Loss Prevention Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Loss Prevention - Term Paper Example It was up approximately 15% from the previous year. This was the worst year and appeared to have been precipitated by the poor economic situation. According to Risk and Jillings (2011) shoplifting is on the increase due to hard times. In New Zeal children were being sent to still while their parents waited outside the store (Risk and Jillings 2011). Consequences of Inventory Shrinkage Inventory shrinkage due to shoplifting not only erodes profit margins but it also results in a loss of sales. This happens because store personnel do not realize quickly enough that shelves are available and that certain goods are not represented on these shelves. When a customer does not see the goods they want on the shelves they end up going to another competitor to purchased the items. Most Popular Item Shoplifted According to Bullock (2010), the UK-based Center for Retail Research indicates that cosmetics were the second most popular items stolen. The most targeted products within this group are ma keup, perfume, hair care, skin creams and tanning product. According to Barnfield of the Center for Retail Research (qtd. in Bullock 2010) these thieves are brand conscious as they focus on top brands like Oil of Olay, CoverGirl and Bumble and Bumble. Bulluck (2010) indicated that a Florida investigation described as Operation Beauty Stop uncovered a ring which sold items stolen from popular retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and Sweetbay. These items were then offered for sale on EBay. Measures to prevent loss A number of measures can be used to prevent loss. These include the employment and use of security equipment. Although these measures are not foolproof they provide a means of reducing the cost of theft to companies and reduce the corresponding increase in selling price which arises from this type of shrinkage. Loss prevention officers According to McGoey (n.d.), retail loss prevention is a profession that has the responsibility of reducing inventory losses at retail stores. Loss prevention officers are the persons who manage security program in the stores. Their job is to reduce inventory losses that are not only caused by employee theft and shop lifting but due to fraud, vendor theft and accounting errors. They interact with both customers and other store employees whenever any such events occur. They have to exercise a certain level of professionalism when dealing with matters like these and so they have to be properly trained. Loss prevention officers are required to be observant, they should be able to think quickly and use good judgment to solve problems. They should be able to blend into the crowd so that they are not easily identified by would be shoplifters. Sensormatic security tags Sensormatic security tags are widely used in retail stores. They are pinned to merchandise and are not taken off until the customer pays for the merchandise at the cashier. The tags work in conjunction with checkpoint security systems and are further explained belo w. Checkpoint security systems Check point security systems involve the use of sensors called electronic article security (EAS) antennas (Loss Prevention Systems, Inc 2011). These sensors/antennas are placed at the entrance and exits points of the stores. They pick up signals from security tags on clothes, shoes, bags and other store merchandise. Therefore if a shoplifter attempts to leave a store with stolen

Eliminating Job Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Eliminating Job Stress - Essay Example With the increase in volume of work, complexity in situations and heavy competitions job stress is on the rise. According to data from health and safety, company executives recorded that in Britain around 420,000 were going through stress, anxiety and other pressure issues. In 2006, the figures mounted to 195,000 fresh cases. Over the years the rate has continued to increase and by 2007 it was stated that out of every 6 individuals at work, one among them was experiencing job stress. When carrying out research, it is important to understand the scope of the problem and how it will benefit the industry in that regard. As it can be seen from the statistics mentioned above, job stress is a significant issue. Since each employee is an asset of the organization and is contributing to the running of the organization it is essential to study his/her interests and issues and keep them at foremost position. Research studies indicate that the emergence of internationalism and globalization has led to organizations and the society becoming very complex. Added features to trade such as less barriers and strategically aligned resource strategies are adding to the problem . Technological advancements are also increasing hence requiring less skilled labor at work. There is also an increase in the rate of wages, which eventually puts pressure on the employees.Demographic shifts have also added to aggravate the problem as workforce diversity has increased bringing about a change in the cultural environment. (Stamatios, Antoniou, & Cooper, 2005). Vertical disaggregation has become a new trend in organizations especially in outsourcing. Hierarchal structures are being flattened and firms are redefining their cost structures. Organizations are promoting efficiency and cost effectiveness hence decreasing job security (Stamatios, Antoniou, & Cooper, 2005). There has been an increase in the levels of dissatisfaction among employees over the year. The balance between work and life has also been disrupted as a result of an increase in workload. Employee expectation has been on the increase and employees have developed a desire to control their professional life rather than getting stressed by large

Bureaucratic Management Theory Essay Example for Free

Bureaucratic Management Theory Essay Webers theory of bureaucratic management has two essential elements. First, it entails structuring an organization into a hierarchy. Secondly, the organization and its members are governed by clearly defined rational-legal decision-making rules. Each element helps an organization to achieve its goals. An organizational hierarchy is the arrangement of the organization by level of authority in reference to the levels above and below it. For example, a vice-president of marketing is below the companys president, at the same level as the companys vice president of sales, and above the supervisor of the companys social media department. Each level answers to the level above it with the ultimate leader of the organization at the top. The easiest way to understand the term rational-legal decision making rules is to think of it as a set of explicit and objective policies and procedures that governs how an organization functions. Examples of rational-legal decision-making rules include human resources rules and policies or the regulations governing who is entitled to unemployment insurance. Bureaucracies are all around us this form of organization, which is comprised of non-elected officials who implement rules, is not only common in the public sector but in the business world as well. Examples of bureaucracies in the public sector include the Social Security Administration, Environmental Protection Agency and public universities. Among the oldest bureaucratic structures in the country is the United States Military. In the private sector, most large business firms have a bureaucratic organization. Examples of private sector firms with a bureaucratic structure include IBM, GM and the Union Pacific Railroad. Knowing how bureaucratic management works can lead to a better understanding of how government agencies and large business firms operate it can assist you in interacting with complex organizations, whether it be seeking social security benefits or working for a large corporation. Max Weber Max Weber. Published in the US before 1923 and public domain in the US. Max Weber Father of Modern Organizational Theory One of the most important thinkers in modern organizational theory, Max Weber (1864-1920), is the father of the bureaucratic management theory. Weber was a German sociologist and political economist that viewed bureaucracy in a positive light, believing it to be more rational and efficient than its historical predecessors.

Controversy Over Water Rights

Controversy Over Water Rights Water Rights: Over 200 Years of History and Still Controversial Water is essential to life, not only human life, but also the life of plants and agriculture. Water is also the essence of life, which means laws have to be made to â€Å"be fair† to everyone that needs water for their land and their agriculture. That is why the Colorado, along with most of the United States, has water rights and laws. Water and water rights have been an issue ever since the mid to late 1800s when â€Å"the water laws first originated during the California Gold Rush in 1848† (Waskom, et al.). The laws were then brought to Colorado during the gold rush of 1859, and put into the state constitution in 1876. It was named the Doctrine of Prior Appropriation or the Colorado Doctrine (Waskom, et al.). Ever since then, water has been fought over constantly and will be fought over until the end of times. It is a valuable source to our survival and also controversial. The history of water rights and water controversy dates all the back to the California Gold Rush during the mid 1800s. As farmers began to migrate in to the state of Colorado, they found a many sunny days and low humidity, and with the right amount of water, they could make crop production rise. However, the Census from 1910 says that Colorado only received about 12-15 inches of rain when farmers first started to arrive. 12-15 inches was not enough for sufficient farming so farmers had to find an alternative water source (qtd. in Penn and Zietz 25). As farmers began to migrate to Colorado, the amount of water needed for farms rose. In the Development of Water Right in Colorado: An Empirical Analysis, Penn and Zietz quote: Early irrigation works in the 1860s were often simple, consisting of a crude stream diversion and a short ditch. Soon, however, farmers discovered that they must combine to build and maintain expensive irritation works; these organized efforts were termed ‘irrigation enterprises’ by the Census Bureau. Between 1860 and 1880, nearly 1,600 new irritation enterprises came into existence. The number of irrigation enterprises more than doubled in the 1880s so that by 1890, 58.9 percent of all farms and 19.4 percent [sic] all land in farms were irrigated. By 1900, 71.3 percent of all farms in the state were irrigated. (26) Penn and Zietz speak of 3 distinct time periods that affected the history of water rights. The first period they speak about was from 1872 to the early 1890s where the majority of court cases were held to deal with upholding and refining the doctrine of prior appropriation. During the second period from the early 1890s to about 1904, courts saw many cases involving irrigation enterprises, which dealt with defining the rights of irrigation cooperatives and partnerships. During the third period, which began in 1905, courts saw many cases regarding storage reservoirs, water rights transfers, and changes in the point of diversion (Penn and Zietz, 26-27). The earliest important case according to Penn and Zietz was seen in 1872 when the Yunker v. Nichols case was seen in the Colorado Supreme Court. This case recognized the need for diverting water from the watercourse. Chief Justice Hallet came to the conclusion that: In a dry and thirsty land it is necessary to divert the water of streams from their natural channels, in order to obtain the fruits of the soil. The value and usefulness of agricultural lands, in this territory, depend o the supply of water for irrigation, and this can only be obtained by constructing artificial channels though which it may flow over adjacent land. (27) To this day, many cases go in and out of courts regarding water rights. It is an on going batter between farmers, states, and whoever else use rivers, streams, irrigation, reservoirs, etc. These cases will continue to roll through courts around the United States. However, without these water rights and laws, states along with farmers would go into riots. â€Å"Many of the developments in water rights in the rest of the Western United States derive in one war or another from the Colorado System† (Penn and Zietz 24). Colorado’s laws have impacted the surrounding states along with states that have adopted Colorado’s ways. Colorado has been the stepping-stone for water rights throughout history and will continue to be. Court cases of water rights are seen around the state of Colorado; however, there is a case that hits close to home in Northeastern Colorado. A small town farmer from the area of Holyoke and near the Nebraska border was involved in a case that changed water rights forever. The Sporhase v. Nebraska case of 1982 was a very controversial case that was taken from a small town all the way to the Supreme Court. Sporhase had land in both Nebraska and Colorado because he lived in the Northeastern corner of the state. Sporhase applied to the Colorado Ground Water Commission to appropriate water to irrigate his land in Colorado from the aquifer that was located beneath the ground. Sporhase was rejected of this application and then decided to invest large sums of money into putting an underground pipeline system beneath his ground to extract water from a well that was across the border in Nebraska. The Department of Water Recourses received a complaint about Sporhase extracting water from Nebra ska and using on Colorado land, which was said to be a violation of the Nebraska statute. Nebraska later sued Sporhase â€Å"to enjoin him from irrigating the Colorado land from his Nebraska well† (Green 924). â€Å"A Nebraska statute required the permission of the Director of Water Resources before groundwater could be transferred across enemy lines.† (Garrett 715-716). During the case, the Supreme Court had to solve an issue that dealt with whether water should be classified as an article of commerce, which would be subject to Congressional Regulation like other natural resources (Green 927). â€Å"An article of commerce is an article (or a resource in this case) that can be offered for sale† (Article of Commerce). Nebraska brought forward three main points that they hoped would sway the decision of the jury. Nebraska first attempted to distinguish water from other natural resources by saying the state makes saving water their top priority because water is the essence of survival for their citizens. In their second argument, Nebraska argued that its water statute was â€Å"a legitimate exercise of the state’s police power to protect the health of its citizens and conserve natural resources.† The third argument, Nebraska argued that congress had given them permission to engage in impermissible groundwater regulation (Green 928-929). In defense, Sporhase used the City of Altus v. Carr case as an example and argument to help his side of the present case. This case â€Å"invalidated a Texas statute that prohibited interstate exportation of groundwater without prior approval of the Texas legislature on the grounds that such restrictions violated the commerce clause† (927). This case was relevant to Sporhase because, in Texas, like Nebraska, landowners do not have a comparable right because water is not privately owned. In the end, the Supreme Court decided in a 7-2 decision, that water is an article of commerce and Sporha se was allowed to keep pumping water from his Nebraska well to his Colorado field (927-930). The decision of this court case set the tone for future court cases that had to do with water because of the decision of water being an article of commerce. When laws and rights are made, they have to be followed. Water rights go along the same lines and this was seen in 2011 when Bonny Reservoir in Yuma County had to be drained to repay Kansas and Nebraska for water that Colorado had used. This came from a 1942 agreement between the three states that claimed the three states had to share water. Colorado had to give up 4 billion gallons of water in order to repay the debt that Kansas claimed Colorado owed them due to the Republican River Compact. â€Å"The compact collected dust for years until Kansas water officials noticed they were not getting enough water from Nebraskas and Colorados portion of the river† (Bonny Reservoir). Colorado looked for many alternatives rather than draining Bonny Reservoir, but all seemed too expensive. The reservoir was drained during Labor Day weekend of 2011, and pushed up the Republican River towards the Kansas-Colorado Border in order to repay the debt to Nebraska and Kansas under the Republican R iver Compact (Bonny Reservoir). Water rights are seen throughout the United States and very much so in the western part of the United States. Water rights come up very often in our local news in Northeastern Colorado along with Colorado. With the increase in technology and agriculture, disputes over water will continue and be on the rise during the future. There will never be an end to this madness because no one will ever be able to get a fair or equal amount as the next person. As water becomes scarcer, the disputes will become more intense and farmers and ranchers will need to find alternatives. Until then, water rights will be taken to courts all across the country to try and make these disputes as fair as possible. Work Cited Article of Commerce. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. http://dictionary.reference.com/>. Bonny Reservoir Could Be Drained Because of Water Deal with Nebraska, Kansas. The Denver Post. The Denver Post, 27 Aug. 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. http://www.denverpost.com/ci_18771111 Garrett, J.S. Federal Intervention in Groundwater Regulation: Sporhase v. Nebraska Ex Rel. Douglas, 18 Tulsa L.J. 713 (1982) Green, Mary A. Water Law- Sporhase v. Nebraska. Natural Resources Journal 23 (1983): 923-31. The University of New Mexico. The University of New Mexico. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. http://www.unm.edu Penn, David, and Joachin Zietz. The Development of Water Rights in Colorado: An Empirical Analysis. The American Economist 55.2 (2010): 24-35. EBSCOHOST. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/pdfviewer/[emailprotected]5vid=5hid=4207>. Waskom, R., et al. Irrigation Ditches and Their Operation. Natural Resource Series (2011): n. pag. Colorado State University Extension. Colorado State University, Feb. 2011. Web. Feb. 2014. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/natres/06701.pdf>.

The Neurobiology of Fear: Emotional Memory and Post-Traumatic Stress Di

The Neurobiology of Fear: Emotional Memory and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder For survivors of traumatic events, the trauma itself is often only the beginning. While some are relatively unaffected, many others will develop post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, an affliction that haunts its victims with terrifying memories, nightmares, and panic attacks. (For a comprehensive list of symptoms and diagnostic criteria, the reader may refer to the DSM-IV, relevant portions of which may be found online (7).) The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that 3.6 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 54 suffer from PTSD; 30 percent of those who have spent time in war zones - one million veterans of Vietnam alone - are affected (6). PTSD is treated with several forms of psychotherapy, including exposure therapy, centered around a controlled confrontation of frightening stimuli. While medication may treat co-occurring depression, anxiety, or insomnia (6), pharmacological agents targeting PTSD remain unavailable. In part, this is because researchers hav e only begun to describe the underlying neurobiology. Several recent studies have pointed to the brain structure known as the amygdala as a central player, but questions remain: How does this small structure "recognize" danger? How does it create emotional memories? What causes recurrence of these memories? Answers to these questions are complex and incomplete. As an anxiety disorder, PTSD has its foundations in fear and "emotional memory." Like factual memory, emotional memory also involves the storage and recall of events and details; this has been termed the explicit or conscious memory (2). Emotional memory, though, has a second, distinct component. This facet, t... ...ing, from Stephen Maren's Emotion and Memory Systems Laboratory at the University of Michigan. http://maren1.psych.lsa.umich.edu/Models.html 4)Summary of Research at Stephen Maren's Emotion and Memory Systems Laboratory at the University of Michigan. http://maren1.psych.lsa.umich.edu/Research.html 5)Anxiety Disorders Treatment Target: Amygdala Circuitry, from the National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/events/pranxst.cfm 6)Facts About Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, from the National Institute of Mental Health. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/anxiety/ptsdfacts.cfm 7)PTSD Diagnostic Criteria from the DSM-IV, from Bully Online, a service of the United Kingdom National Workplace Bullying Advice Line. http://www.successunlimited.co.uk/PTSD/ 8)Building a Brainier Mouse. Zsien, Joe T. 2000. Scientific American http://www.sciam.com/missing.cfm

Catalysts In ?A View From The Bridge? And ?The Glass Menagerie? :: essays research papers

Just as in science, a catalyst speeds up the rate of the chemical reaction; in literature, a catalyst is a person, idea or event that initiates and develops the conflict of the story. In â€Å"A View from the Bridge† and â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†, the catalysts used are introduced at different points in the plays and play different roles. In â€Å" A View from the Bridge†, Rodolpho, the catalyst, is introduced in the exposition, and plays a major role in the play. He initiates the conflict by being attracted to Catherine, and by the fact that Catherine is attracted to him as well. The fact that he is introduced in the exposition, allows for the author to develop his character, and thus allows for the audience to sympathise with him instead of Eddie. This development gives the audience a high quality catalyst as it can relate to Rodplpho. Rodolpho creates a heavy tension in the family, due to his relationship with Catherine. This tension relates to the play’s theme of obsession as it is caused by Eddie’s obsession with Catherine. How Rodolpho relates to the main theme and develops the tension make him a quality catalyst. Jim, the catalyst in â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†, is introduced in the complications of the play, and though he initiates the conflict, he does not develop it. This may be due to the fact that he was introduced too late into the play, and because his character was not developed. This underdevelopment of his character produces a lower quality catalyst as the audience cannot relate to Jim, and also because he participates little in the play. The tension created by Jim relates to the theme of betrayal, when he tells Laura that he is engaged after he led her on and kissed her. Jim’s inefficiency to develop the plot results in a less dramatic climax in â€Å"The Glass Menagerie†.

Gattaca examines science, religion, genetic engineering and ethics

By opening the movie Gattaca with quotations from Willard Gaylin and Ecclesiastes, director Andrew Niccol invites us to ponder the tension between science and religion with regard to the ethics of genetic engineering. This tension is further sustained through the complex relationship of the main protagonists Vincent and Eugene, who must ultimately conquer their own physical limitations in order to find â€Å"God†. As the titles run, fingernails, hair threads and skin particles fall to the ground in slow motion, giving way to an image of a young man vigorously scrubbing himself. Along with a disturbing score by Michael Nyman, this obsessive-compulsive behaviour contributes to the macabre images of hypodermic needles, catheters and hospital bags of urine and blood. The shower from which Vincent has just stepped quickly converts to a furnace (is this heaven or hell? ) while the inter-title â€Å"in the not-too-distant future† runs across our screen. It is the same young man, Vincent, who provides a voice-over and our point of view in Gattaca – the antiseptic setting of a futuristic space program. Here, somnambulistic employees dressed as clones move in and out of a facility designed for cold efficiency. Note the cool blue filters, curved, shining surfaces and, again, a peculiar preoccupation with cleaning. Loudspeakers welcome visitors to Gattaca in various languages demonstrating that, along with space exploration, genetic screening has diminished both the significance and desire for global boundaries. We are already aware that in this future â€Å"blood has no nationality†. For science now enables discrimination that is far more expedient than simply skin colour. Vincent, a â€Å"God† child, is conceived without the help of genetic engineering and is quick to realise that his physical inadequacies, in particular a congenital heart condition, will prevent him from reaching his full potential. It is worth noting that the setting where Vincent's conception takes place is made â€Å"natural† by the inclusion of beaches and palm trees. As we remain in flashback to where baby Vincent plays with a toy cluster of atoms (similar motifs are repeated throughout the film), we begin to understand the hypocrisy of what this â€Å"brave new world† has to offer. `Genoism† – discrimination on the basis of genetics – is illegal, yet it seems that poor genetic outcomes such as Vincent's prevents insurance cover, which disqualifies him from pre-school – surely an issue that already has some currency in the world we inhabit today. But although Vincent feels displaced by his genetically superior brother, Anton (note how he walks into the frame just as Vincent tears his own image out of the family snapshot), he is determined to fulfil his dream of space travel. The initial swimming race where Vincent is beaten by Anton serves as a plot device pre-empting the climax of the film where both brothers, now adults, play â€Å"chicken† once again. Aerial shots intensify a terrifying sea and, this time, Vincent's victory. The irony is stark as Niccol underlines the central theme of the film – what constitutes a â€Å"valid† human being? For surely Vincent, an â€Å"invalid†, has just proved that genetics has little influence over sheer determination and grit. Enter Eugene. Genetically flawless but crippled both physically and emotionally from a suicide attempt (he finished second, not first, in a swimming race), he is continually compared with Vincent, whose genetic profile dictates that he will die at the age of 30. Eugene is bitter and twisted while Vincent is single-minded and driven. Both, however, are essentially blind to what it is that makes them human. Vincent, desperate to conceal his identity from Irene, is nearly run down on a frenetically busy highway, whereas Eugene deliberately steps in front of a car in the hope of bringing about his own death. Both are so preoccupied with their own deficiencies that they almost miss their important â€Å"spiritual† journey. In fact, both these men run perilously close to becoming like Anton – robotic and devoid of emotion. It is Anton who provides the real paradox here by ruthlessly investigating his own brother's â€Å"invalidity† and, in so doing, demonstrates that genetics does not necessarily correlate with one's humanity. Indeed, it is Irene who, from the outset, seems to be more in touch with the natural world towards which Vincent is striving to return. Note the setting where she lives; rolling surf, pristine white sand, the warm light within in which she is constantly bathed, her disappointment with Vincent's supposed â€Å"perfection†, her fascination with the sunrise, her ability to notice the change in his eyes after he discards his contact lenses when most people can only recognise human differences by a DNA test. Irene's costume and hair are much softer, feminine and distinctively individual when she is away from Gattaca. Yet our focus continually returns to Vincent and Eugene, whose relationship not only dominates most of the film's running time but develops an intimacy that is as selfless as it is full of love. The overt twinning effect (Eugene operates as Vincent's doppelganger) combined with the homoerotic subtext belies any real attempt by Niccol to establish a meaningful connection between Vincent and Irene, with the latter finally reduced to â€Å"nominal love interest†. In an effort to conceal Vincent's identity, Eugene's loyalty is clearly demonstrated when, slowly and painfully, he drags his broken body up the spiral staircase – remember, he's scared of heights. Reminiscent of a DNA strand, the staircase is a metaphor for transcendence, for raising ourselves to a new level of understanding. Eugene, determined that Vincent too will break free of his earthly bounds – his physical being – recognises the symbolism when he refers to space as â€Å"upstairs†. Earlier, Vincent tells Eugene that weightlessness is like being in the womb and that in space his legs â€Å"wouldn't matter†. But in the end, Eugene returns to where Vincent originally emerged (this time to a self-determined cremation), his sacrifice complete as Vincent is released into space. The gift of the lock of hair is on one level a safeguard against Vincent's disclosure but on another a unique and somewhat childlike reminder of Eugene's innocence in a world gone mad with science and its attending preoccupation with perfection. It is Eugene who occupies Vincent's thoughts at closure, not Irene. Despite having overcome their genetic and physical dispositions, it is clear there is no real â€Å"place† for either of these men on earth. By accentuating the tunnels leading back to the womb-like spaceship and the foetal position of Eugene in the furnace, Niccol has both Vincent and Eugene return to where science and religion originate – back to the stars, back to God, back to â€Å"home†.