Purchasing a Rock Collection

Purchasing a Rock Collection Boxed sets of rock specimens can be a good start for a child interested in geology. These rock collections are handy, small, and not too expensive. Books, maps, a good rock hammer, a magnifier, and the guidance of local experts will take your child much further. But a modest rock set, especially one that includes a pamphlet and some basic information, is all you need to begin. The most important part of a boxed set is your personal commitment to the child; otherwise, the whole experience is sterile. Rock Collection Box Skip the fancy, intimidating wooden box; cardboard or plastic is sturdy enough. You can always buy a better box later, and more of them to fit a growing collection. Dont buy collections that are glued to a card, as it discourages close examination. A true geoscientist will pull the rocks off for hands-on learning. Other Items in the Rock Collection Many sets include streak plates and items to test hardness, like a glass scratchplate and a steel nail. Those are a plus. But the magnifiers that come with boxed collections are generally not trustworthy; they are the most expensive item and are the first place a dealer will cut costs. Children should have a decent 5x magnifier or loupe, purchased separately, that rewards them with a high-quality visual experience. If a pamphlet comes with the set, review it yourself in case the child needs help with it. Start Small You can get huge collections, but a box with about 20 specimens covers the most common rock types, with maybe a few extras for color or exotic interest. Remember, the point of buying a rock collection is the pleasure of learning to recognize, pursue and cherish the rocks found in your own outings.   Get Rocks, Not Chips A useful rock specimen is at least 1.5 inches or 4 centimeters in all dimensions. A proper hand specimen is twice that size. Such rocks are big enough to scratch, chip and otherwise investigate without spoiling their appearance. Remember, these are for learning, not admiring. Igneous, Sedimentary or Metamorphic Theres merit in getting a set of rocks that reflect your own region, but a set of exotic rock types might fascinate someone who travels or dreams of traveling. Are your local rocks igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic? If you dont know, its easy to learn yourself. Use an identification table to identify your rocks. A specialized rock collection would have fewer specimens than a general one, of course. Mineral Collection Rocks are more popular than minerals, and theyre easier to learn about, but for the right child, especially in a locality with notable mineral occurrences, a boxed mineral collection may be just the thing to start with. For most budding rockhounds, a mineral collection is the ideal second step after getting a rock collection. Becoming a real expert in rocks requires strong skills in mineral identification. Another aspect of mineral collecting is the possibility of visiting rock shops, near home as well as on the road, to buy more specimens inexpensively. Reading Matters A rockhound of any stripe must be able to read texts and maps as well as rocks. If youre buying a rock collection for a child, for best results be sure he or she is comfortable with print and has a basic grasp of maps. Without reading skills, a child will always be limited to gazing and dreaming. Scientists need to gaze and dream too, but they also must read, observe, think, and write. A rock kit is only a start.

Biography of William Travis, Texas Revolution Hero

Biography of William Travis, Texas Revolution Hero William Barret Travis (August 1, 1809–March 6, 1836) was an American teacher, lawyer, and soldier. He was in command of the Texan forces at the Battle of the Alamo, where he was killed along with all of his men. According to legend, he drew a line in the sand and challenged the defenders of the Alamo to cross it as a sign of their promise to fight to the death. Today, Travis is considered a great hero in Texas. Fast Facts: William Travis Known For: Travis became a Texas hero for his role in the defense of the Alamo.Also Known As: BuckBorn: August 1, 1809 in Saluda County, South CarolinaDied: March 6, 1836 in San Antonio, Texas Early Life Travis was born on August 1, 1809, in South Carolina, and grew up in Alabama. At the age of 19, while working as a schoolteacher in Alabama, he married one of his students, 16-year-old Rosanna Cato. Travis later trained and worked as a lawyer and published a short-lived newspaper. Neither profession made him much money, and in 1831 he fled to the west, staying one step ahead of his creditors. He left Rosanna and their young son behind. By then the marriage had soured, and neither Travis nor his wife was upset by his departure. He chose to head to Texas for a new start; his creditors could not pursue him into Mexico. Anahuac Disturbances Travis found plenty of work in the town of Anahuac defending slaveholders and those who sought to recapture runaway slaves. This was a sticky point at the time in Texas, as slavery was illegal in Mexico but many of the Texas settlers practiced it anyway. Travis soon ran afoul of Juan Bradburn, an American-born Mexican military officer. After Travis was jailed, the local people took up arms and demanded his release. In June 1832, there was a tense standoff between angry Texans and the Mexican Army. It eventually turned violent and several men were killed. The fighting came to an end when a high-ranking Mexican official arrived to defuse the situation. Travis was freed, and he soon found he was a hero among Texans who wanted to separate from Mexico. Return to Anahuac In 1835, Travis again was involved in trouble in Anahuac. In June, a man named Andrew Briscoe was jailed for arguing about new taxes. Infuriated, Travis rounded up a gang of men and they rode up to Anahuac, supported by a boat with a lone cannon. He ordered the Mexican soldiers out. Not knowing the strength of the rebel Texans, they agreed. Briscoe was freed and Travis’ stature grew enormously with those Texans who favored independence. His fame increased even more when it was revealed that Mexican authorities had issued a warrant for his arrest. Arrival at the Alamo Travis missed out on the Battle of Gonzales and the Siege of San Antonio, but he was still a dedicated rebel and anxious to fight for Texas. After the Siege of San Antonio, Travis, by then a militia officer with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, was ordered to collect up to 100 men and reinforce San Antonio, which was, at the time, being fortified by Jim Bowie and other Texans. The defense of San Antonio centered on the Alamo, a fortress-like old mission church in the center of town. Travis managed to round up about 40 men, paying them out of his own pocket, and arrived at the Alamo on February 3, 1836. Discord at the Alamo By rank, Travis was technically the second-in-command at the Alamo. The first commander there was James Neill, who had fought bravely at the siege of San Antonio and who had vigorously reinforced the Alamo in the intervening months. About half the men there, however, were volunteers and therefore answered to no one. These men tended to listen only to James Bowie, who generally deferred to Neill  but did not listen to Travis. When Neill left in February to attend to family matters, the differences between the two men caused a serious rift among the defenders. Eventually, two things would unite Travis and Bowie (and the men they commanded): the arrival of the diplomatic celebrity Davy Crockett and the advance of the Mexican Army, commanded by General Antonio Là ³pez de Santa Anna. Sending for Reinforcements Santa Annas army arrived in San Antonio in late February 1836 and Travis busied himself sending dispatches to anyone who could help him. The most likely reinforcements were the men serving under James Fannin in Goliad, but repeated pleas to Fannin brought no results. Fannin did set out with a relief column  but turned back due to logistical difficulties (and, one suspects, the suspicion that the men in the Alamo were doomed). Travis wrote to Sam Houston, but Houston was having trouble controlling his army and was not in any position to send aid. Travis wrote the political leaders, who were planning another convention, but they moved too slowly to do Travis any good. He was on his own. Death According to popular lore, sometime on March 4, Travis called together the defenders of the Alamo for a meeting. He drew a line in the sand with his sword and challenged those who would stay and fight to cross it. Only one man refused (an ailing Jim Bowie reportedly asked to be carried across). There is little historical evidence to support this story. Still, Travis and everyone else knew the odds and chose to remain, whether he actually drew a line in the sand or not. On March 6, the Mexicans attacked at dawn. Travis, defending the northern quadrant, was one of the first to fall, shot down by an enemy rifleman. The Alamo was overrun within two hours, and all of its defenders were either captured or killed. Legacy Were it not for his heroic defense of the Alamo and his death, Travis would most likely be a historical footnote. He was one of the first men truly committed to Texas separation from Mexico, and his deeds in Anahuac are worthy of inclusion on an accurate timeline of events that led to Texas independence. Still, he was not a great military or political leader. He was just a man in the wrong place at the wrong time (or the right place at the right time, some would say). Nevertheless, Travis showed himself to be a capable commander and brave soldier when it counted. He held the defenders together in the face of overwhelming odds and did what he could to defend the Alamo. In part because of his discipline and hard work, the Mexicans paid very dearly for their victory that March day. Most historians put the casualty count at around 600 Mexican soldiers to some 200 Texan defenders. Travis showed true leadership qualities and might have gone far in post-independence Texas politics had he survived. Travis greatness lies in the fact that he obviously knew what was going to happen, yet he remained and kept his men with him. His final missives show clearly his intent to stay and fight, even knowing he would likely lose. He also seemed to understand that if the Alamo were crushed, the men inside would become martyrs for the cause of Texas Independence- which is precisely what happened. Cries of Remember the Alamo! echoed out all over Texas and the United States, and men took up arms to avenge Travis and the other slain Alamo defenders. Travis is considered a great hero in Texas, and many things in Texas are named for him, including Travis County and William B. Travis High School. His character appears in books and movies and everything else related to the Battle of the Alamo. Travis was portrayed by Laurence Harvey in the 1960 film The Alamo, which starred John Wayne as Davy Crockett. Sources Brands, H.W. Lone Star Nation: The Epic Story of the Battle for Texas Independence. New York: Anchor Books, 2004.Thompson, Frank T.  The Alamo. University of North Texas Press, 2005.

The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) Thesis

The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) - Thesis Example Aims and Objectives of the Research Acknowledging the vital role of CSR in the present global economic market, this research intends †¢ To analyze corporate social responsibility †¢ To analyze the impact of CSR to companies in the banking and pharmaceutical sectors of Australia †¢ To evaluate the CSR performance of some banking and pharmaceutical organizations in Australia †¢ To conduct a comparative study of CSR performance of some companies in the banking and pharmaceutical sectors of Australia †¢ To examine the relationship of the CSR performance vis-a-vis the financial performance of the companies †¢ To determine the continued relevance of CSR in the 21st century This research is significant in the face of the controversies surrounding CSR after the Enron, Exxon, BP Shell, and other similar events. Likewise, the research is necessary, as it will provide a conceptual analysis of CSR with the context of the several criticisms in CSR. This is significan t based on the idea that CSR should be given a re-look as it has been used to conceal illicit activities (Lin-Hi, 2009). Moreover, it will help in providing a better understanding of the relationship between CSR and the organization by learning how does CSR contribute both to the growth of the corporations and to the good of the society. Finally, the research is crucial, as it will shed light to the issue whether CSR is still appropriate for the global economic market or there is already a need for a new paradigm (Karnani, 2010; Ries et al, 2005). Research Question This study has one vital problem â€Å"Is there still relevance for CSR in the 21st Century?† In order to address this question, the researcher will be addressing three key sub-questions. These are 1. What is the... This study has one vital problem â€Å"Is there still relevance for CSR in the 21st Century?† In order to address this question, the researcher will be addressing three key sub-questions. These are: 1. What is the nature of CSR? 2. How does CSR shape or influence the importance of an organization? 3. What is the relationship between CSR and CFP? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an integral part of organizations in the modern era (Hemingway, 2002). It re-affirms the notion that organizations are not removed from the reality of the society where they are incorporated (Crane et al, 2008). Instead, it shows the fact that people have seemed modern organizations as actors in society and as such, are responsible to all the identified stakeholders of the company (Orliztsky, Seigle and Waldman, 2011). In this framework, the literature review will look into the factors that have contributed to the misgivings regarding CSR, the status of the current debates regarding the ‘g oods’ derived from CSR, and the common understanding of CSR. This is important, as it will help clarify any conceptual ambiguities that may be inherent in the concept of CSR, and at the same time, guides in the understanding of CSR within the context of the 21st century â€Å"Great Destruction†. This conceptual clarification will assist in evaluating and determining not only the relationship of CSR with the financial performance and social performance of the organizations, but it will assist in the determination of the continued relevance of CSR in the 21st century.

Creating a Social Program Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Creating a Social Program - Term Paper Example Mentally ill persons in criminal justice system: Most of the mentally ill people are held in jail because they pose a good amount of threat to the people and to themselves. Previously the treatment incorporated insulin induced comas, freezing baths and shock treatment but in the late 1950’s the entire psychological fitness scene changed with the innovation and expansion of anti-psychotic treatment options. Mostly the offenders with the psychological illness do not get any sort of medications or special treatment during imprisonment. As a result of this lack of treatment facilities the conditions can get worse. The offenders may become a serious threat to the society or to themselves when they leave the jail. Therefore within the legal justice structure, the psychological health cases continue to be a serious challenge (Tracy, 2009) Treatment with mentally ill people: Sometimes the law enforcing people are not aware of the problem so the mentally ill people are kept with the no rmal prisoners but if diagnosed the mentally ill people in jails are not treated very well, as there is restriction with their movement in the jails, not allowed to meet people, less or almost no recreational activities etc. For apparent reasons, they are not provided with the televisions in their cells. The security concerns make it near to impossible for the correctional care takes and officials to take them to the fitness and exercise patio. These people are only allowed for 15 to 20 minutes to go out of their cells and provided them with the opportunity to have shower. Even this activity is also monitored. Usually the officers who are responsible for the security of these mentally ill people are not trained very properly so sometimes in odd situations they are not able to understand about how to deal with the particular situation and the consequences could be severe (James & Glaze, 2006). Aims: Our main aim is to propose and apply collaborative efforts among unlawful justice and psychological fitness systems. The program’s objective is to make improvement in the access system and to provide efficient handling for people with psychological problems concerned with the justice structure. The aim can be achieved through proper arrest, society based management, court appearances etc. It has been expected that almost one third or up to half of the imprisonments can be avoided if the mentally sick people are sent to proper places rather than taking them into the jails. A huge amount of money can be saved by simple changes in the system. It is proposed that if specialized training is provided to the officers most volatile situations can be avoided. Based on the guidance the officer will be able to distinguish between the normal and mentally ill people. He will use the techniques and methods which have been developed during the training period and as a result there will be a non violent ending of the faced encounter. Timeline: The timeline for the given proj ect is three years. Each year the program will be thoroughly evaluated for excellence. Policy Elements: 1. The police stations of few specific areas will be taken as subjects and special Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training will be provided to all the correctional officers who deal with such mentally ill people in jails. The training will be provided only to the officers who come in direct contact with the patients and not the other staff. 2. There are some police

Transforming Rehabilitation: Effect on Offender Management

Transforming Rehabilitation: Effect on Offender Management Transforming Rehabilitation will improve the Effectiveness, Governance and Legitimacy of Offender Management in England and Wales Introduction The aim of this paper is to examine Transforming Rehabilitation in terms of its effectiveness, governance and legitimacy. Starting out with an explanation of legitimacy and introducing The Carter Report 2003 and its recommendations. Moving on to explain some of the needs for a change in practice, and an insight of some of the views from probation staff themselves and perceptions of negatively withering away of staff. Importantly, there are some explanation of theory, especially regarding desistance and more recently the emergence of The Good Lives Model, as a continuation of The Risk Needs Responsivity model. The explanation regarding some of the outcomes expected by TR, and the need for modernisation. As part of TR a Fee for Service and Payment by Results are explained, with the use of charts for the reader. Managing risk is an important part of the proposed changes and a change in direction to promoting desistance. Overarching drivers legitimacy and the need to implement change The term governance is a very old one, but it has been revitalized recently, and has become perhaps one of the most appealing concepts in social science, meaning a new notion reformed, associated with government and public administration.   Regarding TR, this may be perceived by many detractors as a case of â€Å"new wine in old bottles† Chui and Nellis (2003). Governance has been widely used in local governance. In the case of TR, the popularity of governance may have something to do with distrust about the government.   That said, The Social Exclusion Unit posited that, recommendations from The Carter Report (2003) stated that despite recent changes that have brought the management of the services closer together, no front-line organisation ultimately owns the target for reducing re-offending. This can lead to gaps in the system, for example, there is no joint national resettlement strategy and interventions in prison are often not followed up in the community, (Social E xclusion Unit 2002). This in turn leads to reconsideration of the traditional theories of public administration. Self-confidence of traditional public administration has been destroyed and it has faced an ‘identity crisis.’ Public administration, which has been supposed to be a powerful tool for solving social problems, falls down to a serious social problem itself. As a result, many theories have been proposed as alternatives to the traditional public, Ostrom (1986). The case for an innovative approach to offender management is quite clear cut, as the previous attempts have been deemed costly. It is stated that in the UK more than  £3bn is spent every year on prisons, and almost  £1bn annually on delivering sentences in the community, MOJ (2013). Despite this, overall reoffending rates have barely changed over the last decade and the same faces are seemingly reappearing back through the system. Almost half of all offenders released from custody in 2010 reoffended within a year. Over 6000 offenders sentenced to short custodial sentences of less than 12 months in the year to June 2012 had previously received more than 10 community sentences, yet gaps in the sentencing framework mean very little can be done to prevent them from returning to crime once they are released back into the community MOJ, (2013). In 2014, under the Transforming Rehabilitation (TR) changes MOJ, (2013), and Probation Trusts were split into the National Probation Service (NPS) which became part of the civil service and 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) which were subject to marketisation and a commercial tendering process, as seen in Fig.1. with their Contract Package Areas (CPA).   After the bidding process was completed in 2014, eleven CRCs were owned by private sector companies leading a partnership with third sector organisations, three were joint ventures between the private, public, and third sector, three were a public, private, and third sector partnership; two were owned by the private sector exclusively; and another two were equity joint ventures between the private and third sectors (Deering and Feilzer 2015, p.13). Fig.1. CPA Map showing the 21 Contract Package Areas On 29 October 2014, the MoJ announced its preferred bidders to run the Community Rehabilitation Companies in these areas. Here are the successful bidders and as seen in Fig.2. Sodexo and NACRO have been successful in six CRCsInterserve who are leading partnerships in five CRCsMTCNovo, a Joint Venture between MTC and a number of other organisations,  have won London and Thames Valley.Working Links are the preferred bidders in three CRCs.The Reducing Reoffending Partnership   is a Joint Venture between Ingeus, St Giles Trust and CRI, who will run the two large Midlands CRCs , being Staffs & West Midlands and Derby, Leicester, Nottinghamshire & Rutland). Webster (2017) Fig.2. Showing winning bidders in the Contract Package Areas Clearly the changes imposed because of TR have had the potentia to affect all three types of legitimacy, but perhaps particularly more so upon self- legitimacy. (Robinson, Burke and Millings , 2016) Around 50% of all crime is committed by individuals who have already known by criminal justice system (CJS). The cost to the taxpayer of reoffending is estimated to be  £9.5 to  £13 billion per year. There has been little positive change in reconviction rates and almost half of those released from prison go on to reoffend within 12 months. The need to reduce reoffending to reduce both the number of victims and the costs to the taxpayer. To achieve this, there is a need to adopt a tough but intelligent criminal justice system that punishes people properly when they break the law, but also supports them so they don’t commit crime in the future. (MOJ, 2015) Others are more guarded in the way they anticipate the future of TR, and Canton (2011) in particular, stresses the importance of what the probation service continues to represent and its values, such as belief in the possibility of change and social inclusion. McNeill (2011) characterises probation as a justice agency, with key roles in advocating for probationers in relation to access to social goods that have been denied and mediating between law breakers, their communities and social institutions. This ideal view contrasts with the reality of delivering community sanctions in a tough penal climate dominated by public protection, which is one of Liz Truss’s key priorities, with a reduction of violence to staff currently running at 40% and a spotlight on education as the 3rd priority, especially English and Maths, MOJ (2017). McNeill also argues that it is critical for the long-term legitimacy and credibility of probation. At this point in time, it may be uncertain as to whether a doom-ridden or a phoenix-rising vision of the probation future is more likely to come about, although some truths may be gathered from empirical evidence gathered from probation officers and trainees.   There seems to be a great deal of optimism on one side of the camp for TR, as to how the recent changes will be implemented, but on the other side, a great deal of pessimism regarding the implementation of TR. NAPO (National Association of Probation Officers) and UNISON, (Public Sector Trade Union), collectively had made their feelings known. They both stated that a large majority of the 17,000 probation staff refer to TR as a â€Å"catalogue of errors† in terms of staff assignment, a mismatch between workload, staffing levels and staff location, compromised risk management, reduced IT capability with NOMS, nDelius case management system, although C-NOMIS already had inherent problems as seen in fig.3. Increased bureaucracy and a huge rise in the use of temporary and sessional staff were deemed to be the main problems. High performing Probation Trusts have been replaced with poorly performing replacements. (NAPO and UNISON, 2017). The probation staff were quick to point out that they were not to blame for the errors. Regarding the use of temporary and sessional staff will aid the ability to be dynamic and cope with peaks and troughs. The use of the voluntary sector with CRC’s may also be a sticking point with regular probation staff, although as stated by John Podmore, professor of applied social sciences, â€Å"NOMS was never an organisation that its employees proudly declared they belonged to. Creating a National Prison and Probation Service that people aspire to join and importantly to stay in and develop skills and careers is a crucial step forward. But it must be much more than just name change†, Podmore (2017). Lizz Truss, current Minister of Justice as of April 2017, was keen to promote the newly created Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service with the following   bold statement, â€Å"The creation of HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS), will build a world-leading, specialist agency, dedicated to professionalising the prison and probation workforce, backed by an additional  £100m a year and 2,500 additional prison officers, with a  £1.3 bn budget to build new prisons, whilst at the same time closing old and inefficient prisons†, Truss (2017).    Scepticism may be in the forefronts of most of the staff affected by the new era dawning, as previous ministers, namely Mr Gove and Mr Grayling had somewhat seemed to have   failed in their primary objectives for a reformed and efficient joined up agency. Fig.3.Assesemnt of C-NOMIS National Audit Office 2009 The Need for Change Accounts of the origins of probation and its realisation in organisational form give different emphases to its role in social justice, redemption, and control or separation of ‘suspect populations’ from respectable society (Vanstone, 2004). The history of the service has frequently been described in terms of ‘phases’, one notable example suggesting that it moved from the missionary phase through welfare and diversion from custody phases towards more recent orientations towards punishment in the community and then public protection (Chui and Nellis, 2003). The reality of practice is less straightforward, although changes in social and political norms certainly mean that the problem of offending, and, inevitably, law-breakers becomes enclosed by practitioners in different terms. Redeemable, treatable or unmanageable, safe or risky, motivated or unmotivated, (Canton, 2011: 29). With current reference to offender management stated that ,   rather than probation supervisionas the dominant way of describing the work of the probation service is a case in point. To what extent does this represent a real shift towards a technocratic and business-like approach? Or does the term seek to mask the essential continuity in both human interactions between probation officers and probationers, and the normalising function benevolent or otherwise of probation? These questions are certainly not settled. Yet, in the face of the Transforming Rehabilitationreforms (MoJ, 2013a: MoJ, 2013b), they become highly significant when we consider the practices and values that might transfer out of the probation service into the new Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) ,as staff move from one to the other. They are also relevant in anticipating what motivations and values might guide this new version of the NPS, tightly focused on work with higher risk offenders and in the courts to assist sentencing and enforcement procedures. From a critical perspective, Cavadino et.al.(2013: 134) fear the ‘withering away’ of supervision of probationers and even question the Transforming Rehabilitation, or transforming the occupational identity of probation workers? Theory (Desistance) As far back as the 1800’s, the French social scientist, Quetelet (1833), argued that the penchant for crime diminishes with age because of what was described as the â€Å"enfeeblement of physical vitality†. Given that one of the aims of the Criminal Justice System is to reduce crime, then does Transforming Rehabilitation support this? Desistance is one of the mechanisms that can aid TR, however desistance is a complicated process of many twist and turns on that journey to desist from offending. Transforming Rehabilitation is now well under way and reports on its success will be under much scrutiny in the coming months ahead. Desistance from crime, is described as the long-term abstinence from criminal behaviour among those for whom offending had become a pattern of behaviour, is something of a mystery. Producing or encouraging desistance is the implicit focus of much criminal justice policy, practice and research. It is one of the key outcomes that justice interventions are designed to achieve and much research treats reducing or ending offending as a key measure of effectiveness, McNeill et. al. (2012). One of the few near eventualities in criminal justice is that for many individuals, offending behaviour peaks in their teenage years, and then starts to decline. This pattern is represented in what is known as the age crime curve. The age crime curve is of a symmetrical bell shaped curve that shows the prevalence’s of offending, that peaks between the ages of 15 – 19 and declines in the 20’s, Farrington (1986). Studies of desistance illuminate the processes of change associated with the age-crime curve (Kazemian, 2007). If we are to understand desistance from crime, particularly how and why crime tails off over time, we need both testable theories of this process and empirical evidence. There is a significant evidence base on the causes of crime but desistance research suggests that the factors behind the onset of offending are often different than the factors behind its abandonment. Understanding desistance also has more subtle impacts on criminal justice debates. The most current version of The Good Lives Model, incorporates desistance theory and also elements of positive psychology Laws and Ward (2011), is strength based regarding the premise that humans are by nature, practical decision makers, who invariably adapt themselves to their environment. In relation to desistance, Maruna (2001), described what he coined the Pygmalion effect, stated that the elevated expectations of others will lead to a greater self-belief, aiding the process of ‘knifing off’, or cutting off bonds with their criminal past. In order to achieve these goals, a great deal of emphasis on social capital or opportunities and human capital or motivations and capacities, McNeill (2006) are necessary elements to aid primary and secondary desistance. With respect to the GLM as to its effectiveness, research into this model is rather ambivalent and rather scarce to date to be able to measure the evidence. Offender Management Outcomes Kirton and Guillame (2015), argue that staff feel that TR has deprofessionalized the service and that stress levels are high, due to higher workloads, job insecurity, less autonomy and reduced opportunities for training and progression. Many respondents in their study were considering leaving the service. Moreover, responses to the Ministry of Justice’s (2016) Civil Service People Surveyfor the NPS suggest that only a minority of NPS staff feel that they are involved in decisions that affect their work (38%); that poor performance is dealt with effectively in their team (35%); that there are learning and development opportunities (42%); and that there are career opportunities in the NPS (33%). The NOMS Offender Management Model is the product of bringing together the policy requirements and the messages from research and other evidence, and defining what these together mean for the principles of how NOMS will go about managing individual offenders. It is the bridge between the broad brush strokes of policy, and the finer detail of practice. It forms part of NOMS’ commissioning framework, setting out the broad specification for the approach it expects those managing individual offenders to deploy, and acting as the basis for the development of Standards and performance measures, NOMS (2006). Post Carter report, this was simply a reply from this by concentrating on key themes like modernisation in the form of New Public Management (NPM), trying to control the increasing population in the prison system and by trying to find solutions to the lack of communication between services under the umbrella of probation supervision and prison and probation. Payment by Results Fig.4. Key Components of Fee For Service Mechanism   The MOJ sets out the mechanisms of FFS: Fee For Service (FFS) is payment for mandated activities that deliver through the gate services, (TTG), the sentence of the court and licence conditions to time and quality. A recognition that volume risk, that is the risk that providers are required to deliver services for a larger or smaller number of offenders than expected has been raised as a serious concern, and therefore the risk needs to be shared between Government and providers. The FFS component will therefore be a fixed price for services with a volume related adjustment where changes to volume levels fall outside of an appropriately determined tolerance range, as seen in FIig.4. above. This volume tolerance range recognises that the likely reason for a significantincrease or decrease in volume is most likely to be due to external factors not within the control of a provider. Payment by Results (PbR) seems to be an ideal mechanism in TR, particularly in the current economic climate and under a government which is so keen, to reduce public expenditure, but also to reduce the scale of the public sector, and innovative because possible failings may allow to transfer the costs to private companies involved.   Fox and Albertson (2011) stated, there are other potential benefits to PbR. The sheer possibility of making profits is expected to bring new providers into the field. This, combined with a financial incentive to achieve outcomes, is then expected to increase competition, sweep away unnecessary bureaucracy, and increase the desire to innovate. leading to a better understanding of what is effective, possibly leading to lower unit costs thus allowing for an element of profit to be paid. This is expected to facilitate the involvement of smaller providers who may not have the financial resources to sustain a service over several years while waiting for their results to be evident and their payments to be triggered. In all, if implemented properly then a huge success for private companies involved in TR. Fig.5.Illustration of payment curve incorporating stretch targets. Managing Risk One also must bear in mind that the priority given to different purposes is likely to vary over time. Countries can change their penal philosophies, with different purposes and emphases being put on the role of probation within criminal justice. Kemshall (2010) and others, for example, have argued that, in the last decade or so, more emphasis has been placed on public protection and minimizing risk in England and Wales, with a linked priority on enforcement of breach. The government’s new consultation document, ‘Breaking the cycle: effective punishment, rehabilitation and sentencing of offenders’ may see a swing back towards rehabilitation and promoting desistance, whilst promoting community sentences for less serious offences and without compromising public protection (Ministry of Justice 2010). Fig.6.Prochaska and DiClemente’s Cycle of Change Model Conclusion Lessons from the Thatcher government (1979–1990) taught us that her government targeted the large public sector organisations involved in the provision of utilities whom they presented as being inefficient, over-bureaucratic and unresponsive because they were not subjected to the ‘discipline’ of the market, such as the prison service. However, there was also the realisation that selling those public entities, who were profitable by virtue of their monopoly position, afforded a short-term opportunity to raise revenues, lower taxation and reduce public sector borrowing, now seen again in a Conservative government, Annison et.al. (2014). Do we state the obvious or is it a case of Deja vou? In this respect, it is worth remembering that earlier initiatives introduced by the previous Labour government to address this issue – such as the NOMS and Custody Plus3 were subsequently abandoned on the grounds of the costs involved. At the heart of the government’s TR rhetoric is the idea of innovation, however as in some cases a phone call every 6 weeks from a CRC to a low risk offender may not be seen this way. TR has been communicated from the top down as an opportunity for providers of probation services to liberate themselves from central control and develop creative, effective solutions to the problem of reoffending (Ministry of Justice 2013a; 2013b).   The question of perceptual legitimacy, internal, external, and self- legitimacy has become a core site of debate for probation. Bradford and Quinton’s (2014) conditions for self-legitimacy, namely levels of attachment to the new organizations, the internalization of organizational goals, a sense of being supported by the organization, and a belief that probation staff in both the CRCs and the NPS remain legitimate holders of authority. As David Cameron once remarked whilst Prime Minister, ‘finding diamonds in the rough and letting them shine’. With effective rehabilitation methods in place and joined up working principles, maybe optimistically, we just might see many shining lights, and hail the implementation of Transforming Rehabilitation. References Annison, J., Burke, L. and Senior, P. (2014), ‘Transforming Rehabilitation: Another Example of English ‘Exceptionalism’ or a Blueprint for the Rest of Europe?’ European Journal of Probation, 6: 6–23. Bradford, B. and Quinton, P. (2014) ’Self-legitimacy, police culture and support for democratic policing in an English constabulary’, British Journal of Criminology, 54, 1023–46. Canton, R. (2011) Probation: Working with offenders Abingdon: Routledge Cavadino, M., Dignan, J. and Mair, G. (2013) The penal system: An introduction London: Sage. Chui, W.H. and Nellis, M. (2003) ‘Creating the National Probation Service – new wine, old bottles? In W.H. Chui, and M. Nellis (eds) Moving probation forward: Evidence, arguments and practice Harlow: Pearson. Deering, J. and Feilzer, M.Y. (2015) Privatizing Probation: Is Transforming Rehabilitation the End of the Probation Ideal? Bristol: Policy Press. Farrington, D.P (1986) ‘Age and crime’ in Tonry, M. and Morris, N. (Eds) Crime and justice: An annual review of research Vol 7, pp189-250. Fox, C. and Albertson, K. (2011) Payment by results and social impact bonds in the criminal justice sector: New challenges for the concept of evidence-based policy?, Criminology & Criminal Justice, 11 (5) 395-413. Kemshall, H. (2010). ‘The role of risk, needs and strengths assessment in improving supervision’, in F. McNeill, P. Raynor and C. Trotter (eds.) Offender supervision: new directions in theory, research and practice. Abingdon: Willan. Kirton, G., and Guillaume, C., (2015). Employment Relations and Working Conditions in Probation after Transforming Rehabilitation. Available at: https//www.napo.org.uk/advice-and -resource(Accessed 24 April 2017). Looman, J., & Abracen, J. (2013). The risk need responsivity model of offender rehabilitation: Is there really a need for a paradigm shift?  International Journal of Behavioral Consultation and Therapy, 8(3-4), 30-36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/h0100980 McNeill, F. (2011) ‘Probation, Credibility and Justice’ in Probation Journal Vol 58(1): 9-22 McNeill, F., Farrall, S., Lightowler, C., and Maruna, S. (2012) How and why people stop offending: discovering desistance. Other. Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services. Maruna, S. (2001). Making good: How ex-convicts reform and rebuild their lives. Washington D.C.: American Psychological Association. Ministry of Justice (2010). Breaking the cycle: effective punishment, rehabilitation and sentencing of offenders.   London: Ministry of Justice. Ministry of Justice (2013a) Transforming Rehabilitation: A Strategy for Reform London: MoJ. Ministry of Justice (2013b) Transforming Rehabilitation: Target operating model, rehabilitation programme London: MoJ. Ministry of Justice (2016) Civil Service People Survey 2016:   The National Probation Service.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/ file/573656/nps-people-survery-results-2016.pdf (accessed 26 April 2016). National Audit Office (2002), Reducing Prisoner Reoffending. Ostrom, E. (1986). An Agenda for the Study of Institutions. Public Choice. 48(1): 3-25. Podmore, J., (2017). http://thejusticegap.com/2017/02/farewell-noms-need-name-change/. Website [accessed 24 April 2017]. Social Exclusion Unit (2002). Reducing Re-offending by ex -Prisoners. Vanstone, M. (2004) Supervising offenders in the community: A history of probation theory and practice Aldershot: Ashgate. Bibliography Fig.1. CPA Map showing the 21 Contract Package Areas Fig2. System Governance Fig.3.Assesemnt of C-NOMIS National Audit Office 2009 Fig.4. Key Components of Fee for Service Mechanism Fig.5.Illustration of payment curve incorporating stretch targets. Fig.6.Prochaska and DiClemente’s Cycle of Change Model

Market Background

Market segmentation is the process of â€Å"dividing a market into distinct groups of buyers who have distinct needs, characteristics or behavior and who might require separate product or marketing mixes† (Kotler, 2004). Underlying the decision to segment the market is the recognition that a single market is not composed of people with homogenous needs, attitudes amd behavior and therefore requires a different marketing strategy for each group of people. This process helps marketers in identifying opportunities for a new product or product mix by identifying specific needs of a group of consumer marketer (Kinsey, 2005) Market segmentation can be done in many ways. A company with a customer base over a large geographic area can divide its market into various geographic areas. It can also segment the market on the basis of demographic factors such as gender, age, family size or family life cycle stage, profession, education, ethnical background etc. Other techniques include psychographic segmentation is another type of segmentation that is â€Å"based on social class, lifestyle or personality characteristics† and behavioral segmentation that is â€Å"based on the consumer knowledge attitude, use or response to a product† (Kotler, 2004). Other than the geographic segmentation all the other segmentation techniques requires a lot of consumer research with a demographic research on a lesser extent. Whatever segmentation techniques are used the market segments identified must be measurable in terms of size, purchasing power etc, accessible through target marketing, substantial, differentiable so that they should deserve the investment in a separate marketing strategy and actionable that is creating a marketing strategy for it should be practically possible for the company (Kotler, 2004). The task at hand is to segment the beverage market, decide on the target market and then design the most effective product mix for that segment. The beverage under consideration has an ingredient that is perceived to have health advantages. Thus, the drink can be positioned to be a wholesome addition to a healthy diet. The fact that their competitors have limited themselves to athletic males has left most of the market open for new product. The company can market the product to a much larger psychographic segment which is of health conscious consumers. On a secondary level some demographic segmentation can be done where students and young professionals are targeted through relevant marketing strategies that promote the drink as a source of nutrients needed for mental and physical growth necessary to cope with a demanding environment. Also a market strategy can be designed such that it encourages product use n the morning with breakfast. This type of strategy comes in the occasion segmentation as part of the behavior segmentation. With a powerful promotion program the beverage can become a necessary morning drink for all health conscious people. As the product is being promoted as a health drink it should contain appropriate nuitrants and vitamins and fruit extracts whose details should be given on the package. As it is being promoted as a morning drink it should be light and should not have sharp taste or smell. Also along with individual packages it should be available in easy to open packages that contain at least seven servings. Kinsey, J & Yeap, C. (2005). Buyers and Market Segments: Food Marketing Economics. Presented at APEC 4451/5451 lecture at University of Minnesota

Marketing Plan For A Brand Essay - 1866 Words

A brand is a way for customers to identify goods and/or services that a company is providing and helps differentiate them from competitors, and their experience of the company and the products will reflect their brand equity (Kotler, Bowen, Makens, 2014; Bailey Ball, 2006). There are two definitions of a brand; the first is the product plus definition, where a brand is seen as an identifier for the product (Ambler Styles, 1996). The second definition, which more relevant to today’s environment is the holistic view, where the brand includes all elements of the marketing mix and is not solely based on the product (Ambler Styles, 1996). Keller defines brand equity as â€Å"the differential effect that consumer brand knowledge has on their response to marketing activity† (1999). A brand aims for positive brand equity so that consumers will choose their products/services over the competition and therefore increase their market share (Kotler et al., 2014; Rangaswamy, Burk e, Oliva, 1992). Before a brand can be established there needs to be demand for the product, and companies use the marketing mix to influence the demand (Kotler et al., 2014). The marketing mix consists of product, price, promotion and place (Kotler et al., 2014). Kotler et al. (2014) defines a product as anything that can be offered to the target market to satisfy a want or need and it can be tangible and intangible. For brands to stay relevant and maintain their brand position, they need to develop newShow MoreRelatedMarketing Plan For A Brand1435 Words   |  6 Pages1. Introduction This research proposal will present the customers showing their affinity for a brand by buying the branded products or services or by showing their preference for a specific brand, and bringing more profits and market share in a brand (Keller, 1993). One of the important points that determining the superiority of a brand is its credibility. Credibility can be defined as the believability of branded product information. 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