Should Teens Have Access Of Birth Control Without Parents

Should teens have access to birth control without parents? Today, sexually active teenagers can get contraceptives to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies or sexual diseases without a parent’s permission. In some states federal lawmakers have taken away the ability for teens to protect themselves, they want to prevent sexually active teenagers from getting birth control and condoms unless they get parents permission. Preventing teens from getting contraceptives unless they tell a parent will not stop them from having sex. It will drive them away from the services they need to protect themselves, leading to higher rates of unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases Allowing teenagers to get contraceptives without parents’ permission encourages them to become sexually active. Teenagers do not become sexually active because they can get contraceptives. Young woman in the U.S. Have been sexually active for at least 22 months before they visit a family planning provider. 47 percent sexually active teenage girls said they would not get health services from clinics if they could not get contraceptives without parent’s permission. Teenage girls have the highest reported rates of chlamydia and other diseases. Close to 900,000 teenagers get pregnant each year. Four out of ten girls get pregnant at least once before they turn twenty. Teenage girls that do not use contraception has a 90 percent chance of getting pregnant within a year. Some forms ofShow MoreRelatedShould Teenage Girls Be Allowed For Access Birth Control Without Parental Consent?920 Words   |  4 Pagesgirls should be allowed to access birth control without parental consent. Each parent has his or her own perspective, and reason behind this issue. Parenting styles help contribute to differing opinions on allowing teenage girls to access birth control without parental consent. Some parents of teenage girls believe they shouldn’t be allowed to access birth control without parental consent because it takes the authority away from them, and promotes sexual activity. Teenage girls can access birth controlRead MoreTeenagers And Birth Control Without Parental Consent897 Words   |  4 PagesTeenagers and Birth Control There are many different opinions on whether teenage girls should be allowed to access birth control without parental consent. Each parent has his or her own perspective, and reason behind this issue. Parenting styles help contribute to different opinions on allowing teenage girls to access birth control without parental consent. Some parents of teenage girls believe they shouldn’t be allowed to access birth control without parental consent because it takes the authorityRead MoreEssay about Should Teens Have Parental Consent to Receive Birth Control?928 Words   |  4 Pagestoday many teens are becoming mothers before they finish high school or before they turn 18. Although some teens are on birth control already many are not because they are afraid to tell their parents which may lead to their parents thinking they are sexually active. Moreover, teens usually find themselves in a professional clinic trying to seek different options of birth control but they are derailed by h aving parental consent or notification. Many clinics have a policy were teen needs to have parentalRead MorePersuasive Essay On Birth Control1288 Words   |  6 Pageswho are married or have previously been pregnant, to consent; four states have no standing laws or policy (â€Å"An Overview† 1-2). The contraceptive access also varies across the country. Some states require comprehensive sexual education and for teens to be able to access contraceptives. Some lean more towards abstinence only education in the hopes teens will steer away from sexual activities. There are also scattered clinics where teens can receive birth control. For many parents, this term conjuresRead MoreBirth Control: With or Without Parental Control Essay958 Words   |  4 Pages(â€Å"the pill†) to teenage girls without their parent’s consent. Nemours, a children’s health organization, created pamphlet for doctors’ offices geared towards parents and teens who have questions about common issues in the realm of sexual health. They define â€Å"the pill† as an oral contraceptive, â€Å"a daily pill that usually contains the hormones estrogen and progesterone, and is taken to prevent pregnancy.† Other points discussed in the pamphlet include the safety of teen girls taking â€Å"the pill†, itsRead MoreTeenagers Should Have Access to Birth Control Essay979 Words   |  4 Pagessitting across from you and you are afraid what she is going to think of you when you answer â€Å"Yes.† to the question. You want to do the right thing and get on birth control to be safe, but you know your mom will say no. Girls in the 21st century should have the right to protect themselves with any sort of birth control they choose without parents’ consent. About 40 percent of sexually active teenagers admit to not using any form of protection (like a condom) during their last session. Behavior likeRead MoreBirth Control : Who Controls?1159 Words   |  5 PagesBirth Control: Who Controls? â€Å"Should teenagers be allowed to get birth control without the permission of their parents?† Outline: -Thesis Statement- Teenagers should not be required to have permission from their parents to receive birth control. Religious Beliefs: -Sex before marriage -Encouraging the child to have sex -Against God’s will (IT’S A SIN) Communications with teens/parents -Wanting to know from a parent’s perspective -Asking the teen â€Å"why† -Social problems leading to crisis explosionRead MoreTeens Getting Birth Control Without Parental Consent Essays1057 Words   |  5 PagesNovember 2012 Teens Getting Birth Control Without Parental Consent Currently Teenagers are trying to grow up too quickly. They want to be just like the TV characters they idolize and will change themselves to do so. There are shows on TV like â€Å"16 and pregnant† that basically insinuate; if you have sex and get pregnant then you will get paid to be on television. Most teens do not go to their parents for birth control because they are afraid. In general teenagers do not want their parents knowing theyRead MoreConsidering The Ethics Of Minors And Birth Control1281 Words   |  6 PagesMinors and Birth Control Introduction A 16-year-old girl visits a birth control clinic and asks to be put on the pill. Since she is a minor, the clinic doctor who writes the prescription for her notifies her parents of the action. As of the year 2016, there are only 26 states that allow minors to obtain contraceptives without parental consent. There are 20 states that allow certain minors to obtain contraceptives without parental consent and those include minors that are married or who have alreadyRead MoreBirth Control: Available to Teens? Essay647 Words   |  3 Pagesyear (â€Å"Facts†). Teenage birth specialists have often debated whether or not teenagers should have access to birth control and other contraceptives. Although some people think teenagers having birth control will promote promiscuity, birth control should be accessible to teens because they will put themselves at a higher risk for disease and pregnancy without it, and more teenage girls would get a high school diploma with it. Those who disagree think providing birth control promotes promiscuity and

The Issue Of Sanders Rhetoric - 1432 Words

As the election creeps increasingly closer nervous liberal onlookers had all their attention on the Democratic National Convention. On Monday, the 25th of July, Bernie Sanders approached the podium in the Philadelphia Convention Center to deliver his much anticipated speech. Although a formal announcement had not been made on the nominee, most individuals knew that the race was all but over for Mr. Sanders. With that being said, the audience which was overflowing with liberals, could not have been more upset with the imminent nomination outcome. The audience s age gap varied but many of the crowd were in the 20-40 year old bracket. Given these points, my decision on the success of Sanders rhetoric will be given at the end of this paper. One of the first details that can be noticed about Sanders is his attire. His suite looks routine and non-expensive. The nature of the suit portrays an everyday man or man of the people. In other words a practical and lovable man who despite having th e financial capacity does not indulge himself in redundant purchases. Over the years Bernie has stuck with this appearance and seen his followers grown tremendously. Evidently, many individuals respect and are more inclined to listen to Sanders because of his frugal attire. In terms of credentials and experience, he has a long list of jobs and positions held throughout his lifetime. In no particular order he has received a B.A. from the University Of Chicago, lectured at Harvard, served as theShow MoreRelatedBarack Obama s Presidential Election Essay1591 Words   |  7 PagesPresident of the United States. After these results came back, many individuals wonder what went wrong in their predictions; however, many have media outlets and individuals have already begun to suggest the reason she lost is because of Senator Bernie Sanders, FBI Director James Comey, millennials, Third Party candidates, such as Jill Stein and Gary Johnson, and various others; nevertheless, this not true. Although Trump’s defeat was tremendously forecasted by many outlets and people, Clinton’s campaignRead MoreBarack Obama s Presidential Election Essay1592 Words   |  7 PagesPresident of the United States. After these results came back, many individuals wonder wh at went wrong in their predictions; however, many have media outlets and individuals have already begun to suggest the reason she lost is because of Senator Bernie Sanders, FBI Director James Comey, millennials, Third Party candidates, such as Jill Stein and Gary Johnson, and various others; nevertheless, this not true. Although Trump’s defeat was tremendously forecasted by many outlets and people, Clinton’s campaignRead MoreCarl Sanders Political Discourse904 Words   |  4 Pagesspeaking about the issues to everyone and by doing so his progressive ideas are being heard, through constitutive dialogue, which disrupts political discourse. Theory Bernie Sanders’ political discourse has catapulted him to one of the front-runners of the 2016 presidential race. Sanders’ is bringing forth his thoughts and ideas that represent who he is. The representation precedes how Sanders wants to govern and transport his ideas into meaningful content. One of Sanders key rhetoricalRead MorePresident Donald Trump And The Democratic Democracy1464 Words   |  6 PagesWith the massive popular support behind such presidential candidates as the businessman Donald Trump and the democratic socialist Bernie Sanders, one must consider why it is that such relatively extreme candidates garnered such mass approval. One view concerning this situation is that a certain dissatisfaction has grown in a vast number of American citizens in regards to how American politics has been operating as of late. With changes in society being viewed as both necessary and slow coming (ifRead MoreDiscussion Based Learning Over Lecture Based Clas ses851 Words   |  4 Pagesmy professor, I looked for the argument within my original argument. I recognized that the portion of my paper about the financial issues with higher education had merit as a paper by itself. So, I began to look at an argument, using the previously-known information that discussion-based classes are more effective than lecture-based classes, about the financial issues with the American higher education system. I found that there has been a trend of decreasing tuition in the United States. ThroughRead MoreA Closer Look : Campaign Slogans Essay1511 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferences, Republican candidate Mike Huckabee and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders employ similar rhetorical strategies in order to garner support from their target voters. Before exploring the slogans, it is essential that the candidate’s message and motives be defined. Mr. Huckabee, former Arkansas governor and Baptist pastor, recently claimed that there was a movement on the left to â€Å"criminalize Christianity,† the sort of rhetoric meant to appeal to his fellow evangelicals. He also openly supportedRead MoreWhat Are The 3 Most Important Reasons For Study Principles Of Persuasion?894 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstand it. The second most important reason to analyze persuasion is its usefulness in rhetoric. In the article Aristotle on Rhetoric, Herrick J.A discusses Aristotle’s and his approach to using rhetoric. The common definition of rhetoric is â€Å"language or speech designed to have a persuasive effect on its audience. Aristotle explained rhetoric’s usefulness in four different ways. The first one is, â€Å" rhetoric is socially useful because things that are true and things that are just have a natural tendencyRead MoreHow Rhetoric Is Today s Society1140 Words   |  5 PagesThe use of rhetoric is prevalent in today’s society; especially in news articles and political statements. Rhetoric is useful to convince the audience of a particular fact, or convince others to see from a different perspective. BBC published this article that talks about the issues that over a million migrants in Germany face. The article sets the tone with a brief summary of the events leading up to this problem. Doing this is an efficient way to remind readers what the situation is. After theRead MoreWho Runs America? Give Evidence1548 Words   |  7 PagesAmerican citizens elect to govern them. In the 2016 United States presidential election the question of â€Å"who runs America† has been a reoccurring theme in the stump speeches of candidates like Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump. Bernie Sanders has taken a very public stance on campaign funding. Sanders opinion is essentially that large corporations and PACs that fund candidates ultimately â€Å"run† America by grooming candidates of their choice to win and hinder those that do not subscribe to their needsRead MoreThe Political Structure Of The Libertarian Party1241 Words   |  5 PagesNon-traditional candidates are now emerging into the political arena that in prior elections would have been scoffed at. Whether we are talking about the unusually high polling Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson, the Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders or the Authoritarian Republican Nominee, Donald Trump, It is getting harder and harder to ignore the rise they are having. The two major political parties will have to adapt to these emerging ideologies or face the threat of the dreaded â€Å"third party†

Border Security in the State of Texas free essay sample

Border Security in the State of Texas POL/215 August 30th, 2010 Border Security in the State of Texas A problem is brewing at the southern Texas borders and it appears to be growing bigger by the minute. The acceleration of people, weapons, and drugs from Mexico are taking a toll on the economy, citizens, and the job markets in Texas. Texas concerns with the rise of violent crimes presently pouring into its southern towns and quickly moving inland believes something needs to be done quickly. The state of Texas has given millions of dollars in an attempt to subsidize and support the security forces patrolling the borders of the southern regions of Texas to no avail. As the frustration grows government and interest groups begin to assemble to iron out policies that will counteract the activities at the borders. In addition, Gov. Perry has created a Ranger Recon Team, supported by the Highway Patrol, DPS Aviation, and Texas Rangers. We will write a custom essay sample on Border Security in the State of Texas or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The Texas central region, focal point is on enterprises that harbor criminal activity, terrorism, organized crime, and violence. Gov. Perry wants Washington to step in and do their jobs to protect the borders and give 1,000 National Guardsmen to the borders (Office of the Governor Rick Perry,  n. d. ). However, the special interest groups like Federation for American Immigration Reform, Immigration Works USA, The National Council of LaRaza and the National Immigration forum are pro immigration reform. These special interest groups believe illegal immigrants have rights and support amnesty for these illegals. The special interest fighting for amnesty believe the issues concerning, not knowing who is entering the country, why are they entering, what are they doing after entering, and when are they leaving, believes a plan of legalization for undocumented immigrants could be the solution for these growing questions. Whereas, the U. S. Border Watch, a citizens’ action group determined to bring about security on this nations borders, stop the invasion of illegal immigrants, and to secure this nation from terrorists. U. S. Border Watch simply wants the elected officials in Washington to secure the borders by enforcing the laws already created and not create new laws to override the existing ones(U. S. Border Watch,  2005-2008). Unlike Immigration Works USA and other interest groups of this type who lobby the federal government with spending exceeding 1. million. U. S. Border Watch existence does not depend upon lobbyists but on donations and volunteers. The volunteers patrol the border region until such a time Washington provides funds to protect these border regions. The United States representatives elected to the region affected by the onset of illegals supported a $701 million bill, which would bring security to the borders did not pass. The Senate Republicans denied the bill. The $701 million included i n a war supplemental bill, which was sought by President Barack Obama. President Obama also announced it would include deployment of 1,200 National Guard troops (Valley Freedom Newpapers, 2010). The funding for border security denied by the Republicans because cuts were not made to other programs to offset spending eventually passed on July 28, 2010 because the $701 million bill became a stand-alone bill and the South Texas Congressmen did receive funding for the region affected by the lack of border security. Bear in mind exactly what will be affected if America does not wake up and smell the coffee. Economically speaking, the more The United States continues to hire undocumented workers the worse the economy will be. The United States will have much more American’s out of work seeking unemployment, losing homes, the homeless population will grow, the increase in violence (as seen on TV) and most of all with all the undocumented workers not paying taxes but access the privileges of the taxpayer there will not be any sustainable income to run the United States. Terrorist, for example, are said to be in Mexico and have visited this country on several occasions. If the concern is about all the undocumented workers in the United States and the terrorist who can stroll into the United States at will, just imagine what will happen if secure borders are not an option. Unsecured borders will have a serious economic effect on the United States there must be a plan to increase border protection and it must be now. The $701 million bill, which has passed in the senate, will not be enough it is only a start. References Office of the Governor Rick Perry. (n. d. ). Governing Principle. Retrieved from http://governor. state. tx. us/highlight/border/ U. S. Border Watch. (2005-2008). Working to Keep America Safe. Retrieved from http://usborderwatch. com/ Valley Freedom Newspaper, July 30 2010, South Texas congressmen get border security funding http://www. spislandbreeze. com/articles/border-10830-texas-funding. html

The Problem of Child Molestation

Introduction Many people find it hard to discuss issues related to child sex abuse. What’s more, it is even hard to admit the fact that children of all ages (including babies) are sexually molested on daily basis. Sexual abuse has become a hot topic among many communities and a number of professional programs and legislations have been drafted to address this problem.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem of Child Molestation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This is shown by the existing body of literature that dwells on sexual abuse as well as media coverage on the same matter (American Humane Association, 2011, p.1). This paper will therefore discuss the prevalence of sexual abuse among children. It will also present statistics on the prevalence of this problem and suggest ways that parents can use to protect their children from sexual predators. Child Sexual Abuse Child sex abuse can be defined in various ways. Nonetheless, the salient feature of any child abuse is the central role of an adult who coerces a child into a sexual act. Child sexual abuse may consist of touching private parts of a child, digital penetration, vaginal intercourse and oral-genital contact. It is worthy to mention that child sexual abuse is not only limited to physical contact but also may include non-contact abuse such as child pornography, voyeurism and abuse by peers. The lack of accurate definition of what entails child sexual abuse is further hindered by inadequate statistics on cases of child abuse. Nevertheless, several healthcare professionals concur that child sexual abuse is a serious problem and merits serious attention (American Psychological association, 2011, p.2). Statistics on Child Sexual Abuse According to estimates by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, over 9.2% of substantiated or unconfirmed cases of child neglect and abuse in 2005 comprised of sexual abus e. This percentage translates into about 83,000 incidences of child sexual abuse in 2005 alone. Several studies have indicated that the prevalence of child sexual abuse is higher than the cases reported to child protection agencies. What’s more, the data available reveal that girls are more susceptible to sexual abuse incidences although the prevalence of this problem is also escalating among the boys (American Humane association, 2011, p.4).Advertising Looking for essay on criminal law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to a report by the Georgia Department of Corrections, the number of inmates admitted at the correctional center for sexual offenses rose by over 340% between 1980 and 2006. In addition, the number of people imprisoned for child sex offenses increased by over 910% during the same period. The report states further that over 50% of the parolees, probationers as well as convicts at the facility are child sexual offenders. In 2007, the number of convicted sex offenders at the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) was approximately 14,250. Over 75% of these convicts were child listed as child sex offenders. The number of sex offenders in Georgia has escalated dramatically in the last 27 years. As a matter of fact, ever since GDC released its report on sex offenders in 1992, the number of child sex offenders has grown from about 5,400 to approximately 14,200 between 1992 and 2007. These figures translate to an average increase of 11% or 586 sex convictions per annum. The rapid increase in the number of sex offenders is mainly attributed to the rising number of inmates admitted at the center for child sex offenses (Georgia Department of Corrections, 2007, p.2). As a matter of fact, the number of child sex offenders admitted in prison between 1980 and 2006 increased at an average rate of 35% per annum compared to 3% for other sex offenders during the same period. This rapid growt h can be explained in part by a nationwide crackdown carried out in 1970s on sexual offenders. During this period, parents were encouraged to discuss about improper touches with their children and persuade them to report incidences of sexual abuses. In addition, the government introduced several legislative reforms to enable parents as well as victims report incidences of sexual abuses (Georgia Department of Corrections, 2007, p.2). Effects of Child Sex Abuse Negative Effects on the Child The effects of sexual abuse on children can be long-term and in some cases, may even go beyond childhood. Sexual abuse denies a child his/her childhood and leads to self-abusive behaviors, feelings of resentment and loss of trust. In worst cases, sexual abuse may lead to suicide. In addition, sexual abuse produces depression, antisocial behavior, loss of self respect and other emotional problems.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Problem of Child Molestation specifically fo r you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More What’s more, victims of sexual abuse may experience hardships during their intimate relationships in their future lives. In nutshell, the negative effects of sexual abuse on children are diverse. There is no single set of outcomes or symptoms that a victim may experience. In some cases, the victim may even fail to experience any psychological pain as a result of the abuse. Nonetheless, the victim may experience self-denial as a coping mechanism or may feel afraid to express his/her real feelings. Some victims of sex abuse may experience what is known as sleeper effects. This implies that they may not experience any short-term emotional pain but are likely to encounter problems later on in their adulthood (American Psychological association, 2011, p.9). There is no doubt that the effects of child sex abuse are dire. Sexual abuse of children is morally and ethically wrong (American Humane association, 2011, p.4) . Negative Effects on Families There is no doubt that child sex abuse may negatively affect family relationships. In spite of the fact that child sex abuse may emerge from negative family dynamics, it can also easily generate or aggravate negative family relations or roles. Majority of literature usually cite the family secret implicit in many cases of incest. When a child is sexually abused by a family member, he/she can either withdraw from family relations or turn out to be sufficiently suggestive that his/her upsets the family relations. Many experts on family matters have also suggested that normal family relationships and roles are often disrupted by sexual exploitation (Briere Elliott, 1993, p.285). According to Briere and Elliot, family relations are likely to experience divided loyalty when a child is sexual exploited by a family member (1993, 285). When such crime is disclosed, the sexual offender may respond to the accusations with hostility, denial and defensiveness aga inst the victim and any other family member who support the child. In some cases, the sexual offender can take advantage of family ties to challenge claims made by the sexually molested child. In addition, the mother of the sexually molested child may air her concerns in a protective manner although some may even refute the sexual abuse, or blame the child (Briere Elliott, 1993, p.285).Advertising Looking for essay on criminal law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Preventions Children who are victims of sexual abuse usually show signs of behavioral changes according to their ages. It is thus imperative that parents learn to identify these signs and symptoms. For example, some of the signs exhibited by children aged below three years include: vomiting; sleep interruptions; feeding problems; excessive crying; and failure to prosper. Symptoms of sexual abuse for children aged between two and nine years, may include: extreme masturbation; eating disorders; withdrawal from family unit; feelings of guilt; and victimization of others. Signs of sexual abuse among older children include: promiscuity; depression; aggression; suicidal gestures; eating disorders; running away from home; poor academic performance; and sleeping disorders (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, 2010, p.1). It is thus imperative that parents educate their children on appropriate sexual behaviors and encourage them to report anyone who attempts to touch their private pa rts. They must also provide adequate supervision for their children and only leave them under the care of persons they trust (American Psychological association, 2011, p.9). Penalties for Sexual Offenders There are several stiff laws enacted to deal with sexual offenders in the United States. For example, in 1995, lawmakers in Georgia passed the senate bill (SB 411) which is also known as the seven deadly sins law. The new law imposes a compulsory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison (without a possibility of parole) for child sex offenders and a life sentence for repeat offenders. Since SB 411 was enacted, the average prison sentence for first-time offenders increased from 12 years to about 18 years. Prior to 1996, child sex offenders served only 60% of their sentence. However, they now serve an average of 95% of their sentence (Georgia Department of Corrections, 2007, p.2). Conclusion Although there is no clear definition of what constitutes child sex abuse, many healthcare expe rts concur that child sex abuse is now a prevalent problem. Victims of sexual abuse may experience short-term and long-term negative effects as a result of sexual molestation. It is thus imperative that parents teach their children about appropriate sexual behaviors and encourage them to report incidences of sexual abuse. There is no doubt that cases of child sex abuse are on the rise. Nonetheless several strict laws have been enacted to punish sexual offenders. References American Humane Association. (2011). Child Sexual Abuse. Web. American Psychological Association. (2011). Understanding Child Sexual Abuse: Education, Prevention and Recovery. Web. Briere, J., Elliott, D.M. (1993). Sexual Abuse, Family Environment and Psychological Symptoms: On the Validity of Statistical Control. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61(2), 284-288. Georgia Department of Corrections. (2007). Offenders in Georgia: Child Sex Offenders. Web. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (20 10). Child Sexual Abuse Fact Sheet. Web. This essay on The Problem of Child Molestation was written and submitted by user Kamden Sullivan to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Police Brutality

Police Brutality Police Brutality Police brutality has been a problem in society ever since we can remember. Even though police brutality is a subject people don't want to talk about, we have to realize that no matter what we do, police brutality, police corruption, racism, and politics are components of police brutality.Police Brutality involves police misuse of physical and mental force such as: the use of physical and deadly force, chronic verbal abuse of citizens including racist and homosexual slurs, and "discriminatory patterns of arrest" (Fighting 2). Each one of these problems is serious and very degrading to the law-abiding citizens.Police misconduct adds to a high percentage of police brutality. Racism, a big part of police misconduct, has become a major problem in the police force. Police officers have a tendency to harass the homeless, young persons, and minorities, among with many other groups of people (Fighting 2). Since the relations of blacks and police has been so horrible, it doesn 't make it any easier to decrease the problems of people being prejudice on the streets of today's United States (Cothran 58).South Australian Police officers wearing duty belt...Such conflicts have significant implications on departmental andadministrative policy procedures. One of the main police abuse problems isphysical brutality. The main goal here should be to get the policedepartments to adopt and enforce a written policy governing the use ofphysical force. The policy should restrict physical force to the narrowestpossible range of specific situations. For example, their should belimitations on the use of hand-to-hand combat, batons, mace, stun guns, andfirearms. However, limiting polices' actions will bring much debate,especially from police officers and administrators themselves. Many feelthat their firepower is already too weak to battle the weapons criminalshave on the streets, and limiting their legality of gun use will not onlyendanger them, but the innocent...

5 Tips for Keeping Your Energy Up During the Week

5 Tips for Keeping Your Energy Up During the Week Joan Burge, workplace expert writing for Office Dynamics, has some tips for those of us who start Mondays full of energy and enthusiasm, but by the end of the week find ourselves fighting distractions and fatigue. How do you keep that energy going through Friday?   1. Develop a Work ScheduleTake a look at the tasks you lined up for the week. Create a simple spreadsheet with time allocated to each responsibility you have. This will ensure that everything is planned out and you won’t end up having little to no energy once Friday arrives.  2. Reassess on Wednesday AfternoonWhat needs to be pushed higher on your list? What can be shifted lower? What can wait until next week or has turned out to be unrealistic? Make sure you’re finishing your top A priority tasks before moving to the Bs.  3. Shake Up Your RoutineTreat yourself to a special meal or a night out with a friend or partner on Wednesday or Thursday; having something to look forward to can perk you up as the w eek draws to a close. Take the opportunity to explore volunteering, or sports, or music hobbies!Don’t go overboard though- feeling exhausted or hungover on Friday will undermine all that thoughtful productivity planning. Planning special activities on Saturdays may also help you feel excited about wrapping up your work week.  4. Get a Good Night’s SleepMaybe what makes Monday feel so full of possibility is how rested you are after the weekend. Get a full night’s sleep mid-week to help you have enough energy to power through.  5. Do Some Self TalkBurge recommends compiling some motivational phrases or slogans on Mondays. Then, check in with those on Wednesday and Thursday. Words of inspiration while you’re in the thick of it might give you that extra push to  end the week on a high note!Finally, talk with your colleagues about their strategies, talk to your supervisor if you’re just finding yourself overloaded, and remember†¦ you’r e only human!

Death Penalty Outline Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Death Penalty Outline - Coursework Example by Sangiorgio will help in understanding how death penalty violates human rights standards, and how numerous states have started shifting away from this sentence. Death penalty is cruel and unfair based on race and ethnicity. Schweizer (2013) argues that capital punishment is unfair especially to the black people who live in the United States. Courts also pronounce this sentence based on the resources and benefits that they get from the plaintiff or the defendant. The article by schweizer (2013) will help in analyzing the cruelty and unfairness of capital punishment. Capital punishment wastes time, energy, and finances. Courts have to spend a lot of time and money while implementing death penalty. These resources would have been used in preventing crimes that are punished through death penalty. McLaughlin (2014) will help the research in understanding how death penalty wastes resources. Capital punishment prevents defendants from enjoying the due process of the law. Since new laws are created every day, defendants should be allowed to benefit from the upcoming laws instead of taking away their lives. An article by Sarver (2013) will help in understanding how death penalty prevents victims from enjoying the due process of

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 7

Philosophy - Essay Example However, if the actions of people are determined, it seems they fail to have free will, therefore, the can never be blamed or failed for their actions. There are five areas of philosophy, which cluster together in standard ways, though they overlap between the areas, even in section in various clusters is rate, and there can experience slight differences in their clusters. This area studies the major philosophers like Aristotle, Descartes, Nietzsche, and Hume, together with the entire periods in philosophy development (Jaspers, 16). This area is divided into various periods such as modern, medieval, 19th century, and 20th century. It tends to comprehend great figures, their influence, and their importance on the contemporary issues. The study includes area such as existentialism, deconstruction, structuralism, phenomenology, critical theory, post-structuralism, and hermeneutics. The principal figures include Badiou, Adorno, Husserl, Hegel, Sartre, and Derrida. This area consists of philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, formal epistemology, and philosophy of mathematics. Some of the areas have their own sub-branches. For instance, the philosophy of mind includes the emotions philosophy, science philosophy, special sciences philosophy, and social science philosophies. The philosophy involves studying the consequence relations and their related notions. Among the logic sub-areas are higher order logic, classical first-order, and the non-classical logics like relevance, many-valued logics, intuitionistic, and modal. This section comprises the aesthetics, ethics, political philosophy, and social areas. The ethics involves the areas of metaethics and ethics. Normative ethics addresses issues of right conduct, while metaethics is concerned with the epistemological and metaphysical commitments of ethical theories or the moral discourse. Studying philosophy is very important. It enables the learners to know how to carry out things

Traditional pastoral counseling Essay Example for Free

Traditional pastoral counseling Essay A final area of church support in the secular arena is that of traditional pastoral counseling. This counseling area, usually conducted in private and based in personal trust relationships between the church’s pastor and the congregants, includes ministry for life events. Bereavement counseling, marriage counseling (both pre-marriage counseling and counseling for relationship difficulties), career counseling and one-on-one discussion about difficulties such as substance abuse and physical or mental health are all appropriate and common areas of support for the church pastor. Moore discusses the appropriateness of pastoral counseling in the area of bereavement support. Her justification of the pastor in bereavement support is simple. The clergy holds a distinct advantage over professional health counselors because parishioners are more likely to contact their pastor when faced with bereavement and grieving. Spiritual counseling is part of the clergy’s responsibility to the congregation, for which, there is neither cost nor stigma attached. Moreover the relationship is based on trust. Typically, parishioners do not seek the services of other professionals concerning issues of death, illness and emotional adjustment, if they believe the spiritual counseling they have received has helped them (Moore, 48). In other words, the area of bereavement counseling is an area where the most natural and comfortable place for provision is within the church, with the pastor. African Americans have a unique view of death and dying which makes treatment of these issues within the church, the most central of Black institutions, appropriate. Moore summarizes African-American beliefs and responses to death and bereavement: African-Americans are more accepting and less fearful of death than other American ethnic groups; the view of death is often reflected in African-American visual and musical arts as well as poetry; and the continued exposure of African-Americans to higher death rates, both from natural causes and from violence, significantly strengthens the belief in the afterlife (Moore, 50). The Black church has particular rituals and forms of worship which deal with death and dying, which make the church the best place to deal with grief and bereavement counseling within the community, rather than the formal mental health care system which may be preferred by those who do not belong with a church (Moore, 56). LITERATURE REVIEW CONCLUSION A review of the extant literature on the impact of the Black church on its congregant’s secular lives reveals a range of formal programs, informal processes, traditions and practices, which spring from within the community and come from outside, which are limited to the congregants or offered community-wide, which touch all aspects of the Black church member’s life. Historically, the Black church has been pressed into service as a care provider for a marginalized and underserved population; if the church did not provide medical care, mental health support, economic self-support and learning and literacy programs, no one would. Today, Black churches continue to offer these services, either on their own or through collaboration with public and private foundations, research groups and other helpers. These programs are often more successful than those offered outside the church, because of the perception by church goers that the providers understand their needs and feel an affinity for their history and a sensitivity for their cultural norms. The Black church also serves as an extended family to its members, strengthening the Black community as a whole and offering a shield against the onslaught of historical disadvantages, racism and the problems caused by low socioeconomic status. It serves as an assistant to parents, offering youth programs that range from helping teen parents to helping children get into and attend college. The literature shows that the Black church is, overall, very responsive to the secular needs of its members as well as the spiritual.

Drug Testing is Not a Violation of Individual Rights Essay -- Drugs Ar

Every day companies lose millions of dollars due to employee drug use. Athletes break world records with gargantuan strength, but not on a fair scale. Drugs ruin the lives of users and cause injury to those who must work with users. Detection by officials is necessary to curb this problem. When does the safety for others violate the rights of drug users? Drug testing, whether in the workplace or on the athletic field, is not a violation of civil rights. "In 1988, the National Institute on Drug Abuse estimated that 12 percent of full-time employed Americans between the ages of 20 and 40 used an illicit drug" (Goldburg 62). Twenty percent of the 14.5 million Americans who use drugs are employed. This fact has convinced many that drug testing at the workplace should be mandatory (Goldburg 51). Sixty percent of the major corporations in America require drug testing as a condition of employment (Goldburg 50). Steven Mitchell Sack asserts that "Experts estimate that more than 50 percent of the major corporations in the United States now engage in drug and alcohol screening before hiring new employees; such tests are on the rise, particularly in high technology and security-conscious industries" (41). Because of such frequent testing, the number of applicants who test positive is down to under five percent (Sack 41). Not only do the companies pay the price for drug users, but so does the public. The public pays higher prices due to lost productivity from work-related accidents and job absenteeism caused by drug abuse (Goldburg 51). The average drug user is three times as late as fellow employees and has 2.5 times as many absences (Sack 141). A drug user is five times more likely to file a worker's compensation ... ...earche. July 1991:52. Goldburg, Raymond, ed. Taking Sides. Guilford, Connecticut: Dushkin, 1993. Huxford, Andrea. "What You Need to Know About Drug Testing in the Work Place." Netscape. http://www.charm.net/~trade/s/stein/index.html Levy, Leonard W., ed. Encyclopedia of the American Constitution. New York: Macmillan, 1992. O'Brien, David. "Rx for Disaster." Sun-Sentinel. 14 July 1991: 52-54. "Policy of Clarkson Construction Company." Pamphlet. No other information given. Preferred Alliance. "The Road to D.O.T Compliance" Netscape. http://www.preferredalliance.com/ Sack, Steven Mitchell. From Hiring to Firing. New York: Legal Strategies, 1995. Wornsnop, Richard L. "Athletes and Drugs." CQ Reasearcher. 26 July 1991: 513-519. Zigarelli, Michael A. Can They Do That? A Guide to Your Rights on the Job. New York: Lexington, 1994

The Learners and The Lesson

During this class I could notice that the students are able to communicate in an efficient way in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange and interaction of information requested by the teacher. They were able to use and apply the prepositions of place accordingly; however, I believe they should focus more on using the language in other contexts in order to have them practice more and facilitate the recognition of the given structures.Their interaction with the teacher and among each other showed grammar, lexis, and pronunciation mistakes and errors, but this is a crucial part of the learning process, so I believe it is appropriate to their level. CONCLUSION The importance of evaluating the learner's spoken language is greatly high since we need to be aware of their needs in order to plan lessons that truly help our students. We should take into consideration that it is very important to make feel our students comfortable and in a safe environment so they can practice the language without fear and nervousness.Developing productive skills always suppose a challenge for both learners and teachers. If we have a good class atmosphere, students will perform freely and enthusiastically.

Midnight Journal Entry

The Midnight Journal Entry Anne T. Lawrence, San Jose State University On an overcast afternoon in Portland, Oregon, on Friday, March 28, 2003, Richard Okumoto intently studied a set of hard-copy accounting documents called â€Å"adjusting journal entries† spread out on his desk. He had been appointed chief financial officer (CFO) of Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. (ESI), a multi-million dollar equipment manufacturer, just a few weeks earlier. Okumoto was in the midst of closing the company’s books for the third quarter of fiscal year 2003, which ended February 28.An experienced executive who had served as CFO for several other technology firms, Okumoto was familiar with the task, which normally would be routine. But this time, he felt that something was seriously amiss. When reviewing the company’s recent results, he had noticed a sharp dip in accrued liabilities between the two quarters ending May 31 (the last quarter of the 2002 fiscal year) and August 31 (the first quarter of the current fiscal year).Now, looking at the detailed journal entries his staff had provided, he noticed that several significant accounting entries had been made around midnight on September 12, 2002. The entries made that September evening had significantly changed the company’s results for the quarter ending August 31, 2002, a few days before they were reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission. He later recalled: The fact that the time stamps [on the journal entries] were midnight through one o’clock in the morning made me believe they were having difficulties closing the quarter.Not just because of accounting difficulties, but because they were having difficulties finding the right answers. My initial reaction was, even given a difficult quarterly close, if the team was working that late at night, that wasn’t typical. From the pass codes required by the accounting software, Okumoto could see who had made the entries. They inclu ded James Dooley, then the company’s acting chief operating officer and now the CEO, the corporate controller, and several senior members of the finance team. One midnight journal entry in particular drew the new CFO’s attention.The late-night team had wiped out an accrued liability of $977,000 associated with the anticipated cost of retirement and severance benefits to company employees in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. That entry, and several smaller ones, all of which were favorable to net income, had the cumulative effect of permitting the company to report earnings of $0. 01 per share for the quarter ending August 31, 2002, rather than a loss. When he realized that, Okumoto recalled, he felt â€Å"a sinking feeling in my gut. † He asked himself, â€Å"What happened here? At that time of night?All of the changes in a single direction? What’s going on? † He was sure something was not right. RICHARD OKUMOTO Born in 1952, Richard Okumoto was raised wit h his four siblings in a Japanese-American family in a low-income, African-American neighborhood that bordered the Pepper Street Projects of Pasadena, California. He explained how his parents’ experiences had shaped their outlook: My parents grew up during the depression years. Dad farmed with relatives, and Mom grew up tending 3,000 chickens on a three-acre ranch in Gardena, California.Shortly after the Pearl Harbor attack by the Japanese, my parents were relocated under Executive Order 9066 [under which persons of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast were sent to relocation camps during World War II]. They met and married in a relocation camp. During their incarceration, their families could not make their payments. Dad and his relatives lost their land, and Mom’s parents lost their chicken ranch. After those experiences, my father was committed to having no debt. He built our family home in 1955, with the idea of paying off the loan in eight years.In 1962, Okumotoâ⠂¬â„¢s father, who worked as a gardener, landscaper, and salesman of Japanese mutual funds, was disabled in a serious auto accident. Fortunately, by then, he had almost paid off the loan on their home, so the family was able to survive financially. After the accident, Okumoto’s mother took a job cleaning homes to help support her five children. Okumoto described his relationship with his mother: She and I had an especially close bond. Shortly before my dad’s accident, both her parents had died. I was the one who supported her through a very difficult year.As a result, she always treated me differently from the other kids—almost like an adult. The Okumoto family’s financial situation after the accident was difficult. Okumoto had vivid memories of how they coped: Money was very short. We had to account for every penny. Every week, my mother wrote down in a leather-bound journal everything she earned and everything we spent in the household, down to the penn y. Every week, from the time I was ten years old, she went through that with me. We lived on a cash basis. There was no credit card, no second mortgage.In that situation, budgeting became extremely important. Her comment to me was, â€Å"You can’t complain [about what you don’t have] unless you understand what’s happening. † Those were her ground rules. He added this comment about his mother’s values: The ethics of doing the right thing become very important, because that’s really all you have. [My mother] instilled in me at an early age, regardless of what else you do, always take the high road, always do the right thing. That has influenced me throughout my career.After high school, Okumoto attended San Jose State University, where he completed an undergraduate degree in accounting in 1974 and attended the MBA program from1975 to 1978. He soon embarked on a highly successful career in finance. Over the next two-and-a-half decades, he held increasingly responsible roles at a number of high-technology companies in the Silicon Valley, including Fairchild Semiconductor, Novellus Systems, Measurex, Credence Systems, and Photon Dynamics. Okumoto admired a number of managers he had worked for, who had set high professional and ethical standards for him and his co-workers.He felt fortunate to have had three exceptional mentors: Woody Spedden, the CEO of Credence Systems; Jim Hefferman, his boss at Fairchild and later at Measurex; and Don Waite, the CFO at Measurex who later took over that position at Seagate Technologies. â€Å"All three individuals upheld the highest integrity,† Okumoto recalled. â€Å"Aside from the technical training I received from them, I got a strong ethical grounding. They would always tell me to ask myself—what are your obligations to others? † ELECTRO SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIES, INC. Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. ESI), the company that Okumoto joined as CFO in early 2003, was t he second-largest technology company in Oregon, trailing only Tektronix in size. Based in Portland, the company was founded in 1944 as Brown Engineering to make test and measurement equipment. As technology evolved, so did the company’s products. In the 1960s, the firm—by then called ESI—moved into lasers, and later developed applications of laser technology for the emerging semiconductor industry. ESI went public on the NASDAQ exchange in 1983. In 2003, ESI’s core business was providing precision production equipment to electronics firms.The company manufactured equipment that was used in the production of a wide range of electronics products, such as computers, cellular phones, home entertainment systems, automotive electronics, electronic games, and personal digital devices. Its products included advanced laser systems, test equipment, and packaging systems, among others. The company’s customers included many leading electronics firms, including AMD, Ericsson, IBM, Samsung, Hitachi, Flextronics, Honeywell, and Lucent. Seventy percent of ESI’s sales were outside the United States, mainly in Asia and Europe.The company owned and operated manufacturing facilities in Portland and Klamath Falls, Oregon, and in Escondido, California, and operated sales offices in many countries. In 2002, it employed 875 people and reported sales revenue of $167 million (down from $472 million the prior year). Like many firms in the electronics industry, ESI was badly battered by the economic downturn that began in 2001. After achieving record sales and income in the fiscal year ending May 31, 2001, the company’s financial results declined precipitously in FY 2002, as shown in Exhibit A.Sales and profits had continued to decline in the first half of FY 2003. Exhibit A: Electro Scientific Industries, Selected Sales and Income Data, 1998-2002 | 1998| 1999| 2000| 2001| 2002| Net sales| 252,134| 197,118| 299,419| 471,853| 166,545| Net i ncome (loss)| 22,347| 7,528| 40,860| 99,933| (15,961)| Net income (loss) per share| 0. 89| 0. 29| 1. 55| 3. 71| (0. 58)| Data refer to fiscal years ending May 31. All data are given in thousands of dollars, except per share data. Source: ESI 2002 Annual Report. The company noted in its 2002 annual report:In fiscal year 2002, ESI weathered the worst downturn in the electronics industry in over 30 years†¦We are conducting a thorough review of our overall market strategy as well as product line strategies to assure that they will generate significant shareholder returns over the inevitable cycles in our industry. To cut costs, the company initiated a shutdown of its Escondido facility, consolidating its operations in Portland. It divested several underperforming lines of business and sought to invest in areas it saw as promising through partnerships and, potentially, acquisitions.It also informally explored a merger with another firm in southern California. In early 2002, Don VanL uvanee, the company’s long-time CEO, suffered a stroke and was no longer able to serve. The board appointed David Bolender, the former CEO of Protocol Systems and a director since 1988, to step in as acting CEO until it could find a permanent replacement. At that time, the board also elevated James Dooley, who had been serving as the firm’s chief financial officer, to the role of acting chief operating officer to run the company’s day-to-day affairs.In December 2002, the board promoted Dooley to the position of chief executive officer, and Bolender became chairman of the board. (Executives and directors of ESI named in the case, and their positions, are summarized in Exhibit B. ) [Exhibit B should appear about here; it is at the end of the file. ] CLOSING THE QUARTER Shortly after Dooley became CEO, Okumoto was recruited as chief financial officer. He started work on February 17, 2003. I was excited about the job. I thought it might be my last one in the industr y. The company, management, and employees—all had a long history of stability.To me, it was another walk down the path of hard work, a fresh chance to apply my skills in strategic planning and execution as well as to implement the new Sarbanes-Oxley compliance rules. His first task was to prepare for the FY 2003 third quarter close. In reviewing the company’s books for the past several quarters, he soon noticed a sharp downward spike in the balance of accrued liabilities. He noted that fact for further investigation. In addition to closing the quarter, several other items required Okumoto’s attention.Just one week into his new job, on February 24, he got an email from John (â€Å"Jack†) Isselmann, Jr. , the general counsel, asking him to forward to the manager of the Japanese office, Mike Tetsui, a set of revised work rules (terms of employment) for ESI’s Japanese employees. As a newcomer, Okumoto knew little of the background or why he had been as ked to do this, but complied with the general counsel’s request, sending on to the Japanese office manager the revised work rules. Okumoto received the following reply from Tetsui on March 2: I have read the proposed work rule and found no section of [sic] retirement fund.I do not know what is the intention of removing that section, but it is a huge impact on each employee we have†¦I do not think I can get concents [sic] from [ESI’s Japanese] employees without reasonable change in retirement benefit. Please let me know how you would like me to proceed. Okumoto recalled: My first response was, â€Å"uh-oh. † There was a big disconnect between what I had been told and Mike’s reply. I had assumed that the Japanese had already been informed of the cancellation of their retirement benefits and agreed to the changes. It was clear they had not.In a prior job at Novellus Systems, Okumoto had set up that company’s Japanese operations, and he was aware that Japanese work rules were normally filed with the government. Regulators were very strict about altering any documented benefits. Accordingly, Okumoto believed that ESI was obligated to pay benefits that had been promised to employees, and he told Isselmann this. Okumoto also expressed the opinion that employees, if dissatisfied with the revised rules, could take the matter before the Japanese labor board, and that this would be a â€Å"quantifiable event† that would have to be recorded on the books as a liability.Isselmann responded that he was unfamiliar with Japanese law. On March 4, Okumoto spoke with CEO James Dooley about his concerns that the reversal of benefits for Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese employees might expose ESI to litigation, and this could affect the accounting treatment of the event. Dooley strongly disagreed. Okumoto recalled: He told me that everything had been cleared with everyone. He said there was full information. There was full disclosure. H e emphasized that KPMG [ESI’s external auditor], the company’s own legal staff, and the board had all signed off on it. He said I should â€Å"just get past it. Okumoto was concerned about this conversation, particularly because the CEO seemed so defensive. On March 11, Okumoto met again with Dooley, this time to discuss Okumoto’s upcoming presentation to the audit committee. The new CFO recommended that the company delay announcing its third quarter earnings and restate its first and second quarter earnings to report correctly the $977,000 in liabilities associated with the anticipated cost of retirement benefits for its Asian employees. Okumoto explained his view that not reporting these liabilities had violated Generally Accepted Accounting Principles.At that point, Okumoto recalled, Dooley became visibly upset. The CEO—all six feet-six inches and 280 pounds of him—turned an angry red and told me again to just get past this. That’s when I knew that this was going to be swept under the rug. It was clear I was not part of the club. Then Jim said, â€Å"If I’ve got to reverse this entry, I’ll quit. † THE â€Å"MOFO† MEMORANDUM On March 13, Okumoto attended a meeting of the board of directors’ audit committee. Also present at that meeting, in addition to the audit committee members, were Dooley, Isselmann, and several senior managers.At the meeting, Okumoto recommended that the company’s financial statements for the previous two quarters be restated, and that it hire an independent accounting firm to conduct an audit of the Asian benefits issue. Dooley countered that everyone had been fully informed of the reversal and had â€Å"bought off† on it. The audit committee declined Okumoto’s suggestion that an independent accounting firm be brought in, but it did direct Barry Harmon (formerly ESI’s CFO and a member of the audit committee), Okumoto, and Isselmann to lead an internal investigation into the matter.After the audit committee meeting, Isselmann came into the CFO’s office. Okumoto recalled: He closed the door and just broke down. He told me that after the benefits reversal in September he had asked MoFo [Morrison Foerster, an outside law firm on retainer to ESI] to review its legality. MoFo had advised it was illegal to cancel the retirement benefits without employee consent. He said he had immediately shown the memo to Dooley, who had brow-beat him, intimidated him, and essentially boxed him into a corner. I believed this, because in one meeting I actually saw Jim stand up and tower over Jack, who was only 5 feet-6.I watched Jim almost physically overtake him. Jack was a young guy, pretty inexperienced, and his job at ESI was his first in the industry. On his way out, Isselmann handed Okumoto some documents. From the documents, Okumoto learned that on October 3, 2002, Isselmann had written MoFo, asking for an opinion on wh ether or not it would be legal for the company to terminate the Asian employees’ retirement benefits unilaterally. In his letter, Isselmann had pointed out that the rules had been distributed to employees but had not been submitted to the relevant government agency.On October 7, Toshihiro So, a Japanese labor and employment attorney affiliated with Morrison Foerster, responded to Isselmann’s request. The MoFo memo, now in Okumoto’s hands, read in part: Retirement allowances are not a legal requirement [in Japan]. However, once the company agrees to pay retirement allowances in Rules of Employment (even though they have not been submitted to the relevant government agency), the company is obliged to pay them in accordance with the Rules and cannot remove them at the company’s discretion.According to Japanese case laws, as a general rule, †¦the deprivation of previously acquired rights by newly drawn up or changed work rules are [sic] not permittedâ₠¬ ¦[It] is required that before changing the work rules, the company should hear and consider the opinion of the related employees. Okumoto was shocked. â€Å"This is the smoking gun,† he thought. Investigating further, Okumoto learned that although private employers in Japan were not obligated to pay retirement benefits, doing so was considered a good industry practice, and since 1981 ESI had offered such a benefit to its employees there.Under the rules of employment established for ESI’s employees in Japan, any employee (except executives) who chose to retire after reaching the voluntary retirement age of 60 would be entitled to a â€Å"retirement allowance† of one month’s pay per year of service—in effect, a one-time severance payment. Workers who were involuntarily terminated and the estates of any workers who died before reaching the age of 60 were also entitled to this benefit. Similar rules were in effect for the company’s workers in Korea and Taiwan. At the time, ESI had 18 employees in Japan, 13 in Korea, and 23 in Taiwan, mostly in sales and customer support roles.On March 14, Okumoto called an â€Å"all hands† meeting to disclose his initial findings and discuss a path forward. Present at the meeting were Dooley, Isselmann, Harmon, and several other senior managers. The CFO asked directly if there had been full disclosure and review of all material facts with respect to the accrual reversal. Dooley confirmed that everything had been disclosed. Okumoto did not mention the MoFo memo, thinking that Dooley’s response indicated that he must have already disclosed it to KPMG and the audit committee. On March 20, Okumoto spoke by telephone with Mike Tetsui.The Japanese manager told the CFO that the employees had not yet been told that their retirement benefits had been terminated, and he—Tetsui—would resign before he would tell them that news, which he expected would be devastating. â₠¬Å"As head of the group,† Tetsui told Okumoto, â€Å"I will fall on my sword. † On March 21, Okumoto met again with Dooley to press him on how the reversal had happened. Dooley was initially â€Å"combative. † As the conversation went on, however, he â€Å"let his guard down† and began talking about what had happened on the night of September 12.As Okumoto recalled the conversation: Jim told me that he had sent a financial packet to the board of directors prior to their meeting on September 13. After he had distributed the packet, but before the meeting, he was contacted by KPMG, who told him there had been an error in the company’s calculations of its overhead costs, so the financial statements distributed to the board were incorrect. ESI’s reportable earnings were suddenly much less than they thought, by as much as a million dollars.Jim said this was particularly important because the company was in informal merger discussions with a compan y in southern California. Then he said, â€Å"No one was helping me, so I had to help myself. † When Jim made that comment, my first thought was, he was looking for revenue. He was hunting for credits. He was looking to manipulate earnings. That was a definite red flag. Okumoto walked out of Dooley’s office stunned. He called his staff together and asked them to assemble any documentation they had on accounting entries on or around September 12.He also began talking with the members of the finance team who had participated in the late-night meeting with Dooley and learned that a number of people on the finance staff had questioned the benefits reversal, but had not brought it forward. This was consistent with a negative tone at the top. I would almost characterize it as bullying. That’s one reason why no one stepped forward. That tone at the top created an environment where people really couldn’t speak out. It’s important to look at the people. Ità ¢â‚¬â„¢s similar to qualitative research. We all do that intuitively.When I looked at the body language of a lot of the people involved—the cost accountants, the financial analysts—it became apparent to me that they were scared. They knew something was wrong, and they wanted to say something, but something held them back. They reminded me of beaten animals. Growing up in the neighborhood I did, I knew what fear looked like. As part of his further investigation, Okumoto independently approached the audit team from KPMG. They told him Dooley had informed them that the company had received a legal opinion that the reversal was appropriate, and they had deemed that information sufficient.Okumoto observed: KPMG was new on the account, which they picked up after the collapse of Arthur Andersen. They didn’t have deep familiarity with it. They did not have all the information. Some of the partners were new. On March 28, a week after he had requested the relevant account ing entries for September 12, his staff finally produced the complete documentation for that date. Now, drilling down into the details, he saw the full scope of the midnight journal entries—and who had made them. WEIGHING THE RISKS Over the weekend, Okumoto considered his next moves. None of the ndividuals and groups from whom he had sought support—the CEO, the general counsel, or the auditors—seemed to share his concern about the seriousness of the issue. The audit committee had shown some interest, but had turned down his recommendation to bring in independent auditors and seemed to believe the matter could be handled internally. Okumoto was losing sleep, worrying constantly about what—if any—additional steps he should take. He had tried to warn the key players. From all, he had received the same message: We don’t see this as a serious problem. Let it go.Okumoto realized the risks of escalating the issue further. He was earning a base sala ry of $250,000, with the possibility of a 100 percent performance bonus. He reflected: I certainly realized the risks. I knew that if I brought this forward, there was a strong likelihood that I would either lose my job, or I would be in an environment where it would be difficult to operate, so I would have to leave. The idea also occurred to him that â€Å"I can leverage this for more money and stock if I look the other way. Plus, I can become invaluable to the company with this dirt.I can immediately become part of the established inside club. † He had also recently signed a contract to purchase a home in the nearby community of Lake Oswego, and wondered how he would make good on that commitment if he lost his job. However, he felt reasonably secure financially. Following the example of his parents, Okumoto had worked hard to avoid debt and to save for adverse times. He reflected: One of the first things I ask friends who are or would like to be CFOs or general managers, wh ere risks such as this can jeopardize their careers, is: Are you financially secure enough to make good decisions?Because if you aren’t, I can count on the fact that you will make bad decisions when times of adversity hit. We all talk about the value of making good decisions, but as we all know, life creeps in. There are economic commitments, family commitments, and people are sometimes moved to do the wrong thing. As the old adage goes, hire your sales people so they are hungry enough to get the deal done. Hire your finance people so they are not hungry enough to do the wrong thing. He added: Fortunately, I was financially in a position where I could afford to leave if t came to that. I was single, so I figured the only person I had to protect was myself. He also had a network of friends in the area he felt he could turn to for support. I had a number of friends in the Portland area, having worked there earlier. My prior company had a division of about 1000 employees in the area. Of these, 500 had worked directly for me. It might have been a false sense of security, but I felt I had a pretty good infrastructure of people that I knew. By this time, Okumoto was also becoming concerned about his personal safety.Several times, he received anonymous messages on his home answering machine. At the time, he was living temporarily in corporate housing while he shopped for a home, and he felt he was particularly visible there. But, he added that he was not easily intimidated. I felt that I could take care of myself. I had faced a lot worse threats than this one. As a teenager, I was robbed at gunpoint. I was stabbed in the back and left for dead. I was beaten so badly that my eyes were swollen shut. I grew up around a lot of physical violence. Although Okumoto saw risks in taking action, he also saw risks in inaction.He commented: I was concerned about my own legal liability if I did not take action. From the point of view of the DOJ [Department of Justice] and SEC [Securities and Exchange Commission], if you don’t fix the problem, you become the problem. I had potential legal risk. As Okumoto pondered the risks of both action and inaction, he reflected on the board of directors and what kind of response he might expect if he approached them directly. (See Exhibit C for a list of members of the board. ) [Exhibit C should appear about here; it is at the end of the file. ] Dooley was the only insider on the board.There were some old timers on the board—like Barry Harmon, who had earlier been CFO at ESI. But there were also a fair number of independents. Even though I was new at the company, I had a prior relationship with two of the directors. Jerry Taylor, the former CFO at Applied Materials, was a member of the audit committee. Jerry and I had worked together 25 years earlier at Fairchild. So, I had a long-standing relationship with him. Jon Tompkins, the former CEO of KLA-Tencor, was also on the board. I had known Jon from T encor days, where he had interviewed me for the CFO position.As he contemplated his next move, Okumoto thought back to an experience earlier in his career. As he told the story: I had been in a situation before where I hadn’t spoken up. I had been a CFO for another public company. I was in a situation in which I had questions on some of the accounting. But it was close enough, and I was concerned that I didn’t have enough evidence to support my reservations. I had only been with the company three months. Within four months, we had a major revenue shortfall. At that time, I made the decision not to try to cover up the revenue shortfall.But, because we had not called it to the attention of analysts earlier, we lost the confidence of the Street. At that point, the CEO and I both resigned. I made a decision then that if I ever again saw something that was close, I would act much faster. He also thought about his mother’s admonition always to do the right thing, and the advice of his mentors, who had counseled him always to ask the question—what are your obligations to others? Exhibit B: Executives and Directors of Electro Scientific Industries, Inc. Named in the Case and Their Positions (Listed in Order of Mention)Richard OkumotoChief Financial Officer (CFO) James T. â€Å"Jim† DooleyActing Chief Operating Officer (COO), early 2002 – December 2002 Chief Executive Officer (CEO), December 2002 – Don VanLuvaneeFormer CEO David F. BolenderActing CEO, early 2002 – December 2002 Chairman of the Board, December 2002 – John â€Å"Jack† Isselmann, Jr. General Counsel Mike TetsuiManager, Japanese Office Barry L. Harmon Former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Director and Member of the Audit Committee Gerald F. â€Å"Jerry† TaylorDirector and Member of the Audit Committee Jon D. TompkinsDirectorExhibit C: Members of the Board of Directors, ESI Inc. , March 2003 David F. Bolender, Chairman of the Board Chairman of the Board and CEO (retired), Protocol Systems, Inc. ; President of Pacific Power and Light Co. (retired) James T. Dooley, Chief Executive Officer Barry L. Harmon (member of the Audit Committee) Senior Vice President (retired), Avocet Corp. ; formerly, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of ESI Keith L. Thomson Vice President (retired), Intel Corp. ; Chair of the Board of Trustees, University of Oregon Foundation Jon D. TompkinsCEO and Chairman of the Board (retired), KLA-Tencor Corp. ; President and CEO of Spectra-Physics (retired) Vernon B. Ryles, Jr. President and CEO (retired), Poppers Supply Co. Gerald F. Taylor (member of the Audit Committee) Chief Financial Officer (retired), Applied Materials W. Arthur Porter (Chairman of the Audit Committee) Dean of the College of Engineering, University of Oklahoma Larry L. Hansen Executive Vice President (retired), Tylan General, Inc. —————————— ————– [ 2 ]. Copyright  © 2012 by the Case Research Journal and Anne T. Lawrence.The author developed this case to provide a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either the effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. An earlier version of this case was presented at NACRA’s annual meeting in San Antonio, Texas, October 2011. The author gratefully acknowledges the assistance of Richard Okumoto and the thoughtful comments of the editor, Deborah Ettington, and three anonymous reviewers. [ 3 ]. In 2002, average annual salaries for ESI employees were $68,000 in Japan, $27,000 in Korea, and $38,000 in Taiwan (in U. S. dollars).

Child Abuse and Porn essays

Child Abuse and Porn essays Child sexual abuse can be defined as any form of sexual activity with a child. It may include showing a child pornographic materials, placing the childs hand on another persons genitals, touching a childs genitals and to the more extreme form of penetration. (Kali Munro) It is essential to understand what child abuse through pornography is, what it can do to a child and why this kind of abuse continues. Someone who knows what pornography can do to a child is a thirty-one year old, mother of two named Bonnie. Bonnie spoke to the Attorney Generals Commission on Pornography about her experience with pornography and child abuse. Both of Bonnies husbands were into pornography and abused her and her two daughters, Michelle and Debbie. The account of the abuse that took place between Bonnies second husband, Paul and her daughters are as follows: He seemed to enjoy showing them pornographic material. The girls remember specifically a time when Paul showed them a picture of a naked lady dressed in the bottom of a leopard skin outfit and holding a whip. He asked them what they thought of it. Both children said they were disgusted at viewing the picture. My daughters told me . . . that Paul asked them if they wanted to be photographed like the girls in the magazines. The girls also told me that Paul sometimes played a game with them in which their feet were tied up tightly with a rope. The molestations included bad touching and exhibitionism by Paul . . . . If I ever questioned either her (Michelle) or Paul about what was the matter, Michelle would look scared at Paul and say, Nothings wrong, Mommy. After I left Paul, Michelle told me why she never said what was wrong. If she had told, Paul threatened to put her in a large garbage bag and dump her in a lake. Even after I filed for divorce and Paul was put on probat ion, the damage ha...

Profile of the 2003 War in Iraq

Profile of the 2003 War in Iraq Saddam Hussein led a brutal dictatorship of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. In 1990, he invaded and occupied the nation of Kuwait for six months until being expelled by an international coalition. For the next several years Hussein showed varying degrees of contempt for the international terms agreed to at the end of the war, namely a no-fly zone over much of the country, international inspections of suspected arms sites, and sanctions. In 2003, an American-led coalition invaded Iraq and overthrew Husseins government. Building the Coalition President Bush put forward some rationales for invading Iraq. These included: violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions, atrocities committed by Hussein against his people, and the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) which posed an immediate threat to the U.S. and the world. The U.S. claimed to have intelligence which proved the existence of the WMD and asked the U.N. Security Council to authorize an attack. The council did not. Instead, the U.S. and the United Kingdom enlisted 29 other countries in a coalition of the willing to support and carry out the invasion launched in March 2003. Post-Invasion Troubles Although the initial phase of the war went as planned (the Iraqi government fell in a matter of days), the occupation and the rebuilding has proven quite difficult. The United Nations held elections leading to a new constitution and government. But violent efforts by insurgents has led the country to civil war, destabilized the new government, made Iraq a hotbed for terrorist recruitment, and dramatically raised the cost of the war. No substantial stockpiles of WMD were found in Iraq, which damaged the credibility of the U.S., tarnished the reputation of American leaders, and undermined the rationale for the war. Divisions Within Iraq Understanding the various groups and loyalties inside Iraq is difficult. Religious fault lines between Sunni and Shiite Muslims are explored here. Although religion is a dominant force in the Iraq conflict, secular influences, including Saddam Husseins Baath Party, must also be considered to understand Iraq better. The BBC offers a guide to the armed groups operating inside Iraq. Cost of The Iraq War More than 3,600 American troops have been killed in the Iraq War and over 26,000 wounded. Nearly 300 troops from other allied forces have been killed. Sources say more than 50,000 Iraqi insurgents have been killed in the war and estimates of Iraqi civilians dead range from 50,000 to 600,000. The United States has spent over $600 billion on the war and may ultimately spend a trillion or more dollars. The National Priorities Project set up this online counter to track the moment-by-moment cost of the war. Foreign Policy Implications The war in Iraq and its fallout have been at the center of U.S. foreign policy since the overt march to war began in 2002. The war and surrounding issues (like Iran) occupy the attention of nearly all those in leadership at the White House, State Department, and Pentagon. And the war has fueled anti-American sentiment around the world, making global diplomacy all the more difficult. Our relations with almost every country in the world are in some form colored by the war. Foreign Policy Political Casualties In the United States (and among leading allies) the steep cost and on-going nature of the Iraq War have caused considerable damage to top political leaders and political movements. These include former Secretary of State Colin Powell, President George Bush, Senator John McCain, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and others.

HR & Development Essay (Unit III) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HR & Development (Unit III) - Essay Example ppropriate guideline for an effective brainstorming process includes making a clear and simple introduction of the idea or problem that needs to be brainstormed (Rothwell & Kazanas 1999). Introduction of the problem creates an avenue for conducting a thorough review on the rules governing the entire brainstorming process. This means that each participant gets an equal chance of presenting his or her idea. In other terms, the process should be welcoming to everyone by avoiding commenting during the proceeding of the brainstorming process. It thus discourages any evaluation hence allows room for duplicate ideas. The next step should be communicated after members contributions. That is, explaining what is required to be done then offer all the members of the group or team some private time to think over the brainstormed question or problem (Sharma, 2008). Finally, open the discussion for the member of that group to devise and come up with a suitable solution. In an on job scenario, the brainstorming process would be applied in solving leadership wrangle within the organization. The companys management team would come up with diverse ideas concerning the problem facing the management and tries to come with a suitable solution. That is, in matters concerning the top most position in the management hierarchy all the concern parties should contribute their points of view on regard to the qualities that need to be consider while selecting the suitable person for the post (Sinha and Sinha 2009). Another common problem that arises in an on the job situation is the issue on the process of performance appraisal. For instance, it requires a team or panel to determine or decides suitable criteria to be adapted while appraising the employees. In other terms, they devise and determine the demerit on which an employee should be accorded or subjected to any form of appraisal or appreciation for high performance (Dubrin, 2009). Group work and teamwork has a disadvantage of

Harlem Renaissance Poets Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Harlem Renaissance Poets - Research Paper Example On the one hand, Johnson poem â€Å"Let Me Not Lose My Dream† features her seminal background in Rome, Georgia. The poem carries well recitations of the ancient culture and the need for blacks to take on the challenges of the community, while embracing stoicism. The inclusion of entertaining humor in the literary content was largely impacted by her skills of playing musical instruments and natural history. The creation of the poem was largely influenced by William Starkey Braithwaite work, an author who highlighted the socio-economic and political challenges that minority communities faced in the United States, and the need to remain steadfast in the quest for a free America. Considered to be one of the founding women poets, who based their literature on the new role of African Americans, Johnson’s poem â€Å"Let Me Not Lose My Dream† was laced with a feeling of sadness and optimism that blacks faced in their effort to assume prominence in the society. On the oth er hand, Gwendolyn Bennett was another significant poet of this period. The poet was born in July 1902 in Giddings, Texas. Her parents were Joshua and Maime Bennett. Bennet’s poem â€Å"Heritage† features her life as a young woman in Brooklyn’s Girls High, through her adulthood. The nature of treatment she received was characterized by benignly cold reception from the mainstream white community. Through the poem â€Å"Heritage,† particular practices such as the intellectual capabilities of the blacks during Harlem Renaissance were tolerated without question, and without meticulous thought. The poem highlighted the future role of the blacks, in social and political circles. â€Å"Heritage† is illustrative of a keen intellectual mind, which Bennet summoned during the Harlem Renaissance period to articulate the social change in the American society; that democratic transformation in the society was inevitable, and that art and literary genre had becom e a significant avenue used to communicate the much needed change in the society (Hull 13-15). Despite the significant, but the largely different titles of the two poems, Johnson’s â€Å"Let Me Not Lose My Dream† and Bennet’s â€Å"Heritage,† are two literary works that indicate the need to conserve fruitful society norms of the blacks such as social democracy, fair representation in all aspects of the society and justice for all. Whereas the former poem served to motivate the rising blacks not to be cowed in their effort to assume socio-economic and political significance in the society; the latter holds that not all new developments may yield positive outcomes. The poems by Georgia Douglas Johnson and Gwendolyn Bennett are, thus, illustrative of the enormous skills and resourcefulness that inspired the change empowerment of blacks during the Black Arts Movement. By reexamining the contribution of these poets, one can have a glimpse of delight of the bla cks during Harlem Renaissance, despite the enormous social challenges they faced . Themes present in the two poems Ethnic Pride Featuring the historical Black Arts Movement was an explicit ethnic delight that was captured in the philosophy of the empowerment of the community, who through scholarly work and creation of literature could reverse the pervading ethnic bigotry and traditions to enhance

Multinational Companies Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Multinational Companies Management - Essay Example This is the same in the case of employee retention. However it is very difficult for any organisation to take the necessary steps to retain its workforce and ensure that they remain loyal and engaged, and when this has to be carried out by an organisation with many different cultural dimensions the strategies that need to be adopted become even more difficult and complex. The author believes that through this study, she will be able to gain sufficient information on the specific steps that can be taken by a transnational organisations with regard to managing and retaining employees while remaining profitable and ensuring that they remain loyal and engaged and highly productive, thus making the organisation even more profitable. THE DIFFERENT MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT CAN BE ADOPTED BY AN ORGANISATION WITH A DIVERSE WORKFORCE TO RETAIN ITS WORKFORCE, ENSURE EMPLOYEE LOYALTY AND ENGAGEMENT AND CONTINUE TO STAY PROFITABLE IN BOOM AND BUST CONDITIONS In this document the author proposes the methods and the type of research study that she will undertake in fulfillment of her degree requirement. The author is currently interested in studying how Multinational Companies such as Microsoft, IBM, Toyota, Honda, General Electric, Coke Cola, Unilevers, General Motors, Hewlett Packard and Sony can do to retain its employees, keep them engaged and loyal to the organisation, while ensuring that the organisation remains profitable through boom and bust conditions. In this proposal the author discusses the research objectives, the research topic, the methodology that she wishes to adopt, the limitations of the study, and finally the dissertation structure and the time line for the study. The author has carried out a brief literature review into the subject area and has presented it in this research to give the proposal more background and to justify the reason for the choice. Research Objectives Here the author will give a brief overview of the objectives of the research study that she will evaluate for completion at the end of the research. Gain an in-depth understanding of the importance of employee retention for a multi-national organisation. Gain an in-depth understanding of the importance of employee engagement for a multi-national organisation. Gain an understanding of the co-relationship between the profitability of the organisation, employee retention, employee engageme

Greenland Rail Company: Strategic Planning and Management

Greenland Rail Company: Strategic Planning and Management Section One In activity 1, we have discussed the initial parts of the strategic planning and analyzed in depth the current scenario of The Greenland Rail Company. To continue further into the affairs of The Greenland Rail Company, here we shall apply the business assessment tools to arrive at a viable solution and evolve a healthy strategy for it or mend where necessary. The strategic planning determines the core idea, modus operandi allocation of resources to achieve the objectives or goals set in the strategic planning. Every business has its core idea and the strategy to achieve the objectives through operational plans. However to keep the operations on track, we need to have some analytical and monitoring measures. We can call them the business (assessment) tools. The idea of having these tools is minute to minute monitoring of the operations and to see if any action is harming the business or going against the strategy laid down. Here is the list of such tools: Is the strategic planning checked or analyzed on the concept of ‘SWOT’ analysis? Are the strategy and the strategic planning documented? Is there any internal audit or the check list for the cross check of actions with the planning? Is there any effective policy and method of remedial measures stipulated? SOPs are an effective tool to keep every action on line with the planning. All above are absolutely necessary for successful running of a business and more particularly for a business of the magnitude of The Greenland Rail Company spread countrywide by its services and utility to the nation. SWOT Analysis SWOT is abbreviation of four words which in fact gives four dimensional view of any issue or idea. There is nothing new in this. Everybody thinks on the pros and cons of an idea before putting it into practical shape or taking practical step. It consists of: Strengths: Under this heading, we see what makes an idea viable if put in practical shape. It starts from the biggest advantageous point to the smallest strength that the idea may have. Weaknesses: This heading covers the flaws in the idea and whether the flaws can be covered or they will make and prove the idea not viable. Opportunities: Having seen the strengths and weaknesses, does the idea still provide us the desired opportunities or any opportunities. This may also mean whether those opportunities that we had in mind, still exist and it is worth committing the valuable resources. Threats: the last part of the analysis is to evaluate threats to the business idea or the envisaged strategy. It is to see if threats are manageable and can be neutralized with some amendment in the strategy or they are big enough to be really called threats and give strong indications of not committing the resources. Documentation Of The Strategic Planning This is an extremely important tool that will go lifelong and will keep reminding the central idea and the principles on which the business is to be run. This provides the base for generating the operational plans for any new ventures within the existing business. The need for documenting the strategic planning cannot be over emphasized. Internal Audit Or The Check List To Cross Check The Actions With The Planning Internal audit and the checklist are two different things but serve the same purpose. The internal audit is carried out by another official of the organization whether the operators are performing correct actions. The checklist provides correct sequence of actions to be done by the operator. The checklist is guiding method whereas internal audit is pointing out the mistakes. However, both have their utility and should always exist. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) SOPs are an effective tool to keep every action on line with the planning and in fact operational plan translated in simpler form so that everybody at every level can understand the right way of doing an action. SOPs tell the only way an action has to be done and thatg is the desired action according to the operational plan. Method Of Remedial Measures We can say the last in the series is description of remedial measures. If the SOPs are being followed, no remedial measures are required. They are only for emergencies and accidents. However accidents and emergencies do not occur frequently but remedies should be well thought and well planned. They should be a part of SOPs and be documented properly. In this section we shall see the competitive strengths and weaknesses of the current business strategies. The Greenland Rail Company has: Clear philosophy to provide efficient travel service to the passenger, and, To provide efficient safe and timely transportation of commercial goods. Its strategy is based on the following elements: To schedule its services on the needs of the customers To provide sufficient number of trains To provide sufficient trained staff for operating these trains To allocate sufficient resources for the above To maintain a good standard of its services to attract the major market share. Effective marketing and good customer care service All above have all the strengths and bright chances of success. Despite these strengths it has weaknesses that it lacks locomotive production facilities and expertise, both. This is one weakness that can put the entire plan at stake of failure. However this weakness can be overcome by importing the locomotives in time and by having a good repair and maintenance workshop of its own. Its strengths can be enlisted as under: It can schedule the trains on the needs of the customers It can provide sufficient number of trains It can employ sufficient staff and can train them at its own training facilities It can allocate sufficient resources It can maintain good service standard It can have effective marketing and customers care Its weaknesses can be visualized and enlisted as under: Any breakdown of locomotives can adversely affect the schedule Motivation of the staff can be doubtful and may not prove to be as efficient as ideally required. The competitors, the road transporters can also provide the same facilities with good standard and efficiency. Track needs to be maintained continuously and may not be possible to do it. It is susceptible to miscreant actions and any defect in the track can stop the movement of trains and affect the schedule very badly. The company has single track and lacks the double track facility causing unnecessary delay in allowing the crossing of other train. There can be human error that can cause severe hindrances and even accidents. Despite these weaknesses the company has been running the trains by making an intelligent time table. However the efficiency of double track cannot be achieved by single track. The major problem faced by the company has been shortage of locomotives and making no provision for timely actions. Frustration in employees has been another factor. Core Business Values And Current Objectives Core business values are efficient service for passengers and goods transportation. Safety of passengers, comfortable travel and adhering to strict time schedule are the core values in case of passenger travel service. On the other side, transportation of goods in safe and timely manner are the core values for the cargo service. Its current business objectives are still the same, I e: To operate the trains and make the company a profitable organisation. The costs have to be met under all circumstances otherwise it would not be possible to run the trains under the conditions of continuous loss. The business objectives can only be achieved if there is efficiency in service. It is a circle; efficiency will capture the market and increase the customers and volume of goods to be transported. Low efficiency will cause losses on every side. The market will slip over in the hands of competitors and there will be sharp decline in the health of the company The comparison between the values and the objectives in now lopsided and in unfavorable balance. Values alone can do nothing if not supported by the efficient service. Loss of efficiency will result in loss of customers and cargo and that will push the company towards a sad catastrophe. Presently it is not meeting its objectives and core values are left unsatisfied. Section Two Now there is a need to compare the strengths and weaknesses and develop measures to bring the company back in good health. It may need very critical decisions. It has to do thorough audit and take stock of things. It has to eliminate all negative elements, may be manpower, some trains and some services which are not allowing the company to meet its expenses. Golden handshake, laying off or compulsory retirement may have to be resorted to foe labour turnover and replacing the inefficient and dishonest with better educated, young and enthusiastic manpower. Some sections of the rail service will have to be closed temporarily till the financial conditions improve and expense of less productive trains can be borne. The goods transport service is more yielding, therefore, has to be specially taken care of. Goods trains should be given equal priority and more cargo handling services can be installed for efficient booking, transportation and delivery of the goods. There is a need of job description of each employee and then he has to be supervised appropriately for efficiency and honesty. Options For Future Strategy The Greenland Rail Company has two issues at hand: Future strategy and, Options for the future strategy. Future Strategy Basically it remains the same with slight variation. Its strategy would be: To provide good travel service to the passengers To provide good transportation for the cargo To eliminate all elements causing losses and working against the interest of the company. To evolve efficient check and balance system. To maintain technical efficiency to the state of the art level for mai8ntaining the schedule. There has to be a ruthless accountability of every employee and every system. A very system of accounting has to be implemented. Future Options The long past history of the company has a lot to teach and draw the lessons. It has been running successfully 50 years back and even 30 years back. It started deteriorating in mid 80’s. the reasons could be traced as under: In 1950 it was not in good shape and faced scarcity of resources in all directions. In 1960 it improved its service, by induction of new rolling stock and new generation of diesel electric locomotives. Till 1980 it kept progressing and introduced new services and had better arrangements. However there were major political changes in the country and affected this company also. There is another dimension to the problem as well. It had following factor to affect: In 1950 it had to cater for the needs of population of 20 million people and number of passengers was relatively small. The volume of trade was also not much; therefore it did not have that much stress on any side. In 1960, the need for goods trains increased and population had also risen to 40 million relatively increasing the number of people traveling. Still the company handled the situation in fairly good manner and situation was not that bad. By 1975, the country gone through major political disasters, many resources were lost and the political scenario changed the whole situation in sphere of life. Besides political changes, the population had increased to around 75 million and stress was felt on the rail company. The oil prices escalated and number of passengers had sizably increased and number of industries and industrial unit had also increased. The company had to run the trains under political pressure and losses started showing. Now when the population has risen to 180 million and following g major changes have taken place and all of them have hit the company very badly, sinking it day by day: Oil prices increased tremendously Wages also increased and number of employees increase under the pressure of political govt to provide employment to the people. The operation cost increased tremendously. The balance between income and expense was also lost Company’s debts also increased The condition of rolling stock deteriorated and became unserviceable. The locomotives started breaking down enroute which not only caused the delays and upset the entire schedule but also added to the cost in recovery of stuck up trains. Track needed to be maintained, doubled and new trains needed to be introduced. Cargo handling facilities also needed to be installed at prominent destinations. Nothing was and has been done. Emergence and development of road transport companies has also created lot of competition and snatched a big share of the market reducing the4 business and revenue of the rail company There is a catastrophic scenario everywhere. Some miracle or very drastic measures can only save the organization. In view of the above situation still there is a hope to rescue this great enterprise and restore it to its previous glory. It has following options for the future: Enter into a joint venture with some rail company of another country who is running the railway successfully; or else, Seek the help of govt in paying off the debts. Procure new locomotives, improve rolling stock and suspend service on all unproductive or less productive sections. Accounting system needs to be changed. No collective accounting of all the trains should be done. Each train should be treated as a separate subsidiary company and revenue and expense of each train should be accounted for separately. No loss or decrease of revenue should be shared by other trains. Separate accounting system will exactly pin point the source of loss and reason there of. Criteria For Reviewing The Options Once the options have been analyzed and selected to be implemented, they are to be monitored for strict compliance. A set of rules, and checklist points will have to be framed and made mendatory for compliance. The automatic and most obvious criteria would be results in multi directions. They can be: An increase in revenue Less reports of pilferage and misappropriations Increase in customers and volume of goods transportation. Balance in revenue and expense. The ultimate criteria for the validity of options is volume of profit earned because of the options. Section Three Now we have fair amount of information to evolve a strategic plan for The Greenland Rail Company. It should restructure its strategy on the basis of above analysis. The changes are to be made as under: The basic or the core idea remains same. New rolling stock and locomotives should be procured; or number of trains should be reduced proportionate to resources but the service should be more efficient. All stakeholders should be made aware through wide publicity ensuring a better service The difference should be visible in practical shape rather than announcements only. The increasing costs should not always be passed on to the customers. They should be absorbed by the organisation by improvement in efficiency of systems and plugging the pilferage. Resource Allocation Resource allocation should be in priority as under: In all those areas which are absolutely necessary for provision of service and increasing the clientage. All assets, particularly the rolling stock, locomotives, administrative services get the first priority. The administrative and office expenses should be the minimum. Stores inventory should be maintained at the minimum level or may even be on the principle of ‘Just In Time’ (JIT) No over staffing be allowed under any circumstances. This practice not only increases unproductive costs but also the political inductees cause frustration among the efficient employees. Initially some part of the revenue will go in paying off the debts. Strategic Plan The Greenland Rail Company has the following strategic plan: To revive the company to its previous prestigious position. To provide efficient means of travel to all the citizens with safety speed and in time. To provide efficient goods transport system to the business community. To compete with the road transport industry by efficient services and economical cast to the customers. Vision Statement The Greenland Rail Company is determined to be the market leader in transport industry by providing the best services to the customers at economical costs. We visualize satisfied clientele and satisfied employees to contribute towards betterment of the company and the nation. Our vision is on practical footing and honest effort. Schedule Of Implementation The new strategic plan needs be implemented in the following manner: All operational plans must be reviewed in the light of analysis and new strategy formulated. Overstaffing must be reduced to the right size Trains must be rescheduled keeping in view the company’s present potential and the customers’ needs. Separate accounting for each train be implemented immediately. Monitoring system should be introduced and made more effective. All excess inventory should be first segregated and noted particularly to avoid more purchase and blocking the valuable and limited resources. Start the operation on above outline with a new zeal of efficient service. Conclusion The Greenland Rail Company scenario is worst possible which has dropped from magnificent position to depth of destruction and still striving to regain its position. An analysis has been carried out giving all details and possible way out for the company. Although the difficulties seem very big but remedies are quite simple but need stern action on the part of management. Tough decisions, clear vision and honest effort are the only means available to The Greenland Rail Company. The strongest point in favour of the company is the strong base of business and need for its services. Hopefully it will survive.