Principles of Law Enforcement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Principles of Law Enforcement - Essay Example strength of the police culture is based upon a mission and anything that is done in pursuing that mission is serving the greater good of the community (Reiner as quoted in Hall, 2002, p.1). One of the reasons why this situation exists is because police officers are in such a difficult and sometimes hostile environment. In order for them to work well, it helps when they have the assurance that other officers will have their back if something happens. Since the world of police work is unpredictable, it helps police have peace of mind when they know that the other officers will help them in external and internal investigations by keeping silent. According to Hall (2002) there are eight reasons why the Code of Silence exists. Here are a few:: With this information in mind it is easy to see why this Code of Silence is an integral part of law enforcement. The interesting issue about this is that each officer decides how much of this they will do and it is usually based on their own moral code of ethics. In research done by The National Institute of Ethics in 2000, it was found that 52% of officers were not bothered by the Code of Silence (as quoted in Hall, p. 3). In other words, they were fine with it. Hall also suggests that the root of this comes from the fact that we were told as children not to tell on our siblings and the fact that we were punished if we did. Walker (2001), in his book on police accountability says that the reason this Code of Silence exists is because "officers learned that there was no risk of punishment for backing up fellow officers responses no matter how credible the tale." (Walker, p. 109). Another issue that comes up for officers is that some have compassion for people who have experienced brutal crimes. Because of this, they may begin to think that since the public wants to get rid of an individual like this, whatever they do to get rid of the individual will be seen as the right thing to do. They ignore due process for the perpetrator

Accounting Ethical Issues of American International Group Case Study

Accounting Ethical Issues of American International Group - Case Study Example AIG is a company with strong financials, respected the world over for its financial might, but this controversy resulted in a lot of its energy and resources being diverted towards undoing the charges. What began as an investigation into two reinsurance transactions later mushroomed into a growing scandal that tarnished the reputation of one of America's premier corporations. On Mar. 30, AIG acknowledged that it had improperly accounted for the reinsurance transaction to bolster reserves, and detailed numerous other examples of problematic accounting. Subsequently the company took corrective measures and fortunately for investors, employees and other stakeholders in many countries, continues to conduct all its operations smoothly, unlike ENRON, WorldCom and some other companies. While these companies appeared to have had flawed business models and hid the real and rapidly deteriorating financial conditions, at AIG it appears to have taken place on account of some wrong practices. AIG is once again on course to have an important impact on social and economic development issues, infrastructure investment, education, and training etc.  In fact, this is not the first time that AIG is stuck up in controversies. Nature and scale might be smaller but AIG has had a taste of controversies earlier as well. In 2004, the insurer paid $126 million in fines to the Securities & Exchange Commission and Justice Dept. for deals it structured for outside clients that allegedly violated insurance accounting rules, although AIG admitted no wrongdoing. The company also came under the glare of New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer for its role in bid-rigging with broker Marsh & McLennan Cos., which led to the ouster of Hanks son Jeffrey as CEO there. AIG admitted no wrongdoing, but two of its executives pleaded guilty and had to leave the company. In this era of cut-throat competition, such issues keep cropping up involving many big names.

Pursuit of Happiness Essay Example for Free

Pursuit of Happiness Essay (The Misconception Between Success and Happiness: UNCOVERED!) From a very young age, we are taught that achieving specific milestones of success – getting good grades or even best if we can, getting into a famous university, having a prestigious career or title, having a certain amount of money saved in the bank, living in the perfect dream house, marrying the right person according to our personal perspective, and having talented or well-behaved kids later on will make us happy. The frustrating truth is that none of these things have anything to do with happiness, not even one. Right from the beginning, we have been confused that achieving these goals will bring us forth to the doorway of happiness. It has been inducted into our minds that the attainment of these milestones is the pursuit of happiness, but at the end of the line, we only got success – not happiness. For those who are contented to being just successful, let me ask you, â€Å"What happens when you reach the goal that you have been setting for?† â€Å"Do you feel really happy, elated, and ecstatic?†. . . â€Å"If yes, then for how long?† â€Å"How long do or could you maintain that heightened and elevated feeling of euphoria after you reach your goal?†. . . For most of us, the answer would probably be â€Å"very long,† but without the biases and cover-ups, the answer is really â€Å"not that much long.† Let us just say – a day, a week, or even a month or more. Then, â€Å"What happens when those feelings fade?† It would just appear that you are not that much pleased to have reached your goal, but not because the goal loses some of its meaning. It is just that we consider the part of achieving to being our happiness. And once the moment of achievement passes, we would be looking for the next goal, the next achievement, and the next pursuit of success – not happiness. In other words, we seldom spend time basking in the satisfaction of what we have achieved or what we already have before achieving anything. We tend to set another goal, and then the next, and the next. Sometimes it may feel that you will just become happy â€Å"when. . .† And when that condition is met, you will later find out that you are not really happy at all, at least not for that much long. Then you start looking for the next goal to pursue. This is a description of the pursuit of success – a false definition of happiness that depends on a never-ending string of  achievements. We can even pursue achievements that have little long-term meaning or even those that endures for a lifetime – a degree or title, but these secular goals will still not bring us to profound happiness. For those who are already having second-thoughts about being contended to being just successful, you might ask me, â€Å"So, what is happiness anyway?† or â€Å"What is my definition of happiness?†. . . For me, â€Å"It is not really that sense of euphoria; it is not pleasure, but something larger, deeper, emphatic, yet fundamental.† In other words, happiness is less an event and more an ongoing state of mind, and a way of focusing on the larger picture – the journey, the quality, and the essence of experiences. It is often about defining your values and purpose, and staying true to them. To increase your level of happiness, you do not need more â€Å"happy moments,† rather, you need a more positive outlook on all moments – a sense that t hey are part of the tapestry of a life well-lived, that they are consistent with your nature, that they are mirrors of who you really are. The greater truth is that success does not create happiness, but happiness can create success. Think about people who seem to attract success – not the ruthless competitors, but the ones you just naturally want to be around. Those people who seem to bring others up, those who find an opportunity in any circumstance, and those who are contented or even passionate about pursuing a personal goal. Given the choice between pursuing achievements to become happy and finding inner happiness and letting success come to you, which do you think is more successful? There are, of course many ways to have both achievements and happiness. The mistake is in assuming that success or achievement alone will bring you happiness. When achievements are connected to your core values, then happiness is built into your achievements – for achievements alone for their own sake seldom lead to happiness and often feels like an addiction for over-achievers who keep looking for that next goal in the hopes that it will be soul-satisfying and lead to ever-lasting happiness. Actually, the secret to happiness is not at all related to setting goals and achieving them. Happiness is a state of mind that allows you to be contented and appreciate each moment for what it brings, and to increase it by honoring your personal core values and purpose. The good news is that you can create happiness in almost any circumstance, even with the very basic and most natural situation. There is no really a need for us to set our goals to  things so far, all we have to do is appreciate the things we already have. Being satisfied for what we have may not bring our hearts to Heaven, but being contented to what God has bestowed upon us will certainly bring Heaven into our hearts. â€Å"Success is getting what you want; Happiness is wanting what you get.† – Ingrid Bergman

The Flea by John Donne and The Altar by George Herbert

The Flea by John Donne and The Altar by George Herbert Compare and contrast the The Flea by John Donne and The Altar by George Herbert. The Flea by John Donne, published in 1633, is an erotic metaphysical poem in which the concept of a flea serves as an extended metaphor for the relationship between the speaker and his beloved. In comparison George Herbert’s The Altar, also published in 1633, demonstrates through the conceit of an altar how one should offer himself as a sacrifice to the Lord. This essay will compare and contrast; the poetic techniques, the shape of the poems and the use of meter. This essay will also highlight how these features link in with the main themes of sexual desires, religion and repetition to evoke the meaning of each poem. Both poets present the speaker differently through the use of poetic devices. For example, the metaphysical conceit in The Flea begins when the speaker states ‘And in this flea, our two bloods mingled be’. (4) This metaphor suggests that the speaker believes the mixing of two bloods is similar to the consecration of marriage and this is the argument the speaker sets up to woo his lover. The speaker uses direct address when he says ‘how little that which thou deniest me’. (2) By using the determiner ‘little’ it shows how he is trying to convince his lover of the unimportance of sexual intercourse. In addition, the possessive pronoun ‘me’ suggests he is trying to assert his authority, thus highlighting his sexual desire even more. In complete contrast, the speaker in The Altar is ambiguous as Herbert refers to a ‘servant’, (1) which implies anybody could be speaking it; whether it is the poet, the reader or even a priest, as it seems to be in the form of a prayer. Furthermore, the speaker illuminates they are addressing someone of higher importance as he refers to the ‘Lord’ (1). In addition, the adjective ‘broken’ (1) is an expression of a heartfelt sense of inadequacy and so this further captures Herbert’s meaning to define man’s place before God. It is important to take in to account how Donne and Herbert have a distinct contrast in how they use religion as a theme to evoke the meaning of their poems. Following on from this, Donne uses the general insignificance of a flea to be the primary image of the poem thus revealing his humorous and witty tone; as it contrasts with the act of intercourse, which is of monumental importance to many religious people back in the seventeenth century. Unlike Donne, Herbert uses the conceit of an altar to show how one should offer himself to God. Through his conceit, Herbert highlights the importance of devoting oneself to God, whereas Donne only uses religious imagery in order to win over his lover. In The Flea, the metaphor ‘three lives in one flea spare’ (10) contradicts what the speaker believes to be of unimportance. The speaker tries to manipulate his lover by suggesting she is going against the sanctity of marriage if she kills the flea. The image of ‘three lives’ equates to the three persons of the Holy Trinity; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. By incorporating this imagery, Donne effectively uses Biblical referenc es to shape his argument and tries to seduce his lover in a crafty manner. However in The Altar, the metaphor ‘A HEART alone / Is such a stone’ (5/6) demonstrates how devout the speaker believes he is without offering himself fully to God. The noun ‘HEART’ is in bold and is placed near the centre of the poem, which illuminates that the heart should be central to what is being done. In addition, this suggests if the heart was to be taken out, the altar would lose its significance. This metaphor also symbolises the fall of Adam in the Garden of Eden; the sin that he committed represents the heart that has died. This again links in with the idea that one should offer himself as a sacrifice to God. Both Donne and Herbert’s poems create an effective visual image with the purpose of linking back to the meaning. The repetition of the shape in The Flea and the indentation of the last three lines of each stanza refer back to this three in one imagery. This repetition suggests a habitual routine that the speaker is a product of as he is determined to persuade his lover to agree in sexual intercourse. Furthermore, the speaker says ‘three lives’ (10) and ‘three sins in killing three’ (18) which are of high importance. This repetition of the three in one imagery suggests each stanza mirrors the concept of the flea, the lover and the speaker or even more importantly the Holy Trinity. In the same way the theme of repetition and religion has come across in The Flea, The Altar also creates a visual impact. Like Donne’s repetition of the shape of the stanzas, Hebert’s poem also repeats the shape of the first four lines with the last four lines. This creates a sense of how the spiritual world will always overrule the material world. The speaker in The Flea gives reference to material things such as sexual intercourse in order to win over his lover. However in the first four lines of The Altar, the speaker gives reference ‘workmans tools’ (4) to suggest that material goods will never be on same level as the spiritual world. Micah Krabill states Herbert has ‘made an external altar for the reader; by approaching the poem, the reader approaches the altar.’ (Krabill, 1998) Following on from this, Herbert purposefully sets the shape of this poem like an altar so that the reader places themselves before God, which links back to Krabill’s statement of how the reader approaches the altar. Herbert gives reference to a ‘broken ALTAR’ (1) which is clever as the poem is in the shape of a broken altar. This evokes the meaning of how the pathway to God is not always easy. Herbert further emphasises the significance of religion when the shape moulds to the centre at ‘A HEART alone’ (5), thus highlighting how the heart is at the centre of the sacrifice given to God. The repetition of the shape of the last four lines links in with the visual shape in The Flea as it suggests the speaker is prepared to offer himself fully at the end of the poem. The meter of each poem are similar in that they fall in to the iambic rhythm, however they create different impacts. The Flea alternates between iambic tetrameter and iambic pentameter for example ‘Though use make you apt to kill me, / Let not to that, self-murder added be’. (16/17) However the last three lines in each stanza alternate between tetrameter for line seven and then pentameter for lines eight and nine. The alternate meter and having three couplets and one triplet in each nine line stanza links back to the idea of the speaker’s manipulative motive and scheming behaviour in order to engage in sexual desires throughout the poem. In comparison with the complexity of his argument, the rhyme scheme follows an aabbccddd pattern in which every last word of each line, with the exception of ‘maidenhead’ (6) and ‘innocence’ (20), all has one syllable. For example, ‘me’, ‘thee’ and ‘three’ all addres s the speaker, his lover and refer back to the three in one imagery. By having one syllable for every word, it links back to the simplicity of what the speaker wants. Like Donne’s poem, The Altar engages in an alternate iambic pentameter and iambic tetrameter for the first two couplets. The poem then changes to iambic dimeter for four couplets and then the last two couplets mirror the alternate meters in the first two couplets. Similarly to The Flea, the alternate meter’s highlight the speaker’s character. The immediate switch from iambic tetrameter to iambic dimeter speeds the pace of the poem up; the middle section illuminates the speaker’s message in how he believes one should offer himself to God. The last couple of iambic dimeter is, ‘Meets in this frame / To praise thy name’ (11/12) which is of high significance. Herbert cleverly uses a punning reference to the ‘frame’ of the poem and also a person’s state of mind. Following on from this, the alternate meter’s also fit in with the visual shape of the poem which is effective as it links in with the metaphysical conceit of an altar that Herbert uses throughout. Both poets use various meter’s to demonstrate either the duplicitous motive of the speaker in The Flea or to strengthen importance of the message in The Altar. Both Donne and Herbert structure their poems effectively using the metaphysical conceits of a flea and an altar to highlight the message that is intended. Without fail, both poets are able to use the shape of their poems and also various meters’ in order to create different impacts upon the reader. The Flea and The Altar are seen as completely different poems due to the erotic and seductive behaviour of the speaker in the first poem, yet the latter is in complete contrast as the speaker addresses God in a respectful and dutiful manner. Nevertheless, both Donne and Herbert highlight similar themes such as sexual desires, religion and repetition in order to bring to light the meaning of both poems effectively. Bibliography Krabill, M. (1998). Visual Metaphor. Interpreting English Literature: Milton, Herbert Donne. Retrieved from http://finneganswake.net/academia/visualmetaphor.html (Accessed 10th March, 2014)

Portfolio Theory and Banks :: Finance Financial Essays

Portfolio Theory and Banks Over the years competition in the financial industry has been very high. Banks have been competing harder over market shares and profits. These firms have of late been facing a very unique challenge; how to extract high levels of profit while still maintaining their foundations as lending institutions. Lending is not a very profitable business, the risk of default coupled with the competition driving down market prices have made lending a less attractive enterprise. Therefore some banks are trying to concentrate on their more profitable activities (i.e. advisories, debt and equity sales, mergers and acquisitions). But to be able to extract this sort of business requires banks to engage in loans. Without loans customers have no incentive to do business with them, since one of their primary needs is to finance their commercial activities through debt. Portfolio theory gives these lending institutions a tool to minimize the risks and hazards of lending. Portfolio theory was first published by Fischer Black and Myron Scholes in 1973. This model provided banks with a strategy on how to diversify their loans and investments. Before this, banks had no real investment strategy and their only option was to obtain as much collateral as possible and make default an unattractive option. Portfolio Theory allows companies or investors to diversify their investment so to minimize risk and maximize gain. The principle behind the Black – Scholes model is to diversify your equity so that your lowest risk bond produces the same risk as your highest risk investment. When your investments have reached this equilibrium, then risk minimization has been achieved.[1] [1] www.kmv.com/Knowledge_Base/public/general/white /Portfolio_Management_of_default_Risk.pdf What is the Black - Scholes model? The model also called portfolio theory works under the following assumptions: 1) Price of the underlier is lognormally distributed 2) No transaction costs 3) Markets trade continuously 4) Risk-free rate is constant and the same for all maturities.[1] The model was first used for simple put and call options and now has been expanded for use with other financial instruments. This model is a mathematical model and certain variables are needed for the formula to work. These variables are the stock price, exercise price, time to maturity, volatility, and price of a discount bond that matures when the option does.

Assisted suicide :: essays research papers

Assisted Suicide   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Kovorkian’s killing spree targeted people with disabilities. The problem is that there are many doctors and nurses out there that are doing the same thing or at list supporting this issue. I agree that in some rather rear cases assisted suicide can be an act of compassion and can offer the chance of living this earth with some dignity and on one’s own terms. It sounds wonderful and in a perfect world it would be easy to determine when that would be the best thing for one’s self, a loved one or a patient. However, in the real world, there are a few things we must do first, in order to be able to make such determination. First, we must make sore that only one person never makes this decision. Such decision should be made by the patient, in collaboration with family members and loved ones and with the advice and help of one or more medical doctors. Second of all we must consider a few other things; one that the people involved in such decision ha ve the patients best interest at heart, two, we have to take in consideration the ability to reason of all the people involved. Three, we should make certain that they are able to put all other feelings that might influence this decision aside. Nevertheless, we are to consider the religious beliefs of all that are involved and how these beliefs might influence them. Moreover I think every family should have a plan just in case we will ever be faced with such situation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Decisions like this rise far to many question of where to draw the line between right, wrong, between compassion and crime, and other highly sensitive alike issues. Therefore we must have a system in place, which will never allow any one person to make such decision. If we ever allow only one person to make this decision, patients will ask for assisted suicide because they are depressed and in too much physical pain, doctors will assist patients in suicide based on their medical opinion (which might be wrong) and other opinions such as cost of medical care or organ donation. Moreover, family members will have the opportunity to make such decision based on anger, frustration, and financial problems or simply because it otherwise be too painful to watch a family member suffer. Because my mother haze a heart condition and went through a heart surgery already, we have talked about all the â€Å"what if’s†.

Pretty Woman Essay

Pretty Woman is a romantic comedy, which is based on the stories of Cinderella, the Prince and the Pauper and My fair lady. The film was produced in 1990 and directed by Garry Marshall. It is set in the Hollywood hills and the rough Hollywood Boulevard. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts play the two main characters, Vivien Ward and Edward Lewis. Edward is a wealthy man who is respected and admired by others. Whereas Vivien is a lot poorer. Her only way of earning money is by her job as a prostitute in Hollywood Boulevard. In the film the music is very important. At the beginning it is set at a party. It is Edward’s party so it is very posh and classy. All throughout the party scenes there is piano music being played in the background. This shows that Edward and his friends are very sophisticated. The music changes though when Edward is in his car driving through the Hollywood hills down into the Hollywood Boulevard. It turns into a more upbeat song it’s lyrics include ‘I’ll get over you,’ this is a signifier because it links in with the fact that he has just broken up with his girlfriend. When the shot moves to Vivien in her bedroom the music changes again, it changes to a louder, heavier song called ‘Wild women do’ which matches Vivien’s character as a prostitute living in the rough part of the Hollywood Boulevard where she lives life wildly. Just from this you can see a contrast between Vivien and Edward straight away. The costumes that the two main characters wear are very different. At the party at the beginning of the film, Edward and all of his friends are wearing very posh expensive clothes probably made by famous designers. The people are wearing clothes that have quite a bright colour like red or blue and most of them are just wearing one colour. They are also wearing lots of expensive jewellery like gold necklaces, bracelets, rings etc. Just by looking at the people at the party you can tell straight away that they have lots of money and can afford to buy expensive clothes and jewellery for parties. When you first see Edward he is upstairs in his office away from the party. The walls in his office are just plain white with not a lot of decoration and he is wearing a plain grey suit which is quite dull and lifeless this is a signifier that he is a businessman and that he doesn’t like to wear bright colourful clothes and that he prefers to stay wearing neutral colours.