Huntington Theory - Military Professional Essay Example for Free

Huntington Theory Military Professional Essay Scholars like Kaplan, Friedman, Huntington and Barnett have postulated various theories on military service. Samuel P Huntington is one of the scholars who have postulated theories of military service. His theory is also referred to as the normal theory. This paper seeks to show how Huntington’s theory impacts on one’s future in military service. Discussion Owen M (2010) gives credit to Samuel Huntington for his role in developing the normal theory. Owen points out that through this theory Huntington endeavored to solve the dilemma of â€Å"how to guarantee civilian control of the military while still ensuring the ability of the uniformed military to provide security. † Huntington cited in Owen (2010) says the solution to this dilemma lies in â€Å"a mechanism for creating and maintaining a professional, apolitical military establishment, which he called â€Å"objective control. In this regard, Huntington cited in Williams (1995), says the community should have control over the military and army professionals should be denied some of the privileges enjoyed by civilians like political affiliations. Politics is a game of numbers, in my view, this may disadvantage military officers who harbour ambitious of venturing in politics because they are denied involvement in political parties affairs. This impacts negatively on their popularity with the voters. However, there are those candidates such as 2008 republican candidate John McCain who used their experience in the military as a campaign tool to endear themselves to the voters. In my view, professional and experienced military officers make better commander in chief of the armed forces. Additionally, Idsa (2010) concurs with Huntington that one way of achieving civilian control of the military is by ensuring that the funding of the military is left in the hands of the civilian institutions. Idsa points out that civilian institutions should allow the military to advise them on military matters but ultimately the military should only executive those decisions approved by the civilian institutions. In my view this may endanger the lives of military officers. Due to high budgetary needs of a country, military equipment needed in times of war may be sacrificed to meet other needs in another sector of the economy. Huntington theory goes along way in developing responsible and knowledgeable persons. As Idsa (2010) points out military professionals should present their considerations within the appropriate â€Å"channel of authority and communication. † To effectively carry out his/her duties, Huntington as cited in Williams (1995) states that an army officer must be highly expertise, cooperative and responsible in his profession. He meant that an officer must be well knowledgeable in combating violence. Williams (1995) while says that after training the officers should only work with three words â€Å"duty, honor, country. † As a result, Huntington envisaged a military force free of corruption. The officer is expected to be different from other skilled workers in that money should not play any part enticing one to join the forces. However, the army professional should be well rewarded so as to promote hiring, maintain the officers in the force and boost their morale. Williams (1995) says that Huntington argued that a well skilled army professional should be willing to observe the legal requirements made by citizen organizations recognized by law. In addition, the officers should accept to act as subordinates to individuals as required by legalized community organizations. The military officers are expected to hold a high opinion of their career and should not cause civil unrest or run the government. Since the army professionals are recruited with certain levels of qualification, and by the virtue that they belong in the same profession and hold same competencies, the officers tend to exhibit cooperativeness. This supports the statement of Huntington as quoted by Williams (1995) that â€Å"the members of a profession share a sense of organic unity and consciousness of themselves as a group apart from laymen. . This attribute is fostered by their common training which take quite a long duration, collective discipline and sharing of their societal tasks (Williams, 1995). Conclusion In view of the above statements, Huntington theory helps in creating and maintaining cordial relations between the civilians and the military officers. A professional force envisaged in this theory will go along in ensuring peaceful co-existence helps fight vices such as cor ruption and military coups.

Obesity in Childhood with Regard to Nutrition

Obesity in Childhood with Regard to Nutrition Obesity is a term used in medical in which body accumulates an extra amount of fats; gathered to the degree that it may have a negative impact on health. It leads to reduce the life expectancy or expanded health issues. Risks of diseases and health issues increase due to obesity in the form of heart problem, high blood pressure and diabetes. Stoutness or obesity builds the probability of different diseases, especially coronary illness, diabetes, obstructive slumber apnea, certain sorts of growth and osteoarthritis. Stoutness is most normally initiated by a mix of inordinate nourishment energy consumption, absence of physical action, and hereditary defenselessness, in spite of the fact that a couple of cases are brought about principally by genes, endocrine issue, and drugs or psychiatric. Evidence to help the view that some hefty people take less food yet they gain weight because of a moderate digestion system is constrained. Normal fat individuals have more excellent vitality or energy consumption than their slight partners because of the vitality needed to keep an enhanced figure mass (Obesity). Reasons of Obesity in children due to Nourishment The most evident reason for overweight during childhood as it is in mature and adults are vitality unevenness between calories expended and consumed. Stationary lifestyle and imbalanced sustenance and nourishment support the increment in overweight kids. Scientists estimated modifying systems in newborn children and youthful kids, a trans generational nature of heftiness customizing. This implies that fat moms and the individuals who put on exorbitant weight increase throughout pregnancy by one means or another incline their youngsters towards getting overweight themselves. Once settled in the populace, the expanded danger of stoutness or obesity may proliferate from era to era (Katz). Diet of Children Throughout the most recent decades affordability of food and nourishment has much increased to bigger amounts of individuals as the cost of buying food has diminished generously in respect to income and the idea of food has transformed from a method of sustenance to a marker of lifestyle and a wellspring of joy. Plainly, builds in physical action are not liable to balance a vitality rich, poor nutritive eating regimen. It takes between 1–2 hours of to a great degree overwhelming movement to check a solitary expansive measured (i.e., >=785 kcal) kids supper at a quick nourishment restaurant. Regular utilization of such an eating regimen can scarcely be balanced by the normal youngster or mature person (Zieve, 2011). Unhealthy Eating Habits With the progression of time children have changed their dietary patterns to a considerable measure of degree. Children are consuming a great deal of bad nourishment that is expanding fats in their physique. Utilization of quick and fast food is expanding step by step which incorporate cheeseburgers, pizzas and other quick nourishment things. This sustenance is enjoyed in entire United States of America regardless of sex and age. In the consequence everyone who utilizes this fast food in excess is casualty of fatness. This fast food is unhygienic for everybody who utilizes it (Obesity in Children). Intake of Calories In spite of the fact that obesity and overweight are basically thought to be the consequences of expansion in caloric intake there is insufficient supporting confirmation for such sensation. Nourishment recurrence strategies measure common eating regimen, however gauge caloric intake defectively. Different strategies, for example, 24-hour review or nourishment journals assess caloric intakes all the more precisely however it does not take into consideration the long term intake. All out vitality admission is troublesome to measure correctly at a populace level. Be that as it may, a little caloric awkwardness (inside the wiggle room of estimation techniques) is sufficient over a long time of time to prompt obesity. With simultaneous ascent in adolescence obesity pervasiveness in the USA, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) noted just unobtrusive change in calorie intake around US kids from the 1970s to 1988–1994. For this period, NHANES III discovered an expansion calorie allow just around white and dark juvenile females. The same example was seen by the most recent NHANES (1999–2000). The Bogalusa study which has been taking after the health and sustenance of kids since 1973 in Bogalusa (Louisiana), reported that aggregate intake calorie of 10-year old children remained unaltered throughout 1973–1988 and a slight yet critical reduction was watched when intake of energy was communicated for every kilogram form weight. The consequence of an overview did throughout the past few decades in the UK prescribed that normal intake of energy, for all age aggregations, are easier than they used to be. Some little studies additionally discovered comparable vitality admission around fat kids and their thin counterparts (Zieve, 2011). Fat intake For a long time it has been argued that the increment in pediatric obesity has happened in light of an expansion in high fat taking, conflicting effects have been acquired by cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. The principle complaint to the idea that dietary fat is answerable for the quickened pediatric obesity plague is the way that in the meantime the commonness of adolescence obesity was expanding; the utilization of dietary fat in distinctive population was diminishing. Despite the fact that fat consumed in overabundance prompts obesity, there is not solid enough confirmation that the intake of fat is the core purpose behind the rising pattern of obesity during the childhood (Staff, 2013). Other nourishment factors There is a developing proof recommending that escalating consumption of dairy products by something like two servings for every day could decrease the danger of overweight by up to 70%. Moreover intake of calcium was connected with 21% lessened danger of improvement of insulin safety around overweight children and may lessen diabetes hazard. Higher calcium consumption and more dairy servings for every day were connected with lessened adiposity in youngsters in accordance with the longitudinal study (Overweight and Obesity, 2014). There is less information reporting the connection between calcium or dairy consumption and obesity around the children. However it is possible that drinking soda in the place of milk would cause in grater intake of aggregate energy, it cant be finished up authoritatively that soft drink containing sugar result in increasing weight gain on the grounds that these items dislodge dairy items (Mahshid, Noori, Anwar, 2005). Conclusion: Obesity in the childhood due to nourishment is continuously increasing which is an alarming situation. It is because of the wrong intake of food. Children are more inclined to eating the fast food like burger, pizza and other products like this which cause the obesity in the childhood which further result in many health issues like heart diseases, diabetes and high blood pressure. Products containing more fat and calorie are also the reason of increasing obesity in the children. Dairy products are also becoming the reason of obesity. Bibliography Katz, D. L. (n.d.). Childhood Obesity. Retrieved from liebertpub: http://www.liebertpub.com/overview/childhood-obesity/384/ M. D., N. A., Anwar. (2005). hildhood obesity, prevalence and prevention. Nutrition Journal , 24. Obesity. (n.d.). Retrieved from who.int: http://www.who.int/topics/obesity/en/ Obesity in Children. (n.d.). Retrieved from webmd: http://www.webmd.com/children/guide/obesity-children Overweight and Obesity. ( 2014, February 24). Retrieved from cdc.gov: http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/ Staff, M. C. ( 2013, June 07). Diseases and Conditions Obesity. Retrieved from mayoclinic.org: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/basics/definition/con-20014834 Zieve, D. (2011, September 9). Obesity in children. Retrieved from nlm.nih.gov: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007508.htm

Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Essay -- Botany

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative aerobic bacterium with a rod shape, belonging to the family Pseudomonadadaceae. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a free living bacterium commonly found in soil, water, and occasionally on the surfaces of plants and the normal flora of animals (Todar, 2008). It acts as an opportunistic pathogen of humans and will infect almost any compromised tissue causing a range of infections from urinary tract infections, bacteremia, and a variety of systemic infections; especially in those with a compromised immune system (Todar, 2008). The infections caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa can be frustrating to clinicians because of its resistance to antibiotics. Primarily a nosocomial pathogen, it is known to cause ten percent of hospital-acquired infections (Todar, 2008). Pseudomonas aeruginosa is motile by means of a single polar flagellum used for adhesion and invasion during bacterial infection. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is omnipresent in soil and water or surfaces that come in contact with soil or water; as well as all manmade reservoirs. Its metabolism is always respiratory, but it will grow in the absence of oxygen if nitrous oxide is available to work as a respiratory electron acceptor (Todar, 2008). Its most favorable temperature for growth is thirty-seven degrees Celsius, but it can grow in temperatures as high as forty-two degrees (Medscape, 2009). In nature, Pseudomonas is a fast-swimming hearty bacterium because of its flagellum (Medscape, 2009). It has very simple nutritional requirements, making it easy to thrive almost anywhere. Organic growth factors are not required, yet it can use over seventy-five organic compounds for growth (Todar, 2008). Pseudomonas aeruginosa is tolerant of many conditio... ...the best way to treat an infection caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but it cannot always be prevented. Most strains are susceptible to gentamicin, tobramycin, and fluoroquinolins, but resistant strands have emerged making treatment virtually impossible (Todar, 2008). Works Cited Blackwell, Timothy S and Christman, John W. and Prince, Alice S. and Sadikot, Ruxana T. (2005). American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. In Pathogen-Host Interactions in Pseudamonas Pneumonia. Retrieved October 18, 2011, from http://ajrccm.atsjournals.org/cgi/content/short/171/11/1209 Todar, Kenneth PhD., Textbook of Bacteriology. Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin, 2008. Medscape. (December 9th, 2009). Drugs, Diseases, and Procedures. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infections. Retrieved October 30, 2011, from http://emedicine.medscape.com.

Plato :: essays research papers

Few definite details are known of Plato's life. He was born in Athens c. 427 BC and was the youngest son of Ariston, of an old and wealthy family. It is claimed that his real name was Aristocles, with "Plato" (meaning "the broad") being a nickname given to him because of his wrestler's physique. He served in the last years of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, and after democracy was restored in Athens in 403 BC he hoped to enter politics. However, the realities of political life as well as the execution of his mentor Socrates in 399 BC drove him to abandon this goal. After the death of Socrates, Plato left Athens and traveled in Italy, Sicily and Egypt, where he learned the function of a water clock. In Italy he came in contact with the ideas of Pythagoras, which gave him a new appreciation of mathematics. After serving again in the military, he returned to Athens in 387 BC and founded his Academy, which he presided over until his death in 347 BC and which survived for nearly a thousand years after. His works include discussions of mathematics, ethics, science and philosophy, usually in the form of dialogues. Some of the most famous are the Republic, Phaedo, and Symposium. Famous quotations by Plato: A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men. All men are by nature equal, made all of the same earth by one Workman; and however we deceive ourselves, as dear unto God is the poor peasant as the mighty prince. Courage is a kind of salvation. Courage is knowing what not to fear. Cunning... is but the low mimic of wisdom. Democracy... is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder; and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike. Democracy passes into despotism. Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws. He was a wise man who invented beer. He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden. Honesty is for the most part less profitable than dishonesty. Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.

Illegal Immigrants in The United States Essay -- Mexican immigrants, i

For many years, people from all over the world have come to the United States seeking a better life for themselves, their spouse, their children and even their children's children. However, not every immigrant comes into this country legally and many of these illegal immigrants are poor, uneducated and may be carrying contagious diseases. They may arrive here via human trafficking, smuggling or other methods. There is one thing we know for sure that many of them choose to remain silence when they become victims. The three main reasons they become invisible victims are they are not aware they are victimized, they don't know the right way to ask for help and they are afraid to be fired or even deported. Illegal immigrants in the United States usually come from less developed countries or at least poorly developed regions of these countries. These illegal immigrants carry a totally different knowledge of culture, legal system and human rights when they came into this country. The most these people are victimized is when they are working, sometimes, these people can't even realized when they have become victims. Because of their status, illegal immigrants, it is very rare that they can find good positions in considerably big companies to start with. Usually, small businesses will take the risk to hire illegal immigrants, sometimes it may be because of these small businesses are trying to help those illegal immigrants who share same nationality with them, but, for most of the time, these undocumented migrant workers are much cheaper and easier to manipulate. Most illegal immigrants consider working for people who share the same nationality with them, because of language issues. When this happens, highly li... ...to provide their children a better future; some of them end up here because of human trafficking or smuggling, so they need to work hard to pay their debt. No matter what the reason is, they can't afford to lose their job or be deported back to their own country. Most of these illegal immigrants are carrying too much weight on their shoulders. Most problems are not big deals comparing to lose a job, because they believe that as long as they can keep their jobs for living in this country, there is a hope to become legal one day. Illegal immigrants victims are invisible, because they are not aware of their situation, they don't know to get help or they are afraid to be fired and deported. No matter what reasons are causing them invisible, one thing we know for sure is that these reasons are giving other people opportunities to hurt illegal immigrants.

Target Corporation Essay

Executive Summary: This case study analyzed five different projects Target Corporation had to decide on capital spent for which project created the most value and the most growth for the company and its shareholders. By analyzing the financial statements and exhibits of each project, I was able to determine the positives and negatives of each of these alternatives. The alternatives were Gopher Place, Whalen Court, The Barn, Goldie’s Square, or Stadium Remodel. The recommendation provided for Target Corporation is choosing the Stadium Remodel project. There were three main factors used for choosing this project. First, its low initial investment that makes the risk for Target much lower. Second, by implementing this project it continues the strong brand image Target has with its customers. Lastly, the Stadium Remodel project uses only a small percentage of total capital expenditures making it possible for Target to have more capital available for future capital expenditures. Table of Contents: Executive Summary – Page 1 Situational Analysis – Page 4 Alternatives – Page 5 Recommendation – Page 10 Appendices – Page 13 Situational Analysis: Target Corporation has become a strong performing company in the retail industry in part because of its successful investment decisions and continued growth. That is why when Dan Scovanner, CFO of Target, and the four other executives in the CEC (Capital Expenditure Committee) meet it is of high importance. The approval or denial of CPR’s (Capital Project Requests) has the potential to set precedents that would affect possible  decisions in the future. Every month the CEC meets to go over new CPR’s that could have a lasting impact on the short-term and long-term profitability of Target. For the month of November in 2006, there were five particular projects Scovanner knew were going to be the most highly discussed and evaluated. These projects involved four new store openings and one remodeling of an existing store. The new openings were Gopher Place, Whalen Court, The Barn, and Goldie’s Square. The remodeling of an existing store format into a SuperTarget was Stadium Remodel. To come to a conclusion on whether to approve or deny projects the CEC uses a â€Å"dashboard† that has many factors. These factors include total investment size, NPV, IRR, population, population growth, and so on. The problem was whether capital was better spent on one project or another to create the most value and the most growth for the company and its shareholders. Alternatives: The first alternative for Target Corporation is the project Gopher Place. The positives of this project are that it will have the highest population increase from 2000-2005 at 27%. This increase is much higher than any other project and that means more possible customers and sales in the future. The market also has a favorable median income at $56,400 and projected sales growth is higher than the prototype. In addition, Gopher Place NPV Value is 18% higher (Appendix 1) than the prototype. Then, there are the negatives of choosing this project. First, the investment size initially looks within a typical investment level at $23 million. But, compared to the prototype this project is actually over $5 million more or 31% higher (Appendix 1). Gopher Place has the lowest population among the 5 projects given and has the smallest percentage of adults with four plus years of college at 12%. This is important because Target focuses on creating a shopping experience that attracts college-educated woman whom have children and are more affluent than the standard Wal-Mart customer. Also, Target already has stores within the area and the sales from this new project would derive 19% of its sales from surrounding area. Lastly, within the next few years Wal-Mart is expected to add two new supercenters, which would take up 76% of the market, compared to Targets 24% of the market. The second alternative for Target Corporation is the project Whalen Court. The positives of this project are  that it has the highest NPV, highest total R&P sales, highest population, and highest percent of adults with four plus years of college. First, Whalen Court not only has the highest NPV but they have the greatest opportunity. If sales increase by 10% it would be over $16 million more than the prototype. Second, this projects sales could be by far the greater than the prototypes of any other pro jects. The 1st and 5th year sales equivalents would be over $52 and $69 million respectively. Compare this to the other projects and they are 10’s of millions more. Third, the Whalen Court project has the highest population at 632,000, which means they have the largest customer pool. Their population is almost three times greater than the second closest project. Lastly, this project has the highest percentage of adults with four plus years of college. This is very important because these are the customers Target is trying to attract the most. Now, there are some negatives of this project as well. First, the investment size is much greater than the typical prototype. It is actually 409% (Appendix 1) more than the prototype. The next closest project is only 31% more, which makes this project very concerning. Next, is the building cost versus the prototype. The project is for a lease of a building and the cost are very high compared to the other projects at over $15 million more than the prototype. Add in the fact that Target usually owns their store property and this project is already out of the ordinary. Finally, there is the IRR in value and st ore sensitivities. The Whalen Court project has one the lower IRR’s and it affects many things. Construction costs would have to decrease more than $41 million to achieve prototype store IRR. This is an extremely large number compared to the other projects. In addition, this projects IRR for sales is staggering. Sales would have to increase over 31% to achieve prototype store IRR. This is much higher than any other project. The third alternative for Target Corporation is the project The Barn. The positives for this project were small initial investment, good sales growth, high IRR and NPV value, and a new market. First, this project had the lowest investment cost out of all the projects at $13 million. The low investment allows for a larger return on investments for Target. Furthermore, this was the only project that had a higher NPV than total net investment. Second, The Barn had projected sales higher than the prototype. It’s total R&P sales were projected to be over $2 million more than the prototype for the 1st and  5th year. Third, This project’s sales could decrease 18.1% and still achieve prototype store NPV. In addition, sales could decrease 23.2% and still achieve prototype store IRR. Therefore, the sales could not be as close to what was projected and still be greater than the prototype. In addition, The Barn had the highest IRR at 16.4%, which is what shareholders and investors want to see. Lastly, this project would have Target enter a new market. The closest stores were 80 miles and 90 miles away. Now, the negatives of The Barn project are its population increase, median income, percent of adults with four plus years of college, and competition. First, this project location is only supposed to have a 3% population increase from 2000-2005. This is the lowest out of all the other projects. Second, the median income is the lowest amongst the five projects at only $38,200. Thir d, the percent of adults with four plus years of college is among the lowest of the projects at 17%. Therefore, this location isn’t exactly the customers Target usually tries to attract. Lastly, the competition in this area is very steep. Within a few years there will be a Wal-Mart Supercenter, Sam’s Club, and Kmart taking 87% of the market. Thus, Target will only control 13% of the market. The fourth alternative for Target Corporation is the project Goldie’s Square. The positives of this project are lower investment size, lower building cost, affluent and faster growing population. First, this project’s total net investment is $694,000 less than the prototype. Second, it has a lower building cost than most of the other projects with only $313,000 more than the prototype. Lastly, the location for Goldie’s Square has the second largest population at 222,000 and it will increase by 16% from 2000 to 2005. This means this location has potential growth for Target. Now, the negatives for Goldie’s Square are the projects NPV and IRR, projected sales, and the market. First, the NPV for this project are the lowest of any of the other projects by far. With only $317,000, Goldie’s Square would 6,156% (Appendix 1) lower than the prototype. That percentage is astronomically larger than any other project. In addition, it has the lowest IRR of all the projects at 8.1%. Both this low NPV and IRR have a major affect on what the projected sales need to be to achieve prototype. Sales would have to increase respectively 45.1% and 47.2% to achieve prototype NPV and IRR. These are the most of any other project and would be very difficult to achieve. Lastly, the market for this project seems to be  fairly saturated. There are already 12 Target store currently in this market and could possibly go up to 24. In addition, a large portion of the sales (25%) would be taken from the surrounding stores. Finally, in the next few years it is projected the competition in this market will be high. Target is projected to only have 17% share of the market. The fifth alternative for Target Corporation is the project Stadium Remodel. This is the only remodeling project and its positives are lower total net investment, projected R&P sales, median income, percent of adults with four plus years of college, and customer loyalty. First, the initial investment amount would 46% (Appendix 1) better than the prototype which is the best of all the projects. In addition it is one of the lower investment costs therefore it wouldn’t cost the company as much. Second, the projected R&P sales are better than the prototype. The post-remodel sales projects a 17% sales lift for this store. This remodeling could really boost sales at this store making it more profitable in the long-term. Third, the median income for this market is the highest at $65,931. In addition, this project has one of the highest percentage of adults with four plus years of college at 42%. Both of these statistics fits Targets customer type very well. Lastly, this Target store has been in the market since 1972 with loyal customers. The support for this store is there it just needs to not hurt the brand image by not fixing the deteriorating facilities. The negatives of this project are higher risk and completely not fulfilling Target’s main objective. First, this project has the second highest sales risk of the projects. If the sales decline by 10% then the store NPV would decline by $7.85 million. This is a higher risk then some of the other projects that have to be considered. Lastly, the main objective of Target Corporation is to meet the goal of adding about 100 stores annually while maintaining a positive brand image. This project would help maintain a positive brand image but it also would not be adding towards the goal of 100 stores a year. Recommendation: Based on the alternatives analyzed I believe the best alternative is the Stadium Remodel. I came to this conclusion based on many different factors. First, I took Target’s strategy into careful consideration. Target’s strategy was to consider the shopping experience of the customer as a whole.  The corporation refers to customers as guest do there best to fulfill the slogan, â€Å"Expect more. Pay less.† Target focuses on creating a shopping experience that attracts college-educated woman whom have children and are more affluent than the standard Wal-Mart customer. Therefore, when I saw the Stadium Remodeling project had the highest median income and second highest percent of adults that had four plus years of college, I knew this was a project Target would strongly want to consider. In addition, one of Target’s main objectives is maintaining a positive brand image. This store was already successful at a strong long-term location serving an affluent fami ly-oriented customer base. By remodeling this store, Target is able to build the strong brand image among its loyal customers. In addition to maintaining a strong brand image, Target won’t have to use much of its budget for capital expenditure. In Appendix 2, it shows how the Stadium Remodel project will only use .49% of the total capital expenditures budget. This is the second lowest percentage among the five projects. Also, the low investment cost will make it possible to build 205 more stores at this cost if they wanted to. Therefore, the lower cost of this project will make it still possible for Target to keep its goal of trying to open 100 new stores annually. In conclusion, I believe this project would be the best chose based on a low initial investment, maintaining strong brand image, and using only a small percentage of total capital expenditures. If Target truly were about brand awareness and building a loyal customer base then they would have no problem choosing the Stadium Remodel project

Can Prison Deter Crime? Essay

â€Å"Danbury wasn’t a prison, it was a crime school. I went in with a Bachelor of marijuana, came out with a Doctorate of cocaine† – George Jung The above quote was given by notorious international drug lord, and one of the most successful career criminal of modern times, George Jung, when discussing the flaws of the modern penal system. While subsequent to this original incarceration, George did also frequently state that he would never allow himself to be detained in prison again, it is obvious that the very mechanism intent on deterring him from such deviance instead served as a stepping stone in the advancement of his criminal career (Porter, 1993). This double edged effect of the detainment of criminals, identified above, brings into question the effectiveness of the most widely recognised method of dealing with criminal activity of modern times. The physical confinement of deviants in society can be traced back to the writings of Plato discussing prisons in ancient Athens. Likewise, archaeologists and historians have combined to describe the ‘Great Prison’ of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (Morris & Rothman, 1 998). The modern model of the prison that we would know today, with prison acting as a mechanism at the disposal of the court to a significant extent, is actually relatively young with its origins traced back a mere 300 hundred years to Western Europe and the United States (Coyle, 2005). In the 18th century, the Quakers developed this idea of transforming the prison into a sanctuary for reformation, whereby a criminal would be transformed through isolation, forced labour and religious instruction (Kontos, 2010). Though the methods and motivations of this incarceration have changed over time, the sheer longevity of employing physical detention as a response to behaviour deemed unacceptable by greater society, pays testament to its undeniable rational. Despite general acceptance of this method across the centuries, questions of its effectiveness as a deterrent of criminal activity have become prominent in more modern times with emphasis on rehabilitation rather than punishment and retribution now evident. In this essay I will attempt to address some of these questions beginning with an overview of societies changing motivations for and expectations of this system. Following this, I will then give an overview of the arguments that say prison simply does not effectively act as a deterrent towards crime. To provide an unbiased balance to the piece, I will then give account of the counter arguments to this, which take the more traditional view of prison still serving its purpose in society. Finally, I will conclude by briefly giving my own opinion on the issue with relation to referenced arguments. Motivations for/ Expectations of Prisons While it is generally accepted that the presence of the prison as a tool of the criminal justice system as a whole has a positive effect as a deterrent towards crime, there is little evidence to suggest that marginal changes of the inner workings inside the prison has any effect as to the level of this deterrence (Morris & Rothman, 1998). This fact would suggest that a debate into the motivations and therefore nature of incarceration is meaningless, since it is only the basic denial of physical liberty that appears to be relevant. Despite this, I feel it is important to understand the fundamental motivational factors of society behind the prison and how that affects its workings. After all a lack of clarity of direction and conflicting ideologies can have negative effects, only condemning further the failures of the prison system. The functions of the modern day prison can be divided into three main sections which I will now briefly discuss: Retribution/Punishment: Punishment would seem the most obvious function of a prison and indeed the Criminal Justice Act 2003 states: â€Å"The court must not pass a custodial sentence unless it is of the opinion that the offence†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..was so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence can be justified for the offence† (Criminal Justice Act 2003; In; Coyle, 2005; 12) The more sever the crime the greater the level of punishment, without mention of mental state or rehabilitation. Indeed you, often hear of people criticising that a criminal â€Å"got off† with community sentences or a fine. Other public criticism also lies in the treatment of detainees while in prison. Frequently, it is argued that prisoners are treated too well in prison, with the modern prison often being equipped with TVs and other such luxuries. While the use of a TV does not have any effect on the rehabilitative effects and does not cause any greater risk to the law abiding public, it is simply this idea tha t one must be punished in prison as retribution for the crimes they committed. Indeed there could be argued a rational for such punishment to ensure acceptance of the system by society, for if victims feel that these criminals have got off too lightly they are more likely to exact their own revenge, leading to even more law and disorder. As well as ensuring a public acceptance of justice, a direct link is often made between a greater the level of punishment providing a greater deterrent to potential perpetrators. A short sentence in a comfortable prison would not provide the same deterrent to commit crime as a long sentence in an uncomfortable prison. Additionally, prior to imprisonment, the probability that one could be sent to prison for committing a crime must be weighed up against the length and standard of sentence to ensure deterrence. For example, 0.0001% of perpetrators being sent to a sub standard South American labour camp for 40 years might not have the same effect as 99% of prisoners being sent to a more comfortable prison for 6 months. This being said a correlation between punishment and deterrence can at times defy logic with Eysenck using the example of countrie’s murder rates not being related to whether or not they employ the death penalty (Eysenck, 1964). With the civilization and democratization of modern societies, naturally, more severe punishments such as corporal punishment or labour camps are now being less utilised. A mentality of men coming to prison as a punishment rather than men coming to prison to be punished has now developed (Coyle, 2005). Foucault described this transition from torture to incarceration as born out of sympathy for the tortured bodies of offenders (Kontos, 2010) With the detention in prison now being the punishment itself, issues such as sentence length are now paramount in providing an adequate deterrent. Reformation: This idea of prison as a place of reform grew from the 19th century onwards and the notion can be seen as attractive on many accounts. Firstly, it provides great justification for sentencing for both the judicial system and society as a whole, providing a moral high ground that the punishment model does not. In this model criminals are seen as a minority who display traits that distinguish them from greater society. Most crime is seen as being committed by this minority and therefore the reformation of this group will lead to a significant reduction in crime. Criminals are not seen as victim of circumstances, but rather have underlying traits which can be altered, meaning criminals can be released back into the same circumstances as a functioning member of society. The principle that humans can be encouraged to alter their behaviour is a sound one however it could be argued that the prison is not the venue for this to occur (Morris & Rothman, 1998). Foucault again summarizes the issues well saying that personal change comes from personal choice and cannot be forced upon someone (Coyle, 2005). Difficulties can arise from indecision as to the exact purpose of prisons when sentencing length reflects desire for punishment, while incarceration reflects desire for reform. Short term sentences provide little use for character reform and therefore little justification for prison. This being said if one is to remain in prison for a period of time it would seem rational that efforts would be made to reform the character regardless (Kontos, 2010). Public Protection/Incapacitation: It is undeniable that at least for the period that a criminal is in prison the greater public is protected from them, by virtue of the fact they are physically unable to commit crime. Due to the nature of short sentences and the negative impact prison can have on a young criminal’s propensity to crime, this protection can prove very limited. Rather than deterring crime, from this perspective, prison simply makes it impossible for criminals to commit crime for the periods which they are incarcerated. A criminal’s life career follows a relatively predictable cycle. Criminals tend to be most active from mid to late adolescence until their late twenties. Gradually they become less active in their early thirties and this propensity virtually disappears by their mid thirties (Morris & Rothman, 1998). In many facets of crime, repeat offenders commit small offences and therefore are given short sentences, meaning they are soon once again capable of committing crimes, leaving society exposed. This issue was addressed in the first half of the 20th century implementing preventative detention when dealing with repeat offenders. Additional time was put on top of the standard sentence for repeat offenders preventing them from reoffending. However, this form of sentencing was seen as unjust and quickly abandoned (Coyle, 2005). Now that we have established society’s motivations behind prison and the deterring effect they have on crime, we will now examine the argument that prison in fact does not deter crime and in many cases can even encourage it. Prison Doesn’t Deter Crime There are several factors which contribute to an actor’s propensity to crime both before initial imprisonment and after. This distinction between before and after initial imprisonment is important due to the high rates of re-imprisonment in Ireland. If prison is to be found to deter crime directly, then interaction between prisoner and prison should address these issues. The first factor which affects an actor’s propensity to commit crime is the personality of the criminal. There are two types of personality defects which can lead to an actor: psychological and psychopathic. For criminals with psychological issues, the factors behind the criminal’s first and second or third offence are likely to be the same. Factors can be a range of issues, from addiction to a mental health disorder such as paedophilia. Simple punishment methods that may deter â€Å"normal† actors do not apply here and a lack of treatment or adequate rehabilitation would simply lead to co nvictions on a regular basis. This then brings into question the levels of rehabilitation in prisons in order to deter future offences. As already mentioned, prison is far from the ideal venue for mental health improvement or treatment and relapse-prevention programmes have not proven successful (Eysenck, 1964). Psychopathic traits can be defined as â€Å"an individual whose character traits deviate so far from the culturally accepted norm that he finds difficulty in conforming to ordinary social demands† (West, 1963; 60). Psychopaths show numerous symptoms such as childlike tantrums, sporadic violence, a lack of social learning and emotional indifference (lack of remorse or guilt) (West, 1963). Again, to deter such deviants, treatment is needed which perhaps would be more suitable to a mental hospital rather than an institution based on the Quakers fundamental premise of isolation and hard labour. Contrary to logic the actual experience inside prison itself can also prove to increase ones propensity to commit crime. Though some authors (Saunders & Billante, 2002) do argue that increasing committals does reduce crime, and the unprecedented 20 year reduction in crime combined with an equally unprecedented rise in prison population does give them ammunition. Many preachers of this high imprisonment rate model blatantly disregards trends in other countries citing the undeniably extraordinary figures in the U.S. as undisputable evidence. However, even in countries as close to the US as Canada, flaws have already begun to emerge with Piche stating that â€Å"the use of imprisonment has failed to enhance public safety in locations that have shifted towards a mass incarceration model† (Piche, 2010; 23). Many would argue that young offenders, who so often enter prison for short sentences resulting from minor offences, come out of prison more devious criminals then when they went in. A young troubled youth who has already become involved in minor crime enters into a system where he is forced to socialise with more hardened criminals, often with gang affiliations. With much crime being affiliated with drugs and gang affiliation, immediately the young criminal becomes much more likely to reoffend due to his apparently rehabilitative stint in prison with prison acting as a recruitment agency for gangs (Rogan, 2011). Potentially a young criminal who entered prison for a relatively minor offence can leave prison with criminal underworld ties, gang affiliations and the pressures to commit crime that come with that. Additionally, after this initial incarceration the young criminal is then known to the authorities and is then more likely to be caught committing crime. While it could not be said that entering prison for a short stint is an incentive to commit crime, it could certainly not be seen as a deterrent for an already delinquent juvenile (Rogan, 2011). While the deterring effect of prison does stretch far beyond the small minority who are at some stage committed to prison, the fact that most recorded crime, warranting incarceration, is committed by a small minority would suggest that greatest deterring affects could be had by at least reducing inmate’s propensity to crime. This prison link between prison and gangs and drugs cannot be over emphasised. Drugs are seen as a leading factor of crime, both as users and dealers. On average it is said that drug users will have contact with the criminal justice system at least once a year. This effect can be direct or indirect. Schleslinger found that while many burglars are drug and alcohol dependent only a small minority have been actually intoxicated during the burglaries, meaning an indirect affect (Schleslinger, 2000). Schleslinger also found a strong relationship between crime and drugs and concluded that someone who became involved in the criminal lifestyle was likely to become involved in substance abuse. It would appear that the prison creates an environment where a troubled youth who is struggling to find direction is given every opportunity to fail in the prison environment. Prison Does Deter Crime Despite the fact that it has been found that over half of those released from prison will be re-imprisoned within four years there are those who act as advocates for prison as a mechanism of deterrence towards crime and they are not without convincing statistics of their own (O’Donnell, 2005). In the late 20th century two major policy changes occurred that coincided with the greatest decrease in crime in modern history in the US, and more specifically the pioneering state of New York. Firstly, the revolutionary â€Å"Broken Windows† theory was developed and implemented in New York. Secondly, a conscious decision was made to ensure that more offenders would end up in prison, where before alternative sanctions would have been implemented. The rationale behind this second shift was based on academic literature in the field of economics rather than sociology and a brief overview of this argument provided a brief summary of why prison deters crime economically. The piece, originally written in the 1960’s by Chicago economist Gary Becker, suggested that crime, like any other business, was the result of a calculation between benefits vs. risks/cost. From this Becker reasoned that by changing this calculus, by causing the risks and costs to outweigh the benefits, the rate of crime could be decreased (Saunders & Billante, 2002). Much discussion developed out of Becker’s argument, and though it was not agreed by everyone that all criminals were in fact rational utility maximisers, eventually from this it was decided that to increase cost and risks in this equation firstly they must increase the probability of being caught and second ensure that offenders saw prison time as a result of their actions. Funding was increased to ensure capture and conviction and new policies were implemented to increase the severity of penalties resulting in both high prison rates (doubling from 1970-1980 and again doubling from 1981-1995) but also drastic decreases in crime outlined below (Morris & Rothman, 1998).