Lobbying strategies used by financial services Essay

General knowledge about patenting and the patent reform legislation. A patent can be said to be a se of exclusive rights given to an inventor or his assignee for a given period in exchange for the invention details. However in countries like us extras qualification utility patents is used to differentiate them from other types of patents, this should not be confused with utility models grants by other countries. (http://www.ipaustralia-gov.au/patents/what_index.sch.html)examples of these particular patents for invention includes biological patents, business method patents, chemical patents and software patents. In some other countries other types of intellectual property rights (IPR) are called patents while industrial design rights are referred to as design patents which protect the physical designs of objects which are not of great utility. As such therefore, patent should not be mistaken for a right to practice or use the inventor, it(patent) provides the authority to prevent other people from making, using, selling or offering for sale or importing the patented invention for as long as the term of the patent remains, which in most cases is usually 20years. In real sense a patent is a limited property right that the government leases to inventors in exchange of their (inventors) disclosure of the details leading to their invention. Patent therefore, like any other property rights can be leased, mortgaged, assigned, licensed, given away or even transfered.As briefly stated above the rights governing a patent varies from country to country. For instance in Australia, other people are allowed to build on top of already patented invention. This is possible by making use of exceptions from infringement procedures e.g. allowances for academic research (http. /paustralia- gov.au/patents/what_ index .sch.html). While on the other hand in US things are very different on patent rights governing research, whereby even developing of an existing invention amounts to infringement. The mystery of patents is exhibited when one wants to make an improvement of an already patented invention. This can only be done legally by seeking permission from the patent holder, assuming that the patent is still in force When the new improvement is made the owner of it can bar the original patent owner from using the improvement and hence denying him of the right to exploit the patent. However some countries require that the invention be exploited in the jurisdiction it covers. Again the penalties of not working an invention vary from country to country but the common penalties ranges from revocation of the patent rights to awarding of a license to any party in a position to exploit the invention. The patentee can seek legal redress and challenge the revocation or the issuance of the license. But there exists a big hurdle in offering of tangible evidence that, the requirement of the public have really been met by the working the invention. Generally patents can only be put in force through law suits (e.g. in US, patent infringements are handled in the US federal courts) in other countries like France and Australia criminal penalties for patent infringements are given. In case of an infringement the patent owner will demand to be compensated financially for past infringement and then also seek to bar the defendant (infringer)from engaging in any further acts of infringement. However it is not always easy for the patent owner to prove that infringement really took place. As such, he is required to establish that the accused practiced all that the patent was entitled to; again, the issue of independent jurisdictions patent rights tradition also arises. The above statements about the powers of a patent owner are enough evidence to show that there is a great limitation on the patent owner because the accused has a right to challenge the validity of a patent .It is common for civil courts hearing patent cases to declare patents invalid. The basis on which a patent can be declared invalid are stated on the patent agreement, and again this varies from one jurisdiction to another. However some countries like UK have laws discoursing infringers from challenging the validity of patents. In the UK this discouraged through the certificate of contested validity. Nevertheless not all patent rights disputes are settled through litigatation. Majority of these disputes are settled through private patent licensing agreements. These agreement are simply practical, effective contracts whereby the patent owner (also know as licensor) voluntarily decides not to sue an infringer in return of some payment .Research shows that this is common in companies which deals with complex products. These companies also issue patented licenses to other business rivals under what is known as cross licensing agreements. This in turn facilities the cross accessing of each other inventions (special problems in patent cases 66.FRD 529,197 by Howard T Markey) As seen above different jurisdictions have different traditions of approaching patenting, but it should be noted that in many nations both single entities (natural persons) and corporate entities can apply for a patent. On issuance of this patent then the entity (ies) becomes the owners of the patents. However, it is mandatory that the inventor (s) be named so that the public can get to know how the owner(s) of the patent acquired the rights. For example in US only the inventor(s) (natural person) can apply for a patent, in cases of multi inventors then each inventor is given a patent which s very independent from those given to other co- inventors . It is a normal practice also in US for inventors to assign their ownership rights to a corporate body, this is done in cases of multi-inventors so that only one single entity has the rights to grant a license. Another reason is to increase the liquidity of the patent as property, so that inventors can be in a position to sell them to a third party, who in turn owns the patent as though they were the real investors. From the above detailed information about the function ability of patents and patent rights it is evident that patents and patent rights need to be protected by relevant laws so that neither party i.e. patent owners, authorities, and infringers is vulnerable to mistreatment. Therefore nations and also internal communities have come up with laws that govern the enforcement of patents. Patents as such therefore, are governed by laws at a national level and at an international level through signing of treaties. It can be said that patents are therefore not national but territorial in nature. It is traditional that every nation forms a [patent office which carries out patenting responsibilities in regards of the laws of the country. However cases of infringements are left to be catered by national courts. On an international scale it is the work of the world Trade organization (WTO) to harmonize these patent laws. Agreement have been reached successfully in aligning these patent laws .Adherence to these agreements is a mandatory requirement for admission to the WTO, a factor leading to mass compliance by many nations .Even the developing countries are not left back although they have been known to enforce national laws protecting their local industries. A paramount international meting held in Paris relating to patent systems culminated in the signing of the above agreement. Although the agreement does not have a consequential legal effect in national jurisdictions its principles are largely inculcated in many current patent systems. For instance one such principle is the right to claim priority which allows an application filled in a member state of the Paris meeting to be valid for one year and also to be filled in any other member state and still receive its original filling date. This is a great achievement since patent ownership is entirely date oriented. Again the powers and dynamics of patents vary from sate to another. In US for example, the lands prime law (constitution), gives the congress the mandate to make laws, to promote, and uphold the progress of Science and useful Arts. These laws once passed, are then enshrined in Title 35 of the United States Code. The United States patent and trademark office (USPTO) was created under the above laws. (US patent activity, 1790 to present – http://www. Upstaged/web/ offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/h-counts-html). In UR, patent laws are contained in the patents Act 1977 (amended). On international perspective, as mentioned above there exists international freely procedures e.g. procedures under European patent convention (EPC) which works under European patent organization (EPO) and patent cooperation Treaty (PCT) among many others. Similar treaties exist in African content countries. For a natural person or a corporate entity to be awarded a patent then an application requesting the same has to be filled at the relevant patent office. This application contains such information like how to make and put the invention into use and also the utility of the invention. Also contained in the application form is claims which explain more about the invention and the extend of patent rights in regards to applicants wishes. The above details together with a written description with drawings are part of the patent specification. In some nations like US, the applicant is also required to include the most effective way to make and practice the invention. The claim part acts as a disclosure to the public on the limits to which the patentee has over the invention. In other words a claim shows what the patent covers and what does not cover. It should be noted also that a single patent can have numerous claims, each regarded as an independent invention. Once the above requirements have been provided it is now the duty of the patent office to counter check whether the application is in order with the relevant legal provisions in relation to the particular specie of patents. Once it is approved the patent takes effect from the date issued and it is subject to yearly renewals so as to remain in force in relation to (Egbert vs. Lippmenn, 104 U.S. 333 (1881) â€Å"the corset case†) The US supreme court passed a decision that any inventor who has not applied for a patent for more than eleven years of using the invention, cannot be given one. Hence there is a need to seek for a patent once an invention has been made (http://www. Wolf Greenfield. Com/media/news. 9.pdf) In a summary of the above information about patent system four main aspects have clearly been discussed about, they include; i. Inventing: – Through intensive research and consulting Scientists and artists are able to come up with inventions. The desire to dig more and come up with inventions is catalyzed by the existence of patent rights. Which comes with much money as a result of selling patent licenses ii. Disclosing the invention made: – As per the meaning of patent, the disclosure of invention is for a common good. This is so because there are projections as to the rights of invention and hence inventors feel free to disclose their invention. This disclosure facilitates for exploitation of patent right when the current one expire or even improvements are made. iii. To invest in producing, experimenting, and marketing of the invention. This is done out the faith that infrequent cases are well protected against. iv. Designing and improving of earlier patents: – This can only be possible is details of already existing patents are disclosed to the public. All the above stuff concerning modern patent system allows for infant inventors to gain exclusive rights and therefore becoming licensors. They therefore gain financially and in the long run promoting more innovations. Due to loopholes the legal systems governing patents cases of double awarding of patents have been common. (According to R.Buck minster Fuller 1938). Due to the increasing number of inventions the patent filling systems are becoming more complex day and day and hence there is a likehood of awarding a patent to an invention already patented before. However with the introduction of reliable computing system this has been kept at bay. According to Michael Heller, a law professor and Rebecca Sue Eisenberg in a 1998 in their 1998 science article, intellectual property Rights (IPR) have become so much fragmented that signing them will require an agreement with all the owners of fragments. Another big hurdle in patents is that they discourage innovations especially with corporate entities who may own many patents and enter into litigations incases of infringement although they are doing absolutely nothing to develop the invention. Other numerous problems also exist and as a result critisms have been common opposing the patents system and proposing for their abolition altogether. Lastly, it will be fair to put forth some historical information regarding the existence of patents. Reliable evidence suggests that the first stints of patents can be traced to ancient Greek cities whereby any one who came up with a new recipe was allowed to make the food for one year. On the other hand, modern patents can be traced to the republic of Venice whereby new inventions were publicly communicated to prevent undue infringement. Other countries followed suit e.g. U.K, US and therefore the idea of patents spread through other parts of the World. The above detailed account about patents gives a reader of this paper a sound basis to now tackle the issue of financial services industry, lobbying strategies in the addressing of the patent reform bill (legislation) before the 110th congress. As already explained above the patents system in united states are under the body known as United States patent and Trade mark organization (USPTO).This body is therefore incharge of issuance of patents to inventors. According to a 2004 report by National Agency of a sciences and another report of 2003 report by Federal Trade Commissioner a bill (patent Reform Act 2005) was proposed. The main aim of this bill was to try and bring a theme of modernity in the USA patent system. Although it was not until 2007 when this bill was introduced to the bicameral US parliament (Senate and House of representatives). This bill now known as â€Å"The patent Reform Act of 2007† was introduced as a proposal in the 110th US congress for discussion and eventual change of the United States Patent Laws. The bills main objective was to bring the American patent laws to the same level with other countries patent laws. (According to a patent system for the 21st century, by Stephen. A. Merrill Richard L. Levin and mark B. Myers, 2004- (http://www ton.nap.eds/catalog//76.html) The main changes brought by this legislation were – I). Converting US from a first- to- invent system to a first- inventor- to -file system. This bill will bring US to conformity with other countries of world. This system will also reduce legal costs, simplify the patent process, improve fairness and also facilitate a movement towards harmonized international patent system. It is also agreed that this change will reduce the complexity associated with the current USPTO interference proceedings. This will therefore make inventors to focus more on inventing. Since this change would make US to be in harmony with other countries it will help US inventors to pursue their innovative dreams in more consisted manner. On the hand, critics have agreed that this system of first to file will encourage unnecessary USPTO with unharmonized disclosure information; therefore quality of patents is compromised. Again the small scale inventors will be at a disadvantage when competing with large co operations in the race to the pattern office. The next major change was apportionment of damages. The bill will seek to bring sanity in the award of damages due from infringements of patents. The bill allows a court of law to ensure that the damages are paid according to the prevailing economic conditions pertaining to the patented invention. This was seen a measure to cut excessive royalty payment infringed patented. Large technological companies and financial services industries supported this change because they lie on features which are in most cases in patented. Critics of this system argued that, the congress should not attempt to prioritize the factors that a court may apply when determining reasonable damage rights. This system may also undermine the existing licenses and therefore leads to the rise of litigation. Those critics included USPTO, the biotechnology among many others. Other charges embedded in the bill included; Allowing a third party assignee to file a patent application, Revising procedures for patent interference disputes; Allowing financial institutions to infringe patents on the check collection system, Allowing a person who is not the patent owner to file a petition with the board cancel a patent as invalid among many other changes. These changes sought to facilitate a general overhaul of the US patent system. Which according to the coalition for 21st century patent Return was in dire need for periodic examination and foundational changes (http://www.ipfrolmer.com/depts/artic.asp?id=14890&deptid=4) This reform bill on patents was introduced to the House of Representatives by a democrat, MR. Howard Berman and in the senate by another Democrat, MR. Patrick Leahy. It was passed in the House of Representatives but put under more scrutiny pending voting in the senate following its introduction in the 110th United States Congress. The bill has been faced with positive and negative critisms from different organizations. Those organizations lobbying for its subsequent adoption argue that, the bill is necessary to bringing in the much needed changes and consequently reduce the number of soaring ills which are killing innovation. Some of these organizations include coalition for patent fairness, Business software alliance intellectual property owners association and lastly American institute of certified public accounts. Those according to them are weakening the rights of patent owners innovations included the following national small business organization, innovatiove alliance, Biotechnology industry organization among others (http://www.napp, org/resources/nap opp to 2007 senate Bill. pdf) According to the US department of commerce the only part which need some revision is section 4 which they argue may harm the nation’s intellectual property system. The bill also attracted critisms from international community with a Chinese expert calling the bill hypocritical; since it is weakening the rights of patent owners in US when US has been urging the Chinese government to strengthen the rights of their patent owners. An observation also comes from India pharmaceutical Alliance who argued the bills provision allows for the validity of a US patent to be challenged immediately after issuance. They also predict that the bill may favour Indian manufacturers since it reduces legal costs and risks. (Http.economictrimes.com/article show/mst 22256,pr+page – 1.cms1) The lobbying strategies The first question one should ask himself when tackling this debate is very simple, how is the proposed patent reform bill going to affect the performance of the financial institutions? Secondly has the current patent laws been in â€Å"favor† of the financial institutions? With these two questions in mind then it is very easy to the financial institutions stand in respect to these reforms. Consequently, therefore, the lobbying strategies they employ will be directly related to these effects. This issue of patent reforms may seem to a nonprofessional to be of no consequential impact and therefore does not deserve much thought but to the business community things are very different. The above detailed account of the pros and cons of the patent reform bill, it is very clear that there exists a tug-of war between some of the corporate US citizens. On one side of the war are much dreaded patent trolls or better known as patent sharks-small firms or individuals who wit fully trap large manufacturers in patent infringement suits in order to benefit from damage awards. On the other side of this war are financial institutions, which, includes banks and insurance firms who have joined hands with large tech-companies. It is understood that these two sectors have been faced with regular lawsuits coming from the much-dreaded patent sharks. At the center of the dispute is the current Americas patent system that is suffering from lack of a major policy overhaul for along period of time and struggling to stay in level with innovation in thev21st century. Therefore, financial institutions have always found themselves in a hot spot under the current patent laws. It is in this light that any reforms that seeks to address their plight is seen as a relieve to them. The first strategy therefore employed by these financial institutions was the formation of a bargaining platform in the form of â€Å"the coalition of patent fairness†. This group lobbied the senate to help curb the weak patents and bourgeois lawsuits from patent sharks. The group also lobbied against a ruling made by the federal appeals court that opened doors for patents on business methods, including different types of banking, investments and insurance techniques. It is through this lobbying that, the senate judiciary committee included a provision that grants banks immunity against lawsuits from patent holders like Texas Company Data Treasury, which holds patent on a method of digitally scanning, sending and storing checks. Another strategy used by financial firms is by applying for patents. These patents unlike those of other industries are not primarily for financial gains but for defensive purposes against the escalating number of patent infringement cases from the much-dreaded patent sharks. Financial institutions in US are also exploiting the fact that US is the only nation in the world to have been left back using the first-to-invent system of patenting to lobby the international organizations (WTO).this seems to have borne fruits because the USPTO seems to have yielded to the pressure and therefore agreed to bring some changes. This has worked through the harmonization of the US patenting system with the rest of the world. After the House of Representatives passed its version of the bill, many AUTM members frantically contacted their congressional members a move that enabled many parts of the bill to be amended. However the senate bill remained to be harmonized. Following great concern from the university community and other bodies, a number of changes were made. One lobbying strategy, which financial services institution used was voicing their concerns through the AUTM, an organization of many universities and other bodies that induces closeness to industries. It should be noted that the AUTM and the university community were not in anyway against the improvement of US patent system. Their main concern was to see that before the bill was finally voted for in the senate, the contentious parts should be first fine-tuned. As a show of great support to the improvement of the US patent system, the university group therefore put fourth the following suggestions (i) a one-year grace period for first inventor and strong inventor oath should be included. ii)Removal of the previous user rights expansion in favour of study of issue university patent can be in a risk of expanding prior user rights iii) Venue reform provision that exempt universities and technology transfer foundations that offer patent services to universities. The bill as it were had many provisions that were of great concern to US universities chiefly because it undermined the ability of the universities to transfer technology to local industries. This was due to the making of patents difficult to protect decreasing the amount of damages patent holder can get from an infringer and opening new avenues for infringers to put to task the validity of issued patents. This change of USPTO rules and the issue of Supreme Court in mind made it more burdensome, and expensive to get, maintain and even enforce patents. It also poses difficulties for Universities when starting companies, which attract venture funding. Other areas, which concerned Universities and financial institutions were, are as follows:- i. A compulsory search report and analyses, which reflect heavily on the financial aspects of Universities on technology, transfer offices. ii. Absence of meaningful inadequate contact reform iii. An open-ended, post-grant administrative review of patent quality. iv. Venue reform policy that forces patentee to file suits in the infringer home district court and v. Apportionment of damages in patent infringement suits. Another strategic lobbying device at the disposal of financial institutions and other concerned organizations was through approaching federal relations officer near them. These federal relations officers are discharged with the main duty of acting as the intermediaries between the people and senate (legislators). Due to the bill, having so many controversial sections, there was an urgent need for the stakeholders to harmonize their divergent views and come up with a consensus. This was achieved through the congressional research service (CRS) an arm of United State Congress that provides policy and legal advices to committees and members of both the house and the Senate regardless of party affiliations. The CRS committee collects views from the public and then they act accordingly. Again, this CRS also carries out civic education concerning the interpretation of bills and their effect to the lives of the common person. Holding of workshops and seminars with the other stakeholders was another worthwhile strategy used to help bring every concerned party on board so that when the legislation is adopted no one would feel shortchanged. Workshops are known to bring warring parties together on a mutual agreement. These workshops therefore lobbied the opposing bodies into ceding some of their unrealistic demands. Financial services institutions through their attorneys lobbied the senate judiciary committee into making provisions that gave them more power in the using of technologies made by other inventors. These technologies are necessary in the improvement of banking services offered to customers. The bill therefore needed to be lobbied and subsequently harmonized. Conclusion The AUTM through their technology transfer managers evaluated impact of the long legislation on its general operations and therefore come up with a strategy, educate the university management and also other interested and the work with the federal relations officer, who in turn contacts the lawmakers. This technology transfer managers advice the legislators on the need to go the dialogue way so that at end of it all no constituency feels as being shortchanged by the passing of the patent reform legislation. In general, the current state of the bill would weaken the entire American patent system by making patented under to protect. The damages entitled to a patent owner after an infringement has been reduced adding salt to the wound. New avenues for infringers to challenge an already issued patent have also been opened. Although the bill continues to be harmonized bit by bit, the university technology transfer system still view some areas as not fully catered for. The legislation also provides for a patent trial and appeal bond, which is charged with the responsibilities of reviewing decisions of examiners upon applications and reexamination proceedings. Financial services institution therefore can utilize this avenue in addressing and subsequent challenging of the patent reforms legislations. This board comes as an indicator on how this reform legislation has deliberately been drafted and therefore only needs to be harmonized on the small areas. However, it is fair to say that America need this bill to at least bring some uniformity with rest of the world because it has been the only country adopting the first-invent system of patenting. Two, according to Senator Leahy, America needs an efficient and streamlined patent system if it is to remain in the forefront of the world economy. This patent will bring quality and at the same time discourage counter productive litigations. Senator Berman on his side argued that, there should be no doubt, as to whether the US system of patenting produces high quality patents, and therefore changing the existing patenting practices through the congress is the only way out. The bill also, should not be viewed with suspicion since it was founded and introduced in the two houses on a bipartisan basis. It is also the bedrock of American innovation, and therefore there is great need to protect innovation and creativity, according to Senator Hatch. Financial services industry being one of the major economic players of the United State of America, needs also to standup on its own and voice out their grievances. In addition, financial services institutions like banks and insurance companies have a duty to challenge the patent reforms legislation because they have started to seek protection from infringement lawsuits from patent sharks. This was facilitated through the introduction of financial patents. References; More about patent reforms, available at, 1) http://www.ipfrolmer.com/depts/artic.asp?id=14890&deptid=4, accessed on april30 2008 Effects of patent reforms, available at, 2)Http.economictrimes.com/article show/mst 22256,pr+page – 1.cms1) , accessed on april30 2008 Patent reforms for 21st cen. available at, 3) http://www ton.nap.eds/catalog//76.html) accessed on april30 2008 US patent and trademark office, available at, 4) http://www. Upstaged/web/ offices/ac/ido/oeip/taf/h-counts-html accessed on april30 2008 Regulations governing patent application, available at, 5) http://www. Wolf Greenfield. Com/media/news. 9.pdf) accessed on april30 2008 More about patenting, available at, 6)http://www.ipaustralia-gov.au/patents/what_index.sch.html) accessed on april30 2008 Patenting and innovations, available at, 7) Heller, M.A., & Eisenberg, R.S. (1998). Can Patents Deter Innovation? The Ant commons in Biomedical Research. Science. Different organizations response towards the patent reform bill, available at; 8) http://dev.bsa.org/country/public%20policy/patents.aspx, accessed on april30 2008

Elizabethan Age Essay

Elizabethan age was an era of extraordinary juxtaposition of whole new avenue of thoughts and avalanche of ideologies, which flowed in words of great literary geniuses. It began with the spirit of Renaissance marked by the quest for adventure and material wealth. It was the age when the minds of the people were lured by the new visions of distant lands rich in gold jewels and were swayed by the captivating charm of the beauty and loveliness. Music, Dance and Mirth played a significant part in their lives. On the other hand, Elizabethan era also saw the decay of moral values. From the noble class to gentry and from royalties to peasantry: people in an inexhaustible pursuit of materialism devoid from spirituality, adopted greed and corrupt values. The literature world delved deep into the psyche of the masses to illustrate the situation whereby in their quest for lavish life, they forgot that the tragic end is waiting for them. Both Marlowe and Shakespeare created the characters in their enduring plays Dr. Faustus and Hamlet who became the emblem of tragic heroes. They both enjoyed royalties because of their noble birth but both of their lives ended in tragedy in virtue of their most tragic flaw in their character. Their flaw was their greed and pride, which led them to pursue their evil designs and eventually their death. Marlowe’s hero is Dr. Faustus who had extraordinary qualities and was a super human but his consuming passion reaches beyond the ordinary aspiration until he meets with his fate. It was not the matter of his own fall but it was a struggle between his overweening soul and in its insatiable ambition, and the limitations, which it seek to overcome. On the other hand, we cannot say Hamlet was lacking in moral values but he was also a conqueror and his greed to revenge the murder of his father surpassed all his good actions and deeds. For the power and wealth, Claudius murdered King Hamlet whose soul wanders and tortures the young Hamlet to ponder upon some foul play. Dr. Faustus’s over ambitious desire and zeal induced him to sell his soul to evil. He abjured the scriptures, the Trinity and Christ to fulfill his inordinate ambition to gain super human powers by gaining mastery over unholy art of magic. By selling the soul to Devil, he lives a Blasphemous life full of vain and sensual pleasures for complete twenty-four years and did not even hesitate to insult and assault the Pope with the Holy Fathers at Rome. Though he feels a constant dispute going on in his soul between his overweening ambition and conscience (a struggle between the seven deadly sins and ethics or moral principles), between the Good Angel and Evil Angel that externalize the inner conflict. But Dr Faustus surrenders himself to the allurements of the Evil Angel, thereby paving his way for eternal damnation. In his inordinate passion to unravel all the mysteries of the universe, he forgot that he cannot overpower the time and when ultimately the time came for the evil angel to take his soul, he realizes that his sins are unpardonable and nothing can save him from eternal damnation. And before the devils snatch away his soul to the burning hell, the excruciating pangs of a deeply agonized soul finds the most poignant expression in Faustus’s final soliloquy. â€Å"My God, my God, look not so fierce to me! Adders and serpents, let me breathe a while! Ugly hell, gape not: come not Lucifer: I’ll burn my books: Ah, Mephistophilis! (Marlowe, 1588, Dr. Faustus: Scene XIV) Shakespeare’s Hamlet also had a tragic end-but the end of Hamlet was not due to the flaw in his moral character but the waver of the mind of the noble soul to avenge the death of his father. The play began with the presence of supernatural element in the form of the Ghost of Hamlet’s father. Both Bernardo and Horatio accepted the Ghost as a portent, or as foreshadowing a coming event. The figure of Ghost implied the emergence of foul play that would change the course of Hamlet’s life and the impending doom owing to the Greed of Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius who later ascended the throne of Denmark and married Hamlet’s mother. The indecent haste in which she had remarried made Hamlet think foul play behind his father’s murder and he remarked, â€Å"O God! a beast that wants discourse of reason,/would have mourned longer and made him generalize, â€Å"Frailty thy name is woman! † (Shakespeare, 1600, Hamlet: Act I, Scene II 146). Prince Hamlet decided to avenge the death of his father but as he was thoughtful by nature, he delayed the revenge and instead entered in a deep melancholy. Claudius and Gertrude in a bid to know about the cause of Hamlet’s behavior made Hamlet’s friends Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to keep a watch on him. On the other hand, Hamlet was blind to seek the revenge of his father and called upon the traveling actors to act a play depicting the scene in the way he had imagined his father was murdered. He invited Claudius to see the play and if he reacted at the scene, Hamlet would be ensured about Claudius guilt. And the same happened, as soon as the scene came, Claudius left the room in haste and Hamlet got the proof. Hamlet went to kill Claudius but when he found him praying, Hamlet stopped as the killing at that time would mean that Claudius soul would go to heaven. Claudius was so scared now that he decided to send Hamlet to England, but meanwhile Hamlet went to meet his mother where Polonius was hidden. Hamlet thought that Claudius was hiding there and in a fit of rage, he picked up the sword and instead of killing Claudius, he killed Polonius. Hearing the news of the death of Polonius, Opthelia went mad with grief and killed herself by drowning in the river. Polonius son, Laertes now wanted to avenge his father and sister’s death. Taking the advantage of situation, Claudius instigated Laertes for a duet with Hamlet, and gave him a sword of poison and also prepared a drink to poison Hamlet to death in case he won the battle. In a sword fighting after the Ophelia’s funeral, Hamlet could hit Laertes first but declined to take a drink instead Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother took a drink and died on the spot. Laertes was able to wound Hamlet and after Laertes revealed the real culprit to Hamlet, he too died due to the cut on his arm by his own sword. Wounded Hamlet did not hesitate even for a second; he picked up a poisoned sword, stabbed Claudius and forced him to drink the remaining of the poisoned wine. Claudius went into the eternal doom and Hamlet too died but after taking his revenge. In play Dr. Faustus, Marlowe had captured the moral value of greed for materialistic matters in the form of Dr. Faustus’s aspirations for gaining the knowledge of black magic, and for this purpose, he bid farewell to the religious values of medieval period, in other words to divinity. â€Å"These metaphysics of magicians And necromantic books are heavenly; O, what a world of profit and delight Of power, of honor of Omnipotence, Is promised to the studious artizen: All things that move between the quiet poles Shall be at my command† (Marlowe, 1588, Dr. Faustus: Scene I) These lines show Dr Faustus was pelf with power, whereas, in â€Å"Hamlet†, the main protagonist of William Shakespeare is a noble soul and possesses strong moral convictions. Though he too kills Polonius but it was out of revenge and erroneously mistaking him for Claudius, his father’s murderer. He thinks it is his moral duty to revenge his father’s death then only his father’s soul will rest in peace. He is a true representative of medieval period. He is as said by Herlinde Pauer-Studer in her book, â€Å"Norms, Values and Society†, â€Å"He acts on his moral sense of duty, even though he knows that he is doing it at the cost of his happiness and life. † (Studer-Pauer 1994) He put on his antic disposition and says, â€Å"The time is out of joint, O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right. † (Shakespeare, 1600, Hamlet: Act I Scene V) The second comparison can be made between Hamlet and Dr. Faustus in the way both Hamlet and Dr Faustus carried out their plans to fulfill their aims. Dr. Faustus defies the medieval conventions of love, selfishness and trust to become all powerful and wealthy and tried to become evil by killing his own ministers. He is a true representative of Renaissance period whereby man can go into an extreme extent to achieve his aims. â€Å"With the help of spirits Dr, Faustus feels: â€Å"I’ll levy soldiers with the coin they bring, and chase the Prince of Parma from the land, and reign sole king of all our provinces. † (Marlowe, 1588, Dr. Faustus: Scene I) Whereas on the other hand though Hamlet’s aim was good but the route he adopted was not consistent with Christian ethics. He followed dishonest ways like deception and homicide to carry on with the plan of revenge. â€Å"I am myself indifferent honest; but yet I could accuse me of such things that it were better my mother had not borne me; I am very proud, revengeful, ambitious †¦What should such fellows as I do crawling between heaven and earth. † (Shakespeare, 1600, Hamlet: Act III, Scene I) But there are certain elements of good deeds and the values of medieval ages that still are visible in the human souls and in their thoughts and actions. Both Marlowe and Shakespeare created the characters that were not evil in the real sense. Before carrying on their evil deeds the goodness, which prevail in their soul makes them to give second thoughts in the form of the consequences of their deeds. This is third aspect in the way Shakespeare and Marlowe made protagonists think of the consequences, which they can face if they follow their whims. Hamlet was in a state of dilemma, â€Å"To be or Not to be† (Shakespeare, 1600, Hamlet: Act III, Scene I) whether to take revenge by killing or not, and the consequences of his actions loom large on him. His soul was arguing whether his actions followed the norms of the society or not? Is it evil to punish the evil or killing is wrong altogether. If one goes by the rule utilitarianism, one must follow the rules and which would bring utility for all. (Studer-Pauer 1994) and in this concept what Hamlet did is absolutely right but according to the law of the land what he did was wrong and way he carried out his executions had serious lapses. These lapses occurred only because his other side of the soul was not permitting him to carry on with the killings. His character of being a noble soul came to light in the scene when he was going to kill Claudius but when he saw him praying he could not kill him. Whereas Dr. Faustus finally sold his soul to Evil, still the good side of his was again and again prompted him to go back to divinity and seek forgiveness from Jesus. His conscious mind was rebelling against his whims in the form of Good Angels but he did not bother to listen. This is the finest example in English literature to prove the biggest reality of the man’s nature. Man is not born evil but even if he is succumbing to evil designs, there within deep his heart and soul, his consciousness will keep on prompting him what he is doing is wrong. This is the difference between Hamlet and Dr Faustus. Hamlet wants to take revenge but his virtuous character and goodness in him was making him delay the revenge. He did take revenge finally but at the cost of his own life and the life of so many others. Whereas though the Dr Faustus’s conscious mind was prompting him to recede but he want only more and more of wealth and power. Claudius got punished for the sins he committed not by his choice but by fate, and Laertes repented, â€Å"Laertes, poisoned by his own sword, declares, â€Å"I am justly kill’d with my own treachery. † (Shakespeare, 1600, Hamlet: V Scene II 318). Whereas Dr. Faustus’s end was the result of his own deed-his deal with devil Lucifer and he lamented, â€Å"On God, whom Faustus hath abjured! On God whom Faustus hath Blasphemed! Ah, my God, I would weep! But the Devil draws in my tears. Gush forth blood, instead of tears! yea, life and soul-O, he stays my tongue! I would life up my hands; but see they hold em, they hold em! † (Marlowe, 1588, Dr. Faustus: Scene III) There was a certain fascination associated with the transition, which was carried on in the period of renaissance and the plays try to show the same. On one hand, there was whole new lease of life in the form of scientific and technological developments and on the other hand moral values were loosing ground. People were not thinking that for every beginning there is an end. With this there was a sense of insecurity too, which is so destined. The distinction points were made keeping in view the social circumstances of the time. There was reformation in every sphere of life and people were swept by the waves of these reformations. These reformations were like magic for them. With the magical powers of scientific discoveries and technological advancement, every one wanted to gain wealth, power and prestige without adhering to religious norms and wanted life of sexual fulfillment and pleasurable living even at the cost of killing near and dear ones. REFERENCES Baker J. , Bredemann A. , & Brussart B. , McLeer A. , Tuck Tiffany & Wolowicz T. 1997. Renaissance Attitudes Towards Faustus as a Magician.Retrieved on September 25, 2007 from http://www. english. uga. edu/cdesmet/tiffany/faustus. htm Collins J. (2006) An Introspective Look at Corruption from Hamlet Spoiled Fruits, Stolen Nation Retrieved on September 24, 2007 from W. W. W: http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/70560/an_introspective_look_at_corruption. html Marlowe C. Doctor Faustus (1588) New York: P. F. Collier & Son Company, 1909–14 Shakespeare W. Hamlet (1600) The Norton Shakespeare: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. , New York, NY: 1997 Studer-Pauer, Herlinde (1994) â€Å"Norms, Values, and Society† Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Management And Leadership Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Management And Leadership Development - Essay Example Motivation is a crucial concern in modern organisation because it influences other fundamental issues such as the performance, creativity and problem solving (Salaman, Storey & Billsberry, 2005). Drive theory is an understanding of needs and motivation created by unfulfilled needs. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs is a motivational theory that suggests that the needs and motivation of people differ according to their needs. McClelland theory also classified needs into the need for achievement, affiliation and power. The company conducts opinion surveys to find how their staff feels about their job (Houldsworth & Jirasinghe 2006). Job satisfaction is measured using questionnaires or interviews administered to the staff in the organization. In BAT, leaders have maximized the opportunity to satisfy the needs of the workers. Managers share the concerns of researchers in order to create satisfaction of the employees in their daily tasks. Therefore, employee satisfaction in BAT is high t hereby contributing to the low employee turnover and the exceptional reputation of the organization. For this reason, lack of job satisfaction results in employees looking for jobs in other companies where there the salaries are better (Dychtwald & Morison 2006). BAT attempts to reduce staff turnover by offering their employees chances to develop and grow their careers by training. Employees are offered challenging and interesting position where they consider they are best apt to work in thus, employees are motivated. Transactional theories can also be applied to focus on the employee’s rewards and punishments in accordance to performance (Durai 2010). Management by objectives is practiced where performance of the employees is measures against the... This essay stresses that managers and leaders are required to create an environment in the workplace where employee’s satisfaction is achieved. Staff turnover is one issue which is directly related to job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is the extent to which employees enjoy their jobs and lack of it has been described as negatively affecting their job performance. Herzberg two factor theories suggest that motivation at work is affected by factors related to the job. This paper makes a conclusion that globalization and technology advances have a great influence in management and leadership development of any organization. Organization such as BAT implemented the new SAP HR system which has benefited it in many ways that includes the effective usability and empowerment of employees. The system allows future upgrades and additions. The main aim of the system was to harmonize the human resource process globally by automation of the Hr administrative process. It is true that managers’ positions are highly competitive due to a looming shortage predicted in the next few years. In BAT, training of future leaders is enhanced by the initiative program that involves graduates for two year. This is a strategy of developing leadership and managing the supply of future leaders in order to ensure that the right people in the organization who can deliver a change performance are available. BAT is a multinational organization and it is important for it to be able to have a vibrant human resource and a competent management team.

Representations of Freedom - Degas, David and Greuze Essay

Representations of Freedom - Degas, David and Greuze - Essay Example The essay "Representations of Freedom - Degas, David and Greuze" gives a review of paintings of Degas, David and Greuze. The paper also discovers familial representations of freedom in their works. Degas’ early works, which dealt with his own family members, showed that the matriarchal figure was in a state of repression due to the bourgeois class style in which they were living. In his later works, such as the brothel series, a freedom of individuality and family values were shown. The painting by Degas, Name Day of the Madam, shows a madam and her concubines looking towards her in ultimate respect, whereas in the familial paintings of his own family Degas’ showed that there was no respect given to the patriarch of the family. Degas used the brothel to show that even though the whores sold themselves for other people’s sexual desires, they are freer to act as a family, than the bourgeois families where the patriarch ruled with an iron fist. Furthermore, he also represented the fact that the bourgeois families act more like a forced business decision where discontent and discord is prevalent. Jaques-Louis David’s painting, The Sabine Women, shows that family life and values tended to be freeing themselves from the repression of antiquity. Thus, while working on the painting, he had stated to his students that his approach to his painting would be to hearken back to the Greek style and out of the repressive, constrictive style of the Romans. He, also, suggested the idea of paying an entry fee.

Scientific Management Matrix Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scientific Management Matrix - Assignment Example Scientific management actually allowed the managers to view the work in more rational manner and ensured that work is completed in professional manner. Scientific management is relevant to today’s managers because it can allow them to plan their activities in advance and apply more efficient methods to accomplish the tasks. I believe that scientific management was the beginning of a completely new era in the field of management. The current stream of knowledge on modern management basically evolved from scientific management and earlier theorists such as Frederick Taylor contributed greatly towards the development of this discipline. Scientific Management will influence the way I consider the work and its accomplishment. This means that integration of scientific management into my personal management framework will allow me to actually see how management actually evolved and what were the key weaknesses of scientific management which I as a manager must consider in order to successfully implement them into real world

Development of photography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Development of photography - Assignment Example Humprey Davis, a chemist by profession, met Hedgwood, and wrote about Wedgwood’s work on photography and making paintings using light. William Herschel was a German astronomer of the eighteenth century. Just like Galileo his contribution to photography is mostly concerned with studying planets and stars through the use of a telescope. Sir John Herschel was the first to use hyposulphite of soda for his photography. He made his technique famous through publishing it in papers. This was after the Daguerreotype technique. Amphitype was a paper process suggested by Sir John Herschel (Tissandeir & Thomson 78). Nicà ©phore Nià ©pce was born in Chalons-sur-Saone during in 1765 (Tissandeir & Thomson 26). He was fascinated by the works of Daguerre and contributed almost ten years of his life fixing the problems with the camera obscura. Talbot, born in 1800, was an English photographer, the inventor of calotype process. He is also regarded for contributing to photography as an artistic medium. He worked to fix the problems with the camera but his aim was to fix it on paper (Tissandeir & Thomson 75). Charles Wheatstone was the Fellow of the Royal Society and an inventor. He is famous for his Wheatstone bridge, and instrument that measures the resistance of an object. He is also famous for his photometer, a device for comparing two lights for their intensity. One of the first stereoscopes offered to public was by Wheatstone (Tissandeir & Thomson 288). He validated Sir David Brewster’s opinion that by the end of nineteenth century, science will have a device capable of singing and talking. Hannah, Jim. "B&W Film Photography, Part IV: Contact Printing."  Photography Forum Digital Photography Forum RSS. N.p., 2006. Web. 27 June 2013.

Digestion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Digestion - Essay Example The mucus is important for protecting the mucosa from the acidic contents of the stomach. The epithelium is also lined with endocrine cells that stimulate the production of acid and digestive enzymes (Johnson, 2005, 23). The lamina propria lining the stomach is composed of loose connective tissue. Lymph vessels, nerves and large blood vessels are located in the mucosa that is composed of loose connective tissues. In the stomach, the muscularies externa is composed of three layers of muscles that are the oblique inner, circular middle and longitudinal outer layers that run in opposite directions to allow great motility in the stomach for mixing and churning ingested food. The small intestine mucosa has various structural features that are essential for increasing the luminal surface area supporting the main function of the small intestine of absorption of the degraded food components. Along the mucosa and submucosa are plicae circulares that are crescent shaped folds extend on around 1/3 of the small intestine lumen The lumen is lined with simple columnar epithelium. The ileum and jejunum are covered with serosa while the duodenum has serosa on the anterior surface (Feneis & Dauber, 2000, 42). The entire mucosa of the intestinal lining forms villi that are important for increasing the surface area that food absorption takes place in. The surface of the villi is composed of simple epithelium for easy absorption. The lamina propria is similar to that of the stomach usually cell rich. The submucosa layer contains glands on the duodenum â€Å"Brunner’s glands† that produces mucus protecting the duodenal mucosa from the acidic content from the stomach (Di Mauro et al. 2013, 15). The muscularies externa has two layers the inner thicker circular layer for mixing and the outer thinner longitudinal layer for the continuous peristalsis activity of the small intestines. It is the

Expressing your Opinion through Investigation Essay

Expressing your Opinion through Investigation - Essay Example I can personally attest, as many of my other fellow students at the University of Akron, that being in an undergraduate program is difficult financially. If parents are not helping and a student does not have scholarships, tuition, books and money for boarding near campus makes it a financial struggle for many students. This means that many students have to work their way through college on their own while being a student or having to deal with the detrimental finances that student loans can put on an individual after earning a degree. According to a recent update about the College Credit Plus program, the University of Akron is partnering up with at least 50 school districts in the area so that students can earn college credits while enrolled in grades 7 through 12 (2015). That is six years of opportunity that many students have not had before and is a great way to accelerate obtaining an undergraduate degree. While working with teachers at the various school districts, it might give some students more one on one experience with courses which they might otherwise struggle with. Some college courses have often been offered occasionally as a form of dual enrollment in the past but typically it is just open to high school students who are in their junior or senior year and this helps to get them started. According to information from the University of Akron website, the state will provide funding to the university so the students can take these college credit courses. This is a win-win situation because not only are the students getting a jump start on their college courses and getting some of their basic general education classes out of the way so they can focus more on their major when they actually attend college, but the university also receives money from the state just for offering the program. Students who qualify for the program will have access to college courses at a much lower cost per credit hour than a traditional undergraduate

Storm King Mountain Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Storm King Mountain Case - Essay Example ged use of aggressive tactics, and were categorized as ‘watch out situations,’ the firefighters continued to take the bold step of building fire line downhill upon receiving confirmation from their leader, Mackey, that the area was good enough with less vegetation, and not much risk from existing fire. The crew members relied completely on Mackey’s judgment as they trusted in his abilities more than their conviction of adhering to the guidelines. Attributable to their can-do attitude, the firefighters ignored most of the rules because their ultimate aim was to stop fire from spreading. They did not regard these guidelines as procedures to be used in firefighting; rather, they relied more on their critical judgment based on experience and situational constraints. Hackman and Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model (JCM) explains employee behavior based on four motivational aspects namely, job characteristics, critical psychological states, personal and work outcomes and growth-need strength. The JCM framework helps in understanding managerial functions as well as the psychological processes associated with work that are associated with employee behavior and outcome of employee actions. This model emphasizes the role of job design that ultimately leads to experienced meaningfulness of work, experienced responsibility for the outcomes, and knowledge of the results of work activities (Debnath, Tandon & Pointer, 2007). A team leader can determine what skills would be best to perform a specific job and deploy staff accordingly. In addition, the task to be performed needs to be identified in advance besides having complete understanding of how the task or job impacts the employees and/or other stake holders. Identification of skills and tasks to be accomplished will also help the leader assess the extent to which the staff may be empowered to take their own decisions. While autonomy is an effective way to motivate staff, the level of autonomy requires a

The Death Penalty Distinct Ruling's Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Death Penalty Distinct Ruling's - Assignment Example Death penalty could also be said to be ethical since it ensures equality. It would be an act of favor to the offender when the judge gives a lenient judgment to an offender as compared to the crime done (Andre, 2010). For example, if a person commits murder and is given a jail term of several years, then that would be unfair to the victim’s family that would be unethical. Even, though, some may argue that an adult is aware of the crime he has committed, there are some facts that people would tend to assume. The reason why the person did what he did could be out of defense. People also assume the mental stability of the person who committed the crime. Dignity is another crucial point that one should consider, and lastly the right to life. An adult criminal has rights, just like another person, and should not be treated differently. Thus, death penalty can be both adequate and inadequate when it comes to an adult criminal depending on the facts (Gary, 2001). The right to life is a freedom that everyone is supposed to enjoy. No person is allowed to take another person’s life. Thus, death penalty violates this right (Dieter). When the court orders for a person to be hanged or shot to death, then they are depriving the person the right to life. Instead of killing a person, it would be okay to lock them forever until they die naturally. Even, though, it has been argued that the only people who should be given this penalty are juveniles, since they are still young and pregnant women, it is still not justified. All are equal and should be treated equally. Thus, no one should be allowed to go through this since this is violation of human rights. Death penalty to criminals of a violent act would result into violating all the factors that have been mentioned above. It would lead to violation of human rights, but, at the same time, it would be a sound, ethical decision. However, sometimes a court might have ruled against the offender,

Pharmacoeconomics Notes Essay Example for Free

Pharmacoeconomics Notes Essay The Confessions is a work by Augustine that outlines his sinful youth and conversion to Christianity. Augustine wrote it between 397 and 401 while serving as the bishop of Hippo Regius. In his book, Augustine gives an account of his own life from birth up to that point. He then wrote about other matters such as the creation of the world, memory and time. A big segment of the book is spent on Augustine’s confession of sins that he had struggled with and how he had pled to God for deliverance from those sins. Augustine writes about his disappointment in living an immoral lifestyle. He regrets having believed in astrology and followed the Manichaean religion. He also writes about how Nebridius helped persuade him that astrology was evil and how St. Ambrose helped in his conversion to Christianity. The Confessions is finally an address by Augustine to God in which he confesses his sins, faith, and praise. Augustine says that he wrote the Confessions for a people curious to know the lives of others, but careless to amend their own. Augustine was aware that people loved to gossip and look deeply into the lives of others to see how they could talk down a person and ultimately make themselves feel better. Augustine knew that his writing was going to be scrutinized but made it his purpose to tell the truth and demonstrate the providence of God in the life of a sinner. He didn’t want anyone to think any better of himself than he actually was. Another purpose in writing Confessions was to create an immediate bond between his new Christian community. His colleagues were distrustful of his pagan influenced education as well as his standing as an ex-Manichee. He wanted to let them know that he was trustworthy and he did that by putting on display the worst and best of his life. In essence, Augustine’s life became an open book for everyone to read and get to know personally. Augustine could have also written Confessions as an attempt to understand himself. He might have considered his enjoyment of sex and the pleasures of this world to be an unbearable weakness and he needed to confess in writing that God alone was his true love. It is obvious that Augustine is broken over his sin and it is probably something that consumed his mind. Getting this horrific past behind him was of the utmost importance and he did it through writing Confessions to God. The writing style with which Augustine writes the Confessions is  amongst other things openly bold, encouraging, and without remorse. This is definitely different from modern writers who try and disguise their true inner feelings while still trying to write with meaningful style. Augustine is not trying to hold back any part of his life that he might be ashamed of. It is quite the contrary as he confidently praises the Lord and declares God’s greatness. Augustine recognizes his place as a speck of dust that vies for a place in the presence of almighty God who created the universe. He is not ashamed to speak highly of his Lord and continuously gives you a feeling that he is not satisfied until he finds his rest in God. He is encouraging throughout his book as he conveys God’s faithfulness to him even when he was deep into sin. No matter what portion of the book one reads, he or she can always take comfort in the fact that no matter how far one runs from God, He is always right there waiting for us with arms wide open. In conclusion, Augustine is so focused on God, that he has no regret in sharing his mishaps and declaring God’s forgiveness. He knows that he ran far from God but that God was right there the entire time. He feels extremely foolish but at the same time so grateful for God’s unending grace. Augustine asserts with passion that he wants to be filled by God and as a result he can truly live.

Starbucks against Vietnamese coffee culture

Starbucks against Vietnamese coffee culture Starbucks brand name is one of most admired famous global business in the world (Moore, 2006, p.7). Moreover, in terms of marketing, Starbucks always is the case study for discussing about it successful marketing and branding strategies. Because of the fall of the economy, it was forced to close 700 stores that were unable to make enough profit and cut thousands of jobs in America, UK, and Australia after a drop in sales in 2008. The brand was also facing the issue of their customers choosing a cheaper option over their higher coffee prices. Starbucks then was applauded for their handling of crisis situations. This report will apply relevant theory and practice of strategic marketing management to explore the situation, contributing factors and management of marketing strategies in the financial crisis sector, reflecting the happenings and identifying recommendations relevant to Starbucks International Coffee. OVERVIEW OF STARBUCKS COFFEE The Seattle-based Starbucks Corporation, which founded in 1971, is nowadays a multinational coffee and coffee house chain with over 15,000 stores in in all 50 states and 43 countries outside of the United States (Pham, 2008, p.8). Serving consumers everywhere (Moore, 2006, p.12.), the aim of Starbucks is to establish and leverage its powerhouse premium specialty coffee through rapid expansion of retail operations, new distribution channels and successful make it coffee a global product for millions customers. Appendix 1 At Starbucks Coffee, the mission is [] to inspire and nurture the human spirit one person, one cup, and one neighbourhood at a time. (Clampitt, 2009). Starbucks has been and always be proud of their commitment to maintaining quality, integrity, and great taste of coffee through the course of its growth and the high value placed on the employees/partners worldwide (LeFort, 2008) . Appendix 2,3 Store Expansion Strategy of Starbucks Throughout the 1990s, Starbucks had started developed a three-year geographic expansion strategy (Clampitt, 2009) then Starbucks store launches grew more successful in revenue (Creamer, 2007). Not just selling the coffee, Starbucks model with opening new stores next to doors and inside shopping malls caused them to increase in value than all other competitors (Cebrzynski, 2007) In 2004, Starbucks announced to analysts that it had a very aggressive target to double its rate of expansion. Their stated goal was to grow to 15,000 stores in the US. According to the report in an article, Starbucks has more than 13,000 locations around the world, and has overstretched itself with the long-term goal of 40,000 stores worldwide (Woodward, 2007, Clark, 2008). Appendix 4, 5, 6 There is a raised question that whether it is a bad business decision for coffee chain Starbucks to expand its brand too quick. (Cebrzynski, 2007) is also suspicious that has Starbucks lost its Starbucks experience by growing that big? (Business: Trouble brewing, 2007) FINANCIAL CRISIS AND COMMODITIZATION OF THE BRAND A crisis, according to (Brown, 2003) is a decisive moment, a turning point, a time of great difficulty, then marketing cannot possibly be in crisis. Mr Schultz, Starbuckss CEO, saw the crisis coming. He had discovered the problem of their own development strategies: Stores no longer have the experienced soul with the warm feeling of a neighbourhood store. At the beginning of 2007, he did warned about the commoditisation of the brand that the expansion from 1,000 to more than 13,000 shops over the past ten years, in order to achieve the growth, development, has led to a series of decisions that make a watering down of the Starbucks experience. (Businessweek. 2007). The decline of Starbucks is the result of over expanding previous years, has been criticized by those who oppose globalization such as ( Klein, 2009): Instead of opening giant stores on the outskirts of town, Starbucks chooses locations right in the range of the inner area already full with all kinds of coffee house. This s trategy relies heavily on the cost reduction by purchasing multiple quantities at wholesale prices like Wal-Mar, however, affected more by the competitors The rapid growth has obviously caused Starbucks some problems. For the first time in its 37-year- history Starbucks lost customers and profits collapsed 97% (Jagger, 2008) during the fourth quarter of 2007 after the ubiquitous coffee chain was forced to absorb the effect of weakening demand. The footfall had declined in the UK, where it has two other big coffee retailer: Whitbreads Costa and Caffà ¨ Nero as well, -$6.7 million after tax, compared with a $158 million profit for the same quarter last year. (Lee, 2008). Although company officials still do not believe growth is an issue (Cebrzynski, 2007), first time in five years, Starbucks was knocked out of first place in the coffee-and-doughnuts category by Dunkin Donuts (Creamer, 2007). And it was the biggest faller in the index by 7 points to 42 out of a possible 100. (Leroux, 2008) Issue Reasons As (Schindehutte et al., 2008) argues that [] something is clearly affecting the ability of firms and business units to sustain performance ), suffering from a rough economy and its own strategic missteps, Starbucks had to admit their own mistakes, much of which is self-inflicted (Ignatius, 2010) In current economy, as a classic dilemma of any big business, while trying to expand, Starbucks not only have to deal with other factors like competitors and the mortgage crisis, they also competing with themselves. Size may have brought success to Starbucks, but it has also led to issues of brand depersonalisation. In the rush to open more stores, Starbucks is experiencing what all successful brands do when they move from being a small, niche firm to a global entity (Golding,2009). Moreover, there are some extra affections from the environment, such as: The brands bottom line has been hit by the rising costs of raw materials. [] now Starbucks isnt for some people said Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks (Not enough froth Starbucks, 2008). Fancy Starbucks coffee has also struggled to compete with cut-price rivals such as McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts, as these traditionally food-focused outlets have begun to sell their own premium and reasonable coffee offer (Clark, 2008). As the financial crisis has spread to the real economy, a perfect storm of negative factors affecting the consumer (Cebrzynski, 2007). The flagging economy and soaring gas prices are responsible too (Leroux, 2008). Consumers are worried of rising gas prices, energy bills, declining home values, the weak dollar, tighter credit, therefore giving hard consideration to how they spend their money. They even already scale back on restaurant dining that made restaurants are slowly creeping out of their thoughts. STRATEGIC MARKETING MANAGEMENT TO SOLVE PROBLEMS Crisis management is much more than coping with a crisis, it is identifying, studying, forecasting, stopping and avoiding crisis as well. (Clampitt, 2009) Continuous improvement and monitoring in business operation can detect and prevent an upcoming crisis (Rhee Valdez, 2009). Effective marketing can contribute to a firms growth through better anticipation of market opportunities, calibration of risks, a tighter linkage of technological possibilities with market concepts, and faster adjustment to shifting market needs and competitive moves. (Day, 2003) For their part, market-driving firms such as Starbucks is demonstrating how business model innovation results in sustainable advantage and superior long-term performance in a wide range of industries. (Schindehutte et al., 2008). When a crisis or disaster strikes, companies must analyze and choose from many strategic plans. One way they do this is by using a SWOT analysis a strategic planning tool used to evaluate Strengths, Weakness es, Opportunities, and Threats. The goal of a SWOT analysis is to identify key internal and external factors that affect the desired outcome. Strengths and weaknesses are internal to the company and include things like wage/benefits, corporate culture, leadership, marketing, and operations. Opportunities and threats are external to the company and include things like government regulations, competition, and economic and social forces. (Clampitt, 2009) The focus for the strategic management to understand the market and industry processes of Starbucks and must be able to integrate valid and reliable SWOT analysis so as to determine future strategies for business development and growth in the global market. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis will provide enough awareness for the Starbucks and its business management and operations with regards to their strategic management implying relevant points for their resources as well as market approaches and processes in order to stay in shape and in control of their business environment. Applying a SWOT analysis to Starbucks global expansion strategy shows why they have been successful overcome the crisis. Appendix 7 The business strategy of Starbucks is identical to the corporate level strategy, focusing on coffee-related products as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world and maintenance of great environment for every staff member in its retail stores. Continual quality improvement is crucial to competitive success and the perfect symbol for the dilemma that faces world trade (Schindehutte et al., 2008). Therefore, it is typical to give the promises to improve service, reduce growth and expand marketing efforts for responding to a decline in customer traffic (Business: Trouble Brewing, 2007). Equally as important, company should not lose sight of their brand heritage (Cebrzynski, 2007). A long term business strategy built upon the hundreds of little things on a daily basis which is the key to customer relationships in the future (Cannon, 2002). Re-energizing Starbucks Process When a decline in customer traffic happens to any chains like Starbucks, its a signal that the company should re-examine their positions (Cebrzynski, 2007). It is the market that provides signals both to the entrepreneur and marketer regarding what value is needed, when it is needed, and how it should be delivered (Schindehutte et al., 2008). Starbucks needs to go back to its roots (Cebrzynski, 2007) and make its brand special again. Company brought back the original CEO, Howard Schultz to restore the companys shine. Starbucks knows it needs to do something new (Skenazy, 2008). Re-structure: Back to basics Chairman Howard Schultz take back the reins from ousted CEO James Donald, not only closed 100 unspecified, underperforming locations with weak sales but also closed most stores across the US simultaneously in order to retrain to improve customer experience at American stores and to get back to the core (Creamer, 2007). Besides, Geoff Vuleta, CEO of New York innovation consultancy Fahrenheit 212, had a radical solution that open a chain of microstores devoted solely to making coffee. No travel cups, no music, no machines, just amazing beans and a narrow range of the best-in-the-world coffee drinks,, just moving brand back to the basics. Resource-led Strategy: Focus on service quality experience Everyone should know that nothing is better for a business than a satisfied customer who can talk to others about their experience with our service (Cannon, 2002). First of all, Starbucks really needs to refocus on the luxury coffee experience; the smells, the sounds. They also gained customers positive experience in stores by well-trained staffs who were knowledgeable about the companys products, who eagerly communicated the companys passion for coffee, and who had the skills and personality to deliver consistently pleasing customer service (Whats Brewing at Starbucks, 2011). Starbucks wanted to turn all Starbucks employees into partners, give them a chance to share in the success of the company and make clear the connection between their contributions and the companys market value (Thompson Strickland, 2009). From its founding, Starbucks set out to be a third place to spend time, in addition to home and work.(Business: Trouble Brewing, 2007) To remedy that, the company plans to improve its service. Field managers will spend more time in the stores to make sure service really does get better, and new baristas will receive additional training. (Cebrzynski, 2007). New breakfast line, featuring a proprietary baked and chilled food program was unveiled in September. Howard Schultz said the smell of the sandwiches overpowered the aroma of coffee, one of the chains signature features (Jennings, 2008). Following the lead of other coffee chains, Starbucks will also be offering a customer loyalty card for the first time. (Ahmed Walsh, 2008) In an attempt to rvetain loyalty in the UK, Starbucks has introduced free coffee refills for anyone buying a hot drink and has ramped up its hitherto negligible marketing activity (Lee, 2008).  · Market-led Strategy: Reputation management can take a while for a bad reputation to hit your bottom line, or a good one to increase profit (Cannon, 2002). As word-of-mouth is a primary marketing tool, Brian Collins, chief creative officer of New Yorks Collins design research firm, suggested company should better use its digital resources to learn the tastes of regular customers and reach target audience by creating social networking tools like Facebook or Twitter and blog page. They also used it both as a way to stay interacted, involved with their current customers and look for new ones. According to TNS Media Intelligence, Starbucks spent $40 million in the first nine months of 2007 (York, 2008), launched its first national TV campaign to defend its ownership of the coffee segment from encroachment by McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts and other chains (Cebrzynski, 2007). They also created the site My Starbucks Idea (http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/), which gives consumers the opportunity to post ideas, suggestions, to vote and discuss about what they want to see from Starbucks. If they gain support, these ideas may be chosen to carry out to change the company in its business process, product development, experience development, and store design.(Jarvis 2008) Change will not happen overnight, Mr. Schultz said. It will evolve over time, but I ensure you a positive change will occur. I, along with our dedicated partners, will strive to exceed the expectations of our customers every day. (York 2008) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE STRATEGY As the company expands, the culture and corporate strategy must be maintained for success (Jennings, 2008). For the recommendation, Starbucks should be able to sustain the companys growth and make the business become strong global brand. What could Starbucks do to make its stores an even more elegant milieu that welcomes rewards and give surprises to customers? What new products and new experiences could the company provide that would belong to and be associated with Starbucks? And how could Starbucks reach people who were not coffee drinkers? Starbucks must continue the fixed-price purchase commitments in order to secure an adequate supply of quality green coffee beans and to limit its exposure to fluctuating coffee prices in upcoming periods. (ThompsonStickland, 2009) Some experts therefore believe its unbranded stores initiative is not only logical, but necessary. It needs to focus on the inherent values of being local; it needs to employ local staff; it needs to be suitably different from Starbucks corporate image.It is a phenomenally successful company that started off as a local brand but grew incredibly quickly, he says. The brand was originally loved and respected by everyone, but the corporate world decided it had become too big. However, David Anderson, director of Cada Design Group, argues that most consumers dont have issues with the brand. Consumers are looking for a home away from home, and want it in an environment that isnt so heavily corporate branded. They think customers are brand loyal or product loyal, but they are not. It comes down to convenience and providing a space people want to be in. It wants to regain a community personality and the image of the neighbourhood coffee shop.(Golding, 2009) CONCLUSION Starbucks Coffees heyday was back when the corporation announced the business results in the first quarter this year reached U.S. $ 2.7 billion, with net profit of 242 million dollars (nearly 300% increase compared to same period in 2009). This is also the result of efforts to revive the brand had been likened to a giant. From the case of Starbucks, what is the lesson for business? Because development needs, the business diversified products and services is perhaps natural. A long time, Starbucks has gone with their own race shop system extension. This group has become the pride of American business people. The market strategy of Starbucks is a classic lesson in the textbook business. More services they desire to acquire a lot of customers. In fact, they have plummeted, but in time to edit. So go in-depth development (product quality, service key) to get a solid foundation for expanding business. But do not be too ambitious expansion width, expansion, missing the core. Marketing once again demonstrated its magic to bring Starbucks back to the track. The results of consumer research shows that of Starbucks, the main indicators in the business achieved a high level of satisfaction over a year ago. Although Starbucks enjoyed success in the past few years, there are a few obstacles looming. Since the popularity of the coffee house idea has grown, some cities wish to issue regulations on the coffeehouses due to complaints of late night patrons becoming uncontrollable. In conclusion therefore, Starbucks was the only company with anything close to national market coverage. The companys efforts to greatly increase its sphere of strategic interest via its joint ventures and the move to sell coffee in supermarkets that represents such ongoing drive in order to continually reinvent the way Starbucks operate its business. (Thompson Stickland, 2009) Amidst the environmental, social, and economic challenges and changes for Starbucks, its chairman, president, and chief executive officer, Howard Schultz, pledges Even during this time of change for our company, one thing that will never change is our long-standing commitment to conducting business in a responsible and ethical manner. Going forward, we will only deepen our approach by continuing to integrate social and environmental responsibility in every aspect of our business. With its various and numerous awards in Best Business, Most Admired Company, 100 Best Corporate Citizens, to name a few, Starbucks is becoming one of the most respected brands in the world. (Clampitt, 2009)

Charismatic Leadership In Organization Management Essay

Charismatic Leadership In Organization Management Essay In this competitive business environment, organizations ability to perform profitably is dependent on the leaders, which are running the organizations operations. In this fast-paced business world, an organization faces many muddy paths that must be crossed to attain success. Behind every organizations success, there is clear, important leadership, which is appropriate to the situation. Generally, an individual who guides, motivate and foster a group of people to meet a target is termed as a leader. Timothy Gian, in 2007 argued, Leaders need to be trusted by their followers because trust is the mortar that binds the follower to the leader. They further mentioned that trust is directly related to the outcome of an organizations performance. Charisma definition: Charisma is defined as a certain quality of an individual personality, by good quality of which he is bless from ordinary men and treated as gifted with supernatural, superhuman, or at least specially brilliant powers or qualities. Leadership: Leadership is a process by which a person influences others to reach an objective and directs the organization in a way that makes it more unified and logical Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes, such as  beliefs,  values, ethics,  character, knowledge, and  skills.   Professor Adair in 1984 developed a concept of leadership based on appropriate behaviour rather than personality or of being in the right place at the right time and focused the model in the needs of task, group and individuals in order to meet with the total situation model. Charismatic leadership: Charismatic leadership may be political, business, religious fields. Charismatic leadership is leadership based on the leaders ability to communicate and behave in ways that reach followers on a basic, emotional way, to inspire and motivate. Charismatic people have an extraordinary ability to condense complex ideas into simple messages. Charismatic leaders are pictured as organizational heroes or magic leaders, who have the social power basis to organize, launch new enterprises, inspire organizational renewal, and obtain extraordinary performance from organizational members. These leaders inspire trust, faith and belief in them. Of course none of this is a guarantee that the mission will be correct, ethical, or successful. Max Weber introduced the concept of charisma to account for the process by which radical change is brought about and legitimized in societies and organizations (Weber, 1922; 1947; 1968).. Since Weber, the sociological literature on charisma has attended to the introduction and reutilization of radical change induced by charismatic leaders societies (Bendix, 1985; Dow, 1969; Eisenstadt, 1968; Friedland, 1964; Trice and Beyer, 1986). Several sociologically oriented scholars argue that charismatic leadership can also emerge and be effective in formal, complex organizations (Dow, 1969; Shils, 1965; Beetham, 1974; Bryman, 1992; Etzioni, 1961). Figure : Charismatic Leader Beliefs and Attributes: I m going to discus two beliefs and attributes of leaders behaviour that are involved in charismatic leadership. Inspiration Inspiration requires a mission to which the leader is dedicated and which has a moral or ethical base. It comes from leader behaviours of, displaying empathy, sensitive to followers needs, fears, wants, and dramatizing the mission. Empowerment Followers must be confident in their abilities. Empowerment comes from leader behaviours of assuring followers of their competency, and providing followers with opportunities to experience success. Three indirect means of doing so are participative management; removing obstacles and seeing others succeed. Charismatic leaders: John F. Kennedy Arguably, the most charismatic President of the United States, John F. Kennedy came from a powerful family and was blessed with good looks in addition to his personal charisma. Due to the charismatic and stylish couple John and Jackie the Kennedy White House became known as Camelot.   Alan Jay Lerner, Kennedys Harvard classmate, even wrote a hit song Camelot for the Broadway musical, which was a personal favorite of President Kennedy. Charles Manson Charismatic leaders could also use their influence for less-than-honourable purposes; the classic example of this abuse is Charles Manson. Some people believe it was a combination of the drug LSD coupled with Mansons charismatic personality that allowed him to manipulate others.   In the end Susan Atkins along with other members of the Manson family were found guilty of the murder of the 26-year-old movie actress Sharon Tate and four others. Andrija Stampar (1888 1958) (Brown and Fee 2006) present Andrija Stampar as one of the most charismatic and beloved figures in 20th century public health. His most rewarded contribution was the role played in the creation of the world health organization. (WHO). Stampar was also appointed for the WHOs constitution which was provisionally adopted until formal ratification. He was then elected president of the organization and remained active until his dead. Herb Kelleher Herb Kelleher, co-founder, CEO, President and Chairman of Southwest Airlines is cited in this article as an ideal example of charismatic Leadership at its best. A discussion of charismatic leadership focuses On traits and behaviours of charismatic leaders. This model is then Used to examine Kellehers traits and behaviours at Southwest Airlines, named in 1998 as the best place to work in America by Fortune. Charismatic leadership examples and explanation: Herb believes that the attitude of the entrepreneur effects the early success of the project, the same attitude needs to be present in the firms employees to continue the entrepreneurial energy That creates competitive advantage in the operation of the business even after, it has become a large successful company. In doing this Herbs Southwest Air has shown itself to be one of the rare companies that has succeeded on translating the entrepreneurial spirit of its Initial small company success into an effective form of on going Corporate entrepreneurship that still invigorates it today. Southwest Air has consequently applied this emphasis in hiring people with the right entrepreneurial attitude. Herb sums up his view on this subject with the simple maxim: You hire attitude, everything else can be trained.' The Southwest story is now a business legend: how the airline began in 1966 with 195 employees and three planes that flew from Dallass Love Field to Houston and San Antonio; how Kelleher and cofounder Rollin King drew up the business plan on a cocktail napkin; how its profit-sharing plan has made many long time employees millionaires; how the company has grown to 29,000 employees with a fleet of 332 Boeing 737 planes (290 more are on order) and become a national carrier competing with United, American, and Delta. Charismatic leadership may not be necessary to be an efficient leader. Relying on charisma to lead also can be problematic. For example, there have been many charismatic leaders who lack other leadership characteristics and skills and lead their followers into situations that turn out awfully think political leaders such as Stalin, Hitler, and even business leaders. Firstly, i will discuss that charismatic leadership is always appropriate in organisation. Secondly, i will go against and conclusion will be stated at the end Good leaders are not those who have the perfect followers, the true leaders are those who produce good leaders. Charismatic leaders inspire others and encourage them to be their best. Employees and group members want to impress a charismatic leader, so they work hard and struggle to succeed. However, charismatic leadership does not show positive impact always; it has its own negatives. Indias largest corporate fraud was lead by Mr. Ramalinga Raju who was one of the most effective and charismatic leader who lead sat yam group of companies all the way to one of the top it solution companies in India. Under charismatic leadership, group members may view success in relation to their leaders. Leaders have used their personal charisma in extremely destructive and damaging ways throughout human history, for example, Adolf Hitler and Jim Jones. Charismatic leaders tend to be very good listeners and great information gatherers. Charismatic Leaders use a wide range of methods to manage their image. Charismatic leaders create a sense of purpose for their organization that is motivating and inspiring. Charismatic leaders express things simply so that everyone gets it; they use positive language, often use stories, symbols, metaphors to get their point across. Drama assignments, writing assignments, sports-related tasks, art projects these activities could be very successful when led by a charismatic person. For example, Barack Obama and Mother Teresa they all lead by reaching out to human emotion and grasping their trust, gaining their respect and loyalty, maybe even encouraging them to do whatever the leaders tell them to. CONCLUSION I have referenced several times earlier in my examples, there is certainly a downside to charismatic leadership when it is used unethically. Thankfully, that is not at all the case with Herb Kelleher, who is mentioned throughout, widely respected and revered as a great, successful, and ethical charismatic leader. I have discussed the benefits and disadvantages of charismatic leadership in an organization. After looking at both of the sides, it may be suggested that not always charismatic leadership is appropriate in organizations. However, it plays an important role to be a good leader. Charismatic leaders can engage in unconventional behaviour that can be shocking or surprising. Very important that charismatic leaders are able to articulate their vision, they understand the followers needs, so they can act as motivating force.

Determining Overdeterminism: An Informal Reflection :: Mississippi Masala Economics Essays

Determining Overdeterminism: An Informal Reflection Economics has always been for me a system of curves. There are supply ones and demand ones and curves that would belly up or down. In every class, my high school Economics teacher, a man approaching his late fifties, would rail on about the wonders of capitalism. Being a two-time divorcee and therefore a man of the capitalistic world, he accredited the bulk of his knowledge through life experiences, particularly those involving divorce. I remember sitting through one of his classes and thinking that he resembled some type of new-born evangelist preaching to us about the awesome power of capital and what joy it can bring. I have always wondered, however, what the world of economics would be like without a system of charts that determine the outcome of lives. College started me off in finding other economic theories that contradicts what my high school teacher has ingrained in me for years: Neo-classic economics is unflawed and absolute. ECON 100 is my first introduction to Marxian ideals which I find I relate to more than Neo-classic theories. The idea of overdeterminism is one aspect of Marxian economics that I passionately agree with. From the experience of living, I've learned that every action is the reciprocal of all actions in the world. The world is connected and operates for the greater good contrary to what Neo-classic theories state. These relationships are always in flux so narrowing down the determinant of an economic process would be impossible. A splendid example of overdeterminism is depicted in Mississippi Masala. In the film, I see situations in Demetrius's life that parallel my own. What's interesting about Demetrius's character is that he internalizes a lot of conflicts within himself. For example, given the chance to go to college, he chooses to remain in Mississippi and take care of his father instead. Moreover, he takes on the role as head of the family and is counsel for his younger brother. The breakthrough in Demetrius's life was when he met Mina and fell in love with her. From there the course of Demetrius's life drastically verged because his relationship allowed him the time to reevaluate his life, and with Mina's added perspective, Demetrius was no longer afraid to start anew elsewhere. The events that led to the collapse of Demetrius's business are examples of overdeterminism. By spending the night with Mina and being discovered, Demetrius got arrested which stained his reputation as a credible businessman. Determining Overdeterminism: An Informal Reflection :: Mississippi Masala Economics Essays Determining Overdeterminism: An Informal Reflection Economics has always been for me a system of curves. There are supply ones and demand ones and curves that would belly up or down. In every class, my high school Economics teacher, a man approaching his late fifties, would rail on about the wonders of capitalism. Being a two-time divorcee and therefore a man of the capitalistic world, he accredited the bulk of his knowledge through life experiences, particularly those involving divorce. I remember sitting through one of his classes and thinking that he resembled some type of new-born evangelist preaching to us about the awesome power of capital and what joy it can bring. I have always wondered, however, what the world of economics would be like without a system of charts that determine the outcome of lives. College started me off in finding other economic theories that contradicts what my high school teacher has ingrained in me for years: Neo-classic economics is unflawed and absolute. ECON 100 is my first introduction to Marxian ideals which I find I relate to more than Neo-classic theories. The idea of overdeterminism is one aspect of Marxian economics that I passionately agree with. From the experience of living, I've learned that every action is the reciprocal of all actions in the world. The world is connected and operates for the greater good contrary to what Neo-classic theories state. These relationships are always in flux so narrowing down the determinant of an economic process would be impossible. A splendid example of overdeterminism is depicted in Mississippi Masala. In the film, I see situations in Demetrius's life that parallel my own. What's interesting about Demetrius's character is that he internalizes a lot of conflicts within himself. For example, given the chance to go to college, he chooses to remain in Mississippi and take care of his father instead. Moreover, he takes on the role as head of the family and is counsel for his younger brother. The breakthrough in Demetrius's life was when he met Mina and fell in love with her. From there the course of Demetrius's life drastically verged because his relationship allowed him the time to reevaluate his life, and with Mina's added perspective, Demetrius was no longer afraid to start anew elsewhere. The events that led to the collapse of Demetrius's business are examples of overdeterminism. By spending the night with Mina and being discovered, Demetrius got arrested which stained his reputation as a credible businessman.

Exploring Police Officers Use of Discretion Essay -- Criminal Justic

Discretion is used by officers throughout the country; it gives them the choice to carry out law word by word, based on the input of the situation and surrounding circumstances around the officer it also gives them the choice to disobey the written law which usually ends up in tragic instances. This is why discretion is such a hot topic in the United States and throughout the world. One side argues that police officers are ill trained to properly carry out split second decisions. The other side of the argument claims that discretion saves countless lives of many civilians and police officers. The abuse of power by the police is well documented. From Timothy Thomas, Roger Owensby from Cincinnati, Ohio or Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo in New York, many believe this was a direct cause of the officer’s personal belief about race which can’t be brushed aside so easily. If we all look at the criminal justice system we can tell from the cases and documents that the majority of men that are injured killed or imprisoned by the law are black males. Discrimination isn’t new to police officers around the country, in 1976 the city of Chicago was found to have discriminated against black, Hispanic and female police officers in hiring and in promotions to sergeant in its police departments. This level of dislike is common throughout America, so they say; it runs deep within a police station, against co workers. Many propose that new and harsher punishments should exist in law enforcement but I believe in order to drastically reduce these occurrences from happening would be to enroll these officers in classes that would get them comfortable with races and beliefs other than their own. This is a huge factor in every major case; a maj... ...eyes of a criminal. It would also give the failed assumption that killing an officer or threatening their lives wouldn’t have repercussions’ on the scene. In reality, this argument can last for many years due to what the law covers or doesn’t in regard to what an officer experiences in the field. There may be instances where the law may be clear. Laws are written in ways that could expand for future issues. Police encounter many people and behaviors, some of which would be completely new to an officer, where no laws have not been thought out. But on the other hand police have been known to do well with their discretion by choosing another option besides an arrest. We all should keep in mind the stresses that they deal with on a day to day basis and can cause an officer to become paranoid there for leading to instances where they use excessive force.