Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Police Ethics and Deviance Essay Example for Free

Police Ethics and Deviance Essay This paper intends to define ethics and briefly discuss its role in policing. It also aims to talk about the ethical standards in policing. Last but not least, it will also cover the deviant behaviors, as well as, its effects. Ethics Defined Ethics is technically defined as â€Å"the practical, normative study of the rightness and wrongness of human conduct† (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 292).   It is upon which conduct is based (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 292). It determines whether or not an act is morally correct (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 292). Nature of Ethics and Its Role in Policing Meanwhile, with regards to the nature of ethics being a standard of moral correctness, it contributes largely in policing (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 292).   Explaining further, without ethics, a police officer will not be able to carry out critical thinking; it is only through ethical decision-making that he will arrive with the best solutions to any issue he or she is faced with (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 292).   In addition to that, through ethics police officers tend to become honest and when they stay honest they are, as well as, their respected departments are respected which allow their team to â€Å"recognize their full potential† (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 292). See, ethics is really important to policing because it helps police officers do â€Å"good† and the carry out the â€Å"right acts† all the time (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). Ethical Standards in Policing In fact, to keep the police force doing good and the right thing, the department has come up with ethical standards in policing (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). These include the following: The first one is known as the â€Å"organizational value systems† (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). This has been produced so that police officers are taught the correct behaviors that they ought to instill in themselves (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). It serves as a guide as to what behaviors are correct and ethical (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). The second is technically referred to as the â€Å"oath of office† (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). This is like a promise made by the police officers that they will act according to the laws/rules/etcetera stipulated in the oath (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). The third is technically known as the â€Å"Law Enforcement Code of Ethics† (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). This one is disseminated by the â€Å"International Association of Chiefs of Police† (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). The last which the police force is obliged to follow also is the â€Å"US Constitution† (US Supreme Court, 2008, n.p.). Of course, the â€Å"Bill of Rights† go along with the aforementioned as well (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). Both are known to be the basis of police ethics because of its â€Å"lawful† character; lawful indeed, since it is a collection of the â€Å"US Supreme Court, Federal, State Criminal Laws, as well as, Codes of Criminal Procedure† (US Supreme Court, 2008, n.p.). Deviant Behaviors and Its Effects However, it cannot be denied that despite so many ethical standards utilized and implemented by the police force, there are still some who do not accept and follow it (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 293). Some of the deviant behaviors committed and its effects are the following: A) Police Corruption â€Å"Police corruption† is technically defined as â€Å"an act involving the misuse of authority by a police officer in a manner designed to produce personal gain for himself or others† (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 296). Examples of police corruption are the following: 1) receiving money from â€Å"loan sharks, hijackers, etc†; 2) receiving money, free food, free accommodations, etcetera in exchange for services rendered; 3) accepting money in exchange of classified information provided to â€Å"criminals or private investigation firms†; 4) accepting payment in exchange of not having parking and traffic violators summoned; 5) etcetera (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 295). As expected corruption brings about negative effects and these include the following: 1) it only motivates others to practice corruption also especially if police officers realize that there is a slight possibility of getting caught; 2) the police department is affected and the public’s respect for it is lost; and last but not least 3) people will no longer respect the police officers and will not follow the rules implemented by them eventually as well (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 300). B) Police Misconduct Police misconduct is also included in the list of deviant behaviors committed by some of the police officers (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 303). This entails: â€Å"the use of illegal drugs; alcohol abuse; abuse of authority; sexual violence; as well as, domestic violence† (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 303). The effect of this is just like in the first deviant behavior discussed wherein people tend to lose their trust on the police force and eventually carry out deviant behaviors as well (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 303). C) Police Brutality Police brutality is also one of the deviant behaviors committed by some of the police officers (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 308). This is defined as the unfair and extreme use of force on suspects and other criminals (Mangan, 2000, n.p.). The effects of such include: 1) psychological trauma for the victim; and 2) he or she will later turn out to be rebellious and revengeful (Dempsey et. al., 2005, p. 308).

Monday, January 20, 2020

Pay-For-Performance and Productive Workforces Essay -- business, compe

The company did not truly have a pay-for-performance process. In fact, what it did have was a pay-for-profitability process, commonly known as a profit sharing program. There is a substantial difference between pay-for-performance and profit sharing, both in terms of how the process is structured and how the payouts are determined. Profit sharing is a program based quite simply on how much profit the company makes, regardless of performance. In certain times, a company may not perform very well yet still make a profit. For example, on organization may incur large expenses, have inefficient use of resources and incomplete accounting of internal asset allocation. However, it may also have huge sales volumes, little competition and an enviable and desirable product. It is virtually successful in spite of itself. Can that actually occur? Examples abound: Circuit City, AOL, Xerox and so on. All quite successful companies, initially, but almost destined for problematic existence as a re sult of growth that occurred too fast too soon. They did not perform very well, yet were able to generate considerable profitability. A pay-for-performance program, on the other hand, is designed to reward measurable performance against certain standards. It is created by establishing measurable goals and objectives, assigning individuals to the goals with time bound periods of measurement and finally an evaluation of that individuals’ performance against those goals. The company may make a profit, but if the employee does not meet or exceed their performance goals, they may not receive any reward, or what is commonly viewed as a raise or bonus. True pay-for-performance does not just take profitability into account, unless generating profit was t... ... their office.(Robbins& Judges,2007) The benefits of telecommuting reduces absenteeism and tardiness. In addition, it also contributes to the green initiative by cutting down the amount of pollutants from motor vehicle travel. According to recent estimates indicate that between 9 million and 24 million people telecommute in the United States (Kurland & Bailey, 1999). Fortune 500 companies such as AT &T, IBM, and Merrill Lynch are just a few. In conclusion, if Sean Neal utilized the options listed, he could create a more productive workforce through incentives without affecting the company’s bottom line. In addition, Mr. Neal could boost morale which would create a more experienced work force through longevity of employment. By having an experience workforce Mr. Neal should see a significant increase in production and profit over a short period of time.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

The Dumingag Experience

THE DUMINGAG EXPERIENCE: A REFLECTION By Alfonso A. Tan I never had much information about organic agriculture and the principles behind it, until in October 2012 when I joined the conduct of ARC Level of Development Assessment (ALDA) in Dumingag town in Zamboanga del Sur. As a member of the regional monitoring team who is conducting ALDA, I came across two Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries (ARB) organizations that discuss authoritatively about organic farming like it is the palm of their hands.The two organizations — the Dumingag Organic Farmers Association (DOFA) and the Dumingag Organic Farmers Credit and Savings Cooperative (DOFCSC) – turned out to be just two of the several farmer organizations in Dumingag who are organic farming practitioners. And the technology has been gaining ground since this particular local government innovation was introduced by the municipal mayor more than five years ago. My layman’s understanding of organic farming then, was simply fa rming without the use of pesticides, herbicides or any artificial fertilizers.I know it has good health benefits for our body because the farm produce are all-natural. It is environment-friendly too. Later on, I learned that there are also so-called â€Å"organic animals† or those that are not kept in cages and not fed with commercial available feeds, which are generally by-products of other animals. The internet offers several helpful definitions of Organic Agriculture. The Bureau of Plant Industry in Australia defines organic farming as â€Å"the production of food and fibre without the use of synthetic chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides or genetically modified organisms (GMOs).The Certified Organic Associations of British Columbia says, organic farming promotes the sustainable health and productivity of the ecosystem – soil, plants, animals and people. Organic foods are farmed in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible way, focusing on soi l regeneration, water conservation and animal welfare. As far as local government innovations are concerned, I believe the organic farming technology as revolutionalized in the town of Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur is one for the books.Last year, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) awarded Dumingag as one of the five recipients of the â€Å"One World Award† for its organic farming program. IFOAM is a leading world coalition on sustainable agriculture mainly composed of civil society organizations and social movements Dumingag town is its only local government member. Started in 2008, the IFOAM award runs every two years to recognize organic farming initiatives that have made a difference in the area of sustainable development.Dumingag is a second class municipality in the eastern part of the province of Zamboanga del Sur. It is composed of forty four –11 lowland and 33 upland– barangays, with a total land area of 618. 50 square ki lometers and a population of 46,039 per 2007 census. Situated in the heartland of the Zamboanga peninsula and on the northwest portion of the fertile Salug Valley, Dumingag is bounded on the North by the municipality of Sergio Omena, Sr. ; on the East by the municipality of Mahayag; on the South by the municipalities of Sominot and Midsalip; and on the West by the municipality of Siayan, Zambonga del Norte.Dumingag was part of the municipality of Molave when it was created into a barrio in 1950. Dumingag was once a vast expanse of jungle and marshland, the favorite habitat of wildlife. Its first inhabitants were the Subanens who came from coastal areas of Misamis Occidental and Zamboanga del Sur. The success of Dumingag started with the revolutionary idea of Mayor Nacianceno M. Pacalioga Jr. , a former Maoist rebel in the 1980’s who almost singlehandedly transform Dumingag town into what it is now.After returning to the folds of law, Jun Pacalioga went tilling their family-ow ned upland farm in 1995. His former comrades introduced him to organic farming, but at first, he was not persuaded. In the year 2000, a seminar on sustainable agriculture had somehow convinced him the beauty of organic farming. Pacalioga’s visit to his former comrades’ farms in Davao City has particularly impressed upon him the natural fertility of the soil that organic farming brings. Minus inorganic inputs, the farms produce crops free from pass-on toxicity.The positive result from his own practice drove Pacalioga to advocate organic agriculture to other farmers, finding kindred spirits among local leaders of the Catholic Church. According to Mayor Pacalioga, bringing back the natural fertility of the farms and putting premium on maintaining soil health are central goals of Dumingag’s organic agriculture program. Long years of agrichemical use had tied farm productivity to the application of costly fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides that, in turn, killed e arthworms and degraded soil fertility.Likewise, the high cost of farming and declining farm production resulted in poor income for tillers. â€Å"People could barely meet basic necessities, such as food, clothing and shelter and hardly pay for basic social services, such as education and health,† Mayor Nacianceno Pacalioga said. After he was elected mayor in 2007, Pacalioga aggressively promoted organic farming. He also caused the passage of a local measure encouraging and endorsing the widespread adoption of the technology. The policy was not an easy-sell. Even some municipal officials did not buy the program at once.It took them several months to be convinced of the merits of organic farming. Soon, Dumingag leaders were up against the national policy design that promoted instead the use of chemical fertilizers and the cultivation of genetically modified crops. To illustrate his point, Pacalioga turned down P2 million worth of chemical fertilizers offered by the Department o f Agriculture (DA) for distribution to the farmers. At one time, he also rejected a grant of genetically modified rice seeds for dispersal in his municipality.As one of his first priorities, Mayor Jun organized the Organic Farming (OF) team which is tasked to lead in the implementation of the organic farming program, especially education and advocacy. Likewise, he introduced community immersion wherein local officials, community leaders and different stakeholders went to the 44 barangays to campaign for the economic program on Sustainable Organic farming. Initially, those who shifted to organic farming grappled with a steep reduction in yield, although this was cushioned by the radical decrease in cost.Several croppings later, as natural soil fertility improved, output went up. For rice, yield per hectare was at par with farms still applying agrichemicals at 95 65-kilo bags during the dry season, and 70 to 80 bags during the wet season. But net earnings are higher with organic farmi ng because cost has been reduced by at least a third. From only 20 organic farmers in 2007, the number of organic agriculture practitioners in the municipality rose to about 500 by 2011, increasing by tenfold the size of farmlands cultivated along sustainable agriculture methods—from close to hundred hectares before to some 1,000 hectares.In upland villages, organic farming is gaining adherents among vegetable cultivators and livestock raisers. Today, rice farmers have produced 55 local organic varieties that ensure a stable seed bank. The Dumingag Organic Farming System Practitioners Association (DOFSPA) composed of active organic farming practitioners was also organized. They also formed a credit cooperative that could help better in raising capital for farming or in sharing the cost of farming failures due to calamities.Their cooperative initially started in providing production loan to the organic farming practitioners and helps in accessing good market. The mayor’ s brainchild, the so-called Genuine People’s Agenda (GPA) was also institutionalized. Mayor Jun described the GPA as a product of collective discussion and leadership; a comprehensive program of government; a solution to the challenges; and it assures the better future of the people. In September 2010, the local government established the Dumingag Institute of Sustainable Organic Agriculture (DISOA), a school that trains farmers on organic farming principles and technology.Though DISOA started with modular courses as a vocational school, it aims to become a regular college later offering special and ladderized courses on organic agriculture. Moreover, all public and private school teachers in all levels in the municipality were educated on Sustainable Organic Agriculture and Climate Change. The never say die attitude of a veteran cadre like Mayor Pacalioga is the major attribute to the success of his local innovations. He displayed strong political will despite the initial lu kewarm response of the people.The municipality’s aggressive push for organic farming was the bedrock of a bigger program to bring socioeconomic uplift to the residents. The story of Mayor Pacalioga and the municipality of Dumingag is no different from the Curitiba experience with Mayor Jamie Lerner. It only goes to say that local innovations and governance works in any environment, people and culture. Mayor Lerner, a city planner has transformed Curitiba into a healthy and liveable city through modernizing transport system, environment-friendly parks and systematic garbage disposal.Conversely, Mayor Pacalioga, a former rebel leader has reinvented Dumingag into a sustainable rural community by introducing not only organic agriculture, but also optimize agricultural land use by having it planted with high value trees and crops; and empowered the women to venture into livelihood programs. Dumingag or Curitiba; Philippines or Brazil, the concept towards sustainable development th rough local governance innovations are the same. Alternatively, local civil society also plays an important role in the transparent and participative process that the local government is introducing.The efforts of the local government, be it in Brazil or Philippines would not have taken off had the people’s organizations, non-government organizations and the civil society did not cooperate. The success behind the local innovations and programs in any community, for that matter was a classic example of local convergence at work. Dumingag achievements were not limited to agricultural statistics. Politically, the municipality also managed to improve in terms of increase in local taxes and business. Based on the LGU data, the municipal income increased tremendously at an average of P3M per annum, swelling from P4. 5M in 2007 to P13. M in 2010. Likewise, business establishments rose from 180 in 2007 to 324 in 2010. The estimated Average Money Circulation in the market vicinity als o climbed from P100,000 in 2007 to P2. 5 Million in 2010. These achievements are phenomenal for a second class town like Dumingag which 84% of its people are considered poor according to NSCB standards. Now, the municipality of Dumingag is implementing its master plan on organic agriculture. It is a specific blueprint of the town’s courses of action and scientific approach towards sustainable development. The Dumingag LGU has also established partnerships with Assisi Development Foundation, Inc. ADFI), for partnership in Sustainable Agriculture, Water System, and Lumad Education; Xavier University- Sustainable Agriculture Center for education and advocacy for Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change; Philippine Agrarian Reform Fund (PARFUND) for Rice-Duck Farming and Technology; Department of Agriculture, for various programs and projects for livelihood and support infra services; and the JH Cerilles State College, for research and documentation wherein the LGU has entered into a MOA to transform 100% the 43 hectares rice fields owned by the school into organic farming model in support of the organic agriculture drive of the municipality. In 2010, as recognition of its innovative practices on sustainable organic agriculture, the Dumingag LGU, through Mayor Jun Pacalioga was conferred with the prestigious Galing Pook Award as one of the Ten Outstanding Local Governance Programs in the Philippines. This was personally conferred to the proud mayor by His Excellency Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III.The Galing Pook award is a national search of local governance programs, evaluated through a multilevel screening process based on positive results and impact; promotion of people participation and empowerment; transferability and sustainability; and efficiency of program service delivery. Beyond the awards, winning programs become models of good governance promoted for adoption in other communities. They provide useful insights and strategies to find innovative so lutions to common problems. More importantly, they affirm the community and the local government’s commitment to good governance. The efforts of the visionary mayor really paid off.It is evident that Mayor Pacalioga made use of his skills in community organizing, together with his strong personality in pursuing his reform programs for the poor. Dumingag is now generating and storing its own seed varieties of rice so that they will not be at the mercy of big agrichemical firms in the future. The campaign of Mayor Jun also resulted in the increase of farming and planting activities in the municipality, all of these are geared towards sustainable livelihood and economic development. These developments are apparent in the extent of plantation areas compared to 2007 data. For example, Cassava areas increased from 350 to 2000 hectares; Abaca fields rose from 5 to 500 hectares; rubber areas goes up from 10 hectares to 1,100; and Falcata plantation climbed from 5 hectares to 200 hect ares.It is remarkable to note that the local government innovation that started in the simple town has now gone international. Recently, through the facilitation of SAC-Xavier University, the Dumingag LGU was able to send three delegates to South Korea for three-month training on Natural Farming Systems. The recipients were the Municipal Agriculture Officer, a municipal agricultural technician and a Sangguniang Bayan member. Sources: Organic farming  takes root in Zamboanga del Sur Retrieved from: http://www. newsinfo. inquirer. net Sustainable  Organic Agriculture. pdf Retrieved from http://www. bswm. da. gov. ph Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines Retrieved from: http://www. ugnayan. com/ph/ZamboangadelSur/Dumingag

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Demand Definition - Economics Glossary

Definition: Demand is the want or desire to possess a good or service with the necessary goods, services, or financial instruments necessary to make a legal transaction for those goods or services.Terms related to Demand: Aggregate Demand Demand Set Marshallian Demand Function About.Com Resources on Demand: Price Elasticity of Demand Cost-Push Inflation vs. Demand-Pull Inflation What is the Demand For Money? Writing a Term Paper? Here are a few starting points for research on Demand:Books on Demand: Economics Economics Principles of Economics Journal Articles on Demand: Maximum Likelihood Estimation and Inference on Cointegration-With Applications to the Demand for Money A Theory of Demand for Products Distinguished by Place of Production An Almost Ideal Demand System