Research shows that half of decisions made within organizations fail. Discuss this statement with a supervisor, co-worker or someone you know. Do they agree or disagree and why.
Report your findings. 

Response must be a 150 word initial post.

Respond to comment:

 My coworkers and I always talk about the decisions that are made at our organization daily. Sometimes, it seems as if they don’t care so long as money is being made. True enough, we have many customers but we could better serve them if we had a manager that was capable of making good decisions. At an organization that serves food to customers, we are supposed to work together as a team to ensure that we get the orders correct and that customers don’t have a long wait time. But there are so many employees that are not pulling their weight that others have to take on their duties and the manager acts as if he can’t see what’s going but honestly, he is more a part of the problem rather than the solution. Right now, his decisions may not be costing the organization much but in the long run, he will have to be replaced in order to increase production and teamwork within our organization. Only time will tell. 

Formal Outline：

Include a thesis statement about mass incarceration.

State the main idea of each paragraph as a declarative sentence.

Indicate supporting details/arguments/sources for each paragraph.

Now that you have become well informed about the characteristics and causes of mass incarceration, your final assignment is to write an outline in which you use sources (described below) to support your own judgment about some aspect of mass incarceration and criminal justice reform. Because your job in this essay is to persuade a reader to agree with your point of view, it’s up to you to decide what argument you want to make.  I have identified several topics, with suggested readings, below – but you may choose a slightly different topic if you talk it over with me first.

Sources, Documentation and MLA Format

·  You should use at least two new sources (i.e. sources you have not used in previous assignments).

·  Avoid excessive quotation (no more than about 20% of your essay’s words).

·  Document sources using MLA style – both in-text citation and a Works Cited list.

·  Using a source’s words without enclosing them in quotation marks is plagiarism. Using or quoting from sources that you do not cite in the text and Works Cited list is plagiarism.

·  All drafts should be formatted double-spaced, in 12-point type. Include a word count on the last page.

Your Audience

Assume that your reader may know a little about the topic (for instance, you could assume they know the information contained in the James Cullen article “The History of Mass Incarceration” or have seen the film 13th). But do not assume that your reader is especially knowledgeable or has read the other sources you have read. That means that some of your essay will have to be an explanation, summarizing facts about the topic.

Sources and Topics:

Remedies for Mass Incarceration: what are the best ideas, what has been tried, and how is it working?

·  You will find many articles on proposed solutions at the web sites of several organizations you’ve encountered already in our readings: the Vera Institute for Justice,  The Marshall Project, The Sentencing Project, and the Brennan Center for Justice (ending mass incarceration is just one of the issues they work on). Especially, see:

o  “Decarceration Strategies: How 5 States Achieved Substantial Prison Population Reductions” 

·  James Forman Jr. and Sarah Lustbader , “Every D.A. in America Should Open a Sentence Review Unit,” The New York Times 1 Aug. 2019.

·  Here are two stories of specific decarceration efforts, from PBS Frontline: “In Latest Reform, Kentucky Softens Approach to Juvenile Offenders”; “For Some Felons, a Better Chance to Break the Re-entry Cycle”

The human costs and consequences of incarceration

·  Bruce Western, “The Rehabilitation Paradox” The New Yorker, 9 May 2016: “If we’re really going to reduce our prison populations, we will have to acknowledge that human frailty under conditions of poverty puts people at risk of becoming, simultaneously, the perpetrators and victims of violence.”

·  Lorna Collier, “Incarceration nation: The United States leads the world in incarceration. A new report explores why — and offers recommendations for fixing the system” American Psychological Association October 2014. Highlights the mental-health consequences of incarceration and how incarceration may increase crime.

·  Sarah Childress, “Todd Clear: Why America’s Mass Incarceration Experiment Failed” PBS Frontline 29 April 2014. Argues that incarceration hollows out communities and “how prison makes crime worse.”

·  Two documentaries from the PBS series Frontline, Prison State (2014) and Life on Parole (2017), tell individual stories that illustrate the impact on individuals caught up in the criminal justice system.

The role of black citizens’ and politicians’ attitudes toward law enforcement and incarceration:

·  James Forman, jr. “Introduction” from Locking Up Our Own: Crime and Punishment in Black America (2017): the last 1/3 of this excerpt outlines the role of black citizens and politicians in majority-black Washington, D.C., building on Fortner’s account of New York in the 1970s.

·  Michael Fortner, “The Clintons Aren’t the Only Ones to Blame for the Crime Bill: Black leaders also embraced it” The Marshall Project 10 July 2015. Expanding on what you learned in Jason L. Riley’s review of Fortner’s book Black Silent Majority.

·  Nazgol Ghandnoosh, “Executive Summary” from Race and Punishment: Racial Perceptions of Crime and Support for Punitive Policies The Sentencing Project, 3 Sept. 2014.

·  John Gramlich, “From police to parole, black and white Americans differ widely in their views of criminal justice system” Pew Research Center, 21 May 2019.

·  John Gramlich, “5 facts about crime in the U.S.” Pew Research Center, 17 Oct. 2019.

Crime as a source of the prison boom and racial disparities, and arguments against decarceration:

·  Barry Latzer, “An Incarceration Nation?” Law & Liberty,  2 March 2020. This article develops, with more evidence, the argument in the Latzer article you’ve read previously.

·  Heather Mac Donald,  “Is Mass Incarceration Destroying American Communities?” National Review Online June 21, 2016.

·  Heather Mac Donald,  “High Incarceration Rate Of Blacks Is Function Of Crime, Not Racism” Investor’s Business Daily 28 April 2008.

·  Rafael A. Mangual  “Mass Decarceration Will Increase Violent Crime”   Manhattan Institute 18 Sept 2019.

·  Rafael A. Mangual, “Mass Decarceration is Not the Answer,” Newsweek July 29, 2020

·  Rafael A. Mangual, “Everything You Don’t Know About Mass Incarceration: Contrary to the popular narrative, most American prisoners belong behind bars” City Journal Summer 2019

  

Minimum of 175 words for the answer to each question

with 1 scholarly reference per question (APA7 format): 

Reference- Van Dijk, J. (2012). The network society (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 

1) The textbook describes several societal values that computer-mediated communications are affecting (and will continue to affect), including social equality, safety, quantity and quality of social relationships, and the richness of the human mind. Give examples, both positive and negative, from your own personal or professional life of how computer-mediated communications such as email and social networking can affect each of this values. Overall, do you think computer-mediated communications are a benefit to society or a threat? What suggestions can you offer to minimize the negative aspects of computer-mediated communications while preserving or increasing the positive aspects?

2) According to the textbook, computer-mediated communications do not reinforce oral, written (printed), musical, or non-verbal skills–the very skills that have historically been associated with scholarship, innovation, and creativity. To what extent do you think computer-mediated communications may, or are, causing these vital skills to decrease in populations who use computer-mediated communications most heavily? What compensations, if any, do computer-mediated communications offer? Give as many concrete examples as possible to illustrate and support your views.

3) Although computer-mediated communications are often examined from the standpoint of consumption and entertainment, they also affect politics and elections, education, and the labor market–both in the U.S. and around the world. Share concrete examples, both positive and negative, of how computer-mediated communications can or do affect the political process, education, and work. To what extent do the examples change if the people affected do not live in the U.S. or another developed country? If they are not wealthy enough to afford reliable access to computer-mediated communications? If they do not have the education necessary to be able to participate in the online job market?

4) In its infancy, the Internet was often described as “leveling the playing field” in terms of content production and consumption. Rather than newspaper and book publishers, radio and television stations, and movie studios controlling the information people see (and how this information is presented), the Internet was “free” — anyone, theoretically, could post and access any information desired.

And yet the information we see today is still controlled; it’s just controlled by different companies–and at a level of granularity unheard of just a few generations ago. Today, according to the Pew Research Center, over 45% of all Americans get at least some of their news from Facebook. And accessing information through the Google search engine is so common that the verb google” was added to the Oxford English Dictionary over a decade ago.

Discuss the effects of consolidating access to information from many publishers and media outlets to just two or three. What effects might this have on democracy? On education? To what extent do you think most people understand that the information they see on Facebook, Google, or other popular sites is managed or controlled? How do you think this perception changes how people view or use the information they obtain through these sites?

5) The textbook notes that “the rich are getting richer” with regard to the Internet; that is, social and informational inequality is rising, not lessening, due to computer-mediated communications.

What proof does the textbook author provide to support this statement? To what extent do you believe the statement to be true? Give concrete examples to support your view, and suggest at least one change you believe would increase the benefits the Internet provides to those “poor in resources.”

*Unit 1 DB: The Importance of “Why” (MGT105 Principles of Management)

After completing your readings and resources, think about the TED Talk by Simon Sinek (or you can read a transcript of the video).  Then, post your response to the following questions:

1. How do you think the four management functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling fit in with the ideas Sinek expresses in his talk? 
2. Give an example from this week’s reading materials that make the connection between each of the four management functions, the Simon Sinek video, and your experiences in real life matters.
3. Which function do you think he would say is most important?  Why?

In responses to your classmates, make connections between the functions of management and the management roles discussed in your reading (leadership, informational, and decision-making).  If applicable, relate any real-world experiences.

*Be sure to familiarize yourself with the weekly Discussion Board expectations and rubric.

*Unit 1 Discussion: Creating Value Though the Marketing Process (MKT200 Principles of Marketing)

The marketing process creates value for both the company and the consumer. For example: customer satisfaction is dependent upon the product’s perceived performance relative to a buyer’s expectations. If the product performs as or better than the customer expected, they are likely satisfied and willing to purchase the product or service again. If the product does not meet customer expectations, the customers will likely not be satisfied and may write a poor review on the company and/or the product. 

For this discussion, think of an example of a product (or service) offering that has either met or exceeded your expectations by creating value for you OR did not meet your expectations or create value for you. Write a review of that product/service. Give it a 1-5 star rating (1 being awful and 5 being awesome) and explain why you rated it the way you did. 

*Unit 1.1 Discussion: Ethical Principles (PSY102 Fundamentals of Psychology II)

Go to the APA website, and look up “Ethical Principles of Psychologists” and the Code of Conduct

Choose one (choose a different principle than you chose in PSY101) of the ethical principles and answer the following questions:  

1. Why do you think this principle is important?
2. What difficulties might psychologists encounter when applying this principle?
3. Describe a real-life situation in which this principle might be used.

*Unit 1.2 Discussion: Ethics in Research (PSY102 Fundamentals of Psychology II)

Consider the video showing Stanley Milgram’s study on obedience. 

1. In your opinion, does the information gained on obedience justify the means in which it was obtained?  
2. Do you think using humans and/or animals in psychological research is ethical? Justify your answer.

Milgram Obedience Study

 User: n/a – Added: 12/12/11

YouTube URL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCVlI-_4GZQ

*Unit 1 DB: Issues in Developmental Psychology (PSY201 Child Development)

There are several long-standing issues/debates in the field of Developmental Psychology. These include:

• nature vs. nurture,
• continuity vs. discontinuity, and
• early vs. later experience.

Read about these issues/debates in your textbook and other outside resources. In one or two sentences, explain what is meant by the issue/debate. 

Choose one of the issues/debates above.

• Reflecting on your own experience, explain how the issue/debate relates to your development.
• Locate and read a scholarly research article that is relevant to your chosen issue/debate. Summarize the research findings and discuss what you found most interesting about the results. Include the APA article reference.