Prison Rehabilitation Comparison - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 16 Words: 4769 Downloads: 6 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Sociology Essay Type Case study Did you like this example? Prison Works. Discuss. Websters dictionary defines prison as ‘a place of confinement especially for lawbreakers; specifically: an institution (as one under state jurisdiction) for confinement of persons convicted of serious crimes. The idea and reasoning behind prison has been an issue of great controversy especially in the 20th century. It has been greatly criticised due to its apparent lack of rehabilitation and early releases of paedophiles and rapists, especially in recent news with the release and re-offence of known paedophile Craig Sweeny. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Prison Rehabilitation Comparison" essay for you Create order However recent data and statistics have shown a significant decrease in levels of crime both in the UK and US. This paper will attempt to give a balanced argument both in support and against the imprisonment system and attempt to answer whether or not prison does in fact work. Prison systems across the world will be looked at and a comparison will be made between systems in the UK and those in other countries. There is a lot of evidence in the form of statistics which shows a decrease in levels of crime and re-offending. Evidence from the US shows that as the likelihood of going to prison increases crime decreases. In the UK statistics show that increasing likelihood of getting caught and being put in prison reduces crime. However there is also the issue of there being serious flaws in statistics offered by the British Crime Survey (BCS). The BCS focuses on crime against an individual, thus eliminating all crime against a business or organisation, including fraud. It fails t o take into account victimless crimes such as drug offences and crimes such as murder where the victim cannot, for obvious reasons, be interviewed. Rape and other sexual offences are not included, an acknowledgement that many respondents would be unwilling to disclose this information. Crimes against people under the age of 16 are also excluded removing large numbers of crimes that are common among this age group, such as mobile phone theft and child abuse. There was also a significant change in the way methodology was carried out as new offences were added to categories of crime in April 1998. No distinction was made between new and old offences which made comparing new statistics to old rather difficult. This shows statistics and figures referring to crime should be taken in to account rather carefully as it is difficult to see whether this data is accurate. The Government has set out to reduce crime, but the evidence from a study comparing the policies pursued in the USA w ith those in England and Wales suggests it has adopted the wrong policies. From the early 1980s until the mid-1990s the risk of imprisonment increased in the USA and the crime rate fell; while in England and Wales the opposite happened: the risk of imprisonment fell and the crime rate increased. Then, from 1993, policy in England and Wales was reversed and the risk of imprisonment increased, though it remained historically low. Even this relatively small increase in the use of prison was followed by a reduction in crime. How do we compare with Europe? During 2002, concern about prison overcrowding led Britains senior judge, Lord Woolf, to discourage judges and magistrates from sending criminals to jail. When he made his statement the BBC television news announced that the prison population was rising when crime was falling and Britain already had more people in jail per head of population than the rest of Europe. The implication is that judges and magistrates are deploying a rather barbaric instrument when everyone else in Europe prefers a more gentle approach. But a closer look at the figures suggests a different interpretation. The proper comparison is not between the number of prison inmates and the total population, but between the number of prisoners and the volume of crime. A country with a high level of crime would expect to have to put more people in jail. And England and Wales have one of the highest crime rates among industrialised countries. (See above.) In the EU the average number of prisoners per 100,000 popu lation (unweighted) in 2001 was 87, compared with 129 in England and Wales. But if we compare the number of prisoners to the number of recorded crimes the EU average was 16.9 and the figure for England and Wales was 12.1. In fact, 8 out of 15 EU countries had rates of imprisonment for every 1,000 crimes that were the same or higher. Comparison with countries outside Europe reveals a similar pattern. In 1999, Canada had 123 prisoners per 100,000 population compared with England and Wales, but 15.9 prisoners per 1,000 recorded crimes. Japan had only 43 prisoners per 100,000 population but 25.3 per 1,000 recorded crimes. Australia, which had the worst crime victimisation rate out of the 17 countries in the International Victims of Crime Survey, had 108 prisoners per 100,000 population and 15.4 per 1,000 crimes. On this evidence prison in England and Wales is under-used. But does overseas experience suggest that greater use of prison would reduce crime? The best available evidence compares England and Wales with the United States, below. The Government Line The Government claims to be cracking down on crime. In the foreword to the white paper, Justice for All (July 2002), authored by the Home Secretary, the Lord Chancellor, and the Attorney General, tough language was used to back up this claim: Too few criminals are caught or convicted or prevented from reoffending. Justice denied is justice derided. This White Paper is designed to send the strongest possible message to those who commit crimes that the system will be effective in detecting, convicting and properly punishing them. But does the evidence suggest that the Government has adopted the best methods for reducing crime? For at least 20 years until 1993 the Home Office was strongly opposed to the use of prison, but when Michael Howard became Home Secretary the use of prison was increased for a time against the wishes of officials. Subsequently this policy reversal was weakened and the long-standing bias against prison continues to influence policy today. Custody, in the words of Justice for All, has an important role in punishing offenders and protecting the public, but it is expensive and should be limited to dangerous, serious and seriously persistent offenders and those who have consistently breached community sentences.(1) However, the old Home Office policy of reducing the use of prison has been tempered by acknowledgement that community sentences do not adequately protect the public. This realism has led the Government to the search for tough community sentences that are a credible alternative to custody, including community sentences with multiple conditions like tagging, reparation and drug treatment and testing. It is imperative, according to the Government, that we have a correctional system which punishes but also reduces reoffending through the rehabilitation of the offender.(2) Consequently, a genuine third option is also needed in addition to custody and community punishment. The planned new sentences combine community a nd custodial sentences. The list includes a modified suspended sentence called Custody Minus, under which offenders will be automatically imprisoned if they fail to comply with the conditions of the sentence. Custody Plus involves closer supervision by the Probation Service on release for those sentenced to up to three months in prison. The period of custody and supervision combined will be not more than 12 months in total. Intermittent custody is designed for low-risk offenders and involves serving time at weekends or overnight, but working or training during the day. Seven aims of sentencing are listed in the white paper: to protect the public, to punish, to reduce crime, to deter (others as well as the criminal), to incapacitate, to reform and rehabilitate, and to promote reparation. In the heyday of the anti-prison consensus at the Home Office, incapacitation and punishment were very much out of favour. Some even denied that prison had a deterrent effect, preferring to regard all criminals as victims of social forces. The list shows how opinion at the Home Office has progressed. But has it absorbed all the lessons revealed by the evidence from overseas? If the Government really thinks that too few criminals are caught or convicted or prevented from reoffending and, if the real aim of policy is to send the strongest possible message to those who commit crimes that the system will be effective in detecting, convicting and properly punishing them, would an independent and rational person choose the policies set out in Justice for All? What evidence is available? If we increase the rate at which criminals are caught, convicted and imprisoned, can we expect crime to fall? Two kinds of experiment would allow this theory to be tested. First, two countries would need to pursue opposite policies: one would need to reduce the risk of punishment and another to increase it. If it is true that crime falls when the risk of punishment increases, then crime wi ll rise in the country that reduces the risk of being caught, convicted and imprisoned. Or, second, a single country would need to reverse its policy, either by increasing or decreasing the risk of punishment, to allow an historical comparison of the impact on crime to be made. In the social sciences opportunities for such experiments are rare, but for once we are lucky and both an international comparison and a single-country historical comparison are possible. We can compare the USA with England and Wales from 1981-1996 and we can contrast the impact of the anti-prison policy in England and Wales up to 1993 with the effects of the increased use of prison thereafter. The policies pursued in England and Wales were very different from those adopted in America during the 1980s and 1990s. In America over the whole period, a vigorous effort was made to incarcerate more criminals. As a result crime fell dramatically. In England and Wales, however, the Home Office pursued an anti-pr ison policy up to 1993, preferring community sentences. During this period crime increased dramatically. After that date, criminals faced an increase risk of imprisonment. Crime subsequently fell. Ann Widdecombe undisputedly a conviction politician answered the question posed on law and order by the Howard League for Penal Reform with characteristic speed. Speaking on the Tory party conference fringe, the shadow home secretary said simply Yes to the question Does prison work? Of course it does, she continued speaking in a packed hotel function room in sunny Bournemouth. When people are locked up they cant commit any further crime, she said. By taking the persistent offenders off the streets the one-time Home Office minister said a significant dint could be made in the crime figures. But enough of incarceration. Miss Widdecombe quickly changed tack. Prison does not do anything like as much as it should to prevent crime. It only defers crime, it does not solve it. Rehabilitati ng offenders was not, she said some wet liberal extra, it is necessary. If people spend any length of time in prison they should not leave without being able to read and write. Self financing prison workshops were the way forward, she said. Something had to be done, said Miss Widdecombe, to change a situation where prisoners were set to work to produce 1.4m pairs of socks for a prison population of 67,000 people. Speaking for the National Association of Prison Officers, Harry Fletcher said that if model prisons run to rehabilitate prisoners and reduce re-offending could be shown to work then they should be taken up nationwide. But he said that the present size of the prison population made him pessimistic that the system could be made to work in such a way. Speaking for the Howard League itself was David Faulkner. Although welcoming Miss Widdecombes words, he said he had heard similar speeches made by ministers and prison officials for the last 40 years. He then attempted to a nswer the question his organisation had posed. Tackling crime requires so much more than incarceration. Policies should be framed within a sound respect for human rights and framed on evidence and experience and not constructed by following populist cries for action, he said. In the past three financial years, however, the three main types of rehabilitation scheme psychological offending behaviour programmes, drug treatment and basic skills education have been funded to the tune of  £213 million, and are set to expand substantially again. Last year, 6,127 inmates completed offending behaviour programmes, more than 11 times as many as in 1994. That figure will rise to 9,000 in 2002. Another 16,000 are being taught numeracy and literacy the basic skills of more than two-thirds of prisoners are so poor they are automatically excluded from 94 per cent of jobs. Research shows that nothing succeeds in preventing recidivism more effectively than employment. ETS is now in use in 79 jails and a similar programme adopted from Canada at another 24. Peer-reviewed research by Caroline Friendship, a Prison Service psychologist, compares 670 inmates who went through these courses with 1,801 offenders matched by offence and social categories who did not attend a programme. All types of offender who had the treatment were significantly less likely to be reconvicted within two years. Among those judged medium-low risk, for example, only 18 per cent were reconvicted, against 32 per cent in the comparison group. The research concludes that prisoners who take the courses in 2002 can be expected to commit 21,000 fewer crimes. The effects of rejecting the bleak nothing works philosophy go beyond the courses themselves, to prison culture as a whole. The rapid spread of offending behaviour, drugs and education programmes, and the increasing involvement of ordinary prison officers in running them, means the old, militaristic ethos is breaking down in many prisons. Smal l signs point up deeper changes most prisoners address their officer tutors by their first names, for example. From the staffs point of view, convicts struggling to overcome dyslexia, or to analyse their worst past actions, are less easily dehumanised. To use a word from a previous era which believed in rehabilitation, albeit through religion, they have begun to appear redeemable. At the same time, as research from Canada has long suggested (see box below), prisoners on programmes are less violent, more sociable, and easier to work with. Im more outgoing, more relaxed, says Dave from the CSCP. And if someone calls me a wanker now, Im OK with it. Thats their opinion, thats all. It doesnt mean everyone thinks that. At Pentonville, all staff, not only those running programmes, attend an awareness course to learn what they entail. You see a prisoner develop, so your attitude to him changes, says officer Steve Oliver after one such session. Hes no longer the prat he was, so you treat him better. When you see a prisoner doing something you never thought he would, its an incredible buzz. There have always been people in the service prepared to treat prisoners decently, Narey says. But sometimes they might have felt they had to treat prisoners decently by stealth. Recently I took a guy into Wormwood Scrubs who had worked with Lord Woolf on his report into the [1990] Strangeways riot. He was astonished at the change. The best testimony comes from prisoners themselves. After 16 years inside, Dave says the changes are palpable. Its much less hostile. The medias constantly saying that society has got so much more violent. The funny thing is, its got less violent in here. Politicians and police officers complain about dropped cases and acquittals in court, but the facts remain that judges and magistrates are much more likely than they were a decade ago to send convicted criminals to prison, and they are awarding longer sentences. The stresses on the prisons are i mmense and they may, in the end, obliterate the good Narey and his staff are trying to do. The effects on the programmes are already being felt. Peter is on his third attempt to settle into the CSCP far from ideal for such a demanding programme. At Ranby, near Nottingham, where he started, the course has been closed altogether; he then moved to Dartmoor, where it met the same fate. He says he knows the course is valuable to him and may indeed be essential for release. But he is being forced to spend a year hundreds of miles from his family in the North. They cant visit me. And believe me, doing this, I could really do with their support. In other jails, overcrowding means prisoners are disappearing from courses just as they get into their stride. This first concern is substantive, that is, whether deterrence-based programmes are effective in reducing crime. Current scientific opinion on an international basis is that punishment through imprisonment does not reduce crime rates and, in some instances, even worsens crime rates. For example, in a recent review of 29 evaluation studies of boot camps, this approach was considered ineffective in reducing crime.1 Analysis2 of 50 studies from 1958, involving nearly 350,000 offenders, showed that prison slightly elevated the risk for recidivism. Also, lower risk offenders tended to be more negatively affected by the prison experience. Therefore, recent research has failed to establish a link between length of prison sentence and recidivism as predicted by deterrence theory. As a product of numerous factors, crime requires varying interventions targeting problem-specific areas. Best practice rehabilitation programmes are those that target factors empirically linked to the risk for re-offending. These include pro-criminal attitudes, problem-solving deficits and creating opportunities for education and employment. Evidence from a wealth of studies shows that the risk for re-offending is modifiable when such progr ammes are delivered. For example, recidivism rates in serious or persistent young offenders can be reduced by 40% in community treatment and 30% in institutional treatment.3 A second concern is methodological, that is, whether the right measures have been used. Incarceration rates should have been computed as the ratio of persons admitted to prison for a particular offence in a given year to the number of persons arrested for that offence in the same year. In this way, the likelihood of the results accurately capturing cross-national differences in the willingness to incarcerate is enhanced. By using number of prisoners in custody on a given day (stock data), the authors have confounded sentence length with imprisonment rates. Stock data often over-represent more serious offenders with longer sentences, with the potential for over-estimation of the propensity to incarcerate in those countries with higher serious crime rates. By contrast, the number of admissions to prison (flo w data) is not affected by the accumulation of more serious offenders, thereby allowing the separation of the propensity to incarcerate from the length of sentence served. For instance, in a comparison of the use of incarceration in US, Canada, Germany and England, Lynch4 found that, in terms of either population-based stock rates or population-based flow rates, the US was several times more likely than any of the countries to incarcerate for homicide, robbery, burglary, and larceny. For homicide, the US was incarcerating 7.5 times and 5.3 times more frequently than England and Germany, respectively. Flow rates based on police arrests revealed a different pattern, showing a broad similarity in the probability of incarceration for the offences. It appears that Saunders and Billante have not adjusted for variations in size of unsentenced prisoners. Failure to make a distinction can affect comparisons of stock-based incarceration rates since not all those held in a prison have been convicted of an offence.5 To minimise bias in comparative studies, police arrests, rather than crimes reported to police, seem to be the most appropriate data to use. One of the reasons for establishing the International Crime Victims Survey (ICVS) was to provide an alternative mechanism to inaccurate police records on crime. The trends reported have not controlled for differences in the seriousness of crime across the countries compared. Countries could have similar crime rates but the nature of the crimes committed could vary. The ICVS (the fourth round, 2000) reported that ‘there was a higher than average use of weapons in the US, Spain, Scotland and Portugal.6 Guns were used more often in the US and Spain. Without standardising for such variations, it is incorrect to attribute differences in incarceration rates to punitiveness. Therefore, offence-specific analyses provide a better approach. Correlation between crime rates and imprisonment rates A third concern is largely empirical, that is, whether crime rates can necessarily predict imprisonment rates. Simple correlation analyses are insufficient for exploring the complex and multi-dimensional association between crime and incarceration propensity.7,8 Several studies have shown the influence of crime rates on imprisonment rates to be limited.7,9,10 In Canada, where the criminal law is the same across the country but administered provincially, Sprott and Doob 11 found that crime rates did not predict incarceration counts. Numerous and complex factors, such as the organisation of the criminal justice system and reward structure, need to be examined. More detailed analyses are required to substantiate Saunders and Billantes claim that ‘the rate of crime and incidence of punishment are closely associated. Conclusion The observed differences reported by Saunders and Billante in the propensity to incarcerate cross-nationally have been made in terms that are too general to serve as a useful and valid basis for policy guidance. Stringent requirements focusing on more sensitive measures and specific crime categories are critical. Analyses of comparable crimes minimise the effects of variations in crime seriousness cross-nationally, thereby yielding more credible results. Well-designed studies show that deterrence-based programmes are ineffective in reducing crime and the focus should be on developing rehabilitation programmes that do reduce the likelihood of recidivism. The case for Australia adopting the US approach to crime reduction through the use of imprisonment has not been established. It is common sense that the only guarantee of protecting the community from an offender during the period of a sentence is a custodial sentence. It has been calculated that over a quarter of offenders se rving community sentences will have re-offended at least once by the time an offender has served an average length sentence. The majority of offences are minor ones. For offenders who present a risk of serious harm, prison is quite properly used. Prison provides absolute protection from an individual only for the duration of the sentence. This will not always mean protection from crime. It was suggested to the Home Affairs Select Committee in 1998 that demands for drugs from people inside prison results in crime outside. The Home Office collects information on serious offences allegedly committed by offenders under supervision by the Probation service. In 2000, among those serving community sentences 103 convictions for very serious crimes were reported-about one in sixteen hundred of those starting sentences in that year. Better longer- term protection may be provided by community supervision. If prison has not done anything to change offending behaviour, it cannot be said in the long term, to protect the public. If community sentences are effective at weaning offenders away from a criminal lifestyle, they may, in many cases offer the most effective long-term protection of the public. It has been shown that even allowing for selection effects, prisoners released early under parole supervision are reconvicted less than those serving the whole sentence. For the Lord Chief Justice â€Å"many things can be done as far as offenders are concerned without sending them to prison which actually provides better safeguards for the public†. Lord Chief Justice Woolf 27.12.2000. Some community sentences offer more intensive supervision than others. Probation hostels can offer 24 hour monitoring at 50-66%% of the cost of prison. There are just over 100 hostels providing 2,200 places. ISSP for under 18s combines intensive supervision with close monitoring. The community surveillance element of the programme aims to ensure the young offender know that th eir behaviour is being monitored and demonstrate to the wider community that their behaviour is being gripped. ISSP schemes tailor individual packages of surveillance to the risks posed by each offender. They have available either: Tracking by staff members Tagging Voice Verification Intelligence led policing 12 We know from research and statistics that There is no clear relationship between the use of imprisonment and the rate of crime in the UK or internationally. The 12% increase in recorded crime in France between 1987 and 1996 was similar to that in Holland although the percentage rise in the Dutch prison population (143%) was twenty times greater than the French Incapacitation has only a modest effect. If a drug dealer is locked up, another will enter the market. If one of a gang of burglars is locked up the others may well carry on regardless. The Home office estimates that a 15% increase in the prison population produces only a 1% reduction in recorded crime. (Home Office) Properly designed community measures or early interventions are a more cost-effective route to prevention than imprisonment. The American Rand Research Institute found that graduation incentive programmes and community supervision were considerably more cost effective than prison building in reducing crime. People subject to community alterna tives commit no more crimes afterwards than people who have been to prison and in some cases the results are even better. The Home Office say there is no discernible difference between reconviction rates for custody and community penalties. 56% of prisoners discharged from prison and commencing community penalties in 1995 were reconvicted within two years. Reconviction rates do vary by type of order. 2 year rates for probation and combination orders were 59% and 60% respectively considerably higher than the 52% for community service. Reconviction rates for prisoners released after short sentences of up to 12 months were higher (60%) than those for longer term prisoners. Actual re-offending may be higher than that which is measured by reconviction rates. Crude measures of reconviction do not allow distinctions to be made between the seriousness of types of offence. Some individual projects report markedly better rates. The HASC concluded that â€Å"some evidence suggests th at the most successful forms of community sentence can reduce re-offending more effectively than prison.† HASC 1998. Since then, the most effective community supervision programmes have been shown to reduce offending 15% more than a prison sentence. The Wiltshire aggression replacement training programme achieved a 14% difference and the West Midlands sex offender programme reduced overall offending by 22%. Among the individual projects which report better results are Sherborne House and the Ilderton Motor Project in London; C-Far in Devon and two Scottish projects, the Airborne Initiative and Freagaarach. The Home Affairs Select Committee in 1998 found â€Å"the absence of rigorous assessment astonishing†. While the position is getting better, we still do not know as much as we might about effectiveness. As the then Home Secretary Jack Straw said in 1997: â€Å"We know that community sentences can be effective. But we need to ensure that they are consistently ef fective†. Research has confirmed the common sense view that offenders with no legitimate source of income, no settled place to live and or addiction problems are particularly likely to re-offend. Studies (e.g.) have found that a number of social factors affect the likelihood of re-offending. These suggest that successful approaches need to; Get offenders into work. In a comprehensive North American study getting young offenders into work was by some way the most effective way of reducing recidivism (Lipsey et al) Solve accommodation problems. A Home office study found that in Nottinghamshire 44% of those with stable accommodation were reconvicted compared to 62% with unstable accommodation (May 1999) Address and treat drug use. A Home office study found that drug use was highly related to reconviction in all areas; offenders with drug problems were more likely to predict that they would re-offend (ibid) Help with financial problems Research has found some relations hip between debt and reconviction (ibid) For some offenders, approaches are needed which deal with relationship problems and engage the question of peer pressure (ibid) All of these factors are capable of positive resolution through community intervention and likely to be made more problematic by imprisonment. â€Å"Evidence certainly exists to show that imprisonment creates additional challenges when prisoners are released- for example through loss of job or accommodation, or reduced prospects of obtaining either or both. (Home Office 2001). A research study from Scotland found that â€Å"the supervision of offenders in the community can bring about positive changes in behaviour†. (McCivor and Barry 2000). Reconviction rates were lower following the imposition of a probation order than before, the majority of probationers believed that their circumstances had improved since they were on supervision. In the literature on effectiveness, community based programmes hav e shown more positive results than those in custodial settings. (Vennard) This is not surprising given the then Prison Commissioners insight 80 years ago that â€Å"it is impossible to train men for freedom in conditions of captivity†. References 1. Secretary of State for the Home Department, the Lord Chancellor and the Attorney General, Justice for All, Cm 5563, London: 2000, p. 87. 2. Justice for All, p. 87. 3. BBC News: Does Prison Work? â€Å"yes†. Monday, 2 October, 2000, 14:15 GMT 15:15 UK https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk_politics/2000/conferences/conservatives/953257.stm

The Theories Of Child Development - 1084 Words

From the day they are born, children are immersed in a social world. Rapid learning takes place and is supported not only by parents, siblings, teachers and friends but also the important values and beliefs within their culture. All of this provides the foundations for cognitive development. As trainee teachers, it is fundamental that we have a deeper understanding of how children learn and how we can support learning. In order to do this we must first look at some of the theories of learning. Theories Prior to the early 20th century little interest was paid to how a child developed; indeed most early research appears to be based on abnormal childhood behaviour (Oates et al. 2005). However, over time researchers began to acknowledge that both genetics and environment factors impacted on the way a child developed. Although there are many theories of child development, in particular constructivism, behaviourism, social constructivism and social learning have influenced developmental psychology enormously (Oates et al. 2005). Many theorists and researchers have debated (and continue to debate) whether cognitive development is a continuous or discontinuous processUntitled (Crowley, 2014). Do cognitive processes advance with age (continuous) or is a child required to reach one stage of development before they can advance to the next (discontinuous)? 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The mesosystem is the interactions that occur between the microsystems, such as there being a family issue but that issue effecting not only yourself but causing you to have trouble at school or work place

Problem Solving Skills of the Employees-Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Problem solving skills of the Employees. Answer: Introduction Problem solving skill of the employees is the most crucial characteristic that employers look for in their employees. This allows the employees to find solutions to problems encountered on a daily basis while working with the organizations. Therefore, effective problem solving skills helps in great career advancement for the employees. In each sector, problems are inevitable that rise from day-to-day activities. Therefore, when problems arise, the employers expect the employees to take initiative and develop suitable solutions to overcome the situations. The employers evaluate and analyze the problem solving skills within the employees even if it not mentioned directly. Problem solving skill is defined as the logical and imaginary approach that allows the employees to make sense of the situation and develop or suggest an intelligent solution to the problem. This report critically evaluates the problem solving skills of the employees, as this helps the organizations in enhancing their overall performance. Conflict resolution as a problem solving skill Conflict resolution is the most common obstacle encountered by the organizations. The organizational signifies diversity, as employees from different cultural background, ethnicity and beliefs work in the same place. As each individual employee is different, his or her perspectives also differ largely (Elena Losa Iglesias Becerro de Bengoa Vallejo 2012). As a result, problems are frequently noticed within the organizations and the teams. The main responsibility of a professional manager in banking sector is to ensure smooth operations, marketing, training and administration by avoiding conflicts among the employees. My sincere responsibility is to avoid conflicts among the baking employees while providing efficient service to the customers in terms of lending, operations, administrations and security. This will help in creating a positive working environment and enhance the quality of banking service provided by the bank. As commented by Chan, Sit Lau (2014), conflict resolution is defined as the conceptualized and compact processes and methods are undertaken in order to promote and establish the peaceful environment. Conflict resolution as my problem solving skill is beneficial, as this allows smooth operations within the banking sector. Conflict resolution helps in creating a healthy working environment for the employees within the bank. As a banking manager, I have identified several issues that result in conflicts among the team members. The banking employees come from different background and beliefs that result in distinct perspectives and viewpoints of seeing things and doing tasks. Therefore, it is evident that conflicts due to different perspectives will arise while providing banking service. My conflict resolution ability as the problem solving skill thereby helps in resolving conflicts and continuing with the responsibilities appropriately. Conflict resolution will help in agreeing on a particular point and proceed with the work. In banking sector, the different customers come with different issues that need to be handled uniquely. At such instances, conflict arises due to distinct preferences between the managers, the banking employees and the customers (Tobias, Mair Barbosa-Leiker 2013). In addition to, conflict in banking sector also arises due to miscommunication between the managers, the employees and the customers. My problem solving skill is important for todays managers as this helps in resolving conflicts. When conflicts arise, I tend to identify the source of the conflict. This helps me to have a better understanding of the conflict and determine whether the conflict is really an issue or not. According to Clavelle, OGrady Drenkard (2013), patience is the key to resolve conflicts. Therefore, being patience helps in listening to the parties involved in the conflict without making any prior judgments. This all ows being bias and not influenced by the parties involved in the conflict. Once the source of the conflict has been identified, the ability to look beyond the incident is significant. This is because often that the situation is not the reason of the conflict but the perspectives of the individuals are the result of the conflict. Supposedly, the source of the conflict have occurred months back but presently the level of stress has mounted to an extent that both the parties have started attacking each other. For example, in banking sector conflict might arise between the managers and the employees due to difference in the perspectives of doing a particular task. Such conflicts between the banking managers and the employees hamper the operations within the bank. Therefore, my ability to look beyond the source of the conflict is important for todays managers. This allows me to provide opportunity to both the parties to achieve their objectives. As mentioned by Twigg McCullough (2014), accommodating strategy is defined as the ability of the individuals to go be yond to be family and friends. Therefore, my accommodating strategy for conflict resolution helps in being a friend and approach the parties involved in the conflict. I use a similar approach while resolving conflicts between me and the employees and the customers at times. My approach and attitude towards conflict resolution are unique and important as a banking manager. As mentioned by Theisen Sandau (2013), conflict resolution in banking sector enhances the services provided by the banks to the customers. A friendly and positive approach helps in creating a sense of respect, care and warmth between the employees and the customers. As a result, banking employees feel they have each others back while providing service. This sense of respect and humbleness between the employees and towards the customers allows the employees to be empathetic and respectful towards customers while serving the customers in the bank. Due to my ability to resolve conflict, I support the employees in completing their daily responsibilities appropriately. For example, if an employee is busy at the counter, another employee performs his duty on his behalf for that time being. Conflict resolution helps in establishing a friendly and positive working environment. Positive working environment enhances the quality and effectiveness of service provided by the banking employees (McDonald et al., 2012). My ability of conflict resolution by identifying the source of the conflict and looking beyond the source has ensured appropriate and efficient service to the banking customers. I have been able to impart the aforementioned characteristics towards my employees that have significantly helped in reducing the number of conflicts in the bank. As a result, the employees communicate effectively and prioritize the other party first while providing banking service. Thus, this has helped in improving the service provided by the employees and is reflected in the management of the banking operation, administrations and the satisfaction level of the customers along with the employees (Barsky, 2016). Significance of conflict resolution Conflict resolution plays a crucial role in banking sector, as this helps in creating a positive working environment. It is my duty and responsibility to resolve conflicts and establish a positive working environment. As mentioned by Iacobucci et al., (2013), positive working environment motivates the employees to perform better. Therefore, conflict resolution will help in creating a friendly and positive working environment. This will allow the employees to communicate with each other without any complaint and grudge against each other. As a result, the employees will be aware of the things that have been done or needs to be done within the bank. Conflict resolution also helps in establishing effective communication with each other. However, as argued by Choi, Linquist Song (2014), communication is the key for successful service provided in the banking sector. For example, if conflict persists between the managers and the employees, it is very difficult for the employees to work in the bank effectively and work along with the managers. As mentioned by Riley (2015), effective communication between the managers, the employees and the customers help them in sharing a close bond and have a better understanding of each others demand and expectations. Apart from effective communication between the managers and the employees, effective communication is also significant between the employees and among the employees and the customers. However, as criticized by OHagan et al., (2014), effective communication between the employees helps in the clear flow of information. For example, if the conflict between the employees persists, they will be hesitant in communicating. As a result, sharing valuable information about the banking operations and administration will be hampered. Because of conflict, an employee might not find it essential to inform another employee who is not present about information circulated by the manager. As a result, the uninformed employee will continue to conduct task as before that will hamper the banking service and the relationship between the manager and the employees and between the employees. Therefore, conflict resolution in banking helps in avoiding such instances and improving the quality of service for th e customers. My ability to reduce and mitigate conflict resolution in the banking setting has helped in improving the quality of service provided to the customers. This is important for the manager, as this has helped in gaining competitive advantage for the banking organization as well. Conclusion In this report, it can be concluded that the ability of conflict resolution as the problem solving skill is important for me as a banking manager. Conflict resolution can be achieved by identifying source of the conflict and by looking beyond the source of the conflict. In order to do so, I need to be patient and non-judgmental prior to listening to both the parties. My ability of conflict resolution has so far been beneficial for the bank. I have been able to establish positive working environment, a sense of respect, empathy and responsibility between the employees, the managers and the customers. My success can be determined by improvement of the quality of service provided by the employees within the bank. However, I need to improve my trait of being dominant and inflexible with my techniques of conflict resolution. I can achieve this by being more lenient, flexible and open to ideas from my employees within the bank. References Barsky, A. (2016). Conflict Resolution for the Helping Professions: Negotiation, Mediation, Advocacy, Facilitation, and Restorative Justice. Oxford University Press. Chan, J. C., Sit, E. N., Lau, W. M. (2014). Conflict management styles, emotional intelligence and implicit theories of personality of nursing students: A cross-sectional study. Nurse education today, 34(6), 934-939. Choi, E., Lindquist, R., Song, Y. (2014). Effects of problem-based learning vs. traditional lecture on Korean nursing students' critical thinking, problem-solving, and self-directed learning. Nurse education today, 34(1), 52-56. Clavelle, J.T., OGrady, T.P. Drenkard, K. (2013). Structural empowerment and the nursing practice environment in Magnet organizations. Journal of Nursing Administration, 43(11), pp.566-573. Elena Losa Iglesias, M. Becerro de Bengoa Vallejo, R. (2012). Conflict resolution styles in the nursing profession. Contemporary nurse, 43(1), pp.73-80. Iacobucci, T. A., Daly, B. J., Lindell, D., Griffin, M. Q. (2013). Professional values, self-esteem, and ethical confidence of baccalaureate nursing students. Nursing ethics, 20(4), 479-490. McDonald, G., Jackson, D., Wilkes, L. Vickers, M.H. (2012). A work-based educational intervention to support the development of personal resilience in nurses and midwives. Nurse education today, 32(4), pp.378-384. O'hagan, S., Manias, E., Elder, C., Pill, J., Woodward?Kron, R., McNamara, T., ... McColl, G. (2014). What counts as effective communication in nursing? Evidence from nurse educators' and clinicians' feedback on nurse interactions with simulated patients. Journal of advanced nursing, 70(6), 1344-1355. Riley, J. B. (2015). Communication in nursing. Elsevier Health Sciences. Theisen, J.L. Sandau, K.E. (2013). Competency of new graduate nurses: A review of their weaknesses and strategies for success. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 44(9), pp.406-414. Tobias, J. M., Mair, J., Barbosa-Leiker, C. (2013). Toward a theory of transformative entrepreneuring: Poverty reduction and conflict resolution in Rwanda's entrepreneurial coffee sector. Journal of Business Venturing, 28(6), 728-742. Twigg, D. McCullough, K. (2014). Nurse retention: a review of strategies to create and enhance positive practice environments in clinical settings. International journal of nursing studies, 51(1), pp.85-92

Master of International Business free essay sample

What is inventory turnover? How can a high inventory turnover ratio be detrimental to a firm? Inventory turnover refers to the number of times that inventory is sold in a one year period. It can be calculated by dividing the cost of goods sold for a particular period by the average inventory for that period. High inventory turnover may signal a low level of inventories, which can increase the chance of product stockouts. 2. Distinguish among cycle, safety, pipeline, and speculative stock. Cycle (base) stock refers to inventory that is needed to satisfy normal demand during the course of an order cycle. Safety (buffer) stock refers to inventory that is held in addition to cycle stock to guard against uncertainty in demand and/or lead time. Pipeline (in-transit) stock is inventory that is en route between various nodes in a logistics system, while speculative stock is inventory that is held for several reasons to include seasonal demand, projected price increases, and potential product shortages. We will write a custom essay sample on Master of International Business or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 3. Define what is meant by inventory carrying costs. What are some of its main components? Inventory carrying costs refer to the costs associated with holding inventory. Inventory carrying costs consist of a number of different components, and their importance can vary from product to product. These components include obsolescence costs, shrinkage costs, storage costs, taxes, and interest costs. 4. Discuss the concept of stockout costs. How can a stockout cost be calculated? Stockouts refer to situations where customers demand items that are not immediately available and stockout costs refer to the costs associated with not having items available. Calculation of a stockout cost first requires a company to classify potential customer responses to a stockout (e. g. , delays the purchase, lost sale, lost customer). Next, the company needs to assign probabilities to the various responses as well as to assign monetary losses to the various responses. The respective probabilities and losses are multiplied together and then all costs are summed to yield an average cost of stockout. 5. Distinguish between a fixed order quantity and fixed order interval system. Which one generally requires more safety stock? Why? In a fixed order quantity system, the order size stays constant (although the time interval between orders may vary); in a fixed order interval system, the time interval is constant (although the order size may vary). The infrequency of inventory monitoring makes a fixed order interval system more susceptible to stockouts and thus there is likely to be higher levels of safety stock in a fixed order interval system. 6. Explain the logic of the EOQ model. The logic of the EOQ model is as follows: determining an order quantity requires a company to balance two costs; the costs of carrying the inventory and the costs of ordering it. Inventory carrying costs are in direct proportion to order size; that is, the larger the order, the greater the inventory carrying costs. Ordering costs, by contrast, tend to decline with order size but not in a linear fashion. The EOQ attempts to find the point (quantity) at which ordering costs equals carrying costs. 7. How can inventory flow diagrams be useful to a logistics manager? They present a visual depiction of additions to, and subtractions from, inventory. This could be helpful in identifying any patterns that might be occurring. In addition, inventory flow examples illustrate how safety stock can offset an increased rate of demand as well as longer than normal replenishment cycles. 8. Discuss what is meant by ABC analysis of inventory. What are several measures that can be used to determine ABC status? ABC analysis is an approach that recognizes all inventories are not of equal value to a firm and, as a result, all inventory should not be managed in the same way. Measures that can be used to determine ABC status include sales volume in dollars, sales volume in units, the fastest selling items, item profitability, or item importance. . What are implications of the JIT approach for supply chain management? The consequences of JIT actually go far beyond inventory management and JIT has important implications for supply chain efficiency. One implication is that suppliers must deliver high quality materials to the production line, in part because of JIT’s emphasis on low (no) safety stock. Moreover, because customers in a JIT system tend to place smaller, more frequent orders, it is imperative that suppliers’ order systems are capable of handling an increased number of orders in an error-free fashion. Smaller, more frequent orders, coupled with close supplier location, tend to favor truck as a mode of transportation and this means that production and distribution facilities should be designed to support truck shipments. 10. How does vendor-managed inventory differ from traditional inventory management? In â€Å"traditional† inventory management, the size and timing of replenishment orders are the responsibility of the party using the inventory. Under vendor-managed inventory, by contrast, the size and timing of replenishment orders are the responsibility of the manufacturer. This represents a huge philosophical shift for some organizations in the sense that they are allowing another party to have control over their inventories and this requires a great deal of trust among the various parties. 11. Do substitute items or complementary items present the greater managerial challenge? Support your answer. Either answer would be acceptable. Students should recognize that both substitute items and complementary items present managerial challenges, but the nature of these challenges is different. For instance, one challenge with substitute items might be the amount of product to hold; a challenge with complementary items might be product placement in a retail outlet. 12. Define what it meant by dead inventory. What are several ways to manage it? Dead inventory refers to product for which there is no demand—at least under current marketing practices. Because dead inventory has often been associated with overproduction of items that customers do not want (or need), one suggestion would be make to order as opposed to make to stock. Having said this, an increasing source of dead stock in recent years involves special, highly customized orders that never end up with the customer. Suggestions for dealing with this situation include partial (or full) prepayment as well as a no-return policy. Another suggestion is for companies to more aggressively market their dead stock, and companies might also sell dead inventory via auctions. Another possibility is to donate the dead inventory to charitable causes. A last resort is to simply throw away the dead inventory in order to free up storage space. 13. Explain how an SKU might have different meanings, depending on one’s position in the supply chain. A retailer, for example, might keep records in terms of individual items or case lots, while the warehouse that supplies the retailer may deal only with case lots or pallets loads of a product. In turn, the distributor that sells to warehouses may deal with only pallet loads or vehicle loads, and may only accept orders only for pallet loads or vehicle loads—and not case lots or individual items. 14. Why is it important for a manager to understand informal considerations with respect to inventory management? One reason is that the increasing quest for customer service and customer satisfaction is leading many companies to engage in informal considerations. Even though â€Å"formal† inventory analysis should not be ignored, they should not be applied without taking into account informal arrangements. The informal arrangements may not fit any â€Å"formal† inventory tenets, but many informal considerations tend to do an excellent job of satisfying customers. And, without customers, businesses are not going to be very successful. 15. Discuss some of the challenges that are associated with managing repair and replacement parts. One challenge is the difficulty in forecasting the demand for these products—when will products break down or fail? As such, it becomes challenging with respect to which parts to carry as well as the appropriate stocking levels for them. Another challenge involves the number of warehousing facilities to be used: Should the parts be more decentralized or more centralized? These and other challenges have caused some companies to outsource their repair/replacement parts business. 16. Which presents the greater reverse logistics challenge: (1) Returned items or (2) Refurbished and recycled products? Support your answer. As was the case with question 11, either answer is acceptable. Again, it is important to recognize that both present reverse logistics challenges—but the nature of the challenges is different. For example, there is unpredictability with respect to returned items, in terms of return rates and product content. Refurbishing and recycling, by contrast, are predicated on sufficient product volumes, which require adequate storage space. 17. What are substitute items and how might they affect safety stock policies? Substitute items refer to products that customers view as being able to fill the same need or want. With respect to safety stock policies, if a consumer has little hesitation in substituting another item for one that is out of stock, there would appear to be minimal penalties for a stockout. It is also important that companies understand substitution patterns in the sense that Product A may be a substitute for Product B, but the reverse may not be true. In such a situation, safety stock policies would need to reflect the appropriate relationships. 18. Which supply chain participant(s) should be responsible for managing inventory levels? Why? The key to this question is the word â€Å"managing. Although various inventory approaches may require certain select participants to maintain the inventory, supply-chain effectiveness and efficiency would argue that all supply chain participants should be involved with managing inventory levels. Because the supply chain is a system, one company’s inventory policies and practices can impact the other members of the supply chain. Failure to consider these other participants when setting inventory policies and practices could lead to dysfunctional consequences. 19. Should inventories be considered investments? Why? The text suggests that inventories should be considered investments. Carrying costs for inventories can be significant; the return on investment to a firm for its funds tied up in inventory should be as high as the return it can obtain from other, equally risky uses of the same funds. 20. Since the mid-1990s, many beer and soft-drink cans and bottles have contained a freshness date stamped on them to indicate the latest date that the product should be consumed. What problems might such a system cause for the people responsible for managing such inventories? Discuss. There are a variety of possible answers to this question. One consideration is that product needs to be in places where it can be bought prior to the expiration date. At a minimum, this means that companies need to be able to identify individual products, locate the products, and move the products to the appropriate place(s). The oldest inventory should be â€Å"turned† before other inventory. Another consideration involves what to do with expired product, a situation that brings into play reverse logistics considerations.