Today (June 25th, 2020) ‘automated’ accounting service ScaleFactor announced that it would be permanently shutting down, closing its doors on August 28th, 2020. In an announcement made by the CEO, they noted that half of their team (about 50 people) would be immediately terminated and the other half would help close out operations through the end of August. While some of Certified Public Accountant their actions in closing are commendable– offering 12 weeks of severance, health care through the end of the year, recruiting assistance, and allowing their team to keep their equipment– this announcement must come as a shock… ScaleFactor set out to disrupt the accounting industry by offering “automated accounting,” something many of their competitors have tried to accomplish but have not executed well. However, it seems the only disruption they ultimately caused is to their clients’ and employees’ financial lives – smack dab in the middle of a global pandemic and recession.
Scope of this study
Officials present on the day in question stated that the situation was very hostile, with offenders having moved their beds to block the door and prevent the officials from entering the cell. After the correctional officials forcibly opened the cell door, the offenders began flinging objects (urine and faeces in buckets) at them. The offenders who sustained injuries during the incident were taken to the hospital section for treatment and a doctor for examination. On day one, at about 18H30, correctional officials were instructed by the Head of the correctional centre to conduct a surprise search in one of the cells to confiscate cell phones (unauthorised items) that were allegedly in the possession of inmates.
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The effects of prisoner resistance on the severity of force used by correctional staff members are explored, along with implications and recommendations. In the first encounter, all the interactions and responses between the officials and the inmates correspond with the force comparative scales because the inmates did cooperate with the officials’ instruction to unblock the keylock mechanism to gain access to the cell to search. The presents of the officer and commands issued by the officials (levels 1 and 2) of the sequential use of force levels and the corresponding cooperative and non-resistance in resistance levels were adequate. Although the blocking of the keyhole was in contravention of the policy and a serious breach of security measures, it did not allow for the use of force under the principle of necessity because there was no reason for the correctional officers to proceed to the next level of the RFCS which is active resistance. The formulation of the different themes was guided by the common research areas (individual officer, suspect and situational variables) that involve the use of force by law enforcement agencies to draw a holistic conclusion as to the contributing factors that led to the incident.
Data availability
The controversial use of force by correctional officers is a matter of concern because it can jeopardize the stability of a correctional centre and the relationships between staff members and inmates. The biggest challenge we are now experiencing is our ability to accurately measure the use of force. The two international regulatory frameworks mentioned earlier only set the benchmark on how it must be regulated but does not explain how it can be measured.
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We see this as a marathon, not a sprint; moving carefully has allowed us to remain competitive while embracing compassion and creativity. As part of the investment, Coatue gets a seat on the board, giving ScaleFactor access to a hedge fund that invested in Uber, Lending Club, Reddit, and Lyft in addition to Square and Shopify. “The proliferation of data is making platforms like ScaleFactor increasingly useful,” for small and medium-sized businesses that are looking for actionable insight in real-time, said Laffont. In an interview with https://www.bookstime.com/articles/wine-accounting Forbes on June 23, the CEO blamed the Covid-19 pandemic for almost halving ScaleFactor’s $7 million in annual recurring revenue as demand from small businesses crumbled. About 100 people would be laid off with three months of severance, and cash would be returned to investors — a seemingly tidy end to another startup afflicted by the pandemic. It explicitly quantifies whether force was insufficient, appropriate, or excessive against the resistance level portrayed by the resistor.
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This phenomenon requires a more thorough analysis because there is little research being done in this field, particularly in South Africa where these types of incidents are on the increase. The analytical approach that informed the outcome of this study includes an inductive conventional content analysis of the sources of information. A conventional content method was used for the subjective interpretation of text data content through the systematic classification process of coding and identifying themes or patterns.
- The United Nations and the Human Rights Council are among the most popular international regulatory bodies that specifically address the use of force in security contexts.
- This phenomenon requires a more thorough analysis because there is little research being done in this field, particularly in South Africa where these types of incidents are on the increase.
- We see this as a marathon, not a sprint; moving carefully has allowed us to remain competitive while embracing compassion and creativity.
- Trained at KPMG, Rathmann was frustrated by the small business constraints he faced when it came to managing accounting and financing.
- The resistance level posed by an individual during an encounter is ranked on an ordinal scale—verbal and passive resistance at level one and active resistance at level two.
Less than a month later, an article was published on Forbes claiming that ScaleFactor’s collapse was due to entirely different reasons than those laid out by Rathmann. Before diving into the nitty gritty of the Forbes article claims, let’s learn more about ScaleFactor—what they were setting out to accomplish and how they managed to raise significant funds in such a short amount of time. After allocating most of his time to simplifying accounting tasks and automating manual work, Rathmann decided to leave his job and found ScaleFactor.
- The study evaluates the effectiveness of the force factor analysis (resistance vs. sequential levels) that is used internationally to measure the appropriate force allowed in each situation.
- With the addition of its $370,000 Angel round in 2015, its Series A brings the company’s total funding to nearly $12.9 million.
- The fundamental objective of such oversight in a correctional setting is to ensure the humane treatment of inmates and that the legal limits of action used to maintain internal order in correctional centres are upheld.
- Less than a month later, an article was published on Forbes claiming that ScaleFactor’s collapse was due to entirely different reasons than those laid out by Rathmann.
- More in-depth research is needed to identify these environmental and situational factors that precipitate occurrences requiring the use of force.
The provision for the use of force in law enforcement agencies is designed to assist officers to control subjects during arrest using only the minimum force that is reasonably necessary. The principles of Necessity and proportionalityFootnote 4 set limits on how and when force scalefactor may be used lawfully during incidents whereas the principle of precaution applies upstream; it requires governing bodies to ensure that law enforcement operations are planned and conducted to minimize the risk of injury. Unfortunately, burning through $103 million in cash has got to be the hardest way to learn this lesson. At Accountingprose we strive to adopt the best and latest technology and automate our solutions wherever possible. We recognize, though, that the most important part of the accounting engagement is the human relationship; providing timely, data-driven, and bespoke advice to our clients. Perhaps not all parts of accounting, but the day-to-day minutiae will eventually be handed over to the robots.
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This has been accomplished by applying a detailed coding instrument to the narrative descriptions of the use of force encounters that occurred in two separate events over a four-day cycle. This study provides an expert witness account of what transpired during the interactions and how the initial use of force and degree of inmate resistance may be useful in comprehending the overall level of force and severity of resistance throughout the encounters. The measurement of each sequential action provides the difference between an encounter’s initial action and the level of force and resistance present at the outset.
