Abstract This paper explains that the question arose in the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court case "Connecticut Dept. of Public Safety v. Doe", was how should the law, even in the case of sexual offenses to children, balance the issue of public safety and protection with the rights of the individual who committed the crime. The author describes Connecticut's "Megan's Law", which requires convicted sex offenses to register and have their names posted upon their release into the community, and the process of the legal challenge to this law. The paper concludes that the U.S. Supreme Court made a relatively technical ruling in the Connecticut case based upon the defendant's invocation of the Due Process Clause; however, the question of the individual's right to privacy and the need of the state to provide public safety still remains.
From the Paper "The U.S. Supreme Court, in 2003 lead by Chief Justice Rehnquist, disagreed with the Second Circuit Court. It decided that the Connecticut Second Circuit's judgment should be reversed because the court required that the defendant have a hearing to be subject to the public list, which the Supreme Court did not feel to be necessary. The court unanimously decided that due process does not require a convicted defendant have an opportunity to prove a fact and an injury to an individual's reputation in a hearing."
Tags: list immunities, due process clause, ex post facto, alaska
Abstract This paper uses references to several landmark cases in child abuse prosecution to discuss the topic of child abuse. The paper takes an even-handed approach to discussing the topic in the sense that it acknowledges society's obligation to protect children, and contrasts this against the rights of the accused.
The paper refers to the following court cases as examples : McDonald v. State, Landeros v. Flood, Arkansas Dept of Human Services v. Caldwell, Korunka v. Dept. of Children Services, Cavarretta v. Dept. of Children and Family Services, Arkansas Dept. of Human Services v. Heath.
From the Paper "The child welfare system is a group of services designed to promote the well-being of children by ensuring safety, achieving permanency and strengthening families to successfully care for their children. Child welfare systems are complex and their specific procedures vary widely by State. However, in each state the physical and emotional welfare of children is of primary importance in each state's child welfare system. There are different types of child abuse. One is neglect. Neglect involves failure to provide for a child's basic needs..."
Tags: Education, child abuse, reporting, false reports, famous or landmark cases
Abstract Activity Based Costing or (ABC), although not a completely new discipline within the accounting profession, is rapidly becoming one of the most popular avenues of study for business majors in the academic world. The paper shows that ABC is full of benefits, with few limiting factors and perhaps the fastest growing phase of accountancy in the world today. The spread of ABC into the European Union alone is creating fierce competition between U. S., British and German companies and foreign organizations for persons willing to go into the lucrative field.
This paper centers on ABC itself and does not go into comparative methodologies with older forms of Cost Accounting.
Paper Outline:
An Introduction to ABC
What is ABC and How Does it Work?
ABC: An Overview
Cost Drivers
ABC and the Dept. of Defense
ABC - The Navy Way
The Implementation Starting Point
Dept. of Defense - Final Recommendations for Implementation
Expanding the Concept - Another Success Story
16,000 Ideas for Change in 2 Months
Yet Another Success Story on a Grander Scale
Conclusions and Recommendations
Bibliography
From the Paper "Early in 1994, Texas Commerce Bank launched a reengineering effort, called "Process Improvement," which included every organizational process and all 9,000 employees. Not only was the level of involvement unique, the bank structured and implemented "Process Improvement," without outside consultants. There were several goals of the program including, removing all employee frustrations associated with cumbersome policies, processes, services, or products; streamlining processes to improve quality and delivering improved service to customers and eliminating unnecessary expense."
Abstract While credit cards give the consumer many advantages, this paper takes a look at how credit cards have pushed the margin on high interest rates, at hidden fees and negative marketing strategies which have put society into debt.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
A. Americans in credit card debt.
II. Origin of credit cards
A. Dates
B. Statistics
C. Relevant background
III. High Interest rates
A. Interest rates in recent years
B. Usury Laws
C. Who sets these laws?
IV. High Hidden Fees
A. The inflating Interest Rate Game
B. The Grace Period
C. Extra Fees
V. Negative Marketing Strategies
A. What to do first, if you have a complaint
B. Government agencies to contact
C. Can the company get penalties?
VI. Laws and Legislation regarding high interest rates, hidden fees and negative marketing strategies.
A. Truth in Lending Act
B.Governing finance charges
C.EFT Act
VII. CONCLUSION
From the Paper "Credit cards have become a symbol of the American way of life. Until recently Americans were enjoying a period of wealth and freedom never before experienced in history. They were in a mood to buy, and buy they did. Many turned to credit cards to make the purchases that they desired. Some commodities, such as rental cars cannot be obtained with out plunking down a credit card. While credit cards give the consumer many advantages, credit cards have pushed the margin on high interest rates, hidden fees and negative marketing strategies, putting society in to debt."
Tags: interest, consumer, dept, economy, loan, social
Abstract An exploration into the decision-making processes in governmental budgeting. The writer of the paper studies several concepts to explain the budget process, how decisions affecting it, or affected by it, are made and what role policy plays in the whole system.
From the Paper "Within an anarchy organization, decisions are made in one of three ways: by resolution, oversight or flight. A decision by resolution indicates that the decision resolves a problem and is usually only reached after significant amounts of work. Oversight decisions are said to be made when decisions made regarding other problems result in making the decision for the decision-makers. Finally, flight decisions are those which leave the problem unresolved and the choice intact. Unfortunately, oversight and flight decisions are the most common type of decisions made when it comes to budgeting."
From the Paper "Implementing a Total Quality Management system (TQM) can be a difficult process due to the changes that are brought about in the organization. Resistance to change in a TQM environment often does not come from the "lower" workers, but rather from middle managers who often feel a loss of control and a sense that their importance to the organization has been diminished. his research explores the implementation program for TQM in the accounting department of Company X.
"Problem Description and Background
"Company X has an accounting department composed of 22 employees. The controller has been with the organization for more than 18 years, and is a middle aged man (Mr. Thompson) who oversees accounts payable, accounts receivable, and special programs. The special program ..."
From the Paper "This research examines the degree and nature of the influence of Aboriginal groups in the government of Canada. In Canada, the term "First Nations" refers to the aboriginal peoples who inhabited North America before occupation of the continent by Europeans. As an example, the Mohawk people refer to themselves as the Mohawk Nation. The terms "Indians" and "Bands," by contrast, tend to reinforce "the labels provided by others" to Canada's aboriginal peoples. Many issues are sources of conflict between the government of Canada and the aboriginal peoples in Canada. These issues, however, may be considered largely in the context of three broad areas of ..."
From the Paper "CHICAGO FIRE DEPARTMENT: LABOR/MANAGEMENT ISSUES
Abstract
This research examined labor-management issues affecting the Fire Department of the City of Chicago. These problems were grouped into issues concerning the control of work, affirmative action, and dispute resolution.
With the advent of fiscal restraint at the level of municipal government, the issue of the control of the work place has emerged as a point of contention between management and workers at the Fire Department of the City of Chicago. A differentiation may be made between the "workers control movement" and the "labor movement" in the United States. The differentiation is important, because of the attempts in the United States to control the content and process of work. In the .."
From the Paper "New York City Police Department: Corruption Policy Analysis
Introduction
This research examines the policy and policy application of the New York City Police Department in relation to corrupt practices by members of the Department. The focus of this research is on the investigations conducted by the Mollen Commission, with a more specific emphasis on the findings of those investigations, the conclusions drawn by the Commission, and the recommendations made by the Commission. Information from other sources related to the facts of the situation, and the conclusions and recommendations of others, however, are also reviewed. This other information is relevant and significant because not everyone agrees with the Mollen Commission's conclusions and..."
Abstract This paper is a critical analysis of the application for assistance process as directed by the department of Ontario Works. The author of this essay refers to details available in public policy documents, and assesses a hypothetical application process in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the process. The paper concludes that the process of applying for assistance from the Ontario Works dept. is convoluted, contradictory, and largely ineffectual.
Abstract Analyzes the visual effects, nonlinear storyline and symbolism make the classic film "Citizen Kane" a movie ahead of its time. Describes how Wells uses a combination of dialogue, camera movement, dept of focus, lighting, sound and more.
From the Paper "One of the great films, "Citizen Kane," is considered by some to be one of the most critically acclaimed American films of all time. The film was ahead of its time in its visual, audio and narrative story telling approach. It uses a nonlinear method to develop the story's theme, which has been duplicated in many recent movies such as "Pulp Fiction." However, this style was rarely found in films from the thirties and forties. Many of the visual and audio elements of the movie were very creative, unique and never done before "Citizen Kane." With computer generated special effects seen commonly today, it is impressive how Orson Welles was able to create many of his effects in 1941. "Citizen Kane" is definitely a film that proves how a movie can be great with little or no computer technology."
Abstract To maintain a strong financial position the company's capital structure must be well organized to reduce the overall cost of capital. It is essential that proper management of the cash flow and investments are scrutinized on a constant basis. This paper shows that without a firm hand on the money going out and the money coming in, a company could find themselves without working capital, bad dept and an excess inventory. Everything that affects working capital, such as payables, receivables, equity, loans, inventory and investments must be controlled constantly. This paper examines how capital management in healthcare requires regular maintenance to be successful.
Paper Outline:
Introduction
Capital Management
Importance in Healthcare
Cash and Investments
Managing Payables
Inventory Management
Investments
Conclusion
References
From the Paper "Ratios are important to a company and must be analyzed frequently. Comparing the ratios to that of other similar companies will reveal just where the organization stands in the business. There are two basic financial decisions a company must make before starting. While looking at the assets of an organization, the company will naturally lean towards investing in the positive net present value (NPV) projects. Once this is determined then a capital structure is created to fund the project."
Abstract This paper explains that, although many people believed that the stock market crash was the cause of the Great Depression, many other factors played a role in bringing about this depression. The author points out that one of the causes was the maldistribution of wealth. The paper states that a second factor was a lack of diversification in the American economy in the 1920s. The author stresses that a third major problem was the credit structure of the economy, which put farmers deeply in dept. The paper relates that declining exports and the unstable international debt structure also influenced the coming of the Great Depression. The author underscores that the speculative boom in the stock market was based upon confidence; whereas, the huge market crash of 1929 was based on fear.
From the Paper "During the 1920s, the share of the national income going to families in the upper-income increased. Tax policies contributed to this concentration of wealth by lowering personal income tax rates, eliminating the wartime excess-profits tax, and increasing deductions that favored affluent individuals and corporations. In 1929, the poorest forty percent of the population received only twelve and a half percent of aggregate family income, whereas the wealthiest five percent received thirty percent. Moreover, for an economy to function properly, demand must equal supply."
Abstract The paper summarizes the Terri Schiavo case and explains William Colby's argument, as presented in his work "Unplugged: Reclaiming Our Right to Die in America", that the law should respect an individual's inherent right to die if the health circumstances are too severe. The paper then asserts that the Federal Justice Department did not have the right to prevent Oregon from allowing patient-assisted suicides. The paper also looks at the "Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Dept. of Health" landmark case that allowed persons the right to deny life-saving medical assistance. The paper is of the opinion that the chapter "My Living Will" of Colby's book is the most intriquiging, since it describes the personal and legal foundation for denying life support systems.
From the Paper "The Terri Schiavo case represents a critical turning point for a patient's right to die, which helped to determine a legal framework under a caregiver's consent to terminate life support systems. With the Governor of Florida and the President of the United States creating legislation to prevent the death of Schiavo, the inherent right to life or death to a patient was denied after the lower court of Pinellas County decided that Schiavo would not want to live in a persistent vegetative state. However, the Supreme Courts of the United States and Florida decided correctly that the long-term state of Schiavo's suffering and lack of revival determined that her caregivers had a right to take away her feeding tube. This was the correct choice due to the fact that her long-term placement within hospital care had decidedly taken a course that would be deemed unconscionable to keep supporting Schiavo's lack of utility (to interact with other people) and to prevent a decent quality of life. The higher courts decided that her caregivers had the right to decide on Schiavo's assisted death due to the nature of her condition and the unethical medical authority that let her continue in such a condition."
Abstract The paper discusses the interdepartmental security unit of the New Jersey Dept. of Treasury. The paper states that this office provides support to the divisions within the Department of Treasury and coordinates efficient utilization of IT resources. The paper also states that this department is responsible for promoting the effective use of technology and with developing and maintaining a standardized technical environment for the State of New Jersey. These along with other duties and responsibilities' are some the issues that are addressed in the study, together with an analysis of how these services are linked with the components of the strategic plan and planning process. The paper concludes that this department seeks to maximize current and future investments in information processing technologies and the centralization of resources to provide technical support and solve IT-related problems.
Outline:
Introduction
Background of the Study
Current Strategy
Description of Alternative Scenarios and Associated Risks
SWOT Analysis
Alternative Strategies and Recommended Changes to Current Posture ..
Recommendations for Change to Current Postures, Processes, and Strategies to Meet Challenges of Competition and Changing Environment
Current Thinking
Implementation/Applicability: Case Study on the State of New Jersey
Department of Treasury
Conclusion
From the Paper "Perhaps a superior approach would be to create specialty consultation groups based on area of expertise and whether it is a technology- or business-related project. Such IT specialty teams are typically headed by a project manager, as with the existing approach used by the Department, with an important difference. By creating specialty teams that provide full-time assistance to assigned groups, project managers could remain better informed of ongoing problem areas and performance. According to Luftman (2003), "In its purest form, account managers have full-time responsibility for 'managing the account' of an internal business unit, which includes developing IT plans, contracting for internal IT services, and monitoring progress on IT projects on behalf of the business unit customer. This type of integrator role has been found to be associated with achieving strategic alignment within firms with centralized IT decision rights" (p. 199). This approach would provide for improved communication between Department staff and OTT staff over the long-term based on continuing collaborative efforts and an increased recognition of what each organization is capable of doing for the other. This approach would also allow better use of existing resources by avoiding the need for every OTT staff member to participate at a minimal level in every IT-related project, no matter whether it is business- or technology-related. As individual strengths and areas of expertise are identified and refined, these groups could play an increasingly valuable role in helping the Department achieve its organizational goals."
