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MGT603: Systems Thinking

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Abstract

The activities and operations within the emergency department often have life and death consequence implication. Other than providing needed immediate care, hospital emergency department personnel also play a role in assorting and directing patients to relevant departments where they will be best served. Organizations that operate based on complex and long system archetypes are prone to challenges such as longer patient waiting hours, loss of life due to delayed needed healthcare service delivery e.t.c. Also, the structure of an organizations system archetype is important because it dictates how fast the decision making process will be or not. This report is a case study that explores systems modeling tools including archetypes and how they impede organizational performance, application of value stream mapping analysis for a case study hospital emergency department and to reduce patient waiting times.

Table of Contents

TOC o “1-3” 1. Introduction PAGEREF _Toc450572701 h 3

2. System Archetypes PAGEREF _Toc450572702 h 4

2.1 System archetypes that may impede Performance PAGEREF _Toc450572703 h 4

2.1.2 Systems that fail PAGEREF _Toc450572704 h 5

2.1.2 Drifting goals PAGEREF _Toc450572705 h 5

2.1.3 Shifting the Burden PAGEREF _Toc450572706 h 5

2.1.4 Limits to success PAGEREF _Toc450572707 h 6

2.1.5 Growth and Underinvestment PAGEREF _Toc450572708 h 7

2.1.6 Success to Successful PAGEREF _Toc450572709 h 7

2.1.7 Escalation PAGEREF _Toc450572710 h 8

2.1.8 Tragedy of the outcomes PAGEREF _Toc450572711 h 8

2.2 Current State Value Stream Map Analysis PAGEREF _Toc450572712 h 10

2.3 Recommended new State Value Stream Map PAGEREF _Toc450572713 h 11

2.4 Intended and Unintended Consequences PAGEREF _Toc450572714 h 12

3. Conclusions PAGEREF _Toc450572715 h 13

4. Recommendations PAGEREF _Toc450572716 h 14

5. References PAGEREF _Toc450572717 h 14

MGT603: Systems Thinking

1. IntroductionThe world is presently scrambling with the devastating effects of the global Coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals are at the center of the race to contain the spread while seeking long-term solutions such as vaccines and other viable treatment regimens. So far, Hospital emergency departments have proved vital to the overall success of interventions towards beating COVID19 in any medical institution because it is tasked with the provision of first line medical care assistance to patients coming in need of mediate care. The activities and operations within the emergency department often have life and death consequence implication. Other than providing needed immediate care, hospital emergency department personnel also play a role in assorting and directing patients to relevant departments where they will be best served. According to Sözen et al., (2017), operational efficiency or lack of it within hospital emergency departments is dependent on the existing system archetypes that dictate the flow of service as well as communication and treatment.

Organizations that operate based on complex and long system archetypes are prone to challenges such as longer patient waiting hours, loss of life due to delayed needed healthcare service delivery e.t.c. Also, the structure of an organizations system archetype is important because it dictates how fast the decision making process will be or not. The emergency department operates based on the principle of urgency and therefore quick decision making contributes significantly to the effectiveness of service delivery and the general operational efficiency of the department as well as the entire medical facility. A casing example in this report is the challenges faced by medical facilities in effectively handling the rising cased of corona virus infections across the globe. This paper posits that system archetypes promote organizational learning in a hospital emergency department and that has the potential to significantly improve general service delivery efficiency. Therefore system archetypes must be continuously evaluated and modified to prevent undesirable outcomes such as long hospital queues and delays in service delivery to patients among other unintended and undesirable outcomes.

2. System ArchetypesSystem archetypes are essential and highly effective tools used to study understand organizational behavior patterns; patterns that reflect the underlying gaps and disconnections within the systems being studied. According to Vaillancourt et al., (2014), system archetypes are tools used by managers to identify patterns of behavior in within organizational systems and serve as a medium for gaining deeper understanding of the underlying systems structures and how the observed organizational behaviors originate. Gillies & Maliapen, (2008), in support, explains that system archetypes do not describe one specific problem within a systems but rather a series of problems with causal factors and that is the value they create in terms of offering deep insights into complex and dynamic systems and system behavioral outcomes.

2.1 System archetypes that may impede PerformanceThere are currently 8 common system archetypes. These include systems that fail, drifting goals, shifting the burden, limits to success, growth and underinvestment, success to successful, escalation, and tragedy of the outcomes.

2.1.2 Systems that failThese are often the quick fixes that are passed on disguised as solutions to address symptoms of a seemingly urgent problem. The drawback that arises from such fixes is that they tend to set in motion unintended consequences. These consequences may not always be evident at the onset but will add to the problem in the long-term.

2.1.2 Drifting goalsThis refers to fixes that are applied in the case where there is a significant gap between the system performance and the target goal. The solution is usually to lower the goal or target but in the long run, this fix result in the unintended outcome of lowered organizational performance or productivity. In this case, managers are always faced with the problem of organizational performance that fails to meet the set goals. Rather than finding proper solutions, the managers apply symptomatic solution by finding justifications for lowering the targets to a level that seems easily achievable rather than applying the fundamental solution of finding the performance impediment. In the long run, this archetype becomes a performance impediment because the organization will be forced to adjust its goals downward each time the performance fails to meet targets and this creates a culture of laxity towards goal setting and so the organization will spiral into a downward trend of setting lower and lower targets just to ensure that the goals are achieved regardless.

2.1.3 Shifting the BurdenThis is a situation where managers opt to address symptoms of the problem with both short term and fundamental solutions. Managers often adopt this approach as a way to deflect pressure. When a problem occurs, they seek symptom-based quick fixes that will make the problem go away rather than making a commitment to finding long-term solution. This approach impedes organizational performance because when a quick fix is applied and the problem goes away, the organization’s need to find fundamental solutions also goes away until the same problem reoccur. The outcome behavior overtime is that this pattern will continue until the quick fix applied in one area of the system ends up creating more problems in other system functionality areas thereby creating a performance gridlock.

2.1.4 Limits to successThis is a situation where particular efforts become constrained such that the effort no longer generates positive performance outcomes. Behavior overtime is that the overall organizational performance becomes stagnated no matter how much effort is applied. In this type f archetype, the efforts to sustainably achieve growth will be successful in the early stages but eventually, the system reaches the limits to growth and the efforts applied no longer generate desired outcome in terms of growth. A good example can be drawn from the case study of the hospital emergency department operations. The department manager faces the problem of reduced number of patient attendances because of longer waiting times and long queues at the reception.

To address the problem, the manager decided to eradicate some of the services along the treatment chain that are deemed non-essential. The resultant effect is that the patients are attended to faster and the waiting times are reduced significantly thereby encouraging more people to come to the facility. The long-term behavior is that since the facility is working with limited staff, the huge numbers of patients overwhelm the service providers and therefore the patients will still have to wait longer in queues however fast the providers attend to the patients. The outcome is that overtime, most of the patients will opt to seek help elsewhere.

2.1.5 Growth and UnderinvestmentThis archetype points to the significance of addressing the dynamics in investment balancing loop especially from the managerial decision-making perspective. This is observable in a case where an organizational growth is approaching limit that could easily be avoided by investing in capacity but the managers opt to save on cost instead. The behavior overtime is the resultant performance degradation thereby resulting in low quality product and or service delivery. The decline in product or service quality causes significant decline in demand by targeted consumers of the product or service. The decline in demand consequently leads to decline in revenues, which in turn reduces resources available for investment.

2.1.6 Success to SuccessfulThis archetype is observed in a situation where two or more interventions are competing for the same limited resources, the most successful intervention gets assigned significantly higher amount of resources at the expense of the others. Success to successful archetype therefore creates insights into the trend of rewarding performers while neglecting underperformers. In an organization, the management is likely to fall into the trap of rewarding better performing employees, departments or products by allocating more resources to them at the expense of the underperforming ones without proper understanding of the underlying conditions or factors. Instead, a manager should critically evaluate the circumstances and conditions that contribute to the observed performance gaps and derive a resource allocation strategy that maximizes the potential of all the involved efforts. Otherwise, the rewarded efforts will continue to improve in performance while the unrewarded efforts continue to decline further in performance. This is not a desirable situation for any organization seeking to create and sustain its competitive advantages.

2.1.7 EscalationManagers are expected to create and sustain organizational competitive advantages and superiority over competitors through escalation structures. Managers justify their actions and decisions based on the strong belief that they are acting in the best interest of the company even if the implication of the decision stand to reduce the organization’s value to the customers, and other stakeholders. In the long run, the organization gets caught up in cutthroat action-reaction competition schemes, which in the long run harm the company and its interests, which the managers claimed to be protecting in the first place.

2.1.8 Tragedy of the outcomesThis archetype gives insights into the concept of reductionist thinking and its implication for overall organizational success. A properly functional organization is a collective of resources including people, space, finances, and systems among other resources. These resources are interlinked into a functional system with each aspect significantly dependent on the activities of the other systems. The problem arise when people in an organization for example continue to operate in a manner that does not recognize and appreciate the fact that there are interconnections within the system that contribute to their ability to perform assigned duties and achieve set goals and targets. Eventually, they end up placing too much pressure on such common resources which consequently collapse therefore incapacitating all the other dependent factors from functioning properly as expected including the people. A typical example of common resource is the IT department in a hospital setting. All hospital departments depend on the IT department top function yet when each department asserts increasing pressure on the system without considering the needs of the other departments, the IT department become too constrained for resources and when it eventually collapses, all the other departments cannot continue to function effectively as expected.

-287020115570002.2 Current State Value Stream Map AnalysisThe presented value stream map for the hospital emergency room gives a representative insight into the underlying system structures contributing to the lengthy waiting times. The lengthy waiting times can be traced to existing system archetypes including growth and underinvestment, as well as tragedy of the outcomes. The concept of growth and underinvestment is traceable to the limited space and personnel within the facility. The chine of service delivery is spread across with significant dependency on the attending nurse. The hospital should hire additional staff or capacity build the attnendants at the first level of triage to be able to perform the basic patient examinations. The records station and the ER should be within the same space or proximity to eliminate time wastage in the waiting area. Additionally, the attending doctor and the nurse should work in the same room so that; once the nurse is done examining the patient, the attending doctor takes over. The increased dependency on the attending nurse creates immense pressure on him/her to work faster and see more patients; this may lead to high risks of burnout and collapse, which may then lead to the breakdown of the entire service delivery chain.

2.3 Recommended new State Value Stream Map-57150018478500

Several research studies have been carried tout to determine the effectiveness of value stream mapping as a tool for improving organizational turnaround time in sectors such as healthcare as well as industrial production systems (Satyadi, 2012; Ramaswamy et al., 2017; Aizat Ahmad, 2019). After extensive fact analysis and consideration of existing value stream map, this report recommends adopting the lean approach as proposed by Improta et al., (2018). Their findings on similar problem for the emergency department at AORN Cardarelli hospital proved that lean approach significantly reduces patient waiting time to half the time used in the previous service delivery system. The lean method has proved to be efficient because it is based on simplified and streamlined operational efficiency attributable to task specification, streamlined communication, simple process architecture and results based or evidence based problem solving interventions. The proposed approach is to digitize the health information management system as well as computerization of the major procedures to eliminate time wasted waiting for information and communication transfer between the departments. Additionally, the proposed value stream mapping creates a service delivery system where the medical staff has been reorganized so that those who are interdependent are closely connected to create seamless uninterrupted workflow through out the process.

2.4 Intended and Unintended ConsequencesThe new value stream mapping has significantly reduced the patient waiting time by eliminating process interruptions and fast tracking diagnostic processes through computerization. These interventions will be effective for the long-term but has one major unintended out come. That is the risk of tragedy of outcomes. The system has been highly computerized from records management, communication as well as diagnostic procedures. This creates additional pressure on the existing IT department, which if not properly capacity built, may become overwhelmed, and breakdown resulting in a complete service delivery shutdown. Additionally there is the archetype of growth and underinvestment archetype. The management can opt for the proposed computerization and information system digitization but if they do not invest in capacity building the staff with knowledge and skills for operating and managing the equipment then the waiting time may double since the technology is new to them and they have to take time performing diagnostic procedures with limited knowledge and skills. The healthcare providers are also highly likely to commit errors as a result and this may have significant negative implications for the patients as well as the hospital as a whole in cases of misdiagnosis and wrong treatment related adverse events.

3. ConclusionsSystem archetypes promote organizational learning in a hospital emergency department and that has the potential to significantly improve general service delivery efficiency. They are essential and highly effective tools used to study understand organizational behavior patterns; patterns that reflect the underlying gaps and disconnections within the system being studied. There are 8 major archetypes that can influence or impede organizational performance and must be critically evaluated and understood during decision-processes. Also, value stream mapping is a great tool for visualizing emergency hospital department operational processes for ease of service delivery standardization and problem identification, evaluation and problem solving. Through the lean method, an organization can easily improve its turnaround time, especially in hospitals where timely decisions and interventions mean the difference between life and death for the patients.

4. RecommendationsBased on the findings of this report, the following recommendations are put forward for consideration. Organizations intending to sustain competitive advantage need to critically evaluate its systems to identify existing gaps and formulate long-term solutions rather than symptom based interventions, which are bound to cause additional problems in the long-term. There is need for further studies on value stream mapping approaches to come up with standardized methodologies for addressing related organizational process challenges regardless of the type of industry of business activity in future.

5. ReferencesAizat Ahmad, A. (2019). Process Time improvements through the application of Value Stream Mapping support Lean System. International Journal Of Advanced Trends In Computer Science And Engineering, 8(1.6), 310-317. https://doi.org/10.30534/ijatcse/2019/4681.62019

Gillies, A., & Maliapen, M. (2008). Using healthcare system archetypes to help hospitals become learning organisations. Journal Of Modelling In Management, 3(1), 82-99. https://doi.org/10.1108/17465660810860390

Improta, G., Romano, M., Di Cicco, M., Ferraro, A., Borrelli, A., & Verdoliva, C. et al. (2018). Lean thinking to improve emergency department throughput at AORN Cardarelli hospital. BMC Health Services Research, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3654-0

Ramaswamy, R., Rothschild, C., Alabi, F., Wachira, E., Muigai, F., & Pearson, N. (2017). Using Value Stream Mapping to improve quality of care in low-resource facility settings. International Journal For Quality In Health Care, 29(7), 961-965. https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzx142

Satyadi, C. (2012). Practical Application of Value Stream Mapping in Process Improvement of Emergency Department Testing Turnaround Time. American Journal Of Clinical Pathology, 138(suppl 2), A250-A250. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcp/138.suppl2.201

Sözen, S., Celik, S., Akpinar, C., Güven, F., Yel, C., Kavalci, C., & Salt, Ö. (2017). Analysis of the patients admitted to emergency department due to urogenital trauma and investigation of factors that affect mortality. Journal Of Acute Disease, 6(2), 70-73. https://doi.org/10.12980/jad.6.2017jadweb-2016-0066

Vaillancourt, S., Shahin, I., Aggarwal, P., Pomedli, S., Hayden, L., Pus, L., & Bhattacharyya, O. (2014). Using Archetypes to Design Services for High Users of Healthcare. Healthcarepapers, 14(2), 37-41. https://doi.org/10.12927/hcpap.2015.24107

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Major, Career, Goals

I chose to join a nursing school at ACC and I am currently working on three prerequisite classes and applying to a Licensed Vocational Nurses School. Ultimately, I plan to work as a licensed vocational nurse while becoming a Registered Nurse. I am particularly interested in pursuing physical rehabilitation and pediatrics. At my bachelors and masters level, I majored in Political Science and Library Science respectively. To date, I have not been able to find a kind of Job that would allow me to work comfortably. Librarian jobs are generally scarce and they require one to work not only during evenings but also on weekends. Being a single mother, this is inconveniencing as it does not give me sufficient time to cater for the needs of my daughter.

My mother was a registered nurse and a nurse educator and I really admired her when I was growing up. This is because she portrayed positive values and was able to inculcate the same in us. In addition, she was able to work conveniently and earned enough to support the family. She was certainly a positive role model who was dedicated to ensuring that her children are well nurtured to fit in the current society. I also wish to not only be a role model to my daughter, but to also support her through life. I think I can be able to achieve this through going back to school and enhancing my skills. It is for these reasons that I chose to major in nursing.

My career goals are to work in a field that I love and one that would enable me to reach out to the society. Notably, this has some significant intrinsic as well as extrinsic benefits. The inherent satisfaction and rewarding compensation would enable me to derive the best from my career. Moreover, this experience would provide me with useful insights with respect to nurturing my daughter in a socially acceptable manner. The exposure to persons from diverse backgrounds and who have different problems would be instrumental in enabling me to appreciate different life experiences. In the long run, this will turn out as a lifelong learning experience for both my daughter and I.

Austin Community College offers the licensed vocational nurses program and would therefore enable me to pursue this. Since the program is flexible and takes a period of one year, this is convenient for me. Besides, it is affordable and would therefore not be financially strenuous. The institution has sufficient modern resources and dedicated staff that would ensure that I gain the right skills to fulfill my goals. Besides, the large network that the institution developed would ensure that I am exposed to a diverse working environment through its internship program. This experience would be fundamental in preparing me for the career ahead.

Malabar Gold and diamond company ECONOMICS REPORT

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AFFILIATION

Question 1

The name of the company is Malabar Gold and diamond and the branch which the students (in a group of 5) had visited has been in operation since the last couple of years located near ruwais mall near to their college. The company has 5 branches in UAE. It is famous for its jewelry making and watches made of precious items like Gold, Platinum and other gems. The company has been operational since the last 6 years and currently has an annual turnover of $3.5 billion (Heyne, Boettke, Prychitko, 2014).The company has also established 10 additional whole sale units apart from the offices, design centers and the factories. The target customers of the company is every range and it maintains a unique collection for every individual regardless of age. The majority of the ornaments available at their restaurants ranges from 18,000 to 22,000 making it relatively easy for the average customer to have access to it hence quadrupling the sales.

Question 2

The law of demand is a very common law that prevails in every industry. It simply states that the price of the product will fall if the quantity demanded decreases and vice versa. In the context of this company, the primary products of the company are gold and diamonds but it is an interesting fact that the price of the gold ornaments are less than the diamond ornaments at present (Heyne, Boettke, Prychitko, 2014). The recent fluctuations have caused the increase in the gold price hence the demand should have been decreased. However, in the case of this company this is not the case. It is evident from their financial structure that they have introduced two schemes by the name of Malabar monthly scheme and the wedding purchase scheme. The primary reason for the introduction of such schemes is that the company allows you to invest for a period ranging from 3 months to three years with three or thirty six installments respectively. These schemes have the embedded option available which allows you to lock in the gold rate which was at the initiation of the time of installments. In a country like India, where women are highly attracted to it and follows the traditional custom of wearing it at different occasions. Gold is also considered as a good investment as majority of the people do invest in gold or companies who are in the business of mining gold in order to earn superior returns than the market.

The above mentioned facts have allowed the demand of the gold to rise even if the prices are rising. This is a violation of the law of demand but it can be termed as capturing of the niche market which has allowed the expensive metals like gold and diamonds within the grasp of a common man who would have only thought to give gold to his daughter at the time of his marriage.

Question 3

On the contrary, scarcity is the primary economic problem which implies that there are unlimited wants existing in the human world and there are very few resources to satisfy it. In other terms, the concept of scarcity can be stated as there are limited resources for the satisfaction of unlimited human wants. In the context of the above mentioned definition, it is evident that to obtain something one has to give up or trade off something. The price of the good involved in this matter reflects the scarcity of this good (Mankiw, 2007).

When we discuss the company Malabar gold and diamond, it can be seen that the element of scarcity is prevailing in the society as the people intends to purchase more and more gold, they have to quit some of their wants or have to make a sacrifice to obtain the gold. The concept of scarcity is vital to survive in the real world because it results in the arousal of competition which subsequently results in people striving with each other in order to qualify for the criteria which will be used to determine who will be able to get the most. The system of pricing in the community is responsible for allocation of the resources (Mankiw, 2007). If the society tends to make economic improvements on the monetary terms basis then people will work hard to get monetary benefits. Gold and diamond ornaments is a want which will be satisfied as people will be more oriented towards savings that will help them to earn gold. The company pricing policy has resulted in such circumstances that the price gap has been greatly reduced hence the concept of scarcity of resources is easily being met. The branch has a lot of products hence the reason at why the client prefer to do business with the main branch.

References

https://www.malabargoldanddiamonds.com

Heyne, Paul; Boettke, Peter J.; Prychitko, David L. (2014). The Economic Way of Thinking (13th ed.). Pearson.  HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number” o “International Standard Book Number” ISBN  HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-13-299129-2” o “Special:BookSources/978-0-13-299129-2” 978-0-13-299129-2.

Mankiw, G (2007). Principles of Economics. South-Western Cengage Learning. p. 470.  HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Book_Number” o “International Standard Book Number” ISBN  HYPERLINK “http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-324-22472-6” o “Special:BookSources/978-0-324-22472-6” 978-0-324-22472-6.

Brainstorming Informative Speech Topics

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PROFESSOR’S NAME:

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

Brainstorming Informative Speech Topics

Private Prisons in the US

GENERAL PURPOSE: To inform about the continuous emergence of privatized prisons in the United States of America.

SPECIFIC PURPOSE: To inform my audience on the significance of the private prison system in the US criminal justice.

THESIS STATEMENT: The overcrowding witnessed in US public prisons due to increased incarcerations has necessitated alternative ways of housing inmates such as privatized prisons.

MAIN POINTS:

As of 2020, the United States prison system had approximately 2.4 million adults incarcerated, a population larger than some major American cities.

According to reports by the US Bureau of Justice Statistics, as of 2018 about 128,063 inmates were held in privately run prison facilities which is a 47% increase from 87,369 inmates in 2000.

Privatized prison system saves the US federal government 20% cost of housing an inmate as well as the burden of prison administration.

Domestic Violence in the US

GENERAL PURPOSE: To inform on the current prevalence of domestic violence in the United States amidst the economic downturn caused by the covid-19 pandemic.

SPECIFIC PURPOSE: To inform my audience about the main victims of domestic violence and how they can be saved.

THESIS STATEMENT: Domestic violence is a serious public health problem in the US which requires mass sensitization for its prevention.

MAIN POINTS:

Domestic violence comes in various forms of abuse such as physical, emotional, sexual, and economic, and the victims are majorly the perceived weaker groups such as children, women, and the elderly.

According to various studies conducted in the US, there are approximately 1500 deaths recorded annually that are directly related to domestic violence.

Children who witness or are victims of domestic or family violence are highly likely to engage in it in the future as a mean of conflict resolution in relationships.

Covid-19 Pandemic: What we have Learnt

GENERAL PURPOSE: To inform on what covid-19 pandemic has revealed about our global healthcare system.

SPECIFIC PURPOSE: To inform my audience about the useful economic and healthcare lessons that we have acquired from the covid-19 pandemic for future use in case of a similar flu outbreak.

THESIS STATEMENT: Covid-19 pandemic exposed the unpreparedness and poor healthcare policies that underline healthcare provisions in most developed economies.

MAIN POINTS:

Proper funding of medical research is a very important arsenal in disease prevention.

Healthcare is a universal and basic need that should be a priority for all governments.

There is need for the world economic system to be primarily predicated on technological production to prevent future economic downturn as currently witnessed.

Anti-Racism Movements: Black Lives Matter

GENERAL PURPOSE: To inform on the current anti-racism movements witnessed around the globe on the endemic racism against black people.

SPECIFIC PURPOSE: To inform my audience on what Black Lives Matter movement in the United States of America is all about and its goals.

THESIS STATEMENT: The endemic racial prejudice and state-sanctioned violence against blacks that continues to be witnessed in the US ethically obliges every patriotic American to join the Black Lives Matter movement in dismantling the injustices.

MAIN POINTS:

The Black Lives Matter (BLM) Global Network was officially established in 2013 after the acquittal of George Zimmerman who killed Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old Black teenager, as he walked from his local store towards home (Ramaswamy, 2017).

The primary goal is to intervene in cases of state-sanctioned or vigilante violence against blacks, and to eradicate any form of white supremacy.

The public protests by BLM activists and supporters does not in any way imply that other lives do not matter save for blacks, rather it is against the racial prejudices that is more directed towards the black community.

Brainstorming exercise is primarily important for the organization of one’s creative thoughts on a given topical issue. It gives freedom for the exploration of as many ideas as possible, and the final selection of the main ones that effectively supports the central idea. Additionally, it gives a clear roadmap for writing which quickens the whole process.

Student’s name

Lecturer’s name

Course

Date

Breach of Informal Norms

Informal norms are casual behaviors that society members conform to provide guidance and direct behavior, thus bringing order in society. Informal norms are an essential part of society because they allow members to understand each other and create predictable social relationships. Reactions to a breach of informal norms vary depending on the relationship between the two parties in play. The OpenStax textbook states, “First, consider the

elements of a relationship. One is attachment, or the bond that people form with each

other. (OpenStax chapter 4, section 1). For the breaching of informal norms experiment, I decided to take the lift while facing the opposite direction from everybody in the lift. Normally elevator etiquette dictates that people fill it starting from the back as they face the door. I choose the school resource center’s elevator on a Monday because it is usually full of students. People got into the lift and faced the door as they waited for it to move and reach their respective floors. Additionally, people in an elevator tend to maintain silence throughout unless they share s special connection like a friendship. I got into the lift last and faced people in the lift. To make it more interesting, I decided to take another step and plug my earphones and dance like it was commonplace for the activity. However, no music was playing on my phone the whole time. I identified two individuals in the lift and tried to maintain steady eye contact by persistently staring at them and watching their reactions.

The elevator consisted of a total of ten individuals of different genders. Two individuals expressed amusement in my actions. On the other hand, five people, particularly those close to me, expressed discomfort. According to the OpenStax textbook, “what is considered deviant is determined not so much by the behaviors themselves or the people who commit them, but by the reactions of others to these behaviors.” The lady right in front of me removed her phone from her purse started scrolling to distract herself from whatever I was doing and avoid eye contact. The man next to her covered his face with his hands in disbelief and looked down the whole time in the elevator. He avoided eye contact with me because it made him uncomfortable. In this experiment, I broke the informal norm that requires people to face the same direction and not interfere with personal space since it’s a small cubicle and is for a short while. The discomfort and amusement of people in the elevator made my actions feel awkward and out of place.

Shifting the social context and introducing this informal norm in a different physical setting. The breach of the informal norm in the elevator opened my mind and allowed me to realize how society, mainly human behavior, is guided and controlled by unspoken rules. The reactions from the people in the elevator made me feel a little embarrassed. However, I had to see it through and gather as much information as possible through their reactions. It helped me appreciate the presence of unspoken rules in society.

Governance:

Student Name:

Institution:

Governance

A two party system creates challenges to governance and policy for the public good. Every individual voter deserves a chance to vote for whatever view point they hold since the more democracy the more the fairness . A system with multiple parties rather than the republicans and democrats only allows for a wider variety of policy options since there is a greater pool of collective intelligence.

The growth and influence of the independent voter is constructive to governance especially due to their tendency of voting for issues and candidates with promising political ideologies rather than aligning themselves with political parties pledging loyalty regardless of the policies being advanced. However this growth would be detrimental in that, it may lead to emergence of many minority groups and hence affect the unity of the nation.

The growth and influence of the private corporations would create challenges to good governance due to the fact that the corporations could be used as vehicles to manipulate the public opinion (Kennett, 2008). This is made worse by the fact that they have same rights as individuals and have little disclosure of their financial activity. They would however be constructive in the case of full disclosure and transparency.

The reach influence of lobbyists is constructive in that it help to keep the government in check and they operate as the political watch dogs to check on the formulation and implementation of policies and also act as the voice of the minority groups (Kennett,2008)

The governance system and policy process is responsive to the American people since it has in place structures to collect and evaluate information that deals with the needs of the citizenry and operates under laws of democracy and the rule of law.

Reference

Kennett, P. (2008). Governance, globalization and public policy. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

A Very Human Future

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Institutional Affiliation

Course Tittle

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Date

PART 1: Technological Bursts of Possibility and Disruption

In this paper, I will focus on part one, which is named ‘Technological Bursts of Possibility and Disruption.’ Upon reading this chapter, I realize that as society gets into the fourth industrial revolution, one of the major questions arises whether we can harness the intense technological burst of likelihood to bring about a better world. It evaluates how the evolution of society, businesses, governments, cities, and nations are being surprisingly entwined by exponential high-tech disruption. It focuses on the exploration of how we can make technology serve humanity’s highest ambitions and needs.

This part one is a litany of what is taking place in advanced technologies, for instance, artificial intelligence, resulting in the transformation of industries, cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), 5G networks, quantum computing, 3D/4D printing, and space exploration. It also results in the convergence of a variety of more than a few fields, including autonomous vehicles, machine learning, robotics, and drones. It has taken away numerous jobs, creating employment. This chapter is also a clarion call for individuals to be proactive, develop coping mechanisms, and benefit from their participation in the new industrial revolution. It presents snapshot situations of how complex and critical economic, social, geopolitical, and technological aspects might play out and interrelate over the subsequent 25 years. The chapter, Harnessing Technological Bursts of Possibility, emphasizes a number of the technologies that disrupt the universe, the innovative industries and career opportunities they will create, and the important roles of forethought and individuals centrical thinking in guaranteeing a viable future of the people and the firms.

On the other hand, the future evolution of artificial intelligence clarifies the basics of artificial intelligence. It highlights the types of applications we might have in the next 15-20 years and provides intuitions into seven likely phases through which it might develop. Artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies play a crucial role in modern-day success in reference to the class readings. Implementing and making artificial intelligence and machine learning changes to improve supply chain management is a relatively new concept that positively impacts. Web services offer technical assistance, exceedingly scalable and consistent infrastructure capacity, and help clients with their research, remote work and learning, and other solutions to address their needs. Part 1 proceeds by presenting examples of how robotics and connected devices particularly could impact the future. It also presents examples of how robotics and connected devices majorly could change a range of life experiences expectantly for the better. The pace of artificial intelligence advancement appears probably to continue, and one thing to be expected is to see consistent advances that blow our collective thoughts. Advancing from reasoning systems to AGI is not similar to the exponential advancement we have developed familiarized to in internet connection speeds, computer power, and memory storage. From this part, it is clear that over the next 15-20 years, the universe is likely to go through several important transformations as this “Fourth Industrial Revolution” enabled by smart machines touches every life, nation, and sector on the planet.

Q1. Brand resonance framework

Brand resonance looks at how well a consumer is able to relate to an element of a brand depicting individual perception of a brand including values. From the Benetton’s case, the positive aspects of the strategy used include invoking a sense of national pride among consumers, attaching the brand positioning to issues relating to the society, increasing brand recall through the use of memorable images and stirring social awareness, and getting the brand to occupy the minds of the target market without necessarily using an expensive marketing budget. Nonetheless, some negative issues emerged. The company had deviated from fashion advertising to raising social consciousness on different matters. Additionally, the new campaign had strong reactions which included boycott and consumers attaching the brand to a political movement. The criticism of the entire campaign led to a further decline in sales even though brand recall and recognition were higher.

Q2. Brands effectively increasing social awareness without creating controversy

In the last few years, brands have taken different stands on social issues such as human rights, working conditions, police brutality, slavery, and child labor. In these instances, social awareness on various matters were increased for the benefit of the society. From the Benetton’s case, the company takes a position and creates controversy. However, it is possible for a company to increase social awareness without creating controversy. For example, Benetton strategy on highlighting social issues could have involved the mention of the inequality issues in the American society without necessarily using provocative images of black and white people. Cuffing a black man and a white man together raised several questions and prompted a conversation regarding the fate of the black man in America. However, a black lady breastfeeding a white woman created controversy that could be avoided. By contrast, Nike’s stand in refusing to work with external agents who practice child labor is an example of how social awareness can be made effective without controversy.

A typed 8-10 page paper is required. The subject options for the paper are as follows:

The use of Hearsay evidence in the Court Room (including the 6th Amendment confrontation clause and exceptions to the Hearsay rule)

The Exclusionary rule and its applications

The use of evidence to determine guilt or innocence (including the guilty plea system, Plea Bargaining, and Victims’ Rights Laws)

Witnesses and their testimony (constitutional of defendants regarding witnesses, credibility of the witness, direct and cross examination)

You can cite cases, any other type of publication, including: Journals, Books, Internet Articles, etc.

The paper must:

Be double-spaced

Include 1.25-inch margins

Use Times New Roman 12-point type

It should include:

A title pageAn introduction

Body of paragraphs with subheadings

Conclusion

A reference page with 10 to 15 cited works

Of the total works cited, half should be from academic journals or books published by an academic press. Works cited and the references should be in APA format. The subject of the paper must be any subject matter related to Criminal Justice. (You can cite cases, or any other type of publication.)One point may be deducted for each day that the paper is late, after the due date and before the cut-off date (at professor’s discretion).

Your paper will be graded based on the Communication Grading Rubric (shown below).

Turnitin:

Your paper is subject to review for text comparison by Turnitin, a plagiarism detection service. You are required to submit your paper through a direct Turnitin Assignment link provided in the Modules section of Canvas.

Papers must be legitimate and not previously submitted. Please be aware that submitted papers will reside in Turnitin’s database.

There is no need to create a Turnitin account. Just click on the link provided and you will be automatically directed into the assignment submission.

Review the detailed Turnitin Instructions (Links to an external site.) on how to submit your Policy Paper.

In support of Academic Integrity at Florida International University, Turnitin will be used to review the papers that you submit in this course.  Turnitin does not determine whether plagiarism has taken place or not.  Turnitin will also not be used as a punitive tool or measure.  The instructor of this class will use the reports that Turnitin generates as a basis for the thorough evaluation of the authenticity and originality of your work and the work of your classmates.

Majority Vs. Minority

Name

Institution

Year

The term majority rule is rooted in the democratic system of government and this has its merits and demerits. The notion of the majority as the right group has for centuries been upheld with the system showing its weaknesses in some cases. The majority over the minority is not always the right approach to equity in ruling as it makes the minority feel left out. For example, in a case where the opinions of the minority are not considered, the lesser group always feels left out and thus not part of the progress being made. For a balanced outlook and stability, it is always good to take in the opinions of all the people. John Stuart’s observation on the majority over minority as a bad system holds weight because it is not guaranteed that the majority will always be right. To ensure that all people feel included in the affairs of a country, the system needs to be established on an all-inclusive decision-making approach.

The political alignments of a country remain one of the obstacles to achieving a collective and all-inclusive approach to governance and decision making. One of the main issues with the majority over the minority system is that there is likelihood of monopoly that hinders effective decision making (Lee, 2015). For example, the majority will always feel powerful and thus the decision they make may be wrong and meant to undermine or counter the minority. This system that is more enshrined within the democratic governments has been questioned over its fairness and inclusivity because it gives no room for the minority (Scharpf, 2017). Sometimes the minority turns to be the right side but their decisions or opinions hardly reach the table and thus the wrong side ends up leading that is the cause of divisions and little progress. Everyone should feel entitled to give their opinion irrespective of their side so that mature, powerful, and non-partisan ideas can be raised for the good of all people.

References

Lee, F. E. (2015). How party polarization affects governance. Annual review of political science, 18, 261-282.

Scharpf, F. W. (2017). De‐constitutionalisation and majority rule: A democratic vision for Europe. European Law Journal, 23(5), 315-334.