Theories of Crime: Comparisons and Contrasts

The causes of crime are still really not known. There are many different theories and perspectives on why crime exists. However, even with all of the studies and perspectives on crimes committed, it appears to me that the causes of crime are only speculative. Biological Theory The biological theories primarily study the physical constitution and endocrinology. They are a very good example of the theories that have not really received any practical support. The misunderstanding of these theories has caused a stereotype that if a person is a criminal then he or she was born as a criminal and any steps taken in order to change or to influence them are useless. Biological theories are only a part of and one of the interpretations of criminality but not the only ones. In the present time, there is no assertive evidence of the fact, that the physical constitution and other biological factors cause criminality. Nevertheless, these theories have a right to exist and there has been a lot of important information that is used in terms of the development of criminology as a science. The most vivid example of the biological determinism is the theory of Cesare Lombroso. Lombroso based his theory on the assumption that criminals have certain physiognomic features or abnormalities. The origin of scientific criminology is usually traced to the research of Cesare Lombroso (1836-1909). Behavioral Crimes While some may not agree with me, I believe some people just commit crimes. A lot of these people were brought up in violent homes, had parents who were not good examples such as, taking harsh drugs, abusing their children, leaving their children alone for long periods of time and so on. True fact: I grew up with a very abusive father, who ended up killing our mother. I was one of nine children, all of whom were beaten grotesquely everyday and for no known cause. Certainly, we all grew up being adults as children (i. e. , protecting each other, always living in a â€Å"survival mode†) and we were terrorized on a daily basis. However, that having been said, my brothers and sisters and I tried, and for the most part, succeeded in actually growing up, getting sociably acceptable jobs, and we never committed a crime. We were blessed in the fact that, after we were older and were making our own money, we were able to seek out counseling and other avenues to overcome the terror that we all grew up with for 18 years. Our mother died at the very young age of 49 and because of that, she was taken away from us on September 1, 1980. Looking back on it, we all know that our father was basically mentally ill, denying or even thinking, he had an illness and he was just a very angry person and very jealous of our mother, who was a very beautiful, kind, loving (of all people) person. He resented the fact that he had children (which he let us know practically every day). I believe his violence and temper where a cause of possibly some form of schizophrenia and just plain selfishness. Nothing was ever positive to him. However, when he got drunk, which wasn’t very often, he became the nicest person on the planet. We children used to say to each other that – we wished we could keep him drunk all of the time. I believe his actions were based on a biological and behavioral imbalance. The Cognitive Theory Another true event. In July of 1991, while attending law school, I was on my way to classes and had to take the train to get there. While parking in an outside space, a young man (who was 6’ 3† tall and built just like a grown man) came up and put a gun to my head and told me to drive the car. He beat me brutally, and kept telling me to start the car and drive. Skipping over a lot of detail, it came down to where he almost choked me to death and I knew I was dying. Not to sound fanatical, but I said a prayer as I was dying and somehow, I got this superhuman strength and beat the heck out of his head and was able to escape from my car. In the end, he was caught within 10 minutes and had seven (7) felonies against him. He was sentenced to a Maryland State Penitentiary for 20 years and had to serve each felony on a concurrent basis. The reason for his attack on me was that he was being initiated into a gang and that was his initiation. He had to kill a female. As he came up clean on all drug and alcohol tests, it turned out that he was the son of the drug cartel Noriega’s chauffer. He was very angry at his mother for divorcing his father and therefore, decided to become a gang member. He may have been looking for acceptance, or just a way to vent his anger. That would be another speculative case. However, I believe his crime was based on the cognitive theory.

An analysis of the Depreciation Methods in GAAP in the UK

An analysis of the Depreciation Methods in GAAP in the UK Depreciation is the allocation of the cost of a plant asset to expense over its useful (service) life in a rational and systematic manner† (Weygandt, Kieso and Kimmel, 2003:416). There are three factors affect the calculation of depreciation, which are asset cost, useful life and salvage value (Weygandt, Kieso and Kimmel, 2003). Accountant in different companies will use various methods to compute the depreciation. There are straight-line method, reducing balance method (double declining balance, sum of digits, reducing percentage), annuity method, and unit of production method (Mike, Ron and Allister, 1994). And in most companies, especially in the large corporations, they will use the straight-line method, because it is the easiest one to compute the depreciation. This essay will illustrate some method that usually used in the companies and contract with each method to find out which one is the most useful. At the beginning, the essay will illustrate the straight-line method , the second one is reducing balance method, the third method is sum of digits, and the last one is the unit of production method. Below each method, the essay will give an example, which is calculated by me. Under the straight-line method, the annual depreciation expense is the same over the asset’s estimated useful life every year. The annual depreciation expense is determined by depreciation cost divided by the useful life of the asset or multiplied by the annual rate of depreciation (Weygandt, Kieso and Kimmel, 2003). Example 1 An asset costs  ¿Ã‚ ¡11,000, its expected salvage value is  ¿Ã‚ ¡1,000, its estimated useful life is 5 years. Depreciable cost = ¿Ã‚ ¡11,000- ¿Ã‚ ¡1,000 = ¿Ã‚ ¡10,000 Annual depreciation expense = ¿Ã‚ ¡10,000/5years= ¿Ã‚ ¡2,000 OR Annual rate of depreciation =100%à ·5years=20% Annual depreciation expense = ¿Ã‚ ¡10,000*20%= ¿Ã‚ ¡2,000 Year 1 Cost  ¿Ã‚ ¡11,000 Depreciation 2,000 Year 2 Net book value 9,000 Depreciation 2,000 Year 3 Net book value 7,000 Depreciation 2,000 Year 4 Net book value 5,000 Depreciation 2,000 Year 5 Net book value 3,000 Depreciation 2,000 Net book value 1,000 The straight-line method is the simplest way among all the methods; it suitable for the use of asset is unvarying during the useful life; it is popular used by large corporation, such as Campbell Soup, Marriott Corporation and General Mills. However, the reducing balance method has a falling depreciation amount every year during the useful life of the asset. The changing depreciation is depended on the book value (cost less accumulated depreciation). It is calculated to multiply the book value at the beginning of the year and the reducing balance depreciation rate (Weygandt, Kieso and Kimmel, 2003). Example 2 An asset costs (book value at the beginning of year)  ¿Ã‚ ¡11,000, its expected salvage value is  ¿Ã‚ ¡1,000, its estimated useful life is 5 years. Reducing balance depreciation rate = 100%à ·5years=20%* Calculation o f  ¿Ã‚ ¡901.12( ¿Ã‚ ¡4505.6ÃÆ'-20%) is adjusted to  ¿Ã‚ ¡3505.6 in order to make the book value equal salvage value (Weygandt, Kieso and Kimmel, 2003). Sum of digits is another kind of reducing balance method, which has the closest connection with useful life and salvage value of the asset. The depreciation cost is multiply depreciation cost (asset cost less salvage value) by digits of each year (Mike, Ron and Allister, 1994). Example 3 An asset costs  ¿Ã‚ ¡11,000, its expected salvage value is  ¿Ã‚ ¡1,000, its estimated useful life is 5 years The digits add up is 1+2+3+4+5=15

Project Planning 2 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Project Planning 2 - Research Paper Example Introduction Project planning is normally stressful to human and resource managers since there are many requirements including adequate resources, skilled staff and other tools important for the project completion. Also required is the organizing and communication of the project plan, scope and procurement activities as well as the breakdown structures necessary for the success of the program. This paper contains a memo that communicates the budget situation to the team members, ways of improving underperforming team members and the action plan to bring the project back to normal. Memo To: Team members From: Mary Tranquillo, Human resource head for the team Date: March 14, 2013 Subject: Budget situation It has come to my attention that some this project of human resource of revamping the employee compensation and the package has started to develop issues. It is so unfortunate since time is not on our side since we have already lost six weeks and seems like most of the members are not dedicated. I have also noted that some of the members are not keen with deadlines, and this is contributing to the much drag in our project. As a result, our budget looks to have been depleted faster than anticipated. We must bring this budget to track as a group. I strongly feel that there is lack of motivation in the group. As a form of encouraging the team members, there will be rewards for the best individuals who will perform best. This will include contests, bonuses, time off payouts and promotions. In addition, the group will also benefit by getting a 5% share of the total profits they contribute to the company. However, appropriate measures will be taken against the poor performing members of the team since we require an energetic team who are ready to contribute to the success of the team. Best, Mary. Ways to improve an underperforming team member Compensating for results: These are the benefits to employees from the company for the efforts employed which are either moneta ry or other benefits. Compensation plans should be designed in a manner that motivates and encourages the team members. Many plans include large incentive component including bonuses, trips, cars, commissions and stock options (Andris A., Zoltners, Prabha K. et al. 2001, 269). Compensation will be an easy thing to do especially if the work done is measurable and comparable. The best team member will be determined through the measurement of the individual performance where the results are compared and the one performing best is rewarded. Other forms of reward whose nature is personal, special and also unique rewards tend to be even motivating more than cash alone. In order to determine how much a team member will be compensated, different factors will be considered. These include the contribution of the team to the total earnings of the company and the type of industry. Also benchmarking among different industries is important so as to approximate the right amount or type of compensa tion (Andris et al. 2001, 281) Improving Team Member Accountability According to Berry (2001), team work is normally beneficial to the company, but underperformance of one member is a drawback to the team and this can be worse if the members tend to hold each other accountable. If the team member fails to undertake actions that are useful to the needs of the team, then team member accountability becomes an issue of concern. There

Appraise the Lean Canvas as a model for start-up businesses. Provide Assignment

Appraise the Lean Canvas as a model for start-up businesses. Provide judgments and interpretations for each element of the model - Assignment Example Here the idea is not to make a perfect business plan, because a perfect plan is a myth. Most of the companies’ make an initial business plan which changes as one grows. Perfection is not the goal. The idea is to prepare a business plan and start a business with the available resources at hand. In this study we will take a start-up of a manufacturing company like a car manufacturing company named Drizzler which will cater to Indian market. Drizzler will import most of its part from outside India and assemble in India. Discussion Customer Segment Possible Customer List of this start-up is anyone who wants to buy a car to use it. But being a start-up business will cater to middle income level families. In India the middle Income population is rising and their income level is also rising (Osterwalder and Pigneur, 2013, p. 123). India being a developing country, its GDP is growing at a healthy rate as compared to the western developed economies. Hence the needs of the middle income families are also rising day by day. They demand products which were previously used by Upper level people. Drizzler will cater to such customers (Ramaswamy and Namakumari, 2009, p. 234). Value Proposition For a middle income family those who want to buy a car, they are driven mainly by desire to own a car. Drizzler will create a value for the segment by manufacturing car which will not be priced too high and having features which will meet the expectation of regular people. Hence if it can satisfy the need for safety, and the esteem needs, then it will cater to the need of average household (Nielsen and Lund, 2012, p. 52). The most important customer segment is the middle income households who wants a bike but can afford a car. It should cater to such families who want to drive car and have a feeling to owning a car and make it their first family car. This car will give them durability and safety which they seek (Kaplan, 2012, p. 42). It is another factor considered important to m iddle income families. Hence they should give a mileage of about 20-25 km/litre. The seating capacity should be for 5 persons with maximum speed of 200 km/hour. Channels The car will be sold through independent sales channel all over India. Such sales channel includes retail dealers present throughout India. Nowadays in India there has been a trend of increasing sales of car in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. It indicates that they must have their presence of distribution channel in those cities. They will sell their products through retail dealers. They must use the advertisement which shows the value proposition it will deliver to the customers (Dent, 2011, p. 141). Through mediums like TV, newspaper, auto magazines and shows on car, it will help them drive their value proposition to the clients. They must also maintain a website which will clearly state the features and the local dealer present. Customer relationships The key to any business is the ability to know what the customer s want. Drizzler will maintain a strong and fast customer relationship programs. Drizzler will run a customer loyalty program. Drizzler will use a magnetic card for anyone who buys the product. When a customer buys a car, he gets points. When the magnetic card is swiped, then the representatives of

The Interactional View by Watzlawick Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Interactional View by Watzlawick - Essay Example The Interactional View says that the first axiom is people are always communicating, even when they are not saying anything. It says that communication is content plus relationship. Content is what people say, while relationship is how people say them. Metacommunication is also the relationship, which the way people communicate about their communication. The last time my grandmother and I talked, the content of our topic is dating. She warned about dating white Americans because of her stereotyping that they can have very sexual views of women. I did not want to correct her that even Chinese men also have sexual views of women. Then, I told her that I am not currently dating any white or any other ethnic or racial group, but if I did, it should not be a problem because I own my heart and life. She got angry and yelled at me over the phone and hanged up. I was very hurt, but I called her again and said sorry. I remember now that my metacommunication regarding this topic is angry and d efensive. I have disrespected my grandmother. To understand more my communication with my grandmother, I can use the concepts of complementary interchange, one-up communication, one-down communication, and one-across communication. Complementary interchange means that parties know that they have power differences. One-up communication is a move to control the exchange, one-down communication is a move to give control of the exchange, and one-across communication is the move to level the control of the exchange.  

Structural engineering Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Structural engineering - Research Paper Example Large man-made objects ranging from vehicles to cranes and furniture to medical equipment all require the input of structural engineers in order to ascertain their safety and reliability. Structural engineers are involved in every stage of realization of a structure, playing a key role in design and construction teams. They work together with architects along with other professions to create conceptual designs and ascertain that the structure to be built is both stable and durable. The structures built should be stiff enough to not deflect beyond acceptable limits through vibrations, and also be able to stable and strong enough to resist all structural loads like wind, gravity, rain, snow and seismic earthquakes. By using structural analysis, structural engineers understand the effects of loads or stresses as caused by gravity, the users of structures, and the various climatic and ground conditions around the world. Structural loads are external forces which are capable of compromising a structure. Another important aspect of a structural engineer’s work is choosing the right materials for building a structure. The material for construction may be steel, reinforced concrete or steel-concrete. The choice of material is influenced by the function of the structure, intended time of use, and environmental impact of using the material. There are some structures constructed for a limited period of use, for instance, off-shore platforms built to facilitate exploration beyond the shores and have to be demolished once the explorations are complete. Such structures have to be strong enough to withstand water, yet be affordable during demolition. Structural engineering also accommodates fun in the learning and practicing stage. During training, engineers should travel and visit interesting structures or construction sites, and consciously see and analyze such structures (Milne, 2010). Such background training exposes the young engineers to buildings of

Is marriage still a goal worth for pursuing Research Paper

Is marriage still a goal worth for pursuing - Research Paper Example Based on the fact that there are certain factors that have rendered the marriage institution irrelevant today like people can have children out of marriage and that compassion can be gained out of wedlock, it does not dispute the importance of marriage. Thispaper will attempt to outline the fact that marriage is worth pursuing even on the 21st century. Marriage is considered to have begun when men were being formed. Various religious groups in the world believe that marriage was ordained by the Supreme Being who rules the universe as he formed man and woman. Marriage is also based on traditional believes where people believed that men were meant to be united with a woman in a relationship that could lead to child bearing and companionship. However, different cultures believe in different types of marriages such as monogamous marriage and polygamous marriage. Marriage in some cultures is considered a mandatory engagement where all members of such societies are required to get married at a certain part of their lives. However, the society today has changed the living style and this has led to change in doctrines and principles about marriage and its worth. Careers, independence of women, and other principles have led people to realize that marriage is not as important as they used to believe (Thornton 90). Marriage is believed to be a cohabitation where children are brought up to become responsible children. Though many people may argue that children can be gained and delivered out of wedlock, it has been proved that children required both parents to raise them to become responsible adults. The children grow up knowing and depending on their father and the wife respect the husband as the head of family. Parental roles and care is expected from both the parents unless where circumstances my lead to one parent as the caretaker of the children. According to an article about arguments on non-parental care by Gheaus (1), many people disagree about the benefit if