, forensic scientist work a five day, forty hour work week. However, they are on call 24-7 and may be expected to answer late night calls. In some cases, overtime is forced on employees (Engineering. 127). Forensic scientists work in varied environments. They spend most of their time in clean labs (Engineering. 127). They may also work outdoors in all weather conditions including snow, rain and heat (Echaore-McDavid 61). Forensic scientists have to stand, bend, kneel, and crouch in awkward positions (Echaore-McDavid 61). Forensic scientists have to observe unpleasant sights such as blood and corpses (Engineering. 127). Also, there are some risks with working with weapons (Engineering. 127). In addition, forensic scientists are exposed to noxious fumes and poisons (Engineering. 127). Generally, forensic scientists work with lab partners and other branches of law enforcement such as, policemen, FBI, and judges (Engineering. 127). Pay and Benefits Forensic Scientist’s pay varies. According to Career Information Center, their earnings vary depending on experience and education. Entry level pay for a forensic scientist with a bachelor’s degree in 2005 was about $30,000 a year. The median salary was about $40,000. Experienced forensic scientists with a master’s degree earn around $70,000. Different types of forensic scientists earn different salaries. For example, a technician will make around $40,000 a year, but a forensic pathologist can earn up to $200,000 a year. Also, large crime labs use specialists, scientists who do one specific duty well. These specialists often make more money than others (Engineering. 127). Forensic Scientists get benefits. According to Career Information Center, forensic scientists get sick days and vacation days. The amount of days depends on the crime lab they work at. They are also offered medical insurance. Again, this varies with the crime lab. Forensic scientists are also offered pension plans (Engineering. 127). Advancement Forensic scientists have opportunity for advancement. Most start out as trainees where they learn how to do their job. Then, they are given more freedom and assume the duties of the other forensic scientists. A few people may be promoted to senior forensic scientist or manager of the crime lab (Echaore-McDavid 60). Typically, positions open up when other forensic scientists are promoted, retire, or if the lab expands (Engineering. 127). Also, forensic scientists may train new employees for a bonus (Engineering. 127). Outlook Forensic scientists have a very positive outlook. Jobs in forensic science are expected t raise by twenty percent in ten years, well above the national average (U.S. Dept. n.p.) Growth in the field of forensic science is tied to crime rates, high crime rates means a large amount of jobs (Engineering. 127). According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, new technologies speed up the growth of jobs in forensic science. Furthermore, there were 12,800 jobs held by forensic scientists in 2008. The projected employment for 2018 is 15,300 jobs (U.S. Dept. n.p.). JOB DUTIES OF A FORENSIC SCIENTIST Second, there are personal qualities that are required to be a forensic scientist. There are job duties that all forensic scientists share. Also, there are job duties for different types of forensic scientists. Personal Qualities There are personal qualities that are necessary to have to be a forensic scientist. According to Law Enforcement, Security, and Protective Services, Forensic scientists must have communication skills, teamwork skills, writing skills, problem solving skills, and self management skills. Forensic scientists must also be observant, objective, detail oriented, meticulous, ethical, honest, dependable, and courteous. In addition, computer skills are recommended (Echaore-McDavid 60). General Job Duties There are some job duties that all forensic scientists share. All forensic scientists gather, evaluate, and analyze evidence and data from victims, vehicles, and crime scenes (Engineering. 126). Forensic scientists’ findings are used in court cases (Engineering. 126). They may have to train lower level or new employees (Echaore-McDavid 63). All forensic scientists may be called out to crime scenes (Echaore-McDavid 63). Technicians Forensic technicians have specific job duties. According to Law Enforcement, Security, and Protective Services, they gather physical evidence, such as bullets, weapons, and tissues from crime scenes. Technicians must also talk and coordinate with police officers at the crime scene. They note, sketch, and photograph every piece of evidence. Then the technicians send the evidence to the crime lab for further investigating. Technicians also submit accurate and well detailed reports and documentation for court cases. Technicians also maintain and use photography equipment as well as develop film (Echaore-McDavid 60-1). Latent Prints Examiner Prints Examiners have specific job duties as well. According to Law Enforcement, Security, and Protective Services, prints examiners analyze all latent prints including fingerprints, palm prints, footprints, and tire tracks. They use chemicals and plasters to lift prints from scenes of crimes. They take photographs of the prints and convert them to 3D images on a computer. Prints examiners compare these prints with known suspects, victims, and others. Examiners will write reports of their findings and may testify in court (Echaore-McDavid 63). Forensic Chemist Forensic chemists also have specific job duties. According to Law Enforcement, Security, and Protective Services, chemists use chemical analysis to examine physical evidence. They also perform tests to determine the contents of an unknown substance. Chemists make reports and may testify in court (Echaore-McDavid 65). Trace Evidence Examiner Trace evidence examiners have specific job duties as well. According to Law Enforcement, Security, and Protective Services, trace evidence examiners examine hair, tissues, saliva, blood, fluids, plastics, metals, and explosives. They work in crime labs alongside chemists and print examiners. They also develop new and better methods for examining evidence (Echaore-McDavid 65). Firearms and Toolmark Examiners Firearms and toolmark examiners have specific job duties. According to Law Enforcement, Security, and Protective Services, they handle two pieces of evidence: firearms and tools. They determine if firearms or tools were used in a crime. They make identical matches between guns and bullets, and tools and toolmarks. Firearms and toolmark examiners also determine paths of bullets and recreate crime scenes (Echaore-McDavid 69). Questioned Documents Examiner Questioned documents examiners have their own job duties. According to Law Enforcement, Security, and Protective Services, documents examiners analyze checks, currency, vouchers, contracts, certificates, wills, notes and letters. They check if documents and signatures are real or counterfeit. They determine if changes have been made to a document and determine what words were erased or crossed out. Document examiners also identify different types of inks and papers (Echaore-McDavid 71). Polygraph Examiner Polygraph examiners have specific job duties too. According to Law Enforcement, Security, and Protective Services, polygraph examiners administer polygraph tests to suspects and analyze the results. Polygraphs measure pulse, blood pressure, breathing, and perspiration during questioning. Polygraph examiners write their own questions and give them to suspects (Echaore-McDavid 76). Forensic Pathologist Forensic pathologists have specific job duties. According to Law Enforcement, Security, and Protective Services, forensic pathologists primarily perform autopsies. They answer the time of death, whether a death was caused by suicide or homicide, and cause of death. Pathologists may also have to identify bodies. They are also called out to crime scene to examine bodies before they are moved. Forensic pathologists sometimes meet with families of the deceased (Echaore-McDavid 73). ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES Third, there are advantages to having a career as a forensic scientist. There are also disadvantages. Advantages Forensic scientists have advantages for their occupation. With enough education, most forensic scientists make around $70,000 a year (Engineering. 126). They can also earn sick and vacation days (Engineering. 126). They get medical insurance (Engineering. 126). Finally, forensic science is a fast growing field. Its growth is above the national average (U.S. Dept. n.p.). Disadvantages There are also disadvantages in the field of forensic science. The occupation is very high stress. Forensic scientists may witness gruesome sights (Engineering. 126). They also put themselves at risk by working with weapons and chemicals (Engineering. 126). Also, forensic scientists are on call 24-7 and may be forced into working overtime (Echaore-McDavid 60). In addition, it takes about six years to earn a good degree, master’s degree, in forensic science (Engineering. 126). EDUCATION Fourth, there are entry requirements to get into Michigan State University. In addition, Michigan State offers a great program to study forensic science. Entry Requirements The main entry requirement for Michigan Stat is to have a better application than the other applicants. According to Peterson’s Four Year Colleges, the average high school GPA of those admitted to MSU is 3.61. Ninety-seven percent of students had an ACT score over eighteen and nine percent had a score of thirty. Seventy-six percent of students scored over 500 in reading on the SAT’s, eighty-five percent scored over 500 in math, and seventy-three percent scored over 500 in writing. Nine percent of students scored over 700 in reading, fourteen percent scored over 700 in math, and five percent scored over 700 in writing. Only seventy-three percent of applicants are admitted into Michigan State University (Peterson’s. 473). Those admitted into MSU are required to pay tuition. According to Peterson’s Four Year Colleges, on average, state residents are charged about $7,665 per year. Out of state residents are charged around $20,310. Part-time students who live in state are charged $235 per credit hour. Out of state part-time students are charged $656 per credit hour. Some financial aid is provided by MSU if necessary (Peterson’s. 473). Michigan State University Michigan State is a great college to study to study forensic science. MSU was founded in 1885 (Peterson’s. 473). The school has offered a forensic science program since 1946 (â€Å"School.† n.p.). MSU is a coed school (Peterson’s 473). The campus is 5,192 acres and has relatively easy access to Detroit and Lansing (Peterson’s. 473). Michigan State has a great college atmosphere. According to Peterson’s Four Year Colleges, fifty-four percent of students are women and forty-six percent are men. There are students studying at MSU from fifty-four states and territories. There are also students from one hundred different countries. The student faculty ration at MSU is 17:1 (Peterson’s. 473). MSU has a great athletic program. According to Peterson’s Four Year Colleges, all sports available at Michigan State are Division I except for football. MSU offers men’s football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s track, men’s baseball, women’s softball, and men’s and women’s cheerleading. MSU also offers many intramural sports (Peterson’s. 473). Michigan State University offers many clubs to its students. MSU has a drama club, marching band, choral group, radio and television club, newspaper club, and national fraternities and sororities (Peterson’s. 473). MSU provides prime housing. On campus residency is required for a student’s freshman year (Peterson’s. 473). Coed dorms are available as well as women only dorms and disabled students dorms (Peterson’s. 473). Michigan State offers services to students. According to Peterson’s Four Year Colleges, there is a health clinic available to MSU students, psychiatric counseling, and legal services. There is also a woman’s center. MSU provides twenty four hour emergency response and transportation services. Also, self defense workshops are available (Peterson’s. 473). MSU offers top rate classes and degrees in forensic science. According to â€Å"School of Criminal Justice,† the Master’s Degree in Forensic Science is provided by the Michigan State School of Criminal Justice. Applicants for the degree must have at least a 3.0 to apply. One must also have a degree in a lesser or related field such as physical or natural science (â€Å"School.† n.p.). MSU offers a degree in forensic chemistry. To earn a degree, one must take the following classes: Advanced Analytical Chemistry II, Survey in Forensic Science, Forensic Chemistry and Microscopic Evidence, Scanning Electron Microscopy/X-Ray Analysis, and Forensic Serology (â€Å"School.† n.p.). INTERESTS AND NEEDS Furthermore, forensic science does fit my needs. It pays a decent amount of money and will give me a comfortable lifestyle. Forensic Science involves a lot of science and chemistry, which I love to do. Also, forensic scientists help people by assisting in the justice process, which I think is very rewarding. CLOSING In conclusion, forensic science is a very challenging career. If a person is interested in becoming a forensic science, it is going to take a lot more than just a love of the TV show CSI.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

life after 9/11 :: essays research papers

or most of us, airports are the only places where life has really changed since 9/11. The terminal has become a vast theater of the absurd where aspiring passengers line up halfway back to town. The shoes of little old ladies are gravely removed and inspected. Men in suits take their cell phones out of the bag and put their laptop computers into the bag—no, wait, cell phones in and computers out. Random passengers stand spread-eagled while strangers say to them softly, "Now I'm going to run my hands around your waist. Is that all right?" Somewhere unseen, a food-service worker is assembling plastic knives but metal forks in meals headed for first class. And all the while the public-address system hectors us to "report any suspicious activity." Many people, understandably skeptical about these quasi-religious rituals, have stopped flying instead. Others are thinking about moving out of New York and other big cities, and some have done so. These are responses more in keeping with the scale and drama of the episode that provoked them, but they may not make any more sense. David G. Myers of Hope College in Holland, Mich., calculated that terrorists would have to hijack 50 planes a year and kill everyone aboard before flying would be more dangerous than driving an equal distance. The steps we have taken to protect ourselves from terrorism (not counting the military effort to stop it at the source) seem either farcically trivial or farcically excessive. Is there a rational middle ground? Dealing rationally with the risks of terrorism is hard for several reasons. First, human beings are bad at assessing small risks of large catastrophes. And Americans are especially bad at this because we are Americans, and catastrophes are not supposed to happen to us. Our legal culture, our political culture and our media culture all push us toward excessive caution by guaranteeing that any large disaster will produce an orgy of hindsight. Lawyers will sue, politicians will hold hearings, newspapers and newsmagazines will publish overexcited revelations about secret memos that could be interpreted as having warned of this if held up to the light at a certain angle. Second, the actual risk of being a terror victim is not merely small—it is unknown and unknowable. Economists make a distinction between "risk" and "uncertainty." Risk refers to hard mathematical odds. Uncertainty refers to situations in which the odds are anybody's guess

Monday, November 11, 2019

Orgnization Behavior

RSM 260 Practice Final Exam Multiple Choice (30 points, 3 points each) 1. What is the first step in the Rational Decision-Making Model? a. developing alternatives b. identifying the problem c. identifying the decision criteria d. weighing the decision criteria e. collecting relevant data 2. Which of the following is not true of charismatic leaders? a. They have a vision and the ability to articulate the vision. b. They have behavior that is unconventional. c. They are willing to take high personal risk. d. They exhibit behaviors that are consistent with their followers’ behaviors. . all of the above are true 3. What sort of groups are defined by the organization’s structure? a. informal b. task c. friendship d. interest e. formal 4. Most people assume that a police officer should behave in a lawful manner, and not show any favoritism to any particular group, and do their best to uphold the law. What term is used for this kind of belief? a. a norm b. a norm identity c. a role expectation d. a role perception e. a norm violation 5. What term is used for the tendency for individuals to spend less effort when working collectively? a. groupthink . the rule of diminishing returns c. social loafing d. groupshift e. clustering 6. Leaders achieve goals, and power is _____. a. defined by leaders’ hopes and aspirations b. usually used by poor leaders c. a means of achieving goals d. a goal in and of itself e. a strong influence on leaders’ goals 7. One reacts to _____ power out of fear of the negative ramifications that might result if one fails to comply. a. legitimate b. coercive c. punitive d. referent e. abusive 8. Which of the following is not an assumption of the rational decision-making model? . The decision maker is constrained by time and costs. b. The decision criteria are constant and the weights assigned to them are stable over time. c. The decision maker can identify all the relevant criteria and can list all the viable alternative s. d. The decision maker is aware of all the possible consequences of each alternative. e. The decision maker is assumed to have complete information regarding the decision situation. 9. The example of labor-management negotiations over wages exemplifies _____ bargaining. a. integrative . reflective c. distributive d. restrictive e. affective 10. Your _____ determines the lowest value acceptable to you for a negotiated agreement. a. BATNA b. margin of error c. bid price d. asking price e. hidden value 5 POINTS: Describe one concept/theory from your OB course that you find most useful/interesting. How does it apply to your work/life? Be sure to include examples and definitions. CASE-related questions Starbucks and the â€Å"Bean Stock† –courtesy of George & Jones, Organizational Behavior, third edition, 2000 Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, bought the company in 1987 and transformed a local Seattle, Washington chain of six coffee stores into a national, publicly owned company with over 25,000 employees and over 1,500 stores. Starbucks’ sales and profit growth have been phenomenal and the company has changed the way that Americans think about coffee. Starbucks’ stores range from coffee carts in crowded city streets to intimate coffee bars to full-sized restaurants that sell espressos and cappuccinos as well as coffee by the pound, coffee-making equipment, and food items. Starbucks was recently ranked in the top 75 global brands in a study conducted by the consulting firm, Interbrand. Throughout Starbucks’ rapid growth, Schultz has emphasized the importance of rewarding employees for contributions they make to Starbucks and ensuring that they have the necessary training to be effective. In 1991, when Starbucks was still a privately owned company, Schultz and other top managers came up with an innovative type of reward to encourage employees to behave in ways that would contribute to Starbucks’ growth and profitability. Starbucks made all employees partners by granting them stock options, which could be turned into stock when the company went public. If the company did well, employees themselves would benefit as their options would be worth more money. Called â€Å"Bean Stock,† the options cause employees to behave in ways to increase their profitability. Employees thought of new ways to lower costs and increase sales, ranging from staying overnight on Saturdays when traveling on business to lower the cost of airfares to finding better ways to communicate with customers. Starbucks went public in 1992 and employees have since been rewarded for their efforts. For example, an employee who earned $20,000 a year in 1991 received options that had a value of $50,000 in 1996. Starbucks continues to give its employees stock options through is Bean Stock plan. Under the plan, employees can cash in their options after keeping them for five years. Starbucks also provides extensive customer service training to employees to ensure that they are knowledgeable and confident on the job and feel capable of making decisions on their own to better serve customers. Store managers teach classes on topics such as coffee history and coffee brewing at home and employees must take a minimum of 24 hours of training. Employees learn how to take orders and prepare various coffees in a company training room rather than on the job (like in most restaurants) so that they can fully absorb what they are learning, without the stress of waiting on real customers, and receive extensive feedback. Customers then constantly receive the excellent service they have come to expect from Starbucks. Short-Answer Questions (5-8 sentences answer 15 POINTS EACH) Be sure to state which questions you are answering, and specifically define any theories/ concepts/traits that you use in your answer! 1. What type of leadership has Schultz demonstrated here? 2. What is the role of Schultz in motivating his employees? What motivation theory is he using? ESSAY QUESTIONS (35 POINTS TOTAL): 1. What are two ways to increase group performance that you have learned about in this half of the semester (after the midterm)? Be sure to describe oth the concepts/theories and give a specific example of each. (5 points) 2. Congratulations—you have just gotten a job offer! But, they have offered you less money than you wanted, and more benefits than you need. Describe your negotiation strategy, telling me about two tactics that you will use, and describe your sources of power in this situation. Also, be sure to mention one thing that could influence your ethical/unethical behavior in this situatio n, and how. (10 points) 3. You have accepted the job and you are now a manager at a product design company. Your boss just told you that need to develop a new consumer product by the end of the year. You’re unsure if you should assemble a group of people to do this, or assign it to an individual—you’ve heard about biases at the group level, as well as benefits about group level decision making. You also know about decision making biases that can happen in individuals, and the benefits of individuals making decisions. Discuss BOTH sides of the issue, detailing each of these things, so that you can then make an informed, rational decision—finally, which do you recommend to your boss? (20 points)

Saturday, November 9, 2019

As technology progresses more forms of video editing are being introduced

As technology progresses more forms of video editing are being introduced, with this comes the easier and more intelligent way of creating suspense during a film, or for sections and events in a film or on Television. There are a number of factors that influence the way in which suspense is created, these are, camera angles & shots, sound, lighting and finally editing. All of these factors combined create a very professional and effective way of suspense being built up. Camera angles & shots are effective on their own as well as being backed up by sound and lighting. There are many forms of camera angles that are used for different events, for example, a Long Shot (LS) would not be used to show the emotion of someone, to show the emotion and make an effective sequence an Extreme Close-Up (ECU) would be used. The same goes for when a high authority figure is being portrayed. To make someone look powerful a Low Angle Shot (looking upwards at the object) would be used to create a feeling that the viewer is smaller and less powerful that the object that is being portrayed. Sound is used as a form of backing device, which basically supports the camera. There are 4 types of sound, Dialogue, sound effects, ambient sounds and Non-diegetic sounds (especially music). Lighting does more than ‘lighting up and area', lighting is referred to in two manors, Realist light and Expressive light. Realist light is used to simulate reality, it has worked if you haven't noticed it being used, and Expressive Lighting is to set the mood or affect our view of a character or an incident. There are three main points of light, Key light, fill light and back light. Key if the main light source on set, Fill removes shadows and Back defines figures outline. Finally there comes editing, there are two main forms of film editing, they are called Continuity Editing and MTV Styles Editing. Features of continuity editing are the 180 and 30-degree rule, shot/reverse shot for dialogue and match cutting. Features of MTV Style Editing are side-steps traditional narrative, more concerned with establishing mood or feeling. There are a few reasons why people distinguish between the two types of editing, it helps focus attention on the editing process and also opens up helpful ways of looking at short forms like adverts and music video. The Untouchables was set in the year 1930, and America pays heavy price for its experiment with Prohibition. Illegal, yet lucrative business of bootlegging made Al Capone (played by Robert de Niro) the undisputed leader of the Chicago underworld and most powerful man in the city. However, despite his public businessman personality, Capone keeps his supremacy by brutal violence, not caring about the lives of innocent people. After a small girl died in one of such incidents. The Federal Government decided to stop the violence by creating a special task force. The force was led by Eliot Ness (played by Kevin Costner). His debut raid on Capone's warehouse ends up as an embarrassing fiasco, and Ness now knows that he can't rely on notoriously corrupt local police. The rare exception among Chicago cops is old Malone (played by Sean Connery), who lost his career because of his honesty. Ness gets the idea to create a new unit of few, yet capable and reliable lawmen that would battle Capone's all-powerful organisation. He and Malone recruited two more men – Treasury accountant Oscar Wallace (played by Charles Martin Smith) and Chicago rookie policeman George Stone (Andy Garcia) – and they started hitting Capone's operations hard, earning the nickname ‘The Untouchables' by the press that were following them as they started crushing Capone. The extract in which I am examining for the build up of suspense is the part of the film where Eliot Ness and his partner are waiting at the train station for ‘The Bookkeeper'. Eliot Ness and his partner (both being police officers) arrive at Grand Central Station at five minutes to midnight to intercept the departure of ‘The Bookkeeper' who is due to travel on the five past twelve train to Miami. As the police officers take up their ‘ambush' positions the beginning of the suspense sequence begins. By this I mean that with them taking up their positions it in a way makes the viewer think, ‘hey, what's going to happen here? ‘ As the officers take up their positions the sound of footsteps is amplified (made louder and more noticeable) than that of the normal sounds within a train station. There is also the sound of a large group of people speaking and having a general chitchat. The camera movement between these separate events is frequent yet timed in a way to keep the viewers brain in motion. There are a number of low angle shots, which cause the detectives to look vulnerable as if they are in danger. As a mother and her baby enter the shot, wanting to go up the stairs with a big pram and suitcase. The mother is struggling to move all on her own. Elliot Ness sees the mother struggling, and knows that if she doesn't get out of there soon she is danger of being shot. Once the mother and baby enter a lullaby starts playing in the background, as if to exaggerate the innocence of the baby and it's mother. All of the camera shots of the mother and baby are from a bird's eye perspective. As the mother starts to take the pram and suitcase up the stairs, the baby starts crying. As the mother tries to stop the baby crying the camera jumps in a rapid motion between the baby, Elliot Ness and the clock. The clock is showing the time of about two minutes to twelve. You see the mother and baby from Elliot's point of view (from his line of sight), which shows the mother and baby not only to be innocent but very vulnerable to the violence that is very probable to happen within the next three to four minutes. At this point there is a considerable amount of suspense that has been built up with the camera constantly flickering between a helpless baby, a struggling mother, a detective poised to shoot people and a clock showing how very little time there is until the gangsters arrive with The Bookkeeper. At this point Elliot, as a natural reaction to help the mother, leaves his ‘ambush' position and runs down the stairs to help the mother take the baby up the stairs. As he runs towards her he hides his gun so not to alarm her that something dreadful is about to happen. As he goes to help the viewer feels a small sense of relief that the mother and baby are going to fine and unharmed yet there is still the possibility that the gangsters are about to arrive at any minute. As Elliot starts helping the mother orchestral yet dramatic music begins along with the sound of a train. When Elliot is about half way up the stairs the dramatic music becomes louder as he stops. As a man enters the station and stands at the door, there is a high angle shot on Elliot, camera focuses on Elliot and the baby and then the people entering the station. Then a man with a strap on his nose enters the station and stands there smiling. At this point very dramatic music starts playing and the lullaby stops; the camera zooms in for an extreme close up of the gangster's eyes and Elliot's face. Elliot draws his gun and shoots this man, as Elliot shoots him he lets go of the pram and the baby and pram start falling down the stairs. There is then lots of shooting and gunshots stand out over all other sounds. The picture starts moving in slow motion, you can hear the prams wheels creaking as the pram starts dropping down the stairs which is the shot twice. You then see the mother screaming but can't hear her. Elliot and his partner shoot and kill all the gangsters and keep the Bookkeeper alive. Elliot's partner then runs across and throws up a gun to Elliot, as Elliot's shotgun was empty, as his partner dives and saves the baby's pram Elliot shoots the last gangster. It is still unknown whether the baby is alive or not. As Elliot's partner saves the pram and chaos is restored to normality the lullaby starts again indicating that the baby is ok and then you see a camera shot of the baby. The sequence between the gangster entering and Elliot's partner saving the babies pram is the climax of the suspense that has been built up by all of the camera's jumping. During this sequence of scenes there has been alot of MTV Style editing that has taken place. This is because of all the jump cuts that have been used between each picture. A study of how suspense is used in an extract from the film ‘The untouchables'

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Easy and Quick Homemade Silly Putty Recipes

Easy and Quick Homemade Silly Putty Recipes Silly Putty was invented in 1943 when an engineer accidentally dropped boric acid into silicone oil. It made its big debut at the International Toy Fair in New York in 1950, packaged in plastic eggs to be sold as an Easter novelty item. Since then, Silly Putty has remained a popular science toy! While you probably dont have the ingredients to make the original Silly Putty polymer, there are a couple of Silly Putty Recipes that use common household ingredients. Silly Putty Recipe #1 1/4 cup glue3/8 cup water (1/4 cup water plus 1/8 cup water)1 tablespoon borax 1. Mix together 1/4 cup glue and 1/4 cup water. Add food coloring if you want colored Silly Putty. 2. In a separate container, dissolve 1 tablespoon borax in 1/8 cup water. 3. Stir the borax mixture and glue mixture together to make the putty. If the Silly Putty is too sticky, you can add more borax one teaspoon at a time to stiffen the mixture. Silly Putty Recipe #2 1/4 cup liquid starch1/4 cup glue 1. Mix the liquid starch and glue together. Add food coloring, if desired. 2. If the Silly Putty is too sticky, add more liquid starch until you get the consistency you want. How To Store Homemade Silly Putty Store homemade Silly Putty in a sealed plastic container. Putting the container in the refrigerator helps prevent mold from growing on the putty. Learn More Silly Putty ChemistryThings You Can Do with Silly PuttyMake Magnetic Silly PuttyBest Slime Recipes

Monday, November 4, 2019

THE REFORM OF URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT IN CHINA Essay

THE REFORM OF URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT IN CHINA - Essay Example This included the property rights arrangement, the financial arrangement and the operation arrangement. The property rights arrangement enabled the transfer of ownership. The financial arrangement provided the capital availability for further development. The operational arrangement upgraded the efficiency by exploiting advanced management skill applied to the water sector. As the privatization of the water sector took place, the role of the government changed. The government should step down from the role of service provider, and become the regulator of water market. The increase in water tariffs was also important in the water reform. The central government tried to increase the water efficiency and productivity by market mechanism. Increase in water tariffs raised the cost of using water, which could reduce water consumption with low use value. The urban water resources management had experienced a tremendous change for the sustainable development of urban China. I declare that this dissertation represents my own work, except where due acknowledgement is made and that it has not been previously included in a thesis, dissertation, or report submitted to this University or to any other institution for a degree, diploma or other qualifications. I would like to take this opportunity to thank my family, especially my wife Marisa and my daughter Vickie for their enduring support and encouragement. Also, I want to show my deepest gratitude to my supervisor, Dr Y S Frederick LEE, for his continual support and guidance during the whole period of the preparation of my dissertation. Here I want to dedicate this work to them. Water is one of the necessities for human sustainable development. It is also a key element for urban activities, such as daily living and industrial activities. China has only 6% of the world’s total fresh water resource, but more than 20% of its population (Gleick, 2009). The National

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Promoting Ethical Behavior and Diversity on a Company Essay

Promoting Ethical Behavior and Diversity on a Company - Essay Example The company also does follow-ups on its performance on ethical issues in the countries it operates. Swedish culture is of less power distance implying that the society expects power to be decentralized. Skanska is developing their culture based on minimal power distance. The company CEO says that he depends on his team for the company success. On the case of masculinity as a dimension, Swedish society is more feminine that masculine, which implies that the society expects equality in management issues. Skanska CEO admits in the interview that he likes to involve individuals and want people to challenge him as he challenges them back. The trait of the management style of the CEO depicts a manager who is trying quite hard to promote equality in all the decisions and matters of the company just the same way Swedish culture dictates. Additionally, Karlstrom is a CEO, who avoids uncertainty at all cost. In the opening of the interview, he refers to a crisis that happened in 1997 concerning Skanska. He asserts that his team does not want the company to find itself in such uncertainty ag ain. The CEO is thus managing Skanska in the line of the Swedish culture that is a highly uncertainty avoidance society. Furthermore, the CEO says that Skanska creates a collective business environment that supports the success of the company and employees as well. In fact, the spirit is in line with the Swedish culture that promotes high institution

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Explain how the MIS ( Management Information System) function area can Essay

Explain how the MIS ( Management Information System) function area can leverage , information, data and knowledge in terms of competitive advantage - Essay Example The system itself can be designed in such a way that it can control the information of the business so as to provide it with a competitive advantage. The system can be used differently and this essay would revolve around the particulars of this system as to how it can help the businesses flourish in a competitive world. Management Information System is defined as a set of technologies which include hardware and software along with human elements so that the decision making process of the respective business can be made easier (Bidgoli, 2010). This clearly tells us that the system is a way through which the businesses can integrate information and present accordingly to the relevant individuals. The system is designed to simplify decisions and carry out processes through which the decisions are made quickly and efficiently. In general the firms are given competition in the industry through different means. Porters Five Forces allow to understand these competitive forces as they tend to exist in the industries accordingly. These five forces revolve around products, bargaining power of customers and suppliers and the threat of new entrants. Management Information System takes a leap on these five forces to ease it on the business who will use the system in an efficient manner (Laudon & Laudon 2013). MIS should always be aligned with the objectives of the business so that it can be used efficiently to break down the threats of the competitive forces. Information Technology should always be constructed in a way so that the profitability of the company is increased with every step that the business takes. Information technology works by the methods of numbers and the business should always identify its goals and strategies with the help of the system. The progress of the businesses can be monitored with the help of information technology and this in turn would help the stakeholders decide in accordance to the

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Globalization of Labor Market Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Globalization of Labor Market - Research Paper Example It is not a new phenomenon as trade between countries has been in existence since the world war but modern globalization has been intensified by the use of new technology and conversion of governments into free market economies. It has led to a lot of positive as well as negative impacts on the economy. It leads to growth of the economy and creation of employment for a large population hence reducing poverty. Skill transfer between nations is also evident leading to labor productivity. However, it has been blamed for eliminating jobs and widening the pay gap between the skilled and un-skilled labor force. The growth of multinational companies has also led to a lot of changes in the labor market such as; low wages, segregation of women in service jobs and creation of sweatshops where women work under poor conditions. The paper will discuss the effects of globalization on the labor market. Effects of Globalization on the Labor Market Globalization has had a lot of positive and negative effects on the labor market. The IMF and OECD view globalization as contributing to positive change in the labor market. They argue that trade liberalization; improved technology, and foreign investments which characterize globalization are key drivers of the economy leading to creation of employment. ... To them, globalization is the worst thing that could have happened to the labor market as it leads to unemployment, migration of workforce, emergence of multinational corporations which are less concerned with workers welfare, widening pay gap between the skilled and un-skilled laborers, loss of jobs due to advanced technology, and emergence of export processing zones which mistreat workers (Winkler, 172-226). Liberalization of trade has led to emergence of network enterprises with diverse network of suppliers. The MNCs give contracts to those suppliers thus changing the nature of work from permanent employment to flexible employment where workers are employed on temporary basis or become part-timers and on-call workers. Most of the part-time jobs require less skills hence are dominated by women. Though some may argue that it is creation of jobs for women, these women earn low wages and work in poor conditions. This is because the MNCs threaten to take their jobs elsewhere if the wor king conditions are improved for example, to countries where labor is cheap. These jobs are mostly available in export processing zones. Furthermore, flexible employment has led to loss of job security as it is difficult to define the periods during which those workers are entitled to benefits such as unemployment benefits. Those workers who work under contracted suppliers or organizations do not know who their boss is thus they don’t know where to air their views (World Bank 101-120). Globalization has led to increased unemployment especially in the developed countries. For example, the unemployment rate of Germany rose from 5.7% in 1991 to 9.0% in 2007 (Winkler, 6). This is as a result of establishment of EPZs in the developing countries where labor is

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Brazil Films and National Politics †City of God

Brazil Films and National Politics – City of God Brazil Films and National Politics – City of God Introduction: Culture and Politics: Culture in all its form happens to be the mirror of the society and the political scenario. Since ages primitive and ancient, intellectuals have used the platform of culture as the media through which they have vented their feelings regarding the popular happenings that have been enveloping them. Various types of literary movements and literary works, both novels and poems have been created by literary geniuses of various eras that have been showcasing the popular norms of every contemporary age. These literary works have along with reflecting the popular social and political order of the day had also become a very convenient stage where resistance and revolution against the same had been declared. Such stages often proved to be successful due to their immense social reach and appeal. With the innovation of motion pictures we see that culture and art did find a new dimension. Soon the creative geniuses of the arena of film making did use the various raging conte mporary political and social issues as the protagonist of their film plots to churn out some of the most influential films of all times. It has been often observed that the various trending cinema does reflect some of the most recent issues that happens to be coloring the current social and political condition and in turn these films also has a major influence in shaping up the future trends in the arena of politics, society and also the future patterns of culture. Discussion: Brazil as a Nation: America is often referred to as the pot boiler of cultures and it is one for sure. Out of the country the Americas or the Latin American countries are the ones that happens to be standing out in the said genre. Brazil is one of the most noteworthy countries of the Latin America both in terms of its geographical area and the population volume. In this context we see that Brazil which is officially the Federative Republic of Brazil is in fact the largets country in South America as well as the Latin American area. The nation is the World’s fifth largets country in terms of the area and the population mass and is again one of the largest Portugese speaking nation in the world and is the only Portuguese speaking country in the Latin American region. The nation is bound by the Atlantic Ocean on the eastern side and has a coastline that stretches for a distance of bout 7491 km. The borders of the nation touch the borders of most of the nations in the Latin Americ an region other than the nations of Ecuador and the Chile. The nation as a whole happens to occupy nearly 47.3 percent of the South American Continent. The nation has a long history of very tumulus political conditions that had been affected by the various change of political authorities which has also been interim by very violent outburst and civil security uncertainty. In the current times we see that the political instability of the country has some what abed and the country has seemed to found its long sought political stability. However even in the present scenario it could be said that the index of violent crime in the country is quite high especially the instances of gun violence and homicide is quite large in number. In the year 2012, the WHO estimated a number of 32 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants that has been stated to be the highest rate of intentional homicide in the entire world. The nation is however not very unanimous in its crime index in all the parts of the nation. Certain parts of the country seem to have a comparatively larger index of crime instances than the others. Brazil in fact has the third highest prison population in the world. The whole phenomenon clearly reveals that the number of criminals in he country is quite surging, which in fact happens to be reflecting the loop holes and the vices of the political and the economic systems of the nation. Brazilian Film Industry: Brazil again as an economy is quite vast and diversified. In fact it could be said that the national economy is a vastly researched and investigated arena with in the social structure of Brazil. Out of the various industries that do exist within the super structure of the Brazilian economy, the industry of film making in the contemporary times happens to be no insignificant stream. The Brazilian cinema wsa introduced in the country by the early 20th century. The stream did not happens to be an immediate success but at the same time we see that with time the stream did establish itself not just as a popular form of entertainment but also at the same time it again became a consolidated form of revenue generating source. The Brazilian fim making industry has seen its own ups and downs and for a long time has been dependant on the state funding and incentives programs. The Brazilian fil industry did come into operations as early as the late 1890s. The initial bla ck and white filsm that were made had been mainly on the local events that had taken place in the contemporary Brazilian society. In this case we again see that the later age films that were made and were the first of its class of fictional works and were known as the posed films were mainly fabricated on the local events of crimes and other political agenda. The first success of this genre was Francisco Marzullo’s â€Å"Os Estrabguladores† that had been released in the year 1906. As mentioned earlier the film industry of the nation was considerably supported by the State and the government. Much amount of the funding and the economic investment into the creation of the films were mainly made by the state as a result of which we see that the control of the government over the various facets of film making was again quite strong. This is a trend that in the later ages did happens to wan. In the later ages it was in fact found that slowly the investment of the state and the government into the film making operations did diminish considerably as a result of which we see that the slowly the art and the genre of making and producing films and cinema became an independent genre and we see that the government and state say and opinions were many times not given the chief importance. As a result of same we see that though the control of the government and the State authorities did not erase completely yet, Brazilian cinema did evolve as an independent form of art and creativity, that reflected the moral and the social and the political matters and issues in the contemporary context and also did attract attention of the common population just as the political heads towards the reigning problems of the nation. City of Gods (2002): From the huge labyrinth of the various films that has been made in the Brazilian context and in the same industry, in the article we will be throwing a flood of light on the film City of God that was called in Portuguese Cidade de Deus. The film was Brazilian crime drama that was directed by Fernando Meirelles and was again co directed by Katia Lund. The film was released in the homeland in the year 2002 and overseas in 2003. The film story was adapted by a novel of the same name however the plot of the film was influenced by certain events of the contemporary society. The film through its storyline does depict the growth of organized crime that could be seen in the region of Cidade de Deus or the suburbs of the capital city of Rio De Janeiro. The film era is that between 1960s to the 1980s. The climax of the film shows a war between the drug dealers and the Knockout Ned. The tagline of the film happens to showcase the contemporary situation of the Brazilian soci ety where the rate of crime happens to be quite high – that clearly reflects the idea that one is damned if he runs and is again damned if he does not. The Film was a world wide success and also attained world wide critical acclaim. Relevant against the National Backdrop: As mentioned earlier the Brazilian nation and also its culture is quite a fusion and has seen a large number of changes. Once again we see that the nation and its society even in the current times happen to face some very violent instances of crime and transgression. It is against the same backdrop that the film â€Å"City of Gods† have been depicted that set against the contemporary times happens to show case brilliantly the various ills and vices that happens to rest in the society of Brazil. Although the time pace of the film is not exactly current, nevertheless the current state of criminal violence and frivolities have been very aptly depicted in the film, that in its trails also highlights the various shortcomings and the loopholes of the political system of the nation. In this context it would not be completely wrong to point out that the various crimes that do take place in the context of the Brazilian society also has a strong i nput from the various wrong tremnds of the political scenario. In this context we see that the cinema City of Gods along with portraying the ills of crime, gang war and the vicious cycle of drugs that is prevalent in the nation also within it scope portrays the corrupt political super structure that happens to be fostering crime and anarchy. Hence the popular depiction not juts made the common population all the more aware of their own misery but at the same time did again attract the attention of the political and the economic elite that did turn their attention towards the problem of the Hybrid society of Brazil. Effect on the National Politics: Although many people of the international world beliefs that the Brazilian cinema is nothing more than the earlier comedies such as the chanchadas or the exotic sun bathed sea beaches that will be showcasing sun tanned bodies against the backdrop of a tropical paradise. Although this type of cinemam is not diffiocult to find in the Brazilian arena, nevertheless we see that Brazilian films in its maximum part is quite unflinching, confrontational and often on the brink of exteremely violent. In fact many critiques happens to say that Brazilian cinema is the most radical form of cinema. In fact it is the platform where the struggle for the country’s identity is activated and fought. City of God is far from being the escapism cinemamthat would export its audience to a world of color and fantasy and quite unlike the Carmen Miranda films. Like the Brazilian cinema history this film again has a more tilt and inclination towards solemn film making, th at brings the attention of the national political figure heads towards the regining problems and the ragiung issues of the era. This again has helped the political heads of the nation to have better understanding and gain insight into the psyche of the common people and the weay they happens to be viewing their nation and its society and the life that is offered to them by the both. In a correspondence to the same the national leaders could take the required and the decisive steps that would be fortifying the security and the civil peace issues of the nation, that would be curtailing the growth of crime and would be restoring a much more stable and peaceful social life for the population of the nation, that again will be much more conducive for the growth of the nation and its people at the very same time. Conclusion: On a concluding note it could be said that cinema is nothing but a popular portrayal of the common life and the common population. The trending phenomenon and the reigning agendas are often found to be the central issues of the films. In the recent times we see that films in maximum cases can be divided into two genres – the commercial and the influential. The commercial cinema is more into fantasy and fictional where as the influential films does cast the existing trends in the society and often creates ripples in the political level as well. The film City of Gods happens to be such a film that did depict the evils of crime in the Brazilian society with a lot of craft and in depth style, which in its totality again not just reflects the political system of the country but also influences the operational patterns of the same.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Human Resource Management Essay -- Organizational Development, Trainin

Organisations around the world have for years invested a great deal of their resources on employee training and development. Training and developing employees means impacting them with relevant knowledge and skills so as to use the same to propel organisational performance. This is done in order to make their work more efficient and be able to adapt to upcoming trends or be able to multitask. Training is mostly for a specific job or task and it is short term while development is long term and it encompasses general operations. Training on the other hand is technical unlike development which is more theoretical. Many profit making organisations have their end goal being increased productivity translating to increased profitability. Bearing this in mind and the immense benefits that accrue organisations, many are still reluctant to invest in this endeavour (Gratton 2007). This paper will look into benefits of training and developments to firms and employees and delve to explain why som e organisations and individuals are reluctant to invest in training. Benefits of training and development of employees As mentioned earlier training and development of employees has numerous benefits to both a firm and its employees. One of the key benefits is that it results in higher productivity thereby increased profitability. Employees’ morale is improved which makes them identify more with the profit path and the specific goals of a business. Due to improved performance the firm creates a positive image in the process (Boxall & Purcell 2007). This in turn offers it a competitive edge over its rivals thereby being able to acquire a sustainable market leadership position. In the course of training employees, better relationships are created betw... ... that it requires huge capital outlay and stakeholders are quite sceptical of such expenditures but in the long run it goes a long way in assisting an organisation to succeed in the increasingly competitive business arena. Firms looking into extensive growth and market presence that is sustainable cannot achieve this unless their workforce is ready for the challenge. This readiness on the other hand is facilitated by organisations enrolling their employees for training. Employees after training become more productive and organisations benefit a great deal as argued in the paper. The onus is therefore left for the management to embrace the right policies for their firms. Training and development is one that will see an organisation sustain its production and service delivery initiatives through increased productivity, quality assurance and increased profitability. Human Resource Management Essay -- Organizational Development, Trainin Organisations around the world have for years invested a great deal of their resources on employee training and development. Training and developing employees means impacting them with relevant knowledge and skills so as to use the same to propel organisational performance. This is done in order to make their work more efficient and be able to adapt to upcoming trends or be able to multitask. Training is mostly for a specific job or task and it is short term while development is long term and it encompasses general operations. Training on the other hand is technical unlike development which is more theoretical. Many profit making organisations have their end goal being increased productivity translating to increased profitability. Bearing this in mind and the immense benefits that accrue organisations, many are still reluctant to invest in this endeavour (Gratton 2007). This paper will look into benefits of training and developments to firms and employees and delve to explain why som e organisations and individuals are reluctant to invest in training. Benefits of training and development of employees As mentioned earlier training and development of employees has numerous benefits to both a firm and its employees. One of the key benefits is that it results in higher productivity thereby increased profitability. Employees’ morale is improved which makes them identify more with the profit path and the specific goals of a business. Due to improved performance the firm creates a positive image in the process (Boxall & Purcell 2007). This in turn offers it a competitive edge over its rivals thereby being able to acquire a sustainable market leadership position. In the course of training employees, better relationships are created betw... ... that it requires huge capital outlay and stakeholders are quite sceptical of such expenditures but in the long run it goes a long way in assisting an organisation to succeed in the increasingly competitive business arena. Firms looking into extensive growth and market presence that is sustainable cannot achieve this unless their workforce is ready for the challenge. This readiness on the other hand is facilitated by organisations enrolling their employees for training. Employees after training become more productive and organisations benefit a great deal as argued in the paper. The onus is therefore left for the management to embrace the right policies for their firms. Training and development is one that will see an organisation sustain its production and service delivery initiatives through increased productivity, quality assurance and increased profitability.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

An Alternative to Incarceration for Nonviolent Offenders Essay

Community corrections is a range of alternative punishments for nonviolent offenders. There are two basic community corrections models in the United States. In the first model, integrated community corrections programs combine sentencing guidelines and judicial discretion with a variety of alternative sanctions and parole and probation options. In the second model, some states have instituted programs in which correctional officials may direct already sentenced offenders into alternative sanction programs and parole and probation options. Both models are designed to help reduce prison overcrowding and are less expensive alternatives to prison. Widespread development of community correction programs in the United States began in the late 1970’s as a way to offer offenders, especially those leaving jail or prison, residential services in halfway houses. The first state community correction programs began in Oregon, Colorado, and Minnesota as pilot projects with very little government-funded support. They diverted nonviolent offenders in selected pilot project areas from jails and state prisons into local alternative punishment programs. These programs allowed judges to sentence offenders to a community-based punishment rather than jail or prison. Rehabilitation programs were the preferred punishment option. In the late 1980’s, prison systems across the country began experiencing serious overcrowding of facilities. The overcrowding served as a catalyst for lawmakers to develop new options for sentencing criminal offenders. Nineteen states have now enacted various community correction programs. Community correction programs provide many communities with local punishment options as an alternative to prison or jail. These sanction programs are lower cost alternatives to increased prison and jail construction, based on the cost per offender. They provide local courts, state departments of corrections, and state parole boards with a broad range of correctional options for offenders under their jurisdiction. The goal is to match the appropriate punishment with the crime. Community corrections programs are integrated sanctioning strategies which seek to achieve the following goals: †¢The offender is punished and held accountable. †¢Public safety is protected. †¢Victims and local communities receive restitution from felons who work in their present jobs and/or in restitution programs. †¢Community service work increases. †¢Collection of court costs and fees increases due to contractual agreements with offenders who remain in their present jobs. Eight states have adopted comprehensive Community Correction Acts which create a network of correctional programs for specific types of offenders. The acts create mechanisms by which state funds are granted to local governments and community agencies to encourage local sanctions in lieu of prison or jail. While no two state programs are alike, a comprehensive community corrections program generally includes the following elements: †¢A locally integrated criminal justice system which supports a network of decentralized or centralized correctional programs for specific types of offenders. For instance, in Minnesota, local community corrections advisory boards composed of county sheriffs, chiefs of police, prosecutors, judges, defense lawyers, probation agents, and other local officials create comprehensive correction plans to improve the administration of justice at the local level. The plans detail the various options of punishment in the community which are available to judges and other criminal justice officials when sentencing offenders. †¢These integrated systems generally include restitution programs for nonviolent offenders. Offenders’ wages are applied directly to restitution, court-ordered fines and fees, and room and board. Placement in the work programs usually lasts from three to six months. †¢Programs are administered by local governmental or nonprofit agencies at the county or regional level, and are funded by the state under a single system which provides for local punishment options. Funds are provided contractually or directly depending on the involvement of nonprofit agencies. †¢Sentencing guidelines for local, district, or regional judges prescribe a uniform sentencing structure with a variety of punishment options for offenders. They differ from determinate sentencing by targeting alternative punishments for the non-violent offender population. †¢The punishment authorized under sentencing guidelines is generally tailored for the crime and applies to all similarly-situated felony offenders. For example, judges must follow a rating system based on the severity of the offender’s crime, the frequency of violations, and the nature of the crime. Rating scales are adjusted periodically by sentencing commissions to reflect statewide sentencing patterns. Non-violent crimes have the lowest criminal rating, allowing judges the broadest range of sentencing options. In contrast, judges must impose very specific sentences for violent or serious crimes. Serious or violent felons sentenced to prison receive very little if any good time credit, and must serve a specified term while in prison. †¢Responsibility for community correctional service is delegated to local units of government. This joins sentencing and punishment in one administrative level, with incentives for the most efficient use of local and state correctional resources. †¢A post-prison release program, operated through a parole or probation system, is an integral component of a local community corrections treatment system. Community corrections sanctions may include: †¢24-hour residential programs which provide a structured living environment for offenders who require supervision when not working or looking for employment; †¢Non-residential drug and alcohol treatment programs; †¢Electronic monitoring of offenders placed on home detention (offenders must wear bracelets that allow parole officials to monitor their movement); †¢Diagnostic evaluation and counseling ordered by the court as part of a pre-sentence process; †¢Pre-trial intervention which provides close supervision and support services to selected offenders prior to trial; †¢Community service programs; †¢Day reporting centers where offenders are required to discuss the progress of their job search and daily activities with parole officials; and †¢Mandatory education programs. There are several key elements to an integrated community-based correctional program: †¢Collaborative long range planning by local and state law enforcement officials to reduce the use of prisons for felony sentencing; †¢Coordinated use of local and state correctional resources; †¢A state funding mechanism to ensure a local level of correctional services; and †¢Ensuring public safety in community correction facilities. One of the goals of sentencing guidelines is to match the community sanction with the offender. The types of offenders which are considered for community sanctions include the following: †¢Offenders who might benefit from prevention services, and are of criminal activity in the future: school drop-outs, urban youth gang members, and juvenile offenders with learning disabilities. Prevention services could include mid-night basketball leagues, big brother programs, special education programs, and other activities. †¢Offenders who might benefit from early intervention services. This group is generally composed of first time offenders. Early intervention may reduce their chances for committing future crimes. They generally require services related to education, work-skill development, and substance abuse and alcohol counseling. †¢Offenders who might be eligible for diversion programs. This group is basically those people in jail or prison who may safely be diverted to alternative programs and services. They generally are second or third time offenders who have failed on probation and have been convicted of a number of non-violent offenses. Under California’s â€Å"three strike’s law†, they could face life imprisonment if their first two felonies are violent and/or if the third felony is violent. The goal of sentencing guidelines is to match target offender groups with the appropriate community sanction. While there are some variations among state sentencing guidelines, most establish punishment by the severity, frequency, and nature of the crime committed. For example, in Michigan, if an offender is arrested for burglary and has a previous drug arrest, state sentencing guideline ratings provide a range of sentencing options from alternative community corrections to up to a 24 month prison sentence. The community correction option allows the judge to sentence the offender to a secured community-based substance abuse treatment program for six months, followed by a short probation period. The judge has the discretion to choose from an array of options. On the other hand, if an offender is convicted of a serious felony and has previous non-violent felony convictions, sentencing guidelines provide that alternative community corrections is not an option, and require a minimum 24 month prison sentence. While offenders sometimes violate the terms of a community correction sentence, so far there is no evidence that the offenders currently entering these programs are a danger to communities. Evaluation studies are currently randomly tracking offenders who participate in community correction programs to determine the success or failure of the programs. The eight states which have enacted comprehensive community correction laws require a well-defined local implementation strategy that targets specific offender populations, and seeks to match their needs with the correct community sanction and service, before state funds are dispersed. Several states have also enacted on-going performance evaluation reviews to identify problem areas and fine-tune sentencing options. The other four states do not offer financial incentives or disincentives, although local implementation strategies are closely monitored by state legislatures. Four of the 8 states also offer formula-based incentives which require community agencies to develop comprehensive, integrated long-range community correctional plans. The greater local resources and services available under the plan, the higher the state funding. Most local plans are coordinated at the county level and identify all available community treatment programs, including prevention and intervention programs, training programs, and diversion programs. Local plans must include data detailing how the community correction programs are expected to reduce commitments to prison. The formula grants include a disincentive for sending certain kinds of felons to state prison, in the form of a per-diem fee which is deducted from the local grant. Grantees are also required to monitor offenders for possible parole violations after they complete the community corrections program. Louisiana has the oldest state boot camp program in the country. The Intensive Motivational Program of Alternative Correctional Treatment (IMPACT) has as its goals: †¢Provide an alternative to long-term incarceration for youthful first- and second-time offenders. †¢Reduce costs without undue risk to public safety. †¢Develop participants’ self-discipline, self-confidence, self-respect, individual responsibility, and respect for others. In order to participate, an offender must meet the following eligibility criteria: †¢Male and female offenders under the age of 40 serving sentences in state prison. †¢First time felony offenders committed to state custody for 7 years or less for an offense with parole eligibility. †¢Second-time felony offenders who have not previously spent time in state prison and who have been committed to state custody for 7 years or less for an offense carrying parole eligibility. †¢No offenders with outstanding felony charges, numerous outstanding misdemeanor charges, outstanding immigration detainers, mental or physical health problems, history of assaulting behavior or escape, overt homosexuality, sex offense against a child or any violent sexual offense, or absence of post-release plan. In 1987, the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections began operating a 136-bed military-style boot camp program at the medium-security Hunt Correctional Center (Up to 20 female slots are also available at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women; these inmates are bused to the boot camp daily). The 90- to 180-day program uses a three-phase approach to promote its philosophy of discipline and treatment. Regular program activities include military drill and ceremony training, physical training and organized recreational activities. Treatment programs include a re-education therapy class that requires participants to evaluate their beliefs and values, substance abuse education classes and activities, and prerelease (life skills) preparation. Extra duty or incentive physical training are required for minor disciplinary infractions. More serious infractions may result in reduction in rank, additional duties, or, in some cases, dismissal from the program. About 55 percent of participants graduate from the program. On release, all IMPACT parolees are assigned to 3 months of intensive parole supervision where, in addition to the regular conditions mandated for all parolees (maintain employment or full-time educational training), they must satisfy the following requirements: a minimum of 4 face-to-face contacts with a supervision officer each week, adherence to a curfew, 100 hours of unpaid community service work and random drug and alcohol screenings. After 3 months, supervision standards are gradually relaxed. Depending on individual performance, at the conclusion of this period, the parolee will continue receiving intensive supervision or is placed in regular parole supervision. According to the Multi-State Evaluation of Shock Incarceration report to the National Institute of Justice, Louisiana is one of three states who’s program results in lower recidivism rates relative to comparison groups. Failures are more often for technical violations of parole than for new crime violations. It is estimated that each 100 inmates completing the program result in a cost savings of $750,000 to the state (Nieto, Marcus: Feb. 1996). REFERENCES Travis Hirschi, and David Rudisill, An Evaluation of California Probation Subsidy Program, Vol. 1: Commitment Reduction and Probation Subsidy: A Summary of Available Data, Center on Administration of Criminal Justice, University of California at Davis, (Davis), 1977. Probation/Parole Survey, Corrections Compendium, The National Journal for Corrections, August, 1994. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. A Survey of Intermediate Sanctions, Washington, D.C. September, 1990, and Nieto, Marcus, California Research Bureau, The Changing Role Probation In California’s Criminal Justice System, April, 1996. Peters, G.T., Intermediate Sanctions: A Discussion of Illustrative Programs. Office of National Drug Control Policy. Washington D.C. 1990. Stone, Susan and Fulton, Betsy, Achieving Public Safety Through Rehabilitation and Reintegration: The Promise of a New ISP, Presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Science Conference. Kansas City, Missouri. 1995. Nidorf, Barry, Chief Probation Officer, Los Angeles County, â€Å"Los Angeles County, Varied Uses of Electronic Monitoring: The Los Angeles Experience†, Edited by John Ortiz and William Selke. Intermediate Sanctions: Sentencing in the 1990’s. Anderson Publishing Company, 1995. Bourque, Blair, Han, B, Hill, Mei, and Sarah, M,. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs. An Inventory of Aftercare Provisions for 52 Boot Camp Programs. NCJ 157104. Washington, DC. January, 1996. Nieto, Marcus, California Research Bureau, Community Correction Punishments: An Alternative to Incarceration for Nonviolent Offenders, Sacramento, CA., February, 1996.