Capital Punishment :: Essays Papers

Capital Punishment The death penalty is the most severe penalty in the United States judicial system. It is administered only for the most brutal of crimes. Three out of every four Americans are in favor of the death penalty. Opponents believe that the death penalty constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. Because the death penalty engenders such fervid debate among interested individuals, politicians often use the controversy to garner public support. There are many pros and cons pertaining to capital punishment. In 1972, the Supreme Court abolished the death penalty because it inflicted cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution. The number of people executed and later found to be innocent disturbed the Court. The Court also felt that the death penalty was being unfairly applied to minorities and poor people. In 1976, after the advent of lethal injection and additional laws to protect the innocent, the Supreme Court reversed its decision and reinstated the death penalty. Many of the same arguments that were used to abolish the death penalty are still being asserted today. People favor capital punishment for numerous reasons. First, capital punishment is believed to deter crime. Criminals may think twice before committing crimes, knowing that their actions could cost them their lives. Second, the victims relatives and friends may feel greater relief and closure if the perpetrator pays for the crime with his or her own life. People close to a victim are often upset by the fact that someone who took away a loved one can continue to live and even inflict more pain by being outspoken and unapologetic. Capital punishment can relieve fears that a killer will escape or be granted parole and return to harm someone else. Third, the death penalty saves money. Why should taxpayers support vicious criminals throughout their incarceration? Why should these criminals add to the serious problem of prison overcrowding which forces less serious violators to be released before their full sentences is served? Lastly, rough justice demands that someone who takes a life should not be allowed to live his or her own life. This principle dates back to the Bible, which provides an eye for an eye. The arguments against capital punishment are equally compelling. For one, the death penalty is biased against African Americans. Statistical evidence shows that African Americans are four times more likely to receive the death penalty than Caucasians.

Career Development Plan Essay

The recent merger of InterClean and EnviroTech (ICET) has opened many opportunities for employee promotions. In an effort to stimulate our employees, focus on their strength and talents, and teach them new skills that will assist in our overall success, management has decided to revamp the way training’s been done in the past by implementing a new training performance format. Our new training module will focus on sanitation standards, communication, customer service and satisfaction and networking. The program will consist of 9 steps that will key in on industry knowledge. The training format will consist of new training evaluation and mentoring needs, focus on objectives of training and mentoring, reviewing performance standards, analyze delivery methods, examine contents for training and mentoring, address time frames and evaluation methods, feedback, and lastly explore alternative avenues for further development. Once this program is implemented, we believe our employees will develop an expertise in their respective areas that will have a positive impact in ICET’s organizational competitiveness, performance and productivity. The new training and mentoring needs The new training format will impact the way ICET does business. The focus of the new three week training will be to teach our sales associates about sanitation standards, communication, customer service and satisfaction and networking. Each step in the new training format will help us attain overall success that will benefit the employee and our company as well. However, training alone will not offer one on one simulation. Therefore, we are implementing a mentoring program that will give employees accessibility to learn and work with mentors that have specific knowledge about interested areas for a period of six month to ensure well rounded working knowledge from key experts. Objectives of the training and mentoring program The objective of training will be vital to attain future success. Therefore, the first objective will be to learn about the sanitation standards and regulations so that we will be well informed as we cross over into health care service solutions. The second objective we will focus on is communication. The key concentrations will be listening, and planning to attain effective decision making. The third objective will be customer service and satisfaction as related to personal attention and quality service and lastly the fourth objective will be on the importance of networking to build relationships with key industry contacts. With regards to the mentoring program our focus will be to combine all the aforementioned above that will blend with our new mentoring program. This will allow employees to focus on their specific career development goals they would like to accomplish within the organization by working aside once a week for six month period with a mentor that is an expert in the chosen area. Performance standards The performance standards will be rated based on job role expectations. The indicators for example in sales will be based on revenue generated. This will be measured by how many sales deals were closed and the type of products. Market integration or expansion also be measured. Here the ability to find new perspective customer or even cross over into other types of health care businesses such as nursing homes or medical rehabs will be taken into evaluated and lastly customer retention based on quality customer service and feedback will also be considered. We feel all expectations will be reasonable and attainable once training is completed. Delivery methods Delivery methods are vital when training is being implemented. The focus is to keep the trainee interested and integrated during training. Therefore, we will focus on three training methods; experimental, integrative and reinforcement. For sanitation standards we will train with fact sheets, videos and or pamphlet and booklets. This will fall under the reinforcement methods. For the communication objectives, we will use skits because it will teach the trainee real life simulations which can be critiqued to help improve and fine tweak any area that need improvement. This delivery method will fall under the experimental method. As for the customer service objective, we will use dialogue. This will allow the trainee to participate and improve their delivery when meeting a customer and or closing the deal. This style will fall under the integrative methods and lastly we will use networking via conventions and or conferences so the trainee can interact with other business professionals. As for the mentoring program we will offer face to face interaction once weekly with expert mentors by area. Content for training and mentoring To achieve the best outcomes for ICET, we believe the content of the training program should be closely correlated tot to our business strategy and organizational goals. Therefore we will evaluate the skill and ability of employees that best match the open positions. This will be done by evaluating experience, worker, and occupational requirements. For example, experience will evaluated based on former training, experience, certifications or licenses. Worker requirements will be based on basic skills, cross functional skills, knowledge and education and lastly occupational requirement will be measure by general work activities, work and organizational content (Cascio 2005). Time frame Setting realistic time frames for employees to be trained properly is an important part of a successful training and mentoring program. Forming new habits or learning new methodologies take times which is why we have decided that employees will receive three week training so they feel fully acclimated and comfortable when they are out on the field. As for the mentoring program, we have decided to make it a three month program because we feel in order to appreciate and truly learn hands on the employee should be exposed to the daily routines of the mentor. Once the employee gets a good grasp of each section during the allotted training time, we believe they will be motivated and continue to develop their skills via applied experience they attain while working. Evaluation methods A good evaluation will most often use multiple methods because a well rounded objective decision can be archived. Therefore, we have decided that we will evaluate employees by these three standards; group interviews so we may see how the candidate behaves and reacts to intimidating settings, person to person simulations to see how the employee performs when selling a product and lastly via personality questionnaire to see if the employee characteristic match up with the extroverted personality we are looking for. Feedback Constructive feedback can make all the difference if you want to keep employees motivated. Therefore, it is our commitment to make sure that all feedback is constructive and address all the good quality the employee posses as well as the areas of improvement that will develop them further. Hence, we will sit with employees and perform verbal feedback that is clear and precise so that there is no room for misunderstanding. We want the make sure the employee is encouraged and understands that we are committed and interested in their career development and well being. We would also like to get feedback regarding the training program and any areas of weakness that can be improved. We will build an anonymous questionnaire so that the employee can be candid and honest without feeling as if there are attached strings. Alternate avenues for those who need further development Lastly, we would like to provide alternate avenues for employees who would like press further. Therefore, we will provide access to continuing education course twice a year. We will also have updated listing of conferences and training that will go beyond on internal training so that employees will be aware of the latest trends, approaches, and opportunities in their specific field. We believe this will help the employee morale as they will have access to any continuing education as needed. In conclusion, we believe our new training module will teach and provide the employees with all the necessary tools to become and maintain success.. Our focus on sanitation standards, communication, customer service and satisfaction and networking will set our employees apart from the rest because they will be well rounded and well informed. Once this program is completed, the employees will develop an expertise in their respective areas that will have a positive impact in ICET’s organizational competitiveness, performance and productivity. Reference http://www.indiana.edu/~uhrs/training/performance_management/define.htm

Civil Disobedience In Antigone By David Thoreau - 958 Words

When one thinks of civil disobedience, they think of a person that neither follows nor respects the law. However, one does not take into consideration why a certain person is not abiding by the law, and what is influencing their decisions. In the case of Antigone, in Antigone by Sophocles, the reason she does not follow the law is that not only does she view the law as unfair and not just, but the law hurts her more than anyone else. Antigone feels she has a burden to bury her brother Polynices, but he is considered a traitor to Thebes, and to bury him is a violation of the law. Antigone thinks that it is the right of every man to be buried, but the people of Thebes do not view Polynices as a man. Antigone must decide between what she†¦show more content†¦In the case of Antigone herself, she says â€Å"But I will bury him; and if I must die, I say that this crime is holy† (Sophocles 192). Both Antigone and Polynices recognize their right to revolt, that Thoreau also r ecognized which is evident is work. Antigone and Thoreau actions are both similar in this context, as they decide to revolt what they think is wrong, but by revolting they committed crimes that are also considered wrong. Although Antigone and Thoreau’s actions are not viewed as appropriate under the law, both people do what they view as right, which leads to the next point of respecting what one thinks is corrects over what the law says is correct. When one makes a significant decision they tend to go with what their gut is telling them to do. One doesn’t take into consideration if their decision is the popular or safer decision, but trust what their gut tells them. Antigone is no different, when she is faced with a difficult decision she goes with what she thinks is right without regard to what repercussions she will face. In his essay, David Thoreau states â€Å"The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right† (Thorea u â€Å"Civil Disobedience†). Not only is it a right, but for Antigone it is an obligation. She says in the play, â€Å"This death of mine is of no importance; but if I had left my brother lying in death unburied,Show MoreRelatedBeing a Good Citizen Essay960 Words   |  4 Pagespolicies? It follows then, what is good citizenship? Henry David Thoreau provides an adequate definition of good citizenship within his essay, Civil Disobedience; Thoreau discusses certain characteristics of a good citizen. Examples of Thoreaus definition exist in both the ancient and contemporary culture. Sophocles describes Antigone as a good citizen by Thoreaus definition. Within the play, Antigone, Sophocles utilizes the character of Antigone to epitomize the proper role of citizens within a societyRead MoreAntigone: Moral Law vs. Political Law814 Words   |  4 PagesANTIGONE 3 January 2013 Moral Law vs. Political Law The theme of Antigone is the struggle between political law and moral law; the difference of following the law because it is the law and following one’s own morals because you feel it is what is right. The characters in Antigone face this struggle when confronted with Creon’s refusal of a burial for Antigone’s brother Polynices. The ancient Greeks believed that without proper burial, entrance into the afterlife was forbidden. It is throughRead MoreLiterature: A Reflection of Society1764 Words   |  8 Pagesthoughts in various ways, which has different effects on different people. Although not all literature promotes social change, many pieces of literature have had a profound impact on their respective societies, including Antigone by Sophocles, â€Å"Civil Disobedience† by Henry David Thoreau, and Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Greek theatre was an extremely important part of life in ancient Athens and held much influence over the people because it was a part of the new political system of democracy. The