Analysis of Franchising Strategy

Analysis of Franchising Strategy FreshDirect is the leading online grocer, who serves more than 300 zip codes in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Nassua County, Riverdale, Westchester, Staten Island, New Jersey, and some areas of Connecticut, and they are providing a new way to shop for food. They are based in a 300,000-square-foot production building in Long Island City and they are the largest employers in the city. Joseph Fedele and Jason Ackerman cofounded FreshDirect in July 2001. Before FreshDirect was established, most other online grocery businesses had failed. Even with the demise of online grocery businesses for the previous decade, cofounders strongly believed that they would succeed in their business as their efficient operating strategy was built to provide high quality at lower prices. At first, however, FreshDirect was blamed for the limited service area until it expanded its area slowly. The company started to become popular by providing high quality products, such as locally grown fresh products and organic food at lower prices to local residents and offices. Then a few years later, people could see many refrigerated trucks of FreshDirect all over the Manhattan streets. FreshDirect has proven their efficient operating strategies, and it led to success in the online grocery industry. Since FreshDirect made profits, there has been a movement toward this online grocery industry, and they are facing a few challenges. Today, FreshDirect is facing fierce competition from traditional retail grocery, local restaurants, and other online grocers with delivery services. People have consistently questioned how fresh the products delivered by FreshDirect are because they have a limitation for seeing and feeling the products as an online grocer. According to one article, FreshDirect spent $600,000 for parking tickets as part of their operating expenses (Moskin, 2005). In addition to that, in 2007, the New York City government required a congestion charge for FreshDirect because FreshDirect has contributed to traffic jam, and the increasing gas prices are adding to their delivery expenses. One major challenge for FreshDirect is environmental issues. People complain about their idling delivery trucks which are contributing to additional exhaust fumes and taking parking spaces. Another environmental issue is using too many cardboard boxes. Their choice of which neighborhoods to deliver to is related to accused discrimination, and they have faced union related problems for unfair wages. Analysis SWOT Analysis One analytical framework that can be used for the internal and external environment of FreshDirect is SWOT analysis. The analysis of the FreshDirect issues will be broken down into strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner McNamara, 2012). Strengths Their wide choices of products with high-quality information on the foods that were sold Low operating expenses due to not renting expensive retail space. FreshDirects efficient supply chain with no middleman. Low-cost marketing approach Cost-effective operating strategy of FreshDirect for their production facility. Extremely high standards for safety, health, and cleanliness in all areas. Strong partnerships with well-known chefs and restaurants in Manhattan Overall, FreshDirect has lots of strengths that are superior to competitors. They have provided various products to select with high quality at low cost on their well-designed website with high-quality information on the foods which are sold. With no retail location, they have lower operating expenses, resulting in more net revenues relative to traditional retail grocery businesses. Rather than having the middleman, they order all fresh products from individual suppliers and deliver directly to their customers. The less intermediaries between the distribution channel, the less the product costs. This allows FreshDirect to provide their high-quality goods at lower costs. They have adopted a low-cost marketing approach by using a recommendation-based campaign from actual customers, which increases the credibility among new and existing customers. Their production facility is located close to their Manhattan customer base with 12 separate temperature zones and an SAP manufacturing softw are system, which have kept the best condition of their products at the optimal temperature. High standard for cleanliness leads to high quality products. Strong partnershisp have enhanced the quality and taste of the four-minute meal. Weaknesses Limited selection of dry goods and packaged goods High dependence on the sales of perishables Constant change in senior management with short terms Extremely price sensitivity of consumers Using too many non-eco-friendly cardboard boxes with no returning system for recycling. Serving only selected areas around New York with no further market expansion strategy. FreshDirect has many weaknesses where they might be inferior to competitors. FreshDirect has few brands and kinds of dry goods and packaged goods relative to other competitors. For instance, Amazon.com has focused on dry goods and is increasing its market share due to its existing customer base and better customer service. FreshDirect highly depends on the sales of perishables, which leads to high delivery costs and the other operating expenses related to keeping perishables in good condition. Constant change in Senior Management can result in decreasing the firms values because it increases the firms risks. Different CEOs pursued different operating strategies. It will cause investors and customers to fall into confusion for their existing customers. One weakness with FreshDirect is that customers are highly price sensitive when they purchase their products because customers tend to pay no additional fees for online grocers and home delivery services. The more price sensitive their customers are, the more FreshDirect will lose their customers. FreshDirect will have less net revenues as they decided to continue doing their business because they need to cut their prices below to have price competitiveness. As people become more concerned about the environment, the cardboard boxes of FreshDirect become one main weakness. The non-eco-friendly boxes for one-time delivering are too wasteful and there is no return system in FreshDirect for recycling. FreshDirect serves only limited areas with no further market expansion strategy. Other competitors, especially NetGrocer, cover more areas with the same delivery services as FreshDirect provides. Opportunities Market expansion by using their reputable name and image domestically and internationally, such as the firm, Ford and eBay of the previous cases. Diversifying their products into un-perishable products. Developing eco-friendly and safe delivery and packaging ways, or open a return center for the cardboard boxes for recycling. Aggressive merge and acquisition with other global grocery retailers, like eBay did with other top global auction websites. FreshDirect has many opportunities to overcome their weaknesses. Even with bad market conditions when they started doing their business, they succeeded in this industry, and have earned a good reputation and image among their customers and in New York City. By using their reputation and image, they can expand their operation domestically and internationally. European and Asian markets are so broad that they can expand into the market and make more revenues. FreshDirect can compete with their rivals more efficiently if they diversify their delivery products into more un-perishable products. With the increasing environmental concerns, FreshDirect needs to develop eco-friendly delivery methods, or open a return center for the cardboard boxes for recycling. At first, they will be required to spend more, but as they operate further, they would make better image than competitors and finally it would lead to more profts. FreshDirect can consider aggressive mergers and acquisition with other leading global grocery retailers. It would allow FreshDirect to expand and increase their market share in the online grocery industry. Threats Fierce competition in the online grocery industry. Increased cost parking tickets as part of operating expenses, rising cost of fuel, and a congestion charge proposed by New York City government. Labor challenges such as truck drivers joining workers unions due to unfair wages, working overtime, and investigation of immigration status. Today, FreshDirect face threats in the market. Since FreshDirect succeeded in this industry, many rivals came to the market and competed fiercely with each other. For instance, Whole Foods has threatened their market shares in Manhattan with the same focus, organic health food. YourGrocer.com is the most geographical rival in the New York City with a bulk-buying strategy which makes home delivery services. Increased cost parking tickets, rising cost of fuel, and a congestion charge proposed by New York City government all has currently threatened FreshDirect. As mentioned above, FreshDirect spent $600,000 for the parking tickets and additionally, in 2007, New York City government required a congestion charge for FreshDirect, and the increasing gas prices are adding to their delivery expenses. All these condition would not allow them to reach their target profits and market shares. The increasing gas costs are adding to orders and they will lose their price competiveness with other co mpetitors, and also probably could not keep their promise, higher quality at lower prices. Lower wages, high-cost health benefit premiums, and investigation of immigration status led to joining workers union and it has threatened FreshDirect. Further, it mad the negative effects on their image and might result in losing the existing customers to other competitors and making less revenues. Porters Five-Forces Model Analysis This analytical model that will be examined for the external environment of FreshDirect is Porters Five-Forces Model of Industry Competition. ÂÂ  This analysis of the FreshDirect competitive environment and issues will be broken down into the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitute products and services, and the intensity of rivalry among competitors in an industry (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner McNamara, 2012). The threat of new entrants In this FreshDirect case, the threat of new entry is very low. The online grocery industry continues to mature. Maturity stage is characterized by very few prospects and new entrants. One major source of entry barriers, capital requirement, makes it difficult for new entrants to enter this industry. High start-up costs, operating expenses, large financial investment for a state-of-the art production facility, and an efficient manufacturing software system are required in the online grocery retail industry. This overall low entrant threat has positively affected FreshDirects sales. The bargaining power of buyers The bargaining power of buyers is important in analyzing the FreshDirect case. This case states that buyers are very price sensitive, and the prices for most online grocery products are above local market prices. Buyers tend not to pay more costs for home delivery service. A buyer group is powerful in this case because the buyers have few switching costs. For example, if the customer of FreshDirect thinks the price of products offered by them is expensive, the customer can switch to other competitors such as YourGrocer, Peopod, or NetGrocer very easily with no other costs. Therefore, buyers have a powerful ability to force the prices down. This condition has negatively affected the net margins of FreshDirect. The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is also crucial in evaluating the FreshDirect case. The key for success to FreshDirect in this industry is providing high quality products at lower costs. They are operating under a unique operating strategy in the industry by offering the premium choices and the standardized cuts made by their customers. They eliminated the middleman between suppliers and FreshDirect. All high quality products ordered by their customers are shipped to FreshDirect directly, and this system allows FreshDirect to force down the prices from their suppliers. In this case, the bargaining power of suppliers for FreshDirect is not powerful because their suppliers quality products is important to their business, but there are various of substitutes to switch to with no costs. Therefore, they can provide such high quality items at lower costs, and this has positively affected the net revenues of FreshDirect. The threat of substitute products and services All firms in the same industry have the risk for the threat of substitute products and services. However, the threat of substitute products and services for FreshDirect is so low relative to other industries. FreshDirect have a comparative advantage, offering high quality at lower costs by eliminating the middleman. They provided about 5,000 perishable and organic products from local suppliers. With 12 separate temperature zones and an SAP manufacturing software system, all products are under the best condition. There are no substitutes in the market to offer high-quality of perishable goods with the same level of efficient management system that FreshDirect has used. Customers could not find a substitute for FreshDirect that meets their needs, and could not switch to other products. They have earned good reputation and loyalty from local areas. This limited threat of substitute products and services has affected the earning powers of FreshDirect positively. The intensity of rivalry among competitors in an industry FreshDirect is faced with relatively low intense rivalry among competitors in the industry. Some interacting factors prove this. The online grocery industry makes profits quickly, and Braddock expected that the online grocery sales will increase up to more than 20 percent of total grocery sales within next 10 years (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner McNamara, 2012). This leads to advantages over competitors in the industry. Low exit barriers also show low intense rivalry. The firms with insufficient margins will leave the markets, and it will result in more revenues for the other firms in the markets. This low intense rivalry among competitors in the industry has a positive effect for FreshDirect with more profits. Porters Value-chain analysis This analytical model that will be used for the value-creating activities of FreshDirect is Porters Value Chain Analysis. This analysis will be divided into two different activities, five primary activities and support activities (Dess, Lumpkin, Eisner McNamara, 2012). Five primary activities Inbound logistics FreshDirect has the unique and good relationships with their suppliers. The production facility controls efficiently and keeps the high-quality of products in the best conditions. Operations FreshDirect offers about 5,000 perishable items with high quality at lower costs. Their efficient operating system and an SAP manufacturing software system reduce their operating expenses with greater efficiency and no middleman. Outbound logistics FreshDirect deliver their products daily to their customers home or office by FreshDirect trucks. Marketing and sales FreshDirects customers are highly satisfied with their high-quality products with lower costs. Their market strategy for the delivery allows their customers to save their time and shop for better items conveniently. They also employed a low-cost advertising method, which is the testimonial-based campaign from existing customers. Services FreshDirect send their refrigerated trucks to serve suburban customers, and offer delivery service for picnic needs. They provide pick-up service for orders made by their customers from the processing center. They also offer office delivery service to business customers in Manhattan. Support activities Procurement Due to the unique and good relationships with suppliers by employing a make-to-order philosophy, FreshDirect has the ability to reduce the purchase prices and to increase the quality. Technology development FreshDirect have focused on technology development to continue their success and increase their market shares with greater efficiency. They spend lots of money for developing new software and upgrading their website. Their employees are highly recommended to learn the technology operating system. Human resource management FreshDirect have recruited, trained, developed, and compensated their employees well. For instance, they built a state-of-the-art production center with expert personnel. General administration FreshDirect has the superior ability to manage the quality of their products which is a competitive advantage over other competitors. With the expert employees, they are making large profits by taking the competitive advantage. For example, FreshDirect have teamed up with the best restaurants and chefs for the four-minute meal. They also take a competitive advantage of $100 million in financial investment from private investors and the State of New York. Alternatives Alternative 1: Joint ventures FreshDirect has many options to expand into their market which will result in more profits, and market expansion is required when they want to grow further. One of the options is joint ventures with leading online retailers. FreshDirect serves only limited areas, such as Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Nassua County, Riverdale, Westchester, Staten Island, New Jersey, and some areas of Connecticut. Doing a business in small and limited areas can have a comparative advantage that allows FreshDirect to respond the needs of their customers quickly and offer higher quality and better a customer service. However, serving only the limited number of customers also has a side effect. There might be the ceiling where FreshDirect can make profits. Joint ventures can solve this problem. For instance, if FreshDirect forms a joint venture with Amazon, they can make synergy effects to increase their market shares in an online retail industry. Amazon has a number of its existing loyal customer base, an d provides only the selection of nonperishables. FreshDirect has an efficient production facility and software programs, and provides the selection of perishables mostly. A joint venture might enable these two companies to pool their own advantages in order to reduce costs and increase their market shares. The synergy will result in more earnings, and economies of scales will be achieved. Alternative 2: Franchising Another option to expand the profit base of FreshDirect is franchising. Franchising gives many opportunities such as increasing the revenue base, limiting the risk exposure that a franchisee can have in the domestic and international markets, and generating royalty income to FreshDirect. FreshDirect can invest the additional income received by a franchisee in developing efficient software programs and production facilities in order to provide higher-quality of products at lower costs. The advantage of franchising over licensing is monitoring a franchisees operation. FreshDirect can control effectively a franchisee so that they can make better reputation and image in the industry. Alternative 3: Implementing differentiation strategy To compete with other online grocers efficiently, another alternative to FreshDirect is implementing differentiation strategy, which focuses on providing difference in FreshDirects products by making unique products and valued by their existing and prospective customers. FreshDirect has applied the overall cost leadership strategy, which is the strategy using competitive adavantages by providing low cost products in an industry through FreshDirects value chain. With no middleman between suppliers and FreshDirect, they provide high quality perishables at lower costs to their customers. As people become more concerned about their health and healthy food, people tend to pay more for the organic and safe foods. With the needs of customers, who want unique items, FreshDirect needs to implement differentiation strategy in order to satisfy their customers. The senior managers of FreshDirect should carefully analyze what their customers want to purchase even with higher prices. If FreshDirect brings something unique to the industry, it will increase sales volume of FreshDirect and enhance their reputation and image. Recommendation After considering all three alternatives, the second alternative, Franchising is recommended. Franchising will be more appropriate to increase FreshDirects values and market shares with relatively limited risk. The most important business principle is to maximize profits with limited sources. Franchising can reduce the risk to penetrate the new overseas markets. Today, FreshDirect face many challenges and issues. One main disadvantage of FreshDirect is only serving the limited areas. This places a ceiling of which FreshDirect can make profits as well as limiting their potentials to grow. However, FreshDirect can expand their markets with efficiently monitoring and controlling the quality based on their mission statement, High quality and lower price. Also, an investment in developing technology and efficient operating facility can be financed by the additional income from the loyalty fees. FreshDirect has done an incredible business so far and will continue to set the standard in the online grocery industry. ÂÂ  

Gender and Social Norms in Shakespeares As You Like It Essay -- Shake

Gender and Social Norms in As You Like It      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shakespeare based his comedy As You Like It primarily on three other works.   Its plot follows the basic structure of Rosalynde, published in 1590 by Thomas Lodge.   The Tale of Gamelyn, written by an unknown author in the mid-fourteenth century, is a violent Middle English narrative that was found among Chaucer's papers and provides further details for Shakespeare's work.   With the Forest of Ardenne serving as an escape for our main characters, Shakespeare takes his details from the countless Robin Hood ballads popular in Medieval England.   This paper will examine how Shakespeare's adaptations and alterations of emphasis and plot from these source works have turned our attention to the role of gender norms in society, the restrictions of social norms, and human influence on one's future.   Lastly, included is a brief discussion of how these factors might influence a production of this clever and entertaining work.    In Shakespeare's play, the question of women's role is central to theme and plot.   "By assuming the clothes and likeliness of a man, Rosalind treats herself to powers that are normally beyond her reach as a woman" (Spark 7).   She is able to talk, walk and have the freedoms of a man, while having the heart of a woman.   She is even able to court a lover of her own choice and train him in the art of love.   Shakespeare focuses his work on the drastically different role that she can take under the guise of a man.   In contrast, the novel Rosalynde, focuses only on the male concerns of the story.   The entire story has been directed exclusively to men and made glaringly obvious in it's preface beginning with the words, "To Gentleman Readers."   Throughout the story, L... ...int.htm. Kuhn, Maura. "Much Value in It." Shakespeare Quarterly 28 (Winter 1977): 40-50. Hanawalt, Barbara A. ed.. Chaucer's England- Literature in Historical Content. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1992. Howard, Jean E., "Intoduction to As You Like It." The Norton Shakespeare Ed. Stephen Greenblatt, et.al. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997. 1591-1599. Prendergast, Maria Teresa Micaela.Rennaissance Fantasies- The gathering of Aesthetics in Early Modern Fiction. Kent: Kent State UP, 1999. Sparknotes. As You Like It, by William Shakespeare. 8 Nov. 2002 http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/asyoulikeit/. Strout, Nathaniel. "As You Like It, Rosalynde, and Mutuality." Studies in English Literature 1500-1900 v. 41 no 2 (Spring 2001): 277-95. Tenney, Edward A.. Thomas Lodge. Ithica: Cornell UP, 1935.   

Is The Future In Our Hands?

There are many different theories about the future, some people think that god has planned our future, but other people think that we are in control of our own future, I personally think the same. I have done some research on these theories, which follows. How many times in your life have you doubted the power of God showing in your life? How many times have you said that is this is a problem that even God cannot take care of? How many times have you remained discouraged because it did not seem that the power of the most high God was shinning through you life?Well, first , lets take a look at a certain Bible verse that should be able to reassure anyone that God is all powerful and very much in charge of this earth. † He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by His understanding. † Here we see that fact that God not only created the world that we now live on, but this particular Bible verse gives us three important facts about God: Power, Wisdom and Understanding.Just take a look at the verse, it tells us that that earth was made by His power, established by His wisdom and that the heaven was made by His understanding. What other proof do you need to realize that a God that is this great is more then capable to take care of you and allow himself to be manifested in your life? A recent example of this is the tsunami in china this shows that god is very much in control of our life. People with a strong character are able to make easier their own choices.The shaping of the character depends to the unique nature of a man, environment, family, education etc. Not all people have the same personality, character and nature. So not everyone can make his/her own choice at same level. Fate and destiny-Questions always arise when one or the other is mentioned. Can we rebel against our own destiny? Can we truly decide the path we want to take in life? These are questions with no definite o r final answer. Nevertheless, everything depends on our determination, our strength to defeat the obstacles we meet on our life's journey.A lot of successful and driven people in many varied fields confess that fate seems to be against them at the launch of their career. Most of them lived completely different lives before they achieved success, and they are proud to remember those times. It was hard, many successful folks say, but nothing could have held them back as they strove to the best. They also admit that they never dared dream they would be so famous or successful. All these facts make us wonder whether an apparently pre-established fate can be modified or completely changed.And if we indeed can change fate, how can we demonstrate what we're capable of? Could there be a way to modify the data, which composes the abstract book of life, just as easy as correcting something on a computer? And if that holds true, how do we know that there wasn't a mistake in the first place, an d our determination does not do more than merely correct it? After this research I have come to the conclusion that god controls our future, and not us. Thanks for listening today ladies and gentlemen and I bid you goodday. Is The Future In Our Hands? There are many different theories about the future, some people think that god has planned our future, but other people think that we are in control of our own future, I personally think the same. I have done some research on these theories, which follows. How many times in your life have you doubted the power of God showing in your life? How many times have you said that is this is a problem that even God cannot take care of? How many times have you remained discouraged because it did not seem that the power of the most high God was shinning through you life?Well, first , lets take a look at a certain Bible verse that should be able to reassure anyone that God is all powerful and very much in charge of this earth. † He hath made the earth by His power, He hath established the world by His wisdom, and hath stretched out the heaven by His understanding. † Here we see that fact that God not only created the world that we now live on, but this particular Bible verse gives us three important facts about God: Power, Wisdom and Understanding.Just take a look at the verse, it tells us that that earth was made by His power, established by His wisdom and that the heaven was made by His understanding. What other proof do you need to realize that a God that is this great is more then capable to take care of you and allow himself to be manifested in your life? A recent example of this is the tsunami in china this shows that god is very much in control of our life. People with a strong character are able to make easier their own choices.The shaping of the character depends to the unique nature of a man, environment, family, education etc. Not all people have the same personality, character and nature. So not everyone can make his/her own choice at same level. Fate and destiny-Questions always arise when one or the other is mentioned. Can we rebel against our own destiny? Can we truly decide the path we want to take in life? These are questions with no definite o r final answer. Nevertheless, everything depends on our determination, our strength to defeat the obstacles we meet on our life's journey.A lot of successful and driven people in many varied fields confess that fate seems to be against them at the launch of their career. Most of them lived completely different lives before they achieved success, and they are proud to remember those times. It was hard, many successful folks say, but nothing could have held them back as they strove to the best. They also admit that they never dared dream they would be so famous or successful. All these facts make us wonder whether an apparently pre-established fate can be modified or completely changed.And if we indeed can change fate, how can we demonstrate what we're capable of? Could there be a way to modify the data, which composes the abstract book of life, just as easy as correcting something on a computer? And if that holds true, how do we know that there wasn't a mistake in the first place, an d our determination does not do more than merely correct it? After this research I have come to the conclusion that god controls our future, and not us. Thanks for listening today ladies and gentlemen and I bid you goodday.

Different Treatment Organizations in Prisons

There are various treatment programs in prisons that I have discovered by contacting several organizations. I will described a wide range of programs offered to inmates that help target special needs such as education, behavioral change, spiritual awareness, vocational training, parenting classes, HIV prevention, and drug education. I will describe each treatment programs that I have found and discuss the purposes of each program. A program called the Volunteer Prison Education Program was launched in July 1997 at the Rikers Island Prison. I called and spoke with Joan Bloomgarden, who described this program as a quality educational experience to inmates who would otherwise not have access to learning. This unique program involves volunteer educators to motivate inmates to help themselves, their families and one another to create a learning community within the prison system. The purpose of this program is to promote positive behavioral change, assist in prevention of crime, work cooperatively with prosecutors, and to actively involve the families of inmates in crime prevention. Courses offered are Child Development, Understanding Your Anger, Art Education in Prison: Toward Enhancing Self-Esteem, Conflict Resolution: Practical Exploration, Basic Understanding of Money Management, and Basic Eye Care. I contacted The Prison SMART Foundation Incorporated and spoke with Thomas Duffy, who was able to provide me information regarding their unique stress management and rehabilitative training program delivered to hardened criminals in U. S prisons. The purpose of this program is to teach the proper breathing techniques to help inmates reduce and manage their stress levels in order to help them think more clearly and to help them think about their actions. Taught by Prison SMART Foundation volunteers, this 6 to 10 day program utilizes advanced yoga breathing exercises and is based on the dynamic cleansing effects of the breath on the body and mind. As a result, they enjoy increased self-esteem and self-empowerment. Thousands who have completed the Prison SMART Foundation's stress management programs are living proof. Prison administrators have reported that inmates who have participated in this program are easier to handle and exhibit less acting out in confrontational situations. I contacted the Prisoners for Christ Outreach Ministries based in Kirkland, WA, and spoke with Greg Von Tobel, to learn more information about programs offered to inmates. Prisoners For Christ services include: Church Services and Bible Studies, Two Year Bible Study Correspondence Course, One to One Visitation Outreach, Pen Pal Outreach, Special Projects Outreach, Literature, Heart to Heart Christmas Giving Program, Wives Outreach, Parent Outreach, Van Transportation Outreach, and Northwest Transitional Housing. The purposes of these services are to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the jails, prisons, and juvenile centers of the Northwest. In addition, Prisoners For Christ work with the men, women, and children who are incarcerated to become fully functioning, tax paying citizens and to assist their families. Statistics shows that last year alone, 16,326 inmates (men, women, and youth) attended these programs in 19 different institutions. About 6% of inmates made their first time commitments to the Lord Jesus Christ. I wanted to learn about several other types of treatment programs offered in prisons, so I contacted the California Department of Corrections. They have implemented several programs designed to benefit both the inmates and the public. I will briefly describe each of these programs and the purpose each one offers. The Joint Venture Program, opened its doors in 1991, where private employers can contract with the California Department of Corrections to set up their businesses on prison grounds and hire inmate workers at competitive wages. This gives inmates the ability to provide economical benefits such as providing restitution to victims, becoming taxpayers, paying support to families, compensate costs for their incarceration, and mandatory savings to provide funds after release from prison. The social benefits are the ability to develop good work habits, gain job experience, decrease inmate idleness, and to return to society motivated and skilled adults. The Mother Infant Program is designed to help mothers reestablish bonds with their children, teach them valuable skills, and prepare them to return to society as working adults. Parenting classes, pre-employment training, and drug education classes are offered to help build better parenting relationships and brighter futures for inmates while they serve their time. In parenting classes, they learn how to talk and relate to their children and how to discipline effectively. Both mothers and children may also receive counseling. In pre-employment training, they gain practical information about applying, landing and keeping a job. Since the majority of the mothers have had some sort of chemical dependency in the past, they also attend drug education classes. The classes are geared to keep them from returning to their old habits, make them aware of the dangers of drug addiction, and show them how drugs not only impair their lives, but especially their children†s. The California Conservation Camp Program intents to train and use inmates for conservation and development of natural resources. These conservation camps are located in some of the state's most secluded wilderness areas. They provide a large force of trained crews for fire fighting, resource conservation, and emergency assignments as necessary. In addition to fire fighting, other tasks assigned to inmates are graffiti removal, reforestation, levee repair and flood control, pine bark beetle eradication and preservation, illegal dump site cleanup, wildlife habitat rehabilitation, and park and cemetery maintenance. During non-work hours inmates are involved in special projects such as repairing toys for disadvantaged children or on projects with the elderly or disabled. In some camps vocational training programs are available. In others, inmates work on a variety of special projects such as road construction and prison building, which allow them to still learn and strengthen skills. As they repay their debt to society, camp inmates provide a real economic benefit to local communities. In a typical year, they will work 2 million hours on fire fighting and fire prevention. They also will spend almost 6 million hours on conservation projects and community service activities. Those who successfully complete training at prison conservation centers in Northern and Southern California learn how their effectiveness and their lives depend upon discipline and teamwork. When the time comes for parole, inmates have been exposed to good work habits and teamwork in the camp setting. This exposure provides them with a purpose, goals, and a sense of accomplishment in doing a job well done. Computer refurbishing program, launched in 1994, was developed to refurbish used computers for California's K-12 public schools. The California Department of Corrections trains inmates to refurbish donated computers then turns them over to the schools. Currently, the California Department of Corrections is responsible for 60 percent of all refurbished computers placed in California public schools. The donated computer equipment comes in various states of disrepair. Some computers are obsolete for business purposes, others need minor repair and still others can only be used for parts. In the first year, nearly 2,000 refurbished computers made their way to California classrooms. By the end of 1997, 13 prisons had refurbished more than 35,000 computers for California schools, saving them close to $33 million. Through this program, the inmates learn and practice skills that will help prepare them for a future outside prison. I contacted San Quentin State Prison, and spoke to Barry Zack, to find out about any treatment programs offered. One particular program called HIV Prevention Education is required for all men entering the prison. This program offered since 1986, is to help inmates see the personal side to HIV, increase perception of risk, increase knowledge of HIV/AIDS, and reduce the risk of HIV, STDs, hepatitis and tuberculosis in prison and after release. Since 1991, inmates have received comprehensive peer education training to work as peer educators. The training covers several topics such as public speaking techniques, awareness of alcohol and drugs and their impact on high-risk behaviors, HIV-related multi-cultural awareness, and HIV/AIDS in our society and in the world. About 40 peer educators are trained each year. After training, the peer educators conducts various services such as teaching an HIV prevention orientation class, providing individual counseling, and providing prevention case management. Two different programs are offered to inmates prior to their release from prison. One program is specifically for HIV + inmates and is offered as a two-week, 8 session intervention that includes such topics as self-esteem, health maintenance, community resources, stress management, substance use, legal issues, and barriers to care after release. The other program, conducted two weeks prior to an inmate†s release, offers individual sessions to discuss preventing, acquiring, or transmitting HIV after release from prison. Topics covered include using condoms, avoiding drug and alcohol use, and avoiding needle sharing. I contacted The Federal Bureau of Prisons where they currently operate 42 residential treatment programs with an annual capacity of over 6,000 participants. For the 30 percent of Federal inmates who have a history of moderate to severe substance abuse this program is able to provide drug treatment to all inmates who need it and are willing to accept it. This program offers inmates up to 500 hours of treatment, which focuses on individual responsibility and to deter future criminal behavior. The goal of this program is to help identify, confront, and alter their attitudes, values, and thinking patterns that led them to their criminal behavior and drug or alcohol use. This program includes sessions on Screening and Assessment, Treatment Orientation, Criminal Lifestyle Confrontation, Cognitive Skill Building, Relapse Prevention, Interpersonal Skill Building, and Wellness. I have found these treatment programs to be suitable and adequate. Each organization, I spoke with has concluded that these programs not only offers benefits to the individual but also to society as a whole. There are economic and social benefits that can be gained from these programs that I have just described. I have listed a wide range of programs that help target special needs for inmates that may help deter future criminal behavior. We need these programs to help rehabilitate these inmates while they are serving their time in jail. It has been stressed that jail alone cannot deter a criminal from reoffending. By providing these various programs to inmates, we can help them become drug-free, educated, hard-working individuals prior to being released from prison. Hopefully, whatever program an inmate has participated in can help change their behavioral patterns, which may help reduce the rate of recidivism. Different Treatment Organizations in Prisons There are various treatment programs in prisons that I have discovered by contacting several organizations. I will described a wide range of programs offered to inmates that help target special needs such as education, behavioral change, spiritual awareness, vocational training, parenting classes, HIV prevention, and drug education. I will describe each treatment programs that I have found and discuss the purposes of each program. A program called the Volunteer Prison Education Program was launched in July 1997 at the Rikers Island Prison. I called and spoke with Joan Bloomgarden, who described this program as a quality educational experience to inmates who would otherwise not have access to learning. This unique program involves volunteer educators to motivate inmates to help themselves, their families and one another to create a learning community within the prison system. The purpose of this program is to promote positive behavioral change, assist in prevention of crime, work cooperatively with prosecutors, and to actively involve the families of inmates in crime prevention. Courses offered are Child Development, Understanding Your Anger, Art Education in Prison: Toward Enhancing Self-Esteem, Conflict Resolution: Practical Exploration, Basic Understanding of Money Management, and Basic Eye Care. I contacted The Prison SMART Foundation Incorporated and spoke with Thomas Duffy, who was able to provide me information regarding their unique stress management and rehabilitative training program delivered to hardened criminals in U. S prisons. The purpose of this program is to teach the proper breathing techniques to help inmates reduce and manage their stress levels in order to help them think more clearly and to help them think about their actions. Taught by Prison SMART Foundation volunteers, this 6 to 10 day program utilizes advanced yoga breathing exercises and is based on the dynamic cleansing effects of the breath on the body and mind. As a result, they enjoy increased self-esteem and self-empowerment. Thousands who have completed the Prison SMART Foundation's stress management programs are living proof. Prison administrators have reported that inmates who have participated in this program are easier to handle and exhibit less acting out in confrontational situations. I contacted the Prisoners for Christ Outreach Ministries based in Kirkland, WA, and spoke with Greg Von Tobel, to learn more information about programs offered to inmates. Prisoners For Christ services include: Church Services and Bible Studies, Two Year Bible Study Correspondence Course, One to One Visitation Outreach, Pen Pal Outreach, Special Projects Outreach, Literature, Heart to Heart Christmas Giving Program, Wives Outreach, Parent Outreach, Van Transportation Outreach, and Northwest Transitional Housing. The purposes of these services are to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the jails, prisons, and juvenile centers of the Northwest. In addition, Prisoners For Christ work with the men, women, and children who are incarcerated to become fully functioning, tax paying citizens and to assist their families. Statistics shows that last year alone, 16,326 inmates (men, women, and youth) attended these programs in 19 different institutions. About 6% of inmates made their first time commitments to the Lord Jesus Christ. I wanted to learn about several other types of treatment programs offered in prisons, so I contacted the California Department of Corrections. They have implemented several programs designed to benefit both the inmates and the public. I will briefly describe each of these programs and the purpose each one offers. The Joint Venture Program, opened its doors in 1991, where private employers can contract with the California Department of Corrections to set up their businesses on prison grounds and hire inmate workers at competitive wages. This gives inmates the ability to provide economical benefits such as providing restitution to victims, becoming taxpayers, paying support to families, compensate costs for their incarceration, and mandatory savings to provide funds after release from prison. The social benefits are the ability to develop good work habits, gain job experience, decrease inmate idleness, and to return to society motivated and skilled adults. The Mother Infant Program is designed to help mothers reestablish bonds with their children, teach them valuable skills, and prepare them to return to society as working adults. Parenting classes, pre-employment training, and drug education classes are offered to help build better parenting relationships and brighter futures for inmates while they serve their time. In parenting classes, they learn how to talk and relate to their children and how to discipline effectively. Both mothers and children may also receive counseling. In pre-employment training, they gain practical information about applying, landing and keeping a job. Since the majority of the mothers have had some sort of chemical dependency in the past, they also attend drug education classes. The classes are geared to keep them from returning to their old habits, make them aware of the dangers of drug addiction, and show them how drugs not only impair their lives, but especially their children†s. The California Conservation Camp Program intents to train and use inmates for conservation and development of natural resources. These conservation camps are located in some of the state's most secluded wilderness areas. They provide a large force of trained crews for fire fighting, resource conservation, and emergency assignments as necessary. In addition to fire fighting, other tasks assigned to inmates are graffiti removal, reforestation, levee repair and flood control, pine bark beetle eradication and preservation, illegal dump site cleanup, wildlife habitat rehabilitation, and park and cemetery maintenance. During non-work hours inmates are involved in special projects such as repairing toys for disadvantaged children or on projects with the elderly or disabled. In some camps vocational training programs are available. In others, inmates work on a variety of special projects such as road construction and prison building, which allow them to still learn and strengthen skills. As they repay their debt to society, camp inmates provide a real economic benefit to local communities. In a typical year, they will work 2 million hours on fire fighting and fire prevention. They also will spend almost 6 million hours on conservation projects and community service activities. Those who successfully complete training at prison conservation centers in Northern and Southern California learn how their effectiveness and their lives depend upon discipline and teamwork. When the time comes for parole, inmates have been exposed to good work habits and teamwork in the camp setting. This exposure provides them with a purpose, goals, and a sense of accomplishment in doing a job well done. Computer refurbishing program, launched in 1994, was developed to refurbish used computers for California's K-12 public schools. The California Department of Corrections trains inmates to refurbish donated computers then turns them over to the schools. Currently, the California Department of Corrections is responsible for 60 percent of all refurbished computers placed in California public schools. The donated computer equipment comes in various states of disrepair. Some computers are obsolete for business purposes, others need minor repair and still others can only be used for parts. In the first year, nearly 2,000 refurbished computers made their way to California classrooms. By the end of 1997, 13 prisons had refurbished more than 35,000 computers for California schools, saving them close to $33 million. Through this program, the inmates learn and practice skills that will help prepare them for a future outside prison. I contacted San Quentin State Prison, and spoke to Barry Zack, to find out about any treatment programs offered. One particular program called HIV Prevention Education is required for all men entering the prison. This program offered since 1986, is to help inmates see the personal side to HIV, increase perception of risk, increase knowledge of HIV/AIDS, and reduce the risk of HIV, STDs, hepatitis and tuberculosis in prison and after release. Since 1991, inmates have received comprehensive peer education training to work as peer educators. The training covers several topics such as public speaking techniques, awareness of alcohol and drugs and their impact on high-risk behaviors, HIV-related multi-cultural awareness, and HIV/AIDS in our society and in the world. About 40 peer educators are trained each year. After training, the peer educators conducts various services such as teaching an HIV prevention orientation class, providing individual counseling, and providing prevention case management. Two different programs are offered to inmates prior to their release from prison. One program is specifically for HIV + inmates and is offered as a two-week, 8 session intervention that includes such topics as self-esteem, health maintenance, community resources, stress management, substance use, legal issues, and barriers to care after release. The other program, conducted two weeks prior to an inmate†s release, offers individual sessions to discuss preventing, acquiring, or transmitting HIV after release from prison. Topics covered include using condoms, avoiding drug and alcohol use, and avoiding needle sharing. I contacted The Federal Bureau of Prisons where they currently operate 42 residential treatment programs with an annual capacity of over 6,000 participants. For the 30 percent of Federal inmates who have a history of moderate to severe substance abuse this program is able to provide drug treatment to all inmates who need it and are willing to accept it. This program offers inmates up to 500 hours of treatment, which focuses on individual responsibility and to deter future criminal behavior. The goal of this program is to help identify, confront, and alter their attitudes, values, and thinking patterns that led them to their criminal behavior and drug or alcohol use. This program includes sessions on Screening and Assessment, Treatment Orientation, Criminal Lifestyle Confrontation, Cognitive Skill Building, Relapse Prevention, Interpersonal Skill Building, and Wellness. I have found these treatment programs to be suitable and adequate. Each organization, I spoke with has concluded that these programs not only offers benefits to the individual but also to society as a whole. There are economic and social benefits that can be gained from these programs that I have just described. I have listed a wide range of programs that help target special needs for inmates that may help deter future criminal behavior. We need these programs to help rehabilitate these inmates while they are serving their time in jail. It has been stressed that jail alone cannot deter a criminal from reoffending. By providing these various programs to inmates, we can help them become drug-free, educated, hard-working individuals prior to being released from prison. Hopefully, whatever program an inmate has participated in can help change their behavioral patterns, which may help reduce the rate of recidivism.

A Brief Guide to the Sociology of Globalization

A Brief Guide to the Sociology of Globalization The sociology of globalization is a subfield within sociology that focuses on understanding the structures, institutions, groups, relationships, ideologies, trends, and patterns that are particular to a globalized world. Sociologists whose research lies within this subfield focus on how the process of globalization has shifted or changed pre-existing elements of society, new elements of society that may have evolved in response to globalization, and the social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental implications of the process. The sociology of globalization contains the study of economic, political, and cultural globalization, and importantly, examines the interplay of all three aspects, as they are all mutually dependent on one another. When sociologists focus on the economic aspects of globalization, they examine how the capitalist economy has evolved from a pre-globalization state. They research legal changes in the regulations of production, finance, and trade that either facilitated or are responses to the globalization of the economy; how the processes and relations of production are different in a globalized economy; how conditions and experiences of labor, and the value of labor, are particular to a globalized economy; how globalization changes patterns of consumption and distribution; and what may or may not be particular to the business enterprises that operate in a global economy. Sociologists have found that the deregulation of the economy that allowed for its globalization have led to a rise in insecure, low-wage, and unsafe work around the world, and that corporations have amassed unprecedented levels of wealth during capitalism’s global epoch. To learn more about economic globalization, see the work of William I. Robinson, Richard P. Appelbaum, Leslie Salzinger, Molly Talcott, Pun Ngai, and Yen Le Espiritu, among others. When studying political globalization, sociologists focus on understanding what has changed or is new about political institutions, actors, forms of government and governance, the practice of popular politics, modes of political engagement, and the relationships between them in a global context. Political globalization is intimately connected to economic globalization, as it is within the political realm that decisions about how to globalize and run the economy were and are made. Sociologists have found that the global era has wrought entirely new forms of governance that are global in scope (the transnational state), made up of organizations of heads of state or high-level representatives from many nations who determine the rules for global society. Some have focused their research on the implications of globalization for popular political movements, and have illuminated the role of digital technology in facilitating globalized political and social movements that reflect shared idea s, values, and goals of people all over the world (like the Occupy movement, for example). Many sociologists carve a distinction between â€Å"globalization from above,† which is globalization determined by the leaders of transnational corporations and the transnational state, versus â€Å"globalization from below,† a democratic form of globalization called for by popular movements. To learn more about political globalization, see the work of Josef I. Conti, Vandana Shiva, William F. Fisher, Thomas Ponniah, and William I. Robinson, among others. Cultural globalization is a phenomenon connected to both economic and political globalization. It refers to the export, import, sharing, repurposing and adapting of values, ideas, norms, common sense, lifestyles, language, behaviors, and practices on a global scale. Sociologists have found that cultural globalization occurs via the global trade in consumer goods, which spreads lifestyle trends, popular media like film, television, music, art, and material shared online; through the implementation of forms of governance borrowed from other regions that reshape everyday life and social patterns; the spread of styles of conducting business and of working; and from the travel of people from place to place. Technological innovation has a great impact on cultural globalization, as recent advances in travel, media production, and communication technology have brought wide-scale cultural shifts across the world. To learn more about cultural globalization, see the work of George Yà ºdice, Mike Featherstone, Pun Ngai, Hung Cam Thai, and Nita Mathur.

Numskulls, Noodles, and Nincompoops

Numskulls, Noodles, and Nincompoops Numskulls, Noodles, and Nincompoops Numskulls, Noodles, and Nincompoops By Maeve Maddox When I began to research words meaning stupid person, I expected to find ten or so common ones and be done with it. Instead Ive found dozens upon dozens of English words used to describe a person of perceived limited intelligence. I plan to continue my research, but here are twelve for a start. cretin This term has a medical meaning, so its use as an insult is unfortunate. Medically speaking, a cretin is a person who suffered from thyroid deficiency in the fetal stage. Two symptoms of cretinism in children are dwarfed stature and mental retardation. In the 18th century, the age of Pope and Dryden, every fashionable person aspired to be a Wit, someone who could show off learning and clever association of ideas with neat, quotable phrases and quips. (Kind of like speech writers hoping to turn out memorable sound bites.) The noun wit, in the sense of knowedge, intelligence, quick-thinking, spawned several words to denote a stupid person. half-wit Originally, just a wannabe Wit whose verse and jokes were pretty lame. The term quickly came to mean someone lacking in his wits. nitwit In German and in Yiddish, nit means nothing. I suppose a nitwit must be another level down from a half-wit. (First recorded use 1922.) twit This is British slang dating from the 1930s. I first heard it in the Sixties when I lived in England. Thanks to cross-Atlantic linguistic fertilization, Americans have adopted it. Twit may derive from an Old English verb meaning to reproach, or it may be a development of nitwit. ninny Innocence, sadly enough, is often equated with stupidity, Its thought that ninny, meaning stupid person, derives from the word innocent. Innocent was once a common given name whose pet form was Ninny. There may be a connection with the Italian word ninno, meaning baby or child. noodle Noodle meaning simpleton is probably unrelated to noodle meaning pasta. Noodle meaning stupid person was in use as early as 1753. The word noodle to denote the edible substance is first attested in English in 1779. numskull Ive always spelled it numbskull, but the form without the b seems to be more common. Its a combined form of numb (devoid of sensation) + skull. A skull (brain) that cant feel anything cannot, presumably, do much thinking. nincompoop A little old fashioned, perhaps, but nincompoop rolls nicely off the tongue. Dr. Johnson (1709-1784) thought it came from the legal phrase non compos mentis, meaning mentally incompetent. Etymologists challenge Johnson because the earlier forms were spelled without the second n. simpleton This word, simple + ton, was made on the model of a surname, ex. Templeton, Washington. The word simple has gone through several meanings. When simpleton was coined, the word simple indicated devoid of duplicityanother example of a positive trait coming to be equated with stupidity. A shorter form, simp, is circus slang for a simpleton. dunce This word is usually applied to a stupid student. It derives from the name of John Duns Scotus (c. 1265-1308). Duns Scotus was a medieval scholar whose work was viewed as hopelessly old-fashioned and nit-picky by progressive 16th century thinkers. Philosophers who still valued the works of Duns Scotus and argued along his lines of thought were called dunces by their opponents. In time the word dunce came to apply to any student who didnt learn his lessons. gonzo Journalist Hunter S. Thompson put this word into the American vocabulary by coining the expression gonzo journalism. Websters Unabridged notes origin unknown, but there is an Italian word gonzo that means simpleton or blockhead. Thompson was thinking of irresponsible journalism that mixes fact and fiction and is presented as truth. Possibly gonzo isnt so much a stupid person as a person who writes inaccurate and misleading news stories. dumbass This pejorative combines dumb with ass. Dumb started out as a word meaning mute, unable to speak. As so often happens in an unkind universe, a physical handicap came to be equated with stupidity. From dumb comes dummy, another synomym for stupid person. Among the various meanings of ass is donkey. As early as ancient Greece, the animal was equated with clumsiness and stupidity. Languages tend to have multiple words relating to concepts of particular interest or importance in a culture. For example, people of the north use many words related to cold weather: snow, ice, slush, sleet, blizzard, flurry, avalanche, powder, etc. People who raise horses have numerous words for various kinds: stallion, gelding, mare, filly, foal, bronco, hunter, Morgan, pony, etc. Could this abundance of English words for stupid person be a cause for concern? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:English Grammar 101: All You Need to KnowGrammar Quiz #21: Restrictive and Nonrestrictive ClausesA Yes-and-No Answer About Hyphenating Phrases

cannabis and psychosis

cannabis and psychosis The association between substance misuse (cannabis however they impose a considerable personal and public health burden (Degenhardt Regier et al. 1990). This Comorbidity as a result largely enhances cost associated with treatment, predominantly in relation to hospital and other institutional services. The majority of the evidence regarding prevalence of substance use and mental illness comes from the United States, though European standpoint on prevalence is rapidly rising. One of the first and most famous US study is The Epidemiological Catchment Area study conducted by Regier et al. 1990 across 5 US sites, which involved over 20.000 participants. This study tried to measure how common dual diagnosis was and stated that 47% of the participants they surveyed with schizophrenia or schizophreniform disorder also met the criteria for substance use disorder/dependence at some point in their life. Furthermore, the likelihood of having substance use disorder amongst patients with psycho tic illness was notably higher compared to those in the general population without a psychotic illness (Kessler et al. 1994; Regier et al. 1990). In sharp contrast, studies that have been conducted in the UK have reported more moderate rates of substance misuse amongst those with psychotic disorders. For instance, Cantwell in 2003 undertook a study with 316 patients with schizophrenia and only 7% had stated that they had a problem with substance misuse in the previous year, and 21% had reported problematic use some time before that (Cantwell, 2003). Similarly, Wright and Colleagues identified patients with psychotic illnesses who had been in contact with services in the London Borough of Croydon and reported that prevalence rates of dual diagnosis were 33% for the use of any substance and lifetime history of any illicit drug use was 35% of the sample (Wright et al. 2000). Cannabis is the most frequently used substance in patients with psychotic disorder (Van Mastrigt et al. 2004; Ba rnett et al. 2007) and the literature indicates fairly consistently the association between regular uses of cannabis and developing first-onset psychosis[1] (Grech et al. 2005). However, the causes for the links are still hotly debated. Nevertheless, cannabis has damaging effects on the course of the illness on top of being an economic burden on health services (Atakan, 2009). More specifically, estimates of frequency of cannabis abuse amongst patients with first-episode psychosis is said to range from 20% to 70% (Miles et al. 2003; Isaac et al. 2005). A systematic review of 53 treatment samples and 5 epidemiological studies looking at the prevalence of cannabis use and misuse among those with psychotic illnesses stated lifetime use in 42% and lifetime misuse in 22.5% of the sample while current use was 23% and misuse 11.3% (Green et al. 2005). Furthermore, epidemiological studies also have shown that cannabis is the most frequently abused substance amongst younger people (Van Mastr igt, 2004; Addington Wade et al. 2007) with lower educational background (Mueser et al. 1990) and it is more common in men than in women amongst first-episode psychosis patients (Barnett et al. 2007; Addington Barnes et al. 2006). Inevitably, cannabis abuses among youth experiencing a first-episode psychosis results in negative consequences for prognosis and relapse and therefore complicate treatment and impair recovery (Archie et al. 2009). It is constantly reported in the literature that patients with first-episode psychosis who abuse cannabis had considerably more hospital admissions rates as well as more psychotic symptoms compared to first episode psychosis patients who do not abuse cannabis (Wade et al. 2006; Negrete et al. 1986; Turkington et al. 2009)