CRJ 520 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

CRJ 520 - Research Paper Example of all these challenges has been the lack of enough resources to support the program, and this has compounded the same problems that the program was supposed to address. The Substance Abuse Felony Punishment (SAFP) program is an intensive and an inexpensive substance abuse program that the Texas State offers for offenders undergoing probation. Under this program, the offenders spend 6-12 months in a correctional facility that is run by officers from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). After leaving the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment facility, clients are placed within a residential establishment that is situated within the community, followed by a minimum of three and a maximum of nine months of outpatient counseling. The treatment offered by the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment program is usually offered on contractual by private treatment bodies contracted by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In the years that the program has been in operation, there has been ongoing criticism regarding the program especially on the lack of regulation by the state government (Singh & Chalï ¬ , 2008). At the present, the Substance Abuse Felony Punishment program offers nearly 4,500 treatment beds that are strictly dedicated to individuals who have been charged for crimes related to substance abuse. Ideally, a person can only be placed under an SAFP program if a judge establishes that drug or alcohol abuse was responsible for the offense and that the offender is ideal for treatment. Under this program, an approximate 500 SAFP beds are preserved for parolees. In most cases, offenders are placed under the SAFP program either as an original condition or as an alternative of a supervision requirement while under management (Singh & Chalï ¬ , 2008). Over the last three decades, Texas has come up with legislations and policies that are mean to bolster public safety. This has in turn led to overcrowding in prisons and jails and a corrections budget that has

Mid-Semester Exam Essay Example for Free

Mid-Semester Exam Essay Both Heraclitus and Parmenides were obsessed with change. Explain how change fits into each of their philosophical systems. Are there any two similarities in their two accounts? Why are they so important to later metaphysicians such as the particle theorists? Heraclitus believed in the unity of opposites. The succession of the opposites brings out his key notion of change. The successive manifestation of contrary properties in an object is a way of saying that everything undergoes change. All, things, according to Heraclitus, are in a constant flux. Comparing this change to stepping into a river, he says: ‘you cannot step twice into the same river.’ I agree with this proposition considering the fact that the molecular property of a river at an instance is not the same, since it is constantly flowing. The constant flowing of the river suggests a constant movement of molecules so that new molecules interact with objects the river is in contact with. One may return to the same river, but fresh waters have flowed into it, making it different. With this notion of change, it can be said that nothing retains its identity, though it remains the same thing. The object therefore endures, even though it is undergoing constant change and some of its components or characteristics may be lost. I think that the unity of the opposites therefore is a necessity for the existence of equilibrium, so that though in opposition, they maintain a balance and order in an object, and in nature as a whole. This unity which brings about balance and order is what Heraclitus calls the logos. Parmenides’ views are a contrast to those of Heraclitus; a sharp turn around the notion of change. He denies the reality of change, motion and void. For him, change is impossible and incoherent. All existence is permanent, ungenerated, indestructible and unchanging. In his view, there are no opposites, no plurality. For him, change and motion were mere illusions. He favored pure reason as a path of understanding the world and its nature. He argued against the existence of void, equating it with non-being. For Parmenides, what ‘is’ must exist, and what ‘is not’ cannot exist, and is ‘completely unlearnable’. Only two things underlie reality for Parmenides: being and non-being. Anything that can exist and can be thought about must exist. It is therefore impossible to think or speak about what does not exist. Therefore, nothing cannot exist, and nothing can come into existence if it is not. For him, there is no difference between past, present and future. Therefore what is, already exists, and will exist, without change. What is, is therefore necessary. Parmenides names the logos of Heraclitus, being. He opposes two possibilities for thought, being and non-being, and says that being is the only way that can be for thinking. The most non-being could do would be to ‘not be.’ The appearances referred to as illusion or delusion are like what Heraclitus calls the ‘flux and flow’ of reality – beings coming to be and passing away; this permeates all reality; but in Parmenides’ view, they must only and can only return to being at what is perceived as destruction. For particular theorists, atomists in particular, the permanence of Parmenides and flux of Heraclitus are reconciled, and the atomic theory was conceived. I think this is their most important contribution to later metaphysicians.

A Case Analysis Of Apple Inc Business Essay

A Case Analysis Of Apple Inc Business Essay The purpose of this paper is to explain the definition of Strategic Management and why it is critical to the success of an organization in meeting its goals and mission. The paper will include a brief analysis of the situation and pending decision problem, as presented in the case and in relevance to the answer. In addition, the major issues will be surrounding the organization or individuals involved with the organization. Included will be alternate courses of action to address the issues identified. Next, will be the decision or recommendation for action, with the appropriate supporting arguments if any. Statement of the Problem(s): Thousands of people were laid off at Apple, Inc. It does not look like Apple, Inc. spent much time working on its management and marketing strategies from the beginning. It was not until better marketers such as Jobs and Sculley came into the picture, before the company started to expand to better markets with acquisitions and joint ventures. The problem was not changing their strategy sooner. The jobs are what contribute to a companys effectiveness (Mello, 2011, p. 115) and if they kept their employees it might have contributed to earlier success. It is human capital that helps companies to strive. For Apple, Inc. to lay off employees to help their financial statement for stakeholders may have been part of the cause of the problem (Yoffie Slind, 2008). Their mission statement should have answered the question about what is strategic management, and why is it critical to the success of an organization in meeting its goals and mission statement? Summary of the Facts: According to research done by Yoffie and Slind, (2008) Apple, Inc. started out with a great product line to reach the computer market. Then they advanced to the iPod, iTunes and the 3G network in order to advance their technology into the competitive marketplace. They became the industry leader under Wozniak with the new Macintosh. However, their technology was slow. They did not beat their competitors during this stage. Sculley added desktop publishing, which focused on the educational market which sold at top price. Because Sculley was good at marketing he was able to hit the market with the personal assistants gadgets. The smartest move Apple made was to form a joint venture with its competitor. Products dropped and IBM and Apple parted but they were just starting to learn the joint venture game. When Steve Jobs came on board the company went through reorganization and many people lost their jobs. Microsoft invested one hundred and fifty million dollars just after Microsoft Office was formed. Then iMac went out to three hundred million and Apples image was back on track again. Their marketing strategy was to differentiate themselves from other competitors. Apple, Inc. had great designs under Steve Jobs with Microsofts cooperation. However, Acer and Dell were catching up with the new Intel processors and Windows 7 emerged. Apples smartest move was the iPod with music. However, Amazon was the companys newest threat. The end result was the iPhone reaching the smartphone market. They reached all heights by finally changing their game, by reaching seventy percent of the U.S. market. In addition, the iPhone 3G reached twenty-two markets (Yoffie Slind, 2008, p. 22). Definition: The elements of a strategy consist of arenas so the company knows where the main operations will be and core technologies used (Mello, 2011, p. 131). The next step in setting up the companys strategy is the vehicle they will use to achieve their goals? Third, is differentiation on how they can beat their competitors in the high-tech world? Fourth, is the staging management strategy of what products they plan on using? Lastly, is the companys economics in deciding how much to charge or to decide if their product is hard to market. In addition, there are different stages of technological change. The fast growth stage is when the product starts with a concept and then has fast innovation. The Wild, Wild West stage is also fast innovation but for smaller companies taking risks. The consolidators are in the steady evolution stage that are in the mature life cycle and use economies of scale. Lastly in the creative destruction stage there is new knowledge and competencies and the company se eks other industries to joint venture (Mello, 2011, p. 145). Analysis: Apple, Inc. started out as a concept driver when they reached new market showing fast growth in the beginning. Then, they came up with new knowledge and competencies as concept learners. They were also pioneers in the industry showing fast innovation. They reached a mature life cycle with economies of scale when they had to widen their product lines. Apple, Inc. went through all the stages of technological change. However, in the fast growth stage they were not prepared for what lay ahead, so they had to come up with different strategies to have the competitive advantage. Every stage requires development of their employees and more financing resources (Mello, 2011). Recommendations: According to (Mello, 2011), Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) and the Resource-Based View (RBV) organizations need to hire employees that are motivated and have a highly trained skills to help the company have a competitive advantage (p. 119). Core competencies are shared throughout the organization collaboratively. This knowledge connects strategy and SHRM (p. 125). The systems need to comprise of human, social and organization capital, and it is through this creation and integration working together that the company can remain a success. This should have been done in the very beginning in their formation of strategy planning and origination of their mission statement. Moreover, recommendations for the company in the future is to make it part of their strategic management goal to do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis year. A SWOT analysis should have been done in the beginning of their strategic mission, so they would have known the threats that lay ahead. This is normally done with their marketing management department. If all of the departments were integrated to work together interchangeably using core competencies, they would have foreseen what lay ahead. Whenever a company has fast growth such as in Apple, Inc.s fast growth stage, the company takes the risk of competitors striving to take over the marketplace with better high technological products (Mello, 2011). Consequently, their strategic management mission and goals should have included a plan for when there was overkill in the marketplace. Apple, Inc. would make a smart move to find ways to have employee retention and to beat the competition with continuous new innovative products. It is by keeping employees and training them they can come up with new ideas and sustain their growth in the future. They can stay ahead of the competition by having some low-cost items such as music downloads and higher cost for their other products. Apple, Inc. should use some of their new revenue towards research and development to design new innovations for tomorrows customers (Mello, 2011, p. 152). According to Zhouying Ying (2011), strategic management problems in the past with organizations were because they lacked integration. Apple, Inc. should have used sustainable and long-term development in their strategy for tracking, management and feedback otherwise long-term goals are harder to achieve (p. 49). Apple, Inc. failed to pay attention to its economy and financial resources needed in the beginning. However, they did sustain growth in the later stages of the company. Now they need to sustain their growth through continuous integration and coordination (p. 50). The goals need to consist with development for the long-term and to focus on the external environment. Strategic goals need to be achieved from the bottom up and the top down (p. 53) in their vision. Apple, Inc. needs to continue to inspire and motivate their new employees by giving them a support system to reach their vision and goals that are achievable. Conclusion The case analysis consisted of a statement of the problem showing a brief analysis of the situation and decision problem. The analysis included the major issues surrounding the organization and individuals involved. The alternate courses of action were identified in the recommendations, which showed strategies needed to sustain growth and development in a high-tech environment. The main strategy is to maintain and inspire their employees to continue with growth in this fast-pace environment.

Models of Decision Making :: Business Management

MODELS OF DECISION MAKING: ïÆ'Ëœ SWOT Analysis Model ïÆ'Ëœ Poster’s Five Forces Analysis ïÆ'Ëœ PEST Analysis SWOT Analysis SWOT Analysis is the most common and renowned model for decision making in the business world today. It is used for conducting the audit, study and analyze the overall strategic position of the business and the environment in which the business operates SWOT is an abbreviation of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. The main objective of SWOT analysis is to devise the best strategy for the organization, using it to prepare the business model for the company while keeping in view the resources, capabilities and constraints that are applicable. It is in fact used to assess the internal potential of the organization and how it can be utilized to exploit the avenues available in the environment. It takes into consideration all the favorable and unfavorable factors associated with the organization. This tool when used consistently can help in the predicting the future outcome and including those forecasts in the organization’s strategy. Conducting SWOT analysis is not a complex task but includes a very simple and interesting activity. It also includes brainstorming sessions. SWOT analysis may be used to develop the business idea, assessing an opportunity to make an acquisition, analyzing a potential partnership or making decision about a brand, product, an investment opportunity. SWOT analysis is conducted using a template which is usually in the form of a grid and consists of four sections. An example of the template is produced below: STRENGTHS Financial Resources Human Resource Market Access Brands Patents Copy Rights Technology Infrastructure Quality Cost minimization Effective management Geographical edge Expertise and Experience Backward and Forward Integration Other assets WEAKNESS Cash shortage or lack of access to financial resources Lack of access to market Incompetent human resource and management Lack of infrastructure Non availability of technology Lack of competitive strengths Ineffective supply chain management Narrow Product Range Poor Decision Making Huge Debts High employee turnover Obsolete equipment Complex decision making process Large wastage of raw material OPPORTUNITIES New market New Government policy or change in recent policy Lifestyle or industry Niche market Increase in level of income of individuals New Products and services THREATS Political factors Legislative issues Environmental factors High turnover of staff Takeover by a big giant New technology by competitor Disagreement with key contractors and customers Seasonal impacts Change in attitude, tastes or lifestyle International market impacts on local market Change in the market demand Ever changing technology Price war leading to decrease in profitability Increased competition leading to access capacity Lets have a view on each of the four factors: Strengths: Strengths are the competitive edge or the capabilities an organization has to be utilized when competing with its competitors.

Middle Ages Literature Essay

The Middle Ages had many interesting characteristics concerning the literature of that time period. The important literary works â€Å"incorporated elements and values drawn from different and conflicting traditions (Patterson 1143). For every opinion, there was another opinion to counter it. Many of the pieces of literature at this time had contradictory ideas in them or had competing interests (Patterson 1144). The literature of this time shows us that â€Å"many people took the central doctrine of Christianity so much for granted that their daily lives seem largely untroubled by the moral and spiritual demands of religion† (Patterson 1144). Another characteristic of the literature was that it alerts us to the â€Å"complexities and dilemmas that any faith poses† (Patterson 1144). The Middle Ages is also called the â€Å"age of chivalry† (Patterson 1144). The literature mainly â€Å"expresses the values of the most powerful members of society, the aristocracy† (Patterson 1144). The aristocracy achieved their power through â€Å"military might† (Patterson 1144). There was also an â€Å"explicit code of chivalry† (Patterson 1145). The values were â€Å"never entirely consistent with each other† (Patterson 1145). Characters of literature had to choose whether to be a lover or a warrior (Patterson 1145). The main concerns of the literature were â€Å"the demands of religious faith and appropriate use of physical force, and the individual human being working out his or her individual destiny† (Patterson 1145). The literature during this time contributed to a list of vivid characters to the world of literature (Patterson 1145). Writers created unforgettable, complex literary characters to deal with the themes (Patterson 1145). The Middle Ages contrasted to the Renaissance because the Renaissance’s characters had â€Å"greater autonomy and fully realized personalities† (James 1883). The Renaissance’s literature did not judge â€Å"human action by right and wrong but by beauty, memorability, and effectiveness† (James 1886). During the Renaissance, the presence of God was much less dominating (James 1887). Medieval men and women were more concerned with the afterlife, while in the Renaissance they had a preoccupation with this life (James 1886). The Canterbury Tales fits into the Middle Ages well with some characteristics and not quite as well concerning others. For example, the Pardoner in The Canterbury Tales preaches the word of God on a daily basis, yet he is morally corrupt in his everyday life (Chaucer 1759). He preaches of greed, yet is greedy himself (Chaucer 1759). The Pardoner steals from the church, as well as innocent people (Chaucer 1758). Chaucer showed us that people took the doctrine of the church for granted. Other characters in The Canterbury Tales spoke of God and were Christians, yet didn’t bother with feeling morally obligated to act right. The dilemmas of being a Christian in real-life are seen. Some of the characters are Christian but it is more complex and takes an effort to be a Christian. The Canterbury Tales didn’t seem to have contradictory themes necessarily. Chaucer makes his views of various social ranks known through a use of satire. The characters themselves are contradictory, as we see with the Pardoner once again (Chaucer 1758). Since Chaucer has every type of social rank represented, we see his view of these ranks, which does contradict some of the jobs or moral obligations of various people. The characters in the story itself did compete for various interests. They all held different values or beliefs about the world. Chaucer lived during this time period, so it is in a way a more realistic view rather than contradictory. The explicit code of chivalry isn’t necessarily a large component of The Canterbury Tales except for perhaps the Knight and his tale. Chaucer shows that some people were focused on the chivalry act during this time. The Canterbury Tales doesn’t focus on pleasing the aristocracy either. Chaucer wrote from the perspective of every social rank so his book was meant for the poor and rich. Its subject matter was meant to be appealing to all Medieval people. The final characteristic that The Canterbury Tales does follow is the well developed characters. Chaucer had a whole list of realistic, complex characters. These characters could rival the Renaissance’s characters to me. I enjoyed reading about the characters and reading even more of The Canterbury Tales online. The Canterbury Tales fits well with the characteristics of the Middle Ages for the most part. The individual characters do have an individual goal in mind. Chaucer seemed as if he cared about his characters and wanted readers to his get to know them on an individual level, which seems more ahead of his time.

Romantic Love Is A Pitiful And Shallow Thing

Romantic Love Is A Pitiful And Shallow Thing Do you find it anything less than NORMAL when your best friend goes off and screws some hot chick or dude and leaves you in the dust? What the hell ever happened to platonic love? I personally think that the highest form of love is the kind that develops over years of friendship, not over minutes of staring into someone's "deep blue eyes". Love at first sight is the biggest hunk of bullshit I have ever heard, and I find it disgusting how society condones it so. Everywhere you look- magazines, books, movies- EVERYTHING is focused on love. With a few exceptions (i.e. "Simon Birch"), friendship is hardly dealt with at all, and there is almost always a guy or girl to get in between the friendship. Why do people take such short amounts of time to decide that they like someone? I think that is so fucked-up, especially since I do it myself.Simon Birch