Famous Trial of Scott Lee Petersen Essay Example for Free

Famous Trial of Scott Lee Petersen Essay Born on October 2nd 1974 in San Diego California, Scott Lee Peterson, an American, was convicted of the murder of his 8-months pregnant wife, Laci Peterson, and their unborn son- Peter Conner. Â  Peterson’s parents were Lee Arthur Peterson and Jacqueline Helen Latham. Arthur was employed by a trucking company and later ventured into crate-packaging. Jacqueline owned the Put On boutique in La Jolla California. Lee Peterson was employed as a caddy at a golf course while schooling at the University of San Diego High School. The young Peterson was a golfer at school. He later attended California Polytechnic State University. Scott met Laci Rocha while working as a waiter at San Luis Obispo cafe as he was studying at California Polytechnic. Scott married Laci in August 1997. Scott and Arthur Peterson alleged that Phil Michelson was known to Scott. Arthur asserted that his son and Michelson were friends and that Scott abandoned his ambitions of being a professional golfer due to the fact that Scott couldn’t match Michelson’s prowess (Lee, 2004, 17). Mickelson said that he couldn’t remember Scott. Laci Peterson’s disappearance Laci was reported missing from their home in Modesto California on 24th December 2002 by Arthur Peterson. Laci was due to deliver on February 10th 2003. Scotts and Laci’s families, Scott and the Modesto community addressed press gatherings. A witness observed that Scott had initially said that he was golfing and later claimed that he was fishing at Berkeley marina when Laci disappeared. Laci’s and Conner’s bodies were discovered on different dates five kilometers from the place Scott was supposed to be fishing. Conner’s body was found on April 13th 2003 and Laci’s on April 14th. Peterson was not initially regarded as a prime suspect by the police mainly because Laci’s friends and family believed Peterson was innocent at the outset. Contradictions in Peterson’s statements later led police to grow suspicious of him. Petersons many extramarital affairs came to the fore on 17th January 2003, the latest being with Amber Frey, a massage expert. Frey sought police assistance when she learnt that Peterson was not honest with her since by lying to her about his marriage. Frey was suspicious of Peterson owing to the disappearance of his wife, the existence of whom he had hidden from Frey (http://crime.about.com/od/current/a/scott040718.htm). Laci’s family stopped presuming Scott’s innocence. The family was not incensed by the illicit affair but by Peterson’s statement to Frey that he had lost his wife and that he would be spending his first Christmas without a wife 15 days before Laci’s disappearance. Frey construed Scott’s statement to imply that he was a widower. The family was convinced that Scott had pre-planned Laci’s murder before her actual disappearance. Frey was recruited as a major witness against Peterson after she conceded to police taping of her subsequent conversations with Scott. The motive was to induce Scott to confess, an act he never did. Frey’ and Peterson’ phone conversations recordings were played at the trial and the transcripts made public. Peterson’s character was dented by the recordings which also deeply implicated Scott. It was adduced that Scott lied to Amber that he had traveled to Paris on holiday with his new partners Pasqual and Francois after Laci’s disappearance. However, Scott was actually attending Laci’s candlelit vigil at the New Year’s Eve when he had one of the conversations. Recovery of bodies A male fetus was found on 14th April 2003 on San Francisco Bay in Richmond’s Point Isabel region’s shoreline. The body had been washed ashore north of Berkeley Marina where Scott had been boating at the time of Laci’s disappearance. An incomplete female torso without feet, hands and head was washed ashore on April 15th in the same locality. The bodies were identified to be Laci’s and Conner’s but due to putrefaction autopsies couldn’t determine the exact time and cause of death. Laci had her 5th, 6th and 9th ribs broken before death, injuries not resulting from dragging of the body along the bay rocks. It was assumed that Laci had been strangled or suffocated in the Modesto home. The FBI and Modesto Police Department undertook forensic searches at the Modesto home, Scott’s tool box, Scott’s truck, his warehouse and his boat. The single evidence adduced was a single strand of hair presumed to be Laci’s on pliers found on Scott’s boat (Lee, 2004, 32). Peterson’s arrest Detective Taylor Burlingame arrested Scott on 18th April 2003 in La Jolla California at a golf course’s parking lot. Peterson alleged that he was due to play golf with his father and Zak O’regan, his brother, at Torrey Pines golf course. Several golf-irrelevant items were found on Scott at his arrest. Peterson had: 4 cell phones, $ 15,000 in cash, his family members credit cards, camping gear (knifes, food warming equipment, tarpaulins, tents, water purifier), twelve pairs of shoes, a gun, changes of clothing, a map to Frey’s workplace printed on the same day, a shovel, a T-handled double –edged knife, rope, Viagra, 24 packs of sleeping pills, and a brothers drivers license. Scoot had also dyed his hair and beard blond, but he alleged that the color resulted from chlorine after swimming at a friend’s pool. The said friend later asserted that Peterson had never used his pool or his hot tub. Police concluded that Peterson was planning to escape probably to Mexico (Posey, 2005, 50). The trial of Scott Peterson The Stanislaus County Public Defenders Office was assigned to be Peterson’s defense on Scott’s request. Kent Faulkner, Chief Deputy Public Defender and Maureen Keller, Deputy Public Defender, were the attorneys in the case. Later Peterson chose to hire attorney Mark Geragos as private counsel. Owing to mounting hostility to Scott and much media attention, Peterson’s trial was transferred from Modesto to Redwood City, California. The People of the State of California vs. Scott Peterson trial was opened in June 2004 with Rick Distaso as lead prosecutor. Amber Frey, the prosecution witness, hired attorney Gloria Allred, not subject to the gag order, to protect her privacy from the press. She held that Frey couldn’t confirm or deny Peterson’s guilty. Allred appeared severally on TV criticizing the defense thus displaying her solidarity with the prosecution (Graber, 1997, 5). Defense lawyers at Peterson’s case capitalized on the lack of evidence and quashed circumstantial evidence. They argued that Conner was a full-grown infant and suggested that somebody else had abducted Laci, detained her up to birth and dumped the two bodies. Geragos had Dr. Charles March to show that Conner died one week after the prosecutors’ time estimates. Â  The prosecutions’ medical team proved that Conner had not fully grown and that Laci and the baby died simultaneously. Geragos argued that a satanic cult had kidnapped the expectant woman. Peterson was viewed as an immoral person for cheating on his wife but not a murderer. One juror was eliminated earlier in the trial owing to misconduct and replaced by an alternate. This followed CourtTV’s complaint that Laci’s older brother, Brent Rocha and the juror exchanged words in court. Â  A video footage was shown to lend credence to these claims (http://crime.about.com/od/current/a/scott040718.htm). Gregory Jackson, a medical student and the jury foreman, was later removed on his request made during jury deliberations. Jackson could have asked to be removed because he was due for replacement although Geragos indicated that Jackson had been threatened. An alternate replaced Jackson. Peterson was found to be guilty of first-degree murder with special circumstances for killing his wife and second degree murder for killing Conner on 12th November 2004. The trial’s punishment period commenced on 30th November and ended on 13th December. The twelve-member jury recommended death sentence for Peterson on 13th December at 1:50 PM PST (Scott, 2008, 7). The jury indicated that Scott’s behavior particularly his lack of remorse and his phone conversation with Amber after Laci’s disappearance pointed to his guilt. The sentence was based on the many circumstantial evidence details deduced from the trial. Petersons absconding of his duty to protect his family also earned him the verdict. Evidence The evidence was purely circumstantial. Peterson altered his looks to camouflage himself from the press and purchased a car in his mother’s name. A day after Laci’s disappearance, Scott subscribed to 2 hardcore pornography TV channels, a pointer that he was sure his wife would not return. Scott wanted to sell the family home and he sold Laci’s land rover. A United States Hydrological Survey hydrologist, Ralph Cheng also a San Francisco Bay tides expert, and a witness said that tides aren’t violent enough to drown person. Cheng also couldn’t explain how the bodies were transported and deposited. Peterson’s affair with Amber and the conversations they had was also evidence for Scott’s guilt (Scott, 2008, 9). Motives The prosecution surmised that Peterson killed his wife owing to his affair with Amber. Increasing debt and a yearning to be free from coming family obligations could also be one of Scott’s motives. Sentencing Judge Alfred A. Delluchi sentenced Peterson to death by lethal injection on 16th march 2005. Defense’s requests for a re-trial pleading juror misconduct and media meddling in the earlier trial were quashed. Peterson was taken to San Quentin State Prison on 17th March 2005. His case is on automatic appeal to the Supreme Court of California in Sacramento. Legacy A TV film starring Dean Cain was aired in 2004. Amber Frey published a book detailing her experiences with Scott Peterson in January 2005. Richelle Nice, a member of jury in Scott’s case, is one of Peterson’s correspondents in prison. Â  Conclusion Since Petersons trial was based solely on circumstantial evidence, rules of natural justice dictate that a retrial should be done to try to adduce concrete evidence against Scott. The failure to determine the exact time and cause of Conner and Laci is also a pointer that Peterson’s case was not conclusive. Scott could be suffering innocently in prison.

Interview Essay - Beverly Smith -- Interview Essays

Interview Essay - Beverly Smith Beverly Smith is currently 70 years old. She was raised in Fullerton and was part of a family of five children. Her mother influenced her life greatly. Beverly grew up quickly as a result of her mother's death when she was only 11 years old. Her mother was well honored by many. Beverly is actively involved in her religion, and enjoys exercising, and listening to music. Beverly's definition of happiness is "where your heart is involved, it is a focus outside of yourself." At times, she chooses to be contented rather than happy. As a child, she did not discuss her feelings, and it was hard for her to know when she was happy. When she is unhappy, Beverly turns to her faith. She practices what she preaches. She also turns to her close friends. Beverly says that she is wealthy in her friendships. Physical fitness is very important for Beverly's sense of happiness. She walked four miles to work for sixteen years, and now she attends aerobics class twice a week, reads her Bible daily, and enjoys listening to music. It makes Beverly unhappy that she does not get to spend time with her children. She says that she would like to get to know them better. In regard to dealing with difficult people, Beverly told the story about a neighbor of hers. This neighbor has a bad attitude and used to upset Beverly so much that she would cry every day before work, but now, she has learned not to let it affect her. She said that she also does not hold grudges. When Beverly's mother died, she was only 11 years old and it was terribly hard for her. She was the youngest of her brothers and sisters. They each had their own interests and activities, so she often found herself feeling lonely. Her childhood affect... ... focus on differences more than relationships. Beverly is usually pleased with herself because she is usually happy. She does not work on perfection, but on excellence. She is also comfortable with herself and with being alone. She is very interested with religion and would like to study more. Even though she has many male friends, she would like to have a man in her life. Her advice for finding happiness is to stay open to life, run with every experience, and always get up when you fall. My interview with Beverly Smith really helped me to stay open to the many possibilities life holds for me. It helped me to realize that I should follow my passions in order to be happy and how much the decisions I make now affect my future. I hope that someday I can achieve at least half as much as she has in her life. I admire her independence, charisma, and perseverance. Interview Essay - Beverly Smith -- Interview Essays Interview Essay - Beverly Smith Beverly Smith is currently 70 years old. She was raised in Fullerton and was part of a family of five children. Her mother influenced her life greatly. Beverly grew up quickly as a result of her mother's death when she was only 11 years old. Her mother was well honored by many. Beverly is actively involved in her religion, and enjoys exercising, and listening to music. Beverly's definition of happiness is "where your heart is involved, it is a focus outside of yourself." At times, she chooses to be contented rather than happy. As a child, she did not discuss her feelings, and it was hard for her to know when she was happy. When she is unhappy, Beverly turns to her faith. She practices what she preaches. She also turns to her close friends. Beverly says that she is wealthy in her friendships. Physical fitness is very important for Beverly's sense of happiness. She walked four miles to work for sixteen years, and now she attends aerobics class twice a week, reads her Bible daily, and enjoys listening to music. It makes Beverly unhappy that she does not get to spend time with her children. She says that she would like to get to know them better. In regard to dealing with difficult people, Beverly told the story about a neighbor of hers. This neighbor has a bad attitude and used to upset Beverly so much that she would cry every day before work, but now, she has learned not to let it affect her. She said that she also does not hold grudges. When Beverly's mother died, she was only 11 years old and it was terribly hard for her. She was the youngest of her brothers and sisters. They each had their own interests and activities, so she often found herself feeling lonely. Her childhood affect... ... focus on differences more than relationships. Beverly is usually pleased with herself because she is usually happy. She does not work on perfection, but on excellence. She is also comfortable with herself and with being alone. She is very interested with religion and would like to study more. Even though she has many male friends, she would like to have a man in her life. Her advice for finding happiness is to stay open to life, run with every experience, and always get up when you fall. My interview with Beverly Smith really helped me to stay open to the many possibilities life holds for me. It helped me to realize that I should follow my passions in order to be happy and how much the decisions I make now affect my future. I hope that someday I can achieve at least half as much as she has in her life. I admire her independence, charisma, and perseverance.

Gender Imbalance in Singapore Boardrooms Essay

The recent debate over the increasingly persistent issue of under-representation of women on boards in Singapore has shed light on the underlying problems in Singapore’s work sphere. While the country has evolved into a first-world economy, it has ironically and stubbornly retained the tradition of male-dominated upper-management—so much that a recent study found it to be even behind less-developed economies in terms of the percentage of women holding directorships on the boards of listed companies. In Singapore, this phenomenon seems to be caused by the lack of preexisting culture of female leaders, and the perception of females being suited to the domestic sphere rather than the office as well as of women being reticent, resulting in a general reluctance to appoint women onto boards. Currently, the pressing issue concerns the steps to be taken in response to this problem. Perhaps the most drastic of them would be the implementation of quotas, as adopted by various European countries (e.g. France, Italy and the Netherlands). The argument for this is that this â€Å"creates an impetus to create diversity† (Marleen Dieleman, NUS) and is crucial for progress, backed by statistics showing that companies with higher percentages of females on their boards have indeed performed better in relation to their counterparts with lower percentages. Indeed, diversity is a crucial element for progress in today’s globalized and fast-paced society; the wider the variety of personalities within a company’s workforce, the higher its likelihood of constantly developing innovative ideas and solutions, and hence the more successful it becomes. The mix of personalities also enables it to consider and amalgamate a variety of viewpoints for every issue at hand, allowin g it to come up with feasible solutions that appeal to multiple groups of people. Despite this, implementing quotas inevitably gives rise to a range of problems. Quotas fail to take into account the different needs of various sectors; for example, the nature of certain industries is such that there is inherently a much higher percentage of males in relation to females, hence it is only natural for company boards to consist mainly of males. Upsetting this balance will only lead to inefficiency, as talents may not be fully utilized as a result of such quotas. Economically wise, setting quotas would also upset the balance of demand and supply in the free market achieved by the ‘invisible hand’, causing a loss of societal welfare. Implementing a minimum percentage of females that is higher than the existing figure inevitably causes a surplus of candidates vying for a fixed number of board positions, resulting in many existing candidates’ inability to secure a position and hence giving rise to problems such as an inefficient allocation of jobs and p ossibly higher unemployment. This would be particularly detrimental to Singapore as competition for jobs is already stiff due to its large labour force and small economy. Given its major limitations, quotas are only applicable to Singapore in the short run, and cannot be implemented as a permanent measure. Another possible solution is for the government to encourage voluntary target-setting by companies, under the assumption that companies would take up the initiative and responsibility of implementing this measure. The idea is to cultivate incentive and instill the culture of appointing more females onto the board in the long run. For example, the 30 per cent Club in the UK—consisting of a group of chairmen from prominent global companies—voluntarily commits to bringing more women onto its companies’ boards with a self-declared target of 30 per cent, serving as a concrete example that companies with more women on their boards are still able to perform well financially. Such a measure would be both beneficial and sustainable in the long run, as it allows companies themselves to realize the benefits of appointing more female leaders, thus instilling initiative in them to continue doing so, rather than forcing them to do so via the implementation of quotas. However, statistics seem to indicate that Singapore lacks the culture of appointing women to leadership positions—the percentage of females on executive boards have consistently remained below 7% over the years, despite females making up over 40% of the workforce since 2001. Rather, the stereotype of women as ‘domestic homemakers’ still prevails—a recent study found that the 3 organisations (out of 65) that have at least half of their boardrooms made up of female directors are under industries traditionally dominated by females due to their characteristic of ‘caretaking.’ Given local circumstances, implementing the policy of voluntary target-setting would be rather ineffective, as no company would take up the initiative to change its inherent mindset and practice. Hence, while the policy is ideal, it is not yet ingrained in Singapore’s culture and needs to be cultivated in the long run. In this case, temporary quotas of around 15% should be imposed temporarily to kick start the system; thereafter, assuming that research proves true and companies start performing better under a higher percentage of female board directors, they would then be automatically motivated to keep up this practice in order to achieve even better results in the future. At the same time, additional measures should be implemented to minimize the problems of self-efficacy common amongst women in general. Studies have shown women to be naturally more reserved and reticent than their male counterparts and are thus less likely to apply for or get appointed to leadership positions. Nevertheless, studies have also shown that extraversion is a characteristic that can be trained and adopted at any point in one’s life; hence, the solution to this problem lies in grooming women to be more effective leaders—for example, letting experienced directors take them under their wings. This would allow women to be better equipped for leadership positions and also cause companies to be more willing to appoint them onto boards, thereby developing a culture of a higher percentage of women heading executive boards in Singapore. While there is a possibility of the unwillingness of experienced directors to take on such a responsibility, the government can introduce incentives (such as monetary compensation) to effectively induce initiative in these directors. In conclusion, in order for the issue to be solved in Singapore, a long-term mindset change must be implemented. Quotas can be used as a catalyst to start the ball rolling; however, it can only ever be a short-term measure as it will inevitably lead to inefficiency and dissent in the long term. Thereafter, the government should encourage voluntary target-setting by companies, coupled with additional measures to ensure that women are well-trained to be effective leaders, thereby enabling women to be sufficiently represented while maintaining the efficiency of companies.

Porters five force analysis for lifestyle broadcast industry - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 939 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Marketing Essay Type Analytical essay Did you like this example? Porters five force analysis for lifestyle broadcast industry Porters model is based on the insight that a corporate strategy should meet the opportunities and threats in the organizations external environment. Especially, competitive strategy should base on and understanding of industry structures and the way they change. (paraphrase this) Degree of rivalry within the industry (Moderate) This point mainly describes about the intensity of competition between the existing companies in an industry. Felling of pressure or feeling of existence of opportunities for progress is the main reason that initiates any competition. There is a moderate degree of rivalry in the industry currently as there are few companies with high concentration. However the intensity of competition is increasing rapidly due to high growth rate in this segment. The competition in this segment is not very intense. The main factors for this being High exit barriers and High fixed costs(u can elaborate if u have stuff). The other factor is there no real difference between the products produced by each channels. As they all come under same genre the shows are bound to overlap. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Porters five force analysis for lifestyle broadcast industry" essay for you Create order Bargaining power of Buyers (High) The most determinant parameters in bargaining power are the number of potential and actual buyers. There is a limited customer (audience) base for this genre in the current scenario. As a result of this the customer is the king and all the channels are doing their best to gain customer satisfaction. In broader sense the only source of income for these channels are advertisers. Advertisers are the buyers for all the lifestyle channels in India. The audience base and reach of the channels determines the advertisements it will receive. This fact has increased buyers bargaining power in the industry. In other words, buyers bargaining power is likely to be high when they buy large volumes and there is a concentration of buyers and also when buyers are price sensitive. There is small number of buyers, who purchase large volumes.. this is mainly because there is niche audience for lifestyle channels not all advertisers can advertise on this channels. Prevalence of alternative options like sports, general entertainment genres increases the bargaining power with respect to prices of other services. There is no particular brand loyalty of the channels but there is loyalty for the shows telecasted in the channels, paving way for high bargaining powers of buyers. Power of Suppliers (Low) Supplier in this case can be divided into two groups. First being inputs required for the production of the shows, like the technicians, equipments, anchors and directors. The other important supplier will be production companies which are outsourced for the production of shows. Supplier bargaining power is likely to be high when the market is dominated by a few large suppliers rather than a fragmented source of supply (Porter, 1980). Considering the environmental media which consist of technicians, equipments and production houses, there is no monopoly in this area and there are numerous alternatives for them. In case there are very few suppliers of the essentials required for the show and absence of any substitutes for the same then the suppliers can exert pressure. Sometimes a input required for the show is extremely important and the alternatives prove to be very costly then in such cases the suppliers will be in better terms to dictate terms. However in this present scenari o most of the suppliers depend on the channels to use their service. If the channels decide to change the suppliers then it would badly affect the suppliers. Potential Entrants (High) If the competition in an industry is moderate then its easier for other companies to enter the market. In such a situation, new entrants could change major determinants of the market environment (e.g. market shares, prices, customer loyalty) at any time. There is always a latent pressure for reaction and adjustment for existing players in this industry. They care for taking up a part of market, therefore costs may breakdown or current costs may increase through this fact and as a result of this process, profitability may reduce. Industry entrance threat depends on barriers to their needs to entrance and also current competitors reactions. The entry barriers are getting weaker with the overall development and growth in the industry. Easier to reach economic of scales (pls give reason for this I forgot what I was writing, because u started touching me). No brand (channel) loyalty for advertisers. Capital requirements are falling due to growth in digital technology. Like magazin e market, different niches within same segment. Specific beat shows like food or travel, like foreign markets. As India has a growing market the potential threat from other foreign/ national media barons entering the same niche market is higher. There are even chances of well established existing players entering the market. As there are very limited suppliers of lifestyle content providers in terms of exclusively dedicated lifestyle channels. So this would be the major attraction for the new players to enter this particular segment. Threat of substitution (Low) A threat from substitutes exists if there are alternative products with lower prices of better performance parameters for the same purpose. They could potentially attract a significant proportion of market volume and hence reduce the potential sales volume for existing players. As this is a niche market, threat on substitution will be low. As the shows generally are produced in house or exported from international markets the exclusivity can me maintained till its first telecasted. Although there is a high possibility of rivals substituting the product, however the quality, production value and a set anchor cannot be substituted easily.