International Law and Institutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Law and Institutions - Essay Example The Security Council has primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security. Since the 1990s not only has the Security Council agreed to authorize humanitarian intervention, there have also been interventions without authorization from the Security Council such as the intervention in Northern Iraq, Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Haiti, Yugoslavia/Kosovo and East Timor. These latter interventions have arisen as a result of a perception of the Security Council’s failure to act or ineffective action where there has been concern about the severe deprivation of human rights. For example, the failure of the UN to broker political peace in Somalia led to the US Operation Restore Hope in 1992, which for the first time in American history, saw American troops committed to a military operation for a cause completely unrelated to protecting their national interest. The operation’s goal was to open supply routes for food relief efforts and prepare the way for a UN peacekeeping force to preserve the security of these routes. The challenge, it seems, must be to leave open the option for humanitarian intervention in extreme cases of human suffering, where the reasons for action seem morally imperative and politically sound but the Security Council is unable to act, while at the same time to avoid jeopardising in a fundamental way the existing, hard-earned, international legal order, including the central role of the Security Council.  Ã‚  ... must be to leave open the option for humanitarian intervention in extreme cases of human suffering, where the reasons for action seem morally imperative and politically sound but the Security Council is unable to act, while at the same time to avoid jeopardising in a fundamental way the existing, hard-earned, international legal order, including the central role of the Security Council.1 The Security Council is bound by the Charter. However as the US has cogently argued the Charter is too narrow. It envisaged only those situations where a state might call on the help of the international community or where international peace was threatened. It did not take into account the situations observed since then in the killing fields of Cambodia, Rwanda and Srebrenica. In 2004, 10 years after the genocide in Rwanda, the Canadian Foreign Minister, Bill Graham was reported by the BBC to have said: We lack the political will to achieve the necessary agreement on how to put in place the type of measures that will prevent a future Rwanda from happening2 Although the primary responsibility lies with the state, where a population is suffering serious harm, as a result of internal war, insurgency, repression or state failure, and the state in question is unwilling or unable to halt or avert it, the principle of non-intervention should lead to a larger principle, that of the international responsibility to protect3. There are essentially 2 criticisms of the UN: its relevance and its structure. As can be seen from the US ignoring the UN over Iraq and the UN's admission of failing to act in time to the obvious threat in Rwanda, there are many reasons for questioning its relevance. Its structure goes back to 1945 where the victorious powers of World War II decided to stamp their

Traditional Budgetting Essay Example for Free

Traditional Budgetting Essay Essay: â€Å"Traditional budgeting is counterproductive in today’s fast paced and highly competitive environment. Instead of tinkering with current budgeting systems, managers would be better off abandoning budgeting altogether – that is, companies should move beyond budgeting.† Discuss Introduction In the worsening economic conditions we live in today the question of the efficiency of budgets is constantly being discussed. â€Å"The usefulness of budgets has generated much recent discussion and debate. Though budgets are useful for coordination, communication, and performance evaluation, many people consider them the cause of gaming and earnings manipulation by managers, time-consuming and costly to develop, and a barrier to change. †(Murray-Lindsay and Libby, 2007) Van Mourik (2006) states, â€Å"Research suggests that 80% of companies are dissatisfied with their planning and budgeting processes and it has been estimated that these processes use up to 20% of all management time.† Research completed by Schmidt (1992) states, â€Å"In a study of 10 large energy, transportation and banking companies, we found that, on average, the equivalent of 5% of all staff employees were devoted full-time to budgeting activities. At one of these companies, which has a staff-support team of 3,000 employees, 160 employees devote time to aspect of budgeting. â€Å"Total budgetary costs in this company â€Å"may exceed $20 million a year†. I believe if a company is investing this much time and money in the process they should trust it whole heartedly but alas even a company with that much committed to the process are voicing their concerns at the process. Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, is attributed as saying, â€Å"the budget is the bane of corporate America.† (Daum, 2002) There are those that plump for the abolishing of budgets altogether, â€Å"Budgeting, as most corporations practice it, should be abolished. That may sound like a radical proposition, but it would be merely the culmination of long-running efforts to transform organizations from centralized hierarchies into devolved networks that allow for nimble adjustments to market conditions.† (Fraser and Hope, 2003) On the other side of the argument lie those who will openly agree that that the current budgeting techniques are not without their faults but they argue for the adaption of current techniques for the improvement of the company as a whole. â€Å"In recent times, headlines have appeared whose controversial nature have gained attention, for example ‘beyond budgeting’ and ‘who needs budgets?’ (Hope and Fraser, 1997, 2000) and which might have great emotional appeal to managers. As we shall see, less controversial and arguably, more appropriate, alternative headlines could be ‘time to change the nature of our budgets’ and ‘time to change how we use budgets’. (Van Mourik, 2006) In this paper I will outline: 1. The problems with current budgeting. 2. The arguments for abandoning budgets altogether. 3. The adaption of current budgeting techniques. 4. Give my thoughts on which is the best way forward for modern day budgeting. Criticisms of Budgeting Budgets as they stand currently are laden with criticisms. â€Å"Our study indicates that the budget process is obsolete given today’s economy, resulting in documents that are time-consuming to produce, of little predictive value, subject to gamesmanship and, quite frankly, out of date by the time they’re implemented.† (Doucet, 2002) â€Å"The budgeting process can often be bureaucratic and expensive, budgeting can fail to meet the needs of managers in competitive environments and budget systems can lead to managerial ‘gaming’ of the numbers.† (Lyne, 2004) â€Å"Budgeting seems almost totally divorced from the company’s overall strategic direction.† (Bourne, 2004) I feel that a document that is intended to help the company as a whole should at the very least be aligned with the company’s strategic goals. â€Å"Good budgeting comes down to trust, integrity and transparency.† (Jackson and Starovic, 2004) It can be argued that modern day budgets have none of these attributes. Management all seem to be in agreement that there are too many issues with budgets to make them worthwhile. According to Morlidge (2005), â€Å"Energy is focused inwards and not outwards. On negotiating targets, rather than on beating the competition. On sticking to ‘plans’, rather than responding to opportunities.† From my research I think Morlidge’s argument is very apt. Organisations are becoming more about beating the budget rather than making profits and beating the competitor. An example is cited in Jensen (2001) where, â€Å"The managers of one durable-goods manufacturer, struggling to make their minimum bonus hurdles, announced late one year that they would be raising the prices 10% across the board on January 2. The managers made the price hikes because they wanted to encourage customers to place orders by year-end so they could hit their annual sales goals. But the price increase was out of line with the competition and undoubtedly ended up costing the company sales and market share.† Budget makers should think to themselves how would they react faced with these goals? It promotes self interest over the best interests of the company, basic agency theory. This example leads me to believe that the tieing of budgets to performance evaluation encourages questionable and sometimes illegal behaviour in companies. This behaviour, â€Å"in most corporate cultures has become expected of responsible managers and board members.† (Jensen, 2003) Personally I feel that performance evaluation being tied to budgetary goals is not in the best interest of a company. If a company’s strategic goal is to develop its market share and boost profits then a budget should support these goals not openly conflict with them. â€Å"Budgets are created by looking back, when leaders should be looking forward. â€Å" (Ewing, 2006) Modern budgets encourage compliance and not enterprise. The same problems came up again and again in my research and gamesmanship seems to be at the heart of all that is wrong with budgeting. If management are to persist with budgeting I feel it is essential to remove the link between performance evaluation and remuneration. Abandoning Budgeting The Beyond Budgeting Round Table has stated, â€Å"the only way the inherent contradictions of the budgeting process can be resolved is by scrapping it altogether. It goes on to cite a number of companies that have ‘broken free from the shackles of budgeting and its culture of gaming and misinformation’.† (Bunce, 2004) Is abandoning the budgetary process really the way forward? Companies such as â€Å"Svenska Handelsbanken, Volvo Cars, IKEA, Borealis, Boots, Ericsson, Diageo, and British cider maker Bulmers† (Fraser and Hope, 2000) (Van Mourik, 2006) would all agree it is. These companies have all abandoned traditional budgeting in recent years and haven’t looked back. Svenska Handelsbanken a large bank in the Scandinavian area abandoned budgeting in the early 1970s. Since their change in philosophy they have outperformed their Scandinavian rivals on nearly every measure. Return on equity, total shareholder return, earnings per share, cost-to-income ratio, and most importantly customer satisfaction. Svenska in the late 1960s was losing customers and underperforming in the banking industry this all changed when they hired a new CEO by the name of Jan Wallander. Wallander only accepted the job on the condition that the bank would dramatically decentralize its operations. Svenska agreed and set in place a project that would change the face of their company. Nowadays the bank has only 3 organization layers – branch managers, regional managers, and the chief executive. This means the spans of control are very wide, stopping micro management. Each branch is free to set prices and discounts and to decide which products they will sell. The company operates its performance evaluation by putting their 11 regions in competition against each other like teams in a league. This competition is healthy for the business as each region is trying to outdo the other it is only in hindsight that they know how well they have performed relative to the other managers. This leads them to focus on maximising profits at all times rather than playing games with the numbers. This drastically differs from a budget where management have no incentive but to reach their preset goals. Beating the competition rather than some negotiated budget goes to the heart of the Handelsbanken model. (Hope and Fraser, 2003) (Gary, 2003) (Daum, 2002) (Cleary, 2012) Another example is Ahlsell, a Swedish wholesaler who abandoned budgeting in 1995. Since abandoning budgeting its main lines of business, electrical products, heating and plumbing have overtaken their Swedish counterparts in profitability. They changed their whole outlook on the budgets after suffering a slowdown in business in the early 1990s. Their organisational structure changed from one central command unit to giving responsibility to a large number of profit centres. Each profit centre competes against each other in the same way Svenska do. Local units have been freed to develop their own approaches in response to local conditions and customer demands. Key Performance Indicators are now used to set goals and impose controls for example the key indicators for the sales units are profit growth, return on sales and market share. These are all then compared against the competition which again incentivises the units to get the best possible result and not just to meet a target. (Hope and Fraser, 2003) (Daum, 2003) (Paludnach, 2003) From the above examples it is evident to me that company’s who are willing to put in the effort can abandon budgets and succeed. The above companies have not only had success but are leading their areas in most performance measures. Modifying Current Budgeting Although the corporate world is aware of the problems associated with budgeting most are set in their ways and feel there is a need for budgeting in all successful companies. â€Å"Companies that do without budgeting systems run the risk of being considered poorly managed.† (Jensen, 2003) The alternative to abandoning budgets completely is adapting the current processes to remove the chinks and have processes that are,†introducing new and more accurate financial models capable of linking budgeting to overall strategy. Research from the Accenture/Cranfield School of Management Study states that there is a correlation between companies modifying their budget processes and stock price performance.† (Doucet, 2002) One such modified budget technique is a Linear Compensation Plan. A linear compensation plan rewards actual performance, independent of budget targets. A manager receives the same bonus for a given level of performance whether the budget goal happens to be set beneath the level or above it. In simpler terms the linear compensation plan rewards people for what they actually do, not for what they do relative to what they say they can do. It removes the incentives to game the system. Managers no longer feel the need to provide inaccurate numbers to the budgetary process in order to low ball their goals. As a result the senior management receives unbiased estimates of what can be accomplished in the future. For lower level management it means they can stop wasting time spent on trying to game the budgetary system and this time can be dedicated to their real job: maximising the performance and value of their businesses. Removing the problems from the compensation system allows the budgeting process to do what it’s intended to do: provide the basis for good business decisions and enable the effective coordination of disparate units. (Jensen, 2001) (Jensen, 2003) Another option detailed in my research was Multidimensional budgeting (MDB). Multidimensional budgeting converts conventional budgets into formats that are more relevant to management. The main difference between a conventional budget and a Multidimensional budget is the conventional budget is broken down into four separate budgets. 1. The activity budget: This discloses how the company spends on specific tasks and the types of resources it devotes to them. It is useful for management as it enables them to look beyond the general ledger and probe the underlying work the organization performs. 2. The product budget: which states that each activity adds some value to a product for either and internal or an external customer. 3. The customer budget: This is created by matching products with their internal or external customers and shows the total spending proposed for each customer or customer service served by the budgeting entities. 4. The strategy budget: Provides a basis for determining whether proposed expenditures are aligned correctly with corporate, business and supporting strategies. By getting an in-depth breakdown of the processes in the company management can get insights into resource effectiveness and enables them to align resources with corporate strategies and customer needs. MDB can transform a company’s profitability and competitive position. (Schmidt, 1992) These new modified budgetary techniques are great in theory but these techniques may not be suitable for all companies. Research compiled by Cranfield School of Management states that leading companies these days are applying budgets that: 1. Have an external focus: what matters at the end of the day is their performance against competitors, not their results against an already out of date budget 2. Explicitly focused on strategy: They know that better financial performance ultimately comes from having and maintaining a competitive advantage 3. Use forecasting models, separate from their financial management system: These models are readily adaptable to changes in the business environment. The company is afforded a higher level of speed and flexibility. 4. Put their efforts into managing future results, not explaining past performance: They realise that endless scrutiny of past results adds little value. Instead they focus on taking actions that really do drive value. (Bourne, 2004) It is clear to me from the above evidence that wholesale changes to current budgetary processes could also be a way forward. The need for budgets in some organizations is evident and this could be a way to please both those who claim the current processes are unworkable and to those that are insistent that the company needs a budget. Conclusion From my research in the area of beyond budgeting I feel it is clear to all that budgeting in its current state is no use to anyone. It is full of legitimate problems whether it is the gaming of the numbers, or the vast amount of time that is going into producing; let’s face it, a nearly worthless document. But what is the way forward? The likes of Svenska Handelsbanken and Ahlsell have shown that organizations can not only function without budgets but can actually go on to thrive. There are then the arguments for adapting the current techniques to deal with the modern day climate. Multi dimensional budgeting and linear compensation plans are just two of the techniques I found in my research and both sound great in theory but not all of these processes will work in every organization. I believe the way forward to be adapting the current budgetary processes and continuing with some form of budgeting. The research that the Cranfield School of Management conducted shows me that companies are realising that budgets need to be adapted and the way they see to improve them is to add the four points listed above. The external focus is very important as evaluating a company against its nearest competitors is a much better fit than meeting predefined budgetary targets that were full of dishonest behaviour to begin with. Professor Andy Neely asserts that, â€Å"Firstly, companies can no longer justify the time and effort they invest in the budgeting process; Secondly, budgets have to be much more responsive, enabling nearly real-time tracking; and thirdly, management must understand that budgets cannot serve both as control and motivational devices. Companies that understand this and act on it are posed to enhance credibility and performance.† (Doucet, 2002) I feel with the adaption of the current techniques that all these criticisms, cited by Professor Neely, can be removed and the budgeting process can help lead a business through the tough current economic climate. I leave you with Miles Ewing’s take on the modern budget, it is very similar to my own outlook on the process. â€Å"Budgeting can be a powerful asset when leaders build in the flexibility that’s needed in this uncertain economy.† Bibliography 1. Bourne, M. (2004), â€Å"Driving Value through strategic planning and budgeting†, Paper presented at Better Budgeting: A report on the better budgeting forum from CIMA and IACEW, July 2004. 2. Bunce, P. (2004), â€Å"The beyond budgeting journey towards adaptive management†, Paper presented at Better Budgeting: A report on the better budgeting forum from CIMA and IACEW, July 2004. 3. Cleary, P. (2012), â€Å"Planning Budgetary Control Systems†, U.C.C Blackboard 4. Daum, J. (2003), Beyond Budgeting on the Move†, Report from the First Annual Beyond Budgeting Summit in London 5. Daum, J. (2002), â€Å"Beyond Budgeting: A Model for Performance Management and Controlling in the 21st Century?†,German Newsletter of Controlling Finance, July 2002. 6. Doucet, K. (2002), â€Å"Companies abandon traditional budgets to boost shareholder value†, CMA Management 2002. 7. Ewing, M. (2010), â€Å"Is it time to Abandon Budgeting?†, Deloitte Debates http://www.deloitte.com/assets/Dcom-UnitedStates/Local%20Assets/Documents/us_consulting_AbandonBudgetingDebate_092111.pdf 8. Fraser, R., Hope, J. (2000), â€Å"Beyond Budgeting†, Strategic Finance, 4,30 9. Fraser, R., Hope, J. (2003), â€Å"Who needs Budgets?†, Harvard Business Review, Feb, Pg 108-115 10. Gary, L. (2003), â€Å"Why budgeting kills your company†, Harvard Management Update, May 11. Jackson, C. , Starovic, D. (2004), â€Å"Debating the traditional role of budgeting in organisations†, Paper presented at Better Budgeting: A report on the better budgeting forum from CIMA and IACEW, July 2004. 12. Jensen, M.C. (2003), â€Å"Paying People to Lie: The Truth about the Budgeting Process†, European Financial Management, 9, 3, 379-406 13. Jensen, M.C. (2001), â€Å"Corporate Budgeting is Broken – Lets fix it†, Harvard Business Review, Nov, 95-101 14. Libby, T., Murray-Lindsay, R. (2007), â€Å"Beyond Budgeting or Better Budgeting ?†,Strategic Finance, 89, 2, Pg 46 15. Lyne, S. (2004), â€Å"Beyond Budgeting or Better Budgeting†, Paper presented at Better Budgeting: A report on the better budgeting forum from CIMA and IACEW, July 2004. 16. Morlidge, S. (2005), â€Å"Life Beyond Budgets? An implementation story- Beyond Budgeting at Unilever†, Beyond Budgeting by

Andrew Johnson :: essays research papers

Directions: Read the material in Henretta's Chapter 15 related to the career and impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Use the documents to answer the question, "Did Reconstruction involve intense political conflict between political parties or political points of view? What were the policy differences underlying the case for impeachment and are they represented in the eleven charges against the President? Why or why not? Read the overview and the eleven primary documents below. Prepare a three page, double-spaced, type-written essay analyzing and using the primary documents to answer the questions. The essay is due Week 2 in class. Articles of Impeachment: Article 1: That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord, 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, unmindful of the high duties of his oath of office and of the requirements of the Constitution, that he should take care that the laws be faithfully executed, did unlawfully, in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States, issue an order in writing for the removal of Edwin M. Stanton from the office of Secretary of the Department of War, said Edwin M. Stanton having been, therefor, duly appointed and commissioned by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States as such Secretary; and said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 12th day of August, in the year of our Lord 1867, and during the recess of said Senate, having suspended by his order Edwin M. Stanton from said office, and within twenty days after the first day of the next meeting of said Senate, on the 12th day of December, in the year last aforesaid, having reported to said Senate such suspension, with the evidence and reasons for his action in the case, and the name of the person designated to perform the duties of such office temporarily, until the next meeting of the Senate, and said Senate therafterwards, on the 13th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1868, having duly considered the evidence and reasons reported by said Andrew Johnson for said suspension, did refuse to concur in said suspension; whereby and by force of the provisions of an act entitled "an act regulating the tenure of civil officer," passed March 2, 1867, said Edwin M. Stanton did forthwith resume the functions of his office, whereof the said Andrew Johnson had then and there notice, and the said Edwin M. Andrew Johnson :: essays research papers Directions: Read the material in Henretta's Chapter 15 related to the career and impeachment of Andrew Johnson. Use the documents to answer the question, "Did Reconstruction involve intense political conflict between political parties or political points of view? What were the policy differences underlying the case for impeachment and are they represented in the eleven charges against the President? Why or why not? Read the overview and the eleven primary documents below. Prepare a three page, double-spaced, type-written essay analyzing and using the primary documents to answer the questions. The essay is due Week 2 in class. Articles of Impeachment: Article 1: That said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 21st day of February, in the year of our Lord, 1868, at Washington, in the District of Columbia, unmindful of the high duties of his oath of office and of the requirements of the Constitution, that he should take care that the laws be faithfully executed, did unlawfully, in violation of the Constitution and laws of the United States, issue an order in writing for the removal of Edwin M. Stanton from the office of Secretary of the Department of War, said Edwin M. Stanton having been, therefor, duly appointed and commissioned by and with the advice and consent of the Senate of the United States as such Secretary; and said Andrew Johnson, President of the United States, on the 12th day of August, in the year of our Lord 1867, and during the recess of said Senate, having suspended by his order Edwin M. Stanton from said office, and within twenty days after the first day of the next meeting of said Senate, on the 12th day of December, in the year last aforesaid, having reported to said Senate such suspension, with the evidence and reasons for his action in the case, and the name of the person designated to perform the duties of such office temporarily, until the next meeting of the Senate, and said Senate therafterwards, on the 13th day of January, in the year of our Lord 1868, having duly considered the evidence and reasons reported by said Andrew Johnson for said suspension, did refuse to concur in said suspension; whereby and by force of the provisions of an act entitled "an act regulating the tenure of civil officer," passed March 2, 1867, said Edwin M. Stanton did forthwith resume the functions of his office, whereof the said Andrew Johnson had then and there notice, and the said Edwin M.

Police Work and Stress Essay

Stress is part of every people’s life. No matter what profession one is practicing and whatever lifestyle an individual is accustomed to, stress is always involved. In particular, police officers embrace stress as part of their profession. The moment they decided to become a police officer, bearing with stress has become inevitable. For one, their main goal, to save people who are in danger and to protect them from harm, is stressful. In effect, they become exposed to danger themselves and face this reality as part of a police officer’s job. They are also not allowed to any kind of violation because they are the ones who impose it. When it comes to police work, stress is expected more than the regular or average jobs. It is given than this profession always put police officer’s life at risk. Stress comes from different sources and comes in various forms. There are direct and indirect factors that imply the involvement of stress in the police profession. It affects not only the life of the police officer but also the life of the people inside and outside the organization—their family, the organization, and their own life and personal identity. Occupational stress is derived from what rank a police officer holds in the organization. Police officers deal with every kind of violence and alarming assignments each day of their lives. However, since they pledged an oath to fulfill their duty to the best of their abilities, they are not thinking much about stress and focus on their service instead. There are times when police officers encounter personal troubles which have a negative implication on them. This time, it cannot be accepted as a normal part of their duty because it is already outside the profession. Dealing with family matter makes police officers lose their focus and fails to do their job properly. On the other hand, their family also experience stress because of the kind of job. Being in the said profession also requires police officers to be available at all times. The working schedule also causes them stress because of rotating shifts and unexpected call of duty. Aside from the aforementioned causes, this paper aims to delve into police-related stress, what causes it, what are the effects, and how it affects their obligations in the field of law enforcement. Defining Stress and Stressors Stress is a disorder that affects an individual’s motivation (Crane, 1996). It bring about pressure not only physically but also mentally. There are two types of stress according to Crane (1996) in his book entitled Psychology of Stress. The first stress type is known as distress. This type of stress is relentless which makes one not capable of adaptation (Crane, 1996). Distress can cause mental disorders, depression, and anxiety if not given proper resolution (Crane, 1996). Another type of stress is the eustress. This stress is accumulated through experiences that cause positive reaction. Unlike distress, this type of stress can improve the function of physical and psychological aspects of an individual through training and work (Crane, 1996). Stress occurs when one experiences pressure and demands which are not compatible to his/her ability to either physically or mentally deal with the situation (Leiter & Masslach, 1988). Conflicts, painful events, limitations, struggles, and lack of control are the common causes of stress (Leiter & Masslach, 1988). It affects the overall functioning of the individual, rendering him or her incapable of thinking and acting normally. It can also cause certain disorders including hypertension, ulcer, insomnia, anxiety attack, and many more. Stress deteriorates the individuals’ over-all health depending on how the person copes with it (Violanti, 1996). Hence, stress generally affects lives as it modifies the ability, mental functioning and behavior of individuals in fulfilling their roles, regardless of the kind of profession that they have (Violanti, 1996). Stressors pertain to the primary causes of stress. They could be an immediate superior, a family member, an event, or a profession (Shirom, 1989). Coping up with stress comes in two ways: reduction or avoidance. A person may either face the situation to put an end to the stress (reduction) or make some sort of escape to experience immediate relief (avoidance) (Shirom, 1989). Everyday, many stressors are faced by individuals that make or break them as a person. Absence of stress is impossible because everyday, new challenges and changes are experienced by everyone. The best way to deal with stress is by coping with it. Thus, it is always better to confront the situation rather than avoiding it (Shirom, 1989). Work Stress As individuals become adults and start working, they have to deal with professional accountability. Work is necessary to support every need and want in life. Most of the time spent by professionals is in their workplaces where they encounter work stress in different forms each day. Usually, stressful situations spring from pressures and demands in their job which are beyond their knowledge and capacity, or from fears and anxieties in accomplishing their tasks. Some of the professions which greatly involve stress due to the nature of job include a fireman, a doctor, and a police officer, among others (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). Stress can be positive and negative for the worker depending on the response of the individual him- or herself and the circumstances. A positive kind of stress usually makes the worker more motivated and focused in accomplishing their duties and responsibilities. On the other hand, negative stress may occur when there are unexpected events that can make them lose composure which, in effect, become detrimental to their performance (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). Police Stress Basically, police stress is the kind of stress experienced in the law enforcement community. This is brought about by direct and indirect factors that are incorporated the nature of the job and the organizational structure of the law enforcement community. As police officers are mainly responsible for protecting and serving the society and its people, they are required to be physically, emotionally, and psychologically prepared at all times because they are expected to be always available. In addition, they are expected to keep an active presence of mind and make sensible decisions especially during crucial situations such as criminal encounters and hostage takings. Because of these expectations, police officers experience stress twice of the stress endured by other professionals. The work environment of the law enforcement officers has a great impact on the employees and the employee’s level of work, including their work productivity and their general physical and emotional health (Kurke, 1995). There is a notion that a cyclic relationship persists between work and home life of police officers from which police stress develops (Kurke, 1995). Stressors in the police work not only affect the police officer but their family as well. It is likely that police stress negatively affects their relationship with others and their personal lives. For instance, most police officers experience marital problems because of the effects of the stressful events of their day which they unintentionally bring home with them. This gives rise to their involvement in various problematic domestic issues such as violence, alcoholism, substance abuse, and child neglect (Brief et. al, 1981). When police stress is rampant in the law enforcement community, it affects the performance of the police officers and at the same time, it puts everyone in the society at risk. Police stress is a social issue that should not be taken for granted because it affects these individuals who chose to pursue this highly important profession that constitutes the maintenance of peace of order of the society. Causes of Police Stress Many sources of police stress can be found inside the police organization. The job itself and the people within the law enforcement community cause police stress. The characteristic of the profession is considerably difficult to look at. Being a police officer requires dedication and commitment to put their lives at risk while they are on duty. They are also expected to comply with the given work schedule and special assignments. There are encounters which will cause trauma to police officers. Yet, they only receive poor compensation (Leiter & Maslach, 1988). There are also times when lack communication among administrators, poor supervision and inadequate training cause police officers to feel stressed. Another source of police stress comes from the officers themselves because they often doubt their capacity to perform a given task. There are also issues regarding favoritism and politics within the law enforcement community that discourages a police officer to carry out a given assignment (Leiter & Maslach, 1988). The following sections present the most common organizational stressors in the work of a police officer, along with other direct and indirect factors that cause police stress. Direct Factors Job Characteristics The profession itself causes stress to police officers. Fear and danger make police officers suffer from stress. They always need to set aside their doubts, gather their courage in every dangerous situation that they get into. Physical danger is always at hand because they should be ready to battle against unexpected criminals (Kurke, 1995). Adequacy and Control Perception of adequacy and control also causes police stress. The ability of a police officer to work on a job is based on his/her perception the skills that he/she possesses, and whether his/her skills are adequate to complete all the assigned task given to him/her, and. Hence, to meet the demands of the job, law enforcement officers should be well-driven. They should also have the necessary composure and confidence. When police officers doubt their capacity to serve, it definitely instigates stress (Axelbend & Vaile, 1979) Control is defined as the ability of police officers to govern on special assignments. This is because as police officers, they are expected to control every situation that they get into. When a police officer lacks the necessary control to carry out an assigned task because he/she is hindered or manipulated by others, it brings out stress and at the same time leaves the case unsolved (Tenerowicz, 1993) Role Ambiguity Role ambiguity also results in stress among police officers. This usually happens when they lack the necessary knowledge in fulfilling their roles and at the same time control the conditions of the work outcomes (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). When this occurs, police officers feel stressed as they are not yet prepared for the job. Role ambiguity is caused by a weak organizational structure and it hinders the police officer from performing his/her task. Most cases of role ambiguity is experienced by those who are in the administrative position because their functions are not clear to them. At the same time, they are not aware of up to what extent is their jurisdiction on their job (Shore, & Shore, 1995). This becomes a source of stress because it makes police officers doubtful of their capacity to serve. They tend to question themselves if they are able to perform well because they themselves are not aware of the position given to them. They are afraid of not being respected by their subordinates which gives them a feeling of insecurity. Work Schedule Police officers are expected to work based on a shifting schedule, rotating shifts, irregular days off, holiday work, unexpected overtime and involuntary overtime (Kurke, 1995). This kind of schedule apparently affects their work performance because they are not getting enough sleep and energy. It also causes their moods to change and develop negative feelings. In the end, police officers experience stress and end up with poor performance (Kurke, 1995). Special Assignments There are special tasks given to police officers which in turn are greatly prized (Kurke, 1995). However, certain assignments require more focus and demand greater pressure from the police officer. There are special assignments which are needed to be completed at a given time frame. As a result, police officers become stressed because they are expected to finish the said task as soon as possible. It also involves longer hours of training and longer working hours that separate them from their families. Because of depression and frustration when an assigned task is not completed accordingly, stress is developed (Kurke, 1995, p. 191). Role Conflict According to Kurk (1995), â€Å"many officers report difficulties related to the many demands inherent in law enforcement† (p. 191). Role conflict usually happens when police officers need to execute two roles with different conflicting demands or values. One example of this is when a police officer catches delinquent teens in the community only to discover that one of those caught is his/her son. This puts the police officer in a conflicting situation because he/she is faced with the demand of arresting the suspect but at the same time he/she needs to protect his/her son (Lee & Ashforth, 1996). Family of Police Officers Another cause of stress for police officers comes from their families. They always harbor feelings of fear and danger when they are out of their homes for duty. It develops stress to police officers because they are thinking of their families while they are on duty. This will make them lose focus and may end up not completing the assigned task. There are also instances when family occasions are set aside because of special assignments. This makes police officers more stressed because they develop sadness of not being able to participate in an important family occasion. When a family member gets sick, it is also hard for the police officers to concentrate on their jobs because they are preoccupied with family problems.

Immigration Outline Research Essay

Abstract Throughout this paper, there will be the highly debatable discussion between legalizing medical marijuana and regular marijuana. Both sides of the argument have their pros and cons and there is an in depth description of both sides of the argument. At the end of the day though, the paper thoroughly supports the legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana in general. Medical marijuana less harmful than most other legal tobacco products and has the ability to reduce the pain within ailing people. Cannabis also can be a curable and more natural drug to help people in pain. Marijuana also has the potential to raise the U.S. out of their tough economic struggle as well as lower crime rate and create more jobs for many more people. On the other hand researchers believe that medical marijuana is still bad for people’s health and the government does not know how to regulate the production and sell of marijuana. Both sides have valid arguments, but the pros outweigh the cons by a s ignificant amount. This paper has opinions of lots of credible sources, doctors and researchers explaining their side of the story. But read on to create your own personal opinion. Introduction Marijuana should be legalized for medical use across the country. Marijuana has a negative stigma attached by the government and public, but is actually a natural and effective medicine. The argument about medical marijuana is starting to spread across the country like wildfire, and the topic should be addressed. This paper will go into depth explanation and reasoning on why medical marijuana should be legalized as soon as possible. History of Marijuana Medical marijuana and marijuana have had a long, lengthy history of repeated use in the United States. First, from 1900 to 1940, marijuana, including opium and cocaine were considered part of everyday drugs. As time went on, the U.S. cracked down on crack and opium, eventually outlawing them, but continued to be very â€Å"loose† with the use of marijuana. Eventually, as time continued to roll on, the use of marijuana became â€Å"frowned upon.† Marijuana was illegal and the U.S. government became very strict with the cannabis laws. This began around the 80’s and then started to become increasingly worse. Then, around the late 90’s and early 2000’s, scientific studies started to produce jaw-dropping results. Scientists started to discover that marijuana can significantly help people that have become ill. Medical Marijuana has been tested to help people with cataracts, cancer and severe depression, just to name a few (Zeese 1999). With this new world wide discovery, the argument about medical marijuana ignited. States wanted to only make medical marijuana legal so it may help sick people, but the government did not want any form of marijuana legal. The law that was known throughout the United States was any form of marijuana was illegal. But now with this new discovery, doctors in states across the country wanted the legalization of medical marijuana. But states can overrule the laws of the government, because states are given the decision to decide on some of their major laws. Thus came the beginning of the legalization of medical marijuana. The first state to allow the use of medical marijuana was California in 1996 (Zeese 1999). The only distribution of medical marijuana though is through the recommendation of a certified doctor. Other states began to follow in the footsteps of California such as Arizona and Colorado. One thing led to the next, and now there is up to fourteen states that have legalized the distribution of marijuana medically, with many more to come. These states allowed the use of medical marijuana to help people with anxiety, certain types of cancer and cataracts. But the U.S. federal government has tried to prevent patients from obtaining cannabis and threatened physicians who prescribe it with criminal prosecution or loss of their license to practice. But yet, the growing support for medical marijuana has grown massively in numbers over the past 20 years. And before people realized it, the United States government now has to ask themselves: Is marijuana actually not as bad as drug as people thought? And should the United States just simply legalize all forms of marijuana? U.S. View of Medical Marijuana As discussed in the history of marijuana, the American view on marijuana is very pessimistic. The government already feels they are bending backwards by allowing medical marijuana, but they still disagree with everything about it. The government even created the movie called â€Å"Reefer Madness† which is a 1936 movie that wanted to make people believe that when people smoke marijuana then they would become crazy. Starting from a hit and run accident, to manslaughter, suicide, attempted rape, and descent into madness. At the tail end of the eighties, the use of marijuana and other drugs started to reach a new height. At first, lots of people started using the drug because the party scene started to grow increasingly. But by the end of the eighties, society started to abuse cannabis. Along with the abuse of marijuana, drug gangs started selling marijuana along with other drugs, creating more crime throughout the United States. Thus this creates the negative impact on the view of marijuana. The government labeled the use of â€Å"marijuana† as being part of a gang or being a criminal. Then soon after, research in the early eighties showed some negative effects of smoking marijuana. The view of marijuana would retain the title of a â€Å"bad drug† until the recent 2000†™s. These are multiple reasons why marijuana got the â€Å"bad image† by the U.S. government. World View of Medical Marijuana Throughout the world there is a wide variety of rules and laws that pertain to medical marijuana and marijuana in general. Other countries around the world have much less stricter laws when it comes to the matter of medical marijuana and marijuana. In countries such as the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia, they actually encourage the use of medical marijuana and give exemption of pursuing criminal charges to distributers. Then there is the country of Holland, which allows full legalization of every form of marijuana. Holland encourages lots of small business owners to encourage smoking and eating of marijuana. Another way marijuana can be consumed is by baking the cannabis in different types of food, which then allows a different type of high. The high supposedly is more of a body high, which is different from smoking marijuana or taking a pill. But Holland encourages local bake shops to â€Å"cook† marijuana within the their foods. By doing this, small local businesses attra ct more and bigger crowds to come try their new food that has a kick. Holland’s tourism rates have increased slightly since the legalization of marijuana or hash (more pure type of marijuana). It may not have a drastic change in their economy, but it sure does have a small impact. Finally, there is Portugal, which has no laws against any drug of any kind. All drugs from marijuana to cocaine, to heroine are legal. Portugal decided that the people that want to do drugs, then they would. Prison costs drastically changed and statistics show that the crime rate went down, including fewer arrests. Law enforcement now does not have to worry about minor issues like drug related crimes. It allows the law enforcement to put their main focus and priority towards catching more serious criminals such as murders, rapists and theft. The most important aspect is the use of marijuana decreased. Showing that making something illegal, gives the user the thrill of breaking the law and by going t hrough with using the drug. But when marijuana is legal, the thrill is gone, and less people will want to try it. Pros Medical marijuana is never acknowledged for its benefits and use of good in the world. Lots of people simply just write off marijuana as just a bad drug. Compared to modern pharmaceuticals, cannabis is viewed as a radical medicine because it is natural and contains unique chemical compounds. Compounds such as a stimulant within the cannabis that acts as a hunger enhancer. This means, that by smoking or taking a pill version of marijuana, it then makes people get hungry, known as the munchies. So people with diabetes and anorexia can smoke marijuana to create hunger. The direct result is eating more and making those sick individuals better. But if the legalization of medical marijuana and marijuana occurs then there is an extraordinary amount of goodness to come. Also there is numerous medical cases where cannabis has helped sick and people in pain. Certain people that have cancer, have to go through chemotherapy which can be extremely painful. So doctors prescribe medical marijuana f or these people so it helps dull the pain. I know off personal experience with the correlation with cancer, chemotherapy and the use of medical marijuana. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago and had to go through chemotherapy to kill the cancer. She was in pain most days, feeling extreme agony from what the chemotherapy was doing. The chemo is a chemical that is designed to kill something; like cancer for instance, and the side effects is that it hurts the body also. My mom was prescribed medical marijuana after a couple weeks of the chemo because the pain became too much for her. After she started smoking the marijuana the pain was much less intense and helped her significantly overcome her fight with cancer. Next, there is strong scientific evidence that shows that tobacco products such as cigarettes, chewing tobacco, etc. are far worse than the use of marijuana. Cigarettes not only have tobacco that hurts the lungs and mouths but all tobacco products contain nic otine in them. Nicotine is extremely addictive which causes people to smoke or chew more. But yet these tobacco products are legal and are even allowed to sell to individuals of the age of eighteen, so technically still teenagers. To add on, thousands of people are being thrown into jail for possession and distribution of marijuana. So in sense, innocent people are being thrown in federal prisons and jails for possessing or selling a less harmful drug than others. This simply does not add up, and raises another reason to why marijuana should just simply be legalized. These will be the main points in favor for legalizing medical marijuana throughout this paper. Medical Marijuana is not as unhealthy as the media and government says it is. Medical Marijuana could have the potential to raise enough money to help the United States to get out of the recession that we are currently in. The government could make more money for the United States economy by legalizing marijuana. By simply applying higher tax rates on the sell of marijuana and then sell the high taxed herb to the public. The government already uses this method with tobacco products. Officials inflate the tax on tobacco products by incredible amounts so the country receives some of the profits off the tobacco products. To make a cigarette costs two cents to produce, twenty cigarettes in a pack, so that should be around forty cents for a pack of cigarettes. But in reality a pack of cigaret tes costs about 5-7 dollars depending on what part of the country one is located. If the government goes through this same process with marijuana then that would create many more opportunities to make money for the United States. But how would they package and sell marijuana? The best way the government could package and sell marijuana would be in a smaller version of cigarette packs. The government should have a package that can only hold about 10 rolled up marijuana joints or blunts. Then the government should tax the living daylights out of the pack and then the government would have a major inflation in the economy. The government believes that the public will not buy the marijuana because of the negative view on cannabis. But numbers keep increasing year after year as to the percentage of people that believe marijuana should just be legalized. If the government simply just legalizes marijuana and then raise the taxes on it, people will buy the drug. The other point that goes ha nd in hand with the legalization of marijuana is that it will lower criminal activity. Right now the people of the United States pay about 8% of tax dollars to keep prisoners in custody (Mikos, 2009). But some of these so called â€Å"prisoners† are only in there because they broke the law of selling marijuana. These prisoners are in jail because of a petty crime of selling or in possession of this harmless drug. If marijuana were to become legal, then lots of this â€Å"prisoners† would be released and would in the end result save the United States millions of dollars. Cons Even though many activists that want marijuana legal believe that marijuana have no negative aspects, but multiple different test results believe otherwise. First off, the active ingredient in marijuana is tetrahydrocannabinol or THC. THC acts on cannabinoid receptors on nerve cells and then influences the activity of those cells. The cannabinoid receptors are part of the brain that influences pleasure, memory, thought, concentration, sensory, time perception and coordinated movement (Buddy, 2011). Marijuana causes health risks in the heart and lungs. Within the first few minutes of smoking marijuana, the heart begins to beat up to 20 to 50 beats faster a minute. This causes the blood pressure to drop and creating a higher heart rate (Buddy, 2011). Researchers have discovered that marijuana smoker’s risk of a heart attack is four times higher within the first hour after smoking marijuana. The lungs also experience burning and stinging in the mouth and lungs when marijuana is s moked. Scientists have found that, â€Å"regular marijuana smokers can experience the same respiratory problems as tobacco smokers such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illnesses, increased risk of lung infections, and obstructed airways† (Buddy, 2011). One of the major reasons that the government will now allow marijuana to be legal is the government cannot set rules and regulations with the growing of cannabis. If the government legalizes marijuana then anyone in America can grow and smoke cannabis. The government fears that when they legalize marijuana then everyone will simply just grow their own. If the government were to legalize marijuana then they would want to sell and tax the living daylights out of it. But cannabis is not a hard plant to grow. Marijuana is not like beer or liquor where it is hard to produce; it is extremely easy to grow. Beer and liquor must be made in factories where as marijuana can be grown almost anywhere. So since they cannot stop people from growing it, then it would make it hard for the government to tax cannabis. Then more legal questions arise throughout the country. Do officials arrest people growing marijuana? How can they arrest a person for growing something that is completely legal? The answer is that the government cannot do this, and if they do, they Congress would have to pass new laws that could result in multiple different loop holes. Medical benefits The principal constituent of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and is effective in treating nausea, vomiting, appetite loss and acute and chronic pain. With this information doctors have begun to use and diagnose the use of medical marijuana. Marijuana may prevent Alzheimer’s disease, relieves chronic pain, and fights the effects of cancer (Pope, 1996). Also, recent research has shown that marijuana can fight the effects of fibromyalgia, cataracts, glaucoma, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, and Lou Gehrig’s disease (Pope, 1996). These are serious illness and diseases that cannabis has already been known to help cure. All of this knowledge has been discovered in the last 20 years also! Just imagine what more time, and more support of this drug can do. If marijuana got legalized then, many more medical mysteries could be solved and could potentially save many more people from pain and dying. Conclusion This information is up to the reader to dictate and decide for their own, but I hope my opinion with credible facts and research has helped inform and give people a better understanding on this topic. And overall, persuade them to agree that medical marijuana and marijuana in general should be legalized. Marijuana is not a bad drug, because it has helped countless people get better and survive. With all these pros and few cons, it is inevitable that the legalization of marijuana should commence immediately. I also ask people to voice their opinions and take action, so the legalization of this drug can occur so it can help and continue to help sick people.

Jurassic Park1 essays

Jurassic Park1 essays Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton is an incredible book, which describes genetic engineering and the creation of an extinct species. Michael Crichton uses marvelous detail throughout the book. As great as the book is, it is not that appropriate for children who are 15 and under because of the gore, description, violence, and obscenities through out the story. Jurassic Park is a great book. Michael Crichton uses such descriptive detail, that you could picture everything that is going on like you are watching a movie. There is not one moment of boredom in the book. Every second something new is happening or another problem in the park occurs. These things make the book very hard to put down. Jurassic Park is a marvelous book with a great plot. Yet, later it becomes inappropriate for children. The first thing that makes Jurassic Park not appropriate for young children is that it is amazingly gory. Michael Crichton describes people and animals being killed in a very descriptive manner. When Dennis Nedry, the computer programmer, was on his way to the dock to deliver frozen dinosaurs embryos to another genetic engineering company, a concrete barrier was in his way. He got out of his car and started to run into the jungle. When he reached the jungle river, he heard a soft hooting cry. When he turned around, he saw a dilophasaur standing directly in front of him. Suddenly, the dilophasaur spit at him. The novel refers to this by saying, Nedry...felt an excruciating pain in his eyes, stabbing like spikes in the back of his skull. It then says, Slowly the realization came to him. He was blind...Then there was a new searing pain like a fiery knife in his belly, and then Nedry stumbled...then there was a new pain on both sides of his head. The pain grew worse, and as h e was lifted to his feet he knew the dinosaur had his head in its jaws, and the horror of that realization was followed by a final wi...

How to write a winning business plan - Emphasis

How to write a winning business plan How to write a winning business plan Whether youre setting up a new business venture or trying to get the go-ahead for a project, theres one essential document you need. Rob Ashton, Chief Executive of Emphasis, gives a step-by-step guide to writing a good business plan. Why you need one Theres a memorable conversation in Lewis Carrolls novel Alice in Wonderland, where Alice asks the Cheshire cat for directions. She says it doesnt matter where she gets to, as long as she gets somewhere. This leads the cat to reply: Then it doesnt matter which way you go. If you dont have a crystal-clear vision of where you want your business to go, youll be as confused as Alice when you hit a crossroads. Your business plan is your route to growth and success. But in order to write it, you need to know what you really want to achieve. This means youll have to spend time examining the strengths and weaknesses of your business, a process that has numerous pay-offs in itself. Researching your own company helps you to take a critical look at what you have to offer and who your competitors are. This enables you to better navigate the industry minefields and gives you a benchmark against which to measure success. Many people think of business plans as a necessary evil, written only to gain external funding. Instead, look at yours as an essential planning tool, whatever your financial situation. Remember, if you dont plan where to go, youre inadvertently planning on going nowhere. Crafting your business plan Heres a seven-step guide to writing your business plan. Work through each section and youll have an ordered, content-rich document that gets you where you want to go. Step one Description of the business After the executive summary (see step seven), the first thing youll need to do is describe your business. Get started by asking the following questions: What do I sell or offer? Why? To whom do I sell? What is the history of the business? What is my vision for the future? What is different about the services I offer? What is the legal structure of the company? Think about your audience carefully before you write the description. Ask yourself what words and phrases they will understand and be careful not to include too much jargon. Step two Market research Think about your industry and what you think the future trends will be. Then analyse your competition. Determine what size of the market they hold and then clearly define where you fit into the mix. Step three Marketing and sales strategy Ask yourself why companies buy what you offer, and how you sell it. Think about how you are going to reach the organisations that need your services and what pricing plans youll offer. Whether youre an in-house department, specialist contractor or a large multi-service company, therell be a variety of ways to reach prospective clients. Step four Management and personnel team Many facilities management companies claim that people are their best asset. Think carefully about your management team and outline the background, experience and qualifications of each individual. The people on your team will often make or break your success. Fully evaluate their credentials and look out for any skill gaps that could be improved with training. Step five Operations Analyse the location of your business, in terms of advantages and disadvantages. Your own premises, production facilities and IT systems must be excellent. Make sure you address any weaknesses in your plan with recommendations for improvement. Step six Financial forecast This section requires you to translate the contents of your plan into numbers. Include cash flow statements, profit and loss forecasts and a sales forecast. Dont forget that if youre looking for funding, you need to spell out how much you need and how youll repay the loan. Step seven The executive summary Leave this until last, even though it goes right at the beginning. Once youve followed all the other steps, youre in a position to write this stand-alone document, which outlines the key points in your entire plan. Keep it to a maximum of two pages. Remember, some people will only read this section so make it shine. Tip: rather than trying to distil the full document down, follow your original document plan. Just write less in each section this time (a couple of sentences or a paragraph, rather than several pages). Finally, the ink may be dry but your business is constantly changing. Your business plan is a dynamic document, so youll need to update it regularly.