Abolish the Death Penalty essays

Abolish the Death Penalty essays The death penalty is a major issue that brings up a lot of arguments in our society. The most important question concerning the death penalty is whether it should be abolished or not. I think that the death penalty is the ultimate denial of human rights. It violates the right to life as proclaimed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is the ultimate cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. Race, social and economic status, location of crime, and pure chance may be deciding factors in death sentencing. In addition, prosecutors seek the death penalty far more frequently when the victim of the homicide is white than when the victim is black. The actual cost of an execution is substantially higher than the cost of imprisoning a person for life. Death was formerly the penalty for all felonies in English law. In practice the death penalty was never applied as widely as the law provided, as a variety of procedures were adopted to decrease the harshness of the law. Many offenders who committed capital crimes were pardoned, usually on condition that they agreed to be transported to what were then the American colonies; others were allowed what was known as benefit of clergy(Ploski 2). The beginning of benefit of clergy was that offenders who were established priests were subject to trial by the church courts rather than the non-religious courts. If the offender convicted of a felony could show that he had be ordained, he was allowed to go free, subject to the possibility of being punished by the ecclesiastical courts. In medieval times the only proof of ordination was literacy, and it became the custom by the 17th century to allow anyone convicted of a felony to escape the death sentence by In 18th-century England concern with rising crime led to many statutes either extending the number of offenses punishable with death or doing away with benefit of clergy for existing fel...

How Combinations and Permutations Differ

How Combinations and Permutations Differ Throughout mathematics and statistics, we need to know how to count. This is particularly true for some probability problems. Suppose we are given a total of n distinct objects and want to select r of them. This touches directly on an area of mathematics known as combinatorics, which is the study of counting. Two of the main ways to count these r objects from n elements are called permutations and combinations. These concepts are closely related to one another and easily confused. What is the difference between a combination and permutation? The key idea is that of order. A permutation pays attention to the order that we select our objects. The same set of objects, but taken in a different order will give us different permutations. With a combination, we still select r objects from a total of n, but the order is no longer considered. An Example of Permutations To distinguish between these ideas, we will consider the following example: how many permutations are there of two letters from the set {a,b,c}? Here we list all pairs of elements from the given set, all the while paying attention to the order. There are a total of six permutations. The list of all of these are: ab, ba, bc, cb, ac and ca. Note that as permutations ab and ba are different because in one case a was chosen first, and in the other a was chosen second. An Example of Combinations Now we will answer the following question: how many combinations are there of two letters from the set {a,b,c}? Since we are dealing with combinations, we no longer care about the order. We can solve this problem by looking back at the permutations and then eliminating those that include the same letters. As combinations, ab and ba are regarded as the same. Thus there are only three combinations: ab, ac and bc. Formulas For situations we encounter with larger sets it is too time-consuming to list out all of the possible permutations or combinations and count the end result. Fortunately, there are formulas that give us the number of permutations or combinations of n objects taken r at a time. In these formulas, we use the shorthand notation of n! called n factorial. The factorial simply says to multiply all positive whole numbers less than or equal to n together. So, for instance, 4! 4 x 3 x 2 x 1 24. By definition 0! 1. The number of permutations of n objects taken r at a time is given by the formula: P(n,r) n!/(n - r)! The number of combinations of n objects taken r at a time is given by the formula: C(n,r) n!/[r!(n - r)!] Formulas at Work To see the formulas at work, let’s look at the initial example. The number of permutations of a set of three objects taken two at a time is given by P(3,2) 3!/(3 - 2)! 6/1 6. This matches exactly what we obtained by listing all of the permutations. The number of combinations of a set of three objects taken two at a time is given by: C(3,2) 3!/[2!(3-2)!] 6/2 3. Again, this lines up exactly with what we saw before. The formulas definitely save time when we are asked to find the number of permutations of a larger set. For instance, how many permutations are there of a set of ten objects taken three at a time? It would take awhile to list all the permutations, but with the formulas, we see that there would be: P(10,3) 10!/(10-3)! 10!/7! 10 x 9 x 8 720 permutations. The Main Idea What is the difference between permutations and combinations? The bottom line is that in counting situations that involve an order, permutations should be used. If the order is not important, then combinations should be utilized.

Coursework 1 Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

1 - Coursework Example Varghese gives his material validity and reliability by publishing the book under UNESCO which is an internationally accredited organization. Within his assertions, Varghese refers from various papers, publications and journals which are recent and therefore updated in examining how the current economic situation affects higher education programs. Organized in stages, and topics, the paper qualifies for academic credit, he generally introduces his topics of issue, breaks them down into digestible components and concluded on his subject matter. At the end of his arguments, Varghese offers a list of all materials consulted in his analysis, which are in fact updated and recent. (Varghese, 2009) Globalization has had tremendous effects on higher education to both the westernized and developing nations. The effects have a great impact with regard to movement of the educational products, services and personnel within all cultural contexts. In understanding the above educational mobility, Australia, U.S and developed countries like United Kingdom benefit from the scenario while the developing countries remain entangled at the export point which to a larger extent has profound effects on a country’s economic agenda, social empowerment and educational development. These complexities create an unbalanced situation of reduced income levels, and harsh economic conditions, pitting higher education programs are at risk of collapse, as there would be occasioned job losses and reduced ability of families to support higher education programs. Moreover, these trends liquidate student support programs further limiting opportunities for higher education and only public financing of higher education programs can ensure sustained development and access of educational

Statistical computation of maximum likelihood estimates using R Math Problem

Statistical computation of maximum likelihood estimates using R - Math Problem Example SMA do not account for seasonal changes. The duration of the moving average can best be determined according to the type of application data to forecast. Long time periods gives smoother response by removing random variations but react slower to changes in the data as it lags the trend. Short time periods produce more oscillation but closely follow the trend. SMA is calculated by averaging the most recent number of actual values. SMA is calculated by using the following equation (Chase & Jacobs 2006): Where Ft Forecast for coming period At-1 Actual value in the past At-2, At-3, Actual values two, three, periods ago. N Number of periods to be averaged In the attached excel document, SMA is calculated for three periods: three, four, and five. Different n time periods will produce different results of data values. The values of MAD corresponding to each period are shown in the following table: Table 1: MAD values for different periods of SMA Time Period (n) MAD 3 4.36 4 3.10 5 3.95 Table one demonstrates that the smallest value of MAD exists for the period of n=4. This indicates that the type of data being analyzed is best estimated using a period of four. Figure 1: SMA for periods of 3,4, and 5. Figure one confirms the results of MAD analysis from table one. The best fit trend line is the SMA for n=4. This line follows the actual data curve specially on the 15th, 22, and 25 where major change occurred in wind speed. The period that best fits the actual data is dependent on the type of data analyzed which is the wind speed. Weighted Simple Moving Average (WSMA): A weighted moving average puts different weights to each element, providing that the sum of all weights equals 1. Weights are...Short time periods produce more oscillation but closely follow the trend. In the attached excel document, SMA is calculated for three periods: three, four, and five. Different n time periods will produce different results of data values. The values of MAD corresponding to each period are shown in the following table: Figure one confirms the results of MAD analysis from table one. The best fit trend line is the SMA for n=4. This line follows the actual data curve specially on the 15th, 22, and 25 where major change occurred in wind speed. The period that best fits the actual data is dependent on the type of data analyzed which is the wind speed. A weighted moving average puts different weights to each element, providing that the sum of all weights equals 1. Weights are chosen by experience and trial and error. A general rule applies that recent past is more indicative of the future and should get higher weighting. However, if the data are seasonal weights should be established accordingly. The weighted moving average advantage over the simple moving average is the ability to vary the effects of past data. In the excel document, in the Weighted SMA sheet, the weights of the moving average are determined by trial and error to produce the least value of MAD since there is no expert opinion as to guide the setup of

Improving Organisational Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Improving Organisational Performance - Essay Example Performance management is considered to be one of the most regarded Human Resource (HR) functions in an organisation. In most of the organisations, the performances of the subordinates are measured either formally or informally. Effective communication regarding performance appraisal generally takes place once in a year or once in a quarter. Nevertheless, performance management is a continuous phenomenon (Armstrong, 2006). When the performance management is utilised in a proper way then the management gains numerous benefits. It has been noted that most of the United Kingdom based organisations operate periodic performance appraisal systems. However, it has been noted that most of the employees as well as managers are found to be discontent with the schemes utilised in the organisations (Keshav & Sharma, n.d.). Appraisals are incapable of motivating the employees in an organisation and it has been claimed by the respondents to an Industrial Society Survey that such appraisals do not have any positive impact upon the workforce. Therefore, it becomes significant for the organisations to monitor the way in which performance management is being practiced (Management Today, 1998). The main objective of the paper is to evaluate business cases for the use of performance management at Barclays Bank and Lloyds Bank. ... will also present the practical difficulties, challenges as well as implications identified by the use of the performance management in Barclays Bank and Lloyds Bank. The methods that the two banks can use in order to mitigate the difficulties related to the performance management will also be recognised in a detailed way in this paper. Finally, the study will attempt to find out the potential limitations or shortcomings related to the proposals provided to the banks. Business Case for Performance Management at Barclays Bank People tend to differ in terms of their abilities as well as aptitudes. There will be major disparities between the size and the value of the same work upon the same job done by two distinct people. Therefore, under such note, it can be assumed that the organisations need performance management so that they are capable of comprehending the abilities of the employees, proficiencies as well as their comparative worth for the organisation. Offering rating to the emp loyees in terms of their performance can be done with the assistance of performance appraisal. Barclays Bank tends to extend its assistance in terms of financial services in approximately 50 countries all over the globe (Barclays, 2012). Barclays Bank is considered to be one of the famous companies in the banking sector and thus it states that the way in which the employees tend to perform their operations has a direct influence upon the business performance. The team members working for the bank are well aware of the goals that they are supposed to attain. In order to manage the performance, the bank has designed numerous actions in which the employees participate. Coaching is recognised to be one of the actions where a crucial objective is to make the employees aware of their job

Political Culture of Russia Essay Example for Free

Political Culture of Russia Essay The nature of Russian political culture and by extension its politics has been shaped and molded over the previous centuries. While we can by no means attribute its entire political culture to a single event or time period, we also can’t point to a time period, say the Soviet time, and draw our perception of Russia’s political culture from that alone. That being said, the totalitarian nature of the Soviet State is by partial means attributable to Marxist-Leninist philosophies. The nature of Russian political culture was (and still is in many regards) authoritarian. Throughout Russia’s history there has been an authoritarian attitude in how the country should be ruled. The state was always there, the state was behind forced modernization policies from Peter the Great through Joseph Stalin, and today Vladimir Putin. Russia for the large part of its history been just as vast as it is today. The sheer size of it requires a centralized power to keep regional autonomy down. Every country that followed or still follows Marxist doctrine did (does) so with different flavors of Marxism, none of which are exactly and entirely what Karl envisioned. China and Russia were rivals in several policy areas throughout the 20th century. The same dichotomy can be seen between China and its smaller (communist) Southeastern Asian neighbors such as Cambodia and Vietnam. Communist countries were partially authoritarian because of Marxism. The nature of establishing and perpetuating a command economy demanded authoritarianism. While China has wiggled out of many of the responsibilities and pitfalls of running a command economy by establishing market-driven economic reform, it remains authoritarian. This illustrates that while the key components of Marxism are abandoned, the system and its actors continue to grasp to power as it seeks to adapt and integrate itself into the world system. This is counter to previous attempts to establish a parallel world system behind Soviet ideology. Bottom line: the only way a Communist system can take continued hold and root itself into the political system is through authoritarianism. Not to mention the guise under which many of the Soviet Republics were brought into the fold and behind the Iron Curtain. These weren’t spontaneous Communist Revolutions toppling several governments around the world; it was the Russian’s moving in after having kicked the Germans out and act ing marionette to their new puppets. If it were populist support that kept Communist governments in power around the world one would not see states efforts to cripple freedoms of the press, of assembly, and of religion. Current Communist governments fear a slippery slope, and perhaps rightfully so, where an inch of social freedom given would mimic Mikhail Gorbachev’s reforms in the late 1980’s and lead to an eventual collapse. Russia’s Political culture is more authoritarian than a lot of countries around the world, but today it is a functioning quasi-democracy with authoritarian overtones. This goes to show that in the right circumstances, Russian’s can and will subject themselves to semi-authoritarian rule. Under other circumstances, such as the situation in the 1990’s that followed the collapse of the Soviet system, it’s a wonder that authoritarianism didn’t come back in force. Putin still governs with legitimacy at the front of his mind, and hasn’t suspended the constitution or ruled by decree. True democracy can and will eventually be realized, but realistically this is only possible through generational replacement and hard, slow change. The privatization process can be viewed with much rightful criticism, it didn’t take into account Russians lack of understanding of the West’s definition of ‘rational economic behavior’, nor did it find a happy middle ground between the two extremes of command economy and wild-west capitalism. What it did do was change the rules of the game being played. We can fault the broad shock therapy method for any number of shortcomings in the economic policy in the Russian arsenal, but it accomplished one incredibly more important goal. It changed the rules of the game. People who knew the rules (or knew which new rules were coming), mobsters, party officials, and Western interests, leapt upon the opportunity to make money hand over fist. This is still a vastly improved scenario as opposed to gradual economic reform, with the state greedily holding onto the â€Å"commanding heights† of the economy, and leaving the unprofitable sectors open for private investment and development. The large majority of the Russian people didn’t have a firm grasp on private property, or selling one of two cows to buy a bull, or how to ‘invest’ with these vouchers. The sharks ate them up in the incredibly free market. This is a point that was necessary for the facilitation o f real capitalism and eventually democracy in Russia. How does one instill in its population the concepts that go hand in hand with capitalism? My answer would be to force them to adapt to a changed environment. Gradual change would’ve perpetuated for a longer time the stagnation and poor cost-management of the Soviet period. An aggressive and immediate changing of the environment began the painful instilling of capitalist values into the populace and government. After the dust cleared and a new millennia unveiled, Vladimir Putin inherited a new Russia, with new problems, and an semi-regulated albeit capitalist system. I also reject the notion that a stake in a company translates to a certain level of commitment and productivity associated with it. I can think of just in my own history a number of bosses with a small level of commitment to the company, they weren’t there to operate or manage, they were there to own. That being said I’ve also experienced several hands-on owners, who corrected the techniques of severa l employees to their liking. My other inference comes from day-traders on the Stock Market. People with no vested interest in a company putting their money up because they think the stock will go up, not necessarily because they believe in the product. One doesn’t need a stake in a company to incentivize success within it, it sure helps, but it is not required and wouldn’t have made the Russian transition any less painful. The decades of propaganda had really affected some 10% of the population and they were the ones who fell off the cliff when the system changed. Russia in the 1990’s was bad, but it was nothing compared to the massive famines that led to the deaths of millions of Russians, or the Great Depression. Many Russian’s who bought into the Soviet ideology were left out in the cold, yet others found jobs, and others made easy money. 1991 was a turbulent time in Russia, the collapse of the system left countless questions unanswered about what the Russian state and its business sector would look like after the dust settled. I see absolutel y no way, no system, no path that could’ve mediated such a drastic change with minimal economic displacement and suffering. We could’ve lessened the blow with a Russian version of the Marshall Plan, but frankly that was much too much to expect from America. We were in a position of triumph after decades of struggle, and the prospect of the massive new markets had American businesspeople salivating. The Marshall plan also wouldn’t have worked as well as it did in Western Europe because the political and economic culture of Russia was very different from Western Europe. Saturating a country with cash and loans to build (or rebuild in the case of Western Europe) modern infrastructure was out of the question. Half the reasoning behind the Marshall Plan in the first place was to cultivate capitalism, and combat the spread of communism. What is to be gained from a US policy of propping up our old foe? This is especially true when there was so much money to be made via exploitation. Russia in the 1990’s was exactly was America desired it to be, complacent. The Russian mob played a major role in blocking true market reforms; they reveled in the post-collapse chaos and orchestrated the major piece of the Russian economy that is sti ll today conducted underground, and more importantly, free of tax revenue. While this percentage has decreased considerably, it still accounts for nearly a double digit hole in economic exchanges. Along with the mob, the Communist Party knew what was going to happen and planned accordingly. They snapped up the profitable sectors of the economy for pennies on the dollar and became fabulously wealthy. Both groups served as major obstacles in the path of real reform, and real democracy for Russia. The fact is that the reforms proposed were free-market in principle and not free-market in practice. Favors, subsidies, inside information, and possessing capital (not to mention the knowledge of how to use it) made for a grossly tilted economic playing field in Russia. Just like water, the money flowed down the tilt and into the hands of elites and future oligarchs, leaving real policy and progress for later leaders and generations to wrestle with. To quote Winston Churchill, â€Å"Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.† Western style democracy is by no means the pinnacle of human achievement, it is however a necessary condition to providing the basis for equality of opportunity, rule of law, and political representation. That is not to say that there is no value in the Russian path, or that it is inherently wrong. Order just isn’t as valuable (according to the West) when one holds the aforementioned societal values. Order works for Russia, much better than it ever could’ve worked in the â€Å"Go west, young man† America that encompassed so much of the formation of our identity. Order keeps the barbarians out, order keeps the serfs from rebelling, order centralizes power in an Empire. Russia, without the concept of order built in like ours of liberty, would’ve faltered and fell from the world stage many times, of this I have no doubt.. The two biggest examples of Order trumping Liberty (in Russia) I can imagine are the invasions of Napoleon and Hitler. In the former and the latter, slash and burn tactics were employed. Hell, Moscow was a husk in the dead of winter when Napoleon got there, and I have no doubt that similarly drastic measures would’ve been taken to preserve the Soviet state. People throughout the best land in Russia, burned their property, poisoned their livestock, poisoned their water, destroyed everything of use, and fled. The enormous sense of communal responsibility and togetherness that these behaviors exhibit illustrate that Order worked and may continue to work for Russians, in the same manner that Liberty worked for Americans. I could never imagine American’s destroying everything in the face of invasion and retreating. That’s sacrilegious in this country; luckily we didn’t have quite as aggressive neighbors as Russia had. The Russian political system must meet several criteria I believe before it is widely accepted as completely legitimate. First off, centrist parties crafted by United Russia have to dissipate. They’re there to fracture opposition support, and nullify the voices of the overriding political currents that sway governments to control of one party or another. Representative politics works best when it represents the electorate, if there are pressures to decrease opposition support via backhanded ways, then that is where one sees wide-spread dissent. United Russia may have the backing of a majority of the Russian citizenry, for now, but by treating the opposition as the problem rather than part of the solution, Putin and by extension United Russia is alienating many mainstream voters on the left and right. Their reaction is to then become more extreme and problemati c because they’re being talked down to. When legitimate political parties and beliefs aren’t represented, parties and organizations that hold them have nothing to lose by taking up much more extremist views. If they felt that United Russia would play ball, they wouldn’t be taking the positions that they have taken. They would come to the table with more of a pragmatist view and plan of compromise. The military’s role in the democratization of Russia needs to be minimal. I am of the belief that a Roman-style coup utilizing the military is a very real albeit remote possibility. Civilians need to be the head of their equivalent to the Department of Defense, and ending discrimination in the armed services is a must for minorities in Russia to truly feel that they have a say and a stake in the country as it moves forwards. Divided government demands compromise, and it is yet to be seen whether Russia is ready to grapple with and deal with people who don’t agree with you. As of this point, the answer has been to silence them, or to shuffle them into a centrist party like sheep, or to run up the tally of people who think like you. For Russia to move past the post-Soviet period it must start engaging opposition, utilize independent parties, and stop fighting the opposition. This is very possible, just not at a breakneck pace. Russia’s value of Liberty will inevitably keep the country moving towards a more representative and legitimate democracy, but its value of Order will make sure that it is a slow and deliberate process.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays

To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. The story is told through the eyes of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, who is the age of six in the beginning of the tale. She tells the story in sequential order for the period of three summers. Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch She narrates the story describing her life between the ages of six and nine.   She is a tomboy and well educated, mainly due to her father, and she has an optimistic view of the world and people around her. She lives with her widowed father, older brother and their black cook. Atticus Finch Scout’s father is a lawyer in Maycomb and is descended from a well-respected local family. He has had to raise his children alone and has instilled in them a strong sense of morality and fair play.   During the 1930’s there were great problems between the races, and he was one of the few committed to attaining equality for both blacks and whites.   He agrees to defend a local black man charged with rape which exposing himself and his family to anger from the white community. Jeremy Atticus ‘Jem’ Finch Scout’s brother is four years her senior, but is her constant playmate at the beginning of the story.   Towards the end of the tale he moves into adolescence and is shaken badly by the evil and injustice, which he witnesses during the trial of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson A black sharecropper who is accused of rape of a white woman, a member of the Ewell clan. Calpurnia The old family cook of the Finch family, she is a stern disciplinarian and provides a link between the white world of the children and her own black community. Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley A recluse who has never set foot outside his house for fifteen years who becomes a source of intrigue for the children, adding fuel to their fertile imaginations. The Characters seem very real to me . The situations and lessons learn in the book ,seem as if I was there myself. Also the framing of the black man, shows the racism that I've read about in other books. Also what I've experienced myself before. The main conflicts of the story involve Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Boo has been shut away from the world by his father and then later his brother through an incident which occurred fifteen years earlier when he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee :: To Kill a Mockingbird Essays To Kill a Mockingbird is set in the town of Maycomb, Alabama. The story is told through the eyes of Jean Louise "Scout" Finch, who is the age of six in the beginning of the tale. She tells the story in sequential order for the period of three summers. Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch She narrates the story describing her life between the ages of six and nine.   She is a tomboy and well educated, mainly due to her father, and she has an optimistic view of the world and people around her. She lives with her widowed father, older brother and their black cook. Atticus Finch Scout’s father is a lawyer in Maycomb and is descended from a well-respected local family. He has had to raise his children alone and has instilled in them a strong sense of morality and fair play.   During the 1930’s there were great problems between the races, and he was one of the few committed to attaining equality for both blacks and whites.   He agrees to defend a local black man charged with rape which exposing himself and his family to anger from the white community. Jeremy Atticus ‘Jem’ Finch Scout’s brother is four years her senior, but is her constant playmate at the beginning of the story.   Towards the end of the tale he moves into adolescence and is shaken badly by the evil and injustice, which he witnesses during the trial of Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson A black sharecropper who is accused of rape of a white woman, a member of the Ewell clan. Calpurnia The old family cook of the Finch family, she is a stern disciplinarian and provides a link between the white world of the children and her own black community. Arthur ‘Boo’ Radley A recluse who has never set foot outside his house for fifteen years who becomes a source of intrigue for the children, adding fuel to their fertile imaginations. The Characters seem very real to me . The situations and lessons learn in the book ,seem as if I was there myself. Also the framing of the black man, shows the racism that I've read about in other books. Also what I've experienced myself before. The main conflicts of the story involve Tom Robinson and Boo Radley. Boo has been shut away from the world by his father and then later his brother through an incident which occurred fifteen years earlier when he stabbed his father with a pair of scissors.