Ethics Within The South African Police Service Criminology Essay

Ethics Within The South African Police Service Criminology Essay Through the course of the past year and this year especially, many police actions have made the headline news for wrong reasons. It is therefore reasonable to ask: Why this sudden increase? It is because the police think that they are above the law? Or it is because of their tempers reaching the boiling point due to the specific circumstances of an event, due to personal or organisational frustrations or it is because of inadequate and infrequent training? One can ask if the media is blowing this type of police actions out of proportion. One can ask if the organisations and the managers are paying an attention to the variety of issues that extend far beyond their normal business and which affect individuals, communities, the environment, countries and the entire world. DEFINITION OF ETHICS It entails the code of moral principles and values that directs the behaviour of an individual or a group in terms of what is right or wrong. A code of ethics sets standards about what is good or bad in behaviour and in decision making. SAPS CODE OF ETHICS The code of ethics of the SAPS underpins the way in which every member of this organisation should behave, irrespective of whether they are on duty or not. This code has a specific purpose of providing a standard of police behaviour that does not allow any leniency for poor service delivery or corrupt activities by the members of the organisation and must therefore be applied by all members in their daily tasks. The key principles of the code of ethics are: Integrity; Respect for diversity; Obedience to the law; Service excellence; and Public approval LEVELS OF ETHICAL DECISION MAKING The SAPS is facing a huge challenge within the individual and the organisational level that needs the leadership of the organisation to take into consideration. It is very difficult to change the attitude and the behaviour of an individual. The south African police service members are no longer trusted within the communities including the opposition parties (Democratic Alliance) raised a question for debate in the parliament for the implementation of the commission of enquiry against the behaviour and the brutality of the police, where the President responded by saying there is no need for the commission of enquiry to investigate the polices conduct as there are bodies that are given a mandate to investigate the police conduct( media statement: e-news, 21 March 2013). The Independent Police Inspectorate Directorate that functions independently of the department of Safety and Security has been given a mandate to investigate the Police conduct, and their functions are: Investigate police misconduct or any offence allegedly committed by the member of the SAPS, Investigating any deaths in police custody or as a result of police actions; and Investigating any matter referred to it by the Minister or MEC for Safety and Security. The DAs shadow minister of police Dianne Kohler Barnard, argues that the low conviction rate of the police reflects the police cover-up culture. The police unethical code of conduct is like a pain to the bodies of the citizens as of the republic since they have invested their lives to the police. During the Parliamentary reply on the costs of legal cases compensated for the period of three years, held on 12th March 2013, the Minister of the Police Mr Nathi Mthethwa, asked the National Commissioner of the Police Ms Riya Phiyega to look into issues of litigations such as: wrongful arrests and detention, corruption, negligent conduct and commission of serious offences by police officers. The above mentioned litigations are the main dilemma that affects the organisation and has brought a lot of mistrust of the police by the citizens. The South African Police Service has a challenge of the individual and the Organisational of ethical decision making that will be discussed on the next paragraphs. MANAGING ETHICS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT INDIVIDUAL LEVEL The human resource is the most crucial part of the organisation and difficult to manage because of their differences. Managers must learn more about the people and their behaviour in an organisation. People should be considered as people they spend a lot of time at work, some work to satisfy their needs that is the contributing factor to corruption. As the smallest sub-system in an organisation, individuals have the same characteristics as other systems. People are complex and interact continually with the environment, they strive for equilibrium and they may have a multiplicity of goals. To understand how people function is not an easy task, for no two individuals are the same. However, there are certain key variables that determine the behaviour of employees with which managers should be familiar with. These, includes, values and attitudes, personality, ability, motivation, perception, and learning. The organisation is one of the instruments employees can use their goals. However the organisation can block the attainments and the needs and goals of employees for them to become unmotivated and unproductive. There are so many issues that the organisation plays a role in contributing towards the behaviour and the frustration of an individual, looking at the impact of the promotions: the labour court granted the SAPS court order that interdicts and restrains the SAPS from promoting any member to the ranks of Lieutenant, Captain and Major due to the court interdict submitted by the labour movement Solidarity on the 27th February 2013 after the announcement of the post by the SAPS on the 18th March 2013, reference 8/1/1 volume 59. With the individual as a system in a changing environment, this is a total torture and the frustration to those who were promoted and to those who were not promoted and qualify for the promotions? (www.sapsjournal.gov.za/dynamic/journal/.dynamic.aspx?pageid= 414jid.44024. Date of access: 20 April 2013. The SAPS said it has the best interest of their members and will make sure that this matter is addressed. There are some different approaches that the SAPS is using in managing an individual even though is very difficult as the manager cannot sit in the office and monitor the subordinates how much time they spend on telephones and their movement when working outside. But the office open space system other companies uses, as one of the monitoring tool to prevent members doing their own agendas during the working hours as they share the office or the space with their members whereas in SAPS we still use the old system of individuals office but it depends on the services delivered per component. In case of the Crime Intelligence and the Detective unit it will be highly difficult to be implemented in terms of the confidentiality of their cases and the dockets. Management of resources The SAPS has implemented the fire-arm permit system for reporting on duty and off duty to prevent dishonesty and the financial constraints. What was happening previously is that the Relief Commanders and the Commanders of the other units were dishonest of their subordinates absenteeism; a member will be booked on duty on SAP 15 whereas s/he was absent. Some would report on duty and leave early without being noticed and will never come. With the fire-arm permit system, a members fingerprint is needed to verify his/her presence at work and the absence that will push the Human Resource official to verify the member absent. The problem is that it has not been long implemented already it is not working, some stations have tampered with the system, whereas our systems are not fully effective, this is the main reason why some reports of duty early without logging in the system and the following a day they start by booking Off duty with the reason, the system was offline, and this will not be questioned as we all know that our systems are poor. In most cases are offline. The leave policies that are just a written document that are not effective monitored, some members have an attitude of using their sick leave and vacation at the beginning of the leave plan circle. No has ever questioned the member from the provincial office, the matter is left in the hands of the responsible station commander who is afraid to take actions against the member and this leads to the undedicated other member to copy the behaviour that results in an increase of sick leave reported, even though it their rights but some are being misused. The performance enhancement process, serves a monitoring tool to the member. Its existence has been questioned many times if whether it serves its purpose within the organisation. The SAPS is trying its level best with no luck because of the managers and its poor system. In terms of reducing the telephone bills, the SAPS implemented the policy of paying the private telephone calls made by the member. No one will verify if the telephone calls made on the members bill are official or private unless the member is honest. Locking ones telephone account if the member fails to pay hampers the service delivery too. The AVL system, the vehicle monitoring tool, due to the poor system, it is also not properly managed and in some cases, it gives the wrong location of the vehicle during a certain period, but give the right speed the member was driving during the certain time and period and this are the only thing our managers are trained at, to monitor the member in order to let her/him down even though this is important too for the prevention of the accidents due to lack of negligent and reckless driving. ORGANISATIONAL LEVEL The ethics of managerial decision making is often complex and managers often disagree on what an ethical decision in a specific situation entails. Managers should consider two factors: (1) the approach that they can use to determine which alternative to choose in a decision-making situation; and (2) what organisations can do to ensure that managers follow ethical standards in their decision making (PJ Smith et al. (2007:415) Management of Principles). The management of ethics in the law enforcement is a very crucial issue lately whereby the organisation is making the headline news on daily basis. It came to the state where the leadership is being questioned about the state of the organisation and the conduct of its members. We can see how Commissioner Riya Phiyega, avoiding to confirm that the Marikana mine workers were killed by the police and why she failed to suspend the members as she did with the Mido Macia Case, Mozambican who was brutally killed by the police at Daveyton on the 26th February 2013. Her answer was that she cannot confirm that the mine workers were killed by the police as there is no enough evidence and it requires the findings from the commission of enquiry to what caused the killing of the 34 mine workers, the injury to the 78 mine workers and the extra 10 people that includes the two police officials and the security guards near the mine whereas Midos Case is different as there were enough evidence that lin ks the suspended members to the killing of the Mozambican man (www.bdlive.co.za/national/2013/4/17-phiyega-avoids-confirming-that-marikana-miners-were killed by police: Date accessed, 2013-04-20).This shows that the Commissioner is trying by all means to apply the three approaches to ethical decision making that is the utilitarian, the human rights and the justice approach. Her respond to the commission of enquiry will affect the members that are directly involved in the situation including the SAPS members as a whole. She is faced with a difficult task to defend the members even though she is being criticised for being a woman and leading an organisation that was men dominating previously. The SAPS was never lucky in having a good leadership that leads by example except the woman that has just sat on the hot seat left by the corrupt men, to transform it and it seems that she will not be given the chance to proof herself because so much has happened on her taking the position as the Commissioner that leads to her incredibility. LEADING BY EXAMPLE The first and most important requirement for fostering a culture of good ethics in an organisation is leading by example .Actions speak louder than words. Leading by example serves as an inspirational tool that enhances education to the subordinates. The SAPS was never lucky with the good leadership that leads by an example. The leadership of Jackie Selebi opened up so many unethical conducts within the SAPS as he was arrested for corruption. That was a good example for the prevention of further offending to the subordinates. His successor, Mr Beki Cele was also dismissed from the organisation for unlawful conduct and maladministration with R500 million rand lease agreement for new police headquarters in Pretoria on 24th October 2011. Police managers need to be aware of their visible and critical role within the SAPS. Power is needed to bring about the ethical changes in an organisation and even within the community -policing framework. A common thread in most widespread corruption, cases is an absence of an overview from the top management. In some cases of corruption, the managers do not want to admit to the malpractice under their command, and in some other instances they merely turn a blind eye and in some cases they are involved. Lieutenant General Mdlulis and Colonel HJ Barnards case withdrawn for charges of fraud relating to the alleged misuse of Crime Intelligence funds, whom their case had a lot of interference from within the SAPS and the National prosecuting authority. Their cases let to the suspension of the Senior Prosecutor of the National Prosecuting Authority, Glynnis Breytenbach, who strongly believes that there is still a strong case against this two SAPS senior officers and her suspension in Apr il 2012 has got nothing to do with the handling of the criminal investigation relating to a mineral rights dispute between the mining companies Imperial Crown Trading (ICT) and Kumba Iron Ore over Kumbas Sishen mine, she suggests that it is politically influenced. On the other hand within the SAPS, Colonel Roelofse who was in charge of the case, was informed by the Senior officer, Major General Sibiya, that he had been taken to task by certain Generals within the SAPS, by allowing the investigation to continue beyond the scope of the murder investigation that Lieutenant Mdluli was also charged with. The SAPS senior officers were pulling each others throats with the Lt Gen Mdlulis (anti-corruption task team report dated 2012-03-02), and this gave a support to the Democratic Alliances shadow minister of police Dianne Kohler Barnard statement when he said the low conviction reflects the polices cover- up culture, responding to the statistics on police brutality from the Independent Pol ice Investigative Directorate (IPID) make for grim reading. In 2011/2012 financial year, 720 deaths, allegedly at the hands of the police officers, were investigated. IPID recommended 162 prosecutions and called for disciplinary action against 168 police. But only 05 police officers were dismissed and 13 were convicted of crimes during that period. The highest number of alleged deaths at the hands of the police was investigated in 2008/2009 financial year, when 912 came in for IPID scrutiny. In that year just three officers were dismissed and one was suspended for six months. DEVELOPING A CORPORATE CODE OF ETHICS Another way of managing ethics in an organisation is by means of a code of conduct. The South African Police Service Code Of conduct agreement 11/96 was adopted and signed by the SAPS, the unions, SAPU (South African Police Union), POPCRU (Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union) and the Public Servants Association of South Africa in 1996.Ethical policing demands that the employees of the SAPS to act with integrity and respect for peoples diversity and the law thereby enhancing service excellence to the approval of the public. The South African police Service have instituted the policies, regulations, and the standing orders to maintain the standard of its discipline. Some of the order- maintaining bodies of legislation are: The Code of conduct ; Code of ethics; The Standing orders; National Instructions Regulations; Anti-corruption plan; Whistle blowing plan; Internal disciplinary procedures; and The IPID (Independent Police Investigative Directorate). The organisation has done so much to the translation of the values and beliefs into ethical standards or behaviour, not a single police station does not have the printed code of conduct charts but it seems as if its meaning is meaningless since the number of police corruption and brutality increases, members received the pocket code of conduct that may fit in the pocket for references and this was supposed to be checked by the managers during their inspections in the beginning of every shift but to whom do someone expect the work to be done by an unqualified manager. Warrant officer at Knysna, his wife was brutally assaulted by the SAPS female member who works at the same police station with him, the case was withdrawn and the wife was forced to withdraw the charges against the member for the prevention of misconduct against the member that could jeopardise her career. Charges were withdrawn and the constable was promoted to a senior rank (City Press 11.15.April 2012). That gives an additional to malfunctioning of the SAPS management. The problem lies within the individual as the human resources sub-system, the recruitment, the promotions criteria and the SAPS leadership. Managers should take a long view of enhancing ethical behaviour. MANAGING WHISTLE BLOWING The SAPS is in partnership with the insight company, Panda where the citizens can send sms to 33221 of any criminal activities within their area. The line is confidential and no one will make up follow up to call the person for more information. It is reported that successful arrests has been made since the launching of the system. The anti- corruption plan that is implemented and each and every police station have to conduct sessions to educate the members and the community. RECOMMENDATIONS The recruitment policy, strategies and the criteria must be reviewed as the Minister had said on the media release city press, dated 2013-03-26. The Human Resource Development plan must include education and training on ethics. The performance enhancement process has to be reviewed for the improvement of work ethics. The senior promotions policy, strategies and criteria must be reviewed. The National Commissioners post must not be politicised. CONCLUSION The mangers need to be aware of their visible and critical role within the SAPS. It is essential for the managers to understand their peers and subordinates. A manager is a psychologist, sociologist and political scientist (PJ Smith et al. 2007: 295, Management Principles).

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Essay -- Biography Biographies Bio

Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis Jacqueline Lee Bouvier was born on July 28th, 1929 in East Hampton, Long Island. Jacqueline’s mother was Janet Lee Bouvier, a highly ambitious horseback rider. Jacqueline was nicknamed "Jackie" after her father, Jack Bouvier. Young Jackie’s parents were a very well off coupled. Her father had an estimated fortune of 7 million dollars and Janet came from a wealthy family also, her father had been chairman of the board of Chase National Bank. Asides for the Bouviers wealth, the other thing they were most noted for was their beauty, Jack in particular. His slim nose, wide set blue eyes, shiny black hair and muscular build earned him the description as "drippingly handsome". Jack’s cutting edge instincts, swarthiness, and love for beautiful young women earned him the nick name " Black Jack". Janet, who was sixteen years younger than Jack was not as beautiful as he was handsome. Janet did not possess a showgirl prettiness but she was said to have possessed an interesting look. She was petite and had a somewhat animated look to her. Her nose and chin were long and pointed. When Jackie was born it was happily noted that Jackie looked like Jack Bouvier. (Birmingham) Though Janet Lee’s family was well off, they were not members of the esteemed highest social caste as were the Bouviers. Janet lived her life with a constant sense of unease because of this difference in lineage.(Birmingham) Because Black Jack was known for having erratic financial history, James Lee, Janet’s father, offered to allow Janet and Jack to live rent free in a building he owned. This offer came under one condition. Jack would have to cut back on his flamboyant lifestyle. (Heymann) On March 3rd 1933, the Bouvier family was completed by the birth of Jackie’s sister, Lee. When Lee was born, Jackie was no longer the baby of the family.She spent most of her time tending and riding her horse. Jackie also excelled in school. She was so intelligent that she found all her elementary grade work as boring. Janet had once stated that, "Jackie’s intellectual ambition ran ahead of her chronological age." (Heymann) Soon problems began occurring between Black Jack and Janet. Jackie has never spoken about her parent’s marriage issues but they are thought to have arisen because of money. At the time Black Jack was und... ...e style. The low profile lifestyle was very hard to obtain. The press was constantly inquiring if Jackie had any new love interests. Then on October 20th 1968, Jackie married Aristotle Onassis on the Greek island Scorpios. Aristotle was not only her sister’s ex boyfriend, but he was also the richest man in the world. Their relationship was short lived. The couple had different tastes and their relationship had been condemned from the beginning. In march 1975, Aristotle was planning on divorcing Jackie, before he could do so he died. After his death, Jackie became very wealthy. She needed something to occupy herself with so she became an editor with Viking Press. Two years later she moved over to Doubleday Press. In December on 1993, Jackie was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. She was treated for the disease with chemotherapy until May of 1994. In may she declared that she wanted to return to her home to die. On May 19, 1994, at 10:15 a.m., Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died surrounded by her friends and family. Her funeral took place at St. Ignatious Loyola church, the same church where she was baptized. She was later buried in Arlington cemetery next to John Kennedy.

Bantu education and source analysis Essay

1. The main aims of the Bantu Education Act were mainly (at least according to Dr. Verwoerd) to transform education for natives into Bantu education, which will teach them things they will need to know in their lives. This is stated clearly in Source A, where Dr. Verwoerd is quoted saying â€Å"Education must train and teach people in accordance with their opportunities in life, according to the sphere in which they live.† Reading between the lines, Dr. Verwoerd is saying that the Bantu are an inferior race that will never be equal to the whites, and that it would be a waste of resources and effort to try and teach them things they will never need to know. By saying the he almost directly suggests that the blacks should be kept down, as it would be absolutely ridiculous to try and teach him mathematics, for example, when all he will ever amount to is a farmer or a tailor. I In Source C it is directly stated that, as most blacks will become agriculturists, the most useful things that can be taught to them are gardening and needlework. He doesn’t even give the blacks a chance, immediately dismissing them as complete idiots whom wouldn’t even want the same type of education as the whites. Therefore, when planning the different syllabuses for all education, the black systems should be limited to very simple skills such as reading, writing, farming and perhaps very simple mathematics. We wouldn’t want to overload the blacks with information that will only confuse them and make them unhappy, now would we? According to the Commission on Native Education the blacks; knowledge of anything requiring intelligence should be barred. In another speech by Dr. Verwoerd (Source B) he states that â€Å"The Bantu must be guided to serve his own community in all respects† and:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"Until now he has been subjected to a school system which drew him away from his own community and misled him by showing him the green pastures of European society in which he was not allowed to graze†. Basically, these two  quotes state that Verwoerd doesn’t want any wannabe Europeans around. He defends his arguments by saying that it would also be unfair to continue educating the Bantu like the Europeans, as it is only showing them new horizons they will never be allowed to explore. Educating them like this would therefore create Bantu that had the skills of Europeans, and not their people. As whites into would never hire them the administrative positions their education levels demand, they would be forced to go back to their people and farming, in which they would have no skills. This would cause discontent in everyone, so it is better not to educate the Bantu at all. Apparently it would also be very uneconomic to spend money on education without a specific aim, and disrupt the community life of the Bantu. His main point behind the arguments states this: We don’t want to have the blacks interfering in our lives. Source E further supports these arguments. In this photo four black schoolboys are looking very happy walking down a road. This photograph seems very arranged to make the outside world think the South African government is doing all they can to bring light into the darkness that is the life of the Bantu. 2. Assessment of source B Source B is an excerpt from a speech made by Dr Verwoerd to the senate of South Africa on the 7th of June 1954. I think this source is very valuable, as it is a primary source from the time period. It gives us direct information about what Verwoerd said in his speech. It also tells us a bit about what kind of government was in power at the time. This can be seen from the fact that he can give such a racist speech. If someone gave this speech today, he would be severely criticized and ridiculed. At the time the speech was given it would appear that the senate would be expecting to hear something like this, and be satisfied by it. This again proves what a racist government was in power at the time of the speech. It does not leave much room for bias, except by censorship, or having some parts of the speech left out. This source is also very limited in many ways. It doesn’t tell us many things, as it is only a part of a speech. For instance, it doesn’t tell us who recorded this speech, and chose the parts to be included. We don’t know either what Verwoerd said in the parts that are not included. It would also give a clearer image of the government in power if we were told about the senate’s reaction to the speech. If they cheered madly, this would prove what a racist system was in power at the time. A tremendous help would be if we found out what happened after the speech. Were all his suggestions made reality, or were they regarded as a failed idea. I would also be very interested in finding out what inspired him to give this speech. Was he requested to give a speech on the topic, or did he himself think the time was appropriate for such an exclamation. Assessment of Source E This source is a photograph of four black schoolboys stating how happy they are, and what a good job the government are doing at getting all the Bantu into school. This photo is very valuable specifically because it is so obviously staged. This is a good example of a heavily manipulated propaganda photo. It is meant to give us the idea that all is well with blacks, and they are the happiest of all. If you dig deeper, though, you can deduce many things. Obviously the photographer has told the children where to stand and to apply a huge smile to their faces. This tells us that the South African government was concerned about their image with the outside world and human rights activists. This photo was obviously taken to soothe the minds of anyone worrying about the ill treatment of the blacks. The main limitation of this photo is we don’t know how much the photo was manipulated. Maybe the boys were walking down the street, and were told to smile while a photo was taken. Maybe the four boys were rounded up, put in school uniforms and made to walk down the street in exchange for a small payment. We don’t know. 3. In my opinion, Source B is absolutely the most useful. It really captures the mentality of the current government and the people. It tells us Dr.  Verwoerd’s opnion about the blacks and their treatment. Although he doesn’t directly announce his hatred for blacks and how he wants to shoot them all, we can see he is more concerned with the wellbeing of the European community than that of the Bantu. It is also a primary source, so chances are it has not been subject to too much manipulation. It gives us a good understanding of the government, Dr Verwoerd and how the blacks are being treated. It is a bit sugarcoated, but once you delve deeper it is obvious what they really think. I think this source is the most useful because it captures the attitudes towards the Bantu at the time.

Medline Plus and Himalaya Herbal Essays

Medline Plus and Himalaya Herbal Essays Medline Plus and Himalaya Herbal Essay Medline Plus and Himalaya Herbal Essay In this paper, we studied three different websites which presented information on hypertension. These included Wikipedia, Medline Plus and Himalaya Herbal. Wikipedia is a voluntary organization that contains content prepared and edited by the online users, and validated to some extent by the employees of Wikipedia. Medline Plus is a government-owned organization that presents evidence-based health information for the users. Himalaya Herbal is an Indian herbal manufacturer that provides health information with the basic idea of promoting its own products. The Wikipedia website presented information on hypertension, the incidences of hypertension, causes and risk factors, signs and symptoms, diagnosis, prevention, treatment and the prognosis of the same. The website also presented links to references. However, the identity and the qualifications of the authors were not mentioned on the website. The information presented was generic and all treatment products were not given brand names. Wikipedia did not try to promote any kind of treatment drug or method of any company. However, as the information could be edited by the users and the currency of the information was not mentioned, the validity and reliability of information presented on the Wikipedia website was poor. There were no advertisements on the website. The reliability of Wikipedia publishing evidence-based health information does not seem good and hence there are greater chances of biases. The Medline Plus Website presented information on the disease, incidences, causes, pathophysiology, risk factors, signs, symptoms, diagnosing methods, treatment, lifestyle changes, prognosis and complications. The data of creation of the web page, date of updating, name of the author, credentials of the author, reference list, privacy policy, etc was being mentioned. Users were given an email id for asking queries. It seemed to fulfill the criteria mentioned under HONCODE and hence the information presented was valid and reliable. There were no advertisements on the website. Medline Plus is a reputed source, trying to minimize any kind of biases. Further the information met all the essentials of the search strategy. Himalaya Herbal presented just basic information on the description and symptoms of hypertension and instead of giving details regarding the treatment, gave a list of suggested products. The users could further obtain more details of the suggested products. However, no information was given regarding the author, date of creation, reference list, justification of claims, email address of the author, credentials, etc. The information was not unbiased and did not meet the search strategy. As there was no word on the advertising policy, it could be implied that the information presented was meant for the promotion of the company’s own products. However, the users on navigating further to the specific product name given by the web page, were able to obtain a list of evidence-based studies that substantiated the claims made of the product. Thus it can be found that although the Himalaya herbal website was able to meet the certain criteria mentioned by the HONCODE, there could be further improvements in the manner in which it fulfilled HONCODE. References Himalaya Herbal Healthcare (2010). Hypertension, Retrieved on July 25, 2010, from Web site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypertension

The Secret of Sanctuary Island essays

The Secret of Sanctuary Island essays While still becoming accustoned to his father's remarriage, thriteen-year-old Todd and a friend set out to prove they observed a burglary no one believes happened. They had gone on a canoeing trip and discovered two men acting funny on the other side of the lake. Todd and Kevin witnessed what appears to be a burgluary. When they returned home with the tale of robbery, no one believes them. Todd's dad and stepmom want to give the boys the benefit of the doubt, however the police are skeptical and the owner of the house rudely denies that anything is missing. Todd sets out to prove he is right. Todd and Kevin decide to gather evidence by taking pictures. They are determined to solve the puzzling crime on their own. Todd and Kevin poke around and uncover evidence of not only the burglary but also a slick travel-club scam. They overhear the burglars plan a murder. The boys follow the burglary and uncover three murders. The boys devise a plan to steal the burglars canoe from th em so as to trap them on Sanctuary Island with the dead body. Todd's parents get worried when the boys are discovered missing and call the police. The police arrive just in time to save Todd and Kevin from becoming the burglars next victims. The police retrieve a body from the canoe and get medical help in time to save the man. Todd and Kevin save the day and become local heros. The Secret of Sanctuary Island by: A.M. Monson ...

Motivation in the XXI Century New Solutions to the Old Concerns

Motivation in the XXI Century New Solutions to the Old Concerns Introduction: The Many Faces of Motivation The issue of workforce motivation has never been easy; despite the fact that a company might offer its staff an otherwise perfect working environment, the absence of any kind of motivation is most likely to lead to drastic effects.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on Motivation in the XXI Century: New Solutions to the Old Concerns specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Over centuries, the concept of motivation has been changing, with new theories emerging on a regular basis. In his book, Pink consolidates the efforts of his predecessors and introduces his interpretation of what the mechanisms of motivation are, therefore, creating premises for a reinvention of the modern business world as people know it. Theories of Motivation as Pink Sees Them It is quite remarkable that the entire third chapter of Pink’s book is devoted to the issue of motivation as it was interpreted b y various researchers. Pink offers a very unique observation of the existing motivational theories. It is interesting that he does not go over an entire list, nor does he choose the most conventional ones. Instead, Pink offers the readers an opportunity to follow his train of thoughts and come to the realization of the Type I and Type X theory as the only possible option. Therefore, the author provides a unique choice of motivational theories overview, mixing them with his own idea of motivation in the workplace. Self-determination theory It is peculiar that the self-determination theory has so much in common with Pink’s own theory. Once pink introduces its main concepts, the reader is able to see that the self-determination theory is going to become one of the pillars that Pink’s Type X and Type I theory is going to be based on. Beginning â€Å"with a notion of universal human needs† (Pink 70), the given theory appeals to people’s need for personal growt h and the recognition of their work. Thus, it can be assumed that the Motivation 2.0 theory was partially spawned by the concept of self determination suggested by Deci and Ryan. Theory X: McGregor Another step in understanding the way in which the Motivation 2.0 theory was developed, the concept suggested by McGregor allows to take a closer look at the specifics of human mind. Stressing the fact that two basic people’s needs are their recognition as individuals and the necessity to blend in with the crowd, McGregor suggested a Theory X, which considers the need to integrate into society as the basis for workplace motivation.Advertising Looking for book review on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Theory Y: McGregor Another element of McGregor’s concept of motivation, the Theory Y allows to consider the phenomenon in question from a perspective of individual needs. As Pink explains, th e trail of thoughts starting at Theory X and continuing with Theory Y leads to the Motivation 2.0. Friedman’s theory A researcher whom, paradoxically enough, hardly anyone has ever heard of, as Pink explains (Pink 72), Friedman suggested another brilliant interpretation of where employees’ motivation comes from and what it is supported by. Contrary to the theory of self-determination, the given theory presupposes that people are mostly predisposed to behave in a particular way; in other words, people are born either as Type A, i.e., active and enthusiastic, or as a Type B, non-resourceful and procrastinating. However, Pink notes that Friedman offers a ray of hope by claiming that Type B can be converted into Type A, and vice versa. Type I and type X: Pink’s concept Pink’s brainchild, the given theory can be viewed as a combination of the concepts of motivation listed above, with an addition of such an important variable as stability into the structure of a perfect motivational strategy. In Pink’s own words, the very essence of the theory of Type I and Type X can be put in the following way: â€Å"If you offer people steadily employment and carefully calibrated rewards, they’ll do what executives and shareholders want, and everyone will prosper† (Pink 67). To be more exact, Pink makes it clear that the impeccable method of motivation lies between the Type X, or external, motivational factors, and Type I, or intrinsic, ones. By balancing between the two and offering the employees both financial and moral rewards, managers will most likely benefit. In fact, Pink points out that his Motivation 2.0 theory, as he also calls it, has much in common with the self-determination theory in that it allows for improving the employees’ performance through their realization of self.Advertising We will write a custom book review sample on Motivation in the XXI Century: New Solutions to the Old Concerns specificall y for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Book Summary and Analysis As it has been stressed above, Pink provides a detailed overview of the most efficient and impressive motivation theories that have been suggested so far, giving credit to where it belongs and mentioning the motivation theories that, quite honestly, should be more popular in the present-day business world. However, apart from an overview of motivational theories, Pink also offers his own theory of Type I and Type X. In addition, the book touches upon the autonomy based behavior and, stressing its significance, suggests the methods to encourage the given behavioral pattern in people. Finally, Pink comments on the necessity to introduce autonomy to employees and outlines the key features of an employee who is guided by the principles of an autonomic behavior. A Job in Community Service and Motivation Issues Although food industry is not traditionally associated with career development, my experie nce of a Head Hostess has shown me that motivational factors may vary to certain degree. To be more exact, I must admit that in my job, I used to be motivated by the appraisal of the managers and the recognition of my efforts with the financial issues for the first time. The given phenomenon can be explained by the fact that I was assigned a number of responsibilities that demanded constant communication with clients and employees; as a result, I was very dependent on the way in which people perceive me and my attempts to provide a high-quality professional performance. Therefore, at first, I was clearly guided by the principles of a self-determination theory. However, as time passed, the need to be recognized as a hard-working employee took a back seat, while obtaining a financial reward became the top priority. Finally, as I set my priorities straight and started dealing with organizational issues, I resorted to using the Motivation 2.0 theory thus, combining the ideas of financia l reward and job satisfaction as the key components of my motivation. It is quite peculiar that, in my experience, when only starting building a career, one is most likely to be motivated primarily by the financial rewards and concerned with the need to fulfill one’s duties as fast and efficiently as possible. However, as soon as one starts feeling more comfortable with the job, theAdvertising Looking for book review on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Conclusion: There Is Yet Much to Explore Even though Pink clearly makes an impressive effort by incorporating the information and ideas concerning motivation that have been discovered previously and distills his own nonetheless impressive idea of how employees are motivated in the business world, it is obvious that Pink’s theory needs further improvement. Pink, Daniel P. Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us. New York, NY: Penguin Group US. 2012. Print.

Strategic Management Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Strategic Management Accounting - Essay Example A Ltd operates in a very stable environment wherein there is hardly any variation in the different activities of the business like sales, inventory, closing stock, demand and profit. B Ltd on the other hand operates in a very dynamic environment. There are huge variations in the different activities of business continuously for which deciding a single course of action would be very difficult. Whether in stability or dynamism, zeroing on the suitable approach of forecasting and budgeting is imperative. Initiating the suitable course of budgeting helps the management to direct its employees in the desired manner. There are many types of budgeting like the traditional, performance, zero based etc. As A Ltd operates in a non-dynamic environment, traditional approach sounds to be an apt option for it. Traditional approach of budgeting: It is a procedure of forecasting contingencies and planning to overcome those situations effectively. It starts with the: Assumptions to be considered: Dev eloping up of assumptions and plans to mitigate those circumstances- The assumptions could be mostly economic in nature. Some of the economic considerations could be in terms of inflation rate, growth rate, exchange rate, interest rate etc. For example, if there is high inflation, the demand of our product could be low (Unless our product is a necessity). This implies an inverse proportion also as in the case of high interest rate. Similarly, the demand of our product is directly proportional to growth and exchange rate of that particular region. Once these assumptions are laid out, course of action plans which should be taken to control these situations have to be well drawn out in the form of budgets. (Chandra.P, 2006) Approval of the plan: It is like succeeding in the endeavor of convincing the management to take up a particular course of action. As such, a standard path has to be outlined to prepare a successful budget report as follows: Plan Administration: Senior officials of operations along with finance executives should get involved while execution of budgets. The plan should involve all related resources like HR, Technical etc. Planning Profit: Optimum production volume and desired profit have to be ascertained by considering the unit sale price, volume, mix, and cost of production per unit, research and competitive forces of markets. Operational strategies which could be alternatively followed in place of the current plan also have to be examined and the best one has to be selected. These plans usually deal with the realities of plan execution like objective, description of plan, assignment of responsibility, costs expected, need for research and deadlines for each stage and the expected results of those efforts. Planning for contingencies: In case of any contingencies, crisis response also has to be planned to mitigate the loss. Continuous observation of warning signals has to be undertaken. Once all these rigorous efforts have been taken up, by al l the functional departments namely sales, production, marketing, HR, Research, sales etc. all these budgets would be combined to form a master budget which would be approved for implementation purposes. (Shim.J.K& Siegel.J.G, 2009) Comparison of Budgets: After the budget period commences, the actual results of all the planned budgets have to be called for on a regular basis.