Alcohol Misuse Among Minors In The UK :: essays research papers

The law in this country states that it is illegal for anyone under 18 years to consume alcohol or to work in licensed premises; to buy alcohol or to have it bought for them anywhere. Those over 16 may drink a small amount with a meal in a specially allocated area, but beyond that they face arrest and prosecution.In spite of this the law is frequently broken. Following the example of adults, for whom alcohol is the most used drug, several surveys show that children try alcohol. 68% of boys and 54% of girls (in the UK) appear to have tried it by the age of thirteen. The majority may not drink to excess but many have already experimented with the effects of intoxication. The young do not seem to know the dangers and public houses frequently hold discos which attract them in. Stewards find it difficult to assess who is below the age limit. The increase in consumption expected when the price of alcohol falls is bound to include youngsters. the serious implications of this must be faced, not least because drug abuse is closely linked to alcohol abuse.Clearly the law has a role to play. The police must be encouraged to enforce age limits, and, if necessary, licensing hours should be restricted. Unfortunately, this may inconvenience legitimate drinkers and deprive landlords of potential legal business. Having extra police and stewards may be useless since 16 year olds are not easy to pick out anymore. One solution offered by the Portman Group is the identification card system whereby only 18 year old will carry age identification cards. This should help, but even one of the director involved admits it is only a contribution.The alternative lies in education. Adults can help by example and by de-glamorising alcohol. Children can be taught about the risks to health and to performance, about the chances of being involved in violence or serious accidents and the dependency which lands many in hospital wards.

Changes in the Marketing Environment Essay

In recent times, from an economic environment perspective, people are getting more affluent, even in third world countries like Vietnam, the younger generation are more interested in spending on the latest fashion and gadgets, like iPods. Phone marketers might want to include phone designs which allow for self-expression, hence catering to the younger people seeking to carve out their own identity. For example, young girls in Japan like to stick many shiny crystals on their phones as they see it as a form of beautiful art. Phone marketers can cash in on this growing trend by offering phones which have suitable surfaces for crystal gluing, and they might want to also consider having a tie-up with a suitable bead company in order to have a package selling the crystals together with the phones. An important marketing strategy in catering to the changing political environment would be cause-marketing. It is by cause-marketing that phone marketers can reassure the public that they are soc ially responsible, even in the midst of increasing unethical behaviour existing in society. Cause marketing might be the determining factor which might set a phone or a brand of phones apart, especially if customers have the same perception of 2 brands of phones and are undecided which to choose. Phone marketers can follow Motorola’s lead whereby they produced a red â€Å"razr† phone to promote awareness of aids, which was highly successful. Another important marketing strategy is for the marketer to observe the changing demographic forces and decide which target group they can focus on in order to make the most profits. Quite a few countries in the world are facing an aging population, like Japan, China and Singapore. This might be a good target market to go into, by manufacturing phones which are suited for older people like by having larger screens and more user-friendly buttons. Technological forces are constantly changing, and a good marketer would be able to foresee what kinds of functions people might want in their phones. Marketers might want to research about what form of entertainment is capturing people and cater to these needs. Sony Ericsson realised that music was slowly becoming an integral part of people’s lives, no matter what age and produced the walkman phone series which was highly popular. The path to success and its maintenance depends very much on a phone marketer’s resellers and suppliers, hence phone marketers should engage in tie-ups with them both. A phone marketer’s resellers normally consist of telecommunications companies.  Marketers can offer to sell their phones at a lower price to these companies, and in exchange, persuade them to offer more attractive or cheaper line subscription packages when customers purchase the phones of the marketers’. Marketers should constantly source for more efficient and cheaper suppliers and sign a long-term contract with them. Marketers might also want to consider suppliers based in China or India, as labour in such countries is known to be one of the cheapest, yet efficient, in the world. Lastly, marketers should always keep an eye out for competition and continually check on other phone marketers’ strategies and phone pricing. Marketers should also be aware that competition not only lies with other phone marketers, but in any company that has to do with providing entertainment or convenience to people. For example, Apple is not a phone manufacturer, but it is beginning to slowly capture the phone market due to its iPhone. Phone marketers might want to produce phones which have the capability to rival such phones, or if they are unable to do so run a major advertisement campaign to promote their phones against other rival phones, so as to hopefully mould the public’s thinking into their liking. Alternatively, phone marketers can also liaise with major entertainment companies like Apple or Creative to work together to produce quality phones or gadgets to capture a major share of the phone market.

Performance Evaluation Using Accounting Information

What is performance evaluation? o Performance evaluations are formal review processes designed to encourage the informal day-to-day practice of performance management, while providing a framework in support of merit pay adjustments, promotion and employment decisions. Evaluating staff performance and helping employees develop their skills are important duties associated with performance management. Performance management begins with supervisors and employees collaboratively setting goals and standards, clearly communicating performance expectations and evaluating the results during the performance evaluation process. o A performance appraisal is a systematic and periodic process that assesses an individual employee’s job performance and productivity in relation to certain pre-established criteria and organizational objectives. o o Performance evaluation tools are quantitatively and qualitatively based. They utilize a scoring system that assesses numerical data relative to prod uctivity, as well as characteristic data that measures the quality of the employee's work.The indicators on performance evaluations include items such as business ethics, innovation, motivation, job knowledge, skills and expertise, communication, teamwork, work quality, professionalism, task management and project completion. Benefits of performance evaluation: †¢ Facilitation of communication: communication in organizations is considered an essential function of worker motivation. It has been proposed that feedback from performance evaluation aid in minimizing employees’ perceptions of uncertainty.Fundamentally, feedback and management-employee communication can serve as a guide in job performance. †¢ Enhancement of employee focus through promoting trust: behaviors, thoughts, and/or issues may distract employees from their work, and trust issues may be among these distracting factors. Such factors that consume psychological energy can lower job performance and caus e workers to lose sight of organizational goals. Properly constructed and utilized performance evaluation has the ability to lower distracting factors and encourage trust within the organization. Goal setting and desired performance reinforcement: organizations find it efficient to match individual worker’s goals and performance with organizational goals. Performance evaluation provides room for discussion in the collaboration of these individual and organizational goals. Collaboration can also be advantageous by resulting in employee acceptance and satisfaction of appraisal results. †¢ Performance improvement: well constructed performance evaluation can be valuable tools for communication with employees as pertaining to how their job performance stands with organizational expectations. At the organizational level, numerous studies have reported positive relationships between human resource management (HRM) practices and performance improvement at both the individual and organizational levels. †¢ Determination of training needs: â€Å"Employee training and development are crucial components in helping an organization achieve strategic initiatives†. It has been argued that for performance to truly be effective, post-appraisal opportunities for training and development in problem areas, as determined by the appraisal, must be offered. Performance can especially be instrumental for identifying training needs of new employees.Finally, performance can help in the establishment and supervision of employees’ career goals. The Role of Accounting Information in Performance evaluation Accounting information consists of all data that a company records from operating activities and reports to the public at the end of a month or quarter. Accounting information is important for investors, analysts and regulators, management, employees, creditor and debtor. This information is also critical for a firm's management because it provides insight in to the company's financial robustness and profitability in the short and long terms.Accounting data frequently is used in performance evaluations, because it is seen as an objective method to evaluate performance. While there are many advantages to using accounting information for this purpose, small-business owners should be careful to understand that there are drawbacks as well. Knowing the pros and cons of using accounting metrics can help business owners choose the right data to use for evaluating employee performance. Budget to Actual Many businesses expect employees to achieve budget targets as part of their overall performance.While the specifics requirements of each employee differ with the position and nature of the company, it is common for employees to be expected to sell a certain number of items, control costs versus a budgeted amount or reduce waste compared with a benchmark. A potential downfall of using budget information for performance evaluation is that employees may be so concerned with making budget targets that they may do so at the cost of other parts of the business. Sales Growth Sales employees and business management frequently are evaluated on the basis of sales growth.Sales growth usually is calculated as the percentage that sales have increased over the prior year. While this metric is commonly used to gauge performance, it does not come without drawbacks. If the general economy changes from year to year, then sales may naturally be increasing or decreasing. For example, if the economy is in decline, then employees may be modeling the correct behaviors, but sales may still be slow. In contrast, if the economy is growing, employees may be receiving the benefits of increasing sales while developing habits that will keep this sales growth from being sustainable in the future.Net Profit In many small businesses, net profit is used as a performance benchmark for the company's manager. Condensing the operations of a business into its sim plest form, net profit measures the amount of profit left after deducting expenses. While profit is important to businesses, focus on profit can have adverse effects on the company in the long term. For example, cutting advertising expenses will grow net profit in the short-term, but in the long-term, potential customers may not know about the company's products. Expense ReductionFor employees in charge of spending, it is common to evaluate performance based upon cost reduction. This can be a useful metric, as each dollar of expense saved translates into a dollar of profit. However, caution must be exercised, because this performance metric does not account for differences in quality. For example, if a purchasing manager is evaluating on reducing the expense of purchased metal for production, he could be rewarded for buying cheaper substandard material. As such, small-business owners should be cautious when using this metric in isolation. Profitability Analysis: Management analyzes profitability by reviewing the statement of profit and loss, also known as statement of income. This statement indicates a company's revenue and expense items. Profit Margin Profit margin measures a company's business performance over a quarter or month and equals net income divided by total revenue. Return on Equity o Return on equity provides an assessment of profitability on owners' capital and equals net income divided by shareholders' equity. Working Capital Working capital is a gauge of a firm's cash availability in the next 12 months and equals current assets minus current liabilitiesBudgeting o A budget helps a business know where money comes in and where it goes out. With accurate accounting, a business owner can make decisions to cut back in certain budget areas to improve the profit potential of the business. Without accounting data, the company would be forced to guess how much money should be allotted to each department or line item. A budget that is updated quarterly g ives a clear picture of where the business stands financially so that smart money management decisions can be made. Investor Relations A public company has a responsibility to report the company's financial standing to stockholders. The accounting department of the business creates a public report for investors with the intent of disclosing all financial data. Good accounting practices helps investors trust the management team as they know exactly the points of financial strength and weakness of their investment. A company that does not maintain accounting information would be in danger of lawsuits, claims of fraud and lose access to relationships that provide capital necessary to running the business.Employee Retention Providing employees with accounting information helps them to make responsible decisions regarding their futures. A business that does not disclose or maintain accurate accounting information would gradually lose credibility with its employees. Employees with retirem ent accounts managed by their employers rely on the financial stability of companies to ensure their employers follow through Planning o Before most businesses even start operations, some level of planning is done to determine the level of success that can be achieved from operations.Businesses will examine current economic trends like consumer demand, market size, and number of competitors. This analysis helps companies determine which industry best suits their goods and services and then focuses on planning for the necessary plants and equipment needed to create successful business operations. Management Decisions o Once a business starts producing goods and services, executive managers must review each level of the company to ensure that each department is functioning at its peak.Some departments may need to be overhauled to re-create a competitive environment that produces high-quality goods and services. Additionally, management will use accounting information to decide if thei r company could improve operations by purchasing a competitor or enter a new market with their existing production facilities. Profitability o The biggest need for accounting information is to determine overall profitability. Sales, costs of manufacturing, inventory, and expenses are all recorded and presented to company management so the company's profit levels can be determined.Financial statements like the balance sheet or statement of cash flows may also be prepared so executive management can assess the value of the company and the cash-generating functions of business operations. Investing o Once companies have a solid understanding of their profitability, they begin to make decisions on investing their cash and retained income from business operations. Executive management will decide what amount of cash should be reinvested into the business and what amount should be invested in interest-bearing securities.Companies will use these securities investments to generate cash outs ide business operations, giving them higher cash flows. Accountants must track these investments to ensure that the company does not take on too much investment risk. Performance Analysis o After the financial transactions of a company are properly recorded and presented in financial statements, accountants will review the information to determine the strength of business operations. Accountants use financial ratios to break down the financial statements and compare them to the industry or competitors.This analysis will help management find weak areas in the company and help allow them to find solutions for strengthening these operations. Accounting Performance Measurement Tools Budgets o Budgeting initiatives help department heads discuss steps to limit the decision-making authority of specific personnel. These include employees running inefficient operations or segment chiefs unable to whittle away at runaway budget deficits. Top leadership may not strip ineffective segment leader s of their operating prerogatives, but budgeting certainly limits how much they can spend.A budget is a list of planned expenses and revenues, a plan that organizations use to spend and save. 2. Pro Forma Statements o Pro forma or projection-based, accounting reports rely on hypothetical data to illustrate how a firm's operations may fare under specific scenarios. These include â€Å"best,† â€Å"average† and â€Å"worst†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ with these concepts indicating the state of the economy or conditions in the company's competitive landscape, among other factors. For example, worst-case-scenario pro forma statements show whether a business could generate enough revenues to sustain itself if economic conditions deteriorate. . Accounting Reports o Management accountants and corporate leaders use accounting reports to measure operating performance. By doing so, they help prevent the dismal financial situation that arises when a firm consistently posts negative numbers. Department heads rely on accounting statements to determine operating weaknesses and prescribe the right medicine to fix ineffective mechanisms. The most important accounting statements are balance sheets, income statements, cash-flow reports and equity statements. Balance heets are also called statements of financial position or statements of financial condition. 4. Financial Ratios o Corporate executives and business-unit chiefs analyze financial ratios to determine processes to tear up and those to keep or expand. Inefficient processes may drive away profit opportunities and jobs, especially if a company must shed its workforce to maintain solvency. Management accounting metrics include net profit margin and return on equity. ROE equals net profit divided by shareholders' equity. Net profit margin equals net income divided by total sales. 5. Technological Tools Organizations rely on various tools to tackle the often thorny issues of management accounting, performance monitoring a nd regulatory compliance. In the modern era, computer systems play a key role in the way firms record and analyze accounting data. Tools used to evaluate management accounting performance include financial analysis software, project management applications and enterprise resource planning programs. Other tools include industrial control software, calendar and scheduling programs, mainframe computers and computer-aided manufacturing applications. 6. Gap AnalysisA gap analysis is a useful method of measuring performance when there are already fixed performance standards. For example, you may have a goal of producing a certain number of units per month. This could be a performance standard. A gap analysis starts with the established performance measure. After looking at the established performance measure, a manager assesses the current performance level. Finally, the manager will calculate the difference between the performance standard and the actual standard. This provides the gap, which is an indication of how close a company has come to its performance standards.The smaller the gap, the better the company's performance. An advantage of this performance measure is that it provides an indication of what needs to be overcome in order to achieve the desired level of performance. LIMITATIONS OF ACCOUNTING INFORMATION IN PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (i)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accounting information is in terms of money. Accounting provides information on events and transactions that are of financial nature or can be expressed in terms of monetary unit. It does not give information in quantity or size terms of in qualitative matters like usefulness or efficient.Non-monetary events or transactions are completely ignored however important these may be. (ii)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accounting information is expressed in monetary terms and it is assumed that a monetary unit is stable overtime. This is not true at all with the result that the impact of price level changes is not taken into consider ation. The assets remain undervalued in many cases especially land and building. The direct outcome of this practice is that balance sheet figures of assets are not helpful in measuring the true financial positions of the enterprise. iii)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accountancy is as yet a inexact science and depends sometimes on a number of estimates, personal judgment etc. Estimates are inherently inaccurate and personal judgments introduce bias in the accounting information. It is not possible to predict with any degree of accuracy the actual useful life of an asset which is done for calculating the depreciation charge. The same is true about provision for doubtful debts. (iv)  Accounting information cannot be used as only test of managerial performance. The focus of the financial information is on profit or income which is only ne small aspect of the annual story of business. Profits for a period of one year can readily be manipulated by suppressing such costs as advertisements, research and development, depreciation and so on. (v)  Ã‚  Accounting information is not neutral or unbiased. Accountants measure income as conventionally defined: revenues less expenses. But accountants consider only selected revenues and expenses. They fail to give recognition to the benefits received by their efforts to clean up the environment, improve community welfare and introduce safety measures for the workers. vi)  Accounting like other disciplines has to follow certain principles which in some cases are contradictory. Current assets are valued on the basis of cost or market price whichever is less following the principle of conservatism. Accordingly the current assets may be valued on cost basis in some year and at market price in another year. In this manner, the rule of consistency is openly violated. (VII) The historical perspective of financial accounting: In order to obtain a recent estimate of an entity’s financial performance, the corporate managers carefully scrutin ize financial accounting information.In retrospect, this information is based on past performance. The information does provide clarity on the monetary issues but does not provide a definite insight into the strategic future; as the future holds various changes in terms of technology, economic situations as well as political scenarios etc. Such factors in relation to accounting are unpredictable. Therefore, a careful balance between historical accounting as well as the future forecasted outlook is required. (VIII).Inability to reflect the true value of strategic management: Various factors such as goodwill and natural circumstances influence the operations of an enterprise; however, these elements are difficult to measure thus, leading to their unavoidable exclusion from financial reports. For example companies depend upon their shareholders, who in turn depend on the performance of the Chief Executive Officers. Although the CEOs may have been hired by the company based upon prior p erformance, their future performances are not reliably measurable as they may continually vary.In the initial stages, it may be impossible to measure whether the CEO’s presence will deter or appeal to the shareholders, which in turn will influence the profitability of the enterprise. (VIX). Measuring Volatility of external factors: Financial accounting information does not take into consideration volatile and ever increasing changes in the natural and commercial environment. Although scarcely measurable in monetary terms, their unstable nature may have adverse effects if included within the financial reports and have a volatile and cosmetic impact upon the earnings of the firm.For example, tariffs on trade, duties and other environmental issues can have significant short-term volatile effects on the organization Conclusively, In order to obtain a recent estimate of an entity’s financial performance, the corporate managers carefully scrutinize financial accounting infor mation. In retrospect, this information is based on past performance. The information does provide clarity on the monetary issues but does not provide a definite insight into the strategic future; as the future holds various changes in terms of technology, economic situations as well as political scenarios etc.Such factors in relation to accounting are unpredictable. Therefore, a careful balance between historical accounting as well as the future forecasted outlook is required. References: El-Shishimi, H. and Drury C. (2001) : Divisional Performance Measuring in UK companies, paper presented to the annual Congress of the European Accounting Association, Athens Esptein, M and Ray, M. J (1997):Eniromental Management to improve corporate profitability, Journal of cost management , November-December, pp 26-34 Kaplan R. S and Norton D.P (2001) â€Å" Transforming the balance scorecard from performance measurement to strategic management : part 2’, Accounting Horizons March, pp87 Kaplan, S. E. , and J. T. Mackey. 1992. An Examination of the association between organizational design factors and the use of accounting information for managerial performance evaluation. Journal of Management Accounting Research (4): 116-130. BABCOCK UNIVERSITY, ILISAN, OGUN STATE Performance Evaluation uses accounting information, limitation reconsidered Emerging issues Assignment BY ADEYEMI EBENEZER ADESUJI MATRIC NO NS/4270

Nutrition and Childhood Obesity

There is a lot of talk these days about childhood obesity and why it seems that today's children are more overweight than the previous generations. The fact of the matter is that we live in time where things are constantly changing such as our jobs, the way we spend our time, and the way that we look. Obesity has been a major issue for many years in the United States. Children as well as adults suffer from obesity and the rates are increasing every year. Obesity can be a result of heredity, overeating, psychological disorders, other medical conditions, etc. but no matter what the cause is, it can lead to other problems. One out of five children in American schools are obese due to poor school lunch, fast food restaurants, and sedatary lifestyle without exercise and lack of parental involvement. Adult and childhood obesity have increased substantially in the last 30 years. Currently, 31% of adults and 18% of children are obese, as defined by their body mass index (BMI). One of the mai n factor that is causing obesity in children, is the quality of food in our school systems.School cafeterias are serving canned foods with high sugar content, fried chicken nuggets and soda machines in the hallway. The meals that are currently available to our children are not healthy enough to eat. . The school cafeteria are feeding children food that has high amount of fat and carbohydrate content, not to mention the vending machines that are stocked with potato chips,candy,soda and baked goods that are loaded with high calories and sodium. The children need full course nutritious meals to help them function in class and keep their energy levels high.In order for our children to make healthier choices, the products in the vending machine should be replaced with snacks such as fruit, crackers, raisins and yogurt which are all healthy alternative. What I also see as a major contributor to obesity in children and adults is Fast Food Restaurants. Today people are so busy and they just aren't taking the â€Å"time† that's needed to prepare a healthy dinner. People are constantly on the go, and find it very convenient to pick up a Whopper at Burger King or a Hot Dog from Sonic. The Fast Food Restaurants are a billion dollar industry and a quick fix for people on the go.The convenience of the fast food industry allows working people to gather food for their family, when they are in a time crunch. The people view this as a time saver, but in reality, they are harming themselves and their family by not cooking healthy meals. The calories and high fat content in fast-food helps American to gain weight faster, also leads to health problems that include heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stroke to avoid these problems as American we need to stop eating out and try to prepare healthy meals at home with organic food or regular food like in previous times.In my opinion they need to replace some of these restaurants with healthy organ ic restaurants around the world to eliminate some of this epidemic in obesity to keep Americans living longer. Another reason that our children are obese is that our children tend to stay inside and play video games and watch television for hours on end, rather than stepping outside and having fun or exercising. In many schools throughout the United States, there has been a decrease in the amount of free play or physical activity that children receive during school hours.Only about one-third of elementary children have daily physical education, and less than one-fifth have extracurricular physical activity programs at their schools. In order to live a well-rounded healthy lifestyle physical activity should be incorporated into a child’s daily activities. Exercise helps children build strong bones and muscle and helps fight against obesity. Parental involvement in the prevention of childhood obesity is very important.The problem is that many parents don't fully understand the problem themselves nor have a good understanding of what it takes to start your child off right with a healthy life. Parent involvement is very important in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. The positive influence helps to teach the child healthy behaviors that will help them to make healthy food choices. Teaching your child healthy eating habits is one of the basic and easiest childhood obesity prevention tips.When your child knows the importance of eating proper amounts of food, drinking enough water and then playing well, you won't have to bother about obesity at all. Parent has to become involved by monitoring their children’s eating habits. The parents can prepare healthy meals by eliminating bad fats from their children’s diets. The parents could prepare lunch using meats lean meats and products low in fat and salt like ham, turkey, fish and chicken, while make sure that they are not forcing them to eat too much.Childhood obesity prevention, can start by preparing delicious foods such as French fries, potato skins, pizzas, nachos, desserts, etc. , at home, to keep them from overeating these foods from outside. Kids get tempted to eat junk very easily, and in order to control this, prepare these meals at home so you won't have to bother about junk cravings! Last but not least, we need to address all these programs out-hear that is associated with weight loss; weight is approved for safe weight loss by the food and Drug Administration, weight loss supplement is a joke.Some companies advertise all these weight loss programs that do not work on Americans but getting rich off the poor and wealthy, â€Å"pills and diet plans promising to help shed pounds in days have made the weight loss industry more than $62 Billion a year business. The Doctors knows some of the plans don’t work but they don’t care all they see is a dollar sign in front of their face, as Americans we need to educate our self on what plan works fo r use not what others say.In today society as Americans we need not to listen to some of the Doctor or advertisement, we will be in some much debt about time you realize that you are broke and some of these diet plans didn’t work at all. In my opinion as American we need to do this plan the old fashion way without medication to help use loss weight. (1) Cardio is the key work keep the hearting pumping in-order to loss the weight (2) weight-train help you to get tone and burn fat. (3) Swimming is the best exercise because it works all the muscle (4) Eat six times a day, morning meal, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack

Life Inside Prisons

In recent years increased attention has been paid to the custodial institution in terms of general sociological theory rather than in terms of social problems, notably with reference to aspects of prison life commonly identified in the relevant literature as the â€Å"inmate culture,† the â€Å"prisoner community,† or the â€Å"inmate social system† (Wortley 26). What is life in prison like? Most of the 250 or so million Americans have little idea what life behind bars is all about. Even though some of us may know someone who is doing time, or who works inside prison walls, a realistic picture of prison life is absent for most people.Much of what we think we know is based on television or motion picture depictions of prisons. This system of social relationships – its underlying norms, attitudes, and beliefs – as found in the American prison, and a general but truer portrayal of prison life will be examined in this paper. After summarizing the salien t features of prisoners as presented in the sociological literature of the last two decades, we comment briefly on the major theoretical approach that has been used in discussing prison life. Then we consider a theory of the structure and functioning of the inmate social system, primarily in terms of inmate values.The â€Å"penitentiary† has existed in America since 1790 and the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Wortley 52). Although our country has witnessed numerous reforms since the early nineteenth century, prison as punishment has remained a mainstay of corrections in the United States. State departments of corrections vary considerably in how many facilities they operate, depending primarily on the size of the inmate population but also on the willingness of taxpayers to subsidize additional prisons. They vary as well as to the size, type, and location of those facilities and in the number of staff assigned to each prison.A typical day in prison, then, i s spent trying to keep oneself in line and as busy as allowable (or as chosen to be) in prison. In addition, activities for the day include moving from place to place and being counted and accounted for. Inmates are moved in systematic, orderly, and predictable ways from their housing areas to mess hall, showers, education programs or work assignments, and back again several times, to be counted. The major activity for prisoners is usually a morning (two hours) and an afternoon (two hours) program, such as attending GED classes.Work assignments are usually also considered â€Å"programs† and can involve work as a porter doing maintenance, a cook or kitchen worker, or a clerk of some type, plumbing or electrical work in the prison, or in prison industry work, making license plates or furniture. Some job assignments are better than others, either in terms of pay (ranging from $.15 to $4.00 an hour), the challenge it affords (law clerk versus porter), the housing that accompanie s it (such as honor block for model inmates), or the particular perks that go along with it (working outside in fresh air) (Wortley 45). Other activities to keep inmates busy and out of trouble may include visitation (on set days/hours), recreation, religious services, tutoring, and so on.The routine of prison is occasionally interrupted by disruptions of various sorts and violence. When we think of prison violence we tend to think of riots, but full-scale riots are relatively rare events. For example, there were five riots throughout the over 1,500 state and federal prisons in 1995. Some are planned and instrumental (a means to an end) and controlled by a small group of inmates (such as Attica, New York), while others have been spontaneous, expressive, and deadly (such as Santa Fe, New Mexico).Evidence indicates that incarceration adversely affects some prisoners while others adapt relatively well. Research shows that most inmates, however, cannot escape feeling some impact of impr isonment. While individuals enter prison with a range of coping abilities, those with the most difficulty in adjustment tend to be individuals who have lived a marginal lifestyle prior to prison and those with the least successful experience coping with life. Those inmates most susceptible to coping problems in prison are those who (a) have unstable family, living, work, and/or education histories, (b) are single, young, and male, and (c) have histories of chronic substance abuse or psychological difficulties or who have otherwise had significant problems with other major aspects of life. Individual factors, prison environmental forces, and a history of low-level coping, both inside and outside prison, interact to determine the degree of adaptive or maladaptive responses to the prison experience.Despite the number and diversity of prison populations, observers of such groups have reported only one strikingly pervasive value system. This value system of prisoners commonly takes the f orm of an explicit code, in which brief normative imperatives are held forth as guides for the behavior of the inmate in his relations with fellow prisoners and custodians. The maxims are usually asserted with great vehemence by the inmate population, and violations call forth a diversity of sanctions ranging from ostracism to physical violence.Examination of many descriptions of prison life suggests that the chief tenets of the inmate code can be classified roughly into five major groups:1. There are those maxims that caution: Don't interfere with inmate interests, which center of course in serving the least possible time and enjoying the greatest possible number of pleasures and privileges while in prison. The most inflexible directive in this category is concerned with betrayal of a fellow captive to the institutional officials. In general, no qualification or mitigating circumstance is recognized; and no grievance against another inmate – even though it is justified in th e eyes of the inmate population – is to be taken to officials for settlement. Other specifics include: Don't be nosey; don't have a loose lip; keep off a man's back; don't put a guy on the spot. In brief and positively put: Be loyal to your class – the cons. Prisoners must present a unified front against their guards no matter how much this may cost in terms of personal sacrifice.2. There are explicit injunctions to refrain from quarrels or arguments with fellow prisoners: Don't lose your head. Emphasis is placed on the curtailment of affect; emotional frictions are to be minimized and the irritants of daily life ignored. Maxims often heard include: Play it cool and do your own time. There are important distinctions in this category, depending on whether the prisoner has been subjected to legitimate provocation; but in general a definite value is placed on curbing feuds and grudges.3. Prisoners assert that inmates should not take advantage of one another by means of fo rce, fraud, or chicanery: Don't exploit inmates. This sums up several directives: Don't break your word; don't steal from the cons; don't sell favors; don't be a racketeer; don't welsh on debts. More positively, it is argued that inmates should share scarce goods in a balanced reciprocity of â€Å"gifts† or â€Å"favors,† rather than sell to the highest bidder or selfishly monopolize any amenities: Be right.4. There are rules that have as their central theme the maintenance of self: Don't weaken. Dignity and the ability to withstand frustration or threatening situations without complaining or resorting to subservience are widely acclaimed. The prisoner should be able to â€Å"take it† and to maintain his integrity in the face of privation. When confronted with wrongfully aggressive behavior, whether of inmates or officials, the prisoner should show courage. Although starting a fight runs counter to the inmate code, retreating from a fight started by someone else is equally reprehensible. Some of these maxims are: Don't whine; don't cop out (cry guilty); don't such around. Prescriptively put: Be tough; be a man.5. Prisoners express a variety of maxims that forbid according prestige or respect to the custodians or the world for which they stand: Don't be a sucker. Guards are hacks or screws and are to be treated with constant suspicion and distrust. In any situation of conflict between officials and prisoners, the former are automatically to be considered in the wrong. Furthermore, inmates should not allow themselves to become committed to the values of hard work and submission to duly constituted authority – values prescribed (if not followed) by screws – for thus an inmate would become a sucker in a world where the law-abiding are usually hypocrites and the true path to success lies in forming a â€Å"connection.† The positive maxim is: Be sharp.In the literature on the mores of imprisoned criminals there is no claim t hat these values are asserted with equal intensity by every member of a prison population; all social systems exhibit disagreements and differing emphases with respect to the values publicly professed by their members (Wortley 37). But observers of the prison are largely agreed that the inmate code is outstanding both for the passion with which it is propounded and the almost universal allegiance verbally accorded it.In the light of this inmate code or system of inmate norms, we can begin to understand the patterns of inmate behavior so frequently reported; for conformity to, or deviation from, the inmate code is the major basis for classifying and describing the social structures of prisoners. Social groups are apt to characterize individuals in terms of crucial â€Å"axes of life† (lines of interests, problems, and concerns faced by the groups) and then to attach distinctive names to the resulting roles or types. This process may be discerned in the society of prisoners and its argot for the patterns of behavior or social roles exhibited by inmates; and in these roles the outlines of the prison community as a system of action may be seen.An inmate who violates the norm proscribing the betrayal of a fellow prisoner is labeled â€Å"a rat† or â€Å"a squealer† in the vocabulary of the inmate world, and his deviance elicits universal scorn and hatred. Prisoners who exhibit highly aggressive behavior, who quarrel easily and fight without cause, are often referred to as â€Å"toughs†. The individual who uses violence deliberately as a means to gain his ends is called â€Å"a gorilla†; a prisoner so designated is one who has established a satrapy based on coercion in clear contravention of the rule against exploitation by force.The term â€Å"merchant†, or â€Å"peddler†, is applied to the inmate who exploits his fellow captives not by force but by manipulation and trickery, and who typically sells or trades goods t hat are in short supply. If a prisoner shows himself unable to withstand the general rigors of existence in the custodial institution, he may be referred to as a weakling or â€Å"a weak sister†. If, more specifically, an inmate is unable to endure prolonged deprivation of heterosexual relationships and consequently enters into a homosexual liaison, he will be labeled â€Å"a wolf† or â€Å"a fag†, depending on whether his role is an active or a passive one.A â€Å"right guy† is always loyal to his fellow prisoners. He never lets you down no matter how rough things get. He keeps his promises; he's dependable and trustworthy. He isn't nosey about your business and doesn't shoot off his mouth about his own. He doesn't act stuck-up, but he doesn't fall all over himself to make friends either – he has a certain dignity. The right guy never interferes with other inmates who are conniving against the officials.From the studies describing the life of men in prison, two major facts emerge: (1) Inmates give strong verbal support to a system of values that has group cohesion or inmate solidarity as its basic theme. Directly or indirectly, prisoners uphold the ideal of a system of social interaction in which individuals are bound together by ties of mutual aid, loyalty, affection, and respect, and are united firmly in their opposition to the enemy out-group.The man who exemplifies this ideal is accorded high prestige. The opposite of a cohesive inmate social system – a state in which each individual seeks his own advantage without reference to the claims of solidarity – is vociferously condemned. (2) The actual behavior of prisoners ranges from full adherence to the norms of the inmate world to deviance of various types. These behavioral patterns, recognized and labeled by prisoners in the pungent argot of the dispossessed, form a collection of social roles which, with their interrelationships, constitute the inmate social system.Works CitedWortley, Richard. Situational Prison Control: Crime Prevention in Correctional Institutions. Cambridge University Press, 2002.

Introduction to Organisations and Management Essay - 4

Introduction to Organisations and Management - Essay Example The concern also recognizes the presence of a union body which cares for both the administrative and operation staff. (Anglia Ruskin University, 2011).On the contrary H&M is a consultancy operating on a global framework with a huge presence in over 120 nations. The concern unlike Watsons Engine also operates based on a huge staff base of around 13,000 people. This global consulting company earns the pride of employing people reflecting specialised skills in different sectors pertaining to different infrastructural categories. H&M operating in an international scale has a large number of customers both belonging to the private and public sector. The company has a very strong and motivated organisational work culture which helps in catering to the changing needs of a diversified customer base. (Anglia Ruskin University, 2011). Organisation/structure The entire organisation is divided along separate tiers in which the total organisational task is properly divided or allocated. These org anisational layers are rendered access to the existing level of organisational resources and different levels of responsibilities are duly entrusted to fulfil the allocated tasks based on the given resources. Structural levels within the organisation are represented in the form of pyramids to reflect the flow of authority and responsibility among the stated quarters. Depending on the needs of the organization the organizational structures are uniquely fashioned like simple, functional, divisional and matrix. Organisation functioning on direct owner-employee relationship with less people is based on the simpler structure. Functional and Divisional structure focuses on creation of departments based on work specialisation. Matrix structure enhances the work specialisation concept by delegating the specialisation units under separate business heads. (Strategic Management, 2009; Murphy & Willmott, 2010, p.94). In regards to the above discussion the organisational structure of Watsons Eng ine is found to be more inclined to a more conservative sphere with less focus on innovation. Organisational structures practiced at Watsons Engine being highly dependent on hierarchical system reflect less amount of flexibility to the changes in the external environment. Furthermore the increased dependence on hierarchical system has also reduced the level of transparency in the organisation. This reduction in transparency in turn has contributed to the reduction of the productivity parameter of the employees. Flow of organisational communication in Watsons Engine generally flow from higher to lower levels of organisational hierarchy and hence also affects the motivation of the employees. Watsons Engine’s enhanced dependence on obsolete hierarchical systems only contributed in obstructing the productivity growth of the employees. On the other hand, H&M functions depending on the matrix organisation. The organisation functioning depending on the matrix organisational framewor k helps in performing complex sets of functions in an integrated and highly specialise environment. Working in an integrated framework helps the organisation to make optimum utilisation of technological and human resources. Further the organisation working

Imapct of Androids and Smart Phones on the Apple I Phone Market Essay

Imapct of Androids and Smart Phones on the Apple I Phone Market - Essay Example The paper will discuss both the positive and negative impacts in respect of the topic. Proper researched material from the internet will be used to complete this paper to satisfaction. This discussion stresses that for the longest time apple has been dominating the smart phone market. This is because of the quality and fair prices that they offer. Apple has a brand of phones that is very popular. The iPhone is an intelligent phone. Every phone that has been produced, in this category of iPhone has not failed to impress. The features of this phone make it no one of the smart phone category. After androids and other smart phones were introduced into the market, there has been radical change in preference when it comes to smart phones. This is because some of the android operated phones are cheaper and offer a wide range of functions. In addition, android allows for installation of more programs than the iPhone. The popular phones from iPhone include, iphone3g, 3gs and the iPhone 4, 4s. Any cell networks support all these phones. You cannot put a number to the types of android and smart phones out there. This is because Android is an operating system belonging to the Linux family and can be used on most phones. Other smart phones can use different platforms like Symbian and windows. Because of this, more smart phones can be offered in the market at a reasonable price. This has impacted the iPhone market in many different ways. ... You cannot put a number to the types of android and smart phones out there. This is because Android is an operating system belonging to the Linux family and can be used on most phones. Other smart phones can use different platforms like Symbian and windows. Because of this, more smart phones can be offered in the market at a reasonable price (Moulton 2013). This has impacted the iPhone market in many different ways. The iPhone market has gone down drastically. Some of these impacts are affecting the IPhone market positively and others are negatively. 4.2 Literature Review When it comes to smart phones, so many reviews and articles have been written about the impact that new types and android phones have brought to the smart phone market. Talks about how these phones have dislodged giants in the market are all over the market. Some will talk about the negative effects that these phones have brought to the market while others will talk about the positives that they have brought to the market. Smart phones are solely responsible for 55% of sales from all mobile phones. Out of all sales of smart phones, android takes 82%, windows 3.6% (Mcglaun 2013). Although the iPhone is trying, it cannot be compared with android. This is one of the negative impacts, which androids and other Smartphones have on the iPhone. iPhone is making a comeback with the iPhone 5c and 5cs (Mcglaun 2013). This is a positive impact that androids and Smartphones have on iPhone because the competition is bringing out the best in iPhone. 5.1 Methodology The method that has been used to research this paper is deductive reasoning. This is where several questions are formulated to give direction on how to write the paper. These questions are answered by