Cold Case Investigation

Abstract Cold case investigation is a growing concern due to increased numbers of unsolved cases and pop culture appeal. This paper will walk you through what a cold case investigation is, how one begins, and factors such as the use of volunteers can effect the outcome of a cold case investigation. Each year the number of unsolved cases in the U. S. goes up, but with limiting funding and lack of manning something has to be done to keep the numbers down. A dedicated cold case unit is the best answer to this problem. Cold Case InvestigationApproximately one-third of all homicides in the United States are not cleared within the first year of being committed. These cases are dubbed cold cases after active investigation has been terminated for any of several reasons. If investigators lose the trail or cannot come up with enough evidence, witnesses, or a suspect the case may be closed. More important or high publicity cases may become a priority and with lack of a trail a case is closed. T hese cases can be placed on a back burner until time and manning is available to conduct a more thorough investigation and continue where previous investigation left off.The low clearance rate has also been attributed to the number of experienced detectives, changes in resources, deterioration of quality of investigation, and escalation of other related crimes. The means of conducting a cold case investigation vary greatly from that of an ongoing investigation and may even be conducted by people not employed by the original agency handling the case. Resurrecting a Cold Case Investigation After a case has been dubbed a cold case, it may take several months to even years before it is re-opened for investigation.Some times the original investigator may feel a desire to re-open the case or new evidence or witnesses may come to light offering up a direction for investigators to follow. Other times it requires others not involved in the initial investigation to take initiative to gather c losure for victims or other reasons. If the primary investigator in the initial case is not involved in the cold case investigation, the current investigators need to be brought up to speed on the background and prior evidence or facts of the case.Investigators may then contact any prior witnesses and re-entertain questions previously asked or expand on the subject. Some witnesses may provide further information. If there were no witnesses or suspects, current technology that was not available during the initial investigation could provide evidence not previously available such as DNA. Personnel previously interviewed may also be feeling guilt by the time a cold case is re-opened and need an opportunity to vent or even confess their guilt.If little or no further information is found for investigators to go off of the case may become frustrating and be given up on again. Re-opening a cold case also creates some turmoil such as opening old wounds with the victims of these crimes due t o the suspect not being caught initially, and because the victims are forced to relive the past. Cold Case Investigation Units Cold case investigation investigations units have been formed to combat the growing trend of unsolved cases. They usually consist of one or more dedicated homicide investigators with the sole purpose of solving the cases.The structure and management of these units are not clearly defined at this time and there is little evidence to prove that they are effective at reducing the numbers of unsolved cases. Cold case units have gained popular appeal in the last couple of years through various television shows related to that of solving cold cases. There are two perspectives as to why certain cases remain unsolved. The first is based on conflict theory and behavior of law theory. This theory shows that the police’s discretion leads to differences in investigative effort and shows bias.The biggest thing to note on this theory is that a case will have more t ime and effort put into it if the victim is from a more favorable social position. The second theory is the opposite. It states that everyone receives maximum effort regardless of victim characteristics and cases remain unsolved due to a lack of situational characteristics such as evidence, witnesses, and use of a weapon that can be found and fingerprinted. (Napolean, 2009, pg n/a) The cold case unit concept was created by the Miami police department in the 80’s to handle approximately 1,400 unsolved cases.This unit had much success and cold case investigation units became popular nationwide. To date there are still some concerns on how a cold case unit should operate, but prioritizing cases is the biggest concern. As a standard the highest priority cases are those, which the victim or a second victim has been identified, the death was ruled a homicide, suspects were previously named by forensic means, an arrest warrant was previously issued, significant physical evidence can be further processed, or new leads have arisen where critical witnesses are willing to cooperate.Cold cases are generally broken into three categories, high, moderate or low. By any means, a staffed and supported cold case investigation unit is more advantageous than a temporary unit. Volunteers are Essential Cold case investigation is an extremely labor intensive process. There has been a growing desire for cold cases to be solved due to its pop culture appeal. Many police departments are feeling the pressure to get their unsolved case numbers down, but due to the economy and budgets on a downward trend staffing and resources are at a premium.Agencies are now turning to a more non-traditional alternative to fill staff voids left by budget cuts. Volunteers can play an essential role in the assistance to detectives who solve cold cases. Retired detectives provide an allure to some agencies. These retirees do not require additional training because they were previously employed in th e same line of business. They are also most likely to enjoy doing the work because they retired doing it. A great attractor for retirees is that they benefit from getting a chance to do what they love without being forced into the long hours that comes along with it.Other volunteers can come from just about anywhere as long as they have a willingness and drive to solve the cases. Ex-law enforcement and civilians are vital. Having a mixed background of volunteers provides a variety of experience to draw from and a fresh set of eyes on the cases. Investigators that previously worked on the cases may feel refreshed having another opinion on the work they did and find something that was previously missed. Often times investigators are drawn into the way they were instructed to solve a case and miss alternative approaches to problem solving.Volunteers can provide this alternate because they may not have any training in solving cases. Even if volunteers do not work specifically on solving the case, there are other just as important opportunities. Law enforcement comes with a lot of paperwork and filing. Volunteers are perfect for this because by them doing the paperwork aspect of the investigation it frees up the time of the actual detectives to do the foot pounding. References Leonard, G. J. , Gerard, F. D. , & Camille, D. B. (2005) Resurrecting cold case serial homicide investigations.FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 74(8), 1-7. Retrieved from https://search. proquest. com/docview/204129494? accountid=8289 Napolean, C. R. (2009) Cold case investigation units. TELEMASP Bulletin, 16(1), 1-10. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/198013843? accountid=8289 Regensburger, D. (2011). Law enforcement volunteers: An essential tool in the investigation of cold case homicides. Sheriff, 63(3), 22-24. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/869520529? accountid=8289

Can money buy happiness Essay

Happiness is a feeling we have for many reasons. Many objects and materials can provide the happiness many humans desire. Money can and have fulfilled that happiness which one lacks for many years. There are many ways I think money does buy happiness. Money increases quality of life in which buys happiness. This is only true if one lives within his means, lives a modest lift style and pursues happiness the right way. I think most people believe happiness is bought in a store. People overestimate how much pleasure they’ll get when they buy luxurious things. We really don’t need all these extravagant luxuries around use. Are they necessities of life? Are they just things to show one’s vanity? Or are they just trying to keep up with the Jones sort of speak. There are different classes of people; welfare, working, middle, and upper class. The welfare classes are not working or can’t find work; their bare minimal needs might be met. Do you think there is any quality of life for that family? Yes there is some food on the table and they may all live in a small apartment. What about the quality and quantity of those conditions? The working classes are working so hard sometimes 2 and 3 jobs struggling just to get buy. The whole time hoping that some day they could make enough to enjoy some of the good things life has to offer; time with family and friends, traveling, health, quality food and shelter. So yes I believe money can buy happiness if managed the right way. All things considered, does it make good sense for people in society to pursue monetary income or wealth? I believe it makes sense for people to pursue monetary income first; the wealth will come later. â€Å"Happiness is an ongoing project, not something that can be accomplished once and for all by earning more money, marrying the love of your life, having wonderful children (Dunn & Gilbert, 2011). But people adapt too quickly to the benefits that come with wealth and take them for granted. They must continuously pursue happiness of making more money to buy more things. Happiness is the psychological condition that results from the achievement  of one’s values. Values are ends that a person acts to gain and or keep. They are those things that a person cares about having or doing â€Å"cares† in the robust sense that he or she is willing to act to secure them. Values can be material or spiritual. Food, clothes, eye wear, a car, a house all of these would be material values. â€Å"Spiritual† values are those that pertain to a person’s consciousness. Spiritual values encompass things like knowledge, beauty, self-esteem, mental health or rewarding work. While spiritual values may take material form, their value depends primarily on their relation to the needs of a person’s consciousness. Money is an opportunity for happiness in today’s society. Many people use money to meet many of their needs. Vanity is now a major factor in the world. Buying materialistic things is an instant feeling of happiness. Money’s power to expand a person’s options is the heart of its contribution to happiness. An individual might value spending one’s life as a writer but unable to sustain an acceptable income writing. More money and the time it buys, makes a pursuit a greater possibility. A person might value being engaged with their children while they are young, or peace of mind about their retirement; more money makes these possibilities easier. One of the things these examples make plain is that money is important not only to fulfill physical desires or to acquire material goods. It is also critical for the spiritual values. Money facilitates the achievement of all values, spiritual as well as material. Money buys good and money buys time. Money buys autonomy to mold one’s life in the image of one’s ideal. Money nourishes happiness by helping a person to achieve the values that happiness is made of. Like many things, money can be put to poor uses. Yet money can also be put to wonder uses, including the greatest: experiences joy in living. That fact has got to be acknowledging if people are to embrace money unapologetically, as they must if they are to attain sufficient control over their lives to realize their ends and fulfill their dreams. The truth is clichà © that money can buy happiness is that happiness is not easy. Money does not offer short cuts around this fact. It is important to appreciate the danger of how money can’t buy happiness, however. On one level it is simply bad advice, which is counterproductive to individual’s happiness. Economists use the term utility to represent a measure of the satisfaction or happiness that individuals get from the consumption of goods and services. Because a higher income can allow one to consume more goods and services, we say that utility increases with income. But does greater income and consumption really translate into greater happiness? However consumption effect tells us that more consumption of goods and services will increase happiness. At least to a degree, we see that money can buy happiness. Based on research I found that money does not increase the happiness because as income increases the person behavior of preferences or satisfaction changes and will result is diminishing income. Research also showed that the more money one earned in an annual salary, one will spend more for the desires in which one has. Happiness can be easily out weighted by the loss of a family member, or cancer that may not be cured or removed. Money brings people happiness in numerous ways. I believe that money can provide one with live. Some people say that without love there is no happiness. On the contrary there is love in money. Others might involve themselves into one life only because the person has money, but they are expressing their love none the less. For example like when a woman falls in love with a man’s personality or anything else she may like about him. The man with a lot of money can lose all his wealth at any time, just like he can lose his personality, a career, looks or even a hairstyle. What people fail to realized is that money can bring happiness, whether or not its material objects. People tend not to like the phrase â€Å"money can bring happiness† not everyone can have a lot of money. Only about 3% of Americans make over $250,000 a year searching happiness through money is not the easiest route. So people  tend to simply deny the phrase, by saying that being rich makes people greedy and heartless. People are often frustrated with the rich because while they work diligently, they view the rich as those who sign a couple of papers and can continue to sit in their gold encrusted chairs, resting with their feet in the air. Because of this, the other 97% of the world say that the rich are miserable, as a way to feel better about themselves. Truth is money does bring happiness, one way or another. In conclusion, evidences suggest that an increase in income and consumption does not appreciably increase happiness. However, due to relative income effect, people still engage in the rat race for making more money. But as a person’s income increases over time, a person’s expectations increase as well, therefore they aspire to having higher incomes. To the extent that satisfaction is tied to whether those aspirations are met, satisfaction may not increase as income grows over time. It is possible that the relationship between income and satisfaction goes two ways; although higher income generates more satisfaction, greater satisfaction offers greater motivation for individuals to work hard and generate a higher income.

Nursing Research Portfolio Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Nursing Research Portfolio - Assignment Example Indeed, although I had difficulties earlier in the interview and field observation, the hardship I experienced during the creation of the codebook was more difficult because it was much longer. I had to read the transcript over and over again in order to get a â€Å"feel† of the thoughts in the interview, and then I had to read them again in the coding of the transcript, and then again in the creation of the codebook. Looking at the steps, they can be almost considered as easy; however, what made them rather difficult was the fact that I grew tired of my transcript, to the point that I almost could not get new ideas in the succeeding times that I read it. Nevertheless, when I allowed myself some rest and then revisited the paper a few days after, I was able to appreciate the paper better. Somehow, the patterns and the recurrent concepts became more apparent and coding became a little easier. In addition, there were also some methodological/analytical insights that I realized f rom the coding process. One of these realizations is the fact that all the qualitative data are related to each other, although seemingly unconnected. Indeed, a response to one question could actually a supporting idea for another response in a later question. Another realization involves the fact that the researcher affects the way by which the coding is carried out, not only in the selection of methodology but in the actual choice of concepts itself. From my experience in the coding of my interview transcript, I observed that the interpretive process is shaped by my own spiritual beliefs and orientation. An example of this would be my inclusion of the principal characters involved in the maintenance/observation of religion and spirituality. Some people may have overlooked this aspect of the transcript, but because I believed that religion and spirituality involves a collective effort, I included the said principal players. Furthermore, when I compared my codebook with those of my group mates, I observed some significant differences. For example, my group mates included the characteristics of a spiritual person, as well as the different perceptions of spirituality, but these were not included in my code book. Also, my group mates did not include the principal characters involved in the maintenance/observation of religion and spirituality. I also noticed that the transcripts of my group mates did not really explore the role played or the influence of the workplace in the maintenance of religion and spirituality, which was, ironically, supposed to be the main topic of the coding exercise. Perhaps, the most basic explanation for these differences lies in the fact that I am different and unique from my group mates, and that although we share the same religion, we may not have the same spirituality. Week 6: Reflections on the Thematic Analysis If I thought that the creation of the codebook was difficult, then I guess I was greatly mistaken because it would seem th at the thematic analysis was much more difficult. I had two options in making the thematic analysis: I could either present the themes with written summaries and data excerpts illustrating the themes or I could choose to present my thematic analysis with the use of a concept map and a narrative describing the said map.

Biblical Worldview Stewardship Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Biblical Worldview Stewardship - Assignment Example emphasized, â€Å"advances in the West have been the fruits of freedom, knowledge, and hard work–all resting substantially on the foundation of biblical Christianity’s worldview and ethic of service to God and neighbor. These advances have also given rise to a laudable expansion in people’s focus on the need for environmental stewardship† (Beisner, Cromartie, Derr, Knippers, Hill, & Terrel, 2014, p. 1). Environmental stewardship was noted to also have conceptual framework stemming from biblical passages, especially teachings on God’s creation of the world and people’s responsibility over the creation (Miller, n.d.). Therefore, the guidelines for business with regard to environmental protection necessitate understanding of the biblical worldview to enable application of best practices that adhere to conservation and protection of the environment: promoting green campaign, cost minimization, energy conservation, actions and operations that observe impacts on climate change and global warming. Contemporary large organizations are therefore expected to promote ideals and philosophies of social responsibility – which include environmental protection. Since some of the earth’s natural resources are finite, businesses must ensure that their actions are cognizant of the need to sustain that those resources which could be conserved and replenished would be dealt with accordingly. Beisner, E., Cromartie, M., Derr, T., Knippers, D., Hill, P., & Terrel, T. (2014). A Biblical Perspective on Environmental Stewardship. Retrieved December 10, 2014, from Acton Institute:

What Causes Market Inefficiency Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

What Causes Market Inefficiency - Assignment Example The following situation may lead the market mechanism in not leading to the most efficient output and market will fail. These situations can be classified under the following head: The examples of externalities are, suppose that a person is suffering from a contagious disease. He considers that by going to a doctor, his costs will be the fees paid to doctor and benefits will be the cure of the disease. However, he will not take into account the fact that if he does not go to the doctor, other people might catch the same disease. This will result in less-urgency for him to go to the doctor. This shows how ignorance of negative externalities can lead to over production or irrational response. Now, let’s look at the example of negative externality in the context of a business or economic decision. Suppose you want to buy a car. The main consideration for the purchase will be the cost of the car and possible benefits attained from the car. However, market mechanism will ignore the impact of car purchase on the environment and other parties such as pollution, road congestion and accidents. This ignorance may tempt you into purchasing the good and hence there will be an over-production of good due to negative

A Review of Performance Appraisal Practices nad Policy Options. A Case Literature

A of Performance Appraisal Practices nad Policy Options. A Case Study on a Local Nightclub - The Plug - Literature review Example An effective, valid, strong and accurate appraisal system for rating the performance of employees is indispensable in ensuring effective functioning of the performance management system and helping the organization attain competitive advantage ((Kuvaas, 2006:506; Boachie-Mensah & Seidu, 2012; Abdulakadir, Isaika, and Adedoyin, 2012:124). The outcome of the appraisal process, the accuracy of employee ratings as well as perceived effectiveness of the appraisal process is critical as such inputs are often used by organizations to make various decisions in promotion and compensation, administrative, and training and development. Performance appraisal systems also make it possible for employees to understand their capability development and their performance, and in this sense keep employee morale high and improve organizational health. This is possible through an effective and fair appraisal system (Boachie-Mensah and Seidu, 2012). Various research studies have explored performance Appra isal systems and the need for such systems to work effectively in organizations. This section reviews literature on performance appraisal practices and policy options by looking at main approaches in performance appraisal, objectives of performance appraisal programs, issues surrounding performance appraisal systems, the managerial role and employee perceptions in performance appraisal, and performance appraisal practices in the entertainment / nightlife industry. Background of Performance Appraisal Performance Appraisal has been in existence since the industrial revolution where it was used a means of monitoring organizational output (Fandray, 2001). However during the earlier days, it was used more as a negative procedure than a positive one. It was often linked to punishment and reactivity to poor performance (Kennedy & Dresser, 2001). This implies that the performance appraisal focused on punishment of employees for poor performance as a way of motivating the employees to perfor mance highly. However, overtime the performance appraisal has continually evolved over the years. Kennedy and Dresser (2001:8) note that, as years passed organizations gradually refined their performance measurement techniques that focused on improving performance, with the trend focusing more on a move towards rewards than punishment. In the past three decades, researchers and practitioners have vigorously and critically analysed and examined the effectiveness of how various performance appraisals are used within different organisational contexts (Kondrasuk, 2011). Though there have been a wide array of studies on effectiveness of performance appraisal system, no consensus has yet been reached concerning what type of performance appraisal universally best meets the desired objectives of various organisational contexts. This implies that different performance appraisal systems are suitable for different organisational contexts. Definition of Performance Appraisal and main approaches Various scholars have defined performance appraisal in a number of ways. Armstrong (2006:450) defined it as steps involved in assessing the performance of employees, recording such performance and providing feedback to the employees. It is a formal employee monitoring system (Cardy & Dobbins, 1994; Ikramullah, et al, 2012: 144), which often involves evaluation of employees performance based on the opinions and judgments of supervisors, workers, managers, peers and subordinates (Jackson & Schuler, 2003:455). On the other hand, Nath (2011:648) defines it as formal procedures employed in evaluating employee’s contributions, possibilities and potentials within an organization. This

Condition Monitoring Photovoltaic Energy Systems-based reliability Research Paper

Condition Monitoring Photovoltaic Energy Systems-based reliability - Research Paper Example Major PV Modules and Types Solar energy is considered as a major basis of renewable and sustainable power which can be effectively generated through the utilisation of the PV method. The PV system consists of constructing blocks which are also termed as modules or cells that are connected together and is able to transform ‘sunlight into electricity’. According to Chow, PV system generates low Green House Gas (GHG) emission and is also recognised as a clean basis of energy. PV system is developed by assimilating variety of semiconductor materials so as to generate power with high capacity. There are four major types of PV modules which are ‘crystalline silicon’, ‘polycrystalline’, ‘amorphous silicon module’ and ‘thin-film module’. Every PV modules have diverse efficiencies owing to which the overall performance of these PV modules tend to rely on the ingredients as well as the operating situations based on various factor s such as temperature, intensity of solar radioactivity and the inclusive design of the system. Furthermore, the orientation and location of PV array also creates a significant impact on the electricity production capacity through the usage of solar energy depending on the weather conditions. The four major types of PV modules, i.e. crystalline silicon, polycrystalline, amorphous silicon and thin film (Chow, â€Å"Modeling Urban Solar Energy with High Spatiotemporal Resolution†). As stated by Mangersnes, Crystalline PV modules are frequently specified as being the most reliable component of the PV system. This presumable reliability is demonstrated through its large warranty periods. Crystalline Silicon PV is the most extensively used PV technology. It is developed through solar cells made by ‘crystalline silicon’. This type of cells is equipped with high level of affectivity and thus is also regarded as an interesting technology. In general, there are two kinds of solar cells which are ‘mono-crystalline silicon’ and ‘multi-crystalline silicon’. Mono-crystalline silicon is developed by cutting wafers from high clarity single crystal lump. Similarly, the multi-crystalline silicon is developed by cutting a cast tablet of silicon into blocks and wafers. In general, mono-crystalline silicon cells have much higher effectiveness in comparison to multi-crystalline silicon solar cells. The crystal type module usually applied for this technology is iron glass which is combined with anti-reflective layer, to make sure that the maximum solar radioactivity spreads to the crystalline solar cells and thus the energy generating capacity can be enhanced (Mangersnes, â€Å"Back-contacted Back-junction Silicon Solar Cells†). Polycrystalline PV modules include small silicon glass pieces. Polycrystalline is generally used for developing gate constituents in semiconductor devices. Polycrystalline modules are most commonly used f or generating electricity, as it is considered to be quite inexpensive in comparison with other PV modules. The reason for polycrystalline modules to be inexpensive is owing to its production procedure. In the production process of polycrystalline, the melted silicon is dispensed into a cast rather than into one single crystal. The components of polycrystallin

I, the Juror by Joyce Carol Oates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

I, the Juror by Joyce Carol Oates - Essay Example Further the defending and prosecuting attorneys do their utmost to obscure the actual facts by drowning the jurors in a deluge of sheer verbosity calculated to bias the jury in favor of their respective clients. Consequently the behavior of the jurors as they half-heartedly try to arrive at the truth is characterized by prejudice and a singular lack of interest in the proceedings that are far-removed from their own lives. Oates description of the behavior of her fellow jurors is chilling. Their careless thoughtlessness is far more disturbing than deliberate maliciousness or spite, as the sheer subtlety of the former trait puts them in a position to do irreparable damage albeit inadvertently to those supplicants seeking justice. From the clothes worn by the jurors (one juror actually turns up in shorts) to their careless misrepresentation of facts in their final deliberation of the case, the jurors behave with a certain frivolity that shows a lack of respect for the gravity of the situation and their own responsibility to fellow human beings. Age old prejudices based on the color of the skin or sex thought long dead and buried rear their ugly heads and manifest themselves in the long-winding, precarious road to justice. Such conduct on the part of the jurors is surprising in the extreme. Their exposure to the dark underbelly of American society is a far cry from the pristine, squeaky-clean existence t hey are accustomed to. Most react by hastening to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the world of the victim and defendant, in which they want no part. Therefore the jurors made no attempt to grasp the facts or analyze them with any degree of insight or intelligence, the bottom-line being a largely white jury wanted no truck with the blacks and their doings. In this day and age, such a state of affairs is shocking and the

Tracking Legislation in Northern Virginia (ie Fairfax, Arlington, Essay

Tracking Legislation in Northern Virginia (ie Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria) (Issues Transportation, Immigration, Guns, Taxes) - Essay Example The bill also removes a subsection that makes offenses in the rest of the section secondary offenses. This bill simply means that Virginia drivers ages 15, 16 and 17 will not be able to talk, send text, messages or snap photos with a phone while driving on Virginia roads. This ban, designed to reduce accidents, also will apply to hands-free devices but will allow teens to use a phone during an emergency. This HB 942 affects me and all the young road drivers who pass by the highways and roads of the State of Virginia. The bill puts a limit on the number of passengers one can bring with and it also institutes a driving clinic for errant young drivers. The first major provision of the bill states that "whenever the driving record of a person less than 19 years old shows that he has been convicted of committing, when he was less than 18 years old, (i) an offense for which demerit points have been assessed or are assessable under Article 19 ( 46.2-489 et seq.) of this chapter or (ii) a violation of any provision of Article 12 ( 46.2-1091 et seq.) or Article 13 ( 46.2-1095 et seq.) of Chapter 10 of this title, the Commissioner shall direct such person to attend a driver improvement clinic." The second major provision states that "If any person less than 19 years old is convicted a second time of committing, when he was less than 18 years old, (i) an offense for which demerit points have b een assessed or are assessable under Article 19 ( 46.2-489 et seq.) of this chapter or (ii) a violation of any provision of Article 12 ( 46.2-1091 et seq.) or Article 13 ( 46.2-1095 et seq.) of Chapter 10 of this title, the Commissioner shall suspend such person's driver's license or privilege to operate a motor vehicle for 90 days. Such suspension shall be consecutive to, and not concurrent with, any other period of license suspension, revocation or denial. The initial license issued to any person younger than 18 years of age shall be deemed a provisional driver's license. Until the holder is 18 years old, a provisional driver's license shall not authorize its holder to operate a motor vehicle with more than one passenger The general public is helped positively by this new bill since it reinforces the importance of road safety among Virginia' young drivers. The bill has a negative impact on young drivers since they have to forego the convenience of using wireless devices while driving. However, if one takes the importance of road safety at heart, the young people also benefit in terms of lives saved and the preservation of private property arising from damage due to potential road accidents. The main goal of a traffic safety program is dedicated to saving lives and reducing injuries by preventing traffic crashes in Virginia. The aim is the maximum protection of the driving public. The success of these efforts is seen in the number of lives saved and the injuries prevented. Traffic fatalities were identified as the leading cause of death, especially for young people between the ages of four and 34. The "years of life lost" as a result of these terrible events make their social costs particularly high. Many of these tragic losses of lives could have been prevented with better traffic safety bills. Virginia Governor Timothy M. Kaine wants more traffic safety bills in order to reduce accidents and injuries due to erring drivers. Traffic safety is an important issue since Virginia had suffered from many traffic accidents which had resulted in the loss of many lives. For instance, Virginia's 2004 rate of 1.17 fatalities per 100 million vehicle-miles of travel was lower than the national average of 1.44 per 100

Causal argument Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Causal argument - Essay Example eater prevalence for an individual with a biological sister or mother who suffers from an eating disorder developing the disorder, signifying a possible genetic link. Furthermore, researches in the field of human twins portray a genetic association of anorexia. Nevertheless, until now there has not been any explanation as to the role of genetics in the causes of anorexia. However, it has been discovered an area on chromosome 1 which appears to be connected with an increased vulnerability to anorexia. Anorexia nervosa is understood to be genetic, with projected inheritance rates varying from 56% to 84% (Kortegaard et al 361–365). There is also a high probability that some people have a genetic propensity toward thoroughness, sensitivity, and perseverance, all traits associated with anorexia. In addition, one of the brain chemicals known as serotonin involved in depression may play a role in development of anorexia (Watson 20-54). Environmental and socio-cultural studies have decorated the role of cultural factors, such as the endorsement of thinness as the supreme female shape in European developed nations, particularly through the media. The media is mainly defined with images and advertisement of thin celebrities, models, and superstars. This has had great impact since in the modern society success is always associated with being thin. It is also highly likely that peer pressure may influence the longing to be slim, particularly in youthful women. Moreover, populace in professions such as dancers and models which put emphasis on slim shape there is a particular social pressure to be thin are much more likely to develop anorexia at some stage in the path of their career. There has also been an obsession among teenage girls to be overly anxious about their weight and deem those slim to be better looking amongst their peers and thus have tendency to practice weight-control behaviors leading to anorexia. Furthermore, women have developed the hype to consume

Simulation of Sales Promotions towards Buying Behavior Essay Example for Free

Simulation of Sales Promotions towards Buying Behavior Essay Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of sales promotion on buying behavior among university students. Specifically, Kongunadu Arts and Science College was chosen as study location. The research data was collected from 171 respondents. The data were collected using self-administrated questionnaires. This study found that there was no significant difference between gender and buying behavior (t = -1.003, p 0.05). There were significant relationship between attitude towards price discounts (r = 0. 372, p 0.01), coupons (r = 0.270, p 0.01), free samples (r = 0.256, p 0.01) and buy-one-get-one-free (r = 0.338, p 0.01) with buying behavior. Results of Hierarchical Multiple Regression found that of the four variables, price discount (ß = 0.256) was more influential that of buy-one-get-one free (ß = 0.183), coupon discounts (ß = 0.014) and free samples (ß = 0.040). The findings of this study would help marketers to understand the types of promotion that significantly influence buying behaviour of the respondents. Hence, this could help marketers in their marketing planning to become more competitive and gain profit. Keywords: Sales promotion. Buying behavior. University students 1. Background of Study Many purchase situations are so habitual that consumers conduct very little cognitive activity (Wathieu Murre, 2007). In such cases, it is hard to motivate behaviors such as brand svwtching or increases in the number of units purchased. One of the advantages of promotions is that they can stimulate consumers to think and evaluate brands and purchase possibilities when they otherwise may not have. Therefore, many marketers and retailers utilize different kinds of promotion tools and strategies in order to understand the preference of consumers and boost their sales. Normally, sales may attract more customers spend their money, make consumption and purchase the products they wish during this super save period as the they believed that during the sales promotion, prices of all products are cheaper than usual. This phenomenon shows that some of the consumers are easily tempted when they see the word of sales promotion. Other than price reductions, coupon or rebate given by the retailer and other promotional tools like free sample, bonus pack and buy one get one free were found to be inducing consumer buy more than they expect (Gilbert, 1999). What are more crucial now are consumers themselves not aware the influence of sales promotion on their buying behaviour and especially little is understood about their responds to the various promotional strategies practice by marketers. This will eventually lead to over-consuming and buy the products which are not necessary and useless. 2. Purpose and Significant of Study Research on marketing tools is indeed important to understand the most influencing tools to compete with competitors. Through this information, marketers and retailers could well plan their resources to gain the maxiirium profit. Thus this study aim to investigate the preference of consumer on different promotional tools, marketers and retailers will able to aware of the consumer behavior so that they can utilize the right and th most effective promotion technique to attract customers. From the consumer perspective, this study will reveal the consumer attitude toward sales promotion and thus raise the awareness of consumers about their behavior that influenced by sales promotion. It also presents better understanding and information to consumers where their purchase behavior will be affected differently due to different type of promotional tools. 3. Literature Review Promotion is one of the techniques to attract consumers to purchase more or try a product or service. Severe outcomes of promotion included sales increased, quantify of stock used and attract new consumers. For example, price promotion refers to temporary price reduction which offers to consumers. The characteristic is the retailer would label a specific percentage or cash saving for the products or services. Previous studies indicated that a sudden increase of sales would experience by retailers because of price-conscious of consumers (Banks Moorthy, 1999; Kopalle Mela, 1999; Smith Sinha, 2000; Gilbert Jackaria, 2002). According to Blackwell, Miniard and Engel (2001), price discounts played significant roles in influencing consumer product trial behavior by which indirectly attract new consumer. In term of coupon promotions, those consumers obtained coupon are entitled to get discount of the products at its brighial price (Ndubisi Chew, 2006). Previous study found that coupon promotions do not have significant effect on volume of product purchase by consumer (Gilbert Jackarias, 2002). Later, a study conducted by Ndubisi and Chew (2006) at Malaysia has re-affirmed the statement by Gilbert and Jackarias (2002). They also reported that coupon promotion was among the least used and unpopular promotional tools by consumers. However, the results in Dotsons (2001) research proved that women report being more likely to use only coupons than men (p 0.05) and the youngest age group (less than 25 years old) reports a higher possibilify of taking advantage of bonus packs (p 0.05), price deals (p 0.05) and samples (p 0.05) than the age group of 35 to 54 respectively. According to Kardes (1999), marketing managers aware of product trial related to behavioral experience of consumers towards a product. Thus, sending free sample take place in promotional tools. Free samples refers to consumers are giving a free small sample of the product so that consumers have the chance to try and use the product. Shimp (2003) reported that a free sample had influence on consumers buying behavior while Gilbert and Jackaria (2002) have shown otherwise. Free sample was positively related to immediate sales of that particular (Lammers, 1991). Promotion technique of buy-one-get-one-free is one of the types of bonus packs in which the consumers are offered the additional product at the ordinary price but are in an enhanced package. Consumer would be easily persuaded to buy products as there is no extra cost need and more valuable perceived by consumers (Sinha Smith, 2000). Besides, this promotion technique would beneficial to retailers in speed up the stock clearance compared to price promotions (Li, Sun Wang, 2007). Relating with buying behavior, consumers usually have endless demand to ftilfiU their needs and satisfaction to obtain something new or better as every individual has their own behavior, attitude and thought while choosing products, services and making purchase decision. Consequently, there is a large body of literattire, which has examined consumers buying behavior and the studies have reported that many factor would infiuence consumer behavior whether buy or not to buy a product. According to Smelser and Baltes (2001), most of the daily life activities dominated by buying goods behavior and also experience which gained from the place such as shopping centers, cify centre, shops, recreational park, tourism centre and so on, where some stimulation radius can be stimulated. William (2002) revealed that social class has significant determination on purchase evaluation criteria. Attitude formation, motivation, value orientation, income, socialization during childhood and education levels will influence ones social class. According to Yip (2003), social class of an individual indirectly shows that low income would cause limited choice when making purchase decisions. High purchasing power, sales person and sales circumstances was among three key factors which influenced impulsive clothes buying practice among women consumer (Naimah Tan, 1999). 4. Methodology For the convinence of the researchers Kongunadu College of Arts and Science was selected as location of study. The data collection process was conducted among the students with prior permission from the department. Even though this small sample might not able to representative of all the population, it is considered as appropriate sampling because of using a relatively homogeneous group and this is helpful to minimize random error that might occur in using a heterogeneous sample such as the general public (Calder, Philips Tybout, 1981). Pilot study had been done before the actual study take place. The purpose of pilot study was to assess the reliability of the instruments that used in actual study. For this research, the pilot test had involved a total of 25 students in order to ensure that the question were understandable by the actual respondents. In addition, pre-test allowed the researcher to improve confidence and to make sure that the items that existed in questionnaire was suiting the studys requirement. 4.1 Instrumentation The present study used the questionnaire as the instrument of the study. The questionnaire was divided into three parts that were background of the respondents, the respondents attitude and perception with regards to different promotional tools and buying behaviour of respondents. In first part of questionnaire, each respondent was asked to answer both open-ended and close-ended questions. Open-ended questions allowed respondents to generate an answer without limitations such as age and family monthly income. On the other hand, close-ended questions required respondents to select from a set of answer already provided such as gender and race. Second part of the questionnaire was consisted of thirty two items where each different promotional tool was measured using eight items. The items developed to determine respondents attitude towards different promotional tools. There were four different promotional tools tested (i.e., price discounts, coupons, free samples and buy-one-get-one-fre e). Respondents were required to give a respond on a four point ordinal scale (strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree). The last of the questionnaire was also used four points ordinal scale (strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree) where there were thirteen items measuring the consumers buying behaviour, adopted from Bakeweà ¼ and Mitchell study. In the addition, the responses are given from one point in one end to four points in the other end. The Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 16.0 was used to analyze data. For analytical purposes, each scale of the total attitude score (price discounts, coupon discount, free samples and buy-one-get-one-free approach) were categorized into two categorized, solely based on the mean score of each measurement. The reliability for attitude towards price discounts scale was 0.752 while the reliabiliy of attitude towards coupons scale was 0.827. Furthermore, the reliability for attitude towards free samples scale was 0.862 and the reliabiliy for attitude towards buy-one-get-one-free scale was 0.806. Buying behaviour scale had achieved reliability of 0.680. These five instruments had achieved acceptable reliability for business and social science research. 5. Research Finding and Discussion 5.1 Attitude towards Price Discounts Table 1 demonstrates that more than half of the respondents agree that they prefer brands which offer price discounts, but more than half of the respondents prefer their favourite brands than brands which offer price discounts. This study also interested in indentifying about the category of attitude towards price discounts. The scale of the total attitude towards price discounts was then categorized into two equal groups. Respondents who scored above the mean scale (2.56 points) were categorized as having favourable attitude towards price discounts and respondents who scored below of the mean scale were categorized as having unfavourable attitude towards price discounts. Table 1 showed that less than half of the respondents (40.4%) had unfavourable attitude towards price discounts, where as there were 69.0% of the respondents have favourable attitude towards price discounts. 5.2 Attitude towards Coupons Table 1 indicated that the first statement was agreed by most of the respondents which were 53.2%. They acknowledged that a brand offers coupon would be a reason for them to buy. The respondents feel that a brand which offers coupon doesn’t give them a good buy (56.1%). Respondents do not give priority for the brands which offers coupon and they prefer their regular and favourite brands more. The data in Table 3 showed that the score of total attitude towards coupons of the respondents in range of lower than 2.44 points which were 49.7% of the respondents have unfavourable attitude towards coupons. On the other hand, there was 50.3% of the respondents have favourable attitude towards coupons. This indicated that exactly half of the respondents have positive attitude towards coupons promotion in this research. 5.3 Attitude towards Free Samples According to Table 1, exactly half of the respondents agreed that when they buy a brand that offers free samples, they feel they are getting a good buy (51.4%) and free sample has allowed them to buy more quantities of the same product. Moreover, half of the respondents prefer to buy the same brand even if they have free samples on other brands. However, Shimp (2003) reported that free sample had influence on consumers buying behaviour. As presented by Table 3, the scale of the total attitude towards free samples score cut point for two equal groups was 2.46 points which mean the group who scored higher than the mean scale of 2.46 has favourable attitude towards free samples and respondents who scored below of the mean scale were classified as having unfavourable attitude towards free samples. Based on Table 3, it proved that majority of the respondents (55.6%) have favourable attitude towards free samples while there were 44.4% of the respondents have unfavourable attitude towards free samples. This showed that there were 95 respondents (55.6%) out of the 171 respondents willing to consume more during the sales promotion with free samples technique. 5.4 Attitude towards Buy-One-Get-One-Free Table 1 illustrated the respondents in this study have agreed perception on all of the eight statements related to buy-one-get-one-free promotion tool. It showed that the percentage of the respondents who agreed on the statements was more or higher than respondents who disagreed on it. For example, 62.6 of the respondents agreed that a brand offers buy-one-get-one-free could be a reason for them to buy. Based on Table 1, it presented the scale of the attitude towards buy-one-get-one-free cut point for two equal groups were 2.6 points. Respondents who scored below the mean scale ( 2.6 points) of the attitude towards buy-one-get-one-free were categorized as having unfavourable attitude where as respondents who scored above the mean scale (2.6 points) were categorized as having favourable attitude towards buy-one-get-one-free. In Table 3, there were 48% of the respondents who have unfavourable attitude towards buy-one-get-one-free while 52% of the respondents have favourable attitude to wards buy-one get-one-free. 5.5 Respondents Buying Behaviour According to Brown (2007), buying behaviour refers to the decision processes and acts of people involved in buying and using products. There were total of 13 statements used to examine the respondents buying behaviour. The responses were scored by four point ordinal scale. Table 2 indicated the descriptive analysis of each question for buying behaviour. The analysis had been divided into two levels of buying behaviour: agree and disagree. From Table 2, it showed that majority of the respondents (80.7%) agreed in general, they try to get the best overall quality and 81.8% of them agreed they look very carefully to find the best value for money. More to the point, there were 71.9% of respondents agreed once they find the product they like, they will buy it regularly and 81.3% of them would carefully watch how much they spend. Among the 13 statements, the statement of I normally shop quickly, buying the first product or brand I find that seems good enough agreed by most least respondent s which were 56.8% of respondents. The results of buying behaviour level as shown in Table 3. Equal range was used to categorize the buying behaviour that is low and high level Respondents who under 2.87 points and above were categorized as having high levels of buying behaviour and vice versa. There were 49.7% of respondents in category of low level buying behaviour and 50.3% of respondents have high level of buying behaviour. The respondents, who have high level of buying behaviour normally, have high level of involvement where they are paying more attention towards sales promotion (Raaij et al, 2001). The result of Independent Samples T-test showed that there was no significant difference between buying behaviour and gender (t = -1.003, p 0.05). It was consistent with previous study by Chu (2006). However, the mean score of buying behaviour of male (M = 2.8390) respondents is slightly lower than female respondents (M =2.9059). 5.6 The relationship between the selected variables and buying behaviour The result of Pearson Correlation test revealed that there was a significant relationship between attitude towards price discounts and buying behaviour among respondents (r = 0.372, p ≠¤ 0.001) (refer to Table 4). The results of this study reaffirmed that findings of previous study by. Blackwell, Miniard and Engel (2001) that price discounts play significant roles in influencing consumers purchase trial behaviour, and Smith and Sinha (2000), price promotions can induced consumers buying behaviour and result in a short term increases in sales. There was a significant relationship between attitude towards coupons and buying behaviour (r = 0.270, p≠¤ 0.001). The result of this study was inconsistent with previous study in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia which found that coupons have no significant relationship on product trial ptu-chase (Ndubisi Chew, 2006). This may caused by locality difference. This study also found that, there was a significant relationship between attitude towards free samples and buying behaviour (r = 0.256, p ≠¤ 0.001). The result is consistent with Shimp (2003) that a free sample had influence on consumers buying behaviour. Besides, Lammers (1991) also verified that free samples did have a positive impact on immediate sales of the product. Lastly, there was a significant relationship between attitude towards buy-one-get-one-free and buying behaviour (r = 0.338, p ≠¤ 0.001). It showed that the promotion tools with buy-one-get-one-free did attract and induce consumers favourable attitude on buying behaviour. Table 5 summarizes results of a multiple regression analyses of the buying behaviour. All the four selected variables namely: price discounts, coupons, free samples and buy-one-get-one-free which significantly related to buying behaviour was regressed using hierarchical method. Model 1 was used to in interpreting the buying behaviour of the respondents. Of the four variables, price discount (ß = 0.256) was more influential that of buy-one-get-one free (ß = 0.183), coupon discounts (ß = 0.014) and free samples (ß = 0.040). 6. Implications, Recommendations and Conclusions 6.1 Implications Every consumer has their own personal characteristic especially in choosing and making purchase decision. With the growing number of sales promotion, it is important to determine the consumers perception towards their buying behaviour. Besides, this study also examines several factors which included socio-demographic background (gender) and attitude towards four different promotional tools on buying behaviour. From the findings, it was noticed that consumers respond positively to the various promotional tools that is promoted by the marketers. It is because consumers are believed that during the sales promotion, prices of all products are cheaper than usual and they felt they are getting a good buy. It meant that the more positive or favourable the attitude towards promotional tools, the more increasing possibility consumers make purchase decision during sales promotion. Gender was found to have no significant difference on buying behaviour. The results of this study have several implications that would be beneficial to marketers, consumers and future research. From the marketers perspective, they can have a better understanding of UPM students buying behaviour so that they can better predict the wants and needs of potential consumers. The information derived from this research enable marketers to aware of the consumer behaviour. It will help them utilize the right and the most effective promotion technique to attract customers. Moreover, the study from Ndubisi and Chew (2006) also supported that by offering the right promotional tools, it can help organizations carefully plan their promotional strategies by giving preference to the more effective tools. It is vital because the precise marketing strategies decision assists the company to minimize cost and maximize their profit. In addition, the current research made consumers more aware of their easily influence behaviour to sales promotion because it present better understanding and information to consumers where they respond differently due to different type of promotional tools. The research also created consumer awareness to make careful analysis before they decide to buy products and services. Hence, the consumers will realize the importance of understanding the changing environment and update themselves from time to time (Hang, 2008). Finally, consumers were benefited through this study and becoming smarter day by day. This study was also useful to academicians where current study could serve as a reference and may provide some guides for researchers who would like to study about the same topic. 6.2 Recommendations Although this research has taken vital steps to identify the factors that influence buying behaviour, it also has certain limitations. Firstly, the limitation of the data prevents further exploration of the study. There was an age limit and only 171 respondents have been participated in this study. The respondents were almost homogenous for age types because there were between 18 to 24 years old and represent early adulthood only. Different stages of life cycles of respondents would yield different results. Therefore, future researchers are suggested to increase the sample size variety especially in respondents age to decrease the error for the purpose of the generalizing result to a wider population. They can do comparison among early, middle and late adolescents in regards to buying behaviour. Secondly, future researchers may further scope to duplicate the study in different environment and different geographical locations. Different environment played a significant factor that influence respondents behaviour specifically workplace, supermarkets and shopping complexes or malls. Working individuals could behave in a different manner compared with this sample. Besides, the individuals who do not have occupation such as housewife and retired person may also behave differently because the understanding and experience of respondents towards the questions might influence their answers. Since this study was conducted in Kongunadu Arts and Science College, Coimbatore, it could not represent other people in urban or rural areas where the quality of life is different. Thirdly, future researchers are suggested to use interview technique in doing research especially at the place here transactions happen. This will enable the researchers obtain an accurate information based on the respondents fresh memory; Last but not least, this research has only examines four promotional tools that influence buying behaviour. Future researchers are suggested to determine other promotional tools such as rebates, sweeptakes, in pack premiums and so forth. Besides, the study can also specify in category of products or services to have more focus information. However, for more meaningful findings the different promotional tools can be investigated together rather than separately so that the interactions among them can be better understand. As a result, it can assist marketers and consumers understand other promotional tools that may influence the buying behaviour. 6.3 Conclusions Sales promotions play an important role in the marketing programs of marketers and retailers. A large percentage of marketers sales are made on promotion. This situation is becoming apparently when the financial crisis and economic downtime happened in 2008. The marketers are rather use variety of promotional tools to offers consumers an extra inducement to buy their products than advertising in classic media. It is supported by the research from Curzon (2009) who stated that sales promotions are not only effective in attaining short-term sales as they are also more cost-effective compared to other integrated marketing communications tools such as advertising. In conclusion, the consumers attitude towards different promotional tools on buying behaviour is favourable. It showed that sales promotion tools are supplementary or complementary to existing business as an additional marketing strategy. This research demonstrated that consumers buying behaviour were motivated by multiple types of factors, including socio-demography, promotional tools such as price discounts, coupons, free samples and buy-one-get-one-free. In addition, the framework provides new insights into the understanding of how students respond to various promotional tools offered by marketers and the impacts on their buying behaviour, which may be essential for marketers in order to utilize accurate marketing strategies to promote products.

The Easycar Company Report Essay Example for Free

The Easycar Company Report Essay The Easycar company like any other business venture with an aim of maximizing profit, is been faced with the normal business environment. Achievement of the profit goal of such business involves diagnosing problems and making forward movement in improving its performance. The company has taken off smartly with attraction of many customers and still at a competitive market in Europe: Although it monopolizes in the use of a single type of vehicle at the start in each of its location, it’s a smart move to its management though such service monopoly may far outweigh the different customer requirements. It has a high quality mode of booking which to the management serves as a first hand system though it may have different inconsistencies of been expensive despite its mission to offer a cheap transport service. Therefore, it should diversify such a method to include other methods like counter booking. Easycar is however, been faced with it bureaucratic mode of administration in its financial authorities about customers getting the service. It has many unstable car service charge requirements which are often changing depending on the nature type time and other illogical requirements. Although such attentions are taken to ensure the best business fit in this competitive environment; this compromises the effectiveness of quality service delivery. Rather than providing a cheap service, costs of such services are becoming too expensive. It’s important that the company streamlines the cost of services delivery to become cheap to the customers. Perhaps the other companies are doing better, because of their diversification in agency and intermediaries. To Easycar, however, doing the business directly on its own is seen as its best solution for growth and expansion. Like the other companies in this industry, Easy car should also aim at diversifying its customer’s targets and increasing the range of its vehicles. Perhaps it would even achieve its motive not by its one car service monopoly and strict destinations but by diversification in such areas. Though it has the intention of providing high quality car services and improve the growth of the company, but such maximum profit may not be recognized by the use of these too expensive mercedes cars which require high capital input. The system of car renting by its own depicts and wide range of inconsistencies, where its policies are changing without regard to any specific regulations. It thus forms a basis of inconveniences to the customers where customers have to keep mobility in the change of regulations about the renting and its charges. It’s important that the company maintains stability in renting management otherwise this would be a gate pass to customer inconvenience Problems facing the company Easycar is challenged by a number of problems. The company’s mission can only be attained subject to the address of these problems that highly inhibits its performance. Firstly, the company is renting only one type of car, which is at a high risk of service monopoly. Either, these cars are too expensive which implies that low customer requirement may not be met. The company is operated directly through direct internet or company phone service for its booking. However other companies in the industry are using intermediaries and broker agents. Perhaps this is a key contribution to these companies success. These agents and intermediaries can function to promote to reach many customers. It’s not optimally exploiting its resources where it’s not leasing all its parking spaces. Some spaces are found vacant when most of the cars have been rent during the day. Either it has not optimally exploited opening new sites where more locations can be opened by hiring smaller staff, driving fan to the location and adding these locations to company’s website. The company depicts a broad range of booking inconsistencies where time of service is determined at booking. The rental prices are charged at times of picking. The system also require many customer requirements are unrealistic (Printed copy of contract and a credit card) There is delay in picking up of vehicles where a customer can even spend 30 minutes waiting for processing of transactions and receiving their vehicles. This was due to the low staff level who cannot give service adequately. The contract of picking up a car involves too expensive cost of a refundable fee upon fulfilling the service requirements of the car contract. This would have perhaps, passively challenged some customers who for reasons could not manage to afford this refundable contract fee. Empty fueled vehicles are still a problem which would lead to further customer inconveniences in fueling the tanks. Also there were many requirements regarding the return back level of cars fuel. Since customers are to drive for them this would have highly inconvenienced customers who never knew some places despite provided with a map. Either non-driver was totally limited to this service since a customer was to drive the car for himself. The cleaning car policy before returning was a big drawback of inconvenience to customers. This was an inhibitor in the service rendering of this company. Otherwise the previous higher cost levy without regard to cleaning the car was far economical than the penalty levy to the customer when they returned the car dirty. The stringent strictness in the number of kilometers the car traveled at the renting period worked to demoralize some of the customers. Booking of the cars itself constituted a range of expenses, where using the phone system was charged â‚ ¬0. 95 a minute for a call and â‚ ¬5 for using credit card. Inconsistent levy for returning the car late was a problem. Mismanagement in the high cost of advertising had no economies of scale. It even chose to double its marketing effort to â‚ ¬3million in 2003 in featuring the founder of the company Justification of the problem facing company The company was established to provide the same type of car service in all its locations across its markets. It had signed a contract with the General Motor Show to purchase 5000 A-class Mercedes cars which cost the company over â‚ ¬6. million . Its mission was to use brand new Mercedes cars in the same way that easy jet uses brand new Boeing aircraft. By 2002, its fleets consisted of 6000mercedes A-class vehicles across 18 sites The company operated directly through its website and phone system and never transacted with any intermediaries or agents. Its entire sites were manned by its employees. However, the other car companies operated with agents and intermediaries which helped to have a broad catchments area for its customers. Example, companies like the sixt, Eurocars, Avis and Hertz targeted both vocational and business travelers and offered a wide range vehicles for rent. Despite the fact that Easycars where rented 90 percent of the time, only 15-20 spaces were required at an average, with a fleet of 150 cars. It could still open other locations by hiring less staff adding locations to its website and driving a van to its location. Booking prices usually changed with time and space. Customers who picked their cars early in the morning were paying more then those who picked the cars late in the day or at busy times. Processing the booking also required many requirements where customers were supposed to produce a copy of contract credit card. It also involved a long process of new customer’s identification. (Kirkegaad, 1997) Customers were highly delayed in picking up vehicles. This could go as long as 30 minutes and the company staff are described as been slow. To pick a car, a customer was made to put down a refundable contract fee of â‚ ¬80 before signing and moving away with the car. Customers were also expected to maintain the fuel tank at a level. Empty or less tanks were charged a fuelling fee of â‚ ¬16. The employee in charge would investigate and if finds the low-fuel indicator, the customer was supposed to pay this low fuel levy. The office of the Fair Trading (OFT) accused the Easycar Company as not been a transport company because its customers drove for themselves unlike other transport companies. However, the management of the company had filed a suit of appeal in the court that its service system was to ensure a low price to its customers. Such case was even to reduce the companies plan for the 2004 IPQ. At the beginning the policy required that customers were to pay â‚ ¬11 at booking for preparation of the car. However, the new policies required customers to maintain the car clean or pay the cleaning levy. The company provided customers with maps showing car washing points which could however inconvenience the customers very much. A customer was only supposed to drive 100 kilometers per day and any additional kilometer was charge a rate of â‚ ¬0. 12 per kilometer. Above this, customers were required to return the cars on time. Returning the car late imposed an instant charge of â‚ ¬120 and a subsequent â‚ ¬120 for every 24 hour period if the car was not returned. To book a car by itself was a problem which cost â‚ ¬0. 95 a minute for a call and â‚ ¬5 for using credit card. Customer was also charged a â‚ ¬16 charge fee if they wanted to change their booking. The company advertising system comprised of a mismanaged system where advertising was made in an abrupt manner and using very local methodologies. Offering the mercedes cars only, may be too costly for some customers who perhaps may not afford its cost. Either, expansions of its market may serve to attract a diverse number of customers with different service requirement. Rather than to dwell, on only some few stations it should seek to expand its markets like the other companies. This is aimed at reducing any monopolistic effects of dwelling on only few markets. (Write, Robbie, 1999) If possible, the company should seek to merge with other companies in order to diversify its resource mobilization. Through such merges, the company can have more bargaining power in the industry attracting a better income share from the market. Either, through merging, there is diversification in the company risks. This helps to ensure that, any possible losses do not fall on the shoulders of one company but rather shared between the parties. Trough merging, greater inventions and business market researches can help them to perform better than one company. By sharing of resources, brings about greater economies of scale which help to run the business at relatively lower costs. This is because market researches can be done for one business expenses such as advertisements, consultant and market research can be done for one business which constitutes many business. (Sunden, Stratton, 2006) The company can choose to improve its technology as a way of improving its business. Firstly, technology implies quicker service delivery, efficiency and more consistent. Either, improving technology has a lower cost to business performance at the long run trend of business cycles. This implies that, it will cost less for high technologies business after it has attained cost-benefit equilibrium. It should use better technology in its customer service provision where lower time is taken in processing the customer requirement before picking the car. Its mode of advertising still lags behind as a developed system which can influence more customers, where it uses posters at different stations. Such mode of advertisement needs improvement probably to use television or internet. Due to the company’s extensive business transactions, it should improve on its database system to enable faster processing, identification of customers and improving efficiency in monitoring its financial transactions. (Gutterman, 1994) Improvement in its human resource capital, where more qualified staff should be employed. The problems of slow service to customer by the company workers can only be improved by employing more qualified workers. This improves efficiency in the company’s operations. Above all, the company should also re-structure its mode of operations where a customer is let to drive for himself and employ its driver. This can lead to a better service provision. (Lipsy, Chrystal, 1997) The company costing system is faced with many bureaucracies where charging prices of services without rigidities to permanent regulations. Such costing methods need to be revised so that there is simplicity in pay requirement of a customer picking a car. Broadly, it should maintain simpler terms of service costs that should seek to even attract more customers. There is a diverse immobility in customer payment to their service delivery. Either, the company can monitor its expensive mode of its operations to achieve more profit. Basically, it spends a lot of money in purchasing its cars where there are still alternative of other cheaper cars. It solely dwells on one type of expensive car. Costing regulations should be emended to secure lesser company expenses and earn more profit. High costs of business operation are also revealed by its mode of advertising and booking which tend to be too costly for both the business and the customers. The business can therefore achieve its mission through amendments of its cost variable. (Bjerke, 1999) From one perspective the business is doing well, with good service provision. Therefore the business can still continue its operation in the same standard manner it is operating in. Since it seen improving, and opening even more branches, it implies that the business mission will still be achieved. It should seek to streamline its operations in line with its current system. However, the business should not be closed down. Since it depicts a continued and outstanding performance, closing such a business would be doing away with a prospective business entity. Since the former goals were to start a car industry, which is now expanding, it should be let to continue in its operations. (Warner, 2001) Either, the management should not seek the alternative of selling up the business. Perhaps, selling such a business which is acquiring such a good expansion would even earn the company lesser profit than if let to operate.

Should the UK Allow Medical Marijuana?

Should the UK Allow Medical Marijuana? Should Marijuana be Decriminalised and or Legalised for Health Reasons in the U.K? Research Plan Today most young people use some type of drug, even though they are illegal. According to Gov (2017) marijuana is the most commonly used drug in the last year and has been for over 15 years.   Marijuana originates from the cannabis sativa plant. It comes in a variety of forms such as dried plant leaves, flowers and oils which can be smoked or eaten. Better Health (2013) state that there is a chemical in cannabis called tetrahydrocannabinol (also known as THC); this is marijuana’s main mind-altering ingredient, which makes users feel high. THC is a psychoactive substance, which means that it travels in a person’s bloodstream to the brain. It disrupts the brain’s normal functioning and causes certain intoxicating effects. The fastest way to feel the effects of marijuana is to inhale the smoke, the effects are usually felt within minutes. The immediate sensations—increased heart rate, lessened coordination and balance and a â€Å"dreamy,† unreal stat e of mind—peak within the first 30 minutes. These short-term effects usually wear off in two to three hours, but they could last longer, depending on how much the user consumes and the potency of THC (Drug free world, 2018).   According to Addiction (2011), countries such as Finland, Israel and Portugal have all decriminalised marijuana. Portugal, view drug taking as a health issue rather than a criminal issue in the country. Instead of arrests, those found with drugs are sent to medical panels, consisting of a psychologist, social workers and legal advisor for appropriate treatment.   Around the world there are a growing number of countries where marijuana use is permitted and regulated for recreational purposes such as Amsterdam, Nevada and Colorado. Also, there is growth with pharmaceutical grade marijuana due to its acceptance for medicinal properties. 29 American states including Florida, Michigan and Arizona have legalised marijuana for medical reasons (Gov, 2018).    This essay will research and analyse five areas surrounding marijuana consumption to determine whether it should be decriminalised and/or legalised for medical reasons. This essay will investigate different societal perspectives: who uses it and why they use it.   The implications from both a legal and health perspective and whether the health benefits outweigh the risks all incorporated into the following questions. Societal and sociological implication of cannabis use Is the current legislation fair? What are the negative effects on health? What are the psychological causes of using marijuana? What are the benefits? The type of research undertaken will be key to the validity and accuracy of this document. To achieve this, three types of research will be explained and analysed. The first to be discussed is quantitative research. Quantitative research is factual, information gathered from statistics and numbers. For example, how many individuals consume marijuana regularly. This data specifies the actual number of users but does not clarify the reasons why. Primary research involves gathering new data that has not been collected before, such as, surveys using questionnaires or interviews with groups of people.   Secondary research involves gathering existing data that has already been produced. For example, researching the internet, newspapers and company reports. This essay will utilise this method as opposed to primary reserch due to the absence of an ethics panel at the college. The research carried out will look at statistics, legitimate websites, journal articles and newspapers; these along with further reading will be analysed and evaluated in an attempt to address the essay question with an unbiased viewpoint – despite potentially conflicting findings. Project timetable January 11-25 Decide topic; begin research; meet supervisor to discuss subject matter; finalise essay question. February 1-22 Continue research; analyse data. April 8-23 Compile information into essay format; final meeting with supervisor. May 9-14 Audit essay form a conclusion; evaluate; proof read and submit essay. The essay will endeavor to contain conflicting points to enable the reader to sum up their own conclusion. The information gathered and utilised will be obtained from reputable sources, along with the most recent government data and health statistics to ensure reliability and validity of the information. Health and safety will also be in mind while completing the essay. Regular breaks will be taken whilst using a computer to avoid the occurrence of visionary side effects and repetitive strain injury. Data will be reported accurately and contain references throughout to avoid plagiarism. Should Marijuana be Decriminalised and or Legalised for Medical Reasons in the U.K? Official statistics from Gov (2017) show that in 2016/17, 6.6% (around 2.2 million) of people aged 16 to 59 consumed marijuana. This has dropped since measurements began in 1996 (when the proportion was 9.4%). Since 2009/10 it has remained essentially stable at between 6 and 7 per cent. Out of the possible 2.2 million users, one million of these were 16-24-year olds. In addition to this, 34% of 16-24-year olds who consume marijuana claim to be frequent users. Its use is also more prevalent among men than women, in the 2017 survey 9% of men admitted to using marijuana compared with just 4.2% of women. Lastly, people living in deprived areas were more likely to be frequent drug users. A larger proportion (4.5%) of respondents who lived in deprived areas consumed marijuana frequently compared with those who lived in the least deprived areas (2.3%). Therefore, young working-class boys are the biggest consumers of marijuana. However, official statistics need to be treated with caution as they can be misleading and misinterpreted, not everyone who uses marijuana will give admission of their consumption. On the other hand, official statistics are useful in determining the changing rate of crime in certain areas over a period. In addition to this they can also help to highlight police bias and stereotyping. Interactionist Howard Becker (1963) cited in Hazeldine et al, (2016), attributed that the police label and target young working-class people as potentially criminal and frequently stop, search and arrest them. Meaning, it is more likely for young working-class boys to be found with possession. Sociologists Richard Cloward and Lloyd Ohlin (1961) suggested that adolescents form retreatist subcultures (drug gang) because they have failed in the opportunity structure of society (Haralambos et al, 2013). Although, this is a naà ¯ve explanation of drug misuse. Drug misuse is also common among successful middle-class professionals and not just failed criminals or gang members as suggested by Cloward and Ohlin. Also, interactionist Albert Cohen (1955) cited in Giddens and Sutton (2015) claims that working-class boys lack opportunities to succeed, largely due to cultural deprivation. Tension from status frustration is realised through the creation of a deviant subculture in which the values of society are reversed.   Like the interactionists view-point marxists argue that the exploitation and oppression from the capitalist’s system leads to feelings of alienation. Thus, encouraging drug consumption which leads to dangerous addictions. However, not everyone suffering alienation from the capitalist system turns to drugs (Browne et al, 2014). Marijuana has been classified as a Class B drug in the UK since 2008 and carries significant penalties associated with possession and production including a maximum prison sentence of 14 years (Legislation, 2018). Statistics from Gov (2017) show that in 2016 there were 99,779 seizures of cannabis in the U.K. According to Browne et al (2014) marxists argue that illegal drugs help to safeguard class inequalities by providing excuses for the police to criminalise the working-class by giving drug convictions; whereas, the ruling class are more likely to be let off with a slap on the wrist.   Interactionist Jock Young (1971) cited in Haralambos et al (2013) studied marijuana users in London. Young argued that police respond to marijuana users as dirty, scruffy deviants which consequently, pushes them into that role. They no longer feel a conventional part of society and so become more unconventional as a reaction. Marijuana has been placed in the same category as the dangerous drug Ketamine. Talk to Frank (2018) write that Ketamine is a powerful general anaesthetic and is used for operations on humans and animals. Ketamine temporarily paralyses the body and gives a ‘out of body’ near death experience which can cause hallucinations and bad ‘trips’. Overdose can result in a coma, respiratory failure and death. According to I the Office of National Statistics (2016) Ketamine was responsible for 160 deaths in 2016.   Furthermore, in the U.K alcohol comes top of the list in the most commonly used recreational drugs.   Alcohol is legal and widely available to adults over the age of 18 in the U.K. According to MPP (2018), marijuana is less toxic than alcohol, less addictive, less harmful to the body, and less likely to contribute to violent or reckless behaviour. Alcohol related car accidents are far more likely than marijuana related car accidents. In 2015, over 200 people were killed in a road collision involving a driver over the legal limit (Department of Transport, 2017). Alcohol is also connected to many long-term side effects such as high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, liver disease and cancers. Alarmingly, in 2016 there were 7,327 alcohol specific deaths (Official for National Statistics, 2016). Many online articles claim that marijuana cannot and is not responsible for any deaths due to overdose. However, Dr Robert Gable (2004) of the Psychology department of Clermont university, cited in Caulkins, Kilmer and Kleinman (2016), concluded from a review into marijuana that it may be responsible for two deaths of a direct overdose. While it may be factual that it is extremely rare to die from a marijuana overdose, it is an undeniable fact that nobody dies from a tobacco overdose. People do not smoke themselves to death, tobacco causes lung cancer, which is what causes death. So, in that same way marijuana can  kill people in the form of mental illnesses, suicide and in the form of a car accident while driving under the influence. In addition, there are also problems with consuming marijuana that is sold on the black market. It is often contaminated with toxic components which may cause more harm than the substance itself. Thus, a regulated legal supply can be contaminant free, pure and therefore safer as correct dosage can be prescribed. Many argue that legalisation for medicinal purposes could make cannabis more socially acceptable and so encourage use of the substance and other drugs alike which may be more dangerous. However, according to Cerda et al (2015) research has shown that countries which have already legalised marijuana for medical reasons like the US have not seen an upsurge in the numbers of individuals using it. Additionally, the NHS (2017) write that 10% of regular cannabis users become dependent. Despite this, many claim that marijuana does not have addictive properties and that individuals become addicted to the nicotine (which the marijuana is smoked with) and not the marijuana itself. While this may have some truth, withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, difficulty sleeping, mood swings, irritability and restlessness are all common among individuals who consume marijuana regularly making it difficult to quit. Correspondingly, if a person smokes marijuana with tobacco, there is also great risk of co ntracting tobacco-related diseases such as cancer and heart disease.   Although, this criticism has a contradictive element. Hartney (2018) points out that there are already many highly addictive medications currently being prescribed by doctors in the U.K which have more dangerous side effects than marijuana. One being Tramadol, according to Office for National Statistics (2016) Tramadol was responsible for the lives of 208 people in 2015. However, when consuming marijuana it is common for the user to inhale more smoke and hold it in longer than they would a cigarette, to maximise the effects. Like other addictive drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, individuals can develop a tolerance to marijuana. Therefore, individuals need to consume more and more to get the same effect (Drug Wise, 2017).   The mental consequences of marijuana use are equally severe. Marijuana smokers have poorer memories and mental aptitude than do non-users.   Baler et al (2014) state that recent studies on young adults who smoke marijuana, found abnormalities in the brain related to emotion, motivation and decision-making. Regular cannabis use from a young age can also  increase the risk of developing psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia. This is because the brain does not stop growing and forming connections until it is 25, and cannabis interferes with this process (Royal College of Psychiatrists, 2018).   Although, this statement is a tricky one, According to Casarett (2015), a surprising number of people especially men will not seek professional help because they do not like the idea that they require help to manage their issues. This may be another reason why the vast majority of marijuana smokers are men. Some individuals report consuming marijuana helps relieve their depression and anxiety. It could be argued that they turn to marijuana to self-medicate as opposed to admitting to another individual, for example, a doctor that they cannot cope. In other words, individu als may have turned to marijuana to help with their psychological problems in the first place. Thus, the psychological issues were not created from consuming marijuana. Despite the negative, the harm and benefit of marijuana should depend on patient’s medical severity situation and needs; the addiction of marijuana trades off with the expected length of a patient’s life. If a situation is terminal, it could be argued that the benefits meaningfully outweigh the risks. According to the Behaviourist Model addictive behaviour is considered as learned. Therefore, the root to smoking marijuana is a psychological one. Albert Bandura’s (1961) cited in Gross (2015) social learning theory suggests that children learn social behaviour from observing a model. Children are four times more likely to smoke if their parents do (Ash, 2018). Additionally, individuals who smoke are also more likely to divulge further in recreational drugs such as marijuana. Some individuals may use marijuana to gain acceptance. A behaviour explained by psychologist B. F. Skinner (1948), cited in Eysenck (2012), through operant conditioning a person starts to smoke to gain the powerful reinforcement of peer approval.   The new smoker associates these positive feelings with smoking. Positive reinforces cause production of dopamine which provide the positive feelings and reward the behaviour. Thus, behaviour which is followed by pleasant consequences is likely to be repeated. Another psychological theory is Ivan Pavlov’s (1927) cited in Gross (2015) classical conditioning. Classical conditioning is realised when a specific stimulus causes a specific response. For example, individuals who regularly consume marijuana to relax and de-stress after work while watching the soaps, will start to associate relax time in front of the tv as a time to light up a joint. In this case, sitting in front of the television after work and watching the soaps (specific stimulus), can induce powerful cravings for marijuana (specific response) which can lead to relapse behaviours. It has been proven that chemicals found in marijuana can relieve pain in people living with illnesses like multiple sclerosis and arthritis. According to Goldacre (2013), scientific studies of the chemicals in marijuana, called cannabinoids, has led to two FDA-approved medications that contain cannabinoid chemicals in pill form in Canada, USA and some parts of Europe. Marijuana has also been effective at relieving some of the highly stressful side effects that emerge from chemotherapy treatment such as nausea and vomiting (Doweiko, 2015). According to Drug abuse (2017), there is also evidence to suggest that the marijuana chemical cannabidiol (CBD) can treat certain conditions such as childhood epilepsy, a disorder that causes a child to have violent seizures. Scientists in the US have been reproducing marijuana plants and making CBD in oil form for treatment purposes.   CBD oil has low levels of the mind-altering THC, making it unpopular for recreational use.   Nancy and Willard (2014) suggest that marijuana is used in a similar manner to alcohol. Most adults consume marijuana while socialising with friends or to relax after work. Some use marijuana for medical benefits, with others consuming marijuana for therapeutic purposes, such as, help to facilitate with falling asleep and to alleviate arthritis. Some advocates believe that marijuana can relieve stress, anxiety and depression. On the contrary, many argue that consuming marijuana can trigger anxiety and depression. In fact, it is true the THC is linked to feelings of paranoia and anxiety as it activates the amygdala area of the brain, which is responsible for fear. However, CBD counteracts such feelings from THC. Studies show that taking CBD on its own can lower – even eliminate anxiety (Gould, 2015). According to the American Cancer Society (2018), scientists reported that THC and other cannabinoids such as CBD slow growth and/or caused death in certain types of cancer cells growing in lab dishes. Studies on animals also suggest that certain cannabinoids slow growth and reduce the spread of certain forms of cancer. This essay has investigated various aspects of marijuana consumption – why people use it what are the consequences in regard to legislation and health. Many argue that marijuana has been put on a pedestal and falsely labelled a miracle drug. It is inevitable to say that there has been a lot of scaremongering and wishful thinking concerning marijuana consumption. However, there is not enough reliable evidence into the extent of how good or bad marijuana is for ones’ health.   Some evidence and findings are very controversial and contradict one another. For example, the claim that consuming marijuana can reduce the risk of certain cancers when it is a well-known fact that smoking in the first place is responsible for almost all lung cancers. Due to the insufficient amounts of reliable evidence more independent unbiased research needs to be carried out to fully determine the abilities and side effects of marijuana. In conclusion, based on the current evidence marijuana should be decriminalised in the U.K. individuals who are caught consuming marijuana and who may have an addiction should be helped and not punished and labelled a criminal. Correspondingly, marijuana should be made legal for medicinal purposes as it clearly carries benefits for some people. However, only if the benefits outweigh the risks. For example, if the individual has a possible life-threatening illness.   Moreover, advances in science, accompanied with further research into the current medications already available, (in the US) additional medications can be administered.   If the drug is as beneficial as some research suggests then science could be bordering major breakthroughs concerning marijuana, accepting and encouraging use further.      Reference List Addiction (2011). Decriminalized marijuana: Top 10 countries in the world. [online] Addictionblog.org. Available at: http://addictionblog.org/the-news/decriminalized-marijuana-top-10-countries-in-the-world/ (Accessed 21 Apr. 2018). American Cancer Society (2018). Marijuana and Cancer. [online] Available at: https://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatments-and-side-effects/complementary-and-alternative-medicine/marijuana-and-cancer.html (Accessed 25 Apr. 2018). ASH (2018). Fact Sheets Archives Action on Smoking and Health. 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Marijuana Is Safer Than Alcohol: Its Time To Treat It That Way MPP. [online] MPP. Available at: https://www.mpp.org/marijuana-is-safer-than-alcohol-its-time-to-treat-it-that-way/ (Accessed 18 Apr. 2018). Nancy, E, M., Willard, M, O. (2014) Drugs in an American Society: An Encyclopaedia of Politics, Culture and the Law. Massachusetts: ABC-Clio. NHS (2017) Cannabis: The Facts. [online] Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/drugs/Pages/cannabis-facts.aspx (Accessed 2 April. 2018). Office for National Statistics (2016) Alcohol-Specific Deaths in the UK: registered 2016. [online] Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/alcoholrelateddeathsintheunitedkingdom/registeredin2016 (Accessed 4 April. 2018). Office for National Statistics (2016) Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2016 registrations. [online] Available at: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsrelatedtodrugpoisoninginenglandandwales/2016registrations#deaths-involving-selected-substances (Accessed 21 Apr. 2018) Royal College of Psychiatrists (2018). Cannabis and mental health. [online] Available at: https://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/cannabis.aspx (Accessed 18 Apr. 2018). Talk to frank (2018). Ketamine | FRANK. [online] Available at: http://www.talktofrank.com/drug/ketamine (Accessed 18 Apr. 2018). Bibliography Adler, J, N., Colbert, J, A. (2013) Medicinal Use of Marijuana. The New England Journal of Medicine. [online] Available at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMclde1300970 (Accessed 2 April.2018). Browns, D. (2018). A Marxist review of Capitalism and Drug Use. [online] Redrave.blogspot.co.uk. Available at: http://redrave.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/a-marxist-review-of-capitalism-and-drug.html (Accessed 18 Apr. 2018). Cancer Research (2018). Cannabis oil?. [online] Available at: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/cancer-chat/thread/cannabis-oil-4 [Accessed 31 Mar. 2018]. Cannabis Social Club. (2018). UK Cannabis Law. [online] Available at: http://ukcsc.co.uk/cannabis-law/ (Accessed 17 Apr. 2018). Christie, L. (2013). Which of these drugs is the most addictive and harmful, marijuana, alcohol, ecstasy, cocaine, heroin, or meth? [online] Available at: https://www.quora.com/Which-of-these-drugs-is-the-most-addictive-and-harmful-marijuana-alcohol-ecstasy-cocaine-heroin-or-meth (Accessed 17 Apr. 2018). McLeod, S. (2015). Biological Psychology | Simply Psychology. [online] Simplypsychology.org. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/biological-psychology.html (Accessed 23 Apr. 2018). Peele, S. (2016). How Does Social Class Affect Drug Abuse? Articles Addictions | HealthyPlace. HealthyPlace. Available at: https://www.healthyplace.com/addictions/articles/how-does-social-class-affect-drug-abuse/ (Accessed 17 Apr. 2018). United Patients Group. (2016). What are the best and healthiest ways to consume medical cannabis?. [online] Available at: https://unitedpatientsgroup.com/resources/methods-of-consumption (Accessed 17 Apr. 2018). Evaluation The essay introduction stated some clear figures of the trends of marijuana over the last few years and determined who in society is most likely to consume marijuana. On the contrary, the introduction failed to generate a definitive answer as to why young working-class boys are the biggest consumers of marijuana, due to the absence of primary research. However, links to sociological theories supported the results that young working-class boys are the biggest consumers of marijuana. The research within the essay was obtained from a wide range of reputable sources with the most recent information available. As discussed, due to the absence of primary research there was not an opportunity to examine the reasons on a more personal level as to why young working-class boys choose to consume marijuana when evidence portrayed from the UK government suggest that it can lead to psychological issues and can cause certain types of cancers. The data researched and presented was analysed and evaluated where possible; official statistics from legitimate sources are generally accepted as reliable and informative in their own right. In addition, further relations to sociological theories along with psychological theories strengthened the conclusions of certain studies. In comparison, due to the lack of reliable sufficient unbiased research, there could have been further analysis into the government’s role.   With the recent claims that marijuana has certain cancer killing properties along with many other health benefits, the government should be aiming to provide newly found definitive answers concerning the risks and gains of marijuana. The conclusion acknowledged that the lack of reliable and thorough research into the strengths and weaknesses of using marijuana has influenced the answer to the question; that it should be decriminalised and legalised on the grounds of medicinal use only if the benefits outweigh the risks. However, the conclusion is based only on the research analysed within the essay. Due to a limited word count further research and analysis which may have had an influence on the overall conclusion may have been missed. Thus, the conclusion is relevant to the findings within the essay however, additional and future research may lead to a different prognosis.