Whale Printing Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Whale Printing Company - Case Study Example The case is about a printing company that has been offered a job to print 10,000 copies of a marketing brochure within five days. The printing company has been offered a price of $700 for the job and this report analyzes the cost of the job and its benefits to the company and then suggests what decision should be taken by the President of the company, Victory Hussey. In addition to this, the report also analyzes non-accounting factors that could influence the decision of Victory Hussey while accepting or rejecting the job. Victor Hussey is the president of a printing company known as Whale Printing Company and he has been offered a job by the president of Salter Associates, Katherine Salter. The job is to print 10,000 copies of a promotional brochure but the deadline of the project is tight and it has to be completed by Friday noon. Price agreed by the Katherine Salter previously is $700 for the printing work and Hussey has to either accept the job or reject it. The following table explains the cost of this project which includes; direct labor, direct material, overheads as well as the selling and administrative expense for Whale Printing Company. As the total cost of the project is $810 whereas the revenue of the project earned would be $700, therefore by accepting the project, Whale Printing Company would have to incur a loss of $110. Therefore the job offered by the president of Salter Associates, Katherine Salter should not be accepted. Variable costs are the costs that would change with changes in the output of the company and as company produces more or increases the output, variable cost of the company would increase. Whereas, fixed costs do not vary with the changes in output of the company and as output increases, fixed cost of the company remains fixed (Khan, 1993). If the job is not completed on time, then it would hurt the image of the company and customers might not trust the wordings of Mr. Hussey in future. It is important to built long term customers for every company instead of looking for short term profits and as the deadline of the project is tight and if it is accepted and deadline is not met, then it would be a long term loss for Whale Printing Company. Plus the project itself is not acceptable in terms of profitability; therefore there is no reason why Mr. Hussey should accept the job.

Individual Business report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Individual Business report - Essay Example Section Three: Conclusions &  Recommendations  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..9 3.1 Recommendations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.9 3.2 Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 4. Section Four: Bibliography  Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.11 1. Section One: Introductory Context Introduction 1.1. Terms of Reference The aim of this research paper is to determine what motivational theories can be applied to the employee base of Costlie Cosmetics Ltd in order to successfully improve their internal motivation leve ls. The problem at Costlie Cosmetics Ltd originated when some employees were laid off and the rest had to accommodate the extra work load while maintaining the same efficiency levels and without receiving additional compensation for that work load. The Chief Executive operated a centralized, autocratic organization where employee interaction was discouraged and they were afraid to even speak up about their grievances. Without additional compensation, resentment began to grow in the employees and their motivation levels fell. This adversely affected their service and product quality. As has been documented by previous research this had an overall dampening effect on the company and its performance and image in the market due to which it lost some business from some customers and attracted negative reaction and dissatisfaction from other customers. This paper thus looks at how the Human Resource function needs to be managed within an organization and how critical it is to the organiza tion’s final performance. It also looks at several theories of motivation and uses them to explain how the situation at Costlie Cosmetics Ltd can be rectified. This also encompasses a discussion of the current organizational structure and how it was posing a hindrance to the development of the employees and the organization as a whole. Further, it looks at how an organization should be structured to function more efficiently and eliminate many of the problems that Costlie Cosmetics Ltd was facing. Building upon previous secondary research on the topic, this paper looks at the possible ways that motivation levels among the employees of Costlie Cosmetics Ltd can be boosted so the company can get back on track. 1.2. Objectives The objectives of this research paper are to outline a plan of action that can be adopted to improve employee motivation at Costlie Cosmetics Ltd so that the performance of the company can be improved to match past splendor. 1.3. Research Method This paper uses secondary research previously published about motivational theories, organizational structure and Human Resource Management (HRM) to come up with a strategy to be implemented by Costlie Cosmetics Ltd in order to rectify its perilous condition. 1.4. Context The context for this research paper is provided by the pre-existing conditions of the business environment that Costlie Cosmetics Ltd was functioning in. A new competitor had deflated their market share dangerously and as a result they had lain off a lot of employees to

Elli Essay Example for Free

Elli Essay The book â€Å"Elli† is an account of the Jewish race being devastated in the death camps during the Second World War. They suffered inhuman brutality and starvation. It was Elli’s courage and determination which helped her to stay alive. The Jews suffered inhuman brutality. An example of this is Felicia’s story. Felicia is the Blockalteste at Plaszow. She told of how she had to either shoot her family quickly or the German guards would kill all her family very slowly. Her eighteen month old baby boy was ripped in two just as an example of what was going to happen to her family if she did not kill her husband, father and mother. Elli listens in stunned silence to the most horrific event never heard until now. The Jews survived starvation in World War two by consuming raw food from the ground. These delicacies such as potatoes were smuggled into a factory in Dreherei and washed in the toilet. These were only eaten at night when the German guards were not around. One night the Jews in the factory burned a candle for Hanukkah using thread from their blankets as wicks, oil and potato halves carve hollow. It was courage which helped her to stay alive. Elli attacked an SS supervisor which is the gravest form of sabotage but she is still alive. Her mothers arm and leg was paralysed due to a bunk bed collapsing on her. Elli was so happy for saving her mothers arm from being broken, but which it led to two days of separation from each other. The book â€Å"Elli† is an account of her life being devastated in the death camps during World War Two. Her determination to stay alive saved her during innocent slaughter in the day prior to liberation. Her impulses told her to put from around her waist her metal soup bowl on her head as her surroundings were hammered with machine gun fire. She shouted to her mother to put her metal soup bowl on her head because she was looking after her brother Bubi, who had been shot in the head.

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Jesus is William Blake’s â€Å"The Lamb†? William Blake’s poem, â€Å"The Lamb" is broken into two stanzas. Both stanzas have ten lines each. In the first part, each line rhymes with the next. There are a total of five rhyming parts in the first stanza. In the second stanza â€Å"name† and â€Å"Lamb† do not rhyme, but the other lines have the rhyming endings. The first two and the last two lines of each stanza are either the same or close to being the same. This is almost like a chorus to a song. In the first stanza â€Å"The Lamb†, opens with "Little Lamb, who made thee?" A child is most likely the speaker and asks the lamb how it came to be. The speaker wants to know how the lamb chooses where it feeds. Next, the speaker asks where the lamb got its’ wool "clothing" and its’ "tender voice" from. In the next stanza, the speaker tries to answer his own question. The speaker tells us that the lamb was made by someone who is called â€Å"a Lamb". The creator is a lot like a lamb. He is seen as gentle and pure, just like the speaker, a child, and a lamb. The lamb most likely symbolizes Jesus Christ. Every time Blake uses the word â€Å" Lamb† it is in The traditional image of Jesus, in the Catholic church, is seen as a lamb. The Christian values of gentleness, purity, and kindness are not only in Jesus but, also a lamb. In lines 16 and 17 the word â€Å"child† is mentioned. Jesus could also be seen as a child. Jesus left His mother and father in search of knowledge, as all children do when they go to school. He also lived under the watch of God, His father, like all children do. Finally, most people have heard how Jesus was killed on the cross. That showed how Jesus was seen as vulnerable, much like every child.

Patriotism In The Poetry Of The Great War English Literature Essay

Patriotic ideals and attitudes towards the Great War changed dramatically when soldiers began returning place ; the barbarous world sing warfare became evident to civilians. Soldiers excessively began to oppugn their forfeits for their state, since 1000s of deceases were ensuing and there was a sense of lost intent. Furthermore, many work forces suffered from shell daze, whilst those who had died were non seen as baronial, since nil good was achieved or resolved after the war. Prior to soldiers returning place, civilians were incognizant of how barbarous the war truly was, still go oning to utilize old loyal mottos which romanticised warfare. Therefore, war poets who had fought on the forepart saw it as their responsibility to show the harsh worlds, which finally affected their imaginativenesss and poetic technique, go forthing them traumatised and everlastingly unable to bury. Siegfried Sassoon ‘s ‘Glory of Women ‘ articulates how propaganda enforced a ‘glorious ‘ portraiture of enlisting to the war. Sassoon illustrates the misrepresentation adult females faced sing the romantic impressions of war juxtaposed to its rough world. Work force were killed for no intent, since the original cause of the war had been lost, whilst adult females held the naif belief that work forces were nobly prosecuting heroic ideals. Sassoon argued that the intent of war was lost, which is partially why the loyal ideal dispersed ; forfeit was non dignified, since the combat was go oning and nil was altering. Sassoon stated, ‘This war, upon which I entered as a war of defense mechanism and release, has now become a war of aggression and conquering ‘[ 1 ], and he saw the war as being prolonged unnecessarily. ‘Glory of Women ‘ adopts a alone signifier since Sassoon amalgamates both the English and Italian sonnet ; the construction itself is hence dry, since the underlying tone is one of resentment and ill will towards civilians. Sassoon emphasises that the loyal ideal and romanticised impression of war is a prevarication entirely enforced by propaganda. The conventional abab rime strategy, synonymous with a typical English sonnet, runs through the two quatrains, which finally express the adult females ‘s esteem for heroic soldiers and their captivation with war, ‘You love us when we ‘re heroes ‘[ 2 ]and ‘You listen with delectation ‘ ( line 5 ) . However, undertones of acrimonious sarcasm pervade the octave, conveying Sassoon ‘s antipathy towards the misrepresentation enforced upon civilians, ‘You believe/That gallantry redeems the war ‘s shame ‘ ( line 4 ) . The ‘You ‘ is turn toing adult females at place , and its changeless repeat segregates the soldiers from society and represents its nescient deficiency of consciousness towards the world of warfare. Furthermore, the to a great extent dry linguistic communication used throughout the octave, such as ‘Worship ‘ , ‘Love ‘ and ‘Laurelled ‘ ( lines 3,1 & A ; 8 ) is mocked by the on-going unenrgetic beat of the verse form, ‘And mourn our laureled memories when we ‘re killed ‘ ( line 8 ) , which alongside the iambic pentameter, highlights the lip service of nationalism. Therefore, the beat and signifier are constructed intentionally in a tight and conventional construction to reflect the unreal composing of prevarications which the populace were led to believe, sing the war as dignifying and heroic. Sassoon farther attacks the ‘Delight ‘ and ‘Thrill ‘ ( lines 5 & A ; 6 ) which civilians felt when told the ‘Tales of soil and danger ‘ ( line 6 ) ; the initial rhyme makes these ‘tales ‘ seem exciting, proposing a fairy tale, which distances the civilians from the black world of the soldiers despairing state of affairs. Furthermore, ‘You crown our distant ardor ‘ and ‘You worship ornaments ‘ ( lines 7 & A ; 3 ) suggests knighthood and courage, and the octave besides indicates canonized artificiality ; the ‘Decorations ‘ , ‘Shells ‘ , ‘Crown ‘ , ‘Laurel [ led ] ‘ ( lines 3,5,7 & A ; 8 ) are false and mercenary, symbolizing the deceit of war to civilians. The six, conversely, moves from the contrived portraiture of war, to its cruel world, following a Petrarchan cdecde rime strategy, which heightens Sassoon ‘s intensified acrimonious tone. The octave therefore insinuates Sassoon ‘s choler, but the Volta, ‘You ca n't believe that British military personnels ‘retire † ( line 9 ) obviously expresses Sassoon ‘s bitterness for the populace ‘s incredulous attitude towards resigned soldiers and their ‘lack of nationalism ‘ . The old ‘Worship ‘ ( line 3 ) of the mercenary gear is juxtaposed to the blunt world of the work forces who ‘Run ‘ ( line 10 ) with fright which finally ‘Breaks them ‘ ( line 10 ) , bespeaking that these work forces will either be broken through shell daze or decease ; there is no flight from injury. The image stoping the verse form, ‘His face is trodden deeper in the clay ‘ ( line 14 ) farther conveys this thought that traumatic memories will ne'er be forgotten. The soldier will be trodden ‘Deeper ‘ ( line 14 ) as clip base on ballss ; bespeaking how he will everlastingly be imprinted on the land, yet there is besides a affecting tone proposing that he has been left and forgotten about, which dispels all semblances sing war as a baronial chase. Sassoon intentionally replaces the conventional rhyming pair featured in the English sonnet by grouping three lines together to exemplify his concluding message, ‘O German female parent dreaming by the fire ‘ ( line 12 ) , indenting the ‘O ‘ to pull attending to these concluding ideas. Sassoon is exemplifying how he has torn down the hatred barrier between the two states and treated them as one ; indenting the border separates the German female parent from the English civilians he is mentioning to in the verse form, yet his message conveys that the German female parent would be merely as devastated by her boy ‘s decease as an English female parent would. Similarly, both states are pressurised by untruthful propaganda, and false thoughts of nationalism. Sassoon therefore saw all worlds every bit, which contradicts the impression of war in itself. Wilfred Owen ‘s, ‘Dulce Et Decorum Est ‘ , likewise conveys the morbid worlds of war, juxtaposing civilians ‘ loyal ideals. Owen vividly depicts a soldier deceasing from a gas onslaught, underscoring how forfeit was non glamourous and epic as propaganda conveyed it to be, but alternatively, it was unpointed and barbarous. Nerve gas causes the person to experience a drowning esthesis, and Owen therefore makes changeless mentions to H2O associated with this deceasing adult male, ‘Sea ‘ , ‘Drowning ‘ , ‘Gargling ‘ and ‘Guttering ‘[ 3 ]. These sounds are brooding of the adult male ‘Choking ‘ ( line 16 ) , and as we read the verse form aloud, we can literally hear him deceasing. Furthermore, these verbs are distinguished from the other work forces ‘Flound'ring, ‘Fumbling ‘ , ‘Stumbling ‘ ( lines 12,9 & A ; 11 ) which are all actions performed on land. The deceasing adult male in the ‘Green sea ‘ ( line 14 ) is therefore to the full detached from his fellow soldiers in his death minutes, and the affecting statement from the talker, ‘He plunges at me ‘ ( line 16 ) , farther conveys the deceasing adult male ‘s despairing effort to make out. However, he is stray and entirely ; decease and forfeit are hence non honorable qualities or loyal, but lonely and terrorizing. Owen challenges the conventional poetic signifier, which signifies the dislocation of society ‘s rules and its constituted system. Initially, the verse form looks as though it is written in iambic pentameter, but Owen breaks up the iambic beat with punctuation, ‘But limped on, blood-shod. All went square ; all blind ‘ ( line 6 ) , delegating the verse form with a colloquial tone. However, this confused beat is effectual, since Owen did non desire his verse form to flux swimmingly ; it is intentionally full of ‘Stumbling ‘ and ‘Fatigue ‘ ( lines 11 & A ; 7 ) , symbolizing a realistic tone of devastation and conveyance that nationalism, and the romanticised image of war, no longer existed. The soldiers in the verse form are portrayed pitifully, urgently seeking to persist ; this impression is highlighted through the actions of the work forces who are ‘Bent dual ‘ , ‘Marched asleep ‘ , ‘Trudge ‘ and ‘Limped on ‘ ( lines 1,5,4 & A ; 6 ) , and the slow beat adds to their sulky motion. The gait of the beat so quickly speeds up in the undermentioned stanza, when person shouts, ‘Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An rapture of groping ‘ ( line 9 ) . Two forces are hence working against each other, since the words ‘Fumbling ‘ and ‘Clumsy ‘ ( lines 9 & A ; 10 ) suggest the work forces are still trapped in this slow motion, but the usage of exclaiming Markss and the capitalization of ‘Gas! ‘ implies a sense of urgency and force per unit area. Therefore, the work forces are non portrayed as ‘racing ‘ for their gas masks, foregrounding a feeling of at hand licking and futility , and their apathetic nature towards seting their masks on reveals the atrociousnesss of warfare. The usage of similes in the verse form are highly effectual ; at the beginning of the verse form, the soldiers are compared to old cripples ‘Bent double, like old mendicants under pokes, / Knock-kneed, coughing like beldams ‘ ( lines 1-2 ) . The work forces ironically juxtapose the fine-looking image of a soldier enforced by propaganda. Furthermore, these gap lines are compared to the stoping of the verse form which portrays ‘Innocent linguas ‘ and ‘Children ‘ ( lines 24 & A ; 26 ) , which serve as a reminder that these work forces are non aged and crippled, but vernal, and there is nil glorious about the decease of kids. Owen is angry with the deceit of warfare to boys whose lives have merely merely begun and are necessarily being wasted for nil. A farther simile which Owen uses to convey his choler towards the impression of nationalism is, ‘His hanging face, like a Satan ‘s sick of wickedness ‘ ( line 20 ) . This image suggests that if the Satan is ill of wickedness, which is the chief feature he is associated with, he is efficaciously oppugning his values and manner of life. The ‘hanging face ‘ farther reflects his letdown with his realization that his being has been for no intent. Owen is therefore connoting that likewise, the deceasing soldier is oppugning nationalism and ‘glory ‘ in deceasing, gaining his decease will hold no positive result, and his life has been wasted unnecessarily. Furthermore, Owen could be seen as comparing the prevarications of nationalism and war with wickedness itself. To reason, Sassoon and Owen provided civilians with the true word picture of warfare because the publicity of deceasing for one ‘s state was unfair, since 1000s of work forces were giving their lives for a lost cause. There was a necessity hence to kill the exploited image of nationalism created by propaganda, and expose the ruthless world of giving oneself to warfare.

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Criminal Justice System - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 9 Words: 2758 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Law Essay Type Analytical essay Tags: Criminal Justice Essay Justice Essay Did you like this example? Title How can a Restorative Justice approach work in our current Criminal Justice System? Restorative Justice Introduction Before the Restorative Justice Act was enacted by the Maltese Parliament in 2010 and subsequently coming into force in 2012 with the publication of Legal Notice 43, criminal justice was first and foremost a punishing system as a means of vengeance on behalf of society. Yet, in reality Restorative Justice is not a recent belief that has developed during these last few years. It has been with us for ages and although we do not normally recognize this, it was and still is a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"way of lifeà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ and used by the general public as a substitute to the punitive system with the aim of punishing offenders. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“In some parts of the world, modern government structures have taken away from communities the power to resolve disputes and wrongdoing. Yet, in many places, traditional structures are still workin g effectively. In the tribal arrangements of some areas, for example, major crimes are settled by community elders and family problems are effectively resolved by family elders, male and female.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Howard Zehr with Ali Gohar 2003). Nevertheless, even though restorative justice is not a recent innovation it still is rather new, given that, universally, criminal justice was initially a punitive approach in providing justice. As a matter of fact, restorative justice came about as a result to the failure of the punitive approach in reducing recidivism. In the study à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Devils and Angelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ it is stated that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the punitive system failed due to the traditional penal sanctions that included the collapse of the welfare ideal and of the rehabilitative idealà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Fionda, J. 2005). In actual fact, the punitive system was only intended as a deterrent and also as retributive for rejecting the offender from society. In addition , it ignored the rights of the victim from having a say. The role of the victim was only to be called as a witness for the prosecution and then forgotten. Thus the purpose as a witness was just for the Court to establish if the accused is at fault or otherwise. On the other hand, restorative justice is different from the punitive approach. The aim is not only to rehabilitate the offender but more importantly to include the victim as part of the restorative model. Ethics in Victim-Offender Mediation Ethics in mediation process is the crucial aspect to achieve an unbiased solution that would result in a win-win situation for both parties in conflict. The whole mediation process is based on ethics between both the mediator and the parties and the parties themselves. Apart from the parole system, the most important aspect in the Restorative Justice Act of Malta is the victim-offender mediation. There are many critics that have doubts as to whether mediation between an offender and the victim can achieve the desirable result and what type of agreement can be reached. Some of these critical issues include à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Is mediation possible with persons suffering from a personality disorder? Can you mediate with psychopaths? Are there limitations when crime is too severe, and should we protect the victims against secondary victimization? (Delvigne, A. 2005). Restorative Justice in Malta Victim-offender mediation encourages reconciliation and resolution. Yet, not all victims or offenders are eligible to attend victim-offender mediation. First of all, the offender must admit that he had committed the offence in question and must also be willing to enter into mediation. The offender must voluntarily agree to take part in the victim-offender mediation. The victim, just like the offender, must also voluntarily agree to take part and be willing to enter into such mediation. Whether victim-offender mediation takes place or not will be specifically determin ed by the nature of the offence, including the level of harm caused by the aggressor or the violence involved in its commission according to the legal regulations. Not all victims and offenders are eligible to victim-offender mediation and account will be taken of the victimsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ motivations in meeting up with the offender and vice-versa. The personal characteristics of both the offender and the victim will be considered as well as the impact of the offence as seen by both the offender and the victim. The possibility of psychological repercussions on the victim is also taken into account as well as the offenderà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s remorse for his/her actions. What is interesting is that victim-offender mediation takes place without the presence of any legal counsel. There are three instances where mediation should be terminated. It should come to an end when an agreement is reached; when an agreement cannot be reached; or when either of the parties does not wish t o carry on with the mediation. The agreement reached can include compensation for damages, non-pecuniary compensation, community service or even rehabilitation programs and formal apologies. The essential aspect remains that the victim and the offender should reach a consensus following a negotiation process of a reparation agreement. An effective Restorative Justice approach Restorative justice, unlike the punitive system, advocates forgiveness, healing, reintegration, reconciliation and is specifically aimed at offenders and victims. It also offers support to offenders along with a final resolution to victims and also strengthening the relationships in communities. Several countries have reported that during these last years there was an increase in the number of victims of crime who have gave their consent in meeting in-person with the offender who had caused them harm. (OVC, 2000). The main reason for crime victims to meet their offenders is essentially to let them know how the crime has affected their live; to ask the question à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"whyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ they were victimized and other distressing questions which every victim has a right for an answer. Furthermore, these meetings will cause influence so that offenders will be held accountable for the crime they have caused. A study carried out by Dussich and Schellenberg (2010) revealed that organisations in various countries, directly involved in the criminal justice system including the police, law courts, and probation officers have all praised and supported the use of victim-offender mediation as a realistic alternative to the traditional retribution that every State on behalf of society demand against offenders. In view of this growing need, the time has come for the Maltese legislature and judiciary to acknowledge and promote the significance of victim-offender mediation by primarily giving it the value and priority it deserves towards victims and subsequently to look at the need s of the offenders. Victim-offender mediation should not be classified or linked as part of the civil, commercial, or family mediation. These categories of mediation are totally distinct from each other and should be regarded and dealt with as such. In Malta, mediation in family dispute situations such as marriage separation or child custody affairs is mandatory and in time it has become accepted as a viable alternative to court litigation. Nevertheless, mediation in civil, commercial, and social disputes including victim-offender mediation is currently applied only in theory and non-existent in reality. The distinction between the various civil forms of mediation against that of VOM is that in civil related issues the participants are referred to as disputants and the objective for mediation is that of reaching a mutual resolution by compromise that will assist both parties equally. Therefore both disputants are considered as evenly balanced and are expected to contribute on the same level to resolve their conflict. In essence, the aim of these settlements focuses on the conflict with little weight given on the participants emotional aspects or how the resolution is going to affect their lives. On the contrary, in mediation, the participants should not be considered as disputants. The power of imbalance between the victim and offender already exists and the offender is already regarded as guilty for having committed a criminal offence. On the other hand, the other party is considered and labelled as the victim of the crime. This means that mediation will not focus on the guilt or the level of compromise to be reached. Victims of crime should not concentrate on negotiating the type of restitution to be granted, but VOM is primarily to be regarded as a dialogue between the victim and the offender, where the interests and needs of the victim should be given precedence, followed by the needs of the offender and the type of restitution or financial compensat ion to be reached as part of the agreement. Nevertheless it should be maintained that the agreement is only to be regarded as a secondary issue whilst the objective of initiating a VOM meeting should remain as a restorative justice dialogue between the victim and the offender. Empathy towards the offender is also vital as the dialogue should be guided in order to prevent future criminal conduct by the offender. According to Unmbreit (2001), VOM à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“provides interested victims the opportunity to meet with the juvenile or adult offender, in a safe and structured setting, with the goal of holding the offender directly accountable for their behaviour while providing important assistance and compensation to the victim.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The Way Forward As I have already explained, the purpose of victim-offender mediation is to offer a conflict resolution procedure in restoring the emotional and physical harm caused by the crime. Although in our legislation victim-offender mediation is listed as Part VI of the Legal Act under the heading of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"Establishment of the Victim Support Unità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢, it is not clear whether Restorative Justice in specifically intended towards society, the victim, or the offender. Our legislative representatives appear to be more inclined towards taking the direction of society-centred approach. Of course, one of the aims for restorative justice is intended to eliminate or at least control recidivism, however in order to arrive at this phase, the main priority should be focused towards a victim-centred approach. This is supported by research that suggests that mediation should be person-centred rather than position-centred communication. (Motchnig R., 2014). The safety and wellbeing of the victim is to be placed high in the dialogue agenda. It is the appointed mediatorà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s role who is responsible for the security, protection and welfare of the victim. The victim should feel out of harms way during the entire process and therefore the location for the meeting with the offender should be conducted in a place where the victim deems secure. Individual pre-mediation meetings are of vital importance, so that the mediator would be able to carry out a screening process on both the victim and the offender with the objective to evaluate whether they are suitable of representing themselves and competent to communicate their needs. Furthermore the mediator would also be in a reasonable position to explain to each party in a private manner the rules and guidelines to be followed. The mediator should first approach the offender to verify that s/he is giving his or her consent to meet with the victim. It would be a case re-victimisation, if the mediator first discusses this issue with the victim and after agreeing to meet the offender, finds out that the offender has turned down the request for VOM. Active listening, empowerment and empathy should be an on-going process throug hout the mediation sessions in order to encourage the victims to express their needs, to participate effectively, and to assist the offender to listen to what the victim has to say. Author Kenneth A. Wells (2008) quotes that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“A good listener tries to understand what the other person is saying. In the end he may disagree sharply, but because he disagrees, he wants to know exactly what it is he is disagreeing with.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Apart from the location site, the waiting area and the seating setting is also part of the logistics that the mediator needs to prepare ahead of the meeting. The victim should be advised to be seated close to the exit door and preferably the offender and victim are to be seated at the opposite ends of the table with the mediator seated to the side of each party. Whatever the seating arrangement is, the outcome should be that the victim feels safe and secure. The victim should also be given the opportunity to choose whether he/she wants to sp eak first or to let the offender initiate the dialogue by going through the sequence of events that led to the crime. Some victims tend to wait before they speak up with the aim to overcome any power of imbalance that might exist. According to Ken Braun (n.d.) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“No conversation is too difficult to have but sometimes people need help having that conversation.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  I believe that the duration of the entire mediation should last not more than three sessions. If after these sessions, the mediator feels that there are no developments or that a resolution is still far from being reached, than it would be futile to continue pursuing for an agreement and it would be better to stop mediation. As for restitution, it is essential that the agreement plan must be negotiated between the victim and the offender. It could be monetary or non-pecuniary compensation and some victims might be satisfied that the offender follow a rehabilitation programme or perform community w ork. For others a simple letter of apology would be all that they require or ask for. No matter what the mode of restitution is, the bottom line is that such an agreement should be legally binding either by the court of law or signed by the parties themselves and approved by the victim-offender mediation committee. In order to achieve this, parliament is to rectify and amend the Restorative Justice act so that justice with victims would be prevailed. As the law stands today, an agreement reached by the parties is not binding and this could be one of the reasons why VOM is not acknowledged or recognised by victims or professionals working in the field of the criminal justice system. Another approach for restorative justice to be effective is for the mediator to keep in contact with both the victim and the offender after the end of mediation, at least for a period of time. A short term follow-up is sometimes all that is required for victims to feel secure and to continue leading a normal life. The victim-offender mediation committee should include as part of its responsibility the role of an advisory board where mediators can have a point of reference to consult and discuss difficulties that they may encounter with their supervisors. This requires competent and qualified appointed committee members who are knowledgeable in legal aspects, mediation, and psychological assistance. Conclusion Personally, I feel that the past and present appointed VOM committee have so far failed in their mission to incorporate the Restorative Justice act as an integral part of our criminal justice system. In order to resolve this limitation, the committee is required to seriously promote VOM. After all, article 27(1)(g) of Chapter 516 of the Laws of Malta clearly states that one of the functions of the victim support unit is the promotion of victim-offender mediation as a means of reparation for both the victim and the offender at any stage of the criminal justice process. This can be achieved by coordinating and setting-up conferences and seminars to all stakeholders within the criminal justice system, and also to promote this practice throughout the media for the information of the general public. In conclusion, if victim-offender mediation is not given the opportunity by the Magistrates and Judges in referring eligible cases to the committee for evaluation, it will remain difficult to analyse the benefits that this system claims to provide and most of all whether it would be constructive in enhancing our criminal justice system. If on the other hand the situation remains status-quo with the same approach as currently exists, than VOM will most definitely remain missing and non-existent in our legal system. References Braun, K. (n.d.). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Victim Offender Reconciliation Programà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Community Mediation Services of Polk County. Oregon: Dallas. Delvigne, A. (2005), 7th International Conference on Conferencing, Circle s and Other Restorative Practices: Manchester, England. Dussich, J. P., Schellenberg, J. (2010). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Promise of Restorative Justice: New Approaches for Criminal Justice and Beyondà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . pp. 121-123. Lynne Rienner Publishers. Fionda, J. (2005). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Devils and Angelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Hart Publishing, p. 175. Howard, Z., Gohar, A. (2003). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The Little Book of Restorative Justiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Good Books Publication, USA. Motschnig, R., Nykl, L. (2014). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Person-Centred Communication: Theory, Skills and Practiceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . pp. 55-56. Berkshire: England. Open University Press. Office of Victims of Crime (2000). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Guidelines for Victim-Sensitive / Victim-Offender Mediation: Restorative Justice through Dialogueà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/ovc_archives/reports/96517-gdlines_victims-sens/guide7.html. Restorative Justice Act (2010). Chapter 516 of the Laws of Malta. Umbreit, M. (2001). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The handbook of victim offender mediationà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ . San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Criminal Justice System" essay for you Create order