Prostitution Statistics and Rape

For women who are prostitutes, rape is every bit as traumatic as it is for women who are not sex workers. It may even be more painful, as the act reopens old wounds and buried memories of unbearable abuse. In fact, prostitutes demonstrate many of the same characteristics as soldiers returning from the battlefield. In the 1990s, researchers Melissa Farley and Howard Barkan conducted a study on prostitution, violence against women and post-traumatic stress disorder, interviewing 130 San Francisco prostitutes. Their findings indicate assault and rape are all too commonplace: Eighty-two percent of these respondents reported having been physically assaulted since entering prostitution. Of those who had been physically assaulted, 55% had been assaulted by customers. Eighty-eight percent had been physically threatened while in prostitution, and 83% had been physically threatened with a weapon....Sixty-eight percent...reported having been raped since entering prostitution. Forty-eight percent had been raped more than five times. Forty-six percent of those who reported rapes stated that they had been raped by customers. Painful Past As the researchers note, other studies have proven again and again that most women who work as prostitutes have been physically or sexually abused as children. Farley and Barkan’s findings not only confirm this fact but also highlight that for some, abuse begins so early that the child is not able to comprehend what is happening to her: Fifty-seven percent reported a history of childhood sexual abuse, by an average of 3 perpetrators. Forty-nine percent of those who responded reported that as children, they had been hit or beaten by a caregiver until they had bruises or were injured in some way...Many seemed profoundly uncertain as to just what abuse is. When asked why she answered no to the question regarding childhood sexual abuse, one woman whose history was known to one of the interviewers said: Because there was no force, and, besides, I didnt even know what it was then - I didnt know it was sex. Unfair Game Writing in the Criminal Practice Law Report, Dr. Phyllis Chesler, Emerita Professor of Psychology and Womens Studies at City University of New York, describes the violence that permeates the life of a prostitute and why it’s rare for her to report a rape: Prostituted women have long been considered fair game for sexual harassment, rape, gang-rape, kinky sex, robbery, and beatings....A 1991 study by the Council for Prostitution Alternatives, in Portland, Oregon, documented that 78 percent of 55 prostituted women reported being raped an average of 16 times annually by their pimps and 33 times a year by johns. Twelve rape complaints were made in the criminal justice system and neither pimps nor johns were ever convicted. These prostitutes also reported being horribly beaten by their pimps an average of 58 times a year. The frequency of beatings...by johns ranged from I to 400 times a year. Legal action was pursued in 13 cases, resulting in 2 convictions for aggravated assault. The 1990 Florida Supreme Court Gender Bias Report states that prostitution is not a victimless crime... Prostitute rape is rarely reported, investigated, prosecuted or taken seriously. Serial Killer...or Self Defense? Chesler cites these statistics as she reviews the 1992 trial of Aileen Wuornos, a woman who the media dubbed the first female serial killer. A prostitute accused of killing five men in Florida, Wuornos crimes - as Chesler argues - were mitigated by her past history and the situation surrounding her first murder, committed in self-defense. Wuornos, a seriously abused child and a serially raped and beaten teenage and adult prostitute, has been under attack all her life, probably more than any soldier in any real war. In my opinion, Wuornoss testimony in the first trial was both moving and credible as she described being verbally threatened, tied up, and then brutally raped...by Richard Mallory. According to Wuornos, she agreed to have sex for money with Mallory on the night of November 30, 1989. Mallory, who was intoxicated and stoned, suddenly turned vicious. What Lies Beneath Chesler states that the jury was denied an important tool in understanding the mindset of Aileen Wuornos - the testimony of expert witnesses. Among those who had agreed to testify on her behalf was a psychologist, a psychiatrist, experts in prostitution and violence against prostitutes, experts in child abuse, battery, and rape trauma syndrome. Chesler indicates their testimony was necessary ...to educate the jury about the routine and horrendous sexual, physical, and psychological violence against prostituted women...the long-term consequences of extreme trauma, and a womans right to self-defense. Given how often prostituted women are raped, gang raped, beaten, robbed, tortured, and killed, Wuornoss claim that she killed Richard Mallory in self-defense is at least plausible. History of Violence As is often the case with rape and assault, the perpetrator never commits the crime just once. Wuornoss rapist had a history of sexual violence against women; Richard Mallory had been incarcerated in Maryland for many years as a sex offender. Yet, as Chesler explains: ...the jury never got to hear any evidence about Mallorys history of violence toward prostitutes, or about violence toward prostitutes in general, which might have helped them evaluate Wuornoss much-derided claim of self-defense. Final Sentence As Chesler notes, the jury of five men and seven women deliberating Wuornos fate took only 91 minutes to find her guilty and 108 minutes to recommend she be given the death penalty for the murder of ex-convict Richard Mallory. Aileen Carol Wuornos was executed by lethal injection on October 9, 2002. Sources Chesler, Phyllis. Sexual Violence Against Women and a Womans Right to Self-Defense: The Case of Aileen Carol Wuornos. Criminal Practice Law Report, vol. 1 No.9, Oct 1993.Farley, Melissa, Ph.D. and Barkan, Howard, DrPH Prostitution, Violence Against Women, and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Women Health, vol. 27, no. 3, pp. 37-49. The Haworth Press, Inc. 1998.

I Am Grateful For A Postsecondary Education Essay

In 2014, there were over 17.3 million students enrolled in American undergraduate programs, a 31% increase from fourteen years ago in 2000 (National Center for Education Statistics). In this day and age, most Americans need a degree to ascertain career opportunities in the future; there are options for virtually all backgrounds to receive a postsecondary education. Due to the variety of education options in the United States, there are numerous opportunities for one to reach their â€Å"Utopia† when coming to school. In an idea world, there must be a school for every student to have their individual needs met and provide the perfect college experience. Through synthesizing famous texts such as Hamlet, The Aeneid, Utopia, and The Prince, I will describe the â€Å"Utopian† college setting that will successfully prepare a student like myself for the transition into adulthood. While college is both intellectually stimulating and challenging, there should be no challenge to be prepared for the â€Å"real world.† While I am grateful for my opportunity to attend college, postsecondary education is far too often seen as a necessary step towards adulthood, but is at the cost of a luxury item. Unlike Hamlet, I will not be graduating from college without any debt. Therefore, my â€Å"Utopian† college experience will be at no or little cost to ensure a fair chance of financial stability after graduation. Everyone should have the chance to attend college if they desire to pursue their education withoutShow MoreRelatedMasters- Prepared Nurse Interview Essay1526 Words   |  7 Pagesassume a higher role in the field of nursing practice, education or administration. This achievement offers the individual with many opportunities for growth and opens the door to different career possibilities. 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Walt Disney Strategy Case free essay sample

What is Walt Disney Company’s corporate generic strategy? Explain the reason for your answer. Broad Differentiation because its products are in media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products, and interactive media. Thus, it attracts a wide base of consumers through differentiating its products by superior dedication to creating high quality content, technological innovations in entertainment and international expansion. 2. What is your assessment of the long-term attractiveness of the industries represented in Walt Disney Company’s business portfolio? See p. 234 in test. Attractive (from most to least) : Studio Entertainment, Consumer Products, Parks/Resorts, Media Networks Profitability, Growth, Competition are most important to diversified strategies. It is also a healthy sign that most of Disney’s profits come from attractive industries. Disney should reexamine the potential of Interactive Media line. 3. What is your assessment of the competitive strength of Walt Disney Company’s different business units? See p. 237 in text. We will write a custom essay sample on Walt Disney Strategy Case or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Consistent with the industry attractiveness, the weakest business unit is interactive media. The rest are in strong, competitive positions. 4. What does a 9-cell industry attractiveness/business strength matrix displaying Walt Disney Company’s business units look like? See p. 239 in text. Below is the nine-cell industry attractiveness-competitive strength matrix. The x-axis is labeled as competitive strength/market position and the y-axis represents industry attractiveness. The way I determined the relative size and position of each of Disney’s five main business lines mentioned in the case was by first completing a weighted competitive strength score for each of the business lines. Additionally, figures provided in the case showed the revenues of each business line, which directly contributed to how big each circle was. It is evident from the matrix below that the parks/resorts business line generates the most revenue, followed closely by media networks. Interactive media and studio entertainment are currently generating the least revenue. This is due to the high cost to produce films for studio entertainment and the fact that interactive media is a relatively new business channel for Disney. However, out of all business lines, these two have the most potential in their industry and are therefore very attractive. Interactive media is a hot trend that Disney will be able to capitalize on due to its acquisition of Playdom. While films are very expensive to produce and distribute, the profit potential from Marvel and Pixar make the industry very attractive overall. 5. Does Disney’s portfolio exhibit good strategic fit? What value chain match-ups do you see? What opportunities for skills transfer, cost sharing, or brand sharing do you see? Please be specific and explain why. Brand sharing is extremely relevant across all brands except for Media Networks (because it covers ESPN and other adult audience channels). 6. What is your assessment of Walt Disney Company’s financial and operating performance in fiscal years 2010-2011? What is your assessment of the relative contribution of the Disney SBUs to the financial strength of Disney, based on the 2011 fiscal year financial data? Numbers please! Your recommended actions must be supported with a convincing, analysis- based argument. Reevaluate the competencies of Interactive Media engineering team. This SBU has consistently been performing at a loss because the products produced are simply not competitive enough in the marketplace. The other low performing SBU is Studio Entertainment—alongside a strategic release of 2 movies a year, consider the channels in which they are being offered as more people are opting to stream on Netflix instead of DVDs or cable TV. Moreover, focus on stronger marketing campaigns to raise views 8. How has Disney done since 2011? Refer to Disney website. Continued leveraging content of Marvel (ex: Star Wars VII and Avengers) New video game platform, Disney Interactive (mobile games too) WatchESPN (24/7) Focus on technology for operational efficiency at parks (MyMagic+) China and Russia have now joined Japan and the UK as the biggest international markets for movies Management: Appoint Jack Dorsey (Twitter chairman and Square CEO) as independent Director

Costco Wholesale Corporation Mission, Business Model, and Strategy Essay Example

Costco Wholesale Corporation: Mission, Business Model, and Strategy Essay Wholesale Corporation: Mission, Business Model, and Strategy Renee Francia Strategic Human Resources BME 0939883 May 2013 Term Company Background Costco Wholesale Corporation (Costco) is a retail membership warehouse chain which was founded by Jim Sinegal and Jeff Brotman in 1983. Headquartered out of Issaquah, Washington, Costco has grown in to one of the largest wholesale giants in the industry. The company’s business model was to generate high sales volumes and rapid inventory turnover by offering members low prices on a limited selection of nationally branded and selected private-label products in a wide range of merchandise categories (Gamble Thompson Jr. , 2009, p. 217). This concept was created using the Price Club model, a member warehouse retailer that has stores primarily on the west coast and was a pioneer of the membership warehouse concept, as Sinegal was a former manager there. The first Costco store opened in Seattle the same year that Wal-Mart launched its warehouse membership format, Sam’s Club (Gamble Thompson Jr. 2009, p. 216). The mission Costco had in mind was, â€Å"To continually provide our members with quality foods and services at the lowest possible prices† (Gamble Thompson Jr. , 2009, p. 217). This business model proved to be effective and Costco was able to open new stores with funding from public shareholders. After this ex pansion, Costco became the first U. S. company to reach $1 billion in sales in less than six years (Gamble Thompson Jr. , 2009, p. 217). In 1993 Costco merged with Price Club and was renamed PriceCostco. In 1997 PriceCostco changed its name to Costco Companies Inc. nd then again to Costco Wholesale Corporation after their relocation to Washington. Strategy Costco was planned using a strategic vision of providing affordable high-quality products with a quick turnover rate while participating in responsible and sincere business practices. The cornerstones of Costco’s strategy were low prices, limited selection, and a treasure-hunt shopping experience (Gamble Thompson Jr. , 2009, p. 217). Costco remains competitive by offering low prices to their members and by provide good pay and an excellent work environment to their employees. We will write a custom essay sample on Costco Wholesale Corporation: Mission, Business Model, and Strategy specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Costco Wholesale Corporation: Mission, Business Model, and Strategy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Costco Wholesale Corporation: Mission, Business Model, and Strategy specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Costco is able to offer lower prices and better values by eliminating all the frills and costs historically associated with the conventional wholesalers and retailers, including salespeople, fancy buildings, delivery, billing, and accounts receivable. Sinegal was quoted saying that, â€Å"We [Costco] run a tight operation with extremely low overhead which enables us to pass on dramatic savings to our members (Gamble Thompson Jr. , 2009, p. 221). Costco’s pricing strategy has allowed them to develop a cost-based advantage over their competitors. Using a low-cost provider strategy, Costco was able to achieve lower overall costs than their rivals and appeal to a broad spectrum of customers (Gamble Thompson Jr. , 2009, p. 36). This strategy in line with limited selection enabled Costco to operate profitably at significantly lower gross margins than traditional wholesalers, mass merchandisers, supermarkets, and supercenters. Part of Costco’s strategy was to provide only a limited selection to their members; about 4,000 items. Although the number of items where limited, the store carried a broad range of products from steaks to caskets to fine jewelry. Costco is known for selling in bulk or large quantities. By doing this Costco is able to lower their business costs and keep lower sales prices on their products. Costco’s merchandise buyers remained on the lookout to make one-time purchases of items that would appeal to the company’s clientele and that would sell out quickly. (Gamble Thompson Jr. , 2009, p. 220) With the ever changing inventory, Costco customers are encouraged to make purchases that day, because the next time they visit, the item may not be in stock. This strategy helps increase sales as well as continues to bring customers back in to the store. Analysis Costco’s strategy has proven to be successful allowing them to rise above their competitors in terms of stores, sales volumes, and members. Costco has had steady growth in sales and earnings going as far back as 1995 as shown in Costco’s financial reports published on their corporate website. Also, Costco’s stock had substantial growth between 1995 and 200 and has shown steady growth trends since them (Yahoo Finance, 2013). Their member renewal rate was approximately 89. 7% in the U. S. and Canada, and approximately 86. 4% on a worldwide basis in 2012, consistent with recent years (Costco, 2012, p. 11). Costco’s strong financial performance, stock price trends, and customer retention are all indicators that their strategy is in line with their visions and objectives. Many of Costco’s strengths are held with their low prices, limited selection, and their employees. Costco prefers to hire from within and focused on career longevity and development for their employees. It was company policy to fill at least 86 percent of its higher-level openings buy promotions from within; in actuality, the percentage ran close to 98 percent, which meant that the majority of Costco’s management team members were home grown (Gamble Thompson Jr. 2009, p. 226). Even with their many strengths, Costco still had some weaknesses. Their warehouses appeared to be very industrial, with concrete floors and merchandise displayed on wooden pallets. Costco also relied heavily on word-of-mouth advertisement, which saved the company money in terms of marketing, but could also be hurting their ne w member attainment. The long lines that tend to form during peak shopping periods are also a deterrent for new member or renewals. Some members may not see the benefit to saving in bulk if they have to wait in extremely long checkout lines. Costco has a specific member demographic in mind and normally attract more affluent customers. The average member had an income of nearly $75,000 a year. This provides Costco with the opportunity to have more revenue by catering to those with a higher disposable income. In similar terms, they are missing out on an entire customer base, in the lower income earning families, because they are often not able to pay the membership fees or afford to pay â€Å"bulk† prices in order to save money. Costco’s biggest threat has proven to be their competitors. In their 2012 Annual Report Costco states that, â€Å"our inability to respond effectively to competitive pressures, changes in the retail markets and member expectations could result in lost market share and negatively affect our financial results. Some competitors may have greater financial resources, better access to merchandise and greater market penetration than we do (p. 14). Conclusion According to Costco’s 2012 Annual Report, net sales totaled almost $97 billion over 600 stores worldwide, for the year (p. 25). Their membership fees increased more than 11% and Costco has about 26. 7 million households and 6. 4 million businesses that have paid memberships with the company (Costco, 2012, p. 11). Costco’s strategic business and management plans have allowed them become one of the largest wholesale giants in the industry and it is these strategies that set them apart from their competitors. Costco’s markups and prices were so low that Wall Street analysts had criticized Costco management for going all out to please customers at the expense of increasing profits for shareholders (Gamble Thompson Jr. , 2009, p. 219). Sinegal was confident that his business strategy would help build a lasting, profitable organization. He was focused on the future of the business rather than just the right now; which turned out to be an extremely profitable business strategy. References Costco Wholesale. 2012) Annual Report 2012. Costco Wholesale Corporation. Gamble, J. E. Thompson Jr. , A. A. (2009). Essentials of Strategic Management: A Quest for the Competitive Advantage. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Investor Relations. (2013). Costco Wholesale Corporation. Retrieved from http://phx. corporate-ir. net/phoenix. zhtml? c=83830p=irol-reportsannual Yahoo Finance. (2013). Costco Wholesale Corporation – NasdaqGS. Retrieved from http://finance. yahoo. com/q/bc? s=COSTt=myl=onz=lq=lc=