Marketing Plan For NCR Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing Plan For NCR - Research Paper Example Monopolists also need to increase awareness of their goods to the market. This is because; if they introduce new products to the market, they will only make it known to the consumers by marketing it. Thus, every business in the economy markets its products and services to the public. In order to market products effectively, a business needs to prepare a marketing plan that will guide it to achieve its objectives. The marketing plan for NCR Company focuses on the way in which it can attract new clients for its services. The plan will analyze the company’s market, its competitive environment and the financial market. The Mission of the marketing plan is to work on diversifying the services offered in order to increase the number of clients served by the company. The company also has a number of goals and objectives that guide it. The company aims at ensuring that the quality of services offered has increased, and the customer base has been improved. In addition, the company also aims at ensuring that customer satisfaction has increased and, that the company’s profits have increased. The industrial analysis of the market can be judged as wide and mostly composed of investors and established people in the market seeking credit offers. The major needs of the market include loans, credit and funds at a lower interest rate. In addition, the market also demands financial advice from the company. Individuals need to be advised on how to make sound investment decisions. The market trend can be given as rising and smooth. A smooth market trend implies that governments have implemented favorable fiscal and monetary policies. On the other hand, it also implies that supply and demand forces are attractive and normal. Therefore, it implies that the business can regulate its prices and consequently affect customer purchases. Therefore, the business can be able to predict the future of its operations. The analysis of the porters 5 Forces, the threat of new entrant s is the major force affecting the industry. This is because; there are many potential industries that are joining the finance industry. In addition, since there are no barriers to entry, it is very easy for other business to join the industry and increase competition. On the other hand, the threat of substitute products and services is very low since; all businesses in the industries deal with the same products and services. Therefore, the business faces very low competition from substitute products. The bargaining power of both suppliers and buyers is high since, buyers bargain for low fee for services offered while, suppliers bargain for high prices for the services that they offered. Market Analysis The targeted market includes customers that want to invest in the market (Luther,  2001). It also includes customers that business organizations that are normally engaged investment activities. On the other hand, all customers wishing to obtain funds on credit also form part of the target market. The company mainly targets people in the urban areas or highly industrious places. This is because; it is in the urban areas that there is a high demand for finances. In addition, in the urban areas there are many business organizations that are willing to borrow funds on credit in order to expend their operations. Statistics show that; approximately 2500 business organizations are targeted by the business and 5000 business individuals. There are also other miscellaneous additions that involve individuals and businesses that may borrow money

Vagueness, Ambiguity, and Clarity in Writing Essay Example for Free

Vagueness, Ambiguity, and Clarity in Writing Essay Example 2: I was thrown from my truck as it left the road. I was later found in a ditch by a flock of wild turkeys. The vagueness about this sentence is it is not clear as to who was thrown from the truck you do not know what the writer meant. The second portion of the sentence is unclear on whether the wild turkeys are in the ditch the person is lying in or were they alongside the ditch the person was lying in. Example 3: Next Sunday a collection will be taken to help with the cost of the new altar. Anyone wanting to help to do something on the new altar can step forward and let the committee know. It is unclear actually what is being collected is it a collection of money or names in a basket to be called upon. Asking if anyone wants to do something to help on the new altar. The writer does not make it clear just what is being asked of what the â€Å"something† is on the new altar. These sentences are vague and ambiguous because it leaves too many ways that you could interpret the writers’ intent. Both vagueness and ambiguity is influenced in the understanding of these sentences because anyone could misunderstand what the writer is saying. As a writer, you must make very sure you get your ideas across clearly. The relationship between critical thinking and clear writing is that you first need to know actually what you want to say before you write it. Also you need to make sure that the research and information is accurate.

Environmental Degradation In Rural Bangladesh Environmental Sciences Essay

Environmental Degradation In Rural Bangladesh Environmental Sciences Essay Introduction Today, as people in developed countries generally enjoy a high standard of living, at the other end of the spectrum, the poor in developing countries are struggling to make ends meet. 22% of the population in developing countries live on less than $1.25 daily and 75% of these people live in rural areas (The World Bank, 2012). This group of rural poor are the greatest victims of environment degradation. In this essay, by looking at the case study of Bangladesh, we will get a deeper insight into why the poor puts great pressure on the environment. In turn, we will uncover why environmental degradation affects the poor most severely resulting in the reinforcement of environmental degradation. Thereafter, we will explore some possible measures to help developing counties like Bangladesh to break out from the vicious cycle of poverty and environmental degradation. Environmental consequences of poverty Although majority of researchers have attributed poverty as a key factor for causing environmental degradation, we have to note that other factors such as profit motives, and institutional failures are also responsible for environmental degradation. Nevertheless unlike other factors, poverty and environmental degradation shares a unique relationship that causes them to reinforce each other in a vicious cycle. We would first look at how poverty causes environmental degradation. In Bangladesh more than 40% of the population lives below the international poverty line and are vulnerable to food insecurity and natural disaster (Aid Effectiveness, 2009). 85% belong to the rural poor (Drakenberg, 2006). Bangladesh faces a series of environmental problems including deforestation, land degradation, air pollution, water shortage and contamination, as well as loss of biodiversity. The poor play a vital role in influencing these aspects of environmental degradation. Firstly, poverty leads to deforestation. The existing natural forests in Bangladesh are decreasing at a rate varying from 2.1% /year to 3.3% /year (Rahman, 2012). This is due to exploitation of forest resources for commercial logging, fuel wood collection as well as agricultural land expansion. Commercial logging provides a viable income for the poor as the timber logs could be sold for cash. This monetary benefit could encourage more trees to be felled resulting in unsustainable deforestation. Bangladesh has a high fertility rate, due to desire for more children to help in the fields and for social support in old age. The growing population requires more trees would have to be felled to provide fuel for their cooking needs. There will also be a need to increase food production for the larger population causing large tracts of forest to be cleared and converted into agricultural land for growing of crops. Deforestation, with loss of forest cover is responsible for soil erosion and lo ss of fertile top soil decreases agricultural productivity. Secondly, poverty contributes to land degradation. Land degradation arises due to soil exhaustion, salinization and desertification. Similarly, due to population growth with poverty, multiple cropping with a shorter fallow period was done to increase food supply. To increase land productivity, farmers use fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides heavily. These methods of intensive land use may be effective in increasing agricultural output in the short term. However in the long run the soil would gradually lose its nutrients, land is degraded and desertification creeps in. Though irrigation is helpful in ensuring stable water supply for crops all year round, mismanaged irrigation due to lack of knowledge of rural farmers could result in reverse osmosis and accumulation of salt (Duraiappah, 1996). This causes a backlash and soil productivity drops. Thirdly, poverty affects water resource. Irrigation reduces ground water which may result in a water shortage if there is insufficient water for the large rural population. In the north-western part of Bangladesh, aquifer level of ground water was lowered when extraction of ground water for irrigation is not adequately recharged and coupled with high rate of evaporation (Mahbuba Nasreen, 2006). Furthermore, Bangladesh faces problem of water contamination due to fertilizers and pesticide run-off from the farmlands. In 2002, more than the 65% of the countrys population were at risk of arsenic poisoning. 61 of the 64 districts had arsenic levels which were found to be above the national accepted standard of 0.05 mg/litre (Mahbuba Nasreen, 2006). Lastly, poverty contributes to air pollution. The poor depend on biomass and firewood for fuel. The burning of these fuels degrades the air quality and can cause respiratory problems. Although there are substitute fuels which are less harmful to the environment, the poor have yet to gain access to them and may not be able to afford. Moreover, due to a lack of education, the rural poor may not have the knowledge on how to protect their living environment. They extract more resources from the forest to meet the needs of the growing population, not taking into consideration the externality cost of resource loss since access to the forest is free and unrestricted. To them, the immediate needs are of priority and they dont tend to plan far for the future due to the uncertainties of life. As a result, the poor have no qualms about the unsustainable land use practices and lack vision for long-term optimal resource management. This mindset is detrimental to the long term sustainability of environmental resources and unplanned use of resources is likely to result in environment degradation. The mindset of the poor has led to loss of biodiversity where flora and fauna as well as wetlands are overexploitation. In Bangladesh, inland and coastal capture fisheries have declined and about 30% of inland fish species have become endangered (Drakenberg, 2006). Environmental degradation reinforce poverty Firstly, the rural poor are most vulnerable to environmental degradation because they rely heavily on the fragile natural resources for their daily living. 55% of rural women work as farmers in the field, and they rely on the environment for fuel wood, food and water. Desertification is detrimental to the poor as it affects their supply of basic needs from forest resources. Over extraction of water for irrigation leads to lowering of ground water level and water becomes salinized, causing a severe shortage of drinking water.In Bangladesh, rural women are responsible for collecting fuel wood, water and food for family consumption from forest. Deforestation and water shortage causes shrink in food and water availability and women have to work harder and travel further to search for resources. This enduring task is demanding on their health and scarcity of food could lead to malnutrition (Jahan, 2008). The poor being reliant on natural resources for basic needs and agricultural land for food, is offered hardly any food security due to the fragile nature of the natural environment. When their agricultural land becomes less fertile due unattainable land use practices, the familys income is drastically reduced; the poor remain in their vicious cycle of poverty and their basic needs and nutrition could be compromised. Likewise near the coastal areas, the poor rely on wetlands for capture fishery as their main source of food and income. With the destruction of wetlands for conversion to shrimp cultivation area, it drastically reduces the vulnerable food supply of the poor and increased salinity over coastal land endangers their health. Secondly, environmental degradation affects the poor most severely as they are the group that continues to live in places facing land degradation as these polluted areas are cheaper to live in. Being unable to afford to move to a better land, the poor are exposed to Arsenic pollution from contaminated water sources (Mahbuba Nasreen, 2006). The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that, 37 million people in developing countries suffer chronic poisoning due to exposure to toxic pesticides from working in fields that use chemical fertilizers and pesticides extensively (Jahan, 2008). The poor also have to make do with cheaper source of fuel for cooking and heating. Burning fuel wood and dung causes respiratory infections affecting women and children, causing child mortality. Vicious cycle of poverty and environment degradation Source: Poverty and environment, 2000, Figure 9.2 Vicious Cycle of Poverty and Environment Degradation in Developing Countries, pp. 201. As seen in the context of Bangladesh, farmers hard-pressed by population growth and increasing poverty overexploit natural resources and extend cropping onto fragile marginal lands which results in a loss of sustainability and environmental degradation. Decline in agricultural productivity on degraded lands then triggers poverty which in turn forced many farmers to continue degrading their land further to extract subsistence output (Duraiappah, 1996). Overtime, this phenomenon creates the vicious circle between poverty and environmental degradation as seen in the diagram above. Urbanisation further aggregate environmental degradation and worsen life of the rural poor. Government may allocate more funds to support the growing industry of engineering, electronics and information technology which would generate more income for the economy (United Nations ESCAP, 2010). Conversely, the agriculture sector would receive less funds and manpower is reduced with young men moving to work in urban areas. This leaves behind the elderly and women to manage the marginal agricultural lands. Urbanisation causes air pollution from vehicular and industrial emissions, loss of biodiversity from human interference to natural habitats and deforestation which contributes to global warming. The poor at the receiving end become victims to these problems. In many developing countries, governments generally do not address the sustainability issues if there is little public pressure and they find no political rewards in enhancing environmental quality. Nevertheless for developing countries to achieve environmental sustainability, support from the government is definitely essential. As highlighted, the poor are the biggest victims of environmental degradation; conversely poverty can exacerbate ecological problems. To ensure long term environmental sustainability, possible measures needs to target poverty alleviation and environmental management. Possible measures to achieve sustainable development Source: National sustainable development strategy, 2008, Figure 3.1 schematic representation of the vision, strategic priority areas and cross-cutting areas, pp. 6. In 2008, Bangladeshs government came out with a national sustainable development strategy (NSDS) to guide the country towards alleviating poverty and environmental problems. As shown in the table above, the strategy aims to achieve sustainable development by ensuring sustainable economic growth, agricultural and rural development, social security and environment management (DOE, 2008). Having sustainable economic growth means to accelerate growth while ensuring environmental sustainability. Bangladesh strives to ensure economic growth with higher private investment, increased inflow of FDIs and effective trade policies (DOE, 2008). It includes the agricultural sectors in the economic progress by providing them with electricity, roads, and telecommunications to improve connectivity with urban areas. One possible direction for sustainable economic growth is to promote investment in renewable energy sources such as solar energy, wind energy and hydroelectricity. Bangladesh has abundant sunlight year round, wind and high energy waves; this can generate profits and reduce air pollution from fuel burning (M. S. Islam, 2011). Agricultural and rural development measures ensure food security for the growing population without causing environment degradation. Crop productivity can be increase with agriculture diversification and improved technologies. To reduce reliance on irrigation and lower risk of salinization, storage of surface water is enhanced and rainwater harnessed. To prevent deletion of marine fisheries resource, fishing is regulated avoid over exploitation. To enhance forest biodiversity, forest protected area could be extended and rural folks could be educated with knowledge on sustainable resource use (DOE, 2008). Social security is achieved with sanitation, shelter and empowerment through education. It involves provision of housing facilities, clean drinking water, electricity, medical services and ensuring food security for all (DOE, 2008). Additionally, primary and secondary education is made available and compulsory for all, enabling empowerment of the poor. Environment management protects the environment and its resources. To manage water shortage and contamination, water conservation is encouraged and pollution sources are identified and managed. Loss of biodiversity is addressed by monitoring unsustainable consumption of biological resources. Also, scientific and traditional knowledge are to be integrated to effectively conserve the ecosystem. Most importantly, environmental sustainability considerations need to be integrated in policies concerning forest, water, land, agriculture, industry and energy (DOE, 2008). Conclusion As discussed, poverty and environmental degradation has close interlinks and reinforce each other. Poverty is a key contributing factor to various environmental problems of deforestation, land degradation, air and water pollution, and loss of biodiversity. Consequently, environmental degradation has the greatest impact on the poor, causing them to be ever more vulnerable and having to further degrade the environment to meet their basic needs and ensure survival. To achieve sustainable development in developing countries like Bangladesh, possible measures would have to target both poverty alleviation and environmental sustainability. Likewise these measures would work best if backed by strong government support and properly planed and organized. Bangladeshs elaborated NSDS shows a strong commitment to solve environmental issues and ensure a better standard of living for current and future generation. Nevertheless, it is still too early to determine the effectiveness of the strategies; time will tell if Bangladesh is able to break free from the vicious cycle of poverty and environmental degradation.

Photography and Art Essay -- Technology Essays

Photography and Art In the United States today, technology is all-important to a great deal of the population, whether it is a means of communication or an aid for national security. Technological devices and terminology are ubiquitous and have become a part of everyday life. On the road, many drivers can be found talking and chattering away into their cell phones. At business meetings, many executives will present presentations in PowerPoint, while others will jot down notes in their Personal Digital Assistants, or PDAs. Many people have their own websites on the Internet, and even more people communicate through electronic mail. Tourists can be found snapping shots of landscapes and buildings with digital cameras or recording the scenery with digital camcorders. There is no end to the number of examples of how technology has touched our lives. This essay will delineate the development of the digital camera and digital art as a representation of the digital world, since the digital world is much too large of a subject to encompass in one essay. Two influences on the development of digital photography and art are late-Victorian construction of the machinery of information organization and Modernist visual forms. However, it is not sufficient to stop with these two forces, for advanced digital programs have also played a key role in the shaping of digital photography and art. Within the context of the current technological age, digital photography has been developed, modified, and brought into the lives of everyday people. In some shape or form, photography has importance to everyone. At its simplest level, photography allows people to remember their pasts and to share experiences with others. To some, it is way to see ... ...6. "Further Developments." <http://encyclopedia.com/html/section/photogrph_FurtherDevelopments.asp> 7. Hoy, Anne H. Fabrications: Staged, Altered, and Appropriated Photographs. New York: Abbeville Press, 1987. 8. Manovich, Lec. "New Media from Borges to HTML," 2001. <http://manovich.net/DOCS/manovich_new_media.doc> 9. Marshall, Alfred. Principles of Economics, Book IV, 1890. <http://www.socsci.mcmaster.ca/%7Eecon/ugcm/3ll3/marshall/prin/prinbk4> 10. Stevens, Harold. Design in Photo-Collage. New York: Reinhold Publishing Corporation, 1967. 11. "The Impact of Early Photography." <http://encyclopedia.com/html/section/photogrph_TheImpactofEarlyPhotography.asp> 12. "The Invention of Photography." <http://encyclopedia.com/html/section/photogrph_TheInventionofPhotography.asp> 13. Venn, John. "On The Forms of Logical Proposition." 1880.

Essay on Viscontis Interpretation of Manns Death in Venice

Visconti's Interpretation Mann's of Death in Venice Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice" is a very complex novella. To put it on screen, a director has to pick the most important (or easiest to portray) elements from the mythological, psychological and philosophical lines of the story. The plot would remain largely intact. I am most interested in the story of Aschenbach's homosexuality, so I would be concerned with the strange-looking men, Aschenbach's dreams, and the parallel between the denial of the sickness in Venice and his own denials about Tadzio. Throughout the novel, Ashenbach notices strange-looking men. The same language is used to describe the features they share. The first is the catalyst for his adventure. The traveler is clean-shaven, snub-nosed, a redhead, with furrows between his eyebrows and his teeth bared (p 4 Norton Critical). Next are a hunchbacked, scruffy sailor and the theatrical goateed ticket-taker (13). Then, the old fop in the yellow suit. He has a sinewy neck, dentures, a floppy hat, and a habit of running "the tip of his tongue around the corners of his mouth in an obscenely suggestive manner," (14). Aschenbach arrives in Venice only to be confronted with another blip on his gaydar, the gondolier. He is brutal-looking, with a yellow sash, unraveling straw hat, blonde hair, a snub nose, bared teeth and furrows between his eyebrows. He tells Aschenbach "You will pay," (18). The last strange fellow, the guitarist, comes much later on. He is emaciated, with a shabby hat, red hair, scrawny neck, beardless, p ale, a snub nose, with furrows between his eyebrows and a habit of "letting his tongue play lasciviously at the corner of his mouth." He also smells of disinfectant (50). The guitarist, like most l... ...es linger on his admirer, and Aschenbach does not seem as pathetic. The object of his affection is willing, and we lose some of the tension from the novel. Most of the mythological, psychological and philosophical references have been removed. Visconti makes Aschenbach a composer, not a writer, with a strong relationship to his (dead?) family. His character is not as fully rendered as in the novel but it is sufficient. Tadzio is probably the best part of the movie. The casting was spot-on and one can see how a grown man could fall in love with that. Some of the strange men are there, most notably the guitarist, but the repetition is not emphasized. The film shows Venice's descent into epidemic well, with the street bonfires and disinfecting of the streets. Overall the movie is almost watchable for an art film, but it does not do justice to the very complex novella.

“Allocating Merit Raise” Case Analysis

Abstract Small State University is facing the dilemma of how to allocate the $17,400 that the state agreed to give to the management department. Each qualified candidate’s employment information is given to help determine the merit raise decision. Before the decision can finalize, research and analysis will be conducted. A case solution will include the implementation of management approval, budget recommendations, communication and essential steps of the new policy to the university, and fair distribution of merit raise. Keywords: merit raise, human resources, performance evaluation, merit raise procedures Introduction Small State University has 40 full-time and more than 30 part-time faculty members and enrolls about 8,000 students. There are five departments within the university, which include management, marketing, finance, and accounting, decision sciences, and information technology. The state agreed to give raises of $17,400 to the management department. The faculties in the department are evaluating yearly and their performance is based on teaching, research, and service. The department chairs utilize Far Exceeds Standards, Exceed Standards, Meets Standards, and Fails to Meet Standards are to use judge a faculty’s performance. At Small State, teaching and research are more important than service. A two year student course evaluation is used to measure a faculty’s teaching performance. The number of articles published over a three-year period is use to evaluate a faculty’s research performance. Lastly, service is based on the accomplishments of service to the university, college, profession, and community within a two-year period. As the department chair, it is my responsibility to divide the $17,400 fairly among the faculty members within the law. As an educational institution, merit pay is designed to encourage high effort by rewarding productivity. However, there are times that merit pay is overly awarded, which cause employees to think of it as an incentive. The decision of who deserves the merit pay can be a complication. There are six recipients who are equally qualified for the $17,400 that the state is willing to issue. First, it is important to look at the individual’s profile. Policy The annual faculty evaluation considers teach, research, and service to evaluate a faculty’s performance. To provide the department chair with the information, each eligible member is requiring submitting an Anticipated Activities Plan (See Appendix A) and an Annual Activities Report (See Appendix B) each year. Both reports are due in the month of June each year and will be kept in the member’s file. The department chair will consult members to insure that the scope of the effort and distribution among the criteria is appropriate. How it is determine is based on the nature of the member’s appointment and their anticipated activities report. Procedures Evaluation The department chair will conduct an evaluation by comparing the two reports. When comparing, the report is view as the goal of the plan. In addition, the department chair will use the student and peer evaluations. After the evaluation, each member will be given the opportunity to review the decision and have five days to appeal. After the time is due, the department chair will submit an official written evaluation to the Dean for determination. Determination Merit raises are derived from the evaluations using the four category rating scale in each of the three performance areas. Rating Scale: Far Exceeds Standards 3 Exceed Standards 2 Meets Standards 1 Fails to Meet Standards 0 For Small State University, there are a total of six faculties and an incremental merit of $17,400, which made the merit increment to $2,900. Each member will received as followed: | | Review Cycle Ending: | Be as specific as possible describing anticipated activates in Teaching, Research and Service for the upcoming academic year. Address your plans for the following two years in a more general manner. Identify any major change of emphasis since the last reporting cycle. Emphasize major goals, expected changes in status of ongoing projects, or new initiatives. Indicate what department resources you anticipate are required to accomplish your plan. For example, if you are planning a sabbatical, are considering retirement, see a semester with heavier than normal research demands, envision changing space needs, and list this in as much detail as possible. Context: Major Career Goals In this section, describe the vision you have for your career. Indicate the broad interests or goals that guide your anticipated activities and bind your work into a coherent whole. Provide a context for the anticipate activities listed below so that the way in which each activity supports the common thread is apparent. | | Upcoming Academic Year |Teaching | | |Research | | |Service | | The Academic Year after next |Teaching | | |Research | | |Service | | Two Academic Years from Now Teaching | | |Research | | |Service | | Appendix B Department of business management annual Activities REPORT Faculty Member: |For the Period : | | |June 16, 2010 – June 15, 2011 | All responses go into tables and nearly all responses require that you put your name with each entry. This greatly facilitates the compiling of the information into a department summary for the annual report. All entries below should be in 10 point type to ensure uniformity when compiling. TEACHING A. Classes. For each academic session of the reporting period (Summer, Fall, Spring) list all courses and sections taught. Put one section per line and give the enrollment for that section. Fall Semester | |Course designator, number and full title |Section number |Enrollment | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Spring Semester | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Summer Semester | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | B. Significant contributions. Describe any significant teaching contributions related to these courses (include development of new courses, substantive revisions in content, new instructional techniques, etc. ). If there are anomalies that affect your teaching (for example: extended absence for research or health, unusually high or low teaching l oads, unique teaching assignments, etc. ), discuss them here. Put your name in the left hand cell and the information in the right hand cell of the table. | | | C. Self-improvement. List changes you have made in your teaching that are the direct result of feedback from students (via evaluations or otherwise) or colleagues. Put your name in the left hand cell and the information in the right hand cell of the table. | | | D. Independent study/research. This includes PHYS 297, 298, 397, 398, 497, 498, 499, and research not associated with a formal course. This includes students who registered for the class and received credit and for students who worked on a research project and received wages. Include the topic, the student’s name, whether the work is for credit hours or salary, the approximate number of hours per week worked by student, and the outcome(s) for the student. For example, was a paper, a poster, an internal report, an oral presentation, etc. produced? If the student is participating in part of an ongoing project and there is not yet an outcome, indicate this. If a refereed paper was written, a presentation given by the student (oral or poster), or the student simply attended a workshop or conference, note this here and give full information in sections IIC – IIF as appropriate. Fall | |Course and |Student Name |Credit or Salary |Student hours/wk |Student Outcome | |Topic Title | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Spring | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |Summer | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | E. Significance of student research. Discuss the significance of these student independent study/research contributions to your research program and to the students. Put your name in the left hand cell and the information in the right hand cell of the table. | | | SCHOLARLY ACTIVITY AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT A. Grant applications submitted. Put all submitted and newly funded grants here. Provide complete information. The â€Å"life of grant† should give beginning and end dates. Any co-PI’s in other departments at JMU should include the name of their respective departments; co-PI’s from other institutions should list their institutions. In any event, all PI’s and co-PI’s are to be listed. Grant Title |PI |Co-PI |Agency |Life of Grant |1st Year Amt |Total Request |Funded | | | | | | | | |Yes/No | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | B. Ongoing Grants. List here all multi-year grants that are in their second or subsequent years. Here, â€Å"single year amt† refe rs the amount for the current year. Grant Title |PI |Co-PI |Agency |Life of Grant |Single Year Amt |Total Amt | | | | | | | | | C. Publications. List here all papers published in refereed journals. Give complete citation information. In the case of large collaborations (more than ~10), you need list only the name of the collaboration and the JMU collaborators (although you may list all collaborators if you wish). However, it is important that at least the names of all JMU authors are listed so that a unique list of the department’s publication record can be generated. For smaller collaborations, always list all authors. Title |Author |Co-Author(s) |Student(s) |Journal / Volume/ Page |Year | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | D. Published Abstracts. As for publications, always list all JMU authors. Also list student abstracts for which your name does not appear but you supervised the work as listed above in section ID. Title |Author |Co-Author |Student |Jo urnal / Number |Year | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | E. Scholarly presentations. List all presentations given, both on and off campus. Under the â€Å"Meeting/Venue† heading indicate either the meeting (full meeting name and location) or the on-campus function (give specific class, event or symposium). Indicate whether you, your student or collaborator presented the paper in each case by putting the presenter’s name in bold. Title |Author |Co-Author |Student |Meeting/Venue |Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | F. Presentations given to a general audience. List all presentations given, both on and off campus. Presentations given to school groups should be listed under outreach (section IIID). Under the â€Å"Meeting/Venue† heading indicate either the meeting (full name and location) or the on-campus function (class, event, etc. ). Indicate whether you, your student or collaborator presented the paper in each case by putting t he presenter’s name in bold. Title |Author |Co-Author |Student |Meeting/Venue |Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | G. Conferences Attended. Make entries here if either you or your student(s) or both attended a conference, workshop or collaboration meeting. Conference Title |Faculty |Student(s) |Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | H. Professional Workshop/Short Course Participation. |Workshop |Faculty |Where |Dates | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | I. Membership in Professional Organizations. Please give the full organization name, not just the abbreviation or acronym. Organization |Faculty name |Office Held | | | | | | | | | | | | | J. Membership in Research Collaborations. List the collaborations to which you belong. Under â€Å"Leadership Role(s)† indicate the collaboration activities for which you are a leader. Under â€Å"List of Projects† list your responsibilities/contributions as a collaboration member. If you are a leader or spokesperson for more than one experiment/project, make a separate entry in the table for each. Collaboration name |Faculty name |Primary research location |Office held |Leadership Role(s) |List of Projects | |or collaborator list | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | K. Honors and Special Recognition Received. Faculty name |Honor /Award |Honoring Organization |Date | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | L. Reviewing/Editing Manuscripts for Scholarly Journals. Include JMU Publications but clearly indicate them as such. Faculty name |Manuscript Title |Journal | | | | | | | | | | | | | M. Reviewing Manuscripts for funding agencies. If the review is done as a member of a panel, give the panel dates, give the number of proposals you read and the subject area of the panel. Faculty name |Manuscript Title |Agency |Dates | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | N. Other significant contributions. List any other scholarly achievements hat you feel are significant but do not fit into the above categories. For example, indicate contributions to funded research for which you are not listed as a PI or co-PI or patents granted. Put your name in the left hand cell and the information in the right hand cell of the table. | | | O. Significance of your scholarship. Discuss the significance of the items listed in IIA through IIM. Particularly discuss your contributions to collaborative efforts and put these in context. Indicate which items are particularly noteworthy and explain why. For efforts that are part of an ongoing program, put this year’s work into a context. Indicate which, if any, items represent the conclusion of a particular component in your work or the initiation of a new direction. Put your name in the left hand cell and the information in the right hand cell of the table. | | | PROFESSIONAL SERVICE A. Committees. List the name of the committee chair and indicate the level of the committee. Your name will appear twice if you are the chair of the committee. |Level | Your name |Committee Title |Chairperson |Dept |College |University | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | B. Exceptional contributions. If your contributions to any of the above ommittees are significant (beyond the usual work load and/or of particular importance to the department, college or university), please explain. Put your name in the left hand cell and the information in the right hand cell of the table. | | | C. Professional consultations. Put your name in the left hand cell and the information in the right hand cell of the table. At a minimum, include the name of the person/entity/organization with whom you consulted, the dates and outcomes. | | | D. Community and public school outreach activities. Be specific about your role in these activities and put your contribution in context. Put your name in the left hand cell and the information in the right hand cell of the table. | | | E. Other professional service. List here anything that does not fit into any of the above categories. Explain why these are noteworthy and how they impact your scholarship, teaching or service. Put your name in the left hand cell and the information in the right hand cell of the table. | | THIS YEAR’S MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT Indicate what you feel is your single most significant accomplishment this year. Explain why it is particularly important to you, your students or the department. Describe how it has or will impact your scholarship, teaching or service. If you expect this accomplishment to have a continuing impact and appear in your anticipated activities report, note this and explain. If this will have a broader impact on the department, discu ss this. Put your name in the left hand cell and the information in the right hand cell of the table. | | |

Advanced Criminology

Anthropological research data has shown the violence is an inherent conduct among the primate species (Walker, 2001).   In society, criminal violence is a common occurrence and legislators have suggested that the behavior of criminals be analyzed in order to identify any psychological patterns that are consistent among these particular types of individuals.In the past few decades, neurobiologists have proposed that an individual’s condition, which encompasses empathy, morality and free will, is holistically influenced by the frequency of stimulation and assembly of the neurons of an individual.   Such notion is contradictory to the concept of Cartesian dualism, which states that the brain and the mind are two independent entities that coordinate with each other.To date, the accumulation of research reports from the field of neuroscience is gradually affecting the concepts and effectivity of the justice system because of the shifting in the concept of human behavior and res ponse to different stimuli.   Neuroscience has influenced our current understanding of the multiple factors that govern violent behavior among criminals.NATURE VERSUS NURTURE THEORY OF CRIMEThe theory of nature versus nurture pertains to the controversy on whether inherent qualities of a biological organism, which is depicted as â€Å"nature†, is related or influenced by the experiences, condition or situation of that particular species (â€Å"nurture†).   The concept the human being develop specific behavioral patterns based on their environment is termed tabula rasa or blank state.This notion is considered to be a major influence in the development of an individual.   These external settings of an individual play a major role in the psychology of an individual, including his anti-social, aggression and criminal behavior.It has thus been questioned for several decades whether criminals are born or could these particular individuals emerge after successive events in their lives that result in the transformation of a normal individual to a criminal.To date, there is much debate over the mechanism behind the entire concept of criminality.   Biologically or non-biologically influenced, criminality remains an elusive subject that still needs to be comprehensively analyzed.The 19th century classic report of Phineas Gage regarding the anti-social behavior that emerged after massive damage of the prefrontal cortex of his brain from a railroad accident is now considered as the birth of the field of forensic neurology (Harlow, 1848).Today, computerized imaging of his fractured skull has shown that the autonomic and social nerve systems are the specific damages that were affected, thus resulting in a totally different individual.   Such observation, together with research results gathered from war veterans, has led to the conclusion that violent criminal behavior is caused by injuries to the frontal lobe of the brain.  It has then been proposed that injury to the prefrontal cortex of the brain causes a condition that has been coined as acquired sociopathy or pseudopsychopath (Blair and Cipolotti, 2000).   It is interesting to know that there is an 11% reduction in the size of the grey matter of the prefrontal cortex among patients diagnosed with anti-social personality disorder (APD) (Raine et al., 2000).A related observation has also been observed between intelligence and alterations in the grey matter of the prefrontal cortex.The temporal lobe of the brain has also been determined to influence an individual’s emotional response and aggression, wherein lesions in the amygdale of the temporal lobe result in an individual’s failure to recognize fear and sadness among the faces of other people (van Elst et al., 2001).The connection between the decreased expression of the monoamine oxidase A enzyme and reactive violence has already been established (Caspi et al., 2002).Monoamine oxidase A is responsible for t he catabolism of monoamines such as serotonin (5-HT).   The working hypothesis currently accepted is that the prefrontal-amygdala connection is altered, resulting in a dysfunctional aggressive and violent behavior, resulting in criminality in particular individuals.Earnest A. Hooton (1887 – 1954) is a highly acclaimed physical anthropologist and evolutionist.   Much of his work focused on interindividual variations based on physiological and anatomical characteristics, including measurements of buttock-knee lengths as the main basis for constructing seats for the Pennsylvania railway trains.Hooton was also recognized for his concepts in primatology and comparative anatomy as basis for explaining differences in the human as well as primate species.He was successful in describing a primary race, of which can be further subdivided in several racial subtypes.   He is a proponent of the concept of eugenics, which involves genetic selection of traits that are deemed beneficia l to the current population.The field of eugenics has been an interest in the field of biology and medicine because it facilitates the creation of new haplotypes that may be positively selection in the course of evolution.Hooton’s work is also significant to our current scientific concept of crime because he persistently attempted to prove that criminal have biologically distinct characteristics from non-criminals.His anthropological work on physical differences based on a population of approximately 13,873 male prisoners from 10 different states across the United States.   His results strengthened his claim on the biological causes of violence and aggression and that his claimed that criminal behavior is a simple representation of an inferior type of human species that has degenerated.Unfortunately, Hooton was inadequate in integrating the concept of population genetics into his research because he haphazardly took 3,023 men from the general population to conduct a compara tive analysis of physical differences.   His measurement of foreheads, eyelids, ears, cheekbones, jaws, chins and shoulders resulted in a confusing supportive evidence for his claim.He explained in one of his published works that biology plays a major role in the development of individuals and society and that the environment is wrongly blamed for any failure that befalls an individual (Hooton, 1939).The research claim of Hooton had sparked more effort into determining the basis behind criminality.   Other researchers from different fields of specialization ridicules Hooton’s work, describing it as the comical attempt in defining criminal behavior.The general reaction to Hooton’s claim that criminals are biologically inferior was condemned.   Sociologists refused to accept the notion that physical unattractiveness is strongly correlated to criminal behavior.The advent of eugenics in combination with criminality has sparked interest in designed specialized techniq ues that may be applied to individuals that show physical and anatomical features that are consistently observed among criminals.An advocate of Hooton’s concept on the physical basis of criminality would assertively promote selective management of populations in order to eventually generate a prime standard of individuals in the next generation that is distinct from the features that Hooton described that are strongly correlated with criminality.   An advocate of the biological connection of criminality would employ the concept of eugenics in screening individuals that show a potential to show criminal and anti-social behavior.   To make things more complex, the features that Hooton described may also be used as criteria in admission to schools and workhouses.An extreme reaction would even results in construction of facilities that would enclose candidates or suspects for criminal behavior.   A biological discrimination would thus be observed and this unfair basis of sc reening individuals would create more chaos in society.Eugenics may also be translated as a screening tool in picking which criminals will be kept in prison and which individuals will be freed and this action will be mainly based on the biological features of whether the criminal may be rehabilitated or transformed into a normal non-aggressive person.The so-called degenerate individuals would be kept off the streets in order to prevent interaction with non-degenerate individuals, as well as to prevent future crimes in the community.   In addition, society would be introduced to the option of strictly selecting partners for marriage because they will be taught to pick partners that show obvious physical differences from the consensus physical features of criminals.THE GENERAL THEORY OF CRIMEThe self-control theory as proposed by Gottfredson and Hirschi (1990) couples an argument regarding the driving force behind criminality and the features of a criminal act.   Gottfredson and H irschi contend that crime is similar to other out of control and unlawful actions such as alcoholism and smoking because it generates in an individual a temporary yet immediate feeling of gratification.This kind of action is created by a condition that is characterized by low self-control.   The authors claim that the condition of having poor self-control is an innate condition that is set in place during the early childhood at around 7 or 8 years of age.   In relation to the mechanism behind criminality, the authors explain that crime is a straightforward action to results in gratification in an individual.Such perception of crime is associated with a number of implications to the general theory of crime.   Firstly, the general theory of crime presents that crime is an uncomplicated action that does not need any strategic preparation or intricate knowledge.Secondly, the general theory of crime is related to a number of elements that are included in the theory of routine activ ities because just like other uncontrolled acts, crimes are not planned and it is easy for individuals with low self-esteem to be easily motivated to commit such acts.In addition, criminality is strongly influenced by external factors such as the scarcity of easy targets as well as the presence of associates that are capable of helping or even performing a criminal act.The theory of crime by Gottfredson and Hirschi regarding the early age of 7 or 8 also entails that the longitudinal analysis of crime is not necessary and that age-correlated theories of crime are confusing.The general theory of crime of Gottfredson and Hirschi also considers the fundamental argument regarding age and the unlawful act.   It is actually different from what is presented at general courses in criminology regarding the analysis of age-crime correlations and social factors that are related to crime.A distinction of the general theory of crime of Gottfredson and Hirschi is that the age-crime linkage is ve ry different through time, location and culture that the age-crime correlation is irrelevant of any social explanation.   Their general theory of crime also describes that criminals continue to perform unlawful acts of crime even during marriage and eventually end up as unmarried criminals.The same thing goes with offenders who are currently employed—these individuals generally continue on as offenders and the only difference after some time is that they lose their jobs.The general theory of crime of Gottfredson and Hirschi thus presents an argument against the connection of crime with marriage and employment thus showing that a criminal is incompetent in maintaining a relationship in a marriage or a commitment to work because he is commonly known as person of very low command of his control.Their presentation of the force behind criminality is thus focused on self-control and the authors point out that most investigations regarding criminality do not include this concept.à ‚  The authors explain that most of the concepts on crime describe the possible notions of the criminal.   Gottfredson and Hirschi thus provide a revolutionary concept of crime that describes that the nature of crime is actually simple because it easily connects the concept of individuals and their immediate environment.They proposed that most crimes are easily performed because there is no need for complex preparations.   In addition, a criminal act does not actually impart a lot of deleterious consequences.   They describe that crimes usually happen late at night or very early in the morning to any individual.   There is also no requirement for training or skills to perform a criminal act.The authors also explain the concept that crime does not pay because most criminal acts result in small to negligible benefits.   In the cases that do provide any benefits, the criminals tend to fail with the criminal act or they are highly exposed thus resulting in a lot of risks such as being caught and eventually put in jail.The general theory of crime of Gottfredson and Hirschi also present the conditions that make a situation conducive to crime.   They describe that routine activities play an important factor for a crime to happen because these provide the predictability of the movements and activities of the target individual.Criminals often study how their target victim goes around, comes home or leaves the house.   If the target individual has a routine schedule that is very predictable, the criminal will have a very easy way to know  Ã‚   the best time for him to invade the house of the target victim.The same factors also influence other criminal acts such as rape, wherein the target female victim may probably pass through the same route late at night and the criminal may pick a day at that particular time when not so much people at around and he can attack his victim at the particular time when the female victim is walking along the street late at night.   These settings of predictability of routine activities are actually very beneficial to the criminal and this outweighs the risks of performing the criminal act.Other theories of crime that do not consider these features of crime generally analyze other factors that are not consistent with the empirical information about crime (Walker, 2001).   The other theories actually claim the each crime has a different force that pushes the criminal to perform such unlawful act.In addition, other theories state that substantial knowledge and training are needed in order for a criminal to successfully perform a crime.   The general theory of crime of Gottfredson and Hirschi thus provides a simple yet comprehensible explanation of the force behind criminality.SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES OF CRIMEThere are several sociological theories in the field of criminology.   The Social Control Theory explains that the utilization of the socialization procedure and social learning results in self- control and decreases the chances that an individual will succumb to an anti-social type of behavior.This theory was strongly addressed by Travis Hirschi and it follows the Positivist, Neo-Classical and Right Realism schools of thought (Akers, 2000).   This theory resulted from the Functionalist concepts of crime and suggests that there are four modes of control.The first mode of control is direct, which pertains to imminent punishment based on unlawful action.   This mode of control is also associated with rewards in the case the compliance of the individual is observed.The second mode of control is indirect, which pertains to desistance in performing unlawful acts due to his conscience.   Another mode of control is internal, which is related to self-identification of delinquency and its associated pain and disappointment to the people around the individual.A fourth type of control is satisfaction, wherein an individual will not perform an evil act if he is content with his c urrent conditions.   Hence the Social Control Theory suggests that individuals will not perform any criminal act if their relationships, value and beliefs are intact.The Strain Theory of criminology explains that the society and its related levels and sublevels persuade individuals to perform criminal acts (Agnew, 1992).   This theory was proposed by Emile Durkheim and was further supported by Merton, Cohen and Messner and Rosenfeld.   It has been determined that strain may be of two levels.Structural strain pertains to the processes in society that influence an individual’s perception of his needs.   On the other hand, individual strain pertains to the hostility and suffering that an individual experiences during his search for things that will make him happy.   Hence the strain theories present the connection between structural and functional bases for criminal actions.The structural basis for criminality explains the processes behind actions, as well as finding a n event with a bigger concept of sites, distances and associations.   The functional basis for criminality explains how independent sections fit and result as a bigger system.   Hence all systems are influenced by sections that cooperate with each other and that any impediment that occurs in a particular section will result in a failure of the entire system.This means that either a replacement or a repair should be performed in order to make a system functional again.