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Modern World History 1

Industrial revolution brought a great change in Europe drastically. Industrial revolution made Europeans more superior technologically. Their technology included machine guns, flamethrowers, artillery, bolt-action riffles, hand grenades and so on. These were very powerful and superior as compared to the weapons that the native warriors were using. Among the weapons that the native warriors were using were wooden and stone weapons as well as straw shields. The weapons that the European armies used were very powerful they had the ability to kill many people at a go. The native warriors were easily overpowered by the European armies. They destroyed their weapons easily as they were more advantaged since their weapons could destroy the weapons that the natives were using. The European armies launched the hand grenades on groups of the warriors which killed a large number of them at a single instance. The native warriors could not defend themselves efficiently against the armies as they were very strong compared to them when it came to the weapons.

Europeans had an army that was organized and they were well trained. They had undergone serious training which could enable them carry out their operations in an organized way. On the other hand the natives merely had a self defense force which was only mediocre. These were not well organized and they were not under good leadership. They had not been trained in any way and they merely came together so as to try and oppose the European armies. The lack of organization among the native warriors made them weak and hence they were easily defeated by the European armies.

Europeans introduced germs which the native people had not been exposed to before, particularly the small pox germ. The Europeans had been exposed to small pox over time and therefore they had built natural immunity against it. Therefore many natives died from the disease that they were exposed to. This reasons made it easy for the European armies to defeat the natives with great ease.



Critical Review

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Chapter 1: Introduction to organizational theory

Organizations can be defined as entities that are purposeful and goal oriented, however in including goals as part of the definition of an organisation means that there is consensus among members of the organization, which may not always be the case. In addition, the goals of the most powerful members or groups of the organization may be held in a more privileged position compared to those of the less powerful members (Jones, 2010 p 48). Organizational theory is important in our everyday lives since it influences our understanding of experiences within organizations and how we behave within those organizations (Burrell, 2003, p529). The perspectives that are taken in organizational theory should be keenly considered since they determine how people will understand organizations or how they will behave within their contexts. In understanding organizational theory, it is always necessary to make some philosophical assumptions, which act as a guidance tool; however, these assumptions are usually full of contentions since they usually do not have any evidence to support them.

Chapter 2: Modernist organizational theory: Back into the future

Modernist organizational theory argues that chaos and disorders among human beings can be overcome through human will and intentions, this means that the order can be maintained by creation of systems, bureaucracies and methods of management that aim at restoring order in a disorderly world. In understanding modernist organizational theory, it is important to look at the intellectual environment and organisations as part of systems; these can be looked at in two different ways. One of the ways is looking at the scientific activities that surround them which include development of the organizational theory; the second way is looking at the organizations as complex systems. Modernist organizational theory is more concerned about bureaucracy as a form of organizational and whether it is an agent of disorder and chaos in the world or it works to restore order in the world. Bureaucracy has been adopted in most of the organizations since the beginning of the 20th century as a means for efficient and effective organisations.

Neo-modernist organizational theory: putting people first

The modernist approach has been overtaken by the neo modernist approach, which puts the welfare of the people at the centre of the organization. The neo modernist organizational theory uses insight and techniques of the social sciences to build up an organizational and managerial presumption that is usable in problems connected with authority in organizational context. The neo modernist organizational theory pays special attention to the values and beliefs that individuals have and how they shape their experiences within organizations (Kets de Vries, 2004, p194). In addition, it also concentrates on how individual values and beliefs are shaped by their experiences in organizations, this leads to organizational culture and ways in which people’s needs can be woven in to those of organizations. This theory has two perspectives on how organizations are usually structured; the first perspective is where the management needs to be sensitive to the needs of the employees in order to create a conducive environment for all stakeholders of the organization. The second perspective is for the management of the organization to create a democratic space, which empowers all stakeholders in the organization (Westenholz, 2003, p110; Johnson, 2006).

Chapter 6: post modernism as a philosophy: the ultimate challenge to organizational theory?

Post modernism as a philosophy aims to disprove the modernist assumption that the world can be understood objectively by disproving the proposition that it is feasible to come up with a rational and generally applicable basis to scientific inquiry that can explain the universe from an objective point of view (Thompson, 2003, p185). Postmodernism has had the greatest impact on the organizational culture as it affects the values and beliefs of the stakeholders of the organizations.

Post modernism as a philosophy has expanded my knowledge on the thoughts of thinkers such as Jacques Derida; however, more explanation is needed on the basis of their critique of the modernist organizational theory.

Chapter 7: Reflective Organizational theory: symbols, meanings and interpretations

Reflective organizational theory emphasises on the way individuals give the happenings in the environment meaning and their ability to understand and reflect on the complexity of the organizations in which they work. In explaining how individuals interact with their environment, reflective organizational theory uses two approaches; they are symbolic interaction and phenomenology (Frenkel, 2003, p184). Symbolic interaction aims to explain how individuals can come together to achieve a certain purpose while phenomenology aims at describing and understanding of everyday activities of members in an organizations without using any past experiences or theories (Czarniawska and Sköldberg, 2003, p345; Jones, 2003, p87).

This chapter has shed light on new ways in which activities within an organisation can be understood without using any theories or experiences. An area that needs more explanation is the relationship between the two perspectives of reflective organisational theory; that is the link between symbolic interaction and phenomenology.

The evolution of management as reflected through the lens of modernist organizational theory

This chapter tries to understand managers as an organizational group that is different from management. Management has been depicted as having evolved during the last stages of industrial revolution; this evolution was accelerated by two related process that were taking place in industries at that time and they include delegation of responsibilities that were previously executed by owners to managers and expropriation by managers of the responsibilities that were previously performed by the employees. In this chapter, managers have been seen as either individuals who pursue the interests of the shareholders or their own self-interests (Child, 2005, p65).

This chapter has provided me with an insight on how the field of management evolved and how sometimes the interests of managers conflict with those of the shareholders. However, with the change in organizational structure role of managers has changed, which has not been explained in this chapter.

What I learnt from the course, my contributions and how the experience will shape my learning outcomes in the coming months

The course in organizational theory has helped me understand how organizations developed and how they run. The modernist organizational theory has enabled me understand how organizations were run in the 20th century through bureaucracies. The course has further broadened my knowledge in more recent ways of understanding organizations such as the neo modernist organizational theory that is concerned with the welfare of all the stakeholders of the organisations before organizational gains. In the context of neo modernist theory, control in organizations has been illuminated in terms of differentiating between formal and informal control and the types of formal control. Postmodernism organizational theory has helped in understanding two approaches that can be used in understanding organizations (Ritti & Levy, 2009, p 116). The first approach is where the term ‘postmodernism’ refers to a time in history that was characterized by vibrancy in organizations therefore having an effect on how organizations should be designed and run; the second approach refers to postmodernism as philosophical way of thinking. The chapter on postmodernism as a philosophy helps in understanding some theoretical perspectives that can be used in making sense of the events that happen in the world. In addition, this chapter sheds some light on the history and development of postmodernism theories and how it is practically impossible to develop an objective and generally accepted view of the world. Chapter 7 which deals with reflective organizational theory explains in details how individuals make sense of the world around them; in explaining this, the theory uses symbolic interaction which attempts to explain how people make sense of things around them and phenomenology which attempts to understand the world without the use of any theories or previous experiences. The course has also enabled me learn on managers and how they run the organisations, for instance, managers may run organizations for their own selfish benefits or for the benefit of shareholders.

In learning organizational theory, my contribution was asking questions that would help the students get better under of the subject matter of the course. In addition, I participated in group discussions as well as looking for other materials that would supplement what the teacher taught in class.

Learning the course will help me in the next courses that will touch on organizations since I will have some background information on how organizations are run. In addition, information gained from learning about how the various methods of managing organizations evolved up to the current ones will help me identify with ease the various methods that specific organizations use. Learning about managers and how they run organizations will also enable me to identify the best managerial tactics for successful organizations.

References

Burrell, G. (2003) ‘The future of organizational theory: Prospects and limitations’, in H. Tsoukas and C. Knudsen (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Organization Theory: Meta-Theoretical Perspectives, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 525–535

Child, J. (2005) Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice, Oxford: Blackwell.

Czarniawska, B. and Sköldberg, K. (2003) ‘Tales of organizing: Symbolism and narration in management studies’, in B. Czarniawska and G. Sevón (eds), The Northern Lights –Organization Theory in Scandinavia, Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press.

Frenkel, S.J. (2003) ‘The embedded character of workplace relations’, Work and Occupations 30(2):135–153.

Johnson, P. (2006) ‘Whence democracy? A review and critique of the conceptual dimensions and implications of the business case for organizational democracy’, Organization 13(2):245–274.

Jones, G. R. (2010). Organizational theory, design, and change. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Jones, M. (2003) On Studying Organisational Symbolism, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

Kets de Vries, M.F.R. (2004) ‘Organizations on the couch: A clinical perspective on organizational dynamics’, European Management Journal 22(2):183–200.

Ritti, R. R., & Levy, S. (2009). The Ropes to Skip and the Ropes to Know: Studies in Organizational Theory and Behavior. John Wiley & Sons.

Thompson, P. (2003) Postmodernism-Fatal Distraction? Postmodernism and Organizations, J. Hassard and M. Parker (eds), London: Sage, pp. 181–204

Westenholz, A. (2003). ‘Organizational citizens – Unionized wage earners, participative management and beyond’, in B. Czarniawska and G. Sevón (eds), The Northern Lights –Organization Theory in Scandinavia, Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press

Module 6.1- Learning Activity 1

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Module 6.1 – Learning Activity 1: Discussion Forum – Blogs and Tweets

Blog Post

The blog post on the concept of electronic communication that I find interesting is a blog by Burgess (2014) discussing the good, bad, and ugly aspects of electronic communication.

Summary of Blog’s Main idea (139 characters with no space)

Electronic communication drives organizational success efficiently and beneficially when managed effectively to overcome the related communication hurdles.

Tweet

The tweet on electronic communication that I found interesting is a tweet by some named Mark Bryant, whose tweeter account is HYPERLINK “https://twitter.com/realMarkBryant” @realMarkBryant.

Summary of the tweet (139 characters with no spaces)

“Those that control the flow of information, control the masses. What better way to control the masses than with great advances in electronic communication devices.”

Link to the tweet: HYPERLINK “https://twitter.com/realMarkBryant/status/1138129395447717888” https://twitter.com/realMarkBryant/status/1138129395447717888.

References

Burgess, B. (December 15, 2014). Electronic communication: The good, the bad and the ugly. Texas. First Capital Bank of Texas. Retrieved December 3, 2019, from https://www.fcbtexas.com/blog/communication/.

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Summary of Fatal Self-Assertion in Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” by L. Berkove

Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin follows the societal constraints experienced by the 19th-century woman. The main character is Louise Mallard, is made to believe that her husband has passed on. Louise is overwhelmed by a whirlwind of emotions as she sinks in her chair, and soon she is overcome with a strong sense of freedom. She overlooks the window of opportunity that is before her eyes as time slowly passes by. She watches as the world surrounding her runs free, and she lets nature take its course. Suddenly she experiences monstrous joy in her veins. Although she loved her husband, his death brings new meaning as she breaks the chains preventing her from experiencing a free and true life (Berkove, 149). In the text, Chopin says, ‘And yet she had loved him-sometimes” This goes to show that there are times when Louise did not feel love for her husband. Worth noting, love was a non-factor because, in itself, it is a mystery that has never been solved. As such, love did not count in the face of self-assertion because it was until her husband’s death that Louise came to know the strongest impulse of her existence. Moreover, Louise is seen whispering the words, “Free Body and Soul Free.” The narrator in the story takes the reader to Louise’s mind, and they experience her struggles. It is clear that after she lost her husband, the only thing that Louse wishes to do is to live life for herself and on her terms. The Story of an Hour concerns beliefs about the institution of marriage and society at large. From the story, it is clear that for some reason, Louise sacrificed herself when her husband was alive, and now that he is no longer alive, she wakes up to the realization that she has the freedom she has been missing.

Works Cited

Berkove, Lawrence I. “Fatal Self-Assertion in Kate Chopin’s” The Story of an Hour”.” American Literary Realism 32.2 (2000): 152-158.

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Caesar Augustus

Caesar Augustus’ rule reigned from 31 BC – 14 AD. Caesar had to battle to achieve his throne actively. His government that lasted for many years, made him acquire many territories to expand the Roman Empire. The expansion of the Roman Empire will later fuel the start of a dynasty that would change Rome for good and for worse, over the following century. The guy had an unpromising start in life, but he maximized his potential and climbed the ladder and became one of the greatest leaders in Rome. Augustus’ family had close to no connections, not to mention him being a sickly child. Also, Augustus was destined for future greatness, according to the prophecies. At four years of age, Augustus lost his father, and it meant that his prospects were bleak. The engulfment of civil war led by the power-hungry factions made Rome a hostile place to live. Julius Caesar (his great-uncle) led one of the civil wars. Augustus managed to transform Rome barely from a republic to an empire, as a Roman emperor, at the time of tumultuous years after his adoptive father and a great-uncle died. Caesar consolidated his militia strength, lawmaking, not to mention his institution-building to achieving the sole rule of Rome. He laid a foundation for Roman peace (Pax Romana) that lasted for 200 years. Besides, he built an empire that reigned for nearly 1500 years.

In 46 BC, Augustus was a bit lucky as he emerged victorious in the civil war. To guarantee his position, Caesar needed an heir. He adopted Augustus since Caesar had no sons. Augustus had a perfect opportunity presented to him as a young man despite his lack of connections (Shotter, Pg. 3). His advisors at once murdered Caesar. Immediately, the situation led Augustus to become part of the untrustworthy world of Roman politics just at a tender of 19 years. A victorious general by the name Marc Antony formed a strategic alliance with Augustus.

After a few years, they had managed to suppress all Rome’s enemies, and the survivors ran to Greece for asylum. The survivors were killed by the alliance in what emerged in Roman history as the two bloodiest fights. Marc Antony and Augustus portioned the spoils since the assassinations had stopped, and the realm was now theirs. Marc got away with Egypt while Augustus kept Rome. The beautiful queen of Egypt (Cleopatra) influenced the Marc decision-making process, and it led to Romans thinking that the Egyptian queen wanted the throne for herself. Romans feared the relationship between Cleopatra and Marc, and it orchestrated the Romans’ hatred toward Marc. Following the deterioration of the Marc and August alliance, August rushed at attacking their empire before they could strike his Roman Empire. Three-quarters of the Egyptian fleet was destroyed in 32 BC, in the battle of Actium (Grebe, Pg. 37). Following the defeat of the Egyptian fleet, both Marc and Cleopatra committed suicide, and the pharaoh’s land was now part of the Roman Empire.

Consequently, Augustus was regarded as a hero back home. Merely at the age of 32 years, Augustus was the first Rome’s Emperor who brought hope in restoring peace and security. It was a daunting and risky task to win the war but was nowhere near the challenge of peace restoration. The separation of his wife and him and marrying of Livia (his mistress) who was pregnant made many to suspect him of trying to lay a foundation of dynasty rule for Rome that was to rule for generations to come (Evans, Pg. 7). To avoid what happened to Caesar, Augustus had to strategize on how to manipulate both the people and the Senate by pretending he wanted to surrender the power. However, the Romans had been terrified by a series of disasters. It led to people buying his idea of being their only savior, and they requested the Senate to make Augustus the absolute rule by casting the ballot. Augustus did his calculations so cleverly, and he agreed. As opposed to the creation of dynasty, Augustus deceived the Romans that he was serving for the best interests and traditions of their empire. The Romans did not hesitate to buy the idea.

As he was growing older, Augustus achieved a lot of greatness during his reign. He managed to invade Germany, expanded the jurisdiction of the Roman Empire, acquiring the central part of Europe, northern Spain, and Egypt. Augustus spearheaded a more conservative approach that got its future blueprint through the utilization of Rome’s old methodology. However, there existed a problem. His daughter, Julia, promiscuous acts had clashed with his moral conservatism, and he had to exile her. Also, Augustus was aging and becoming weaker. The plotting continued despite all the greatness and success. Augustus faced crisis after crisis, and everything that he dedicated himself to achieving was nearing the collapse (Osgood, Pg. 1). However, he managed to reign for another decade and died in 14 AD. Following his death, Augustus was declared as God by the Senate. The leadership thrown went to Tiberius, his stepson since Augustus’ two grandsons were already dead.

To conclude, Augustus successfully achieved to bring to an end the civil war that lasted for ten decades. For more than 40 years, he spearheaded the Roman Empire into internal peace and prosperity. Augustus’ authority and vision led to the Roman Empire expansion from a mere collection of countries to a diverse society and a significant economic hub where people across many parts of the globe traveled under the protection of Rome. Augustus had established a dynasty and prevailed over the Senate. In any case, this would highlight the same number of scoundrels as legends and would take Rome on an exciting ride into death, insanity, and dread.

Works Cited

Evans, Rhiannon. Utopia Antiqua: readings of the golden age and decline at Rome. Routledge, 2007.

Grebe, Sabine. “Augustus’ Divine Authority and Vergil’s” Aeneid”.” Vergilius (1959-) (2004): 35-62.

Osgood, Josiah. Claudius Caesar: image and power in the early Roman empire. Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Shotter, David. Augustus Caesar. Routledge, 2005.

Accomplishing the terminal class objectives will facilitate my success in management because it provides well mapped out and informative guidelines regarding different aspects of management. It has exposed me to essential and critical management information such as goal setting and planning, monitoring and feedback, and the significance of an excellent manager-employee relationship. Some of the challenges a manager might encounter for failing to adhere to these objectives include miscommunication with employees, inability to solve conflicts within a team, performance problems, and clinging to unproductive employees, hence recording poor performance.

The SWOT analysis allows an organization to evaluate its strengths and weaknesses based on factual and accurate data external and internal factors that might affect its operations. Current data is essential in SWOT analysis because it facilitates the accuracy of the results and recommendations of the SWOT analysis used by an organization. Current data also enables the analysis to point out the appropriate solutions to threats for an organization and quickly grab opportunities suitable for it hence experiencing success in its operations.

In a fictitious firm, the SWOT analysis is identified using the products marketed and sold by the firm, the geographical areas targeted by the firm, and the target consumers in the market. The information gathered from these aspects of a business will help identify SWOT analysis and its implementation in the organization to facilitate increased sales and profits, improved customer base, and growth in the firm’s overall performance.

The SWOT factors that should be specific to the firm include but are not limited to profitability, employee competencies, company culture, and turnover. On the other hand, the generic factors include developing technologies, industry regulations, government’s role, and competitors.

According to Boffey (2015), there were more than a million prescriptions of Ritalin in 2014. This was more than double the rate of prescription of the same drug that was experienced a decade ago. This significant increase has led to an increase in concern among professionals in the fields of behavioral and mental health. These figures are considered to be an indication of a system that has been run down, leading to a massive increase in the number of cases of misdiagnosis and unnecessary prescription of stimulants such as Ritalin. The guideline given by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence suggests that prescription of stimulants such as Ritalin should be a last resort (Artkinson & Hollis, 2010). This is based on the fact that there are safer alternatives. However, the high rate which Ritalin is prescribed is an implication that the guide line by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is not being followed diligently. Therefore, it can be said that over prescription Ritalin is a serious problem in the field of mental health.

There are systems that are supposed to offer support for children with ADHD. However Johnston, O’Malley, Miech, Bachman, & Schulenberg (2017) assert that such systems have insufficient funding and resources, thus leading to a high rate in which is UK-based, it is easier for children suffering from ADHD to end up taking Ritalin. Therefore, it can be said that over prescription of Ritalin is a problem that results from the real or perceived inability of preferable alternatives to serve all the children who are suffering from ADHD.

Jaber, Rigler, Shuper & Diamond (2017) are of the opinion that when it comes to the treatment of ADHD and other mental disorders, many professionals opt for what is the easiest prescription to give. As far as the use of Ritalin is concerned, all the professionals have to do is give the prescription. After the prescription, it becomes the responsibility of the patients and their loved ones to make sure that the prescription are followed. Despite the fact that programs such as parent training programs have provided to be effective in the treatment of ADHD, (Mills 2014) asserts that such programs are barely being offered. Therefore, Ritalin often turns out to be a reasonable option. In the spirit of patient centered care, there has also been an increase in the extent to which parents and guardian choose Ritalin over the other option. The most commonly given reason for the choice of Ritalin over the available alternatives is the reduction of the time and engagement needed to make most of the alternatives successful. Even with such reasons, it is still clear that the use of Ritalin should be a last resort for the treatment of ADHD.

Garasic & Lavazza (2016) assert that ADHD, which can be considered an essentially typical behavior among children, has been highly medicalized. Tantrums, naughtiness, and the inability to keep calm are common problems with children. Therefore, the high rate which medicinal solution such as the prescription of Ritalin should be a cause of concern. The rate in which prescription of Ritalin is increasing is a result of the choice of medication instead of the available alternatives. Garasic & Lavazza (2016) argue that while medication might have some positive results such as the improvement of the cognitive functions and calmness, the results are often not sustainable. Continued medications denies children the chance of developing specific strategies that might help them cope with ADHD. A study undertaken at Colorado University in 2010 revealed that when children with ADHD were given a sugar pill and told they were taking Ritalin, their symptoms disappeared in the same rate in which they did when the were given real Ritalin(Warner,2010). This is an implication that there are many situations in which Ritalin was unnecessarily prescribed.

Pereanez (2017) argues that the over prescription of Ritalin takes place because the loved ones of people who have ADHD often overlook the importance of finding an explanation for the symptoms before opting for medication. There are some cases that some of the symptoms associated with ADHD might have other causes. For instance, family stress, skills deficit, anxiety, and poor nutrition might sometimes lead to symptoms that can be misdiagnosed as ADHD. In such cases, the child or adult taking the drug will have been subjected to a scenario of misdiagnosis. This is the main reason as to why drugs such as Ritalin should always be limited. Such limitations can be effective in making sure that there is a reduction of cases where by family members jump to the conclusion that child has ADHD.

A study by Chang, Lichtenstein , Halldner , D’Onitrio, Serlachius, faze & Larsson (2014) shows that children who are medicated for ADHD are six times less likely to have drug abuse problems are compared to those who use alternatives remedies for ADHD. This is an implication that medication for ADHD can be a way through drug abuse among children and adults with ADHD can be limited. A study by Ashok, Mizuno, Volkow & Howes (2017) also reveals that there is no relationship between the use of Ritalin in the treatment of ADHD during childhood and the engagement in drug abuse in adulthood. When an individual has ADHD they always suffer from low levels of dopamine in the brain (Tarver, Daley, & Sayal, 2014). The role played by Ritalin is to raise the level of dopamine in the brain to the appropriate levels. This is a capability that none of existing alternatives have, and thus the reason as to why failure to use Ritalin might increase chances of drug abuse. When people with ADHD are not medicated, might end up seeking replacement of dopamine from other substances, thus leading to drug abuse.

Tarver, J., Daley, D., & Sayal, K (2014). Attention -deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD): an updated review of the essential facts. Child: care. Health and development, 40(6), 762-774.

Ashok, A.H., Mizuno.Y, Volkow, N.D, & Howes, O.D. (2017). Association of stimulant use with dopaminergic alterations in uses of cocaine, amphetamine, or methamphetamine: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA psychiatry, 74(5), 511-519.

Chang, Z., Lichtenstein, P., Halldner, L., D’Onofrio, B., Serlachius, E., Fazel, S., & Larsson, H. (2014). Stimulant ADHD medication and risk for substance abuse, Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 55 (8), 878-885.

Boffey, D. (2015). Prescriptions for Ritalin and other ADHD drugs double in a decade. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/aug/15/ritalin-prescriptions-double-decade-adhd-mental-health

Garasic, M.D., & Lavazza, A. (2016). Moral and social reasons to acknowledge the use of cognitive enhancers in competitive -selective contexts. BMC medical ethics, 17(1), 18.

Pereanez, J.A.G.(2017). Arguments for Discussion in Bioethics, on the medication of Children with a Diagnosis of Hyperactivity (ADHD). DEStech Transaction on Environment, Energy and Earth Sciences, (eesd).

Warner, J. (2010). We’ve got issues: Children and parents in the age of medication. Penguin.

Johnston, L.D., O’Malley, P, M., Miech, R. A., Bachman, J.G., & Schulenburg, J. E (2017). Monitoring the Future National Survey Results on Drug Use, 1975-2016: Overview, Key Findings on Adolescents Drug Use. Institute for social research.

Atkinson, M., & Hollis, C. (2010). NICE guideline: attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Archives of Disease in Childhood-Education and Practice, 95(1), 24-27.

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By way of introduction, I am XX, an Xx-year-old young and ambitious individual with interests in mental health studies and psychoanalysis in particular. I am applying for the Master’s Program at BGSP Boston Graduate School of Psychoanalysis. My interest in pursuing this course stems from my negative life experiences throughout my life. I want to pursue a Master’s in Psychoanalysis, seeing that I have been in individual and group therapy for fourteen years. Growing up, I did not buy into the idea of therapy. This changed when I had an accident and had to go through life-changing surgery. After the incident, my parents thought it would be good if I talked to a professional. Although it took time, the therapy played a significant role in my recovery. After seeing how much therapy helped me deal with the trauma of the accident, I became drawn to the field. Therapy helped me accept my scars and helped me heal from the emotional damage that I was going through. I was embarrassed by the scars that I acquired from the accident, but now I wear them proudly; they are reminders of my triumph. Specifically, I want to pursue a Master’s in psychoanalysis because I would like to contribute to positive change in society by helping other people deal with issues that they go through.

Besides going through therapy for many years, I have worked as an assistant at a wellness Centre near me. I had volunteered for the position as I wanted to acquire first-hand experience in Psychoanalysis. The wellness center deals with recovering drug addicts. I gained relevant skills that prepared me for advanced studies in this field during my time there. I mastered skills that include empathy, patience, being non-judgmental, and coping with emotional situations. Enrolling in a course in Psychoanalysis is the perfect way to put my skills to use. Because I have related to individuals in need of the treatment, I will be better placed to relate to the studies and research in the course. Upon completing and graduating from the course, I intend to start my private practice and provide psychoanalysis services to people who need it the most.

Accomplishments in the Classroom and their Positive Impacts

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Accomplishments in the Classroom and their Positive Impacts

When I was first introduced to the classroom, I noticed that most students came late to school, some didn’t do their assignments and those that did presented a shoddy job. There was an overall lack of concentration especially with the students who sat at the back with most of them whispering during classes. I turned all this around. It was sheer hard work but soon the mood in the classroom was good during classes marked by high concentration levels. Assignments were done on time and class attendance was good too.

I promoted happiness, warmth and safety during the classes. I set rolling team building activities that helped students be comfortable with each other and help debunk me as a god of some sort. Lessons encouraging friendship, support and openness were enhanced to create a good attitude towards the classes. I also talked to the parents during our meetings to help the students come early to school by waking them up early and ensuring that they don’t stay up late. The parents were also advised to remind the students to do their homework.

My progress was tracked through observation. I observed the behavior of the students in the classroom focusing on their punctuality to class, delivery of assignments and level of concentration during classes.

The issue of student’s concentration needs to be addressed. The quality of engagement needs to be one that is active, inclusive and respectful so as to create an active class. An inclusive warm up activity will help improve the concentration and thus make the students active during the class and it can be made inclusive by involving all the students through questions and rewarding those who are active. The promise of a test also helps improve the student’s concentration. In addition, the warm up activity should be made simple and should not surpass the understanding of the students to enhance comprehension.

`The students were whispering in the back due to distractions or because they were bored with what they were being taught. They could also be whispering because they had something to say but did not have the guts to do so. Openness should therefore be encouraged to build confidence in the student to speak freely during class and not whisper between them. The class should also be made fun so as to reduce boredom. The number of distractions should be kept at a minimum e.g. getting rid of unnecessary objects in class. Reshuffling could also help minimize the whispering in case close friends sat together in class.

Modernization theory

The Washington Consensus drafted by Williamson in the late 1980s was aimed at improving the economic conditions in developing countries. (Williamson, 2004) claimed that its initial intention was not to prescribe the development but rather, to reveal policies that made Washington desirable to the Southern American countries economically. Later on, the policies were termed as, Williamson, (2004), “… set of economic policies advocated for developing countries in general by official Washington.” This further evolved the concept of neoliberal policies that had began discussions earlier in the decade which according to Alam, (2003), “the neoliberal, open door economic regimes imposed on the periphery by core capital … have produced no economic miracles.” Economics critics have given different opinions on neoliberal policies and concepts such as open trade towards development of third world countries. This paper gives the views of economists Bhagwati, (2002) and Chang, (2008) towards the free trade as a rescuer for developing countries.

Basically, (Bhagwati, 2002) states that with the practice of trade, countries experience positive growth which in turn decreases poverty. The author also argues against the controversy of trade as a promoter of poverty rather than reducer. From his research, there is adequate evidence of the reduced poverty that many developing countries such as India have been able to achieve within a short period of time. There is also a mention of China as a country that experienced wide growth and poverty reduction through trade, thus reports by the World Bank and IMF of the 10% and 6% GDP increment in China and India respectively (Bhagwati, 2002). Static argument relates poverty in developing countries to the low wages earned by workers without professional skills. The dynamic argument on the other hand focuses on the trade as a variable of growth and a necessity toward improvement on economy and reduction of poverty (Bhagwati, 2002). The trade argument here approves the interpretation of the neoliberal policies as economic policies which were formulated by Williamson, 2004.

The argument regarding trade as mentioned above contrasts with Chang, (2008) argument. Though both authors agree on the importance of free trade, (Chang, 2008) agues that trade cannot work independently and should be supported by other variables such as privatization of some ventures owned by the government and deregulation of foreign direct investment (FDI). The author demonstrates the concept based on the developed countries before they had their economic breakthrough. Counties like he USA and Japan took full advantage of free trade introduced when they were developing to interact economically with other sates. However, they limited the invasion to their market by foreign traders through regulating FDIs. Chang, (2008) states that, “In the 19th century, the US banned or heavily regulated FDI in natural resource exploitation.” Further, the author elaborates how the countries like Netherlands self exploited their resources and marketed the unique ones, thus taking advantage of the open market. Thus, though free trade is commendable for the reduction of poverty, it is not independent and has certain determinants as mentioned above.

In conclusion, the contrast in the view of the two authors is clearly evident. They both approve the context of the neoliberal policies and the Washington consensus as interpreted by economists, thus elaborate on importance of free trade. However, the many considerations made are worth noting. Basically, (Chang, 2008) criticizes the exploitation of developing countries by the already developed by FDIs when they minimized their foreign investment during the development process. The two arguments generally contradict in the variables of the poverty elimination using free trade. As (Bhagwati, 2002) strongly believes in free trade despite foreign intervention in the market, (Chang, 2008) is for the idea of self exploitation and regulating foreign forces for beneficial use of free trade.

Works Cited:

Alam, Shahid. Two Decades of Neoliberal Policies. Pauperizing the Periphery. 2003. Web. 9 August, 2010.

Bhagwati, Jagdish., & Srinivasan T. N. Trade and Poverty in the Poor Countries. 2002. Web. 19 August, 2010.

Chang, Ha-Joon. Under-explored Treasure Troves of Development Lessons. Lessons from the Histories of Small Rich European Countries. Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, November, 2008. Web. 19 August, 2010.

Williamson, John. The Washington Consensus as Policy Prescription for Development. Practitioners of Development. 13 January, 2004. Web. 19 August, 2010.