Organized Crime Essay Example for Free

Organized Crime Essay Two thirds of all homicides in Omaha, NE are gang related. With an average of 40 homicides per year, without the gang activity in this city, 26 of them could be avoided. Founded in 1990 the 40th Street Crips are the oldest, most established gang in Omaha at this time. They are involved in every type of crime that is prevalent in Omaha from identity theft to homicides. This gangs has a negative effect on the people, businesses, and properties in their area. The 40th Street Crips qualify as an organized crime organization by displaying some of the attributes assigned to identify organized crime groups. This gang is the most active, dangerous, organized crime group in Omaha at this time their negative effects on the people and neighborhoods they prey on is felt throughout the whole community. The 40th Street Crips work out of an area in North Omaha near 40th and Bedford streets. Like the Crips in Los Angeles, CA, they can be identified by their blue handkerchief and athletic wear, they prefer BK tennis shoes as in the gang culture it stands for blood killer. (http://midwestgangs. tripod. com/id3. html) The Bloods are their rival gang. They are involved in several different types of crime in Omaha. In a personal phone interview with Bruce Ferrell, former Omaha Police Officer and current President of the Midwest Gang Investigators Association, he stated â€Å"they are involved in drive-bys, felony assaults, homicides, narcotic distribution, robberies, home invasions, identity theft, and auto theft. † (B. Ferrell, personal communication, March 13, 2013) Because of this gang, people in North Omaha live with fear and intimidation at all times. The businesses have a harder time being successful because people do not want to shop in North Omaha, as they are frightened. The property values are substantially lower in this area due to the 40th Street Crips activities. There are several attributes of organized crime that fit this group. (Abadinsky, 2009, p. 3-4) I have chosen the three most closely related to this gang. 1. Has no political goals. – This group’s main objective is money and power they are not motivated by any ideology.  Their goals are too make money through the commission of crimes and if they spread intimidation and fear in the commission of these crimes so much the better. 2. Exhibits a willingness to use illegal violence. – 40th Street Crips are the number one gang right now in Omaha for drive by shootings. Most of the members will kill someone for any slight perceived or real. 3. Perpetuates itself. – This gang has been active since 1990 and long ago cut its ties with the Los Angeles Crips. New gang members are often recruited from family and friends of current members. (Abadinsky, 2009, p. -4) There are several reasons to analyze and research this group, the number one reason is they are the most active and violent gang in Omaha at this time, conducting by far the most drive-bys and felony assaults. (B. Ferrell, personal communication, March 13, 2013) They are doing the most damage to the north Omaha youth by destroying their futures by bringing them into gangs. The actions they take are directly destructive to businesses and housing in North Omaha as they are lowering property values and making it hard to conduct business in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. http://www. nationalgangcenter. gov/content/Impact-of-gangs-on-communities. pdf) The 40th Street Crips are a dangerous, violent well established gang in Omaha. Their actions are having negative effects on the communities and neighborhood that they are active in. The law enforcement officers in this city are taking every action possible to eliminate organized crime activity all over Omaha not just in north â€Å"O†. â€Å"We recognize there is too much violence in this town,† said 2010 Omaha Police Chief Alex Hayes. â€Å"It’s never going to be good (here) until it’s gone. † (Perez Jr. , 2010, para. 3)

Company - BlackBerry mobiles Essay Example for Free

Company BlackBerry mobiles Essay BCG matrix is a portfolio planning model, which is used to determine position of the product in the product portfolio of the company. Under this model, company divides its business units into four categories on the basis of combinations of market growth and market share comparative to the leading opponent. This model helps the management to analyze the future growth of different business units. We can take the example of BlackBerry mobiles. It is the Canadian telecommunication and wireless equipment company best known to the general public as the developer of the BlackBerry brand of smart phones and tablets. At one point of time, BlackBerry mobiles were considered as best mobiles in the market. They use to give direct competition to the Nokia and apple mobile phones. In 2011, the market share of the BlackBerry mobiles was 14.3%. But, over the last few years, company market share has declined to 0.6%. In BCG Matrix, we can place the BlackBerry mobiles into question mark category. We have placed the BlackBerry mobiles into question mark category because the market of mobile is increasing with the rate of around 40% but the market share of the BlackBerry mobiles is deceasing every year. Apart from BlackBerry, all other major mobile phone companies such as Samsung, Apple, Huawei, and Lenovo are growing with good pace. Actually, unlike other companies, BlackBerry did not focused on innovation. It was the last major mobile manufacturing company, which introduced the smart phone. They do not able to match the expectations and needs of the people, due to which company lost its market share into the hands of other mobile manufacturing companies. References http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/matrix/bcg/ http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/2665715 http://bgr.com/2014/02/12/blackberry-market-share-q4-2013/ http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-28/blackberry-market-share-to-fall-to-0-3-in-2018-idc-says.html

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Criminology Essay

Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design Criminology Essay Traditionally, crime prevention worked with organized and mechanical strategies. Organized strategies are considered the use of people like law enforcement, patrol, neighborhood watch teams and security personnel to control crime. The mechanical strategies traditionally are target hardening strategies. This includes anything that is electronic and mechanical like alarm systems, camera systems and locks to deny access to an offender. However, this traditional approach overlooks how the environment can provide opportunities. CPTED uses organized and mechanical approaches as a secondary model. Its primary focus is on natural design strategies. A natural approach enhances safety without creating a prison like environment while reinforcing an atmosphere of comfort. What makes a particular location prone to opportunities for crime? Why does this location jeopardize the safety of people? Why here? These are all questions crime prevention through environmental design asks when problem solving. For example, say there is a park in a nearby neighborhood that is known for drug sales, thefts and assaults. The park has four different entrances from the neighborhood, no fencing, low lighting, and no upkeep of shrubs and trees. What can CPTED bring to the table in response to this problem? The city installs a fence around the park to create a barrier between public and private property. A gate is also included beyond the fence with a camera attached for extra surveillance. They limit the amount of entrances into the park down to one which limits access control into the park. Lighting gets revamped with higher wattage bulbs. Lastly, a maintenance crew must come in a certain number of times a month to keep up the shrubs and trees to clean appearance. As a r esult to these changes, we now have better access control (limited entrances), better natural surveillance from residents (maintained shrubs to see in the park), and better territoriality towards to park to show its a public area (fencing). The residents can now see into the park, report a crime when they see one and perpetrators will now think twice about committing crime for fear of being observed. Asking the question why here? shows that opportunities for crime can arise due to environmental conditions, the place and how that place is used (Zahm, 2007). CPTED contains three categories of actors. These actors involve normal users, abnormal users, and observers (Paxton). These actors are people who relate one way or another to a space. The sole purpose of CPTED is to design an environment where normal users can use a space as desired while abnormal users are influenced to move past it (Paxton). This design also makes it easier for observers to monitor the space around them and report criminal acts (Paxton). There are four basic overlapping principles of CPTED as shown in the previous example: natural surveillance (will I be seen), natural access control (can I get in and out), territoriality (does anyone care what happens here), and maintenance. The first principle of CPTED is natural surveillance which uses design to see and be seen. This concept takes advantage of the fear of abnormal users of being observed, recognized and detained (). This is turn, reinforces the feeling of safety and security to the user. Criminals dont want to be seen which is why natural surveillance is a great for keeping them under surveillance. Different design features play a part in increasing visibility of a property or building. Normally, surveillance is done by law enforcement patrols and camera systems within buildings and businesses. That is the traditional approach which takes a back seat to CPTED. Therefore, natural surveillance can be accomplished by several techniques. Strategically placing of windo ws, lighting and landscaping will heighten the normal users ability to observe abnormal users (White, 2000). Natural surveillance can also take the role of normal users taking note of strangers (abnormal users). Environments need to be designed where normal users have ample amount of chances to go about their day while observing the space around them (Crime). For example, a small day care installs windows on the back wall that way they can monitor the children playing in the playground while they make lunches inside. Windows are very important because they allow you to see the outside perimeter of your space as well. From inside your home or business you can look out the window to observe homes and business across the street (observers). These observers can watch parking areas and sidewalks for unusual behavior. Additionally, window surveillance only works when landscaping outside it well-kept and lighting is good. If you have bushes to high near your window it will provide offenders with places to hide. It blocks the view of non-abusers targeting your space. Outside landscaping needs to be maintained so observation can happen. Convenience stores that have a bunch of clutter and signs on the ir windows are obstructing the view to outside the store. Robbers will target that store since the normal users did not see them coming. Lighting is very important for natural surveillance. Efficient illumination is essential for people to see and be seen. Secondly, the placement of lighting is vital to observation and the reduction of fear of crime. Lighting must be focused on roadways and possible entrapment areas like restrooms and vacant spaces under stairwells (National Crime Prevention Council, 2003). When lights are used for the night time the placement can make or break whether an offender will be observed. All paths, signs, walkways, exits, entrances and so on should be properly lit up or opportunities of crimes may arise. Being able to maintain lighting is the glue to the effectiveness of visibility. All of those overgrown landscapes of flowers, bushes and trees that are blocking the light need to be clipped. (National Crime Prevention Council, 2003) Lastly, light bulbs break, die and get vandalized. Maintaining that those bulbs are constantly replaced and fixed will show the offender that this place is well taken care of. This place is constantly under observation so they will be caught. Without maintenance of lighting, offenders will come take advantage of that chance to commit criminal activity. Natural Surveillance tries to deter criminals by planning various ways for people to observe possible criminal behavior. In a review of studies relating to residential burglary, Sorenson (2003) observes how burglars avoid targets that are readily overlooked by neighbors and/or passers-by. Properties with low levels of lighting at night, high fences, or thick shrubs can provide concealment opportunities for burglars particularly when close to points of access such as windows and doors (Weisel, 2002)   (Paul, Saville Hiller). When natural surveillance is employed to an utmost extent, it increases the chances to prevent crime by making the offender clearly obvious to a normal users or police (Crime). The second principle is natural access control which is a strategy used to control access to an area, deny access, reduce crime opportunity and to create a perception of risk in criminals. The National Traumatic Occupational Fatalities project reported that during 1980-1985, 13 percent of all occupational fatalities were a result of homicide (Thomas, 1992). Another study done is 1992 on injury and fatality found evidence of OVC in employment establishments (Thomas, 1992). The majority of industries that are highly vulnerable to OVC have one thing in common: employment activities occur in what is usually an unsecured environment. Control access by creating both real and perceptual barriers to entry and movement. The environment must offer cues about who belongs in a place, when they are supposed to be there, where they are allowed to be while they are there, what they should be doing, and how long they should stay (Zahm, 2007). Barriers identify property lines (public to private) and prevent trespassers. Thus, natural access control is accomplished by using fences, gates, signage, pavements, lighting and landscaping. Fences and gates are real barriers where signs, lighting, landscaping and pavements are perceptual barriers. Both types of barriers protect the outside of a space by guaranteeing that unauthorized persons dont get inside and create a perception to offenders that there is a risk in selecting the target. An example of a real barrier would be having a fence around an entire house. This fence relays a message to abnormal users, that the home is restricted. It also shows territoriality that the people who live there care. By strategically placing entrances, exits, gates, and fencing, to control or limit access, natural access control occurs (Lancaster Community Safety Coalition). In the example from earlier, multiple entrances into the park were replaced by a single entrance that includes fencing and a gate. On the other hand, when moving outside private property to public or semi-public spaces, utilizing access control devices needs more care (Iranmanesh Etaati, 2009). Planned positioning of signs giving information, barriers, landscaping and lighting can direct foot and vehicular traffic in ways that decreases criminal opportunities (Iranmanesh Etaati, 2009). This is where perceptual barriers could be used to meet the goal of access control. These barriers consist of: signs, paths, walkways, paving surfaces, or anything that announces the uniqueness of an area. All of these barriers guide movement throughout an area. Signs guide movement and provide who the intended users should be. So if a sign says employees only then abnormal uses will be easy to recognize. Public buildings should have paths going to desired location within the space that way people are not wandering and come upon an opportunity to commit a crime. The best example of perceptual barriers is Disney Land. They have c olored roads directing you from one ride to another ride or to the restroom and food court. There is a path for wherever you need to be. The reason for a psychological barrier is that if a target appears difficult, it will become unattractive to potential criminals (Iranmanesh Etaati, 2009). When contemplating how you want to control access of your space, the importance of surveillance should not be forgotten. These strategies overlap so you cant think about one without the other. These two concepts can occasionally conflict with one another. For example, a low- level row of thorny bushes under the windows circulating a house. The low level of the bush results in good surveillance while the thorns effectively reduce access control. In addition, fencing defines boundary lines that deter and delay intruders. When installing a fence, it should be a type of fencing where you can see through it. Therefore, you are preventing access control by adding a fence but also keeping up with natural surveillance. In addition, the height of the fence can make a big difference as well. If you have the fence too high, you wont be able to see past the fence to what is on the other side. The third principle is territorial reinforcement which uses design to show ownership. The design should provide cues about who belongs in a place and what they are allowed to do (Zahm, 2007). The design features should clearly show uniqueness towards the home or building. Potential offenders will look at the territory and what they see will determine whether they will offend there or not. There are many communities where places do not look like they are cared for. It could be because of the lack of maintenance on unkempt landscaping, or dark lighting. Whatever the reason, there is a clear message that this place is unimportant. If the owner does not care why should outsiders? Abnormal uses take this as an opportunity to conduct criminal activity. A study by Brown and Bentley (1993) showed how some burglars used territoriality to evaluate risk (Perkins and Taylor, 1996). Eliminating any unassigned spaces and ensuring all spaces have a clearly defined and designated purpose, are routinely cared-for and monitored is also a component of territoriality (Paul, Saville Hill er). There are many things to consider when displaying territorial reinforcement. Territorial methods include natural surveillance and natural access strategies. Each place should be unique in who belongs there. We need to keep abnormal users out of these normal user areas. A company sign is something that shows uniqueness to a company as well as establishes ownership towards that building. Other reinforcements include: landscaping, flags, fences and pavements. All of these things express proprietorship and the vested interest the owner has over their property. Ownership creates and environment where strangers stand out in the crowd. Using design structures like fences and landscape you can not only show ownership but also define property lines and zones (public, private, semi-public). The use of front porches creates a transitional area between the Public Street and private home. These zones are part of the use of defensible space which was devised by Oscar Newman in 1972 (Remy). As described in his book Design Guidelines for Creating Defensible Space, defensible space is a residential environment whose physical characteristics, building layout and site plan function to allow inhabitants themselves to become key agents in ensuring their security. All of these functions are not intended to stop anyone from actually intruding into a person or companies space. The point of territoriality is to convey a message to abnormal users that the property belongs to somebody and they should stay away. For buildings and businesses it sends a message of fear to offenders. Territorial reinforcement mixed with natural surveillance and access control, encourages more awareness by normal users in protecting their territory. Maintenance is the last principle of CPTED which brings together all the other principles. It relates to the neighborhoods sense of admiration and territoriality (National Crime Prevention Council, 2003). The more rundown an area, the more likely it is to attract unwelcome behaviors. This is because it seems like no one is concerned about what goes on. However, if the area is well preserved it will demote the area as a target because it shows people are concerned with their area. The maintenance and image is the main influence on whether a space is targeted. This is also known as the Broken Windows theory by James Wilson and George Kelling. The physical appearance of a place can enhance or detract how its community sees it as well as outsiders. Moreover, its purpose is to heighten the visibility of natural surveillance by keeping trees and bushes trimmed and to make sure outdoor lighting is all working for the night time. Lastly, the upkeep of your access controls (no chipped paint o n the fences) will show that the community and residents care about this area and what happens to it. Home security measures is related to burglary victimization. Burglars are rational actors. When these offenders make the decision to strike, they calculate the costs against the benefits. Home security measures increase these costs and decrease the probability of victimization (OShea, 2000).  The study surveyed people (victims and non-victims of home burglaries) on security measures that they use. When asked if they have a neighborhood watch the victims category was .9 while the non-victim was .30. Does at least one neighbor have a clear view of their front porch showed that the victims had .68 and the non-victim was .89. The same question was asked about their back porch and the victims were a .38 while the non-victims were a .65. (OShea, 2000). CPTED strategies should be incorporated when designing and securing a business, institution and home. When designing a business/home you need to ask yourself questions about security. What is the purpose of the space? How do I make it clea r that I own this and will take good care of it (CPTED principles)? Lastly, when the design is done check it over to see if the design reinforces the purpose of your space (Iranmanesh Etaati, 2009). Crime prevention through environmental design assesses crime problems and the various ways that the environment presents opportunities for criminal behavior. This crime prevention strategy finds the problem areas and strives to eliminate or reduce opportunities. Changing several characteristics of a space and how that place is seen is how CPTED tries to eliminate and reduce opportunities. CPTED is not just utilized for businesses but for buildings, landmarks and neighborhoods. Physical security was always based on target hardening; make the location hard to get inside through barriers and mechanical objects. However, they never took into consideration that those barriers need to be maintained for it to actually work. http://www.usak.org.tr/istanbul/files/cr.pr.environmental.design.pdf Effectiveness of Crime prevention through environmental design in reducing robberies

Free College Essays - Chaos in The Sound and the Fury :: Sound and the Fury Essays

The Sound and the Fury - Chaos A key theme in William Faulkner’s novel The Sound and the Fury is the deterioration of the Compson family. May Brown focuses on this theme and explains that Quentin is the best character to relate the story of a family torn apart by† helplessness, perversion, and selfishness.† In his section, there is a paradoxical mixture of order and chaos which portrays the crumbling world that is the core of this novel. The most important element in Quentin’s section is his obsession with time. To Quentin. time is torturous and destructive. He blames time for his loss of Caddy to sin and hence for his own suffering. Quentin becomes obsessed with avoiding time and attempts to avoid all implements which tell time. When he realizes that he has about as much chance of escaping time as stopping Caddy from losing her virginity, he tries to defeat time by destroying himself Therefore, at the end of his section, he commits suicide. Another significant element to look at in Quentin’s section is his imagery. For one, â€Å"the mirror† constantly creeps up in Quentin’s mind and is a symbol of Quentin’s inability to look at Caddy’s marriage directly. Moreover, Quentin always sees Caddy as â€Å" confined â€Å"in the mirror because this is his illusion of her childhood purity. He cannot accept that she has crossed the threshold into maturity. Doors are another important image in Quentin’s section. They portray Caddy’s actual entry into the world of maturity - a notion which Quentin refuses to accept. Water, as well, is alluded to often. It represents Quentin’s understanding of the knowledge of good and evil which he constantly tries to deny and his obsessions with sex and mortality. It is in water that Quentin finally decides to take his own life. Throughout Quentin’s section there are a number of grammatical errors, unfinished sentences, fragmented thoughts, and repeated phrases. These intentional â€Å"mistakes† are an essential part of Quentin’s narrative. They help depict Quentin’s madness and the confused state which he is in on the day of his suicide. We see from his thoughts and memories that he has become just as cynical and fatalistic as his alcoholic father who says, no battle is ever won.

How are tension and suspense created in The Signalman and The Red Essay

How are tension and suspense created in The Signalman and The Red Room? My aim is to analyse the way which tension suspense is built up in two Victorian stories – ‘The Red Room’ (by H.G Wells) and ‘The Signalman’ (by Charles Dickens). These two successful authors were both well known for using suspense and tension in their stories. Wells has written many classical books, which include â€Å"The Time Machine† and â€Å"War of the Worlds†. Dickens has written other illustrious books, such as â€Å"Christmas Carol†, â€Å"Great Expectations†, and â€Å"Oliver Twist†. Also in my analysis I will be briefly mentioning â€Å"The Clubfooted Grocer† (by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle), â€Å"The Monkey’s Paw† (by W. Jacobs) and â€Å"The Tell Tale Heart† by (Edgar Allan Poe). All of these celebrated stories, like most Victorian stories, are short and their genre is gothic horror. Short gothic horror stories were the main form of entertainment in this time period, as there was a lack of electricity then. These stories are strongly related to Victorian beliefs, which were mainly superstition. The reason for this is that the Victorians were slightly uneducated, and didn’t know better. Ghosts, witches, supernaturalism and black magic were the main focus of these short stories. ‘The Signalman’ provides a fine example into how Victorian railways differ from those ones today. Victorian railways were extremely dangerous, and a signalman’s job was exceptionally strenuous and demanding. The story is basically about a hard-working signalman, who claims to have seen a spectre, warning him about future events. ‘The Red Room’ is more directly related to superstition. It is about a relatively young and fearless man entering a ‘haunted’ room, which apparently contains... ...the ending of ‘The Signalman’ is too abrupt, although tension was still created by the tragedy of the signalman. However, the main difference is that in ‘The Red Room’, the reader can actually decide what happens, but in ‘The Signalman’ he cannot. However despite all this, I still believe that these short stories still provide the reader with a thrilling encounter of suspense and tension. I believe that to make a story mysterious and full of suspense you need to create mystery because mystery in the present creates suspense in the future. You must not reveal everything to the reader and leave them to figure it out for themselves. It should keep the reader guessing right till the end of the story. Again, I believe that both these stories achieve this remarkably well and cover all of these points to make the stories full of mystery, suspense and tension.

Environmental Crisis :: essays research papers

Environmental Crisis "We Have An Environmental Crisis Because We Have A People Crisis - A Crisis of Population Growth, of Wasteful Consumption of Resources, and A Crisis of Apathy and Inaction." An environmental crisis is an emergency concerned with the place in which every human lives - the environment. A people crisis is an emergency with the community that inhabits the world environment. A crisis of population growth is a turning point where the environment can no longer sustain the amounts of people which it contains. A crisis of apathy and inaction is one where the human race cannot be motivated to solve the problems with the environment that they themselves have created. The claim that we have an environmental crisis because we have a people crisis is valid because our environmental problems have largely resulted from population growth, which has lead to apathy and inaction with regard to the wasteful consumption of resources. Examples are the desertification of the Sahel in Africa, the one child policy in China and the mis-management of our oceans. The Sahel is a strip of land that extends for more than 6000 kilometres across the southern edge of the Sahara desert. It stretches from Senegal and Mauritania in the west to Ethiopia and Somalia in the east. These nations are among the world's poorest. The area is one of social and biophysical crisis because of the way the population are forced to live; they are destroying the productivity of the land. The alarming rate of population growth and ever increasing pressure on the land have initiated an expansion of desert-like conditions into the Sahel - a process called desertification. Traditionally, the people of the drier, northern Sahel followed a nomadic lifestyle, constantly moving their herds of cattle, sheep and goats over large areas in the search for suitable grazing land. These movements prevented overgrazing and lessened the likelihood of land degradation. With increasing human numbers, the increased intensity of land use, and the harvesting of trees and scrub for fuel wood threaten to overwhelm the region's fragile environment and result in permanent ecological damage and declining standard of living. During the 20th century 3.9 billion people have been added to the world's population. This is an increase of 244%. Rapid growth occurred because of the improvement of living conditions, reduced child mortality rates and increased life expectancy. The population of undeveloped nations will continue to grow in the foreseeable future because at present 45% of the population is under 15 years of age. In the North the population growth is slowing down because children are considered an expense. In Italy, Germany and Austria, the growth rate is

Business Research Methods Essay

Organizational Dilemma Starbucks grew as it attracted many people, leading to tripling its stores worldwide. It became part of every neighborhood, appearing on every street, in airports, supermarkets, and roadside rest stops all over America. This is when complaints began to surface that Starbucks is transforming into a fast-food restaurant and not a coffee house. The coffee industry was no longer dominated by Starbucks, for competitors began to put pressure on the business. In addition, the biggest dilemma to hit Starbucks was the 2008 economic crisis. This took a toll on the consumer who saw Starbucks as a luxury and searched for more affordable alternatives. As a result, Starbucks’ management was faced with the need to generate the right management question that would be the thread to making the best decision through its research design. An organizational dilemma can spark a research question. Once an organization determines a situation exists, research methods start to devise and eventually sample designs are implemented. When people think of Starbucks, do they think of great customer service, quality products, clean store, or great coffee? The organizational dilemma is: how should Starbucks go about keeping loyal customers while overcoming the old perceptions and changing with the times. According to Howard Schultz, â€Å"We are not in the coffee business serving people; we are in the people business serving coffee† (Starbucks Board of Directors, 2008). Research Design Marius Pretorius (2008) research infers Starbuck’s organizational dilemma, whether strategic or operational is not diminished when using Michael Porter’s (1985) generic strategies for competitive advantage. Declining sales require a turnaround solution that address strategic causes and cost relationship pressures that govern demand determinants. Which are â€Å"highly susceptible to external influences that are not clearly visible to the decision-makers† (Pretorius, 2008, pg. 21). Designing a two-stage exploratory study to identify the basis of distress and the key determinants is essential to a turnaround strategic plan. An exploratory study provides sufficient flexibility to address research costs, timelines, and development of clear constructs to address priorities and operational definitions (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). The first stage of the study will look to ascertain the causation of the organizational dilemma and postulate the asymmetrical relationships in declining sales by examining both internal and external independent and dependent variables. This research will categorize findings into four relationship types as stimulus-response, property-disposition, disposition-behavior, or property-behavior. This will refine the second stage of research and explore influencing factors in depth. Characteristics and Operational Definitions The research design will produce casual inferences upon which a complementary strategy will result. â€Å"Although they may be neither permanent nor universal, these inferences allow us to build knowledge of presumed causes over time† (Cooper & Schindler, 2011, pg. 154). Therefore, it is important to identify moderating or interactive variable dependencies. To ensure data validity operational definitions will challenge data to meet specific standards. These definitions may not exhibit the organization’s use but will establish a means to classify clearly an event. The main concern is to establish actionable information in which contributory or contingent effects on the original independent to dependent variable (IV–DV) relationship will provide empirical conclusions. References Cooper, D.R. & Schindler, P.S. (2011). Business research methods (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Porter, M.E., (1985). Competitive advantage: Creating and sustaining superior performance. New York, NY: The Free Press Pretorius, M., (2008). When Porter’s generic strategies are not enough: Complementary strategies for turnaround situations. Journal of Business Strategy 29(6): 19–28. Starbucks Board of Directors. (2008). Retrieved 2 2013, February, from Starbucks.com: www.starbucks.com/aboutus/environment.asp Starbucks, (2011) Our Company: Mission Statement. Retrieved from http://www.starbucks.com