Revised Mid Term

It is the world's most popular energy drink brand. The beverage was inspired by Mateschltz's trip to Thailand where he discovered a local drink by the name Kratlng Daeng, and he decided to team with the Thal brand and distribute his version of the beverage In Europe, believing that It would sell and become a successful brand.Mateschitz, an innovative marketing specialist, believes in the idea of always having un, and this translates into all of the company's marketing moves, such as hosting their one-of-a-kind annual air races and advertising Red Bull through humorous, memorable adult cartoons on television. He is also able to create a fun, vibrant culture for Red Bull employees, mostly comprised of young, like-minded individuals who Just graduated from undergraduate college.The company instills the notion of fun in all business activities, from flying out potential employees to Detroit for work raining to installing slides in their headquarters to make sure that employees get to the ir meetings In time and In style. Red Bull's strategy In entering the market Is to use word-of-mouth and consumers' recommendations.Rather than opting Immediately to have the brand sold In large supermarkets and retail chains, the company selected specific clubs, bars and stores to Introduce the drink, allowing the trendy, influential group of people to be the first ones to sample the product, and oping that they would endorse the drink and tell everyone else in their network about Red Bull.The exclusiveness of the product intrigued general consumers and as a result they began trying Red Bull drink. Currently the company is continuing to grow in their sales and solidify their brand as the number one energy drink in the world. However, other companies have emerged and entered the energy drink market with their own unique products, and as a result the gap between.

Addendum to the Risk Assessment Matrix Essay

Description of Risks Impact Likelihood of Occurrence (L,M,H) Degree of Impact (L,M,H) Initial Action to Take if Event Occurs Team Member Responsible Strategies for Prevention and Mitigation Widespread security breach due to unauthorized access to sensitive customer information. Negative publicity of the company and loss of credibility in the eyes of existing and potential customers impacting overall business. Take immediate action to tighten security including all employee access to customer sensitive information. Identify and install the latest security software on all telecommuters’ PCs and enforce strict rules for information access including password policy management. Document Server integration challenges. The setup of the environment for the Telecommuters would be delayed. roubleshoot remotely to identify the root of the integration issue. The repetitive process of installation and setup of the document servers can be potentially scripted and semi-automated to minimize error and reduce time taken. Technical challenges such as power failure and internet connection outages. The setup of the environment for the Telecommuters would be delayed if either power or internet connection were impacted. Guidelines can cover instructions to move on to the next computer to setup and return to the remote PC with power or internet challenges later.PhoebeTo prevent and mitigate this risk, the telecommuter PCs can be staged and setup in the Xemba Translations office before shipping to the remote l ocation. In the long term budget can be allocated for individual battery backup for the remote PCs Delay in completion of the Telecommuting Expansion projectInadequate resources available to address the increased customer need causing negative publicity of the company. Increase the project team size to catch up and speed up progress reducing potential for any further schedule impact.Project TeamManage schedules even more tightly monitoring daily progress of tasks and mitigating schedule delays even before it occurs. Perception of impersonal and below par service due to telecommuters Though there is a subjective aspect to this risk it can lead to the loss of very real customers and negative publicity. Focus can be shifted to the lost customers to survey the reason for them to take business elsewhere and offer  incentives to return. Work with the marketing team to ensure the message is clear to large customers on the benefits of real-time web based communications and translation ser vices. Task B: Explanation of Metrics: The metrics that can be effectively used to clearly and effectively measure the progress and overall project health of this Telecommuter Expansion project is â€Å"Earned Value Management†. It is a commonly used technique that factors in the cost and schedule baselines and then uses simple indices to estimate and measure where the project is in reference to the respective projected baselines that were set at the beginning of the project. Earned Value Management relies on three key metrics: – Planned Value (PV): This is the official budget that has been allocated to the project. The budget is typically setup per phase of the project, but at any point in time the â€Å"Planned Value† is used to refer to the work that should have been completed. The total planned value for the project is also referred to as the â€Å"Budget at Completion† (BAC) – Earned Value (EV): The Earned Value refers to the amount of work that would need to be completed at any point in time in for the project to be considered to be on track. The Earned Value is often used to calculate the percent complete for any project. The formula for percent complete would be: % Complete = EV / BAC. – Actual Cost (AC): The Actual Cost would quite simply be the costs that have been incurred to accomplish all the work performed thus far in a project. Technically the AC will have no upper limit and translates always to what was budgeted in the PV and measured by the EV. Part of the Earned Value Management technique is the monitoring of variances from the approved baseline of costs and schedule. The variances are useful in determining the overall project health and status. – Schedule Variance (SV): The Schedule Variance indicates a value which is a measure of how much the project is either ahead or behind at a given point in time. For any given point in time, once the EV and PV are known the SV can easily be calculated. The formu la for SV is quite simply: SV = EV – PV. Here a positive value indicates that the project is ahead at the current point in time and a negative value would indicate the opposite that a project is behind at the current point in time. – Cost Variance (CV): The Cost Variance indicates a value which is a measure of how much the project is either overspent or  underspent at any given point in time. For any given point in time, once the EV and AC are known the CV can easily be calculated. The formula for CV is quite simply: CV = EV – AC. Here a positive value indicates that the project is under spent at the current point in time and a negative value would indicate the opposite that a project is over spent at the current point in time. The Cost Variance at the end of the project is calculated as follows: CV = BAC – AC. The same above rationale is applied to positive and negative numbers to indicate if the project is under spent or over spent respectively. To me asure schedule or cost efficiency there are two indices which are also computed as part of the Earned Value Management technique. They are Schedule Performance Index and Cost Performance Index. – Schedule Performance Index (SPI): This is a measure of how efficiently the project has been run till the current point in time. An SPI of less than 1.0 would indicate that less work was completed than originally planned and an SPI value greater than 1.0 would indicate that more work was completed than was originally planned. The SPI is calculated with the following formula: SPI = EV / PV – Cost Performance Index (CPI): This is a measure of how efficiently the project has been run in terms of budgeted resources till the current point in time. The CPI is considered the most critical metric of the Earned Value Management methodology. A CPI of less than 1.0 would indicate that the project is currently over budget than originally planned and a CPI value of greater than 1.0 would in dicate that the project is currently under budget and in good shape. The CPI is calculated with the following formula: CPI = EV / AC Task B1: Justification of Metrics: One of the primary reasons of choosing the Earned Value Management methodology for the tracking of the project metrics of the Telecommuting Expansion Project was due to the fact that this method comprehensively covers all the key aspects of Project Schedule Control and Cost Management. With the use of this approach a well-rounded analysis can be performed on the data provided. The data provided has the clear value for the budget at completion (BAC) for all the labor costs for the project as well. The Cash Flow Report provided in the case study provides a good reference of the Earned Value at the 76 day mark within week 11. The Status Reports that are provided at the end of the Case Study also provides the  detailed actual sunk costs for each work package covered in the project work breakdown structure. Using the details provided, the Cost and Schedule Variances can easily be calculated which would easily offer a detailed look at the overall projec t health in regards to schedule and cost. With a simple arithmetic calculation one can easily determine whether the project is on track to stay under budget or go over budget as well as determine whether the project is going to stay on track and complete on schedule, or early or late. Also, with the calculation of the Cost Performance Index and the Schedule Performance Index, the schedule efficiency and cost efficiency of the Project can be easily evaluated. Comparing the two indices in reference to them being greater than 1.0 or lesser than 1.0 one can predict if the project is on track to come in under or over budget and finish ahead or behind schedule. This approach also fits well with the critical path approach that has been used thus far in the case study where special emphasis can be paid to the work packages in the critical path in an effort to further mitigate risk and control schedule and costs of the project. Task B2: Current Project Status: The following table is a complete summary of the fifteen project team members and their associated labor costs that were planned at the beginning of the project as well as the revised plan per the project manager’s Status report: Resource NameRate per HourPlanned HoursBudgeted Labor CostWBS ItemHours WorkedHours LeftRevised Work PlanSpent CostsFuture Costs% Left Elizabeth $ 70.00 121.43 $ 8,500.10 11220122 $ 8,540.00 $ – 0% Hugh $ 70.00 120 $ 8,400.00 210317120 $ 7,210.00 $ 1,190.00 14% Kimberly $ 70.00 76 $ 5,320.00 3721688 $ 5,040.00 $ 1,120.00 21% Phoebe $ 68.00 98 $ 6,664.00 4762096 $ 5,168.00 $ 1,360.00 20% Ben $ 68.00 138 $ 9,384.00 59352145 $ 6,324.00 $ 3,536.00 38% Zeke $ 65.00 384.67 $ 25,003.55 6153245398 $ 9,945.00 $ 15,925.00 64% Malinda $ 75.00 224 $ 16,800.00 758160218 $ 4,350.00 $ 12,000.00 71% Willis $ 70.00 108 $ 7,560.00 816068228 $ 11,200.00 $ 4,760.00 63% Jackson $ 45.00 268 $ 12,060.00 2,4,5177112289 $ 7,965.00 $ 5,040.00 42% Kendrick $ 40.00 78 $ 3,120.00 586086 $ 3,440.00 $ – 0% Marcel $ 75.00 432.85 $ 32,463.75 1,4,5,7268200468 $ 20,100.00 $ 15,000.00 46% Lianne $ 37.50 204 $ 7,650.00 3,8170110280 $ 6,375.00 $ 4,125.00 54% Darius $ 55.00 72 $ 3,960.00 3,8304272 $ 1,650.00 $ 2,310.00 58% Valene $ 60.00 150 $ 9,000.00 4,5,611664180 $ 6,960.00 $ 3,840.00 43% Clemencia $ 80.00 218.05 $ 17,444.00 1,6104114218 $ 8,320.00 $ 9,120.00 52% 2693 $ 173,329.40 178812203008 $ 112,587.00 $ 79,326.00 41% Notes: Looking at the above summary, the following can be summarized: †¢Planned Labor Cost (PV/BAC): $ 173,329.40 †¢Labor Costs spent (AC):$ 112,587.00 †¢Remaining Labor Costs:$ 79,326.00 †¢Initial Labor Plan:2693 hours †¢Revised Labor Plan:3008 hours oHours Spent:1788 hours oHours Remaining:1220 hours †¢Based on the Initial Labor Plan the following are computed: o% Complete:Hours spent / Initial Labor Plan 1788 / 2693 = 66% †¢Based on the Revised Labor Plan the following are computed: o% Complete:Hours spent / Revised Labor Plan 1788 / 3008 = 59% o% Remaining:Hours remaining / Revised Labor Plan 1220/ 2008 = 41% Since the PV, AC and % Complete are known, the following metrics that are part of the Earned Value Management Plan are computed: †¢Earned Value (EV) = BAC x % Complete = $ 173, 329.40 x 59% = $ 102, 264.35 †¢Cost Variance (CV) = EV – AC = $102,264.35 – $112,587.00 = -$10,322.65 †¢Schedule Variance (SV) = EV – PV = $102,264.35 – $173,329.40 = -$71,065.05 Note: Since both the Cost and Schedule Variances are negative, this indicates that the project is currently trending â€Å"over budget† and currently  running behind schedule. †¢Cost Performance Index (CPI)= EV / AC = $102,264.35 / $112,587.00 = .91 †¢Schedule Performance Index (SPI)= EV / PV = $102,264.35 / $173,329.40 = .59 Note: Since both the Cost and Schedule Performance Indices are lesser than 1.0 then this would indicate that the Project will finish over budget and will finish late. Using the formulas in the Earned Value Management technique, the final project cost and the final project duration can be estimated. Per the Case Study, the initial planned duration for the project is 123 days. †¢Estimated Final Project Cost = BAC / CPI = $ 173,329.40 / .91 = $ 190,471.87 †¢Estimated Final Project Duration = Planned Duration / SPI = 123 days / .59 = 209 days Note: Unless mitigated further the labor costs for the project will be around $ 17K more than planned and will finish around 86 days late. The additional costs for the project are the procurement costs for the hardware and software to support the 173 telecommuters. These would include the costs for the new computers that the telecommuters would use as well as the Document Servers, Shared Drives, FTP Servers, Firewalls and the support for Web-Based meetings. Based on the details provided in the Status Report by the previous project manager for the Xemba Translations Telecommuter Expansion Project, the total budgeted amount for all of these costs was $73,670.57. Per that same report the following table contains the estimated actual costs for those items. ResponsibleTask NameWBS ItemHW Costs – Option 1HW Costs – Option 2Cost Details ElizabethComputer inventory and requirements1$11,400.00 $14,200.00 Cost for 12 additional computers for the telecommuters. Option 1 – D esktops Option 2 – Laptops HughTechnical support2$0.00 $0.00 KimberlyComputing support3$0.00 $0.00 PhoebeDocument servers4$34,600.00 $89,268.00 Cost for document servers for the 173 telecommuters. Option 1 – $200 for 50GB per person Option 2 – $516 for 100GB per person BenShared Drives5$17,300.00 $17,300.00 Cost for shared drives for the 173 telecommuters. The cost is estimated at $20 per 10GB. Each usr will use an average of 50GB. Total cost of $100 per user. ZekeFTP Sites6$6,000.00 $6,000.00 Estimated annual cost for 1000GB storage space with unlimited bandwidth for file transfers and unlimited simultaneous logins MalindaFirewalls7$20,000.00 $20,000.00 Cost of firewall software and hardware WillisWeb-Based Meetings8$2,000.00 $2,000.00 Cost between $1000 and $2000 per year based on used of web meetings  $91,300.00 $148,768.00 Per the details included in the above table, the total costs for all the hardware and software to support the needs for the 173 telecommuters are more than the budgeted amount by $17,629.43 at the lower end and potentially more depending on configuration chosen. Per Xemba Translations CEO, Phuong Wolfing, the costs of the firewall could easily be absorbed into the overall IT budget rather than being accounted for as a project cost. This would imply that the hardware and software costs for the Telecommuter Expansion Project would total to $71,300 and come in under budget. Xemba Translations Senior Management and Stakeholders will need to decide on how to proceed here. Task B3a: Problems Affecting Project Implementation: A summary of three problems that could impact the project are as follows: One: Cost Overrun – Based on the current project status and trend of activities including estimates from the project team of how much more time is needed on the different project tasks, if there are no major changes, the Project will definitely run well over budget and require additional funding in order to be completed. This would mean that there would really need to be an even bigger effort by the new Project Manager to control costs to minimize the cost overruns. Since the planned project duration is 123 days, with 76 days of this project completed, this project should be approximately 62% completed. Till date, the Actual Cost (AC) for labor on the project is only $112,587. Looking at the Cash Flow Report which is part of the Baseline Project Report, it shows that on day 76, the Earned Value (EV) of the project should be around $125,000 with a Percent of Work Complete at approximately 72%. Calculating the Cost Performance Index (CPI) using the EV of $125,000 and AC of $112,587 would give us a value greater than 1.0 (1.12) which would indicate that the project is currently under budget. However, factoring in the new estimates of the amount of work remaining, the Percent of Work Remaining comes in at ~41% which would mean that the project is only 59% completed in terms of tasks. Using the â€Å"% complete† at 59% and the Planned Value (PV or BAC) of $173,329.40 we arrive at an EV of $102,587 with a negative CPI lesser than 1.0 (0.91) indicating a definite cost overrun if something is not done and the project costs are not controlled more tightly moving forward. Two: Schedule Overrun – Based on the current project status and trend of activities, if there are no major changes, the Project will definitely finish well beyond the targeted end date at the end of June in time for the start of the third quarter of the year as expected when the project was approved. This will imply that if Senior Management and Stakeholders of this project are serious on this project being completed in time for the third quarter of the year, then many critical steps will need to be taken to try and mitigate and minimize further project delay. There were many contributing factors leading to the delay. One of the biggest contributing factors for the delay in the project schedu le is the time lost in the pilot tests of the several web-based meetings that were planned and that needed to be re-scheduled due to the weather related power outage experienced in the Midwest. Another factor contributing to delay in the schedule is the procurement delay of the 47 new computers which were delayed by two weeks due to being â€Å"back-ordered. This contributed to a late start of the setup and validation of the 47 new computers for the telecommuters. As discussed in the â€Å"Project Status† section the Schedule Performance Index (SPI) is calculated to be 0.59. Since this value is below 1.0 this indicates  that the project is currently behind schedule and will most likely be completed much behind schedule if the factors contributing to the delay are not mitigated. There will need to be close attention to the items that are in the critical path to see if they can be accelerated to try and minimize delay moving forward. Three: Quality Challenges – The status report for the Telecommuter Expansion project that is included as part of the case study reveals that typically in any IT Project there are many factors which can easily drive down the quality of the solution that is being worked on. In this case for Xemba Translations the Telecommuter Expansion is a project which involves substantial capital investment in information technology infrastructure and the associated complexities of getting the infrastructure setup a nd functional. As with any complex technology solution, the most critical part involves the initial setup and verification of the complex solution especially in all the many edge cases where the solution’s resilience to security attacks and malicious users is tested. Something which is not specific just to this Telecommuter Expansion project is the strain on resources that is usually experienced in an extremely pronounced way when there are schedule related challenges in a project. This project is tremendously behind schedule and there are many important schedule related decisions which will need to be made as part of the overall progress on this project. Another item that absolutely cannot be ignored is the Quality Management of all the moving pieces of the project. For example, this project involves the setup of computers for 173 telecommuters which include setting up document server access for each of them, shared drives, FTP access and the necessary software and hardware to support a web-based meeting environment for each of the 173 telecommuters. While this seems a tall order for a group of 15 project team members, it adds additional strain when all this needs to be accomplished flawlessly when the project is already behind schedule. Typically when there are schedule related pressures, the tendency is to just complete an item without focusing much on quality. Given the technical complexity of the deliverables of this project compounded with the lack of enough resources, there needs to be steps taken to ensure overall quality of all the technical deliverables in the project are maintained at a high level for the successful completion of this project followed with the successful operation of daily activities in Xemba  Translations. Task B3b: Recommendations for Problem Mitigation: The following is a summary of the mitigation steps to address the above mentioned problems that could negatively impact the project. Although the problems that have been encountered thus far cannot be eliminated, moving forward in the project, till completion the same problems can be minimized or mitigated. Based on the current project status, if we the project is on day 76 out of a planned 123 days of project activity and have spent $112K out of a budgeted 173K, then there is a lot of room for tighter fiscal control and cost management. There needs to be processes in place to confirm and authorize the need for additional hours spent on an activity especially if that activity is behind schedule. For example, there has been substantial amount of time spent on the Web-Based Meetings pilot test. This is an activity where bad weather played a role in causing unexpected delays as well as unnecessary hours spent on an activity which yielded no results. Since we cannot turn back the clock here, moving forward on any planned end-to-end testing activity, there needs to be a quick go/no-go call to first discuss readiness for such activity. Also, there needs to be more diligence paid to estimation of task duration. Given that we have an actual track record of how long different task take, the activity can we more tightly estimated and the duration exactly planned for. This not only helps with cost estimation but also helps with scheduling control. As part of due diligence and planning, there can also be a â€Å"best practices review† organized by the Project Manager where the project team reviews best practices for a task that needs to be worked on and accomplished in the effort to further accelerate the rate of progress while also indirectly bringing in completion dates and shortening the schedule where possible. Given the revised estimates of the remaining 1220 hours of work left on the project, there is a great o pportunity to bring in those dates and reduce the hours spent as the same time. Also, authorization can be obtained from Senior Management on the potential of incentivizing the team with spot bonuses if budget can be allotted accordingly, in order to keep certain tight deadlines. This helps the team focus and work together to achieve the common goal. On another note on the topic of hours spent on the project by the project team, a process can be reviewed with the team and  proposals can be made to Senior Management weekly on whether overtime hours for employees who will be working their full 40 hours for the week can be authorized or not. This will not only keep a handle on costs due to overtime-pay, this will also prevent a certain element of â€Å"burnout† within the team where the team would feel overworked. Historically, overworked teams tend to make mistakes and produce low quality deliverables. Hence at all costs, team burnout will need to be avoided which would indir ectly also improve overall quality and team responsiveness. Quality can be very relative and subjective. In order to take out the subjectivity from quality measurement, the team can be asked to work together and come up with tangible metrics to measure the quality of all the technical deliverables that are worked on. This will serve in obtaining an unbiased and tangible view of the progress made on any of the technical deliverables and measure readiness of the solution that is being worked on. In general this same process can be applied to the processes used for setting up the new computers, document servers, shared drives, FTP sites as well as the web-based meeting software environment. Task C: Executive Summary: The Telecommuting Expansion project is well underway. Another Risk Analysis was performed and new risks have been identified and summarized in a Risk Assessment Matrix. A quick summary of the newly identified risks, its impact and strategies for prevention and mitigation are as follows: Description of Risks Impact Strategies for Prevention and Mitigation Widespread security breach due to unauthorized access to sensitive customer informationNegative publicity of the company and loss of credibility in the eyes of existing and potential customers impacting overall businessIdentify and install the latest security software on all telecommuters’ PCs and enforce strict rules for information access including password policy management. Document Server integration challengesThe setup of the environment for the Telecommuters would be delayedThe repetitive process of installation and setup of the document servers can be potentially scripted and semi-automated t o minimize error and reduce time taken. Technical challenges such as power failure and internet connection outagesThe setup of the environment for the Telecommuters would be delayed if either power or internet connection were impacted. To prevent  and mitigate this risk, the telecommuter PCs can be staged and setup in the Xemba Translations office before shipping to the remote location. In the long term budget can be allocated for individual battery backup for the remote PCs Delay in completion of the Telecommuting Expansion projectInadequate resources available to address the increased customer need causing negative publicity of the company.Manage schedules even more tightly monitoring daily progress of tasks and mitigating schedule delays even before it occurs. Perception of impersonal and below par service due to telecommuters Though there is a subjective aspect to this risk it can lead to the loss of very real customers and negative publicityWork with the marketing team to ens ure the message is clear to large customers on the benefits of real-time web based communications and translation services. The project is at day 76 since its inception. There have been some changes to the initial estimates of schedule and costs to the project. The Earned Value Management technique was used to compute some key schedule and budget metrics for comparison and strategic planning of the project. The following table has a summary of key initially planned and revised estimates of the Schedule and Budget items of the project: Schedule/Budget ItemInitially Planned Revised Estimates Duration in Days123 days209 days Duration in Hours2,693 hrs3,008 hrs Personnel Cost$173,329.40$190,471.87 Hardware/Software Cost$73,670.57$71,300.00 Note: There is additional firewall hardware and software cost of $20,000 which will be accounted for in the IT budget per guidance from CEO – Phuong Wolfing instead of being added to the Telecommuting Expansion Project costs. This cost is excluded in the estimates in the above table. In addition to the above revised estimates, an analysis was done on three problems that the project is facing and recommendations were summarized to address and mitigate the problems. The problems that were discussed and summarized in great detail together with recommendations to address the root of the respective problems are as follows: One: Cost Overrun – Based on the current  project status and trend of activities including estimates from the project team of how much more time is needed on the different project tasks, if there are no major changes, the Project will definitely run well over budget and require additional funding in order to be completed. This would mean that there would really need to be an even bigger effort by the new Project Manager to control costs to minimize the cost overruns. Two: Schedule Overrun – Based on the current project status and trend of activities, if there are no major changes, the Project will definitely finish well beyond the targeted end date at the end of June in time for the start of the third quarter of the year as expected when the project was approved. This will imply that if Senior Management and Stakeholders of this project are serious on this project being completed in time for the third quarter of the year, then many critical steps will need to be taken to try and mitigate and minimize further project delay. Three: Quality Challenges – The status report for the Telecommuter Expansion project that is included as part of the case study reveals that typically in any IT Project there are many factors which can easily drive down the quality of the solution that is being worked on. In this case for Xemba Tran slations the Telecommuter Expansion is a project which involves substantial capital investment in information technology infrastructure and the associated complexities of getting the infrastructure setup and functional. As with any complex technology solution, the most critical part involves the initial setup and verification of the complex solution especially in all the many edge cases where the solution’s resilience to security attacks and malicious users is tested. Given the technical complexity of the deliverables of this project compounded with the lack of enough resources, there needs to be steps taken to ensure overall quality of all the technical deliverables in the project are maintained at a high level for the successful completion of this project followed with the successful operation of daily activities in Xemba Translations. Although the problems that have been encountered thus far cannot be eliminated, moving forward in the project, till completion the same prob lems can be minimized or mitigated. The recommendations to address the problems facing the project are as follows: Authorization for additional work: There needs to be processes in place to confirm and authorize the need for additional hours spent on an activity especially if that activity is  behind schedule. Since we cannot turn back the clock here and undo any issues already experienced, moving forward on any planned end-to-end testing activity, there needs to be a quick go/no-go call to first discuss readiness for such activity. Accuracy of Task Estimation with Best Practices: Also, there needs to be more diligence paid to estimation of task duration. Given that we have an actual track record of how long different task take, the activity can we more tightly estimated and the duration exactly planned for. This not only helps with cost estimation but also helps with scheduling control. As part of due diligence and planning, there can also be a â€Å"best practices review† organized by the Project Manager whe re the project team reviews best practices for a task that needs to be worked on and accomplished in the effort to further accelerate the rate of progress while also indirectly bringing in completion dates and shortening the schedule where possible Motivate Project Team through incentives: Also, authorization can be obtained from Senior Management on the potential of incentivizing the team with spot bonuses if budget can be allotted accordingly, in order to keep certain tight deadlines. This helps the team focus and work together to achieve the common goal. Manage Overtime Pay and â€Å"Burnout†: On another note, on the topic of hours spent on the project by the project team, a process can be reviewed with the team and proposals can be made to Senior Management weekly on whether overtime hours for employees who will be working their full 40 hours for the week can be authorized or not. This will not only keep a handle on costs due to overtime-pay, this will also prevent a cert ain element of â€Å"burnout† within the team where the team would feel overworked. Quality Assurance Metrics: Quality can be very relative and subjective. In order to take out the subjectivity from quality measurement, the team can be asked to work together and come up with tangible metrics to measure the quality of all the technical deliverables that are worked on. This will serve in obtaining an unbiased and tangible view of the progress made on any of the technical deliverables and measure readiness of the solution that is being worked on. With all of the above listed recommendations in place this would not only pave the way for the successful completion of the Telecommuting Expansion Project but set a very bold precedent within Xemba Translations as to what to do and what not to do in a project. The successful completion of the Telecommuting Expansion Project  would set a strong foundation for Xemba Translations to handle the additional business that is forecasted starting in Q3.

Career Development Programs Support Retention

This paper attempts to explain the human resource best practices in a fashion company known as Pearl collections by analyzing the six stages of the employee lifecycle. These six steps include; recruitment & selection, orientation & onboarding, employee services, talent development & retention, performance management and transition. This essay will then examine how these cycle stages contribute to Pearl collections and also the implementation process.   Human resource best practices are one of the human resource management models pioneered by Pfeffer who advised when put into practice would improve the performance of an organization  (Pfeffer, 1998). Best practice according to Boxall and Purcell's, emphasizes the vitality of empowering an employee's ability through right staffing and training, offering strong financial incentives and providing an open and engaging environment where the employees can share ideas and participate.  (Purcell, 2003) It is important to understand that applying a few human resource best practices in one company, industry or corporate culture may not necessarily yield the same results or be the right practice in another. The methods highly depend on the demographic makeup of a company, size, resources available, socioeconomic factors, location, regulatory and legal environment. Understanding employees and what might engage them to perform better should is vital before implementing any strategy. The HR Reporter shares the culture of Zappos to be crazy in that they believe in having fun at work to the extent of asking employees to dress up as superheroes. The employees who are disengaged are paid to leave the company which may be a huge number as not everyone might be comfortable with it (Kreissl, 2013). At Carswell, a favorite activity that makes the workplace more fun is their annual ice cream day and this according to management is a fun little program that drives employee engagement. The culture at Zappos and Carswell when compared are entirely different, and various people might share both positive and negative feedback on them. These examples prove that not every policy, practice or program will work at every company hence the importance of internal and external analysis of the organization.  Ã‚  Ã‚   Recruitment and selection are the first stages of the employee lifecycle and are, therefore,     the foundations for human resource management. Pearl Collections pride itself to be an attractive employer that recruits locally whenever a boutique opens, one that cares about gender inclusivity, diversity, employee growth, health, and safety. During this stage the human resource manager analyzes the job, its role, creates a person specification which consists of the skills and qualifications required, experience, and comes up with a remuneration package. This process follows advertising, shortlisting and then selection of the preferred candidate while taking into consideration passion, attitude and behavior as the essential characteristics. To aid in recruitment, Pearl uses a few agencies who prescreen the candidates on the level of position, education, and skills. This process gives the company an upper hand regarding maximized exposure and increases the number of applicants for va rious positions. According to PRADA Group, the information collected during the selection process strictly relates to the authentication of the professional profile being sort, while respecting candidate's personal opinions  (PRADA, 2007). This open dialogue gives the applicant room to be open minded and share his/her views openly enabling the human resource department to get a comprehensive analysis. The second stage of the employee lifecycle is orientation & onboarding. PeopleAdmin shares that Onboarding is a process and orientation is an event and that a sound onboarding process spans from one to two years  (PeopleAdmin, n.d.). Pearl collections believe in carrying out successful orientation and onboarding processes as the transition ensures success on the candidate’s part which impacts on the company. Pearl is aware of the importance of enabling a candidate to reach his/her full potential hence carries out the orientation process accurately and concisely. The HR department issues the candidate with information on the company, appropriate forms, takes the candidate around to meet other agencies and promotes communication. The onboarding process conveys the brand, values, professional culture, product knowledge and sales techniques and expectations to the candidate and provides tools to aid in his or her productivity. To ensure employees are well taken care of, Rag & Bo ne has an HR team of six individuals which is fundamental to its growth strategy and research shows that they excel at recruitment with high-profit margins (Pike, 2015). Employee services as an employee life cycle stage are benefits offered to employees by employers to instill their loyalty and prevent them from leaving for greener grass. The fashion industry is known to rotate employees and to keep them from jumping ship; Pearl collections complies with the legal departments of all states, offers medical insurance, a life insurance plan, disability insurance, offer paternity and maternity leaves, holidays and sick leaves. As the company is keen on being relevant, it is planning to open a child care area in one of the spare rooms to enhance productivity and to also introduce a wellness program by offering reimbursable gym membership costs which could reduce health care costs through promotion of healthier lifestyles. At HUGOBOSS, healthcare is a significant factor, the company cafeteria follows a balanced nutrition plan, and the company has a fitness studio offering courses in back training and aerobics which increase staff retention rates (HUGOBOSS, 2012). Talent development & retention is the fourth employee cycle stage, and it is crucial to both engagement and the output of the company. Key elements of talent and leadership, development, strategies and best practices are key under this stage. Pearl endeavors to involve itself in talent development by continuously grooming and upgrading the employees by attracting the right staff, providing the latest technology, sensitizing them on how to excel, use of rewards and incentives, motivation, empowerment and offering career advancement opportunities. The company understands that high employee turnover is a problem hence the strategies aid in developing a sense of loyalty by investing in the employees. Rag and Bone has an employee-led development scheme which enables the employees to take charge of their development by providing tools and resources to get their employees thinking ahead about their careers and not waiting for their managers to develop them  (Pike, 2015). Performance management as the fifth employee cycle stage is strategic with the aim of ensuring employees are contributing positively to the objectives of the business using a range of HR activities and processes. Pearl has customer care indicators that are used to gauge employee performance standards. These indicators have a collection of customer surveys, focus group discussions and customer complaints. Pearl recognizes it gets successful when the relationship between managers and employees is one of fairness, trust, good communication and contains an open door policy to enable generation and utilization of ideas. Pearl is keen on fostering good performance management because it helps every staff; understand the path of the business and what it wants to achieve. The standards of performance required, everyone's role in helping the company accomplish its goals. Understand how they can develop their performance and contribute to the growth of the organization and also where there are performance problems and how to handle them. The PRADA group encourages management and employees to take up responsibilities, to work, win challenges and achieve corporate objectives. This entrepreneurial culture recognizes, promotes and rewards the pro-activeness of the individual and teamwork. This cultural contribution aid in the achievement of the company's strategy and adopting consistency and responsibility traits  (PRADA, 2007). The sixth employee life cycle is transition which is the process when an employee leaves a company on retirement, better opportunity, getting fired, being laid off or due to personal reasons. It is, therefore, the work of the HR to manage the transition process by ensuring the following all procedures and processes. Pearl's HR department has an employee development plan in place to aid in the smooth transition. This plan contains a list of the employee's pending projects with a step by step process detailing actions this individual will take to finish the tasks. The HR follows up with the employee in the days following the day of departure. A form is shared with the employee for him/her to share honest opinions on their views about the company, reasons for leaving and areas for improvement. The HR delegates the tasks that cannot be completed before the employee's departure to other employees either do it or manage it until they hire a replacement. According to Forbes, Ron shares an e vent where a senior manager, unannounced and fired his employee and directed all his questions to the HR who at the time was ill prepared. This manager had for the last six months given the employee positive feedback and claimed his firing grounds on the lack of teamwork. This behavior as Ron further explains probably generated a major lawsuit and he calls it an extreme example (Ashkenas, 2013).  Ã‚   In conclusion, human resource best practices are one of the most dominant ways for a business to ensure the creation of value for the customers especially at Pearl collections and our profitability. The apparel industry is highly dominated and competitive, and by putting into place the six stages of the employee lifecycle, our relevance reinforces our strategic position. Pearl's measurement of success relies on low employee turnover, employee satisfaction, enhanced performance, career growth, increased responsibility, high levels of customer service, competency, high profits, improved morale, access to information, communication, self-improvement and existence of development programs just to name a few. In the future, Pearl collections are determined to continue offering fashionable items at quality prices and expand by opening more boutiques in various countries as our profitability and growth are on track. Boxall, P., & Purcell, J. (2003).  Strategy and human resource management  (1st ed.). London: Palgrave Macmillan Education. Code of Ethics  (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://www.pradagroup.com/documents/governance/code_of_ethics_en.pdf Fashion Companies Need to Rethink Their HR Function.  The Business of Fashion. , from https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/intelligence/the-strategic-importance-of-hr Forbes Welcome. (2013).  Forbes.com. , from   https://www.forbes.com/sites/ronashkenas/2013/03/11/if-you-have-to-fire-an-employee-heres-how-to-do-it-right/#3c954ad0151f Gomez, M. (2014).  How Career Development Programs Support Employee Retention.  Td.org. from https://www.td.org/Publications/Blogs/Career-Development-Blog/2014/10/How-  Ã‚  Ã‚   Career-Development-Programs-Support-Employee-Retention Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), AN HRM CASE STUDY. (2009) (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://colbournecollege.weebly.com/uploads/2/3/7/9/23793496/5385hrm_case_study_0.p  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   df How to manage performance | Advisory booklet | Acas.  Acas.org.uk. Retrieved from https://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2927 Kreissl, B. (2013).  What exactly are HR best practices? | Canadian HR Reporter.  Hrreporter.com. , from https://www.hrreporter.com/columnist/hr-policies-  Ã‚   practices/archive/2013/04/22/what-exactly-are-hr-best-practices/ MANAGEMENT REPORT. (2011) (1st ed.). Retrieved from https://group.hugoboss.com/files/HUGOBOSS_GB2011_Lagebericht_En_AGAbschluss.p  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   df Pfeffer, J. (1998).  Seven Practices of Successful Organizations  (2nd ed.). California. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jeffrey_Pfeffer/publication/265114424_Seven_Practices_of_Successful_Organizations/links/56cbb52b08aee3cee54192bc.pdf Thompson, S.  Human Resources Life Cycle.  Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved from   https://smallbusiness.chron.com/human-resources-life-cycle-62078.html Types of Employee Services.  Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/types-employee-services-2802.html What is employee transition planning?.  Reference. Retrieved from   https://www.reference.com/business-finance/employee-transition-planning-  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   46898c77ac071e75 What is Onboarding Exactly? - PeopleAdmin.  PeopleAdmin. Retrieved from https://www.peopleadmin.com/2013/01/what-is-onboarding-exactly/

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Vector and Statics - Lab Report Example The design of bridges, forces, and elasticity. The Graphical Method and is led on diagram paper with four quadrants and the vector A beginning at (x, y) = (0, 0) at the inside of the chart. Mind must be taken from the charts to represent the distances and angles as accurately as possible. Vectors may be included scientifically, which is the favored method since it does not oblige the making of exact drawings and does not include the human mistakes intrinsic in the estimations made on them. This method comprises of discovering the x and y parts of every vector, and including their particulars segments. The equation is the start point in designing static structures. The experimental setup sought to analyze two force vector dimensions. Statics can be referred to as the resultant force when an object is stationary. The session will involve analyzing torque properties of materials. A translation equilibrium, which is a condition of vector sum of forces as zero Pulley #1 was set at 300 and added 50grams to the weight pan. Then pulley #2 was set at 1300 and added 100grams. T3 was experimentally determined which led to spring balancing. On achieving the translational equilibrium, mass and angle was recorded. Error inT3 was determined by adding 1g and 2g masses on the weight pan to the point where it was moving off the center. The pulley was carefully moved to the right in 1-degree angle increment and measured the error. The third error is found from averaging two changes. The objectives were met effectively. Newton’s laws of motion were successfully applied in the experiment. From the results, the mass was 0.05kg with an error less than 5% error. The other components measured were subject to errors too which is slightly below 5%. The session led to an understanding of utilizing rulers, protractors, and mass offsets. The errors realized from the results are due to systemic inconsistencies. Minimizing on lapses obliges

'Human capital' (economics) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

'Human capital' (economics) - Essay Example Labor productivity refers to the amount of output produced per unit time. It is a measure of economic growth for a country. One of the factors which are shown to contribute positively towards increased labor productivity is human capital. Several studies at the macro as well as the micro level have been conducted which show a positive relationship between the investment in human capital and productivity; i.e. the better the quality of human capital the higher the earnings as well as the capability to generate efficient output. Studies by Becker (1964), Schultz (1961) and Miner (1971) have proven that there exists a positive relationship between human capital and labor productivity which then translates into higher economic growth. Investment in human capital increases workers’ efficiency and it helps produce better quality products at lesser costs which contribute to economic growth. Investment in human capital ensures that workers are aware of production methods and technologies. This prevents them from wasting precious business resources which enhances productivity. When the labor productivity is higher, there is more output available for the country to market and sell. This increased capability then translates into higher local and international earnings thus speeding up economic growth. Recently, economies such as the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand etc. have proven the importance of investing in human capital. These economies have sped up their economic growth rates tremendously by investing in education and training for its labor force thus highlighting the positive relationship between human capital, labor productivity and economic

Final Essay Exam Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

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CRM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

CRM - Assignment Example This system will be available to the customers over the internet where they directly send their requests therefore maintaining an interactive customer experience thus enhancing customer satisfaction (Peelen 108). However, the primary goal of the system I am proposing for XYZ Corporation is to increase profits and reduces the costs incurred by the customers in accessing the products. The CRM system will also enable the corporation to track the online actions of the consumer thus it will possible to determine their future moves. The system will also be able to send direct emails to customers. The first step towards implementation of the CRM will be creation of a customer database which is the foundation of the customer relationship activity (Annekie and Adele,57). The homegrown systems used at XYZ Corporation will help in gathering the customer information for the already existing customers. The catalog will consist of data about the customers such as their transactions like the purchase history, price paid and the delivery date. The database will also contain the customer contacts that will be extracted from the homegrown system for the existing customers. Descriptive information will also be included in the database for the purpose of data analysis. The database will be integrated with the CRM system to be implemented such that the data stored on the database c an be accessed through the system. Capturing all the data related to the customers will help XYZ corporation management in understanding the needs of their customers thus; they can focus their production on the customer preferences (Annekie and Adele, 66). It also helps the management understand the customer trends thus they can identify the customer potential. Having a clear understanding of the customers will also help in maximizing profits. By considering all the needs and preferences of the customers,

The Sale of Goods Act Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Sale of Goods Act - Essay Example The other important element in such sales is reliance. The buyer must have relied on the description of the goods. In the absence of reliance on the description, the latter does not constitute an important term of the contract (Magrath, 1989). As such, there should be a reasonable understanding among the parties that the buyer will rely on the description of the goods. In Harlingdon & Leinster Enter. Ltd. v. Christopher Hull Fine Art Ltd the court held that the description of the goods constitutes an essential feature of the goods sold. Quality and suitability of the goods sold are implied terms in the contract of sale by description or sample. Implied terms render the seller of the goods liable if these goods do not conform to their description. If the contract does not incorporate a term of description, then the buyer has to establish that he had relied on the fraudulent inducement of the seller. The Court of Appeal dismissed the claim of the buyer against the seller for damages (Harlingdon and Leinster Enterprises Ltd v Christopher Hull Fine Art Ltd, 1990). Furthermore, in Birch v Paramount Estates, the defendants provided some information regarding the quality of the house. The buyer relied on this statement, and the court held that this statement was a term of the contract (Birch v Paramount Estates, 1956). In the Dick Bentley case, it was held by the Court of Appeal that mileage was a term of the contract. Moreover, a car dealer was in a better position than the customer in assessing the mileage shown by the odometer; hence, the car dealer was held liable. In our problem, even though Dusko had inspected the kitten, he had to rely on the description made by the seller. Since the kitten was not in conformity with its description, the seller is liable under the provisions of section 13(1).

Interview Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Interview - Research Paper Example He is now staying with his daughter Mary Slater in the same city. It seems that he is of 90 years now. I got acquitted with him by one of my friends, Alex. Actually Mr. Anderson is a relative of Alex. Last month I had visited the aunt of Alex, Mary Slater and from there I got acquainted with Anderson who talked a lot about his period when he was a boy. He was very friendly with me and so when I thought of such an assignment I had no other choice, but Anderson. I went to his house and I showed the list of choice of assignments on which he would have to talk a little of his experience. He chose the topic ‘silent motion picture’ that he had seen when he was a boy. Actually his father was a dramatist and who had acted in many plays. Anderson too had deep interest towards the making of films. He had seen the film ‘The Kid’ by the greatest comedian of all ages, Charlie Chaplin. Anderson was much excited to speak on the first film that he had seen in his life. He navigated me through the film: the comedies and at the same time the pathos associated with it. How the child in the film happened to be parentless and how the Tramp (Charlie Chaplin) tried his level best to return the baby to its mother. This aroused much laughter among the audience. As he failed in this attempt he had taken the pain of looking after the baby. Their attempts to earn a living by breaking windows and mending the same made the audience roared wit h laughter. He remembers that people laughing together at the farce of the characters created a sense of unity. For ‘little Anderson’ the play of the Tramp and the Kid seemed to be real and he associated it with his father. He remembered that situation of the period was also the same as in the film. The poor had to struggle a lot to earn their livelihood, and he was familiar with the Tramps in his surroundings. Mr. Anderson admitted that he had seen the same film in a second time in the Chaplin’s festival at New York City. And this time

Australian Tourism and Hospitality Law Case Study - 1

Australian Tourism and Hospitality Law - Case Study Example The case was dismissed in the long run and the plaintiff sued the state after becoming a quadriplegic after diving into the rock pool. Larry’s case is not so much different from the previous case and he can sue against the National Park’s authority basing his argument on the different provisions of law. Larry can sue the authorities based on the provisions of the Civil Liability Act (CLA) that provides for safety measures in work places1. He can also sue for negligence and failure to observe the duty of care by the authorities. However, subject to the above ruling, the defendant is bound to claim that the rock pool was cited as a place of interest. Defenses available to the defendant are that he was not aware that Larry and his friend were within the vicinity so there was no negligence on his part since he did not see them as they used a different route to get the pool. Besides, it was their duty to exercise care considering it was a new environment and exposure to them. Common law provides that if a person is injured as a result of negligence, then the person is entitled to full compensation in terms of damages, based on the court ruling extent of negligence and duty of care2. On the basis of common practices, the case may be bound to be dismissed considering the rulings of other cases like it. However, under the civil liability legislation, Larry may be compensated for injuries he has sustained maintaining other provisions of law such as

The Road by Cormac McCarthy Essay Example for Free

The Road by Cormac McCarthy Essay The Road by Cormac McCarthy is a novel based in a post-apocalyptic world. It revolves around the life of a father and a son who are struggling to survive. Everything around them is destroyed, filled with ash and stripped of life yet the two continue to move south, towards the sea hoping for better days to come. Their lives are lived in a constant state of fear. Every day spent scavenging for food as they are constantly moving, trying to stay unnoticed and safe. In the world that they live in, survival is the only goal and the concept of morality has become non-existent. Cannibalism is the greatest fear as everyone is a predator. But in this â€Å"Barren, silent, godless† (4) world, where â€Å"the days more gray each one then what had gone before† (1) and where man is prey to man, the man and the boy hold their ground. They have not yet lost their sense of morality and refuse to resort to a lifestyle that many around them have adapted. To them certain acts are â€Å"intrinsically wrong† (O’Brien) and never justifiable. This way of thinking and ethical view resonates with the concept of moral absolutism. This philosophy, built on the foundations of Immanuel Kant’s belief that morality is the ability to act rationally, may be used as an explanation as to why the man and boy stick to their principles. Though, the two have very similar beliefs, the extent to which they follow and believe in them is different as the boy has stronger moral values. Therefore, under Kant’s philosophy, the boy in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is arguably a moral absolutist due to the upbringing and relationship between him and his father as they are both accountable to one another and have a relationship as strong as one between man and God. Absolutism or something that is absolute is a principle that is universally valid, and is viewed without relation to other things. Moral Absolutism is when morality is universally valid and certain principles are viewed without relation to other things therefore they remain absolute no matter what situation or context they are put it. As a result, moral absolutism outlines that certain acts are always immoral and are never justifiable regardless of the motivation behind them or the consequences of those actions. When analysing Kant’s philosophy on morality there are three aspects that need to be considered. Firstly, as mentioned before, moral principles are absolute and do not allow for exceptions. These principles are not questionable because if they are put into different contexts and hypothetical situations, this opens doors to potentially infinite number of revisions and subtle qualifiers, and leaves one in a moral mess that Kant thought he was clarifying. (Rousseau) Secondly, Kant believed that all human beings are intrinsically important and that one should always respect the intrinsic worth of rational beings (Weilenberg). Therefore it is wrong to treat others as instrumental means for one’s gain (Josephson Institute). Thirdly and finally Kant contributed to the rule of Universality, which is that one should only act in a way that they believe would be appropriate if it was applied universally. Meaning that if one believes that an action is moral, would it remain moral if everyone around them was to act in that way. The rules and principles outlined in Kant’s moral philosophy and the basics of moral absolutism are visible in The Road by Cormac McCarthy. The man and the boy follow this belief system but as mentioned before, the extent to which the boy follows or believes in them is much different than the man. The man refers to himself and his son as the â€Å"good guys† and as outlined in Weilenberg’s essay they follow a moral code. This code consists of primarily never resorting to cannibalism, to not lying or stealing, helping others and never giving up (Weilenberg). These principles are very similar to those outlined in Kantian moral philosophy. All rational beings should be respected and should not be used for one’s own gain. Therefore cannibalism is never justifiable and helping others is a moral principle that must be followed. Throughout the novel, the man and the boy face many life threatening situations and it is during these situations that their level of morality is either weakened or strengthened. The first example of this would be when the man and the child encounter a man who has been struck by lightning but the man convinces the boy that it is not beneficial for them to help even after the boy’s urging (50). The man is ignoring principles and is focusing on his or their own good which goes against Kantian philosophy but even at this point the boy tries to convince his father otherwise. At another instance the boy responds to his father by saying, â€Å"If you break little promises, you’ll break big ones† (34) just as Kant argues that justifying one action opens up doors for an infinite number of possibilities which goes against absolutist principles. One of the main issues in the novel is cannibalism. The society in this post-apocalyptic world has in a way accepted cannibalism because of the threat of starvation but the man and the boy promise one another that no matter what the situation, they will not resort to it as the boy states, â€Å"We wouldn’t ever eat anybody, would we? .. No matter what? † and the father reassures his son by repeating, â€Å"No. No, matter what. † This is the fundamental statement that shows an absolute moral. Therefore they are arguably following Kantian philosophy and abide by moral absolutism. The man and the boy are living in a world where morality does not exist; as a result of this one many question the motivation behind the man and the boy’s moral standing. Though everyone around them has lost all sense of humanity, the two still follow certain principles. Early on in the novel, the man says, â€Å"If he [the boy] is not the word of God God never spoke†(5). Though this, it can be inferred that the man sees God in his son. He sees a superior being and a higher truth in his son. The man’s life surrounds around his son’s survival and he is his one and only motivation. Same applies to the son, as they both rely and trust in one another. Not only is The Road a tale of survival in a post-apocalyptic world but it is also the tale of the bond between father and the son and how strong this bond can be. The father preaches absolute morals to his son and they are both accountable to one another. This, is arguably the reason as to why the man and the boy hold absolute morals and values. In God and Moral Absolutes, Mathew O’Brien argues that once the existence of God is ruled out, it is impossible to demonstrate that there are moral absolutes. This argument can be looked with a different perspective. Though, the concept of God is not as strong in the man or the boy’s life their moral standing is very strong. Here the existence of God is ruled out but the bond between two people exists and as a result of this bond the father and son continue to live by their values. Also after the father’s death, the son continues to spiritually communicate with his father but it is stated, â€Å"He tried to talk to God but the best thing was to talk to his father † (286). Here, it may be argued that the bond between father and son was much stronger than that of man and God.

Kindergarten and Children Essay Example for Free

Kindergarten and Children Essay The early year’s sector was not developed by government policy with specific aims but was created in response to the requirements of families to change economical and social factors. Therefore public expenditure focused on families with social needs and difficulties. Local authority day nurseries catered mainly for children who were at risk from harm mainly in deprived areas. The Private sector held childminders, nannies and private nurseries available. The playgroup movement developed during the 1960s where parents set up and ran provision for their own children to learn through play in village halls and other community facilities. Families requirements for their children vary some parents want care for their children so that they can return to work, some parents want to stay with their children while they socialise, some parents want their children in settings which offer services aimed at learning. Others may want their children to be in a home based environment but unfortunately not every family can afford to pay provision fees, therefore the early year’s sector has various forms of provision to meet the needs of all families. The childcare provision includes: Mother and toddler groups  A place were the toddler can socialise with other children their age, whilst the mother or father can stay and learn more ways to look after and help with the childs development Pre-school A private nursery, one that is paid for by the parent do not hold compulsory hours, the child doesn’t have a primary school place already. This is for a younger child to gain confidence at an early age. Day care A day care is for children from the age of 3 months to 5 years, they have different classes for children of different ages and the parents can drop off the child and pick them up when they wish. Some parents only take the child in for one or two hours a day so that they have some interaction with other children and have new experiences. Creche A creche is a drop in centre childcare provision, the parents do not pay a monthly fee they only pay when they need such childcare, creche’s are in many different places such as gyms, shopping centres and churches, in these areas the children are looked after whilst the parents can work out, shop or pray. The childcare sector has changed vastly in the last 50 years along with society. Mothers have stopped staying at home and also passed on primary care to nannies or child minders. More childcare settings have been needed as a result of this. The government offer all 3-4 year old children free day care in nurseries such as my setting for up to 15 hours a week, this means mothers can go to work etc. leaving their child there in the care of nursery teachers, practitioners and nursery nurses. Identify current policies, frameworks and influences on the early years sector [pic] [pic] [pic] United nations convention on the rights of the child. Founded in 1989 by world leaders who decided that children needed a special convention for those under 18s because they often need special care and that the government has a responsibility to take measures to make sure children’s rights are protected, respected and fulfilled. All children have a right to adequate food, shelter, clean water, education, health care, leisure and recreation. The act also protects children’s rights by setting the standards in health care, education and legal, civil and social services. The four core principles are: Non-discrimination. Devotion to the best interests of the child The right to life Survival and development Respect the views of a child All children up to the age of 18 are protected regardless of race, religion, gender, culture, whether they are rich or poor have a disability, what they do and don’t say and what language they speak, no child should be treated unfairly. The best interests of the child must always come first when making decisions that can affect them. The EYFS works at setting the standards for learning ensuring that children make progress and no child gets left behind. The education Act Free childcare provisions were introduced for under five year old children as stated briefly previously. Since September 1st 2010 this rose from 12 and a half hours a week to 15 hours a week. The free entitlement provides access to education and care and the hours can be flexible over the week, all childcare provisions must use the EYFS and help young children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes. Describe what is meant by evidence-based practice and give examples of how this has influenced work with children in their early years. Evidence based practice is a framework of decisions made from effective information researched that influences practice and allows practitioners to apply their knowledge to a situation which allows them to make a well informed decisions on future actions. Professional practice requires these findings and research to be kept up-to-date and a consideration as to how these can be applied to settings. Sometimes, we need to be sure of what we find out before taking action as it might not be real or true. This is why it is so important for me to communicate and concerns or queries to my team. My everyday practice is influenced by what I have found out or learnt previously as a mother but also professionally through watching my nursery teacher and practitioners and learning as I go. It has been interesting to see that I am heading in the right track as a parent but excited to learn things I hadnt even thought of previously for my own children that I can not only use in the setting but also bring home for my children to benefit from. An example of how research has influenced working with children is The Effective Provision of Pre-School Education (EPPE) which is the first main study in the UK that focuses on the effectiveness of early years education and studies young childrens intellectual, social and behavioural development at age 3 to 7, collecting a wide range of information on more than 3000 children, their parents, their home environment and the pre-school they attended. Its findings found that children who had attended early years provision were more likely to have better cognitive, social and behaviour skills when they started formal education than those who had no early years provision, also confirming the value of early learning through play especially from low-income families. Key Elements of effective practice (KEEP) is another example. It stressed that effective learning in children is dependent on secure relationships. Learning through play and forming secure relationships are both key elements to the EYFS. With formal and non formal observation schedules and reflective practice, there is quality of care, learning and development and accountability as staff may require training and review of procedures and policies in order to keep up to date with new evidence in the provision of health and education. Explain what is meant by Diversity Diversity is the differences between individuals and groups of people in societies. These differences could be gender, ethnic origins, social cultural or religious background, family structure, disabilities, sexuality or appearance. Equality Equality means that individuals in society experience opportunities to achieve which are as good as the opportunities experienced by other people. Inclusion Inclusion is a process of identifying, understanding and breaking down barriers to participation and belonging. Explain the importance of anti-discriminatory/anti bias practice, giving examples of how it is applied in practice with children and carers The curriculum within settings should represent the different cultures of the children within it to promote anti-discriminatory and anti bias practice, as does my setting. We include positive images within the play areas for example in books and on posters which allows our children to view pictures of different races, disabilities, sex and age which promotes an anti-bias view of the world we live in. We also have children within the setting who have special educational needs which also brings it to life for all the children to encourage this acceptance into their lives. The setting creates an environment which is acceptable to all children regardless of their background, along with being able to make them feel welcomed. We ensure they are all valued and have access in every aspect of the provision. We also have had the pleasure of meeting practitioners who are from different countries which also helps the children relate to equality within their lives. Explain how the active participation of the children in decisions affecting their lives promotes the achievement of positive outcomes. Children need to actively participate in decisions that will affect their life. Children that are young need to make simple choices that enable them to find out their likes and dislikes not only for themselves but for us to then plan activities that meet their needs and challenge their abilities, it can be as simple as having a choice between an apple and a pear. This will enable them to express their needs and wishes. Letting the children make choices builds a child’s confidence, self esteem and their social skills. In our setting the children make choices all the time, this will be when a child makes a choice on what they want to do or who they want to do it with, these are simple choices that a child of pre-school and nursery age can make for themselves. This will enable the child to develop more and make choices later on in life that are more important such as, relationships, what course to take at college, whether to gain a qualification, what job they may undertake or even when to get married etc. These choices will all be big decisions that could affect the rest of their life. We as practitioners need to actively listen to the child’s choices and other ways that they may be able to communicate their wishes such as pointing, pictures, signing and any other non verbal means of communication to find out what the child or family actually want or need. We need to understand that children have voices and that they should be heard. Providing that they or others are not in any significant harm, their wishes should be listened to and followed. Examples of how children in our setting actively participate in their own choices include area of play, choice of activities during free flow time, choice of healthy food and drink available to them, choice of actions (good or bad, with intervention when necessary). Again, by giving them these choices it will help them to make small decisions in life and will enable them later in life to extend this to bigger decisions that affect their lives and will help future experiences. It also enables our children to learn to build up confidence, self-esteem and social skills by themselves and sometimes, with our guidance. Explain the importance of reviewing own practice as part of being an effective practitioner The quality of provision in any early years settings is dependent on the skills, attitudes, knowledge and experience of everyone who works there. Reflective practice is the key to quality improvement as it helps to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different aspects of a setting’s provision. Reflective practice is the term used to describe the way in which professionals evaluate their own work and consider ways of improving their work. It is important to do this, as each year a different set of children and parents join the setting. They may have different needs, expectations or interests. Activities, routines and polices may have to be changed or updated to accommodate the new families. Reflecting on practice will help to see where changes need to be made. Staff are developing all the time too. Their knowledge and skills may change due to extra training or new staff having new ideas. National standards and frameworks may also change so this may have an impact on how the setting is run. To reflect on my own practice I tend to critically question what I do and see whether it works or whether there is room for improvement by asking my team for feedback and advise. I am also new to childcare as a profession rather then parent so I am constantly taking things in and using support from my team as motivation to improve my own strengths and target my weaknesses. I tend to observe the reactions of children, parents and the team to help think about my effectiveness, but at the end of the day voicing any concerns is the best policy and my team will always come to me when needed. Especially in areas I may think are working well, I like to think about what skills and knowledge are helping me achieve this or whether I can become more efficient. In areas of weaknesses I always think of ways to improve and pick up hints and tips from my brilliant colleagues who are more then happy to advise. I may need more training in the future when I fell more experience is needed such as first aid etc. I find reflecting on my practise helpful as it gives me a clearer picture of what I actually do within my work role for my setting, and how I can make myself a valuable asset to my team. This itself gives me more confidence of my ability as practitioner and confidence to know that everybody can improve to provide the best care for all our children as I reach higher standards as I progress. Undertake a reflective analysis of own practice Being a reflective practitioner involves thinking about how you currently work and evaluating what you do in order to improve your practice. The reflective practitioner stands back, takes a balanced view and recognises what works well, but is also able to acknowledge what could be changed. To be a reflective practitioner you need to be self aware and able to look as objectively and honestly as possible at how you work with children, colleagues and parents. This is not easy, but taking a proactive role, reflecting on and analysing your own practice is far more rewarding than relying on someone in a more senior position to do this for you. Evaluating your own practice helps to put you in control of the changes that should be made, enables you to identify your professional development needs and will increase your confidence and feelings of job satisfaction. Reflective practice and self evaluation are fundamental to the Ofsted inspection process. By completing the Self Evaluation Form (SEF) managers and setting leaders are able to provide a snapshot of what happens in a setting. Through the SEF they can clearly identify the setting’s strengths and highlight what it does well. At the same time they can acknowledge any weaknesses in provision and plan the changes and improvements to be made. However, managers cannot achieve this alone. They are reliant on all practitioners in the setting taking responsibility for the quality of their individual practice and aiming for continuous improvement. As practitioner I want to be a good role model for the children in my setting by being enthusiastic to their efforts, positive and optimistic towards their abilities and good choices but also as I understand children are active learners I wish for them to be as enthusiastic as I am with their learning and development. I always aim to show a relaxed expression and warm tones in my voice that I can pitch higher as I express enthusiasm. I try to get the children eager to get involved especially in planned activities that are designed to assess the children individually as it is important for me to know each childs specific needs etc. I am aware that my relationships with the children, parents and colleagues are not only important for the setting environment but also for our children to understand how to treat others and how peers and teamwork is important in life. I treat others how I wish to be treated and respect all my team as individuals professionally as well as getting to know them and enjoying their company during work hours. It is a pleasure to work with a great group of people who are passionate about giving our children a great start in life which, in turn also gives me the motivation to thrive and provide the best care I can for my colleagues and children. I actively listen and am taking in lots of information and advise given verbally or through watching others. This is active learning and it is a cycle within the work setting. When I talk to my colleagues it is in a professional manner with interest and respect. I am also willing to help in any way I can to maintain an efficient smooth running setting. When I talk to the children in the setting I try to relate to them, coming down to their level with interest and listening to anything they have to say. They will always ask questions that I will answer as honestly as I can. I am always intrigued to know their likes and dislikes and by getting to know each individual child helps in this area. It is always nice to following up on their ideas by discussing every thing with the nursery teacher who will then advise. I try my hardest to make every parent feel welcome and at value what they tell me especially when it is about the importance of their individual child. It is important to maintain relationships with everyone as not only does it help me provide the best care I can but it also makes the place a very strong place to be as we are helping these children thrive and flourish to take these abilities with them through life. I try to help the setting by being proactive in solving problems as they arise but I will come to my team in times of need. I definitely need to continue to actively learn through my team but also establish a personal style and accept we are all different and all give a different benefit to the team. I started off with little confidence as a parent you never quiet know what boundaries you can cross with other children such as how stern to be when they make bad choices etc. Now I am much more confident and relaxed in my approach but I am always learning, every day I learn something new. I need to communicate and not be afraid to ask my nursery teacher if I misunderstand a task given to me. I made the mistake of setting out an extra activity that didnt help what the nursery teacher had planned as I assumed bowels were left out for it when in fact they were forgotten about and not put away. The nursery teacher was busy and so I tried to use my initiative but it was not a good decision. I should have waited to speak to my tutor and seek advice. This is what I shall do in the future. I tend to learn from my mistakes! Develop strategies to deal with areas of difficulty and challenges encountered in professional practice in early years settings Examples of areas of difficulty and challenges that may arise in the work setting between myself and parents of children include: Parents not collecting their child on time getting later and later Parents with outstanding fees Parents with a complaint e. g. they claim a child has hit their child Speaking to a parent about a concern you have about their child (you feel that the child has specific needs, and you are worried how they may accept/not accept it). Parent has been discriminating against another parent (possibly verbally to the other parents). These issues are not only very sensitive to each individual family but they all require handling with professionalism and respect as a parent myself you need to feel valued and listened to and made aware that the dilema will be dealt with promptly and effectively and in confidence. This is why having full and comprehensive policies and procedures within my setting is important and relevant at these times to follow. When speaking to parents, if they came to me with a concern or complaint I would listen, really listen, even if they start to shout, often they just want to say their piece. Then if they have cause to complain or bring something up I may be able to deal with it there and then by speaking in a professional manner, without making it personal. If I am able to resolve it, I will try, if not I would this to the nursery teacher as she is a very good active listener and always wants the best for our children, parents and team. It is very important to maintain relationships as we would hate to tarnish the settings name we really do enjoy our involvement and helping our children the best way we can. To me it doesnt matter how small the concern is its important for that child and their parents, and I want to assure those parents I take things very seriously in order to resolve issues. When a parent needs addressing for issues such as a concern about their child or fees are owed then the nursery teacher will deal with this matter by forms of letters or arranging a meeting to speak in confidence regarding the above. If a parent has come to me or the nursery teacher with a complaint about another parent I would have to have a quiet word or arrange a meeting to say It has been brought to my attention that you have been speaking about another parent unkindly/discriminatingly. They may interject here and say who said, they are lying? But I would just have to remember to say something such as I am not at liberty to say, but whether it is true or not I must remind you we are an equal opportunity setting who celebrates diversity and cultural beliefs. Remember to explain sensitively and nicely that you are duty bound to make sure all the children and families are treated equally, and you would do the same for their child, if you felt they needed your support. But currently it is the responsibility of the nursery teacher and so I would talk to her about any such issues.

The History Of Capital Punishment Criminology Essay

The History Of Capital Punishment Criminology Essay Throughout the ages capital punishment has been an extremely controversial issue. Some may stress it is needed in order to serve as an example to other criminals, as well as to obtain retribution on behalf of the victims involved (Henderson). It may be suggested that it helps to bring peace and order into societies; however, does one really understand the moral injustice that theyre supporting? Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is defined as the legally authorized killing of a person as punishment for a crime (Mifflin). Though there are some citizens throughout the world that support this punishment, others believe that punishment should not have to come down to such drastic and cruel measures. The authorized killing of a person is morally wrong and using execution as a form of punishment leaves no room for errors (Hennigfeld). Capital punishment does not diminish the murder or crime rate and encourages both the taking of a human beings life, as well as juvenile cr ime (Stewart). In many cases, capital punishment is extremely discriminatory (Szumski). There is a question stuck in ones mind; should capital punishment be reinstated? When taking all factors into consideration, the answer is inevitably no. When people hear that a murderer is being executed for their actions, many will applaud and say good riddance, they got what they deserved! An eye for an eye (Berns). This is ruthless and morally wrong. The death penalty is a cruel and inhumane form of punishment. It is execution, and is very similar to torture; involving the deliberate assault of a prisoner (Henningfeld). In many aspects of life people are taught that it is not right to kill, even if the person is a murderer. Many religions share very strong and opened opinions on this topic; almost all are against the death penalty (Weksesser). The Catholic Church is one of the major religions that oppose the intentional killing of a person, no matter who it may be. The church aims to abolish the death penalty, stating: Abolition sends a message that we can break the cycle of violence that we need not take a life for a life (Overberg). The Catholic Church, along with many other religions, is pro-life. Other religions like Buddhism strongly emphasize on non-violence and compassion for all life. Buddhists believe in abstaining from killing any living creature, no matter what they have done or how bad the crime is (Wang). Religion is not the only area that stresses the wrongfulness of the death penalty-even the Charter of Rights and Freedoms opposes it. The Eighth amendment states Excessive bails shall not be requiredà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted (Duhaime) this shows how the killing of any human being is not to be tolerated. Criminals should be able to change their ways and take responsibility for their actions; but, if they are killed the law is showing that when you make a mistake it defines who you are and that you cannot be forgiven (Williams). Capital punishment leads citizens to be so focused on serving justice to criminals for what they deserve that they forget to realize how appalling and immoral it is to take a humans life. When a person is convicted of a crime, they are punished on the basis that there is no doubt that this is the person who committed the unlawful act. The accused can only be convicted if the court is one hundred percent certain that this person has committed the crime they are accused of, or so it should be that way (Baird). The problem that arises when the death penalty is legal is that there is utterly no room for errors. If the jury happened to make the wrong decision in the verdict and sentenced an innocent person to death, how is that any better than a cold blooded murder? There have been many cases where the person has been wrongfully convicted to death and evidence arises later proving the state of that persons innocence (Dee). In the case of Carlos DeLuna, an innocent man was executed merely because of circumstantial evidence and what one witness thought they saw. In 1983 he was convicted for fatally stabbing and killing a woman in a parking lot and without much direct evidenc e he was put to death in 1989 (Dee). Later, reporters discovered that DeLuna was in fact innocent and a man named Carlos Hernandez was the real criminal. This was the fourth documented investigation of the execution of an innocent man in Texas (Dee). This notion is also evident in the case of Steven Truscott; a 14 year old boy was sentenced to death after a very short and circumstantial case. Police dismissed all evidence that made Steven Truscott innocent and focused all their power on how to make him look guilty. The death penalty was abolished and Steven was not executed, but he spent more than half of his life in jail, only to have his case reopened and show that he was completely innocent (Hendley). If the death penalty hadnt been abolished in time a poor innocent boy would have been murdered for the errors of the courts judgement. Capital punishment has way too many errors to be an effective way of insuring that the victims get vengeance on their criminals. Illinois has halted executions after finding that 52 percent of their death row inmates were innocent (Spagnoli). This is more than half of the inmates that are sentenced to death! All these factors show the extreme errors that the courts have made pertaining to capital punishment cases, causing innocent people to be brutally murdered for crimes they did not commit. A countless number of people believe that capital punishment is an efficient way to frighten criminals and lower crime rates throughout the world. One might think that it was that simple, but in reality that is not how it works. Statistics prove that having capital punishment does not deter crime at all; in actuality studies have shown that it seems to increase crime rate (Espejo). Studies in the United States of America show that states which support the death penalty have a higher crime rate than in states without it. In 2008 the crime rate in states with the death penalty was 5.72 (per 100,000 people) and states without the death penalty was 4.05(per 100,000 people); a 41 percent difference (Dieter). In 2009 a study was conducted and showed that states with the death penalty had a crime rate of 5.26 (per 100,000 people), whereas the states without the death penalty had a crime rate of 3.90 (per 100,000 people); a 35 percent difference (Dieter). Could this be a two year fluke? Not likely, since statistics show that in 2010 the crime rates for states with the death penalty was 5.00 and without the death penalty were 4.01; a 25 percent difference (Dieter). The crime rate in states without capital punishment is significantly lower than those states that have capital punishment. In Canada capital punishment is illegal, whereas in the United States of America some states still, to this day, allow it (Henderson). Studies show that the United States of Americas crime rate was four times higher than Canadas, causing them to rank first in crime rates throughout the world (Spagnoli). These statistics show that regardless of the death penalty, criminals are not learning their lesson with such violent tortures. Therefore, the death penalty is neither a sufficient nor effective deterrent. Laws are put into place to encourage youths not to commit crimes and show citizens that committing a crime is wrong. Capital punishment is therefore counterproductive in promoting the taking of peoples lives and encouraging juvenile violence. Since capital punishment is not preventing crime, there is now the issue that it is encouraging taking a human beings life (Winters). Everyone is taught not to kill, and that taking a persons life is an immoral offence to commit, therefore how can people turn around and say that murdering a prisoner is right? Murder is wrong, no matter the race, gender, background, or character of the offender. Committing the act of murder is still wrong and capital punishment promotes, even encourages, that taking someones life is fine on certain grounds (Williams). Capital punishment promotes vengeance, even if the family of the victims, or anyone who is heavily connected to the case, is not directly killing the accused. The law is showing that people can obta in vengeance legally by watching a person being executed (Hennigfeld). Many argue that there is a deterrent effect and so it does not encourage crime but stops it: this is inevitably false. Even if there is a deterrent effect, it is overshadowed by the destructive effects of brutalization (Winters); No matter if there is the slimmest percent that crime is being prevented, it is being made up for, by brutally killing a human being for a mistake that they have made (Williams). People tend to hide behind the deterrence theory and use it as an excuse to the real reasons behind why they want a person to be put to death. Not justice and retribution, but rage and revenge (Baird). Not only does capital punishment encourage taking a persons life, but it promotes juvenile violence. Younger siblings look up to their older siblings, parents, the media, or even stories told around them and to live by the example that is set for them (Wekesser). By allowing capital punishment to be legal, the law is setting an example to youths that killing and any act of violence is acceptable in this day and age. A study done compared the United States of Americas juvenile crime rates to Canadas; the United States being a country that allows the death penalty in some states and Canada being a country that does not allow it at all (Spagnoli). In the United States the juvenile crime rate was 2.0 (per 100,000 people) in 2008, and in Canada the crime rate was only 1.0 (per 100,000 people) (Spagnoli). Comparing states with the death penalty and states without it, studies show that in 2008 states without the death penalty, had only minimal youth crimes while states with the death penalty, had a higher number of youth crimes (Spagnoli). For example, in Minnesota there were only 208 youth crimes, whereas Illinois has 1066 youth crimes (Spagnoli). Though some citizens believe that capital punishment deters crime and shows youths what not to do, in actuality it encourages the taking of a persons li fe and causes youths to follow the example given to them by the country they live in. The law states that every single human being- no matter what race, gender, or economic status- is entitled to a fair trial. All courts have to abide by this rule, but many tend to forget this important point (Allen). Discrimination is an issue that arises when discussing capital punishment. The death penalty is economically discriminatory, since in order to have a fair trail there has to be some form of equality among the plaintiff and the defendant (Allen). The upper class has a huge advantage because most courts see the upper class citizens as the better, more honorable people in society, due to their income. The lower class may not have the money to afford a lawyer and may be given a lawyer (called a pro bono lawyer) from the court. In most of cases these lawyers are not as experienced or as dedicated to the case as the prosecutors are (Szumski). The economic bias that is created can cause unfair judgement and wrongful conviction that can potentially end the life of an innocent pe rson. The death penalty does not only discriminate against a persons economic status; but it also does not work in favour of a persons race. In the United States of America there is a serve problem when it comes to capital punishment and racial discrimination (Demuth). African American citizens make up only 12 or 13% of the population, but they represent 34% of executions (Spagnoli). Is there a stigma towards the African American citizens? The evidence shows that yes, there is. The death penalty does not only look at the race of the accused but also the race of the victims. When a Caucasian person is murdered the probability of a person getting the death penalty is a lot greater (Spagnoli). A study was done in 2009 that showed 77% of executions were done on criminals that were accused of having a Caucasian victim (Spagnoli). When a person commits a crime it should not matter what race they are, or what race their victims are; they should be treated fairly and justly in a court of la w. Therefore, capital punishment fails to demonstrate the equality that is needed to protect peoples lives. Capital punishment has a number of discriminatory flaws including discrimination against the gender of the accused. It has been proven in a study, done by Elizabeth Rapaport, that many women who are convicted of murder do not get sentenced to be executed (Rapaport). One percent of men convicted of murder are sentenced to death, while only one tenth of one percent of women convicted of murders are sentenced to death (Rapaport). Her research clearly shows the endless discrimination that the courts have towards the male gender and that the death penalty is strongly biased. A study shows that there has only been one woman out of 143 people who were executed since 1977 in the United States of America (Dicks). Even though the legal system says that everyone is entitled to a fair, just trial, capital punishment brings out discrimination in many forms and tragically sentences innocent people to execution. In conclusion, the debate about capital punishment has been going on for years. It is a very controversial and talked about issue, but in truth, the death penalty is wrong and should not be reinstated. Capital punishment is morally wrong; it goes against almost every religion and their teachings. It also denies people very important freedoms that they have a right to. One of the most pressing issues with capital punishment is that there is no room for error; many innocent people have had their lives taken away because of flaws within the legal system. It does not diminish the crime rate, and in most cases the states that still allow capital punishment have a higher crime rate than those without it. Capital punishment does not only promote taking someones life but it encourages youths to commit violent acts. It shows how hypocritical citizens can be by telling people that the act of killing is morally wrong yet then doing the same act to a human who has committed a crime. Not to menti on, juvenile crime rates are a lot higher in states with the death penalty than states without it. The death penalty also discriminates based on gender, race, and economical class; allowing certain races, genders and classes to have more privileges than others. Many people may feel that capital punishment is the right thing to do and that it helps keep order in our world. However, in reality capital punishment makes murderers of us all.