Juvenile Justice System Is The Primary System Essay

Juvenile Justice System is the primary system used to address and deal with youth who are caught and convicted of crimes. The juvenile justice system intervenes in delinquent behavior through police, court and correctional involvement, and is largely punitive. Youth and their parents or guardians can face a variety of consequences including probation, community service, youth court, youth incarceration, and alternative schooling. The juvenile justice system, similar to the adult system, operates from a belief that intervening early in delinquent behavior will deter adolescents from engaging in criminal behavior as adults. Furthermore, according to Elizabeth S. Barnert, statistic which stated that about 2 million juveniles were arrested and over 60 000 detained annually. The statistic displayed that the United States incarcerates a larger proportion of youths than any other developed country. In addition, 1 to 3 incarcerated adolescents represent a high-risk, vulnerable population wit h disproportionately high rates of unmet physical, developmental, social, and mental health needs, and higher mortality. Moving forward, 4 to 7 juvenile offending predicts a higher likelihood of chronic adult offending, as well as adverse adult outcomes such as poor health, substance use, and increased mortality. Nevertheless, African American youths are approximately 5 times more likely, and Latino and American Indian adolescents are 3 times more likely, to be detained than their WhiteShow MoreRelatedThe Juvenile Justice System Is The Primary System Essay1367 Words   |  6 PagesThe Juvenile Justice System is the primary system used to address and deal with youth who are caught and convicted of crimes. The juvenile justice system intervenes in delinquent behavior through police, court and correctional involvement, and is largely punitive. Youth and their parents or guardians can face a variety of consequences, including probation, community service, youth court, youth incarcerati on, and alternative schooling. The juvenile justice system, similar to the adult system, operatesRead MoreThe Juvenile Justice System Is The Primary System Used991 Words   |  4 Pages The Juvenile Justice System is the primary system used to handle youth who are convicted of criminal offenses. It is just over 100 years old. Over time it has gone through several changes and its unlikely to disappear anytime soon. We as Americans are still trying to find different ways to approach juvenile justice vs. approaching it as adult justice. Throughout most of history, young adults and or children did not have a separate status between juvenile and adults. Once you reached the agesRead MoreTrying Juveniles as Adults Essay1312 Words   |  6 PagesAccording to Caldwell (1961) the juvenile justice system is based on the principle that youth are developmentally and fundamentally different from adults. According to Mack (1909) the focus of the juvenile justice system has shifted from â€Å"was the crime committed† to â€Å"why did the child commit the crime†, â€Å"how can we help the child†. When performing as it is designed and up to the initial intentions, the juvenile court balances rehabilitation (treatment) of the offender with suitable sanctions whenRead MoreThe Decision, And Impact On Today s Criminal Justice System1024 Words   |  5 Pagesregards to a juvenile right to consul. Then this learner will briefly discuss the case, the decision, and impact on today s criminal justice system. Afte r which, the discussion will state if source for this case is primary or secondary and what implications that may have for that case. Gerald â€Å"Jerry† Gault (case) Fifteen-year-old Gerald (Jerry) Gault, was arrested for a complaint that was made that he made a lewd telephone calls. After the court hearings that took place in front of a juvenile court judgeRead More Preferential Treatments in Juvenile Justice System.816 Words   |  4 PagesChapter 15 in the textbook focuses mainly on juvenile justice. There are many subtopics under this chapter however, there was one topic in particular that attracted my interests. This topic was also touched on several times in the discussions board and it is the Preferential Treatments in Juvenile. These controversial treatments were specifically created and developed with a child’s best interests as a primary objective. The concept of this was introduce from the philosophy â€Å"parens patriae† whichRead MoreJuvenile Rights1125 Words   |  5 PagesJUVENILE RIGHTS 1 Juvenile Rights Kimberly Burrows CRJ 301 Farrell Binder April 11, 2011 JUVENILE RIGHTS 2 Juveniles have different rights at the time of arrest then adults have. There are also additional protections for juveniles that adults don’t have. In this paper I will compare and contrast the additional protections afforded to juveniles as compared to adult offenders, I will discuss a juveniles rights at the time of arrest, and my opinion on whether or notRead MoreJuvenile Rehabilitation: Adult Prison vs. Juvenile Incarceration1703 Words   |  7 PagesJuvenile Rehabilitation: Adult Prisons vs. Juvenile Incarceration Maureen Fries-Labra English 122 Anna Hopson December 14, 2009 Juvenile Rehabilitation: Adult Prisons vs. Juvenile Incarceration The criminal justice system has a branch for juvenile offenders. Established in the early twentieth century; it is the responsibility of this division to decide the fates of youthful offenders. This is administered by family court with support of social workers and family. With the increased numberRead MoreThe On The Juvenile Justice System Essay1236 Words   |  5 Pages I would request that Senator Perkins vote against the proposed amendments to the Juvenile Act. Part A Although public safety is both a legitimate and justifiable concern, the proposed changes to the purposes clause would go against the primary purpose of the juvenile justice system, rehabilitation and treatment as opposed to punishment. During the 19th century, the American legal system tended to treat juveniles who violated the criminal law much as it did adult offenders. Consequently, if courtsRead MoreJuvenile Court Essay1138 Words   |  5 PagesThe first juvenile court was established in Illinois in 1899. In the late 18th century children as young as seven could stand trial in criminal court and could be sentenced to prison or death. The perception of children was later changed and they were viewed as persons with undeveloped moral and cognitive capacities. This allowed the state of Illinois to intervene in the lives of children providing protection and care or supervision. The mission to help children in trouble was clearly stated in theRead MoreJuvenile Vs Juvenile915 Words à ‚  |  4 PagesJuvenile v. Adult Corrections Juvenile delinquents use to not face police or a correction system, only the fear and punishment of their families. However, as the juvenile delinquents aged they were faced with harsher punishments, but it was not until the 1800s reformers started looking for ways to teach values and built asylum and training schools. Then the concept of parens patriae occurred to establish the right to intervene in a child’s life when there were issues (Siegel, 2016). The next major

In E-Commerce in Developing Nations Free-Samples for Students

Questions: 1. Define the role of using Electronic Commerce on the Business Expansion. 2. Recognize the types of Business Modes. 3. Recognize the related Revenue Model in the selected Website. 4. Recognize the Implemented Business Strategies in the selected website. 5. Describe the Development of secure Electronic transactions on the Internet. 6. Explain privacy policies, online auctions and any potential legal or ethical issues. 7. Describe the ways that the Website Manages the Customer relationship. Answers: Introduction The report makes a detailed analysis of the importance of e-commerce and how it is growing at a rapid pace. The e-commerce company ASOS has been very successful in attracting the customers and the role that e-commerce plays, has been discussed in the report. The business model and revenue model of the company have been analyzed and the customer relationship management of ASOS helped the company to make a brand loyalty in this competitive market. The significant role of e-commerce has been discussed in detail in the report. 1.Role of e-commerce E-commerce is providing a lot of benefits to the online retail companies (Turban, Strauss and Lai, 2016). It has become a preferred way of shopping by many of the consumers, as it is very convenient and easy. They are able to get the details and descriptions of the products from the online catalogue. The product datasheet is important for the customers. E-commerce also has the ability to attract new customers through search engine visibility. The customers become aware about the terms and conditions that are linked with the purchase of any product (Peltola, Vainio and Nieminen, 2015). It also helps the retail companies by reducing the cost of inventory management. The company can trace the buying habit of the consumers. This method is also very efficient for effective business transactions. E-commerce also helps the customers to sell their own products. E-commerce is active for 24X7 and people can access the products at any point of time (Strauss, 2016). ASOS is benefitted by e-comme rce and the company has been successful in making a presence in the minds of the customers. 2.Business model ASOS is a private company and profit maximization is their only motive on the basis of their operational activities. The company deals with the demand of the customers in various ways like providing them products over the website. ASOS has a wide business spectrum having relationships with the suppliers, manufacturers, customers and vendors. There is an established relationship between the middle level managers and the higher management. The business model of ASOS includes the basic functions of the business like supply chain management, ordering of new materials, procurement of the items and proper management of the inventory. The business model of the company aims at improving the technological advancement by enhancing their presence in the online market. The online retail business entity is planning to foster their product range. The stakeholders of the company are shareholders, employees, investors, managers and suppliers. A good relation with the government has enabled the compa ny to make their business flows even smoother. 3.Revenue model ASOS has a very effective revenue model in Australia and other countries as well. The company uses a 360-degree marketing strategy for the sale of its products. The different platforms are mobile platforms, subscription fees and print magazines. There has been about 5.4 million downloads as far as the company is concerned. Around 50 to 60 % traffic comes from the mobile platform, to be used by the customers. Maximum of the orders are placed on the mobile platforms as world is becoming more digital. ASOS has a provision for marketplace where there is a subscription fee and a commission. The retail company is also having a print magazine on their own which they send to a huge number of women consumers per month. They have even launched a magazine for the men. ASOS has launched mobile apps so that it becomes easier for the customers to have a look at their products before making a purchase. The company is also using the social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter and has upgraded t he searching functionalities. Nearly all the posts that the company gives on the Facebook promote new ranges and products and earn some likes as well as comments. 4.Implemented business strategies The business strategies of ASOS include ethical trade, sustainable fashion, community and sustainable business. ASOS has built up customer relationship with through social media like Facebook and Twitter. ASOS has also sponsored many movies to drive the sales in different parts of the world. They have made their websites decorative that can attract the attention of the customers. The company has made a social linkage of the online orders with the social network itself. ASOS has been successful in making a global expansion of the company and mainly targeted the young generation through its apparel having low cost and high quality. 5.Development of secure electronic transactions Secure Electronic Transactions (SET) is generally designed to address the security issues of the electronic payment systems that have hindered the growth of e-commerce (Agarwal and Wu, 2015). It is a security protocol for any electronic payment system that makes proper utilization of PKI in order to address the e-commerce security and privacy issues. The strengths of the SET architecture involves authentication, limited access of the merchant, immediate verification, and stronger encryption (Anciaux, et al., 2014). Authentication Any person getting involved in taking a digital signature like cardholder, bank and merchant need to get an authentication from the Certificate Authority (CA) (Chaudhary, Ahmad and Rizvi, 2014). Limited Access of the merchant A merchant is not having any access to the credit card information that makes the SET much safer. Limited access This defines the customers privacy by not providing them information about the order to the credit card issuer. Immediate verification This helps in the verification of the customers authenticity and availability of credit of the merchant. He can fulfill the orders through the mitigation of risks. Encryption The credit card information is having a fixed length and requires stronger encryption (Memon, 2014). The encrypted orders and the credit card information are done separately. 6.Privacy policies The auction sites are able to draw millions of buyers and sellers every day which creates a virtual market (Sundaresan, et al., 2015). The companies doing their business online have the responsibilities to make the customers feel secured while they provide their personal information on the internet. This responsibility is directly linked with the legal and ethical issues. The e-commerce companies must strictly value the privacy of the customers for their own goodwill. The companies need to have a look as to how to form the contracts, creation of the privacy policies and database protection (Adelola, Dawson and Batmaz, 2015). There can be issues regarding the copyright and trademark. It is necessary to ensure that the legal rules is not able to undermine the copyrights and other related rights. There are numerous online terms and conditions that the companies need to take into account. They should record the retention obligation, ensure proper contracts online, laws to protect the for eign data protection and regulation of the exchange control (Crabtree and Mortier, 2016). 7.Ways to manage customer relationships The customer relationship management of ASOS is very well established. The company has a very attractive product as well as service proposition. There has been a wide range of products of ASOS that are very appealing. The prices of the products are very competitive with low price and high quality. The services on the other hand have very convenient proposition like free delivery, delivery of the products within five to ten days and free return. The company has the opportunity to create a market place where there will be opportunities for the customers in selling their own items and creations. ASOS has created good relationships with the customers as it has become the most liked retail fashion brand on Facebook. ASOS have become the second most visited apparel retailer in the whole world. ASOS has an international network due to the largest international selling of the apparel products through online. The company website of ASOS displays the products for the young generation like 20 t o 30 years of age. ASOS put more focus on the women apparel with more grooming segment. The facebook page of the company contains a page to help the customers and an official page for the worldwide customers. It also has five twitter pages to remain connected with the prospective customers like a here to help page, a discount page, one career page and a worldwide official page. Recommendations Online business can be improved by several ways that have been recommended. The company can offer just one product on the home page though they are having a variety of products. This increases the focus of the consumers on one product. The company can reposition their opt-in offers to boost the opt-ins and create a list of the loyal customers (Hutchinson, 2015). This may help ASOS to keep in touch with the customers on a regular basis. The retail company can display different benefits in the headline to catch the attention of the consumers (Jimnez-Zarco, Martnez-Ruiz and Izquierdo-Yusta, 2014). This can have a huge impact on the sales of the company. A successful headline can have an enormous effect on the customers by highlighting the problems of the customers. The e-commerce company must enhance the credibility of the company in the minds of the customers so that they become comfortable in purchasing the products. Conclusion The report has inferred that ecommerce companies are growing at a rapid pace all over the world. The e-commerce company ASOS has been very successful in creating a brand name and maintaining brand loyalty in the competitive market through effective customer relationship management. This report takes into consideration the business model, revenue model and development of secure electronic transactions which are very significant for the purpose of cyber security. The different ways have been discussed by which ASOS manages the customer relationship management. Finally some recommendations have been provided that might help the company in improving the website performance. References Adelola, T., Dawson, R. and Batmaz, F., 2015. Privacy and data protection in e-commerce in developing nations: evaluation of different data protection approaches. Agarwal, J. and Wu, T., 2015. Factors influencing growth potential of E?commerce in emerging economies: An institution?based N?OLI framework and research propositions.Thunderbird International Business Review,57(3), pp.197-215. Anciaux, N., Bouganim, L., Delot, T., Ilarri, S., Kloul, L., Mitton, N. and Pucheral, P., 2014. Opportunistic data services in least developed countries: benefits, challenges and feasibility issues.ACM SIGMOD Record,43(1), pp.52-63. Chaudhary, A., Ahmad, K. and Rizvi, M.A., 2014, April. E-commerce security through asymmetric key algorithm. InCommunication Systems and Network Technologies (CSNT), 2014 Fourth International Conference on(pp. 776-781). IEEE. Crabtree, A. and Mortier, R., 2016. Personal Data, Privacy and the Internet of Things: The Shifting Locus of Agency and Control. Hutchinson, E.E., 2015. Keeping Your Personal Information Personal: Trouble for the Modern Consumer.Hofstra Law Review,43(4), p.7. Jimnez-Zarco, A.I., Martnez-Ruiz, M.P. and Izquierdo-Yusta, A., 2014. Personally Engaged with Retail Clients: Marketing 3.0 in Response to New Consumer Profiles. InHandbook of Research on Retailer-Consumer Relationship Development(pp. 219-237). IGI Global. Memon, J., Rozan, M.Z.A., Uddin, M., Abubakar, A., Chiroma, H. and Daud, D., 2014. Randomized text encryption: A new dimension in cryptography.International Review on Computers and Software (IRECOS,9(2). Peltola, S., Vainio, H. and Nieminen, M., 2015, August. Key factors in developing omnichannel customer experience with finnish retailers. InInternational Conference on HCI in Business(pp. 335-346). Springer International Publishing. Strauss, J., 2016.E-marketing. Routledge. Sundaresan, N., Graziano, E., Jamilkowski, J., Kamsler, Z., Kidder, B. and Peterson, T., 2015.Virtual world system supporting a consumer experience. U.S. Patent Application 14/846,603. Turban, E., Strauss, J. and Lai, L., 2016. Introduction to Social Commerce. InSocial Commerce(pp. 3-22). Springer International Publishing.

Basketball History In America

Basketball History In America Basketball Basketball was originated (1891) in Springfield , Mass., by Dr. James Naismith of the YMCA. It quickly grew into a leading U.S. school and college sport and spread throughout the world, becoming (1936) a part of the Olympic Games. Professional basketball gained great popularity in the U.S. after the formation (1949) of the National Basketball Association (NBA); the NBA is now made up of 27 teams in two conferences, each of which has two divisions.Game played generally indoors by two opposing teams of five players each. At each end of the court-usually about 92 ft (28 m) long and 50 ft (15 m) wide-is a bottomless basket made of cord net and suspended from a metal ring attached 10 ft (3.05 m) above the floor to a backboard. The ball may be passed, batted, or dribbled (bounced), but the players may not run with it. Players of one team attempt to shoot the ball through one basket while seeking to keep the opposition from scoring through the other basket.Allen Fieldhouse during the KU Oklahoma State game...

The Defination and Example of Approaches to Social Responsibility Essay Example

The Defination and Example of Approaches to Social Responsibility Essay Example The Defination and Example of Approaches to Social Responsibility Essay The Defination and Example of Approaches to Social Responsibility Essay A company that takes an obstructive stance toward social responsibility attempts to defend its economic priorities by blocking any attempts to point out the companys lack of social responsibility. An obstructive company does not make social responsibility an effort, instead making profits the most important aspect of its business. Some people view obstructive businesses as immoral since they may exploit their employees, pollute natural lands or deceive customers. (Breann Kanobi, eHow Contributor) Example~ IBP, a leading meat-processing firm, has a long ( and undistinguished ) record of breaking environmental protection, labor, and food processing laws and then trying to cover up its offenses. Enron would fall into this category as well. (Portter,Michael E) Defensive Stance In most cases, companies that take a defensive stance towards social responsibility are not particularly responsible. These companies may consider themselves neutral, and they make profits a more important motive than performing actions in a socially responsible way. These companies make a point of following the law to ensure that others cannot take legal action against them. For example, a company may create more waste than necessary, but it will remove of the waste in a legal method rather than dumping it illegally. (Breann Kanobi, eHow Contributor) Example~ Tobacco companies generally take his position in their marketing efforts. In the United States, they are legally required to include warnings to smokers on their products and to limit advertising to prescribed media. Domestically, they follow these rules to the letter of the law but use more aggresive marketing methods in countries that have no such rules. In many Asian and African countries, cigarettes are heavily promoted, contain higher levels of tar and nicotine than those sold in the Unites States, and carry few or no health warning labels. Firms that take this position are also unlikely to cover up wrongdoing, will generally admit yo mistakes, and will take appropriate corrective actions. (Portter,Michael E) Accommodative Stance An accommodating stance signifies that a company believes social responsibility is important and perhaps as important as making a profit. These companies satisfy all legal requirements and attempt to meet ethical standards. An accommodating company does not attempt to hide its actions and remains open about why it takes specific actions. For example, it may decrease its creation of waste, source products that are not tested on animals and pay its employees a fair wage. The company would keep its records open to the public. Though these companies are often socially responsible, they may change their policies in response to criticism. (Breann Kanobi, eHow Contributor) Example~ Both Shell and IBM, for example, will match contributions made by their employees to selected charitable causes. Many organizations respond to requests for donations to Little League, Girl Scouts, youth soccer programs, and so forth. The point is, however, do not necessarily or proactively seek avenues for contributing. (Portter,Michael E) Proactive Stance Like an accommodating company, a proactive company makes social responsibility a priority. Instead of reacting to criticism, a proactive company attempts to remain ahead of the curve when it comes to social responsibility. It may make ethics part of its mission statement and attempt to avoid any harm to the environment or its employees. A proactive company may go out of its way to institute new recycling programs, give all of its employees a living wage and benefits, and donate a portion of its profits to charity. (Breann Kanobi, eHow Contributor) Example~ The Toro Company, Exmark Manufacturing and Dixon Industries Inc. ollectively recalled 62,000 faulty commercial riding mowers. These companies worked directly with their dealers, distributors and customers during the recall campaign to proactively fix or replace the affected units already on the market. Nike is another example of a company that took a proactive stance, responding to criticisms about the labor conditions in the company? s supply chain. Kingfisher, a company that owns the British chain BQ, has successfully implemented a proactive stance on waste reduction, chemicals and green issues. (Brian Bass, Demand Media)

Data Quality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Data Quality - Research Paper Example The nurses do not have to spend time in noting down the details of the patients manually, rather the data entry process becomes easier and faster for the healthcare staff (Hibbard, 2003). When data are of poor quality, there are chances of errors occurring and this causes adverse incidents to take place. The patient’s safety and health is affected as a result and this also causes the costs of healthcare to increase. The healthcare organization has to also face hindrances in information exchange (Loshin, 2007). For promoting high quality healthcare data, recommendations can be to set standards the content of data, how the data should be mapped and documented in the system of the healthcare organization. Strategies for continuous improvement of data collection should be implemented and this could mean that research and development should always be taking place. Data should also be collected and noted at the point where the patient has been treated so that the results can be compared with future cases. The patients should be educated as well for realizing the importance of accurate data provided by them (Hibbard,

Financial Administration in the City of San Antonio TX Essay

Financial Administration in the City of San Antonio TX - Essay Example The researcher states that budgeting in the City of San Antonio TX is done by the office of Management and Budgeting. It is meant to act as a financial guide, a policy paper and a financial plan. The city of San Antonio TX budget is well formulated and executed. The budget presents an adequate overview of the entity and its financial position. This is so because it provides a summary of all the budget components, its allocation and the role of these components in enhancing the objectives of the city. The budget summary covers the element of public safety, where the police and the fire department of the city are committed to respond to the safety needs of the city residents. The budget seeks to increase the number of officers in patrol and also the fire vehicle technicians. Street maintenance is another element covered by the summary, with an additional $ 1.8 for pavement preservation and some more $6 million provided to cater for advanced transport. Animal care services will be cater ed for by a $1.7 million while education and library services will be funded to a tune of $30.6 million, which will cater for the construction of new libraries and fund the operations of the already existing ones. Employee compensation and Economic development are the other components of the budget, allocating $32 million towards civilian salary adjustments and $7 million to support the creation of new jobs, support new business development and encourage new investments. (Maria, 2011). This gives a brief overview of the budget and its components, while giving information about the city objective at a glance, to make the city government smarter and more efficient. The greatest percentage of the operating budget is accounted for by public safety, which involves fire and police department, financed to a tune of $343 million, in a total adopted budget of $948 million. The reason for such huge funding of the department is because the public safety is the priority of the city of San Anton io TX (Maria, 2011). To enhance this public safety through community policing and neighborhood teamwork, the budget seeks to increase the number of officers in patrol for narcotics by 17 more. It also seeks to add another 25 officers to the service of the people and an additional 4 fire vehicle technicians to enhance rapid response services to the public. The department is also to be awarded with two more management analyst to enhance the management of the police and the fire department, and to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency. The technology used by the department is to be advanced through new software development and installations, meant to improve the payroll division of the department. Owing to the above needs for improvements in the department of fire and police, and due to the crucial role it plays of providing public safety, the city’s office of management and budget sought to allocate more fund to this department (Paul, 1998). The department alone accounts for close to 40% of all the funding done in the annual budget of 2012. This is a clear indication that the interest of the city residents takes priority in the city’s management issues. Police protection is the category within that area that accounts for the greatest budget, being a key service that is very crucial for the wellbeing of the people. A total of $1.5 is to be dedicated to the improvement of neighborhood and narcotics patrol. This is meant to increase the presence of police in all the areas of the city, thus reduce the rates of crimes and drug abuse. $850,000 is meant to reassign 17 police officers to patrols, while $597,000 is meant for increasing the number of officers serving the community neighborhoods. A new helicopter mechanic, and another new helicopter mechanics supervisor are to be hired to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of services delivered to the people by the fire and the police department. This will be funded to a tune of

Essay on the the Secret Book Essay Example for Free

Essay on the the Secret Book Essay According to recent studies, self-help books – non-fiction books that offer advice for behavior modification and make explicit promises for positive change – have doubled as a percentage of all book titles since the 1970s. The increasing popularity of self-help books is an indicator of the modern societys quest to maximize personal happiness through a process of self-discovery. Self-help books are a response to a real and genuine hunger for psychological understanding and self-improvement and are part of the larger market of advice media. Readers buy self-help books seeking self-control – both as a good-faith attempt to increase their self-control and to elicit a temporary sensation that, in fact, the first step toward self-control has already been taken. And of recent years, one of the increasing self-help or spirituality books involve the teachings of New Age-ism. The New Age is a decentralized Western social and spiritual movement that seeks Universal Truth and the attainment of the highest individual human potential. It includes aspects of Occultism, astrology, esotericism, metaphysics, alternative medicine, music, collectivism, sustainability, and nature. New Age spirituality is characterized by an individual approach to spiritual practices and philosophies, and the rejection of religious doctrine and dogma. New Age practices and philosophies sometimes draw inspiration from major world religions: Buddhism, Chinese folk religion, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism; with particularly strong influences from East Asian religions, Gnosticism, Neopaganism, New Thought, Spiritualism, Theosophy, Universalism, and Western esotericism. New Age spirituality has led to a wide array of literature on the subject and an active niche market: books, music, crafts, and services in alternative medicine are available at New Age stores, fairs, and festivals. And one of the most phenomenal publishing successes in the self-help/New Age teachings is a book called The Secret. ABOUT THE SECRET Product Details The English-language 6. 9 x 5. 7 x 0. 9 inches hardcover book is fairly lightweight at 198 pages. It was first published in November 28, 2006 by Atria Books in Australia. In the United States of America, the book is published by Beyond Words and in United Kingdom by Simon Schuster UK. Product Description Fragments of a Great Secret have been found in the oral traditions, in literature, in religions and philosophies throughout the centuries. For the first time, all the pieces of The Secret come together in an incredible revelation that will be life-transforming for all who experience it. In this book, youll learn how to use The Secret in every aspect of your life money, health, relationships, happiness, and in every interaction you have in the world. Youll begin to understand the hidden, untapped power thats within you, and this revelation can bring joy to every aspect of your life. The Secret contains wisdom from modern-day teachers men and women who have used it to achieve health, wealth, and happiness. By applying the knowledge of The Secret, they bring to light compelling stories of eradicating disease, acquiring massive wealth, overcoming obstacles, and achieving what many would regard as impossible. Content of The Secret 1. Foreword 2. Acknowledgements 3. The Secret Revealed 4. The Secret Made Simple 5. How to Use The Secret 6. Powerful Processes 7. The Secret to Money 8. The Secret to Relationships 9. The Secret to Health 10. The Secret to the World 11. The Secret to You 12. The Secret to Life 13. Biographies The Secret Revealed The first thing you need to know is that The Secret isn’t really a secret. The secret is actually â€Å"The Law of Attraction† that asserts what you think creates what you feel, and these feelings flow from your body as magnetic energy waves over vast distances, which then cause the universe around you to vibrate at the same energy level as your feelings. The idea dates back nearly 3,000 years to early Hindu teachings that like attracts like. The law of attraction, which the author Rhonda Byrne says is the most powerful law in the universe, states that people experience the logical manifestations of their predominant thoughts, feelings, and words. This gives people direct control over their lives. A persons thoughts (whether conscious or unconscious) and feelings bring about corresponding positive or negative manifestations. Positive thoughts bring about positive manifestations while negative thoughts bring about negative manifestations. The theory is very simple. Because it is an absolute law, the law of attraction will always respond to your thoughts no matter what they are. Thus your thoughts become things. You are the most powerful power in the universe simply because whatever you think about will come to be. You shape the world that exists around you. You shape your own life and destiny through the power of your mind. To quote some of the teachings in this book are â€Å"Thoughts are sending out that magnetic signal that is drawing the parallel back to you. †Thus there is no such thing as accident or coincidence; it is you, the individual, who brings misery on yourself because of your toxic thinking. But the good news, if you can alter your thoughts, and therefore your feelings, you can actually cause the universe around you to vibrate at a positive energy level and the desires of your heart will come to be realized! All you have to do is Ask — Believe — Receive. You just have to visualize what you want, feel good about it, and then ask the universe — and whatever you can imagine can be yours. It is like having the universe as your catalogue and you flip through it and go, ‘Well I’d like to have this experience and I’d like to have that product and I’d like to have a person like that’ †¦ It is you just placing your order with the universe. The law of attraction was the power, the author argues, behind geniuses such as Plato, Newton, Beethoven and Einstein. In this book too, she has also gotten quotes, experiences and support from the whos who of the self-help industry, including John Gray, author of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus, and Jack Canfield, who wrote Chicken Soup for the Soul. Jack Canfield, provides an excellent example of the ask-believe-receive system where he tells us that he visualized earning $100,000 (even writing the desired amount on a bill worth far less and tacking it to the ceiling above his bed) and focused his mental energy only on the goal of attaining the money. He tells us that he had absolutely no idea how he was going to get the money — he simply focused on believing that he would get the money, somehow. But how? For four weeks he had no breakthrough ideas but then, one day in the shower, he remembered that he had written a book and, if it was published (particularly if he sold 400,000 copies and he made a quarter on each) he just might achieve his financial goals. Of course the book was published, and the results were only a few thousand dollars shy of 100,000 dollars. And this is just one of the many testimonials in this book called The Secret. The Story Behind The Secret It is not a secret now that The Secret is a publishing phenomenon of recent years especially for in the non-fiction self-help category. This small book, with a parchment-brown cover engraved with the image of a red wax seal, debuted in 2006 and since then it has sold over four million copies worldwide and has been translated to 38 different languages. The Secret began as a DVD which came out end of 2004. Rhonda Byrne was a television producer in Australia in 2004 when the death of her father led her to discover ‘the secret’, which is her term for what is commonly known as the law of attraction. Her discovery was mainly caused by the 1910 book The Science of Getting Rich by Wallace Wattles. Wattless book struck such a chord with Byrne that she plunged into a crash course in Western, Eastern, ancient and modern thought, devouring hundreds of books and articles in just two and a half weeks. Inspired, she flew to the States in July 2005 and began lining up people to interview; the film was finished six months later and she began trying to find an Australian network to air it. The top-rated Nine Network was intrigued by her proposal, but the finished film struck Len Downs, the program manager, as just a whole range of talking heads giving their basis of the secret of life. It eventually ran in Australia just a few weeks ago, and, says Downs, it didnt do all that well. But armed with the law of attraction, Byrne was confident things would work out. A Web company situated just blocks away from her office in Melbourne had a technology for distributing streaming video over the Internet. In March 2006, her site (http://thesecret. tv) began selling downloads and DVDs, one of which found its way to Cynthia Black, president of the New Age-oriented publishing house Beyond Words saw its potential and by late November the book was in the stores and the rest as they say, is history. PURCHASING THE SECRET The Secret books are available at all major bookstores, online bookstore and through its official website. It is usually placed in the Health, Mind Body - Self Help category or Religion Spirituality - New Age category. At most of these major bookstores, The Secret books are placed most prominently on the shelves. Due to it being constantly on worldwide bestseller lists for non-fiction books thus the title is prominently displayed in the bookstores should the bookstore have a bestsellers display section. Its average retails price for cash carry stores are $23. 95 in the United States; ? 12. 00 in United Kingdom; and MYR79. 90 in Malaysia. While its average retail price for online purchases are $14. 00 and ? 12. 00 in United States and United Kingdom respectively. PROMOTING THE SECRET After the phenomenal success of the The Secret DVD, it made sense for it to be turned into a book and what better way for the marketers to embark on promoting the book than playing up the hype of the movie and using the popular internet marketing tool such as the viral video site YouTube. The book was marketed with an online viral video campaign focusing on wealth enhancement. The short video clips showed testimonials from readers of the book and practitioners of the secret claiming that the technique brought them wealth, cured sickness, and brought about a general life-change. The video clips do not disclose what the secret is, where it originated from or how it can be practiced, but rather pointed viewers to the website for both the book and film. Thus hooking the viewers and made them all the more intrigue by the claims made by the author in the book. As for packaging and promotional material, the book also played into the consumers’ senses by trying to showcase that the secret originates from the cosmos. The cover prominently displayed a parchment-brown cover engraved with the image of a red wax seal (see Appendix 1) to indicate it is somewhat a book from the olden days and in the inside pages, the background design are a field of stars, and various shots of the universe thus adding mystique to the claims and the practice. However, the most savvy and most probably the ultimate gambit of the book is to call it The Secret. To quote Mr Donavin Bennes, a buyer who specializes in metaphysics for Borders Books, We all want to be in on a secret. But to present it as the secret, that was brilliant. † Thus the name evoke a sense of intrigue to readers who are looking for something magical or perhaps easier tool for them to understand and to fully live their lives. Another smart marketing move made by the publisher was to have it endorsed by well-known and highly popular worldwide celebrities. The book got its first break in the US when Ellen DeGeneres featured it on her show. And when Oprah Winfrey decided to run a show on it, although it was already a big success, the sales ballooned up much more. Oprah Winfrey first featured it on Feb. 8 2007 and according to Nielsen BookScan, the book had sold 18,000 copies the week before. During the week of the show, sales rocketed to 101,000 and when the show did a follow-up on Feb. 16 2007, the sales that week reached 190,000. With the success of the book, the publishers decided to create more spin-off titles, which they call The Secret tools. There are now The Secret to Teen Power (see Appendix 2), The Secret Daily Teachings (see Appendix 3) and The Secret Gratitude Book (see Appendix 4). Not only that, at its official website there are also ‘gifts’ for the readers such as visualization tools, The Secret memory game, wallpapers, ebook and blank checks (see Appendix 5) which goes hand-in-hand with the teachings of the book. THE SECRET S. W. O. T ANALYSIS Strengths 1. The intriguing title. As elaborated above, the title play a major role in inciting readers’ interest in the book. 2. The cover design. Alongside its intriguing title, the odd-shaped book with its olden-days personification invoke a sense of mystery that is definitely eye-catching and surely pique a person’s interest while browsing the shelves at a bookstore. 3. The content is an easy read with its simple language and peppered with inspiring testimonials from many men women who has experienced the use of the secret plus personal experience quotations from the the whos who of the self-help industry. 4. The savvy marketing ideas of the publishers that has created the hype that constantly raise awareness of the book. 5. Endorsement by high-profile influential personalities that are recognized world-wide certainly helped boosted its sale internationally. 6. Constant high-placing in best-selling charts, most probably due to the savvy marketing ideas of the publisher and as the  long-term effect of the celebrity associated to the book especially Oprah Winfrey. Weaknesses 1. The selling price in Malaysia of RM79. 90 is definitely a setback to potential buyers as the price is rather steep for many people especially for books in the self-help category. 2. The book is not available in paperback form thus some book buyers are not keen on buying hardback cover books due to its steeper price or its slightly heavy weight. 3. The content is not something that is unique and there are many similar teachings that one can get in many other books thus it does lack a little originality. 4. As typical with many New Age teachings, the content of the book has garnered much criticism which try to debunked the book’s teaching as merely hype, mumbo-jumbo or just plain illogical. 5. The book has to complete with many other form of self-help books available that are cheaper, more accessible and from much more renowned authors (Paulo Coelho, Eckhart Tolle, Anthony Robbins) Opportunities 1. Publishers could promote to younger readers especially The Secret for Teens book first and therefore will garner their interest in the main book The Secret. 2. Use the The Secret movie to lure potential readers as there are those who would like to have to book in hand as a way to look back or do revision which is harder to do with the dvd. 3. Offer a cheaper paperback form, thus the book is able to be sold at a cheaper price and therefore garner many more readers. Threats 1. With the easy access to internet, potential readers might decide to check out what the book is about online and thus stumbling on the many critics that the book has garnered. This in turn can make them believe the critics before actually reading the book, thus will result in loss of sales. 2. Like many other things in life, people are apt to stumble upon a new idea for a book or a belief that could help the world, thus there will be brand new books in the future that will probably come with a much more savvy marketing approach and thus will affect the interest of the people about The Secret! THE SECRET CONCLUSION The Secret is a phenomenon and it is likely to become one of the best-selling self-help books of all time. Venture into your local bookstore or look around you while waiting at an airport, and youre bound to see people reading it and absorbing it. They will not just be people who consult astrologers and who listen to Tony Robbins tapes, but normal, average people like the ones who live next door to you. There are almost 1400 reviews of the book printed at Amazon with an average rating of 3. 5 out of 5. The breakdown of those scores is interesting: fifty-two percent of them are 5-star, thirteen percent are 4-star and twenty-one percent are 1-star. This means that the majority of people, the great majority even, believe in at least some aspects of the books premise and teaching. They believe in the law of attraction. The one problem that The Secret poses is that it simplifies and speculates way too much and there are a quite a significant level of moral defects, the lack of scientific backing, and the various philosophical shortcomings, how is it that a significant number of people still believe there’s something to The Law of Attraction? Part of the reason must certainly be the powerful testimonials coming from celebrity figures such as Oprah Winfrey, a woman who attributes her success to her mighty powers of attraction. Of course, thats a long way from the simple model of Ask-Believe-Receive. In most peoples lives, positive thought leads to success only through the transforming medium of action. But as the author Rhonda said in an interview, she just wants to bring happiness to everybody. Thats the reason it all began. And to her credit, she does bring happiness to many people worldwide and surely there is nothing, in principle, wrong with thinking about what makes you happy.