The Dirty Harry Problem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Dirty Harry Problem - Essay Example Rodney King was filmed being beaten, but how many more suffered from these corrupt cops when the camera was not on? Police corruption is a misuse of power. Police become corrupt for different reasons. Pollock (2004) states, â€Å"Explanations of corruption can be describes as individual, institutional (or organizational), and systematic (or societal).† Some people are good and other bad. The same can be said about law enforcement officers. Just like a bully can influence other children, corrupt police officers can influence good officers. Pollock also believes that another reason for corruption is the lack of proper recruiting methods. Law enforcement that murder, deal in drugs, and other illegal activities are corrupt. These types of police officers are the individuals that make the news reports. Like was suggested above, law enforcement that participate in these type of behaviors were already inclined to commit crime or feel peer pressure. Either way, police recruiting techniques need to be refined to catch these recruits before they become police officer, not after. Not every instance of police corruption is severe. Pollock (2004) reports, â€Å"Corruption, theft, graft (exploitation of one’s role, such as accepting bribes or protection money), and accepting other gratuities (such as free coffee and free or half-priced meals),† can be considered as corruption or delinquency. Some police officers feel it is only fair they get free coffee, donuts, or other perks, since they put their lives on the line everyday. However, if one follows that line of reasoning then soldiers should get free perks as well. With the high number of law enforcement officers and soldiers if everyone got perks, then our society would soon become bankrupt. The Blue Wall is another issue that law enforcement and the community must deal with. â€Å"One of the most difficult ethical dilemmas that officers confront is

British Airways Organisational Planning

British Airways Organisational Planning Introduction The purpose of this report is to identify different types of planning that organisations use in order to achieve there objectives and goals. This report will also evaluate the purposes and benefits of formal planning in relation to the chosen organisation, British Airways. Organisations set goals as a way of expressing what they would hope the business to achieve in the future. A goal can be best described as A desired state of affairs which an organisation attempts to realise. (Etzioni 1964, p 6). Mission planning is similar to that of setting goals but these aims are somewhat vaguer and are usually on a more global level (Barney and Griffin, 1992). Goals and mission statements along with effective decision making are essential tools that organisations can use to plan what the direction the company will follow in order to exploit its maximum potential and ensure success. This main part of this report will look at the different types of plans that organisations may use. It will also highlight the types of information that may be sought by organisations, such as British Airways, and the ways in which that information could be gathered to inform planning. British Airways The chosen company for the purpose of this assignment is the airline and holiday company, British Airways. British Airways is a Public Limited Company. The current name and structure was established in 1976, although previous ventures date back to 1910. It is the UKs largest international scheduled airline. The British Airways group consists of British Airways Plc and a number of subsidiary companies, for example British Airways Holidays Ltd. The company are affected by three main environmental factors these are: Minimising Carbon Emissions and noise pollution. Competition from budget airlines. Increasing safety procedures for passengers These environmental factors have been incorporated into the mission statement of B.A which is Our vision is to become the worlds most responsible and safe airline and not only to be seen as just a UK carrier, but a global airline that is based in Britain (Chief Executive, British Airways Annual Report 2007/2008). Also within the annual report, B.A has set out three main goals that they hope to achieve within a three year time scale. These are: To be established within Terminal 5, at London Heathrow. To order new aircraft for their fleet. To be the employer of choice within the airline market. Purpose and Potential Benefits of Formal Planning. While some organisations use informal planning (usually smaller companies), it is for the most part, formal planning that is used. The purpose of formal planning in organisations is to give clear guidelines of what a company hopes to achieve and to provide direction and a timescale for these achievements to be accomplished. Plans also give a purpose to the people within in organisations (i.e. management and employees) as they provide what is expected from those involved and give them targets to work towards. Effective planning can help the organisation run smoothly as they provide a step by step approach to what needs to be done. Planning in organisations is normally done at management level and according to Henri Fayol (1916) it is one of 5 major functions that management should undertake. According to Boddy there are four main benefits of planning (2005). These are; plans can clarify direction, motivate people, help use resources efficiently and provide a way to measure progress. However planning has many more benefits such as it allows managers within organisations to establish where the organisation is at, at any given time. Plans also promote teamwork within managers and employees as the plan may specify that certain groups of people are required to work on a task, when in the absence of a plan those people might have undertaken tasks individually, this will also see that targets and goals are met quicker. These benefits of planning will only be evident if it is carried out correctly. If plans are not properly drawn up or implemented they have the effect of wasting time and resources, it can also lead to the lack of staff motivation. It is therefore essential that plans are thought over carefully and that those making them understand that they must be achievable and realistic. With reference to the British Airways, it can been seen that planning is essential in relation to them achieving there goals. For example BA have just released their plans for the next 3 years entitled BP11 (BA annual report, 2007/2008). This 3 year plan sets out what they are aiming to achieve and how they want to achieve it. It is important for BA to draw up planning reports so that shareholders and staff understand what is expected to happen both in the short term and the long term. Types of Plans. There are many different types of planning that organisations can use. For the purpose of this report three different types of planning that may be beneficial to British Airways will be discussed. Business Plan This is a document that sets out what markets the business intends to operate in, how it will do so and what finance they require (Blackwell, 2004). These plans are mainly used to provide information for shareholders and to generate interest from investors who may be willing to help fund a project set out in the plan. This is shown in British Airways business plan, it states that they want to expand their fleet of aircraft subject to raising the appropriate finances. Issuing this as a plan may attract people who want to invest or increase their shareholders as shows that the airline is going to expand. Business plans can also be used in an organisation for internal purposes. For example lower level management may need to get financial support from more senior levels and will need to provide a business plan to show what they intend to do with any given funds. Strategic Plan These are plans for the whole organisation not just individual departments. A strategic plan can be described as determining the basic long term goals and objectives of an enterprise and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources for carrying out these goals (Chandler, 1962). This basically means the organisation will identify where it wants to be and which route it must take in order to get there. The basis for British Airways strategic plan can be seen in their mission statement. The statement illustrates where the airline wants to end up and what they have to achieve in order to meet these goals. Specific Plan This type of plan is exactly what is says, specific. They are concise, and to the point, because of this they are easy to follow and they leave little room for error. An example of a specific plan can be seen when referring to BA. They have a plan to cut their carbon emissions by 7% by 2011 (annual report, 2007/2008). This plan is short and simple and would be easy for the whole company and its shareholders to understand. Specific plans will not work in situations where the future is unpredictable due to their lack of flexibility (Boddy, 2005 p 170). Information Required and How to Gather it. In order for organisations to create plans they need to gather information. The information must of the right kind if it is to be used in planning to ensure efficiency as wrong information will be costly to rectify. Information can be gathered from a number of sources by using informal or formal analysis. The main types of information that will be sought by BA would be information about their competitors and information about customers. This is because British Airways aim to be the airline of choice (annual report 2007/2008) so information regarding the customers thoughts of aspects such as service are vital. BAs main threat come from competitors so they would want information on them in order to see what they are offering that might steal custom. British Airways gather their information using a formal analysis approach. The types of formal analyses they will use are Industry surveys, Market research (by way of questionnaires provided on their flights and on their web-site), the SWOT analysis model (see appendix 1) and the PESTEL analysis model (see appendix 2). Conclusion To conclude this report, it can be seen that planning is a must for any organisation. If applied correctly, planning can inevitable help the organisation fulfil its mission and goals in a smooth and efficient manner. The type of plan to use will depend highly on the organisation and what it wants to achieve, although most organisations such as British Airways will use a variety of planning types. Gathering useful and relevant information is paramount to effective and precise planning as if the information is not of the right kind or incorrect plans will be made on the wrong basis which may be detrimental to the organisation in the future. References Barney, J B and R W Griffin., 1992. The Management of Organisations: Strategy, Structure and Behaviour. In: D, Rollinson, eds, Organisational Behaviour. Essex, England. Prentice Hall, p 432. Blackwell, E., 2004. How to Prepare a Business Plan. (4th Edition). London, Kogan Page. Boddy, D., 2005. Management an Introduction. Essex, England. Pearson Education, p 170. Chandler, A.D. 1962. Strategy and Structure. In: D, Boddy. Management an Introduction. Essex, England. Pearson Education, p 169. Etzioni, A., 1964. Modern Organisations. In: D, Rollinson, eds, Organisational Behaviour. Essex, England. Prentice Hall, p 431. Fayol, H., 1916. General and Industrial Management. In: D, Rollinson, eds, Organisational Behaviour. Essex, England. Prentice Hall, p 512. Willie Walsh,CEO, British Airways Annual Report 2007/2008

Extended Families Essay -- Television Media TV

Extended Families The evolution of extended families has progressed far from the early black and white episodes of The Addams Family, to the country life of The Waltons, and to the crazy lives of the family in Full House. It is clear that the changes in the portrayals of families provide audience members with a picture of families being more complex if nothing else (Bryant, 2001). Therefore, it is certain that each decade has surpassed the other in its growth and development of extended families. The 1960s series The Addams Family showed a very good example of an extended family. The extended family included Gomez Addams (an eccentric cigar-smoking millionaire lawyer), Morticia (his slender wife), Pugsley (their son), Wednesday (their little girl), Grandmama Addams, Uncle Fester, Cousin It, and Lurch (the family’s zombie butler). Other people residing in the household included Thing (a disembodied hand), Kit Kat (a cowardly lion), and Cleopatra (an African strangling plant). These are all different members of one big family that have come to live together to be a perf... Extended Families Essay -- Television Media TV Extended Families The evolution of extended families has progressed far from the early black and white episodes of The Addams Family, to the country life of The Waltons, and to the crazy lives of the family in Full House. It is clear that the changes in the portrayals of families provide audience members with a picture of families being more complex if nothing else (Bryant, 2001). Therefore, it is certain that each decade has surpassed the other in its growth and development of extended families. The 1960s series The Addams Family showed a very good example of an extended family. The extended family included Gomez Addams (an eccentric cigar-smoking millionaire lawyer), Morticia (his slender wife), Pugsley (their son), Wednesday (their little girl), Grandmama Addams, Uncle Fester, Cousin It, and Lurch (the family’s zombie butler). Other people residing in the household included Thing (a disembodied hand), Kit Kat (a cowardly lion), and Cleopatra (an African strangling plant). These are all different members of one big family that have come to live together to be a perf...

Unions in Canada

Abstract Unions have been struggling in Canada’s current economy. The rate of workers joining unions is on a downward slide, noticeably so in the public sector, despite the fact the unions helped to stabilize and grow the economy in the past. Due to the current economic turmoil, unions have had to resort to strategies that will allow them to lower operating costs and compete with global competitors. Although unions are facing difficulties, they are still of benefit to workers.History of Unions in Canada and their Effects on the Economy Unions have been apart of Canadian history since the early 1800’s. Records show tradesmen in the Maritimes having unions during the war of 1812 despite such organizations not being legalized in Canada until 1872 (Maple Leaf Web). Approximately 31% of all workers in Canada belong to unions (United Food and Commercial Workers Canada)(Canadian Labour Congress).The public sector – including schools, hospitals, and crown corporations â €“ have a unionization rate of 71%, while in the private sector the rate is 16% and falling (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2012). Historians have credited the growth in Canada’s middle-class to unions because they offered higher wages and job security, which allowed for members to have extra income to spend on commodities such houses, clothing, cars, etcetera. This increased the demand for those items, and helped grow and stabilize the economy (United Food and Commercial Workers Canada).Although unions were of benefit in the past, membership has been on a 30-year decline (Figure 1) and the usefulness of such organizations has come into question due to unionized workers pay and benefits lagging behind workers who are non-unionized (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, 2012). This report will cover the history of unions in Canada, and their impact on the Canadian economy. The factors covered suggest that unions are still of benefit at the present. History of Unions in Ca nada The Canadian union movement was influenced by Britain and the United States (Class Net)(Maple Leaf Web).British tradesmen brought over the tradition of the organizations and caused several British unions to open branches in Canada. However, unions weren’t legalized in Canada until 1872 after the Toronto Printers’ Strike (workers were protesting for nine-hour work days), and the first national labour organization was the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada (TLC), which was formed in 1873 (Maple Leaf Web). Early legislation of unions was derived from the British structure, while the current legislation has been developed from post-World War 2 United States unions (Class Net).Members have historically been those in the trades – electricians, miners, construction workers, etc -, nursing, teaching, journalism, artistic fields, and athletics (United Food and Commercial Workers Canada). Unions and the Economy In the past unions helped stabilize and grow the econo my by decreasing the divide between rich and poor. In current economic times, unionization rates have fallen (Figure 1) causing the pay difference between unionized and non-unionized workers to grow (Figure 2) (Mine Mill 598).This has resulted in workers not having the excess income to spend to help the economy recover, or the money to pay extra taxes to support public services such as schools, roads, and health care. Despite this difference, United Food and Commercial Workers Canada (UFCW) has stated that even workers who have never belonged to a union have benefited by their existence, and that Canada is one of the top five most prosperous countries in the world because of them (United Food and Commercial Workers Canada).The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) states that union members earn almost $7 per hour more then non-unionized workers, and that number increases to $7. 95 per hour for many women. They also state that 88. 5% of members receive benefits not related to wage, such as prescription drugs and dental plans, and that 92. 3% of large workplaces have pension plans, where as only 68. 4% of non-unionized workplaces have them. For small, non-unionized workplaces, 31. 1% offered health-related benefits, and only 12. 5% had pension plans. In small workplaces that were unionized, those numbers climb to 47. 6% and 34. % respectively (Canadian Labour Congress). However, due to global rivals in various fields of work operating at lower costs, Canadian unions have begun to implement two-tier wages; a technique that was used in the 1980s and 1990s. It involves workers under new contracts to start a lower wages then previously contracted members. New workers will be on par with existing workers after 10 years, though some industries – the auto manufacturing industry, for example – have fought to ensure new workers never converge with current employees wages. It is believed such strategies will be common in the future (Globe and Mail, 2012).Conclusion Unions were extremely beneficial for workers when they were first introduced due to the bonuses they offered, increased wages, job security, and the effects such extras would have on the over all economy. In the current economy unions are viewed as unneeded, which has stemmed the decline in unionization rates and prevented the organizations from being as useful as they could be. Unions are facing struggles in the current economy, but despite such troubles they are still of use in the present because their impact reaches further then just their members, and helps to stabilize the economy.References Maple Leaf Web. History of Unions in Canada. Retrieved From: http://www. mapleleafweb. com/old/education/spotlight/issue_51/history. html United Food and Commercial Workers Canada (UFCW). Facts About Unions. Retrieved from: http://www. ufcw. ca/index. php? option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=49&lang=en#link3 Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). Union Advantage. Retrieved from: http:// www. canadianlabour. ca/about-clc/union-advantage Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC). (2012). Unions on Decline in Private Sector.Retrieved from: http://www. cbc. ca/news/canada/story/2012/09/02/unions-labour-canada-decline. html Class Net. History and Development of Unions in Canada. Retrieved from: https://classnet. wcdsb. ca/sec/StB/Gr12/History/law/Shared%20Documents/Labour%20Law/(A)HistoryandDevelopmentofUNIONSinCanada. pdf Mine Mill 598. (2009). Unionization Fact Sheet. Retrieved from: http://www. minemill598. com/PDF/editorials/UNIONIZATION_FactSheets_Sept2009. pdf Globe and Mail. (2012). Two-Tier Wage Scales on the Increase in Canada.

Diets Are Not the Answer

Do you know that almost everybody in the world is sick with obesity? Cries have been heard all over the world over the invading monster. Children, young women and men, elderly women and men have been attacked by this strange ailment. However, it is an ailment of their own making and in the real sense no one should be crying out of its consequences. Perhaps children have a right to let out a wild wail. Their blood is innocent and parents are to blame. Eating of fatty and sweet fast foods has been the main cause of obesity.Fast foods might be sweet in taste and good in eating but they have a long-lasting negative effect to the body. The additional calories in the fatty and sugary food lead to the addition of a couple of pounds in the weight of an individual. Studies have been made to find a solution to obesity. Without much thought, dieting has in the past been found to be that solution long sort for. Does it help in curing obesity? This research paper seeks to prove the earlier studie s wrong and support the statement that ‘Diets are not the answer’. Reason that researchers had for conducting this studyFor the past two or more decades, obesity cases have been on the increase bringing the attention to the researchers. All around the world, obesity has been on the increase. In the United States for instance, obesity related health problems are the main causes of the high mortality. It is the second after issues related smoking. According to researches carried out in the years of 1980, more than 15% of the American population suffered from obesity. In a period of two decades, the percentage of those suffering from obesity rose drastically to 34% of the total US population (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).Because of the rapid increase of obesity, Medicare has in the recent years made alterations in its policy covering the treatments of obesity. One of the areas that the Canters for Medicare and Medicaid Services worked upon is the removal of the phrase that quoted that obesity was not an illness from the coverage manual. It was a new dawn for people suffering from obesity as well as Medicare. Obesity treatments could be given rather than the initial treatments for the specific conditions that were thought to result to obesity such as hypertension and diabetes (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).Long-term outcomes of the calorie-restricting diets have been of major concerns to researchers. The question that these researchers seek to answer is ‘Is dieting an effective obesity treatment? The truth of the matter is that dieting does more harm than good (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). According to earlier researches made, it has been found out that 1/3 or 2/3 of people who diet gain more weight than losing it. The studies however are more likely to underestimate the counter-productivity of dieting as a result of methodological problems.All the methodologies app lied in these studies are bias and show a successful loss of weight through dieting. More so the previous studies do not give a clear explanation and evidence to show that in the real sense dieting leads to health improvements irrespective of the changes in weight. Little or no support is given in support of dieting as a lasting solution to weight loss or in the fight against obesity. Similarly, previous researches do not give enough support on the relationship between dieting and the accruing health benefits.These and many more limitations of the previous studies lead researchers in a study to prove that â€Å"Diets are not the answer† as far as obesity and the related health problems are concerned† (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Diet studies were therefore was carried out to evaluate the truth about dieting and its relationship with weight loss. Several hypotheses were therefore made (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Main Hypothesis of the research †¢ Starvation or eating less than normal food quantities leads to a short term loss of weight. †¢ In the long-term, starvation encourages weight gain.Individual who have stopped dieting or starvation gain much weight than they had lost as time goes by. †¢ Eating less as well as specified types of foods as prescribed by the doctor do not have any positive health benefits to an individual who is dieting. †¢ Dieting is not the absolute solution to obesity. Type of study Experimentation was used in this study in an effort to look at the effects of dieting on weight loss. Some of the individuals who were suffering from obesity were put under the medication or the dieting where by they were starved for 38 days. They formed the experimental group or the dependant variable.The others were not starved and they formed the control group or the independent variable. The application of dieting procedures included the manipulation to the experim ental group. Experimental method was the best method in carrying out this study. This type of study makes it possible for casual conclusions to be made on the diet effect on weight. It was as Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman point out in their study â€Å"The most rigorous designs in studies†¦that randomly assign individuals to a diet condition or to a no-diet condition and then follow them over time† (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).Summary of main findings The reviews done on dieting scientific literature drew two conclusions concerning the diets. To begin with, diets have a short-term effect as far as weight loss is concerned. According to research studies carried out in the years of 1970-mid 90’s, participants in dieting lost a considerable amount of weight. Each individual lost an average weight of between 5-10% of their total body weight (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Secondly, the researches found out that the weight loss cannot be maintained. In one of the reviews, the rates of weight regain opened many debates.More weight is regained after the individuals stopped their dieting. As Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman point out in their research study on Medicare’s search for effective obesity treatments: diets are not the answer â€Å"The more time that elapsed between the end of a diet and the follow-up, the more weight is regained† (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). For instance, according to the study of the research in which patients suffering from obesity in hospital were starved for 38 days, they lost a lot of weight.However follow-ups that were carried out for varying time lengths showed that in less than two years 23% of the patients regained even more weight than they actually lost during the starvation period. Within a span of two years or more, 83% of the patients had regained more weight than they had lost. Studies whose follow-ups took a lengthy time of about 4-5 years after dieting gave negative results. There was no sign of weight reduction but participants continued to add several pounds of weight (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).Research findings and the hypothesis These finding completely supports the postulated hypothesis that eating less, starvation or dieting has little or no help in the fight against obesity. It actually leads to increases in weight when it is stopped. Weight loss is short lived and only occurs when the individual is under dieting. It has no long term weight loss and it is impossible to starve a person for the rest of his/her life. Therefore, obese they will remain even after dieting. Dieting is in fact not the answer! (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).Major limitations of the data On of the limitations of the study is that dieting does not lead to a life-time weight loss for obesity sufferers. Follow-ups that a re given after dieting is stopped reveal that dieting results to additional weight gain. However, only few studies give long-term follow-ups to allow clear comparison between dieters’ weight and that of the control group because it is very difficult to make people who are obese to diet for a long period of time (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007).This study however is not the best method as it is impossible to keep obesity people on diet for the rest of their lives (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). More so, dieting in many studies is combined with lifestyle interventions such as exercise. Dieting therefore could hardly work alone without some physical exercises. There are diseases that are associated with obesity such as obesity and hypertension. In a study carried out on those dieters who also suffered from hypertension, there was no significant outcome in the improvement of systolic and diastolic pressure of blood.However the par ticipants in dieting showed less need for the antihypertensive drugs. In addition, dieting can only prevent diabetes but cannot actually cure it (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Research Agenda Individuals who have been put under dieting are gaining and maintaining their weight. According to the studies carried out, dieting becomes an ineffective way to stop obesity. Even in prospective nonrandomized studies, dieting does not result to once and for all loss of weight. It is not the answer to obesity. The benefits of dieting in obesity treatment are few.Health problems associated with obesity are also not curbed by dieting. Short-term effects of dieting are considerable but long-term outcomes are minimal. There are also potential harms as a result of weight cycling. Dieting is not therefore a good recommendation for effective obesity treatment (Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Further studies are therefore needed to address obesity rel ated health problems. Rigorous diet studies have produced poor results. All that is needed now is a long term randomized study on dieting effects on health outcomes.More studies should also be carried out to determine whether short term weight loss has any effect to the obesity health related problems after the weight is regained. Are there any consequences of weight regain? What are the health outcomes of weight cycling? Exercises have been linked to weight loss and reduced health problems. Is physical exercise a treatment for obesity? Future research should focus on the physical exercise as the obesity treatment. It is not known as to whether exercises alone can lead to weight loss or reduced heath problems and further studies are needed.If Medicare is out to fund for the treatment of obesity, improvements need to be made as far as weight and health aspects are concerned. Majority of the individuals in the world need to be helped out of diabetes but dieting does not seem to work ( Mann, Tomiyama, Westling, Lew, Samuels & Chatman, 2007). Conclusion Dieting is not the cure in the treatment of obesity. All the studies that have been made on diabetes have been disappointing. The study on the effect of reduced calories intake for people suffering from diabetes on weight loss has produced negative result.Actually, the short-term effects are very promising as individual loose considerable amounts of weight during the starvation period. However, when the starvation is brought to an end, pounds and pounds of weight add to the already overweight. More weight is even gained than what was lost during dieting. Obesity, health related problems seem not to be affected by dieting and physical exercises when used together with dieting produce significant result. However, more research needs to be made on obesity health related problems in relation to dieting and physical exercises as a fight against obesity because dieting have proved not to be a cure.