Red Lobster company Case study

Executive Summary This is a case study report regarding Red Lobster, which is a company that deals in food products. The paper looks into the marketing functions of the company. It analyses the development of marketing strategies implemented by the company in the decade starting 2000.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Red Lobster company Case study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The assesses the market positioning activities that the company has been doing and the effect that it has had on the growth in customers and the company image as viewed by the customers. The market positioning changes have taken place under different marketing leadership plans. Therefore, these plans are discussed in the paper and a view given on whether they have been efficient or not. Lastly, the paper assesses the benefits of focusing on experiential and why this is important for Red Lobster. Introduction Marketing is important for bu siness firms. Most business firms that have attained quick development and expansion have had good marketing practices. Without proper marketing management, it becomes challenging to sell the products of a company which means that the company operations will be paralysed. Lack of sales means no income for the company and thus the company cannot sustain operations when there are no finances to do so. Therefore, marketing lies at the centre of the company operations (Groucutt, Forsyth and Leadley, 2004). Red Lobster is one of the companies that have undergone a lot of transformations all in the name of improving marketing. Red lobster is a United States based company that deals in foodstuff. The company has been in operation for over 40 years. It operates in the form of casual full-service dining chain stores. Therefore, this paper discuses various changes in the company, which have aimed at improving the company’s services and attracting more customers (Lamb, 2012). Change of Positioning Since its establishment, the company’s main goal has been the provision of affordable seafood to the Americans. However, in the recent times, the company has changed the management. The new management has been developing on its value position and incorporating freshness in its mission. Fairness has thus been incorporated into the position of the company.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Affordability only did not auger well with the customers of the company as they associated the position with low quality. The new position, which includes freshness, is being implemented without adjustment in prices as this could affect the customers. There has been an increase in price promotions. The new management has been working on winning a significant number of customers by way of diversifying the service to customers in a remodelling exercise (Bell and Riis, 2010). The growth of the Red Lobster restaurants up to when a change in the leadership of the company occurred can be attributed to sales promotions. It can be noted that, in 2004, Lopdrup took over as the president of the company. During this time, there was a lot of competition in the sea food sector with many competitive players like Olive Garden, Applebee’s and Chili’s emerging. The other restaurants had lower prices of their food as compared to Red Lobster as the company only served seafood which was still expensive then. The other restaurants served other proteins on top of the seafood. Therefore, the available option for the company was diversifying its menu. A consumer survey was commissioned by Lopdrup aimed at getting the real insights of consumers on the food offered by the restaurant. Also, there were changes according to the needs of customers. Therefore, the position needed to be changed so as to accommodate the changes suggested in the report . According to cus tomers, the seafood market had two categories of food one of them being top quality seafood which was fresh and which utilized culinary expertize in its preparation. On the other hand, there are the low end places which serve massive food, frozen and fried seafood made up the second category. Many customers put the company in the second category. Thus, Lopdrup developed its plan to be implemented in 3 episodes. The first phase focussed on the improvement of operations. Most of the repositioning activities lied in phase two of the plan. This phase was to run until the year 2009. It involved major changes in the menu that would take place gradually.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Red Lobster company Case study specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The third phase involved the remodelling of the restaurants which was central in changing the perceptions that customers had about the restaurants (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel, 2012). The first phase was implemented using the simplified approach which Lopdrup referred to as â€Å"simple, great operating discipline†. It involved the simplification of operations to ensure that everything in the restaurants went on well. Under this approach, the costs are brought down while encouraging high quality for customers. The activities under these strategies include simplification of menus, recipes and promotions. Notably, there was the elimination of deep discounting (Fla, 2007). Under the reposition approach, the management hired Salli Setta a marketing specialist. A new culinary team was hired under Setta. The chefs are given parameters in the new product development system that was put up by Setta. The chefs work within certain parameters and are responsible for creativity within the parameters under which they work. The marketing team developed a new menu in the restaurants that emphasize freshness. Therefore, new changes were introduced into the operati ons of the restaurants that saw the developments of the new dishes. There was also the development of fresh fish menu, and it featured different types of fish entrees and which changes according to the fish catch each day. The fish menu was put on a separate menu card which was given to every customer who entered the restaurant. The menu was used as lead for servers – restaurant servers greet customers by describing the available fresh fish menu. Also, the name of the chef on duty featured on the menu. Upgrades were also made in the raw ingredients. Accompanying these activities were new television adverts that were developed to help in advertising the new menu. The advertisement covered the two menus – fresh fish menu and the wood fire grilling (Fla, 2007).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This can be termed as a comprehensive marketing strategy that aimed to attain a total change in the market positioning of the company. All aspects of change were featured in the set of marketing activities that were implemented under the supervision of Setta. This is part of the changes that had been introduced in the year 2004; however, seta made these plans more comprehensive building from the simple steps and capturing all aspects of customer attraction and marketing. The quality of the food was improved through comprehensive training of the chefs and the serving staff. The quality of service was also upgraded by including an advertisement aspect in the serving of the menus. The method of advertisement that was used as from 2008 borrowed from the â€Å"Ignite the Craving† advertisement campaign that was used from 2004 by Lopdrup. The campaign was very successful then. The same method is still being used; however, it focuses more on the new methods of grilling and on the ma jor positioning factor which is â€Å"freshness† (Pride and Ferrell, 2011). More diversity was employed in the position as focus on freshness alone would become boring to the customers. Promotional strategies were revitalised. The first promotional strategy is known as Lobsterfest. The other one is Endless Shrimp. They shifted the focus to choice and variety and not on what was available. This signified a growth in the number of customers that was achieved using the positioning strategies mentioned earlier. Remodelling followed the positioning exercise which had helped the restaurants to gain more customers and a positive perception. The remodelling exercise was preceded by a research which guided the running of the exercise (Pride and Ferrell, 2011). Focus on Experiential Making the experiential the target segment of the Red Lobster Restaurants is a good marketing step. In fact, this is one of the targets of the recent internet advertising campaign that the company is using. The campaign is a behavioural in nature. This campaign will be run by two companies. These companies include Revenue Science, which is a company that targets behaviour, and Internet Broadcasting, which is an online news source company. The restaurant will target its customer base which is inclusive of on-the-go customers as they leave work heading home by utilizing the traffic maps and other online tools (Pride and Ferrell, 2011). Real Branding will help Red Lobster to pinpoint and target the viewers who visit their site, and whose consumption behaviour matches the consumer profile of Red Lobster. However, this is only after having assessed the behaviour of the customers. This will be achieved by assessing the behaviour of the customers. This strategy will help the company to reach a considerable number of consumers at the local level. In this way, it is the best example of capturing consumers for the company by way of using consumer behaviour concept. There are many potential cust omers who transact their business online. Therefore, by engaging them online, the company will be able to know their tastes in consumption and try to align them with their menus. If they go together, customers will be invited to the restaurants. Research has shown that most people who transact online like exploring to meet the qualities of experiential customers. Most of the menus offered by Red Lobster restaurants fit the experiential consumers (Satz, 2005). Conclusion The Red lobster is among the Companies that have operated in the restaurant of the Unite States for a long time. The company has gone through a transformational process that has helped to improve what the restaurant offers in the market and raises the customer base. The plan that was devised by Lopdrup in 2004 has helped to position the company in the market. This has been through improvement of the quality of food and changing the perception of customers. The focus on the exponential consumers will be a positive mov e. However, other customers must continue to be given attention. Reference List Bell, DE and Riis, J 2010, Red Lobster. Harvard Business Review. Web. Fla, O 2007, Freshness Hallmarks the New Red Lobster. Web. Groucutt, J, Forsyth, P and Leadley, P 2004, Marketing: Essential principles, new realities, Kogan Page, London. Lamb, CW 2012, Marketing, Nelson Education, Toronto. Lamb, CW, Hair, JF and McDaniel, CD 2012, Essentials of marketing, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, Ohio. Pride, WM Ferrell, OC 2011, Marketing express, South-Western Cengage Learning, Mason, Ohio. Satz, S 2005, Red Lobster’s Behavioural Campaign. Web. This report on Red Lobster company Case study was written and submitted by user Moderate Pheasant to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Free Essays on Respect

RESPECT Respect: a relation to or concern with something specified; an act of giving particular attention; consideration. That’s the official definition, but what does it mean to me, good question. What does it mean to me? Respect is something that should be earned not just given. There are a lot of people who do not respect others, and that is one of the things wrong with society today. The gang members who spray graffiti in their own neighborhood on other people’s property, they need to be punished cause they show no respect for anyone or anything. Behavior like this probably begins at home. Many families are single parents only so children are not taught respect in the home as in the past. They learn nothing about values, because there’s no one to teach them. They pick it up from the streets instead. They learn to disrespect themselves by subjecting their bodies to drugs and alcohol. They learn to disrespect others so they can be cool, and not only people but property as well. How de we correct this, don’t know. All we can do is show them respect and hope in some way they can respect us back. Most societies show much respect for the elderly, except for the U.S. The elderly have much we could learn from, but for some reason we just put them in nursing homes and let them rot. Other countries hold the elderly in total and utter respect, listening to their every word, and acting on it. We could learn something from these other countries. We tend to think of ourselves as the perfect society, but in many ways we are flawed. As we learn new ways the old ones are tossed to the side. What happened to the days when the youth would gather around a WWII vet and listen to his stories of the war. Nowadays we’re too busy to listen, and because of this we suffer for it. Old traditions are tossed away as easily as yesterday’s trash. Maybe it’s time we stopped and looked at how others respect their elders and start doing th... Free Essays on Respect Free Essays on Respect Respect is something that a person or persons who is talking or in general is given when the attention is on them or in an academic environment. The type of respect that I am writing about is the respect given to a person or persons in an academic environment. One thing you should not do when people are reading or studying is talk. That is why I am writing this essay because I did not give the needed respect to my classmates in the classroom. Even though I had nothing to do I should have been courteous enough to give my classmates the respect that they deserved in the classroom. Though I was not reading or studying I was goofing around and talking there for I did not give the proper respect to my classmates when it was needed. There are a couple of sayings that I know that are about respect such as: to get respect you have to give respect, and the most common I think is be respectful of other around you even if they are not respectful to you. Though others were talking around me I sh ould not have taken part in talking with them because I causes even more of a distraction to others when there is more than one person talking around you. It also got me into trouble and now I have to write an essay on it. Respect towards others is needed and should be taught because if you have no respect for others then you will probably not get respect, even if it is not in an academic environment it is just good manners to have respect towards people especially your peers. Respect can get you far in life. Once you give respect you will almost with out a doubt get it back which is a good thing. For example: if you give respect to someone that is studying when you are studying they will probably and hopefully give you the same respect that you gave to them when they were studying. Most people get favors from other people either because they are friends, or pay them money, or have done them favors, or know their families, they also get favors from other peo... Free Essays on Respect RESPECT Respect: a relation to or concern with something specified; an act of giving particular attention; consideration. That’s the official definition, but what does it mean to me, good question. What does it mean to me? Respect is something that should be earned not just given. There are a lot of people who do not respect others, and that is one of the things wrong with society today. The gang members who spray graffiti in their own neighborhood on other people’s property, they need to be punished cause they show no respect for anyone or anything. Behavior like this probably begins at home. Many families are single parents only so children are not taught respect in the home as in the past. They learn nothing about values, because there’s no one to teach them. They pick it up from the streets instead. They learn to disrespect themselves by subjecting their bodies to drugs and alcohol. They learn to disrespect others so they can be cool, and not only people but property as well. How de we correct this, don’t know. All we can do is show them respect and hope in some way they can respect us back. Most societies show much respect for the elderly, except for the U.S. The elderly have much we could learn from, but for some reason we just put them in nursing homes and let them rot. Other countries hold the elderly in total and utter respect, listening to their every word, and acting on it. We could learn something from these other countries. We tend to think of ourselves as the perfect society, but in many ways we are flawed. As we learn new ways the old ones are tossed to the side. What happened to the days when the youth would gather around a WWII vet and listen to his stories of the war. Nowadays we’re too busy to listen, and because of this we suffer for it. Old traditions are tossed away as easily as yesterday’s trash. Maybe it’s time we stopped and looked at how others respect their elders and start doing th...

FEX_HUM310 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

FEX_HUM310 - Essay Example It is very democratic because having a book about how to become important levels the playing field. This article was important because at the time, everybody thought a Catholic president would basically just do whatever the Pope said without thinking of America first. However, Smiths article argues that this belief was completely against Americas constitution, which allowed for both freedom of religion and the separation of church and state. It influenced American values by drawing peoples attention again to the basic rights set out by the constitution with regards to religious rights. On the Road, like other books and poems published during the Beat Generation, was a book that really called into question the traditional values of America. It represented a big shift in the way people thought about things, and was very liberal or even radical. Once people accepted it America began to accept more liberal ideas. The Feminine Mystique is an important book because it drew attention to the way American women were still mostly a subservient gender. They were unhappy, but because for them to be happy might call into question traditional values about what women were supposed to do in the home, not many people wanted to know about their unhappiness at first. Friedans book brought this problem to the national attention. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the letter in response to criticism of his protests in Birmingham Alabama. He claimed that unjust laws should be disobeyed because of morals. It is a significant document because it suggests that America was not as good at giving everybody an equal, democratic chance as it wished to believe. It also sets forth an alternative way for the oppressed people like African-Americans to change their country for the better. Bellow was controversial because of his conservative social and political views. He made statements and

Introduce your research topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Introduce your research topic - Essay Example The first element is a state of human mind that is beyond that of other animals and this means consideration of happiness must go beyond what animals can feel. A consistent attitude over a long period and that is strong enough to overcome challenges is another element of happiness and this disqualifies short-term pleasures from being categorized as happiness. The long-term attitude must further be of satisfaction with a person’s environment and embedded in the person’s mind. The definition identifies significance of factors that influence a person’s attitude to happiness of the role of mediator factors on effects of the primary factors on a person’s level of happiness. An understanding of the actual definitions of spirituality and religion is therefore important for investigating and explaining possible effects of the two factors on happiness. Spirituality is the aspect of a person’s inner being and how the person relate to his or her environment. It has been associated with such concepts as morality, holiness, and sanctity (Young and Koopsen 9, 10). Religion is, however, the practical manifestation of spirituality and is often visible through such aspects as culture and behavior. It is a social characteristic, unlike spirituality that is an individual trait and may be embedded too deep to be perceived from an outward look (Young and Koopsen 89, 90). The two however defines an individual’s personality, the individual’s interaction with the environment, and are therefore important in a person’s attitude towards contentment with the environment. A person’s moral conscience, an element of spirituality that can be manifested in behavior, can therefore define the individual’s value for other people in an environment and the people’s possessions. An understanding that spirit cont rols forces in an individual’s environment and that it is not an individual’s responsibility to

Gerdes Psychological Services Essay Example for Free

Gerdes Psychological Services Essay E3-1B| (Transaction Analysis—Service Company) Brown is a licensed CPA. During the first month of operations of her business (a sole proprietorship), the following events and transactions occurred. | | | April| | | | | | | 3| Purchased supplies on account $1,610.| | | | | 11| Completed a tax assignment and billed client $2,530 for services rendered. | | 12| Received $7,360 advance on a management consulting engagement.| | 17| Received cash of $5,290 for services completed for Calunga Co.| | 21| Paid insurance expense $253.| | 30| Owe the secretary-receptionist $2,668 for the month.| | 30| A count of supplies indicated that $276 of supplies had been used. | | 30| Purchased a new computer for $14,030| (LO 4)| | | InstructionsJournalize the transactions in the general journal. (Omit explanations.)Problem #3| | E3-3B | (Corrected Trial Balance) The trial balance of Cervantes Corporation, below, does not balance. | | | CERVANTES CORPORATIONTRIAL BALANCEAPRIL 30, 2010| | Debit| Credit| Cash| $11,824| | Accounts Receivable| 10,480| | Supplies on Hand| 5,934| | Furniture and Equipment| 12,200| | Accounts Payable| | $14,088| Common Stock| | 16,000| Retained Earnings| | 4,000| Service Revenue| | 10,400| Office Expense| 8,640| | | $49,078| $44,488| An examination of the ledger shows these errors. | 1. | Cash received from a customer on account was recorded as $2,760 instead of $3,660.| | 2. | The purchase on account of a computer costing $6,400 was recorded as a debit to Office Expense and a credit to Accounts Payable.| | 3. | Services were performed on account for a client, $4,500, for which Accounts Receivable was debited $4,500 and Service Revenue was credited $450.| | 4. | A payment of $190 for telephone charges was entered as a debit to Office Expenses and a debit to Cash.| | 5. | The Service Revenue account was totaled at $10,400 instead of $10,560.| | (LO 4)| | | InstructionsFrom this information prepare a corrected trial balanceProblem #4| | | | | | | | E3-5B | (Adjusting Entries) The ledger of Chan Rental Agency on March 31 of the current year includes the following selected accounts before adjusting entries have been prepared. | | | | Debit| Credit| Prepaid Insurance| $ 2,700| | Supplies| 2,100| | Equipment| 18,750| | Accumulated Depreciation—Equipment| | $ 6,300| Notes Payable| | 15,000| Unearned Rent Revenue| | 6,975| Rent Revenue| | 45,000| Interest Expense| –0– | | Wage Expense| 10,500| | An analysis of the accounts shows the following. | 1. | The equipment depreciates $188 per month.| | 2. | One-third of the unearned rent was earned during the quarter.| | 3. | Interest of $375 is accrued on the notes payable.| | 4. | Supplies on hand total $637.| | 5. | Insurance expires at the rate of $225 per month.| | (LO 5)| | | InstructionsPrepare the adjusting entries at March 31, assuming that adjusting entries are made quarterly. Additional accounts are: Depreciation Expense; Insurance Expense; Interest Payable; and Supplies Expense.| | | | Problem # 5 | | | | E3-8B | (Adjusting Entries) Dement is the new owner of Fung Computer Services. At the end of August 2010, his first month of ownership, Dement is trying to prepare monthly financial statements. Below is some information related to unrecorded expenses that the business incurred during August. | 1. | At August 31, Dement owed his employees $2,280 in wages that will be paid on September 1.| | 2. | At the end of the month he had not yet received the months utility bill. Based on past experience, he estimated the bill would be approximately $720.| | 3. | On August 1, Dement borrowed $36,000 from a local bank on a 15-year mortgage. The annual interest rate is 6%.| | 4. | A telephone bill in the amount of $140 covering August charges is unpaid at August 31.5.During August, Dement earned $1000 of $6000 that was received from a client at the end of July.| | (LO 5)| | | InstructionsInstructionsPrepare the adjusting journal entries as of August 31, 2010, suggested by the information above.| | | | |

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus Essay

Superman, Spiderman, Iron Man, Batman; these are some examples of the modern day hero. Most call this form of a hero a Super Hero. In the early nineteenth century, the popular hero of the day was the romantic hero. Mary Shelly gives a great picture of this hero in her novel Frankenstein. She uses Victor Frankenstein, the creator of the famous â€Å"Frankenstein’s Monster† as her character which embodies the traits of a romantic hero. The model was relatively new; however, Christopher Marlowe had written a character in the early fifteenth century which embodied the same characteristics. These attributes of romanticism in the form of a hero are seen in both Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein and Christopher Marlowe’s Dr. Faustus in very much the same way. The authors use their respective hero to show the flaws in human nature and humankind’s predisposition towards sin using such things as obsession, internal battles and differing moral codes. The romantic hero is obsessed with something, and usually this something is detrimental towards themselves and or their relationship with Christ. Victor is obsessed with two things: one, the creation of his monster and, two, finding his monster after his life is destroyed by it. Victor says that â€Å"so deeply was I engrossed in my occupation† that he â€Å"did not watch the blossom or the expanding leaves† which had previously enamored him(Shelly 34). Victor was so obsessed with the creation of his monster that he did not even leave his â€Å"lair†. This obsession led to health problems, seclusion from the world and his family, and ultimately to the deaths of several people because of the monster he completed. Towards the end of the novel, we see a Victor consumed with finding and killing the beast. He swears â€Å"to purs... ...arated by about three hundred years and different types of literature; however, Shelly and Marlowe use the qualities of a romantic hero to show that human nature is flawed and that man is prone to sin. They use the â€Å"qualities† of obsession, internal battles and differing moral codes to convey their message that â€Å"Bad company corrupts good character† so to speak, the â€Å"bad company† being humans and their sinful nature, and the â€Å"good company† being seemingly harmless qualities of a hero(1 Corinthians 15:33). Humankind should take their stories as an example and learn from it, by turning to God instead of those things. Works Cited Barker, Kenneth L., ed. Holy Bible. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2010. Print. Marlowe, Christopher. Dr. Faustus. New York: Dover, 1994. Print. Shelley, Mary W. Frankenstein. New York, New York: Dover Publications, 1994. Print.

Midterm Essay Essay

Briefly identify and explain the key differences and similarities regarding the UCR, NIBRS, and NCVS programs. The Uniformed Crime Reporting (UCR) Program displays crime data for the United States, as well as for states, cities, counties and colleges. This allows for a comparison among neighboring jurisdictions and among those with similar populations and other common characteristics. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) collects information on the frequency and of crimes such as rape, sexual assault, aggravated and simple assault, household burglary, theft, and motor vehicle theft. Both systems report different types of information and different details. The UCR program displays statistics for law enforcement administration, operation, and management. The UCR program utilizes what is called the hierarchy rule. If more than one crime was committed by the same person and the time separating the crimes was minor, then the crime highest in the hierarchy is the only crime reported. This seems like a very inaccurate method of recording data, one would assume that all records of offenses were taken into consideration for reporting purposes. The NCVS program collects information on crimes by individuals and households while also providing information on victims such as age, sex, race, marital status. The difference in the two programs is that each serves a different purpose in reporting. The UCR reports information for law enforcement, operations and management. The NCVS provides information about each crime, its victims and the offenders. Summarize the evolution of the criminal justice system in America. Identify and discuss at least three (3) key U.S Supreme Court cases that have had a significant impact on the issue of individual rights versus public order, with respect to arrest, search, and seizure. In modern day America, the public’s view on the typical criminal has shifted from seeing him or her as a victim of social and personal unfortunate circumstances to seeing him  or her as a dangerous predator who takes advantage of the rights and privileges of citizens (Schmalleger, 2014). An example of a Supreme Court case that had an impact on the issue of individual rights versus public order is McCullen v. Coakley. Individuals claimed that a â€Å"buffer zone† around an abortion clinic infringed upon their First Amendment rights to free speech by communication with patients less effective (Takeway). This relates to the possibility of an arrest if the protestors are blocking the entrance to an abortion clinic or physically harassing a patient. In 1995, the Supreme Court ruled that officers must knock and announce their identity before entering a dwelling even if they hold a search warrant (Schmalleger, 2014). In January 2012, the Supreme Court ruled that the FBI needed a warrant to attach a GPS device to s suspected drug dealer’s car. This ties into the search and seizure topics and preserves the individual rights of the suspected drug dealer. After all, the individual is just suspected of being a dealer, there is no hard evidence. In general, outline the police mission, operational strategies, styles and the legal and ethical aspects of policing today. The police officer mission consists of five components, enforcing the law, apprehending offenders, preventing crime, preserving the peace, and providing the community with needed enforcement related services. Law enforcement has a chain of command just like the military with three policing styles that vary by department and region. The watchman style attempts to achieve â€Å"order maintenance†. The legalistic style attempts to enforce the letter of the law. The service style attempts to meet the needs of the community and serve its members. In general, police officers are mandated to stay within the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Amendments. All law enforcement officials regardless of status or rank should be held accountable for their actions however, this is not always the case. There are three methods that guide American policing. Strategic policing retains the goal of professional crime fighting but enlarges the target to include serial offenders, gangs and criminal associations. It makes use of technology, intelligence operations and undercover stings (Schmalleger, 2014). Problem solving policing assumes that crimes are caused by social conditions within the community and that they can be controlled by addressing social problems (Schmalleger, 2014).  Lastly, community policing supports the use of partnerships and problem solving techniques to address the issues that cause crime. (Schmalleger, 2014). Ethical issues that plague law enforcement vary. Racially biased policing in which police officers are viewed as biased for example, taking that a predominately African American neighborhood is full of criminals. The use of excessive and deadly force is another issue in which police officers either use too much force in the apprehension of a suspect or cause death or great bodily harm (Schmalleger, 2014). What is the dual-court system? Identify and explain the three levels of characteristic of the federal judiciary. The dual court system is the result of general agreement among the founding fathers about the need for individual states to retain significant legislative authority and judicial autonomy separate from federal control (Schmalleger, 2014). The three levels of characteristics of the federal judiciary are the district courts, the courts of appeal and the Supreme Court. The district courts are composed of 94 judicial districts . Federal district courts have jurisdiction over all cases involved alleged violations of federal statutes. The 94 judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits each with a court of appeals. The court of appeals hears appeals from district courts within its circuit (Schmalleger, 2014). These courts are also known as circuit courts. The U.S. Supreme Court is the top federal court system in the U.S. It is comprised of nine justices with eight being associates and the ninth being the chief justice (Schmalleger, 2014). The Supreme Courts’ decisions affect the United States by deciding what laws and lower court decisions are in line with the Constitution. Identify and describe the various pre-trial stages of criminal trial. There are various pre-trial stages in a criminal trial. It begins with an arrest when the person is taken into custody. The first appearance is when the defendant appears before a judge. The legality of his or her arrest is contemplated and the defendant is told what he or she is being charged with. The accused will either be kept incarcerated without bail or with bail, the latter being money paid by the arrested in exchange for release. The next stage is the pretrial release in which the accused person is released from custody before or during prosecution. However, there is a condition; the  accused person is required to appear in court when told to do so. Plea bargains are also negotiated. The defendant can agree to plea guilty to a lesser charge than the one he or she is being accused with. A lesser punishment may be in order if they are being accused with multiple offenses. A plea bargain is a debate or negotiation between the defense counsel, defendant and the prosecution. Normally criminal cases end at this stage in order to reduce time and money. References Schmalleger, F. (2014). Criminal Justice: a brief introduction, (10th ed) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Takeaways From Supreme Court Rulings On Buffer Zones, Recess Picks. (2014). National Public Radio.