Food security in Ghana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Food security in Ghana - Essay Example Government responses to these challenges will also be discussed whereby it will be concluded that a lot of efforts are to be made if food security in Ghana is to be achieved. In general, the purpose of this essay is to discuss global food crises using Ghana as a case study Introduction Food security can be defined as the availability of sustainable food supply accessible to all citizens regardless of their social or economic backgrounds. Unfortunately, it has been observed that a significant number of people worldwide have continued to face food shortages with reports indicating that more than 850 million people are suffering from extreme hunger, which to a greater extent, has been blamed on poverty. It is sad to note that children are the most vulnerable and according to world statistics, more than six million of them are losing their lives every year, translating to approximately 17000 deaths per day (Shaw, 2010). To some extent, food insecurity in the world has been brought about by urbanization whereby people have neglected subsistence farming in rural areas in favor of white collar and technical jobs available in urban areas. It is estimated that 50% of world’s population are currently residing in urban areas, with youths and able bodied men and women leaving the weak and the aged population in the rural areas to participate in food production. This coupled with the rising costs of production especially due to increased fuel prices have contributed significantly in the cost of acquiring food stuff. For example, global wheat prices rose by 56% in September 2010 while the general food price index rose by 17% in the same year (Shaw, 2010). This has forced the management of the Global Food Crisis Response Program to extend its mandate to June 2011, hoping that the situation will have stabilized by then. This essay is a critical evaluation of food security in Ghana. Food Security in Ghana As earlier mentioned, food insecurity is a phenomenon that is cont inuing to pose a challenge for majority of citizens around the world, especially in the underdeveloped as well as the developing countries. A country such as Ghana for example has been facing insufficient food supplies mostly due to the fact that food production is highly based on availability of sufficient rainfall. This has made it a common problem to find that food is produced in large quantities during the rainy season but shortages persist during the dry season especially in the northern part of the country, which suffers drought mostly in the season between the months of February and July (IFAD, n.d). In this context, it has been observed that cultivating grains such as wheat and maize among others, which take a long time to mature, is not viable to the poor farmers and this has necessitated huge importation of grains to sustain their demand. For example, the government imported rice worth $100 million in 2010, with cereal imports supplementing food requirement by 4.7% (Bruce, 2010). However, it has also been observed that communities which are favored with sufficient rainfall to guarantee food production are not assisting much to alleviate the problem. This is due to the fact that the government has failed to invest in storage facilities which, coupled with poverty, force rural farmers to sell their produce immediately after harvesting so as to supplement their financial needs as well as to prevent their food

Individual Rationality and Collective Rationality Essay Example for Free

Individual Rationality and Collective Rationality Essay 1. Introduction of Double Auction As one of the most popular way to trade, auction has a long history. According to the different kinds of market structure, there are two kinds of auction, one-side auction and two-side auction (i.e. double auction). Compared with one-side auction, the market structure of the double auction is many-to-many, which means that there are more than one seller and more than one buyer, so both the buyers and sellers lose their own comparative advantage which exists in one-side auction. The relationship between them is a kind of equality between demand and supply. In recent years, with the development of the global economy, there are more challenges for new auction theory and its applications, which are shown in the following aspects. First, with the development of the Internet and communication technologies, e-commerce has become a new business method. At the same time, internet auction has been widely used in the field of e-commerce. Since auction is widely used in the field of trading non-scarcity goods, it changes structure of auction, which used to be based on the buyer’s market or the seller’s market. As double auction can solve the problem of collusion and malignant bid, it has become a widely used way in e-commerce. For example, both NYSE and Chicago Exchange have put different kinds of double auction into practice. With the growing of financial market and e-commerce, the need for better auction rules is surely increasing. Besides, as enterprise restructuring has become a hot topic, double auction is found to be a way to deal with property transactions, mergers and acquisitions. What’s more, with the upgrade of demand structure, the diversification strategy for enterprise business and influence of the supply chain management, there are diversified production, diversified manufacturing and diversified demand. Many famous car companies such as Ford are using combinatorial double auction to the sale and purchase of auto parts. When auction is used in the above fields with various needs, there is a great need for the development of new auction model. Compared with other auction mechanisms, double auction can not only solve the problem of monopoly, but also reduce the duration and costs of trade. However, there are still some problems about it, such as trading rules, the way to release information and the formation of transaction price. According to the above reasons, double auction has attracted much attention. And the core theories about it are Smith’s mystery and Hayek problem, which try to explain how the double auction can reach the equilibrium price and equilibrium quantity predicted by the demand-supply model, under the conditions that there is no complete information and few people in the auction. 2. Design of Experiment In order to do some further analysis, we conducted an experiment which simplified real double auction situations with the help of several undergraduate students under four assumptions: First, rational man assumption, which means everyone wants to maximize his/her profit. Second, the goods are homogeneous, so there is no monopoly. Third, there is no cost of sending or getting information, i.e. the transaction cost is zero. Fourth, the participants have no information about the experiment parameter (the value for buyer or cost for seller) before they join the experiment. (2) Trading rules a. When the trade begins, the buyers give their quotes first. Who raises his hand first will quote first. Then, the sellers offer the price they ask. b. Both the sellers and the buyers don’t know the information about the other side. c. When quoting, the seller must ask for a price that is lower than the former seller, and the buyer must ask for a price that is higher than the former buyer. When the price of the two sides is equal, a transaction is reached. d. The trade for each group is divided into three periods and each period lasts for 5 minutes. (3)Trading steps a. Divide all the participants into two groups, buyer and seller, and each group has 8 people. b. Zero phase trade. In order to make the participants familiar with the rules, there is a zero phase trading, the result of which is not included into the final result. c. Begin official trade. d. End trade and take down all the results, including every participant’s own profit in each period and their total profits. Double Auction Experiment 1. Concept Definition and Parameter Settings If we carefully consider each quoting process, we will find the game process in double auction. There are inside game and outside game in the experiment. Firstly, there is among-group game between buyer and seller and they want to drive down or push up prices to earn as much profit as possible. And based on the theoretical design, a buyer and a seller can be trading at least one unit of commodity in one trading period. Experiment shows that each buyer and seller generally trade exactly once each period. Secondly, there is within-group game both among buyers and among sellers. Taking buyer as an example, when the seller quotes a price, buyer X can choose to trade or wait. If choosing to trade, he will probably miss a next lower quoted price although obtaining a certain surplus. However, if he chooses to wait, then the other buyers may intervene in transaction, which constitute competition for buyer X. Each buyer and seller should consider the competition within group, acting as an individual in the game. Meanwhile, they should also consider the competition between groups, acting both as an individual and a group in the game. As can be seen, the core of the complex game process is the relationship of individual-collective interaction. By observing dynamic transaction and competitive process among individual, between the individual and the collective and between the collective, we try to find the interpretation of some problems. Therefore, constructing appropriate parameters, we proceed from rational assumption to define individual rationality and collective rationality respectively. (1) Constructing quoted price functions of the buyer and the seller Firstly, assuming the quoted price function of the buyer i is bidi = vi(1-Ï€i) where bidi denotes the quoted price of buyer i, vi denotes the willing-to-pay of buyer i, Ï€i denotes expected rate of return. Secondly, assuming the quoted price function of the seller is: askj = cj(1+Ï€j) where askj denotes the quoted price of seller j, cj denotes the cost of seller j, Ï€j denotes the expected rate of return of seller j. (2) According to the market parameters and theoretical equilibrium price(7.8) of buyer and seller, we can calculate the standard rate of return of every buyer and seller, Ï€i* and Ï€j*, respectively. (3) On this basis, we assume that individual rationality index is bri=Ï€i/Ï€i* of the buyer, srj= Ï€j/Ï€j* of the seller. The higher the index, the higher is the degree of the buyer or the sellers individual rationality, for it indicates more incentive to maximize their interests strongly. The standard individual rationality is 1, indicating that the expected rate of return and the actual rate of return of the buyer or the sellers are consistent. (4) Similarly, we can define the buyers collective rationality index as sbri=Ï€i/Ï€i*, where Ï€i is the average expected rate of return of all the buyers who participate in a transaction, Ï€i* is the standard average rate of return of the buyers. Whats more, we can define the sellers collective rationality index as ssrj=Ï€j/Ï€j*. The higher the index, the higher is the degree of collective rationality, because it indicates more strongly motivation to maximize their collective interests. The standard collective rationality is also 1, indicating that the expected collective rate of return and the actual collective rate of return of the buyer or the sellers are consistent. 2. Analysis of Parameters In order to study the market inefficiency of the second group, we selected two sets of data as a typical example. Group #1s transaction price is equal to the theoretical equilibrium price (7.8), while Group #2s transaction price is far from the theoretical equilibrium price, only 6.3. Lets observe the quoted price of the buyers and the sellers in the first group, We find that in the second offer, S2s quoted price fell directly from 10 to 7.5, its price is less than the theoretical equilibrium price 7.8, which makes the sellers quoted price become farther and farther away from the equilibrium price. Instead, the buyers offer is steadily rising with smaller fluctuation, which makes the buyers successfully lower price. Let’s move to the quotes of the buyers and sellers from Group #2. Obviously, the quote fluctuations of both sides are smaller and the final equilibrium price (Pe) is closer to the ideal value. Therefore, we may infer that in the double auctions where the number of quotations reaches a certain level, if we want the final transaction price to be close to the theoretical equilibrium price, fluctuations in both quotations cannot be too great, otherwise it will be very easy to deviate from Pe, consequently making either buyer side or seller side gains too much surplus. The reason why we emphasize a certain level of the number of quotations is that if either one side of the bidders or the askers offers a price that is quite close to the expected one, a deal is very likely to be made. Actually, we do see lots of quick transactions in the experiment, especially the 2nd round of Group #1, where there would be expected to exist fluctuation. But that quick deal is based on that either buyer or seller or both of them have an intuition about Pe or are simply informed of that price. If the information for both sides is so inadequate or even zero, then it will seem quite important to estimate Pe by price fluctuation during the first several quotes. On the other hand, however, substantial quote fluctuations will not only compress the quote space afterwards, but also impair one’s own market power, while increasing the other side’s market power and surplus. Let’s now look at the changes in individual rate of return and individual rationality index of Group #1 and #2. Group #1 A. Expected Rate of Return The fluctuation of expected rate of return is distinct around the seller S2, where the expected rate of return of buyers is far higher than that of the sellers. B. Individual Rationality As can be seen, buyers’ individual rationality fluctuates more than the sellers’, while the degree of buyers’ individual rationality (1, since round 2) is much higher than that of sellers’ (1, and decreasing since round 2). Thus, we can assume that there is a collective irrational phenomenon among the sellers. Usually, both buyer and seller will hope to receive higher surplus and try to make the price more beneficial to themselves. So it’s reasonable to see that individual rationality index fluctuates a bit around the standard line or even higher than it, just to make the final transaction price and surplus closer to the theoretical ones. But in this case, seller S2 suddenly lowers his expected rate of return (from the normal 2.22 to 0.86), probably because he underestimates Pe or just wants to quickly sell the product. It’s quite hard for the following sellers to reach the ideal level, but can only quote under 1, giving buyers more space for quote and more power to control the market. If the sellers following S2 used to have higher expectation than 1, then a phenomenon called inconsistency of collective rationality occurs by the influence of inconsistency of individual rationality. When it happens, the irrational collectivity’s power is impaired and Pe and surplus will end up more beneficial to the other collectivity. As can be seen from the experiment results, the collective rationality index of buyers is 2.793, which is much higher than that of sellers, 0.808. Group #2 A. Expected Rate of Return The expected rate of return fluctuates more, comparatively. What’s more important, the values of both sides are quite close. B. Individual Rationality This corresponds to our previous analysis. The individual rationality index of both buyers and sellers is always larger and very close to Group #1. The individual rationality equals to the standard individual rationality when the final deal is made. In this situation, the quote range and market power for both sides are similar without any doubt. The price at equilibrium and the surplus are close to the theoretical value. Therefore, we can think that there is no disturbance of individual rationality to collective rationality for both sides. From the perspective of collective rationality index, sbri=1.879ï ¼Å'ssrj=1.692ï ¼Å'the difference is relatively small and both values are larger than 1. From the analysis above, the following could be inferred. In certain times of quote, if the market’s transaction price and surplus diverge from the theoretical Pe and surplus, there must exist a negative disturbance of individual rationality to collective rationality for one side which enables the other side to have dominant power of quote. In another way, if the market’s transaction price and surplus are close to theoretical values, there is going to appear two cases. First, individual rationality and collective rationality are in accordance with each other for both sides and both have the similar market power which results in mutual antagonism; second, disturbances for both sides may be very large and the rationality values are not close at all, which does not show in all the experimental data while it could be thought to exist theoretically. The values are close only at the transaction price and it is based on an obvious premise that the values are larger than 1, since as long as one value is less than 1, it is very easy (not necessarily) to fall to a weak position (which usually happens in the first round of Group #2). The way to analyze these three situations is pretty similar to the one analyzing monopoly and competitive markets. The key element is the effect of the relation between individual rationality and collective rationality to market power. Conclusion From the analysis above, we can reach a primary conclusion that the quote from a single seller or buyer can affect the formation and the result of market equilibrium. We can use individual-collective rationality model to explain the process. Individual rationality can cause a destabilization to collective rationality (resulting in remarkable fluctuation), when the destabilization is small, which means that the individual rationality that causes it is not less than one, the collective rationality still tends to be consistent and this will not have a significant effect on the market power of both sides. But when the destabilization is large, which means that the individual rationality that causes it is less than one, there will be a significant effect on the consistency of the collective rationality, so there will be a change of the two sides’ market power. Then, the equilibrium price and the surplus of both sides also change. So, there is a kind of tension between individual desirability and collective desirability. There are some points that we need to pay attention to. First, this kind of relationship becomes more obvious with the increasing of quotation times during one period. The deeper reason for this is the lack of information and each side has to continuously probe and tries to release as much information, which can maximize his profit, as possible, no matter whether the information is true. If the deal can be reached within one or two times, there will be no such complex game about the info releasing and collecting. Second, in reality, the destabilization is always negative (i.e. a sudden decrease in bid or expected return), which indicates the bounded rationality. We don’t need to take positive destabilization into account. So, how can we use this model to explain the non efficiency phenomenon of market in double auction? There are two aspects that we need to pay attention to. First, the relationship of individual rationality and collective rationality has an effect on the market power, and then affects the equilibrium price and the ratio of the surplus of both sides; the price either has a bad effect on the sellers or the buyers (In our experiment, it is the sellers that lose). Thus, some buyers or sellers that could have entered the deal are kicked off now, which leads to some deadweight loss. Second, when the market power is out of balance, the number of games between buyers and sellers will increase. Let’s take the third group (whose transaction price is averagely 10% less than theoretical Pe) as an example. When the buyers realize their power and advantage, they will wait the sellers to decrease the price. At that time, from the perspective of buyers, the earnings of waiting is larger than the risk. The sellers are forced to decrease the price, but only for a little each time to avoid a worse price. As a result, during the limited trading times, the number of transactions decreases, which leads to further deadweight loss. References 1. JAVIER GIL-BAZO, DAVID MORENO, AND MIKEL TAPIA, â€Å"Price Dynamics, Informational Efficiency, And Wealth Distribution in Continuous Double-Auction Markets†, Computational Intelligence, Volume 23, Number 2, 2007 2. Charles A.Holt, Loren W.Langan, Anne P.Villamil, Market power in oral double auctions† Economic Inquiry, 24:1 (1986:Jan.) p.107 3. Juliette Rouchier, Stà ©phane Robin, â€Å"Simulation Gaming† 4. Darren Duxbury, â€Å"Experimental Evidence on Trading Behavior, Market Efficiency and Price Formation in Double Auctions with Unknown Trading Duration†

Electronic Fetal Monitoring :: Technology Pregnancy Essays

Electronic Fetal Monitoring Technology has had a very prominent influence on electronic fetal monitoring since its appearance in the 1960’s and 1970’s. For many years, fetal monitoring was simply done by listening to a fetal heartbeat through a stethoscope. Dramatic changes in the heartbeat, such as a long period or a drop in the rate or intensity, could be detected,. Now, not only is the electronic fetal monitor used on the outside of the womb by strapping electrodes to the mother’s abdomen but electrodes can also be inserted during the first stage of labor and placed directly on the baby’s head. With advanced technologies such as this the acidity of the infant’s blood as well as the heart rate can be measured. New technologies are being developed every day. The latest advance in fetal monitoring is the fetal oxygen monitor: â€Å"A device that directly measures fetal oxygen saturation during labor and delivery is now available and has the potential to reduce the number of Cesarean sections performed for non-reassuring heart rates.† (Mechcatie) The article by Mechcatie describes the monitor extremely well: â€Å"The device’s sensor, located at the end of a flexible tube, is made of pliable plastic and is inserted through the cervical os until it lies along the fetal cheek, where the pressure of the uterine wall keeps it in place during labor. The sensor shines light into the fetal skin and computes the oxygen saturation by measuring the color of the reflected light coming through the blood cells.† There is also a high-resolution ultrasound scanning that can detect chromosomal and physical abnormalities in the first trimester as opposed to the second trimester. A technology such as this can create many ethical problems. Mcfadyen describes the biggest problem as being informed consent. â€Å"They may believe that it will provide information only about gestational age and be unaware of the range of abnormalities that can be detected. Recent research suggests that many women are not told beforehand of the first scan’s potential to detect fetal anomalies.† Another technology that has been around for a while is the general ultrasound. In the article by Jennifer Wang she states, â€Å"The risk of a patient having a fetus with Down syndrome can be assessed non-invasively using fetal markers seen on ultrasound. Electronic Fetal Monitoring :: Technology Pregnancy Essays Electronic Fetal Monitoring Technology has had a very prominent influence on electronic fetal monitoring since its appearance in the 1960’s and 1970’s. For many years, fetal monitoring was simply done by listening to a fetal heartbeat through a stethoscope. Dramatic changes in the heartbeat, such as a long period or a drop in the rate or intensity, could be detected,. Now, not only is the electronic fetal monitor used on the outside of the womb by strapping electrodes to the mother’s abdomen but electrodes can also be inserted during the first stage of labor and placed directly on the baby’s head. With advanced technologies such as this the acidity of the infant’s blood as well as the heart rate can be measured. New technologies are being developed every day. The latest advance in fetal monitoring is the fetal oxygen monitor: â€Å"A device that directly measures fetal oxygen saturation during labor and delivery is now available and has the potential to reduce the number of Cesarean sections performed for non-reassuring heart rates.† (Mechcatie) The article by Mechcatie describes the monitor extremely well: â€Å"The device’s sensor, located at the end of a flexible tube, is made of pliable plastic and is inserted through the cervical os until it lies along the fetal cheek, where the pressure of the uterine wall keeps it in place during labor. The sensor shines light into the fetal skin and computes the oxygen saturation by measuring the color of the reflected light coming through the blood cells.† There is also a high-resolution ultrasound scanning that can detect chromosomal and physical abnormalities in the first trimester as opposed to the second trimester. A technology such as this can create many ethical problems. Mcfadyen describes the biggest problem as being informed consent. â€Å"They may believe that it will provide information only about gestational age and be unaware of the range of abnormalities that can be detected. Recent research suggests that many women are not told beforehand of the first scan’s potential to detect fetal anomalies.† Another technology that has been around for a while is the general ultrasound. In the article by Jennifer Wang she states, â€Å"The risk of a patient having a fetus with Down syndrome can be assessed non-invasively using fetal markers seen on ultrasound.

Plato’s Republic Essay

Plato’s Republic is a book in which Socrates, as a character, explores the nature of poetry. Although Socrates completely supports everyone’s obligation to explore various notions, (leading to his being charged with â€Å"corrupting the youth,†) the idea that poetry can be detrimental, as it may influence the minds of the youth is also proposed. This means that certain fictional readings, which would install themselves into the minds of their believers as delusions were likely to result from the reading of certain fantastic poems. In Cervantes’ Don Quixote, access to unlimited writings, however, corrupted the mind of the novel’s protagonist, who became quite crazy, as his mind became filled with ideas of the business of knights, which occurred as he read books that, according to other characters of the book, should have been banned. Plato’s Socrates was often engaged in the business of encouraging people to challenge accepted notions, and explore other ones. But poetry, when it relates fictional stories, would have had the potential to negatively influence the malleable minds of a younger audience. â€Å"Plato was concerned with the ability of a text to convince in the face of its fictionality,† Frederick de Armas wrote in Cascardi’s novel, The Cambridge Companion to Cervantes. And Plato’s concern was not without merit, when applied to the story of the man from La Mancha, who is driven insane by the fictional stories that he enjoyed. Unfortunately for Don Quixada of La Mancha, fantastic books and stories of chivalry and â€Å"knight-errantry† were permitted in Spain, and he got his hands on a great many of these stories. Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote is the story of a man, who, accompanied by his loyal squire, participate in activities based on the delusions inspired by the books that he read. Don Quixote was at first a normal, honorable man, but after reading a great many books and stories about the chivalrous and challenging adventures of knights, he became of the opinion that he was indeed a knight himself, and that the stories he had read were actually incorporated into the whole world. He would produce such beliefs, based on the readings that he had scoured, that simple objects and people of the world were actually characters present in the adventures of the greatest knight who ever was, as he often thought of himself. Every belief that he had throughout the body of the book was tied to the stories of the chivalrous activities of knights that he had read. And these stories prompted him to dress in Medieval military attire (such as chain mail, accompanied by a helmet with a visor, a lance, and a shield), and partake in the activities of the extinct knights that he had read about. The books, which captivated his mind, led Don Quixote de La Mancha to believe notions as preposterous as windmills being giants, and every woman around being damsels in distress. His faithful squire, Sancho Panza was captivated by the stories that his master told him of knight-errantry, and it helped to corrupt, or make him delusional as well. The books, stories, and poetry on the subject of knight errantry were completely to blame for the downfall of Don Quixote’s mind, which in turn, dragged down that of Sancho Panza’s. But there were character from Quixotes hometown, such as his niece, housekeeper, and a man of the church who recognized that it was the fictional adventure books that caused a once respected man to go insane. His niece and housekeeper had noticed that the books were corrupting him from the start. â€Å"‘Senor Licentiate Pero Perez,’ that was the curate’s name, â€Å"some misfortune must certainly have happened to my master; for six days, both he and his horse, together with the target, lance, and armour, have been missing; as I am a sinner, it is just come into my head, and it is certainly as true as that everyone is born to die, those hellish books of knight-errantry, which he used to read with so much pleasure, have turned his brain: for, now I remember to have heard him say to himself more than once, that he longed to be a knight-errant, and stroll about in quest of adventures. May Satan and Barrabas lay hold of such legends, which have perverted one of the finest minds in all La Mancha,† the housekeeper of the illustrious knight, Don Quixote remarked after her master returned from his very first enterprise in the field of knight-errantry (Cervantes, Part 1, Chapter V). It is very straightforward, from the words of his housekeeper, that Don Quixote’s intense readings about the stories of knights and chivalry were very detrimental to his mind. Indulging in these stories over, and over, he went mad, and believed himself a universal character of the topics on which he read. Plato may have held that expression of fictional ideas had the ability to be completely detrimental to the youthful minds that absorbed various notions, and that is why (in Don Quixote) the man of the church, the barber, and Don Quixote’s niece and housekeeper set to burn (except for a few books, which they themselves prized) all of Don Quixotes library, which was filled with books on the subject of knight-errantry. In the writings of Plato, poetry had the unfortunate ability to do to young, easily-influenced people what the books of knight-errantry did to Don Quixote. This was the ability to propose delusions that would survive alongside actual beliefs which were based on true phenomena. Poets had the ability to harm the minds of the youth who indulged in their poems, just as did the writers of the chivalrous stories in Don Quixote. If it had not been for the fictional stories that Don Quixote read over and over, he would likely have not held that he himself was a character of the genre, which, at the time, was represented only in fiction. The various authors’ narrations on the fictional activities of knights were indeed what captivated the mind of Don Quixote, and caused him to go insane. Early in his adventures, his squire, Sancho Panza was bewildered by some of the delusional and fictional properties that Don Quixote extended to various environmental phenomena. His readings had him believe that a row of windmills were giants that served to hinder his own progress. â€Å" ‘Fly not, ye base and cowardly miscreants, for, he is but a single knight who attacks you,’† Don Quixote yelled at the windmills, which were, due to his mental captivation by the activities of knight-errantry, on which he had read, not windmills, but giants. This was his final warning to the giants before he charged, and rammed his lance into the propeller of a mill, shattering it, and falling to the ground, along with his trusty steed, Rocinante (Cervantes, Part I Chapter VIII). Plato’s theory, expressed in The Republic, about the detrimental and negatively influential properties of poetry are undermined in Spain at the time of the story of the knight from La Mancha. The people who collected in Don Quixote’s house, following his very first adventure (which left him immobilized, and without a weapon after he attacked a group of merchants who he perceived to be evil) were of the opinion that Plato proposes in The Republic, which is that fictional stories can be dangerous when imposed upon malleable minds, like those of the youth (or those of unstable characters, such as the prime one seen in Cervantes’ work). Although it is quite likely that the novel was composed because of its entertaining qualities, Cervantes certainly wanted to parallel the story of Don Quixote to the warnings of Plato in his views on poetry. â€Å"In this work, Plato argues that poetry inspires undesirable emotions in society and should be censored from adults and especially children for fear of lasting detrimental consequences,† Schatzie Speaks writes in her article, entitled Aristotle vs. Plato on the Dangers of Poetry. â€Å"Plato believes that since children have not yet acquired proper formation of character and knowledge of the world around them, every new experience makes a profound impact upon them. Children have no ability to know what emotions should be tempered and which should be expressed, and certain expressed emotions can have lasting consequences later in life. Plato finds it necessary to limit the types of poetry, works which he deems induce profound emotions in individuals, to protect children and future society. † Poetry, unfortunately for the knight in Cervantes’ novel, and many of those whom he encountered, was not limited, but embraced by the knight himself, and it had the very effect that Plato warned that it might. â€Å"He states that scary stories,† Speaks continues, â€Å"such as gods coming to the world in disguise and harming people, must be avoided to eliminate timidity, as such tales will induce profound fear. Furthermore, children must not be told tales detailing the horrors of death for they will then grow up to fear death and lack courage. † Plato’s critique of poetry is justified in Cervantes’ story of Don Quixote, who found himself fully subjected to the negative aspects of poetry (such as its ability to conjure up thoughts and delusions that may not actually exist). It was because fictional tails of such fantastic adventures of knights were allowed in Spain that Don Quixote was able to get his hands on these books, and fall under their spell. They inspired vast delusions in him, just as Plato said such writings could if they were not censored. Works Cited De Cervantes, Miguel. Translation by Rutherford, John. Don Quixote de la Mancha. Penguin Books, New York, 2003 De Armas, Frederick A. Cervantes and the Italian Renaissance. In Cascardi, Anthony J. The Cambridge Companion to Cervantes. Cambridge University Press, 2002. Plato. Edition by Cooper, John M. The Republic. In Plato, Complete Works. Hackett Publishing, Indiana, 1997. Speaks, Schatzie. Aristotle vs. Plato on the Dangers of Poetry. Viewed 23, July, 2009. http://hubpages. com/hub/The-Emotions-Surrouding-Poetry–Aristotle-vs-Plato

Toms Shoes Epedemic

Simona Brotnei Professor Angelone English Writing 102 7 March 2012 â€Å"How Toms Shoes tipped ? † Intro Section In the book, The Tipping Point, How little things can Make a Big Difference, written by Malcolm Gladwell. What is an Epidemic? Well there are different kinds of epidemics. Epidemics can be Products, diseases, Trend’s, and or Crimes. In order for an epidemic to tip, there are three rules that apply for an epidemic to tip. Epidemics are the phenomena word of mouth, or any number of mysterious changes that mark everyday life is for us to think of them as just that.Epidemics are a contagious behavior; the rules in an epidemic are the Law of the Few, The Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. The Stickiness Factor The stickiness factor is some kind of information that makes it memorable and sticky, basically something that makes a person remember easily or a message that makes an impact. One of the three Laws that applies too, Toms Shoes is the stickiness of the shoes. The Epidemic that crossed my mind was TOM’s shoes. The co-founder of TOM shoes was Blake Mckoskie, his name was not Tom, Blake’s chose toms because it stands for Tomorrows Future.Back In 2006, Blake went to Argentina, and discovered that the kids there had no shoes, So he came up with the Idea that for every pair of shoes purchased, he would give another pair to a child in need. Tom’s shoes missions is the One for One deal, which I stated above. The reason why Toms tipped was because of the One for One. This is what made TOMS so sticky, just the other day I wore a pair of Toms and this lady stopped me and somehow noticed my shoes and said to me, â€Å"Are those the shoes? † where they give a pair for free? and she wanted to look at them, So I showed them to her. he then went on and said â€Å"that they are expensive ,† but I also stated that they were for a good cause. In the past year of September, TOMS sold over one million pair of sh oes. His company is becoming more successful, and are growing bigger and bigger each day. Blake based the shoe style on the alpargata, a traditional Argentine shoe that farmers have worn for more than 100 years. The shoe is very lightweight and canvas slip-on with just a sliver of a rubber composite sole. It comes in multiple colors and prints for women, men and children. Toms comes out with a new style almost every six months.The shoe prices average from about $40-$100 dollars, They can be pricy but we also have to remember that its helping many kids without shoes, have shoes. The reason as to why Toms is so successful is, because they feel as if there making a difference in the world by helping the kids. They are satisfied and happy about themselves by helping the kids with no shoes. Toms has donated over 600 thousands paris of shoes to kids in 2010. The Power of Context Gladwell states, That the power of context, is no less more important than the two laws mentioned in the beginn ing of the book.Epidemics are sensitive in the time and places in which they occur. The Power of context is one that has to do with the environment we live in. We are the ones that get the word out. Like for instance the word of mouth epidemic is by a person telling them about it, then them telling someone else; or even when they see something that they like, People will ask you where you got the product, then tell his or her friends. Back In May of 2010, I was at a Romanian convention and I noticed a guy wearing them and wanted to find out what kind of shoes they were, because they looked very cool and comfy.I then went on found out where he got them, and bought two pairs, Now Most of the majority of the romanian community owns at least a pair of toms, if not even more. That explains why so many trends like skinny jeans, and or Jeans tucked in boots start. The environment has a lot to do with how epidemics occur, And that is how many trends come about. Just like in the book, The Ti pping Point there were two kids that were wearing hush puppies in East village, and some high fashioned stylists seen them. Later on they skyrocketed and sold over 600 thousands pairs.There is no other explanation more better than how the environment has many effects on how we look and or how we dress, the environment plays a big part on how products tip and how trends become more popular. Conclusion The reason why products tip are because the message itself had an impact, and or the environment where they were seen was noticed by big entrepreneurs. Why is it that many people like myself? are buying all into this, One thing is that it is contagious and the little things that make a change make a difference in the world.Trends and or diseases are also just as contagious. The co-founder of Toms travels to many different colleges to reach out to peers because he wants the new generations to be concerned and aware with different things. and helping others is one that everyone can do if they cant help by buying a pair they can help by not wearing shoes for 24 hours and that event that is called One Day Without Shoes, is targeted mostly to students because they are the ones with time and its a free advertising by getting his shoes known. and what more not doing it at colleges.Blake wants to raise up a better generations for our kids, and by helping and joining events just like this one is a great opportunity for many students to be aware and help make difference in the world. That is why they have an event every year, In Fact It is coming up shortly Sometime in April. The event mostly focuses on the awareness for people to realize that in many different parts of the country children are without shoes. Also to get others student to join and help if not by buying the shoes but by simply getting the word out.The One Day Without Shoes event allows student-led college chapters of TOMS to hold awareness events on campus (and do some free advertising for TOMS). The movemen t reaches out to students who want to help and be a part of a larger philanthropic movement, but can’t afford to give large amounts of money or commit an extended amount of time. People who are already passionate about helping children in need are the prime candidates to join the TOMS movement, so the student chapters and the organization reach out to these individuals through their  advertisements  and promotions. Im gonna finish a quote by Ghandi, which was Blake’s favorite quote. Be the change you want to see in the world Works Cited Gladwell, Malcolm. The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference. Boston: Little, Brown, 2000. Print. â€Å"Shoes Offer a Better Tomorrow. † NewsOK: Oklahoma News, Sports, Weather, Business, Entertainment & Oklahoma City Photos & Video OKC. Linda Miller, 5 Apr. 2009. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. . â€Å"Millennials and Philanthropy: 5 Tips I Learned from TOMSA  Shoes. † Rebekah Bowen. 26 Aug. 2011. Web. 11 Mar . 2012. . â€Å"TOMS SHOES LOGO. † Bio Of Blake Mycoskie, The Founder & Chief Shoe Giver Of TOMS Shoes. 2 Feb. 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2012. .

International Intervention in Libya

International Intervention in Libya Introduction Oil, otherwise known as black gold, is the driving force of the world economy. It is a major commodity of trade that is required by all countries. Western countries rely on the constant supply supply of oil, thus they try to ensure its supply is not interrupted. Given this realization, oil played a major role in influencing the western powers to intervene militarily in Libya, but not in Syria.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on International Intervention in Libya specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Libya accounts for 2.8% of the global oil reserves (Cohen par. 1). It plays a major role in supplying many industrialized countries, especially those in Europe. In 2010, Libya produced over 1,789,000 barrels of oil per day. In comparison, Syria only produced 400,000 barrels of oil per day (Cohen par. 2-3). Therefore, oil is the main reason why military intervention was used in Libya, but not in Syria. As a major oil supplier, it was important to ensure the stability of Libya to avoid affecting the global oil supply. Reasons for the intervention Many western countries rely on oil to run their economies. Thus, problems with the supply of oil can have devastating consequences on the economies. The problems in Libya began with an uprising in 2011, which wanted to replace Muammar Gaddafi with a more democratic leader (Roff and Momani par. 6). Gaddafi was a threat to the western countries. His leadership decisions after the uprising meant that oil exports would be affected adversely. His response incited the people more, especially when the ruling regime was accused of working with the Al Qaeda terrorists. Moreover, Gaddafi ordered his people to capture the protestors. He also threatened to start a door-to-door campaign and ‘cleanse’ those who were against his regime. Thus, there was a threat of mass genocide in Libya. This led to a global response, with many countries being ag ainst the decisions made by Gaddafi. Those who were opposed to Gaddafi included groups like the League of Arab States, the United Nations Security Council, and other western powers (Wood par. 4). Gaddafi was later killed, but the country is yet to return to normalcy. Western powers were uncertain about the consequences of a rebel government. Thus, they saw it fit to help the opposition in order to gain their support once they took power from Gaddafi. Currently, the parliament is held by two differing groups, thus it has not reached a state of stability (Daoudy par. 5-6). Despite this, oil production has started to increase to its original output. Therefore, the western powers and their allies were able to gain and retain their oil supply.Advertising Looking for research paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The situation was similar in Syria, where the Bashar al-Assad regime reacted harshl y to uprisings against the government. Gaddafi’s death influenced the opposition in Syria to think that change could be achieved in the country. However, the opponents of the ruling regime in Syria continue to suffer, with many dying as a result of harsh responses by the security forces. Many supporters of the opposition are captured, tortured, and the military uses excessive power against them. Moreover, the Assad regime uses propaganda to ensure that people opposing his regime suffer. The opposition began to take up arms as a way of protecting themselves (Taheri 218). This led to a situation where many rebel groups arose in Syria, each trying to gain control over the country. Currently, a war within a war has emerged in Syria, whereby the rebel groups are fighting each other in trying to support their individual policies. Despite this, the international community has not reacted like it did in the case of Libya. This can be attributed to the immense oil output Libya contrib utes to the global economy in comparison to Syria’s oil output. The United States, a major economic power, tries with all its might to defend, guarantee, and protect its interests. A case to consider was the March 2011 UN Security Council vote (Cohen par. 1-2). Many developed countries, including Germany, India, Brazil, China, and Russia, were against military intervention in Libya. Despite this, the UN Security Council resolution allowed military action in Libya. State sovereignty was a major reason why most countries did not support a military intervention. Specifically, China and Russia tend to advocate for state sovereignty, as they want to create an international agreement that state sovereignty is of utmost importance (Zyberi and Mason 44). Libya was also attacked because it did not have any allies to defend it, as the case was with Syria. On the contrary, the Assad’s regime enjoys the support of Russia and China, who have veto power in the United Nations Securit y Council.  Many western countries share the belief that the Middle East can greatly affect. Thus, being able to control the flow of oil is important to the western countries. Moreover, it is no longer important to protect the Arab regimes, but to influence people to rise and address their grievances. This is done in a manner that does not cause instability, but it decreases the hatred towards Americanism. Energy is a major determinant in the decisions made by the western nations.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on International Intervention in Libya specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Even though the US tries to advance for human rights, it gets involved in any situation where its energy supply is at threat, in comparison to situations where human rights are being violated. Thus, the US, with support from its allies, did not take long to support military intervention in Libya and kill Gaddafi, but it has not i ntervened militarily in Syria yet (Alston and Goodman 83). Syria and Libya were characterized by many similarities, which formed the background of their impending problems. Both Syria and Libya were characterized by mismanagement. The regimes impacted negatively on the social, political, and economic policies. The United States and its allies come together to champion for human rights whenever countries are at the brink of social unrest or characterized by poor governance. The citizens in the unstable countries are seen as important, thus the western governments use their diplomatic ties to influence the behavior of the government towards the citizens. However, the Libya and Syria cases exposed the US and its allies as hypocrites, who use the campaigns against violation of human rights as smokescreens to advance their agendas (de Rugy par. 3-4). In many cases, the choices of the western countries to intervene in any country are based on their interests, especially if these interests are under a threat. Reasons for not intervening militarily in Syria The western powers exercised different responses to the problems in Libya and Syria. In Syria, the western powers reacted by sanctioning the regime, while military intervention was the choice in Libya’s case. Many other reasons have been advanced to explain why military action was not preferable in Syria’s case. For instance, Syria differs greatly with Libya, thus military action could not be applied universally. The terrain and population in Syria proved quite difficult to deal with, in comparison with Libya. Syria has 22.5 million citizens in comparison to Libya’s 6.6 million, which is three times the population of Libya. Therefore, the costs incurred in military intervention would be higher in Syria compared to Libya (Hamid par. 1). Syria is also well equipped and has a larger professional military than Libya. In Syria, those who support a military intervention are only 40% of the population (Wood par. 6). Thus, military intervention will be seen as an attack against the sovereignty by the rest 60% of the population.. Syria also shares the same geographical characteristics with Afghanistan.Advertising Looking for research paper on international relations? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is a mountainous region, thus a military attack would be unfavorable, risky, and costly. In comparison, Libya is sparsely populated and many people reside in the coastal areas, thus a military attack is easier and cheaper. Moreover, Libya is closer to Europe, thus air strikes can be conducted easily because the distance involved is smaller (Wood par. 8). Many countries, especially African countries, continue to suffer under dictators and unfavorable regimes, yet the US hardly intervenes because these countries lack energy resources to supply the US economy. In another case, the US was keener to intervene militarily in Iraq when ISIS was a threat to the oil reserves. However, it did not do so when ISIS was gaining traction in Syria (Hamid par. 1-3). Thus, many of the decisions made by the west are not humanitarian in nature, but they are a result of capitalism. The crisis in Syria is fueled by ethnic differences. For instance, President Assad is able to gain the support of his tri be by threatening the minorities to join him or be killed. Assad belongs to the Shia minority, who are in control of many vital organs of the country, including the police, intelligence agencies, and the army. The civil war has been persistent through sectarian violence. Many of Assad’s former allies have also stated their distaste about his decisions. This makes it hard to attack the country, as the differing groups are wide and varied. Moreover, if the western countries take part in the conflict, there is a risk of spreading the sectarian violence to other countries like Israel, Iraq, Turkey, and Jordan (Ramos 106). The military intervention in Libya was seen as a precedent by critics. It meant that the western powers would come to the aid of the Arab countries whenever there was an uprising and people were threatened by their government. However, this was not the case, given that Syria’s opposition supporters have been left to fend for themselves, while they suffer under their government. Just like Libya, there have been calls for an intervention of the western powers, but the calls have been largely ignored (Zyberi and Mason 46).  In conclusion, oil was a major factor in deciding to intervene militarily in Libya, but not in Syria. Many western powers rely on oil. Thus, an unstable government in Libya would affect the global oil supply and production. Libya also has the biggest oil reserves in Africa. Thus, protecting the country and ensuring its stability was important in guaranteeing that the oil supply would not be interfered with. Even though the country is not supplying its original production of over a million barrels of oil a day, Libya still produces sufficient quantities that are mostly exported to the European countries. Alston, Philip, and Ryan Goodman. International Human Rights, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012. Print. Cohen, Nick. The West has a Duty to Intervene in Syria. The Guardian, 1 Jan. 2012. Web. guardian.co.uk/co mmentisfree/2012/jan/01/nick-cohen-intervene-in-syris/print. Daoudy, Marwa. â€Å"The Case against Military Intervention in Syria.† Jadaliyya.com, 5 Jan. 2012. Web. jadaliyya.com/pages/index/3922/the-case-against-military-intervention-in-syria. de Rugy, Veronique. How Much Would War In Syria Cost? Reason 45.7 (2013): 18-20. Print. Hamid, Shadi. Why We Have a Responsibility to Protecy Syria. Brookings Institute, 28 Feb. 2012. Web. brookings.edu/opinions/2012/0126_syria_interventions_hamid.aspx?p=1. Ramos, Jennifer M. Changing Norms through Actions: The Evolution of Sovereignty, New York: Oxford University Press, 2013. Print. Roff, Heather, and Bessma Momani. â€Å"The Tactics of Intervention: Why Syria will Never be Libya.† The Globe and Mail, 31 Oct. 2011. Web. theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/the-tactics-of-intervention-why-syria-will-never-be-libya.aspx?p=1. Taheri, Amir. Has the Time Come for Military Intervention in Syria? American Foreign Policy Interests 35.4 (2013): 217-220. Print. Wood, Lisa. â€Å"To Intervene or Not to Intervene: Why Libya but not Syria?† Viapolitica.eu, 15 Jan. 2012. Web. http://viapolitica.eu/2012/01/15/to-intervene-or-not-to-intervene-why-libya-but-not-syria/. Zyberi, Gentian, and Kevin T Mason. An Institutional Approach to the Responsibility to Protect, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2013. Print.

The Role of ICT essays

The Role of ICT essays ICT is changing people lives everywhere. This goes from the home to the office. No matter who the person is they will have come into contact with ICT and it will have helped them in some way. 3 areas where ICT has changed are: It is these I will be discussing. The first is individuals. ICT has a big impact on people in their everyday lives and is affecting people in different ways. Technology is all around us but most people do not realise. It is taken for granted because of how common it is. The way it is changing people lives is though things such as the internet and mobile phones. Most people now have access to the internet whether it is at home or in the local Library. It is allowing people to find whatever information they want whenever they need it. We can also talk to people all over the world for free through instant messenger programs and Email. Mobile phones are allowing us to communicate at anytime anywhere we are. This means that people no longer have to either look for a phone box or have to wait until they get home to talk to someone. We can now phone people wherever we are even if on the other side of the country. We can just pick up a mobile phone and talk. This is making life better for people because before this technology people couldnt keep in touch easily and it could cost quite a lot of money to do so. Now we can communicate where ever we are. The bad points about this technology are the fact that people who do not have access are left out. Also this technology can be expensive and for some people it can be quite hard to learn how to use and so they are left behind and some people like the old ways. Another disadvantage is people hacking and theft. Because of mobile phone there are more people being mugged in the street for their phone. Also with hacking peoples personal details and things such as credit card numbers can be found out althoug ...

Left Brain Right Brain and Its Effect on Study Habits

Left Brain Right Brain and Its Effect on Study Habits What does it mean to be left-brain dominant or right-brain dominant? Scientists have explored theories about the two hemispheres of the brain and the ways that they differ in function and control of the body. According to recent research, people who are right-brain dominant and those who are left-brain dominant process information and respond in different ways. Most theories suggest that right-brain dominant people are guided by the more emotional, intuitive right hemisphere, while left-brain people respond in sequential, logical ways, guided by the left hemisphere. To a great degree, your personality is shaped by your brain type. Your dominant brain type has a very significant effect on your study skills, homework habits, and grades. For instance, some students may struggle with specific assignment types or test questions, based on their specific brain types. By understanding your dominant brain type, you may be able to adjust your study methods, and perhaps shape your schedule and coursework, to suit your own personality type. What's Your Brain Game? Do you watch the clock constantly, or does the bell surprise you at the end of class? Have you ever been accused of being too analytical or do people say youre dreamy? These characteristics can be attributed to brain types. Typically, dominant left-brain students will be more organized, theyll watch the clock, and theyll analyze information and process it sequentially. They are often cautious, and they follow rules and schedules. Left-brain students are strong in math and science, and can answer questions quickly. Left-brain students would make great Jeopardy contestants. On the other hand, right-brain students are the dreamers. They can be very intelligent and very deep thinkers- so much so that they can get lost in their own little worlds. They make great students of the social sciences and the arts. They are more spontaneous than the cautious left-brainers, and they are likely to follow their own gut feelings. Right-brainers are very intuitive and have great skill when it comes to seeing through lies or tricks. They would make great Survivor contestants. What about people who are right in the middle? Everyone is different, and everyone has characteristics from both types. Some people are equal when it comes to characteristics. Those students are middle-brain oriented, and they might do well on The Apprentice.   Students who are middle-brain oriented can have strong qualities from either hemisphere. Those students can benefit from logic from the left and intuition from the right. That sounds like a great recipe for success in business, doesnt it?

Nanotechnology Applications Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Nanotechnology Applications - Research Paper Example gy that was little known in the 1990s and originally and for the first time came on the surface in 1986 was little expected to bring about development in the manner it has done so already (Bhushan 2012 p. 138). It is safely being called the technology of future. Subject to the detailed level investigation of elements, the Nano technology finds its applications in the different disciplines such as electronic industry, biological experimentations and nuclear physics and sub atomic particles exploration. The use of Nano technology is so dynamically broad that it even finds its application in the iron rods and the clubs that are used in the game of Golf. Owing to their light weight and other qualities, it is being used by the professional Golf playing sporting players from across the world. In the industries Nano technology finds their application with regard to improving the processes. On relatively visible scale, the plants purification functions are now held under the Nano technology concepts and mechanism. Desalination of water is also one aspect that has seen the attention of Nano technology with regard to the modern usages and implementations. In the field of medicine and healthcare sciences, Nano technology is believed to bring about progress with regard to the cancer patients treatment. Subject to its higher capacity of tracing any damaged cells, it will allow for easier identification and rapid elimination of the cells that cause trouble. Similarly the tumors so formed in the different parts of body are easy to diagnose and remove through the detailed penetration of Nano technology supported devices and technological concepts (Gutià ©rrez 2014 p. 93). Viruses identification and Viruses control in a timely manner is also a possible element and advantage that is made easy by Nano technology. With regard to future and the safer existence of society and environment, the Nano technology concepts give an idea of healthier environment. This is offered in the form

Business plan for a fitness centre Fitness One Coursework

Business plan for a fitness centre Fitness One - Coursework Example The business will be financed with ? 100,000 by a sole proprietor and ? 200,000 through a business loan from a bank. Sales are estimated to reach about ? 52,000 average for the first and second year. A positive cash flow is projected at the end of the first year. 2. Range Of Products To Be Offered Fitness One shall offer club membership for access to various fitness and health programs, to include: a. Swimming b. Tennis c. Fitness Center with cardio vascular and weight training equipment d. Court Sports e. Massage f. Physical therapy 3. Geographical Location I have chosen the Covent Garden area due to its proximity to my hometown in Canterbury. London would be my home base as this offers better market reach. Covent Garden in London is popular for its shops, street performers, bars, restaurants, theatres and the Royal Opera House. It is an Italian style piazza holding restaurants, bars and fashionable boutiques and is known for being the capital’s premier entertainment and leis ure destination. (Covent Garden Life.Com. 2007). Marlowe Arcade in Canterbury and Westgate Shopping Centre at Oxford are both popular destinations for both local residents and tourists. They are also the best places to put up Fitness One branches as they are situated along busy districts where the hustle and bustle happens. 4. Anticipated Customers, Target Market and their Distribution Fitness One will focus on  the young urban professionals as its primary customer base. The programs will be designed to address the health and fitness needs of this target market. 5. Statement Of Viability/ Keys to Success Fitness One shall rely on the following Internal and External Factors as its Keys to Success: a. Market Knowledge – b. Service Quality - c. Targeted Marketing Campaigns – Fitness One will prepare and implement promotional campaigns that will create noise in the market. It will utilize its Internet Marketing Channel to ensure that it would be positioned in the right m arket. d. Right Marketing Mix – Fitness One’s aims to penetrate the target market via Internet Marketing. Its primary location in London assures the company of a solid footing, as this placed is recognized to be Europe’s Best City for Business by the European Cities Monitor 2004. (Visit London. 2007) e. A systematic cash flow – Membership costs shall be determined basing on the services offered and the target number of members per month. 6. Staff & Skills Requirements In Early Stages (If Needed) The minimum required skills and experience for the start up crew are as follows: Staff Assistant – At least two years experience doing administrative job. Must be skilled in basic accounting and bookkeeping. She is responsible in consolidating information and sales reports from the store and shall provide administrative support as well. Purchasing Staff – At least three years doing purchasing work for a retail company. Must be knowledgably in the pro cesses in purchasing and as experience in supplier handling and relations. Store Supervisor – At least five years experience in store operations, two years as supervisor, with experience in Marketing and a graduate of any Business course Sales Staff – At least six months experience in sales in any kind of store industry Cashier – At least one year experience in store cashiering Inventory Staff – At least one year experience in Inventory Management 7. Explanation Of Basis For Planned

Fast Food Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fast Food - Research Paper Example The response received has been produced in Exhibit I. The response received indicates that 60% ate weekly in fast food outlets and 17% informed that they have a habit of eating daily. This certainly is an indication that very high percentages of people have been eating in the fast food restaurants (Exhibit I). Why do you eat fast food? That was the second question that we asked. The 43% respondents said they do not have time to cook; while 35 percent gave the reason of the same being cheap and 22 percent gave the reason of fast services (Exhibit II). The lack of time is given a biggest reason for the consumption of fast food. The people prefer to eat fast food because it saves time and served quickly. Fast food does not cost much in comparison to regular foods. Eating fast food has several adverse effects on peoples life. Eating fast food frequently can cause several health issues which could be very expensive and cause a lot of inconvenience in persons life. Zhong and DeVoe argue that changing lifestyle has caused great changes in the ways people eat. People prefer fast food because it saves their time and efforts both. On asking about obesity–our third question, 60 percent of the respondent agreed with the statement that fast food causes obesity while 10 percent did not agree with it. Remaining respondents were not sure about that (Exhibit III). Child obesity is now a matter of great concern in the minds of policy makers. Research findings state that there is no nutritional value in such foods and that is also a cause of obesity among children. It has adversely affected the dietary and behavioural pattern of the children. The study done by Janet Currie et al. (2009) regarding the effect of fast food restaurants on obesity reveals â€Å"We find that among 9th grade children, a fast food restaurant within a tenth of a mile of a school is associated with at least a 5.2 percent increase in obesity rates† (p.1). Obesity, in the long run, becomes a cause of

Close Reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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American Intellectual Union Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Intellectual Union - Research Paper Example The employees are divided in terms of their position i.e. either they are hourly employees or salaried employees. The employees were also categorized for the tenure which they had spent with the company. This was categorized as the number of employees who had worked for a period less than 2 years, those who had worked from 2 to 5 years and those who had worked for more than 5 years with the company. The overall job satisfaction of the employees while they were on the job, their intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction values and the benefits which they derived was rated as a measure of the survey. Statistics plays a vital role and has significant value in assessing the success of an organization. Statistics possesses a central position in predicting the stability of a business and its overall application in the industry is very wide. It helps in assessing the current performance of the organization. It also assists in designing the future plans which can support organizational growth . Properly using surveys can help in making quick and successful business decisions. Several production decisions which are adopted are based on these calculations. Using statistics can aid in assessing and analyzing the change within the organization. Gender Male 95 Female 95 The survey that has been conducted comprises an even distribution of male and female respondents. Out of 190 respondents 95 are male, and 95 are female. This shows that 50% of the respondents belong to the male population, and 50% belong to the female population. Tenure With Company Less than 2 years 91 2 to 5 years 35 Over 5 Years 64 The tenure of employees with the company has been shown in the chart above. Out of 190 respondents 91 respondents which amount to 48% had worked with the company for less than 2 years. 35 of the respondents which are equal to 18% had worked with the company for 2 to 5 years. 64 respondents which amount to 34% were those who had worked with the company for over 5 years. Tenure Wit h Company Overall Male Female Less than 2 years 91 50 41 2 to 5 years 35 14 21 Over 5 Years 64 31 33 The tenure of the employees distributed according to gender has been shown in the chart above. The distribution shows the number of male and female respondents and the tenure which they have spent with the company. Department Human Resources 52 Information Technology 71 Administration 67 27% of the survey participants belong to the Human resource department, 38% belong to the IT department, and 35% belong to administration department. The mean calculated for the extrinsic value has been shown below Mean For Extrinsic Value By Gender Overall Mean (190 Respondents) 5.042 Male (95 Respondents) 5.276 Female (95 Respondents) 4.807 Probability That an Individual Will Be Between 16–21 Years of Age The probability that the individual selected will between 16-21 years of age is 36.84%. This amount can be calculated as there are 70 respondents in this category and 190 total respondents to the survey. Probability That an Individual’s Overall Job Satisfaction Is 5.2 or Lower The probability that an individual’s overall job satisfaction is 5.2 or lower is 86.32%. This has been calculated on the basis that 164 of the total respondents are those whose job satisfaction is 5.2 or lower.  

Book Review of American Grace Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Book Review of American Grace - Essay Example American grace is an optimistic book that explains how Americans manage their religious diversity. This is the main cause of inequality and social conflicts experienced within America. The authors say that American religion has adopted most of the social justice-oriented change rather than promoting the positive expected changes. Therefore, the book affirms that social contacts and familiarity in America increases religious tolerance instead of theological doctrine. The authors emphasize religious history of Americans even though they draw attention on the last half of the century throughout the entire book (Putnam & Campbell 3) Who are the authors? Robert D. Putnam and David E. Campbell wrote the book American Grace. Putnam is a political scientist and professor of public policy at Harvard University, where he lectures both the â€Å"Graduate and Undergraduate Courses†. He is a member of the National Academy of Science, a previous president of Political Science Association and a fellow of British Academy. David Campbell is a political science professor at the university of Notre Dame. He is also the founding director of Rooney Center for the study of American Democracy. What are the author’s findings about American religion? The authors discovered interesting things about the American religion. They discovered that that religious experience and religiosity are alive in the United States. This is regardless of the fact that millennial generation present barriers to the management and the spread of religious aspects in the state. According to empirical studies, American religion is unique compared to other western nations. The authors believe that the American’s rates of religious belonging, behaving and believing are high (Putnam & Campbell 36). In addition, the authors assert that Americans have a very complicated religious experience, which is seen in their historical tradition, races, gender, personal relations, and generational. Therefore, the authors conclude that the high level of pluralism that exists in America pervades them. The authors also insist that the potential of American pluralism developing into strife is unlikely to happen because of friendship among the believers where the impor tance of religious diversity is seen. After their research, the authors determined that most of the Americans are intimately acquainted with people from other faith. This is true because their research indicated that every American has an average of at least two friends from a differing faith. Putnam and Campbell also discovered that most American Protestants highly value the Buddhists compared to the Muslims. However, the black Protestants value Muslims compared to the Buddhists. This is because most of the black Protestants are acquainted with black Muslims (Putnam & Campbell 76) The authors discovered that the American religious diversity is not as tolerant e as many people tend to think. This is because; most of the American believers are willing to bend their basic doctrines in the name of interfaith amity. For example, most Christians and evangelical Christians believe that it is possible for the non-Christians to go to heaven. This means that they do not believe in the New Te stament chapters, which insists that without Christ, no one will see the kingdom of God. In the book, the authors also discovered that almost half of the white American population diverted from their parent’s religion by turning to other religious tradition or lapsing into religious indifference (Putnam & Campbell 176). A significant proportion of the married people in America married a person who came from different religious tradition. The authors realized the American’s perception of heaven depends on personal experience with their friends or families who come from differing religious background. The authors real

American Intellectual Union Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American Intellectual Union - Research Paper Example The employees are divided in terms of their position i.e. either they are hourly employees or salaried employees. The employees were also categorized for the tenure which they had spent with the company. This was categorized as the number of employees who had worked for a period less than 2 years, those who had worked from 2 to 5 years and those who had worked for more than 5 years with the company. The overall job satisfaction of the employees while they were on the job, their intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction values and the benefits which they derived was rated as a measure of the survey. Statistics plays a vital role and has significant value in assessing the success of an organization. Statistics possesses a central position in predicting the stability of a business and its overall application in the industry is very wide. It helps in assessing the current performance of the organization. It also assists in designing the future plans which can support organizational growth . Properly using surveys can help in making quick and successful business decisions. Several production decisions which are adopted are based on these calculations. Using statistics can aid in assessing and analyzing the change within the organization. Gender Male 95 Female 95 The survey that has been conducted comprises an even distribution of male and female respondents. Out of 190 respondents 95 are male, and 95 are female. This shows that 50% of the respondents belong to the male population, and 50% belong to the female population. Tenure With Company Less than 2 years 91 2 to 5 years 35 Over 5 Years 64 The tenure of employees with the company has been shown in the chart above. Out of 190 respondents 91 respondents which amount to 48% had worked with the company for less than 2 years. 35 of the respondents which are equal to 18% had worked with the company for 2 to 5 years. 64 respondents which amount to 34% were those who had worked with the company for over 5 years. Tenure Wit h Company Overall Male Female Less than 2 years 91 50 41 2 to 5 years 35 14 21 Over 5 Years 64 31 33 The tenure of the employees distributed according to gender has been shown in the chart above. The distribution shows the number of male and female respondents and the tenure which they have spent with the company. Department Human Resources 52 Information Technology 71 Administration 67 27% of the survey participants belong to the Human resource department, 38% belong to the IT department, and 35% belong to administration department. The mean calculated for the extrinsic value has been shown below Mean For Extrinsic Value By Gender Overall Mean (190 Respondents) 5.042 Male (95 Respondents) 5.276 Female (95 Respondents) 4.807 Probability That an Individual Will Be Between 16–21 Years of Age The probability that the individual selected will between 16-21 years of age is 36.84%. This amount can be calculated as there are 70 respondents in this category and 190 total respondents to the survey. Probability That an Individual’s Overall Job Satisfaction Is 5.2 or Lower The probability that an individual’s overall job satisfaction is 5.2 or lower is 86.32%. This has been calculated on the basis that 164 of the total respondents are those whose job satisfaction is 5.2 or lower.  

An analysis of corporate governance in the GCC countries and the Literature review - 1

An analysis of corporate governance in the GCC countries and the impact of sharia law on it - Literature review Example Other than the parties within the organization, corporate governance is also concerned with the relationships that exist among the stakeholders of an organization and its impact to the achievement of the organization’s goals and objectives. In modern business organizations, major external business stakeholders include trade creditor, customers, suppliers, shareholders, debtors and the general public members who are directly or indirectly affected by the corporation’s activities (Maria and Thomas, 1999). There are also some internal stakeholders in every organization that too need to be taken care of by the management. These include the employees, board of directors, executives and management itself. The external stakeholders need more attention than the internal stakeholders since they are the one who help in meeting the expectations of the external ones. There are many debates held by scholars, researchers and modern economist on how economic well being is impacted by the corporate governance existing in a country or a certain trade block. The issue of concern here is the welfare of shareholders, who are the most sensitive external stakeholders in every corporation. Majority of these debaters argue that there is need to establish regulatory policies to ensure that companies have given the necessary priority to the needs of shareholders. To them economy efficiency in any country depends strongly on the ability of that country to attract many domestic and international investors. This can only be achieved if shareholders are satisfied hence attracting more investors or they can even increase their investment by increasing capital (Becht, 1997), There issue of concern in this study is basically on how corporate governance has been taking place in different parts of the world with more emphasis put on the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Virtual Police Department Case Study Essay Example for Free

Virtual Police Department Case Study Essay Introduction This paper will consist of an overview of the Virtual Police Department, the history of that department and where it is today. I will analyse the different issues within the department and set a constructive path for the department so that it may benefit fully from all the resources that it has available. The Virtual Police Department is a medium sized department with 155 sworn officers. The department has a long history of hiring from a â€Å"good ole boy† system. The criteria for being hired at this particular department is minimal and their turnover rate for personnel is often and all at once. The current department leadership has been around for no more than 15 years and most of the staff have been hired within the last 5 years. Because of the turnover rate, experience is lacking. All of the seasoned officers have â€Å"phased out† and promotions were required, however, not necessarily earned or deserved. I have identified several areas that I would recommend immediate attention to. However, I have highlighted four of these for the purpose of this case study. Firstly, I would look at the hiring process within this department and make some much needed changes. Next, I would revisit the budget. Then, I would restructure the four organizations into functioning efficient groups. Lastly, I would establish connections within the community and neighbouring police departments and community agencies to ensure a close knit, positive, supported network. I recommend that this department begin with a change to its hiring process. Many of the employees have no more than a high school diploma. I feel there should be a set standard of education and experience to become the Chief of Police. Not just family relations or friends. The community of VPD are losing faith and confidence in their police department and one way to begin the change is to start from the inside. Once the Chief of Police is in  office with a Bachelor or higher, then they may start enforcing their own officers to at least fulfil an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice. I understand that in the past, looking for personnel who had a Bachelor’s degree rendered many from w ithin the department ineligible, however, maybe this is a beginning to the change. The department needs to start looking outside of their town for personnel to police the area. According to the department demographics chart, the department has never had the full authorized members. From 2009-2012, the average number of actual sworn employees was 140. The authorized number rose in 2011 to 145. The current year, there are 155 sworn officers which is 10 over authorization. The history of the making of this police department has seriously perpetuated the situation the VPD is facing today. From the initial hiring in 1950, the Mayor and City Council hired their friends as the initial department members. In the beginning, this had no effect on the department and it actually solidified a great relationship within the community. However, as times have changed, the department itself has grown, the community has grown as well, this kind of hiring process has taken its toll on the department, authority, and the community. The department has a significant repetitive issue which is the consistent bulk hiring and retiring of its officers. There really isn’t a phase out process in place whereby rookie police officers train and learn from the more experienced ones before they retire. It seems a common theme within this department is a lot of running from fire to fire. It appears the department spends more time playing defence as opposed to offense. Instead of the department spacing its personnel who are looking at retirement out, they all seem to retire at the same time. This is yet another impact of the hiring of friends and family. Although it worked well in the 1950’s, the city and its inhabitants are far different than they were in the 1950s. There also appears to be a significant amount of complaints from both internal and external sources; as well as decreasing percentage of crimes solved and/or successfully prosecuted. Based on these issues, I would phase the retirement and hiring proc ess. It may initially create a few headaches, however, I believe those will be fewer than the continual spiral out of control the department is currently facing. I believe that if some of those that are close to retirement were promoted to other positions within the force, they would stay around a little longer.  Eventually, there will be a good mix of longevity within the police department. Ensuring that junior officers receive proper training from the more seasoned officers is extremely important. According to the crime statistics provided by the scenario, there appears to be a lot of burglary, robbery, and theft in the Part 1 Offences. Personnel should be dedicated to these areas to ensure the crime is attacked BEFORE it occurs. The Broken Windows theory is epic when considering the transformation of a community. Showing the community that the police want to be proactive as opposed to reactive is certainly a good start. In the proactive article titled â€Å"Broken Windows: The Polic e and Neighborhood Safety,† James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling argued that policing should work more on â€Å"little problems† such as maintaining order, providing services to those in need, and adopting strategies to reduce the fear of crime (1982:29). Their assumptions were based on three reasons: Areas with street people, youth gangs, prostitution, and drunks are high-crime areas. Neighborhood disorder creates fear. (1982:30) Another issue with the current hiring process is there is no hiring board or public announcements made. The police department likes to hire from within and have kept to hiring friends and family to, â€Å"keep all the undesirables off the police force.† I would announce any upcoming vacancies state wide and set up a hiring process based on qualifications. The hiring would not be concurrent with the Mayoral elections and the police department will break from the political tie it currently has. As the police department and the mayoral council run so tightly together, it is impossible for the VPD, state police, and county sheriff to communicate with each other. Communication between police departments is crucial for the VPD to survive. The process of socialization seems to be missing from the Virtual Pol ice Department. Although they are close because of the internal hiring, it does not lend credence to learning the ropes by doing as much as by the rule-book. As the experienced officers phase out, there is not a lot left for the younger inexperienced officers to learn the valuable on-the-job lessons with. George, C., Smith, C. (2004). With the changes to the hiring and retiring process, the budget obviously needs to be revisited. The first thing I would do is look at the average starting salary for the police and drop it to $32,000 $35,000 annual. Starting rookie police officers out at $45,000 doesn’t give room for promotion with pay increase, time on  department increases, and doesn’t encourage members within the department to further their education or strive for a better position. Pay should increase as positions and responsibility increase. If 75 of the 155 police officers are within their first 5 years on the force, their pay should be $35,000 annual. The budget would need to be met to cover the cost of each police officer with a buffer of 15% for over time. If the starting salary for the VPD force was $32,000, the total for the rookie officers would be $2,400,000 annual. That would be a savings of $975,000 a year. Police departments should have a program and promotion rate for their officers to strive toward. According to George Cole and Christopher Smith, â€Å"The average starting salary in 2001 was more than $32,000†. (2004:173). Pay increase should come with responsibility and job knowledge and time on the force. I also think the police department needs to compare the pay of their officers and commanders to other neighbouring departments and base the starting pay on those. An extremely important aspect has been overlooked within this department due to budget cuts. Training has obviously suffered greatly. I do not believe that training should ever be jeopardized for the sake of saving a few pennies. Train the trainer programs are a great way to maximize training the cheapest way. Sending one or two individuals to receive training that will certify them to conduct the training within their department is gold. Once the rapport is established with the other departments within the area, then the trainer can also train those departments. Essentially, each department would send someone to receive specialized training and share that training throughout the departments. This way, each department will save money and not have to forego the training. Another area that is concerning is firearm qualification training. This is a major mistake to allow officers to continue to carry their firearms when they are not qualified. If they had to use their weapon and during the course of the investigation, it is determined that they were not qualified, the repercussions would be immense, not just for the department, but for the other departments, the city, and the state. Also of great importance in the training area is ET not keeping up with law updates, changes, and recent court rulings. Training can be conducted on the job and any additional training can be completed during one of the 8 hour shifts if the s chedule can be made to allow a training day. That way, the officer  isn’t on the road, isn’t side-tracked, isn’t in court, or isn’t unavailable. If training day was a â€Å"duty day† then training can be maintained. â€Å"Recruits need formal training in order to gain an understanding of legal rules, weapons use, and other aspects of the job.† (2004:179). A positive approach to establishing a budget within the jurisdiction would be to evaluate the cost of crime. According to Mark Cohen, â€Å"taking a â€Å"bottom-up† approach to crime aids in breaking them down.† (2005: 84). Breaking the crimes down on a per-crime basis will give the planners assistance when looking at the statistics of their community crimes. In doing this, it would be beneficial for the courts to readdress the cost of fines paid, fees and offence times, etc. The courts would essentially be assisting the police department in policing their community. Possibly, stiffer sentences, stiffer fines, and attention to the crimes will be a significant deterrent. Let those who choose to break the law pay the price for it. The best way to reasonably ensure that training is being conducted is to organize the department a bit better. The department does seem to be organized well. It has the typical four separate commands; Patrol, Investigations, Special Operations, and Support Services. Each of these departments has a commander. The departments are organized by talents, friendships, and skills. The department seems to be extremely mismanaged as they currently have 155 sworn officers, however they are only authorized 145 by 2012. Along with the sworn officers, they are also extremely overstaffed with civilian employees as well. According to the table, they are authorized 17, however, they currently employ 70. On top of the overstaffing issue, the department has a history of hiring predominately Caucasian male police officers (70%), and only 11% Caucasian female officers; which has held pretty steady over the last four years. According to Wilson and Kelling, â€Å"For most of the nation’s history, almost all police officers were white men.† (2004:174). The Civilian Personnel demographics are not much different. The department has a high number of Caucasian men and women employees. The African-American male employees estimate at 10% of the police force ov er the last four years. The African-American female police officers sat at 3.7% estimated over the last four years. As the community has grown in size, it appears the police department has maintained a consistent employee demographic base. The last recorded census was from 2000. Based on that census, the population  consisted of the following; 50.9% male, 49.1% female, 60.1% Caucasian, 16.7% black or African American, 11.4% Hispanic, 7.0% Asian, Other 0.2%, some other race 1.7%, two or more races 2.9% and foreign born 16.2%. The median age was 37.9 years of age. Not only has the ethnic population changed, but the median income average has as well. The median has dropped by 13% which should alert the surrounding agencies that their citizens are not as wealthy as they once were and most of the time, this also incites criminal activity. The demographic differences in the community and police department is wide. It may have been the same demographics at one time, however, the police department hasn’t seemed to change much since the 1930s in that aspect. As the department still chooses to hire friends and family, this is not expected to change anytime soon. I would argue that the change needs to happen immediately. I think a new census should be taken or at least have patrols identify areas within the community that have changed drastically with ethnicity. A new census would also assist the budget and the jurisdiction boundary and also allow the bigger picture to be evident to the Mayor. Most cities have a natural cultural divide. It is important for the police department to recognize this and adjust their manning accordingly. If there is an increase of crimes against women, it would be important for the department to look at hiring more women onto the force who can deal with the more sensitive areas. If there are race issues within the community, it wouldn’t be a good decision to send a police officer into that area knowing it could potentially escalate a situation. The department should have more diversity amongst the officers. To start this, I will go back to my earlier statement on hiring outside of the police force family. Try and appeal to the other ethnic backgrounds that the community can relate to and hopefully start to trust. Next, I would re-evaluate the shift work. If the area of responsibility has grown, and the number of citizens within the community has grown, it is imperative that the police are able to respond and react to calls appropriately. Because police work doesn’t end at the scene, officers must have time to go back to the station and complete their required paperwork. Twelve hour shifts make it virtually impossible to complete paperwork and get enough rest before the next shift. I would break the shifts up into 8 hour shifts and apply the greater amount of officers to the busiest time of the day or night. Taking a look at the criminal statistics, I initially notice that due to the unplanned city demographic changes, the department is currently suffering a set back with a larger than projected area of responsibility and more citizens within their jurisdiction. The number of lower income families has risen, and the average age of the community dropped to 34.7 which means more children are attending the local schools. Looking at the Statistics of Crime in VPD area, there has been a significant increase in Part 1 and Part II Offenses. Part II Offences have seen the most increase over the last four years with drugs, disorderly conduct, and burglary topping the list. It is scary to note that although crimes in almost every offense is up, arrests are down significantly from 2009-2011 and 2012. Over the last four years, the city has seen a steady increase in crime and antisocial activity. Also, Use of Force, conduct, and performance complaints have drastically increased against the police, hi ghlighting a possible stressed, stretched thin police department, and frustrated community. It also appears that the adult offences are higher than the youth offenses. This could be as a result of the closure of the neighbouring city’s high rise public and subsidized housing causing its residents to relocate. Due to this, a 10% increase in low income residents are now a part of the VPD community. Larry Bennett, Janet Smith, and Patricia Wright wrote about Paul Fischer of Lake Forest College. In a 2003 study, â€Å"most families relocated from CHA housing are re-segregated into other very low-income, majority African-American neighborhoods where housing conditions are not appreciably better than those they left.† (2006: 219). Along the lines of changing 12 hour shifts into 8 hour shifts, I would also start communicating with the surrounding police departments. I would establish a rapport – even if it is to my departments sacrifice at first. I would be interested in any training opportunities, their demographics for their area, any areas that may â€Å"overlap† with jurisdictions, and I would start an interagency database so the surrounding areas demographics may be included in it. One thing that would have assisted the VPD before the buildings were torn down in the neighbouring areas would have been the communication between departments. Having a good working relationship with them would have potentially avoided all the chaos that was created by the influx of lower income families. I would also have my  Patrol Commander to establish a Community Oriented Policing task force to get out into the community and get some insight to what the citizens would like to see. If the department takes a step in the right direction and shows the community that they know there is a problem and they want the community’s help to fix it then it may generate a lot of interest. I am sure that if the community pulls together to start paying attention to vandalism, prostitution, drugs and disorderly conduct, then hopefully the homicides, rapes, burglaries, motor vehicle thefts and aggravated assaults would decrease. I would also incorporate an operation similar to â€Å"Operation Condor† which was highlighted by Howard Safir and Ellis Whitman. According to Safir and Whitman, Condor was an extension of the Broken Windows effec t. This operation had significant impact on homicide and crime rates and eliminated signs of lawlessness. (2005: 198). Based on the positive outcome of Operation Condor, VPD may benefit significantly with something like this. The police department has a bad reputation responding to calls. In 2012, there were 163,433 calls for police service and units were dispatched to only 131,548. That means that 31,885 calls for assistance were unanswered. This is not acceptable. According to James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling, â€Å"Untended disorderly behavior is a signal that the community does not care. This leads to worse disorder and crime. If police are to deal with disorder to reduce fear and crime, they need the community for assistance.† (1984:29) The new acceptable standard of bending the rules and the code of silence is inexcusable. The VPD has had a longstanding reputation for integrity. However, over the last several years, it has become accepted to bend the rules and violatio ns, and is overlooked by supervisors. The Virtual Police Department is in great need of a complete overhaul. Unfortunately, the department does not have its priorities correct. In my attempt to fix the VPD, I would call in Police Officer Standards and Training Commissions POST Commissions to evaluate and train the department on the critical issues of police officer standards. As this is a state function, the county, Mayor, and others will not be able to influence the training or decision making. According to Sullivan and Simonetti Rosen, â€Å"These state-level commissions provide law enforcement agencies with guidelines, established by administrative regulations or law, and require compliance by all municipal, county, and state law enforcement agencies, to maintain a baseline for  police officer standards and training.† (2006: 350-351). I honestly feel an â€Å"audit† would benefit the department on so many levels. Finally, I would appoint a Human Resource Manager to ensure that the needs of the personnel are met and a Safety Officer to ensure that regulations are being followed appropriately. The hiring process, budget, structure of the department, and community relations are what I see to be the weakest areas within this department. Fortunately, they feed off of each other and adjustments in one area will affect the others. It will be a process, but a greatly needed process none-the-less. References Cohen, M. (2005). The Costs of Crime and Justice. New York: Routledge. George, C., Smith, C. (2004). The American System of Criminal Justice (10 ed.). Belmont: Thompson Learning, Inc. Howard, S., Whitman, E. (2003). Security: Policing your Homeland, your State, Your City (1 ed.). New York: St Martins Press. Larry, B., Smith, J., Wright, P. (2006). Where are poor people to live?. Armonk: M.E. Sharpe, Inc. Larry, S., Simonetti Rosen, M. (2005). Encyclopedia of Law Enforcement (Vol. 1). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc. Virtual Police Department Case Study Paper