Matthew Nestasia Essays (377 words) - , Term Papers

Matthew Nestasia Police Operations Over the last six years, since the school shooting of Sandy Hook elementary, the number of school shootings have sky-rocketed to an alarming amount. The most recent of these being the shooting Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14 2018, these horrifying crimes happen so frequently that my generation finds them normal, or are just used to hearing them on the news that it almost doesn't faze us. My hope is that soon we can solve the issues with gun violence, but I know that tampering with our second amendment is not the right course the government should go down. Regardless of how many restrictions you put in place, criminals will still find a way to purchase gun illegally. Instead the government should try and focus their efforts on ways to improve mental health programs, at the root of our problems with gun violence the people pulling the trigger have something seriously wrong in their brain that causes them to think and act the way they do. If we continue to ignore the children who have a very serious illness then these crimes will continue and become more deadly than the last. For example, in Florida's recent shooting, the child was stated to have mental issues that people were afraid of and settled it by expelling him rather than trying to help him and steer him down a better path. In my opinion he saw his whole school as someone who gave up and abandoned him to the world; in return he chose to damn them. To conclude, the government is trying to put a stop to these horrific tragedies that continue to occur, but I don't think they know where exactly to start their efforts. The media and most civilians preach to them that it's the tools; guns have to be made harder to obtain. That will not solve our problem, people will continue to steal guns from the ones who can get them legally and use them to commit a crime. Instead of going this route the government needs to focus their efforts on putting a stop to the individuals committing the crimes and provide care to their mental health problems.

Truck Driver Training Take No Shortcuts!

Truck Driver Training Take No Shortcuts! The greatest threat to the trucking industry today isn’t automation or poorly maintained roads- it’s the devaluing of quality driver training by trucking companies. Smart-Tucking.com highlights this disturbing trend, and what can be done to reverse it. It’s a sad truth- some trucking companies would rather spend their money on the latest technological bells and whistles to avoid expensive accidents than invest in qualified, well-trained drivers. Sure, crash warning alert systems, anti-rollover systems, and speed limiting and monitoring technologies are great steps toward an accident-free highway, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of forgetting the fundamentals- great drivers.Truckers are more than just â€Å"warm bodies† behind the wheel- they are skilled professionals that are tasked with making key decisions on the road, ensuring that precious cargo arrives on time and in tact. Many smaller companies are more apt to recognize the value of drive r training, which might be why their accident rates are often far lower than the big companies!Bottom line: Poorly trained drivers are a bad investment. Sure, it may be a quick way for companies to divert their cash into other areas, but anything that puts the safety of truckers- and their fellow drivers on the road- at risk is a bad idea. Proper training will help save lives and make the roads safer for everyone. What’s more important and valuable than that?

Lawsuits Against the Police Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Lawsuits Against the Police - Essay Example When one looks into the reports of police brutality coming in from different parts of the US, the numbers are simply shocking. Roberts (2007) has reported that â€Å"a Google search for â€Å"police brutality videos† had showed him, â€Å"2,210,000 entries.† Quoting a Human Rights Watch report, Roberts (2007) has also observed that in most cases, â€Å"no disciplinary action and criminal prosecution† took place. This is because of the difficulties involved in proving the unlawful act of the police officer, the reluctance of prosecutors to fight cases against the police with whom they have good â€Å"institutionalized relationships†, and also because of the general sympathetic attitude of the jurors towards the police (Barak, 2007, p.507). The Justice Department of the United States has the powers to sue police departments under the Violent Crime Control Act (1994) for such misconduct (Barak, 2007, p.506). In the last two decades, such prosecutions include d cases against: New Jersey Police Department to limit its reliance on racial profiling in traffic stops; an Ohio police force to reduce its use of excessive force; the Pittsburgh police department for increased oversight and accountability; and the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) over the Rampart scandal, where, in August 2000, a federal judge ruled that the government’s antiracketeering statute †¦could be used against the police (Barak, 2007, p.506). Individual citizens who were subjected to police brutality and abuse have also been filing law suits against police (Barak, 2007, p.506). In some of those cases, courts have awarded huge sums of compensation to the complainants. For example, the Detroit police department was found to have â€Å"paid an average of $10 million dollars per year to resolve lawsuits arising from police misconduct† (Barak, 2007, p.506). Between 1994 and 1996, the New York City had paid an amount of $70 million as compensation awarded by courts in police brutality lawsuits (Collins and Human Rights Watch, 1998, p.78). Similarly, the Los Angeles city had to pay $79.2 million during the period, 1991-96 (Collins and Human Rights Watch, 1998, p.78). When a police officer carries out some kind of ethical or criminal violation, the punishment for that will generally come up to â€Å"reprimands or dismissal from the job†, and also in some cases, â€Å"fines, probation, or incarceration in a prison or jail† (Carmen, 2009, p.444). And in case of violations leading to civil liabilities, â€Å"monetary payment for damages and attorney’s fees,† will be the sanctions imposed (Carmen, 2009, p.444). The liabilities for violations for a police officer could be either under the state or the federal law or both (Carmen, 2009, p.446). Under Federal law, the liabilities are addressed by certain provisions under Civil Action for Deprivation of Civil Right, Conspiracy to Interfere with Civil Rights, Equal Rights Under the Law, Criminal Liability for Deprivation of Civil Rights, Criminal Liability for Conspiracy to Deprive a Person of Rights, Violations of Federally Protected Activities, and other Federal agency rules and guidelines (Carmen, 446). The state tort law, â€Å"state penal code provisions†, and â€Å"regular penal code provisions† are the state laws involved (Carmen, 2009,

Costco Wholesale Corporation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Costco Wholesale Corporation - Essay Example The department is often responsible for conducting all the staffing functions of the business; additionally, it ensures that all the people recruited in the company are working under the best conditions that can inspire effective and maximum performance from them. Some of the most effective functions of this department include staff recruitment. Here, the department is expected to conduct a job evaluation, and then call for applications to get the best candidate suited for the job. The department helps new employees get acquainted to the job and nurture some of the best talents for future success of the company. Costco corporations has managed to build its success around effective human resource development strategies, that have seen the corporation establish more that 670 branches in Europe and other countries in Asia (Runkle 9). Costco is one of the most successful wholesale corporations operating in the United States under membership-only basis, providing a wide variety of merchandise. The growth and development approaches that the corporation has established have seen it rise to become the world’s third largest retail warehouse and the second largest in the United States. Currently, the warehouse is headquartered in Issaquah, Washington D.C. The corporation was established in 1976 in San Diego, California, creating it’s the first of its warehouses in under the name Costco in Seattle, California, which came seven years after its establishment (Runkle 11). Currently, the corporation has grown and expanded, managing to establish about 671 warehouses that have been widely spread across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korean and Taiwan (Runkle 13). It is important to note that currently, Costco Corporation has been successful in its strategies for human resource development in comparison to those adopted by its

From the Farm, Inc Marketing Plan Essay Example for Free

From the Farm, Inc Marketing Plan Essay The purpose of this paper is to determine how to drive more sales to From the Farm’s website as well as increase overall brand awareness through the use of targeted marketing and advertising programs and also to gain a deeper insight of prospective customers which can assist in forming target market segments and creating targeted marketing and advertising programs that cater to those segments. Furthermore, we need to determine how to remain cost-effective with these proposed improvements to the marketing programs. Being a small e-commerce startup with limited funds and personnel, FTF has struggled for over four years to create effective marketing programs and have seen very little positive impact of their past marketing efforts. The lack of an effective marketing strategy which includes targeted advertising has led to increased and somewhat unnecessary marketing costs because several of the marketing campaigns are built on the premise of â€Å"testing it out† and seeing what kind of response it gets. The implementation of targeted marketing and advertising programs can not only increase From the Farm’s sales revenue, but also be more cost-effective since the campaigns are targeted and relevant to their audience. In addition, an improved digital marketing strategy can help FromTheFarm. com improve their overall market positioning due to the fact that they will gain a better understanding of their customers through the data that is collected and thus enable them to build a more effect online marketing strategy. Furthermore, this enhanced insight of their customers can also enable them to improve their product development and product offerings on their website. All of these things combined can definitely contribute to growing their sales revenue and more importantly, by having targeted marketing and advertising programs, they can ensure that every dollar spent is not a dollar wasted. Company Background From The Farm, Inc. (FTF) is a privately-owned e-commerce company headquartered in Stockton, California which specializes in the sales and home delivery of gourmet and organic foods and produce. FTF was founded in 2008 with the purpose and intent of becoming â€Å"America’s Online Farmer’s Market†. According to a report done by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), farmers only earned an average of $0. 16 for every dollar spent on the food they produced (Canning, 2011). FTF’s mission is to provide an online marketplace which connects customers with American Family farms by offering farm-fresh products and other specialty food items delivered straight to their door. By allowing customer to purchase directly from the farmer though the website, they cut out the middle man, and therefore give customers the opportunity to taste and experience what truly fresh food and produce tastes like while also supporting the success and livelihood of hard-working farmers all over the county. FromTheFarm. com is currently funded by its parent company, Onions, Etc. , one of the largest onion distributors in the United States. Currently, FTF only has two full-time employees – the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)/General Manager and a Marketing Specialist – in addition to the Founder/CEO, one marketing intern, and one contract-based Marketing/PR Consultant. Any other tasks with regards to finance and accounting are handled by Onions, Etc. personnel and all IT related tasks are outsourced to an outside IT firm and web design firm. FTF has undergone major organizational changes in the past twelve months, in an effort to restructure the marketing team with the intention of implementing an improved marketing strategy in order to grow sales and increase brand awareness. Due to limited funds and personnel, FTF has struggled to create an effective targeted marketing and advertising strategy and as a result have not seen much growth since being founded in 2008. 1. 0 Market Summary and Target Audience Being that From the Farm is a small, family-owned company they do not have the financial strength that other larger food retailers have; however they still have a tremendous opportunity to capture the market being that the food e-commerce market has yet to be penetrated. According to a recent report by eMarketer, as of 2012, U. S. -commerce sales have grown to $224. 2 billion and are expected to grow to $361. 9 billion by 2016. Currently, online food and beverage sales is the smallest U. S. e-commerce category, however, this segment reached sales of $5. 09 billion and experienced a 17% growth in 2012 (eMarketer, 2012). Another report by Nielsen indicates that the sales rate for consumer packaged goods online is expected to reach $25 billion by 2014. This t rending growth can be attributed to the fact that more and more consumers are beginning to do their grocery shopping online (Nielsen, 2011). FTF can definitely capitalize on this emerging trend since the online grocery shopping experience is primarily fueled by a needs-driven experience since there are a greater variety of options available online. In addition, e-commerce allows for smaller companies such as FTF to compete against â€Å"Big Brand† companies since the big brand physical advantages become nonexistent and opens up the opportunity to create a niche brand for customers who prefer to buy their food and groceries online. With a creative and effectively targeted market program, FTF can reach a significant amount of customers online and leverage unique and exclusive products such as tropical fruits, figs, Piedmontese beef, and fresh cherries to capture these customers. There is a huge opportunity to capitalize on the available internet marketing technologies being that there is so much data available through these marketing channels and the fact that many consumers are turning to e-commerce to purchase goods. According to a recent Digital Marketing Report by eMarketer, â€Å"88. % of US internet users ages 14 and up will browse or research products online in 2012, an 83. 9% of that group will make at least one purchase via the web during that year† (Peart, Utreras, Wang, 2011). Target Market Since From the Farm is a food e-commerce company, it is easy to assume that this website and its products can appeal to the masses. There is a large assortment of foods from fresh fruit and produce includin g exotic tropical fruits to certified organic meats to an array of desserts which means that FTF has something to offer every kind of customer. FTF’s customers will consist of individuals who are 25 years old and up and have a wide range of preferences when it comes to food, whether it may be parents looking for healthy foods for their kids or health conscious individuals who prefer organic and gluten-free products or chefs and restaurant owners that need to order in bulk, From the Farm can accommodate a very diverse set of needs. Nonetheless, From the Farm’s products aren’t just for those who want to purchase these items for personal consumption because From the Farm also offers products that can be sent as gifts. As stated previously, From the Farm’s customer base is diverse since it consists of individuals with varying needs and preferences when it comes to food selections. The primary market that FTF will target is the online grocery shopper market. The profile of typical online shoppers is as follows: single or dual-income households with no children and are technically savvy, affluent, and time poor. This group consists of early adopters of new technology and is heavy internet users who regularly purchase goods online. Convenience is a main factor for this group and they have little to no concern about product price or delivery charges. The other major category within this market is families with young children. Similar to the previously discussed category, this category includes single parents, dual-income households, middle-income and above average-earning households. The key differentiator is that this category has one or more children, typically with at least one child under the age of five years old. This group consists of adults in their late 20s to 40s. The individuals in this category turn to online grocery shopping because it saves them time, is less hectic, and overall more convenient in nature. Other categories include college students and military families who are not located close to a standard-size store or who wish to purchase products found only in their home regions. In addition, the elderly, disabled and those individuals who find it difficult to get out of the house make up a significant share of online grocery shoppers. As such, the share of senior citizens and disabled individuals has grown over the past five years and is expected to continue growing in the future. Furthermore, online grocery shoppers are more than twice as likely as the average internet user to go online to read and post product reviews, download coupons and search for recipes, according to a study by the Nielsen Company from September 2009 (Panteva, 2012).

Enzymes :: Free Essays

Enzymes are proteins, composed of polypeptide chains and non-protein groups. Their function is to help with the reactions of many cells and molecules by serving as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that allows the activation energy required for a reaction by forming a temporary association with the molecules that are reacting. During this process, the catalyst itself is not permanently altered in the process, and so it can be used over and over again. Because of catalysts, cells are able to carry out chemical reactions at a great speed and at comparative low temperatures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Almost 2,000 different enzymes are now known, each of them capable of catalyzing a specific chemical reaction. The molecule (s) on which an enzyme acts is known as its substrate. For example, sucrose is the substrate for the enzyme sucrase. Enzymes have specific structures that only its specific substrate will fit into. The polypeptide chains of an enzyme are folded in such way that they form a grove or pocket on the surface. The substrate fits in to this grove, which is the site of reactions catalyzed by the enzyme, or active site. Recent studies of enzyme structure have suggested that the active site is flexible. The binding between enzymes and substrate appears to alter the shape of the enzyme. This induces a close fit between the active site and the substrate. It is also believed that this may put some strain on the substrate molecule facilitating the reaction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another characteristics of enzymes are competitive inhibition and non-competitive inhibition. Competitive inhibition is the binding of a competitive molecule to the active site of the enzyme. This prevents the proper substrate from reacting with the enzyme. In non-competitive inhibition the binding of a non-competitive inhibitor to another site on the enzyme induces an allosteric change, or conformational change, that prevents the active site from binding to the proper substrate. Enzymes :: Free Essays Enzymes are proteins, composed of polypeptide chains and non-protein groups. Their function is to help with the reactions of many cells and molecules by serving as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that allows the activation energy required for a reaction by forming a temporary association with the molecules that are reacting. During this process, the catalyst itself is not permanently altered in the process, and so it can be used over and over again. Because of catalysts, cells are able to carry out chemical reactions at a great speed and at comparative low temperatures.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Almost 2,000 different enzymes are now known, each of them capable of catalyzing a specific chemical reaction. The molecule (s) on which an enzyme acts is known as its substrate. For example, sucrose is the substrate for the enzyme sucrase. Enzymes have specific structures that only its specific substrate will fit into. The polypeptide chains of an enzyme are folded in such way that they form a grove or pocket on the surface. The substrate fits in to this grove, which is the site of reactions catalyzed by the enzyme, or active site. Recent studies of enzyme structure have suggested that the active site is flexible. The binding between enzymes and substrate appears to alter the shape of the enzyme. This induces a close fit between the active site and the substrate. It is also believed that this may put some strain on the substrate molecule facilitating the reaction.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another characteristics of enzymes are competitive inhibition and non-competitive inhibition. Competitive inhibition is the binding of a competitive molecule to the active site of the enzyme. This prevents the proper substrate from reacting with the enzyme. In non-competitive inhibition the binding of a non-competitive inhibitor to another site on the enzyme induces an allosteric change, or conformational change, that prevents the active site from binding to the proper substrate.

Curricular Ramifications

The employment of computer technologies in elementary school education has significantly increased across the globe. The benefits and advantages of computer-based learning have been comprehensively discussed, yet it is also important to enumerate the ramifications associated with this endeavor. However, it is imperative to determine whether this technologically intense activity is appropriate for application to young children attending elementary school education. This paper will identify several issues that are associated with the use of computers in teaching basic lessons to young school children.One of the most alarming reports regarding the ramifications of computer-based instruction at the grade school level is that the brains of young children are inundated with so much information at an early age (Healy, 1998). It has been earlier established that the brains of young children are still undergoing further development and thus it is best to allow time and the normal activities t o enhance the young individual’s brain capacity as he grows through adolescence and adulthood.The exposure of young children to computer programs is thus a novel experience that has not been fully examined with regards to its long-term effects of human behavior and cognition (Kay, 1992). It is acceptable that adults employ computers at work and at home, yet allowing young children to use computers at such an early age may be rushing their underdeveloped brains to mature at a faster pace. Another issue associated with the employment of computers in elementary school education is that the quality of software programs may significantly vary, depending on the designer or creator of the program.There are currently so many software programs that assist a computer user in uploading, integrating and consolidating different types of information on a computer. It is thus possible that the computer program that is used by a certain elementary school has not been reviewed and endorsed by the school district and thus the school children may be affected in terms of their learning skills and behavior. The ideal computer program that could assist in teaching grade school children should not only include lessons on how to count or read, but also instill good morals, as well as conduct (Cassell and Jenkins, 1998).It may thus be possible that the computer program employed by a certain school was simply purchased based on the price of the software packaged. There are so many versions of tutorial software that are featured with violent activities that attempt to teach children how to count or read. It is therefore important that computer programs are designed as a simulation of classroom lessons, which will always include teaching of proper attitudes and behaviors.Another issue that may result from the use of computer programs in teaching lessons at the elementary school level is the decrease in interpersonal interactions among students (Whitley, 1997). One features of elem entary school education is that these children are allowed to interact with other children of the same age, as they also learn lessons from their teachers. The employment of computers in teaching lessons to these young children therefore removes the social interactions that are important in shaping the personality of a child.Computer programs will thus accumulate more time spent sitting on a desk and staring at a computer screen. The young schoolchildren will thus lose significant time in playing and interacting with other children. Computer-based learning may also decrease the opportunities for a young child to learn the concept of cause and effect, which is strongly linked to social exchange with other children. It is generally observed that compassion is often learned at children and this is mainly through seeing what happens when one child is affected by a particular stimulus in the environment.In the case of employment of computers in elementary schools, children will be left w ith less time interacting with children and thus they might not learn how to appropriately interact with other people. The effect of this setting may not be immediately seen unless they have already grown older as full adults (Whitley, 1997). Another issue associated with computer programs in the elementary school level is gender difference in the use and appreciation of computers (Barker and Aspray, 2006).According to earlier reports, grade school-age boys are more comfortable in using computers than girls, thus reflecting the concept of male dominance in computer technology use (Butler, 2000). This gender difference may therefore affect the performance and learning capacity of the female school children, as these do not fully appreciate the reason why they have to use computers in learning specific lessons at school. In addition, there are reports that describe that elementary school-age girls develop an increase in their negative perception of computers when they reach the age ra nge of 12 to 13 years of age (Kay, 2006a).On the other hand, boys of this same age range show an increase in their interest on computers, and thus reflect the significant improvement of their test scores from computer lessons and activities (Kay, 2006b). It has been suggested that this correlation between boys and computer use is influenced by the sense of confidence that this gender feels as they use such technological gadgets. Another obstacle that is associated with the use of computer technology in elementary school instruction is the difficulty of teachers in integrating this technology in their curriculum (Jenson and Rose, 2003).It is critical to understand that computers have only been employed in most human activity in the last twenty to thirty years. In addition, it has only been in the last 15 years that communication methods such as the email and short message service have been fully appreciated by society. It is thus possible that there are certain teachers in elementary schools around that world that are still not comfortable with using computers in their teaching curriculum.There are some teachers that would rather stick with the old classical method of instruction, especially when they have been teaching young children with only the basic lessons of reading, mathematics and writing (Howe, 1997). In the case where the Department of Education or the school district obliges all elementary school teachers to integrate computer programs in their teaching curriculum, this may present some form of stress of certain teachers that are not used to this technology.It is thus important that teachers be highly trained with regards to the use and the recognition of the advantages of including computers in their curriculum. It will be disappointing to see reports in the futures which describe teachers that are misguiding young school children in their classroom lessons because the teacher himself is not familiar with using a computer program. Given these ramif ications on the curriculum of elementary schools, it is thus important that the decision and choices made with regards to computer use be thoroughly reviewed and assessed.Elementary schoolchildren’s brains are highly malleable and thus it is critical that the appropriate and relevant measure are undertaken in order to ensure good educations among these young individuals. References Barker, L. J. and Aspray, W. (2006). The state of research on girls and IT. In: Cohoon, J. M. and Aspray, E. (eds. ). Women and Information Technology. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pages 3–54. Butler, D. (2000). Gender, girls, and computer technology: What's the status now? Clearing House, 73, 225–229. Cassell, J. and Jenkins, H. (1998). From Barbie to Mortal Kombat: Gender and computer games.Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Jenson, J. and Rose, C. B. (2003). [email  protected]: Listening to gendered relations of power in teachers’ talk about new technologies. Gender and Education, 15, 169–181. Healy, J. (1998). Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds – For Better or Worse. New York: Simon & Schuster. Howe, K. (1997). Understanding Equal Educational Opportunity: Social Justice, Democracy and Schooling. New York: Teachers College Press Kay, R. H. (1992). An analysis of methods used to examine gender differences in computer-related behaviour.Journal of Educational Computing Research, 8, 323–336. Kay, R. H. (2006a). Addressing gender differences in computer ability, attitudes and use: The laptop effect. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 34, 187–211. Kay, R. H. (2006b). Evaluating strategies used to incorporate technology into preservice education: A review of the literature. Journal of Research on Technology and Education, 38, 383–408. Whitley, B. E. (1997). Gender differences in computer-related attitudes and behaviors: A metaanalysis. Computers in Human Behavior, 13, 1–22. .