Deviant Behavior in the Light of Conflict Theory

Conflict theory is based on the idea that the main causes of crime and deviance are the economic and social differences among members of a society, prompting the have-nots to act out, if not to rob the haves. According to this theory, criminal law and the entire criminal justice system tend to be favorable toward the wealthy and the powerful elites, while the governmental policies are aimed at controlling only the needy and poor members of society.Moreover, the theory assumes that the entire criminal justice structure is aimed at compelling all members of society to accept the standards of good behavior and morality that are created by the rich and the powerful. There is a focus on separation between the haves and the have-nots, so as to protect the haves from physical attacks by the have-nots, and also to protect them from being robbed. In the process, however, the rights of the poor and needy people could be ignored. The middle class, on the other hand, enjoys the legal rights of t he elites by siding with them.These people believe that they might be able to rise in rank by backing up the status quo (â€Å"Conflict,† 2005). The simplistic conflict theory has been explained further thus: †¦[S]treet crimes, even minor monetary ones are routinely punished quite severely, while large scale financial and business crimes are treated much more leniently. Theft of a television might receive a longer sentence than stealing millions through illegal business practices. William Chambliss, in a classic essay â€Å"The Saints and the Roughnecks,† compared the outcomes for two groups of adolescent misbehavers. The first, a lower class group ofboys, was hounded by the local police and labeled by teachers as delinquents and future criminals, while the upper-middle class boys were equally deviant, but their actions were Deviant Behavior in the Light of Conflict Theory 2 written off as youthful indiscretions and learning experiences (â€Å"Conflict†). A lthough there is truth to the conflict theory, it is only partial. Of a certainty, there are countless people counted among the rich and the powerful who have engaged in deviant behaviors. What is more, they have not found the law to be lax toward them. As an example, both of President George W.Bush’s daughters have been in trouble with the law (Montgomery, 2001). The daughter of the President’s brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush, has also been arrested for deviant behavior (â€Å"Jeb,† 2002). The conflict theory does not apply in their cases. Nor does it apply in the case of Enron and Worldcom – rich businesses that should have been untouched by the laws of the land if the conflict theory were entirely true. Although there may be instances where the conflict theory correctly explains deviant behavior, it is obvious that this theory cannot be applied to all places in the world at all times.There are many nations in the world where corruption is the law of the land, and unfairness is the norm. In the developing regions of the world, in particular, the have-nots may rob the haves or simply act out because they are disturbed by the unfairness that is mete out to them. However, it is not correct to understand deviant behavior only in the light of the conflict theory. If we are to believe that it is conflict theory alone that explains deviant behavior in human beings, we would not have examples of the Bush daughters and Enron to consider. There are many theories to explain deviant behavior.The cultural transmission or the differential associations theory, for example, may compete with the conflict theory in explaining deviance. According to the cultural transmission theory, all kinds of behaviors, including deviant behavior, are learned. Furthermore, the young and therefore more impressionable Deviant Behavior in the Light of Conflict Theory 3 learners of deviance may have developed close relationships with their deviant teachers. With i ncreasing contacts with deviant teachers, the young learners of deviance engage in increasingly deviant behaviors (â€Å"Sociological Theories†).The cultural transmission theory does not rule out the possibility that the children of the rich and the powerful may engage in deviant behaviors because they may have had deviant teachers. The conflict theory rules out this possibility entirely with its assumption that the societal norms are established by the rich and the powerful, so therefore they cannot possibly go against their own rules. As explained previously, this assumption of the conflict theory is not true, seeing that the rich and the powerful are also known to go against the societal norms, which they should have established for themselves and by themselves.The conflict theory is also not true one hundred percent in places where laws are created on the basis of unfairness and corruption. Even in such places, it is known that there are always people that try to work har d and honestly, despite the unfairness that is dealt out to them. In short, all people in ‘deviant’ places may not engage in deviant behaviors, even if the rich and the powerful have corrupted the government with bribes, etc. Yet another theory that conflicts with the conflict theory is the social control theory that explains why people may not engage in deviant behaviors.According to this theory, individuals may follow the societal norms because of their connecting social bonds (â€Å"Sociological Theories†). In other words, they may refuse to engage in deviant behaviors for the following reasons: (1) attachment — a measure of the connectedness between individuals; Deviant Behavior in the Light of Conflict Theory 4 (2) commitment — a measure of the stake a person has in the community; (3) involvement — a measure of the time/energy a person is spending on activities that are helpful to the community;(4) belief — a measure of the person 's support for the morals and beliefs of the community (â€Å"Sociological Theories†). If all poor and needy folks in an unfair society were to follow the societal norms because of their social contacts, the conflict theory would once again be rendered meaningless. It may be that some underprivileged folks with weak social bonds would engage in deviant behaviors in a corrupt society. In that case, however, the conflict theory would only apply to that small group of people. In actuality, such a group may be existent.Theoretically, however, it is possible for that group never to exist. Thus, the conflict theory may actually apply only in the cases of disgruntled, underprivileged folks who truly believe in righting the wrongs with wrongs. It would not apply in a corrupt society where underprivileged folks would like to work hard and honestly. And, neither would it apply in societies where the rich and the powerful are not exempt from the law. Therefore, the conflict theory is a naive theory, which, like most theories, does not explain reality in its entirety. References Conflict. (2005, Nov. 22). Florida State University. Retrieved Sep. 20, 2007, from http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/conflict.htm. Jeb Bush’s Daughter Charged with Prescription Fraud. (2002, Jan. 29). CNN. Retrieved Sep. 20, 2007, from http://archives.cnn.com/2002/US/01/29/jeb.bush.daughter.drugs/. Montgomery, A. (2001, Jun. 4). Jenna Bush may face jail on booze charge. Chicago Sun-Times. Sociological Theories to Explain Deviance. Retrieved Sep. 20, 2007, from http://www.valdosta.edu/~klowney/devtheories.htm.

Free Essays on The Legislative Commission Of 1767

The document was written by Sergei Solov’ev to describe the events taking place at the Legislative Commission held by Catherine during 1767. The purpose of the commission was to clarify the laws of the Russian state since laws had been put into effect previously, without the knowledge of many Russian citizens. In order to guide the Legislative Commission Catherine wrote a set of â€Å"Instructions† in July of 1767.[1] The Commission Catherine set up consisted of 580 deputies, including members of the nobility, townspeople, free peasants, and other social groups.[2] Catherine’s original intent was to take a step towards liberalism in forming the commission. Although Catherine’s â€Å"Instructions† was a very liberal document, in fact it was not liberal at all. In Catherine’s instructions she specifies that the â€Å"ruler of Russia is absolute†, then proceeding to say that any other power would not be able to operate with such effectiveness. By Catherine claiming absolute power in her Instructions, she was attempting to convey her political legitimacy to the Russian people. By telling them that there is no other form of government that would be able to do a better job than â€Å"the ruler of Russia† she is letting them know that she is their best option and giving them no hope of legislative reform. Catherine originally called the commission in order to gain the support of the Russian people. She offered to let each class share their different ideas with her, and promised she would take them into consideration when forming new legislation in the future. The commission brought many concerns of the Russian citizens to the table. Between July of 1767 and October of 1768 the commission met formally to debate their concerns, until Catherine postponed the commission in order to go to war with Turkey.[3] Many subcommittees continued their work into the 1770’s when they finally gave up due to lack of new legislation. In the end th... Free Essays on The Legislative Commission Of 1767 Free Essays on The Legislative Commission Of 1767 The document was written by Sergei Solov’ev to describe the events taking place at the Legislative Commission held by Catherine during 1767. The purpose of the commission was to clarify the laws of the Russian state since laws had been put into effect previously, without the knowledge of many Russian citizens. In order to guide the Legislative Commission Catherine wrote a set of â€Å"Instructions† in July of 1767.[1] The Commission Catherine set up consisted of 580 deputies, including members of the nobility, townspeople, free peasants, and other social groups.[2] Catherine’s original intent was to take a step towards liberalism in forming the commission. Although Catherine’s â€Å"Instructions† was a very liberal document, in fact it was not liberal at all. In Catherine’s instructions she specifies that the â€Å"ruler of Russia is absolute†, then proceeding to say that any other power would not be able to operate with such effectiveness. By Catherine claiming absolute power in her Instructions, she was attempting to convey her political legitimacy to the Russian people. By telling them that there is no other form of government that would be able to do a better job than â€Å"the ruler of Russia† she is letting them know that she is their best option and giving them no hope of legislative reform. Catherine originally called the commission in order to gain the support of the Russian people. She offered to let each class share their different ideas with her, and promised she would take them into consideration when forming new legislation in the future. The commission brought many concerns of the Russian citizens to the table. Between July of 1767 and October of 1768 the commission met formally to debate their concerns, until Catherine postponed the commission in order to go to war with Turkey.[3] Many subcommittees continued their work into the 1770’s when they finally gave up due to lack of new legislation. In the end th...

italian tourism essays

italian tourism essays YOU would not know it from the English-language signs promising to serve passengers ``quckly'', but Naples' Capodichino airport is British-owned. In August, 70% of it was bought by BAA, a company that also runs, among other things, London's main airport, Heathrow. For the Italian south this is a symbol of hope. Finding an international firm of this calibre willing to invest there has greatly boosted its confidence. BAA, for its part, was attracted by the south's tourist potential, but spent three years thinking hard about the $44m deal. What clinched it in the end was the enthusiasm of Antonio Bassolino, the mayor of Naples since 1993. He won round BAA bosses with his clear commitment to privatisation, and fought off opposition at home to foreign ownership, branded as ``colonisation by A former communist fundamentalist, Mr Bassolino is an unlikely champion of privatisation. But the BAA deal is no one-off. Mr Bassolino boasts about selling the municipal dairy-``What was a city council doing selling milk?''-and about pioneering, with Merrill Lynch, Italy's first international municipal bond issue, which sold well in America. The cash was used to renovate the city's public transport system. He is promoting public-private partnerships; and he has just persuaded the Chinese commercial fleet to use Naples as its main container port for serving Europe. The city's inefficient bureaucracy has been shaken up, with the mayor leading by example. His distinctly un-Neapolitan punctuality and long working hours have earned him the nickname ``the German''. Using money for hosting the G7 summit in 1994 as a catalyst, the city has cleaned and restored many of its vast number of tourist attractions. It has also extended its opening hours and cleared the main piazzas of parked cars (though not, alas, of moving mopeds). Mr Bassolino talks with passion of re-born civic pride, of the need for Naples to solve its own problem...

Evolution of poultry processing in America Essay

Evolution of poultry processing in America - Essay Example At the end of 19th century poultry in USA were raised primarily for their eggs. In the early 1920s farmers, mainly women, began to sell eggs and meat on a market. By 1925 many farmer had already sold out poultry by rail. So, for 30 years home production of poultry had been turned into industry. In the 1930s, in some agricultural regions feed salesman sold to the farmers baby chicks in order they feed them on credit. When the chicks were grown, they buy chickens back at a price that would cover his costs and guarantee farmers a profit (Stull, Broadway, 1995). In some years these businessmen were able to open their own poultry processing plant and hatchery. So, during this period the poultry production was divided into several different sectors which include local growers, hatcheries, feed mills and processing plants all operating independently of one another. "The farmer switched from plant to plant based on the timing of each plant's needs. The biggest problem with this type of arrangement was a lack of protocol" (Stull, Broadway, 1995). During this time, there was no standard plan in order to give detailed instructions for farmers and processing plants to raise birds or hatcheries to process chicks or mills to formulate ingredients for feed (Moreng, Avens, 1985). At this period manual ... In addition the poultry processing work was dangerous, repetitive, and unhealthy. At the end of 1930s, when the Second World War began (1939), there was a significant growth in the poultry industry, and poultry consumption. The main buyer was the War Food Administration which reserved the processed chicken from many US states. This was an advantage for poultry plans as they can estimate the quantity of products having a guaranteed buyer. During the war period there was a shift from "New York dressed" (with head, feet, and entrails intact) to fully processed chickens (without head, feet, and entrails), and later to frozen birds, which became the industry standard (Moreng, Avens, 1985). In the middle of the XX century poultry industry grew remarkably. According to statistical data the number of farms involved in poultry production rose from 230 to 3,499 between 1939 and 1950. Many poultry processing plans integrate innovations and completed the vertical integration of their plants. These changes were caused by scientific discoveries and improving technology, which resulted in high productivity of plants. On the other hand, because of advances in technology and the need for constant refinancing to modernize chicken houses, the number of frames went bankrupt. For instance, "In Hall County only one-sixth of the number of contract growers in 1950 produced six times as many chickens in 1997" (Ensminger, 1992). The cooperative was developed to integrate the functional areas under one plant attempting to reduce costs with economies of scale and create standards that control quality from the hatching egg through the processing plant. To further cement the functional areas, the company was consolidated under our current management

Impact of Fatigue Associated with Long Hours as it Relates to Patient Article

Impact of Fatigue Associated with Long Hours as it Relates to Patient Safety - Article Example Thus, while fatigue derives from a number of causes, there is one aspect of fatigue that is highly dangerous to the performance of nurses. The fatigue derived from extended working shifts for nurses, coupled with deprivation of enough sleep results to a state of body where the nurses can neither function effectively physically nor apply the cognitive function of the mind efficiently. Studies have indicated that within the last century, the average sleep duration for working days has changed, from 9 hours in 1910, to 6 hours in 2002 (Rogers, 2008). Thus, while the actual sleeping duration for healthy adults has not yet been determined, the effects of extended period of work, coupled with lack of adequate sleep has been extensively documented. The well defined adverse effects of sleep deprivation that is coupled with extended long period of work include reduced motivation and mood alterations, physiological problems and cognitive problems, which then translates to poor job performance and high safety risks (Shen, Barbera & Shapiro, 2006). Other adverse effects of extended working shifts and deprivation of sleep are irritability, stress and depression, which in turn affect the interpersonal communication and interaction between the individuals involved and other parties. In this respect therefore, fatigue that arises either from extended shifts for the nurses, resulting to their overworking, or the fatigue that results from deprivation of adequate sleep, has the potential of affecting the nurses in two major ways. First, such fatigue is likely to result to irritation and mood changes, which means that the nurses will address and interact with patients in a less productive manner, or even in a more negative manner, resulting to the patients being dissatisfied with the nurses’ services (Rogers, 2008). Secondly, fatigue is likely to cause the

Financial regulation, law and compliance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Financial regulation, law and compliance - Essay Example The paper will also discuss why trust is considered inevitable in the financial services industry. Finally, different methods that have been put in place/are proposed to restore trust will be evaluated. A healthy financial system is an integral part of a healthy economy as it helps the business sector to invest and grow; to deal with daily transactions and manage risks; and to underpin activities in every segment of the society. According to the Confederation of British Industry, the UK’s premier business lobbying organisation, the UK financial services industry plays a significant role in enhancing the country’s business growth and overall economic development (PWC, 2012). The products and services offered by this industry represent a crucial part of the UK economy and constitute one of the country’s few world-class sectors. A well performing financial services sector is very important in the modern economy to develop a competitive and resilient financial system which is free from taxpayer support and is co-ordinated globally (Ibid). The UK financial services industry employed nearly 1.2 million people in the 3rd quarter of 2012, representing approximately 4 p ercent of the UK workforce. In the financial year ending 31st March 2012, the industry paid and estimated  £63bn in taxes, accounting for around 11.6% of the total government tax receipts in UK (Ibid). Despite the crucial role that the UK financial services industry plays in the growth of the country’ economy, consumer trust and confidence in the UK financial services industry is very low currently (BBC News, 2014). According to an annual survey conducted by the public relations firm Edelman, â€Å"less than half of the public trust banks do what is right, making financial services the world’s least-trusted industry for the second year in a row† (The financial brand, 2014). Since the global financial crisis 2008-09, the consumers’ trust and confidence in the banks’ ability to do

Satyam Computer Services Essay Example for Free

Satyam Computer Services Essay In early 2009 the chairman of Satyam Computer Services admitted publicly to a fraud taking place in the company. Satyam reported in the financial statements billions of dollars in profits and cash assets that never existed. The public auditor’s responsible for auditing the financial statements of Satyam Computer Services at the time was PW India, an affiliate of Pricewaterhouse Coopers. The Securities and Exchange Commission determined that Satyam was able to commit the financial statement fraud due to the negligence of the audit team. The audit team tasked with auditing the records of Satyam failed to confirm cash balances in bank accounts which were grossly over represented. Later it was determined that the more than one billion dollars Satyam claimed to have was actually no more than sixty-six million. During the audits of Satyam Computer Services, the audit team at PW India never sought confirmations for the cash balances that management asserted which is a clear violation of auditing standards. The SEC, during the investigation, determined that many audit teams in PW India accepted cash confirmations directly from the management of their clients and almost never questioned the reliability of the confirmations received. It was also revealed that sometimes the banks would send statements directly to the auditors even though they weren’t directed to do so. Even though the bank statements showed different balances then those given to the auditors by management, the audit team never questioned the differences in amount. Procedures, for reviewing audits, were put into place to assure that all audits are completed with the highest degree of professional care. The Satyam audit team was warned by a partner from a different Pricewaterhouse Coopers firm that their cash confirmation procedures were deficient, but nothing was done to correct the deficiency. Due to this deficiency the Satyam fraud was not uncovered. As a result Satyam Computer Services was fined 10 million dollars by the SEC for fraud and PW India was fined 7. million dollars by the SEC and PCAOB. The critical issue in this case is that PWC India did not act in accordance with PCAOB or AICPA standards and codes of professional conduct. The critical factors are as follows: * The auditors did not act with due professional care. * The auditors did not appropriately assess the risks of material misstatements. * The audit team did not exercise professional skepticism. * The auditors did not act with integrity or in the best interest of the users of the financial statements. Due professional care, as required by the PCAOB, require the auditors to maintain professional knowledge and skill at the level required to ensure that clients receive competent professional service and to act in accordance with professional standards. This is the most vital part of the audit process to make certain that the audit will be handled with, ultimately, the users of the financial statements best interest in mind. PWC India, in their audit of Satyam, had completely disregarded this fundamental requirement of auditors. By relying on the confirmations given to them by management, the auditors did not provide the users of the financial statements with the skill and professionalism they are trusted with. As a result, they completely missed an obvious fraud taking place at Satyam and if the executive of Satyam hadn’t admitted to the fraud PWC India’s controls would have never caught the overstatement. Another relevant issue here is that the audit team did not appropriately assess the risks of material misstatements which resulted in the fraud. Before an audit, in the planning stage, the audit team should have identified accounts, transactions, and disclosures that could affect the financial statements significantly if they were materially misstated. The auditors at PWC India did not properly identify that the risk that the assertions of management about the cash accounts would result in a high risk of material misstatement. Cash accounts regardless of industry should require a special attention during an audit. The professional judgment of the auditors was lacking in the audit of Satyam’s cash balances. When evaluating the risks of certain accounts the auditors should have asked themselves whether there is a risk of fraud, whether there is subjectivity in measuring the financial information, and whether there is any unusual balances in the accounts. The answer to these questions should have all been yes in this case and there is no reason why they shouldn’t have properly confirmed the cash balances. One of the many requirements of an auditor is to exercise professional skepticism. The auditor must take what’s given to him with a ‘grain of salt’ and also question and confirm the existence, occurrence, and accuracy of account balances. In the audit of Satyam, the auditors acted with no professional skepticism whatsoever. If the auditors are not doing their due diligence, the audit risk will rise due to the increase in detection risk. Management took advantage of the fact that the auditors procedures of detecting material misstatements were lacking. This article’s relevance to the auditing profession is enormous. From here, auditors should learn to not take anything for granted and to always question what is put in front of you, unless it is from a completely objective source. The auditors at PWC India did not follow the basic requirements of an audit engagement which resulted in a major fraud. Even when the banks sent account confirmations directly to the auditors, despite not being requested to do so, the auditors still did not question the discrepancies. The gross negligence in this case should be an example to all auditors; do not take anything for granted. The quality control review also failed in this case. Auditors need to heed the advice of the review team. Here, the audit team ignored the recommendations of the review team to confirm cash balances with the banks. Quality control reviews are very significant to an engagement and auditors should not take recommendations without due consideration.