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Morning after Pills

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Introduction

Almost half of pregnancies in the world are unintended and Emergency contraception provides women opportunity to avoid pregnancy after unprotected intercourse. Emergency contraception are vital for the larger number of women at risk of pregnancy but do not use regular method and offers reassurance to people using condoms but experience condom slippage or breakage. Significance of morning-after pills has seen Canada allowing it as a nonprescription drug that pharmacists may dispense it directly to women anytime they need it. The Morning – after pills just like a regular birth control pill although it is much stronger and it functions by preventing ovulation thus avoiding contraception or implantation if ovulation occurs. Generally, Morning-after pills prevent an unplanned pregnancy in various situations including; when no contraception was used, missed birth control pills, the condom slipped or broke, the diaphragm dislodged during sexual intercourse, error in the calculation of the fertility period and non-consensual sexual intercourse.

When Can the Morning-after pills used?

Morning-after pills contain hormones similar to the content of regular birth control pills and they prevent pregnancy primarily by preventing ovaries from releasing eggs. Moreover, the pills usually make cervical mucus thick hence prohibiting sperms from mixing with egg and causing fertilization. The functionally of the pills largely depend on the stage of the menstrual cycle in women. Depending on the stage of the menstrual cycle, the contraception may delay or stop the release of the egg, change the lining of the uterus, and finally alter the movement of the egg and sperm by limiting their speed. However, the morning-after pills are never effective for pregnancies implanted in the uterus. It should be noted that morning-after pills are not worth relied on and should only be considered as last chance contraception. Effectiveness of the morning-after pills is within a certain period including immediately after unprotected intercourse up to 5 days or 120 hours. However, they always work best when taken immediately after unprotected sex instead of waiting for the fifth day because the longer an individual waits for the pills, the lesser their chance of working.

Types of Morning-after Pills

There are two hormonal types of morning-after pills whose effectiveness, prices and side effects differ slightly. The first type of morning-after pills is known as plan B that contains progestin hormone and is taken as 2 pills. Plan B pills can either be taken immediately or 1 pill taken right away and the other pill taken in 12 hours although taking two pills instantly is easier and effective. Another type of morning-after pills is Ovral pills that contain two hormones including estrogen and progestin and are served in 4 pills. 2 pills of the Ovral pills are taken immediately while the other two are taken 12 hours later. Significantly, the pills are always most effective if taken within 24 hours of unprotected sex although they can be effective up to 5 days or 120 hours after sexual intercourse. Plan B pills effectiveness in the first 24 hours is considered as 95% of possible pregnancies, between 25 and 48 hours, it prevents 85% of possible pregnancies while between 49 and 120 hours the effectiveness drops gradually to 58% at 72 hours. On the other hand, Ovral prevents about 77% of possible pregnancies in the first 24 hours, 36% of possible pregnancies between 25 and 48 hours and the effectiveness further drops to 31% at 72 hours between 49 and 120 hours.

Where Morning-after pills are foundEmergency contraceptive pills are available in most pharmacies without prescription and sometimes a pharmacist would ask a few questions before giving them out. According to CMAJ (2005), reclassification of morning-after pills as nonprescription drug thus letting pharmacists to dispense it directly to women is good news but making consultation with pharmacists mandatory is unwelcomed. Cases of abortion have risen both in Canada and globally and almost 50% of pregnancies are unintended regardless of the wider availability of contraceptive methods perhaps because of timely access to physicians. In that case, introducing morning-after pills in pharmacies without prescription is a huge step that will avoid the many cases of abortion and unintended pregnancies. It is apparent that the move of allowing morning-after pills in the pharmacies will definitely balance access to the pills for all women across Canada hence a net reduction in abortion.

Improving access to emergency contraception is significant for a comprehensive program that addresses women’s reproductive and sexual health and is important to the health of teenaged girls and young women. Morning-after pills need to be readily available to both rural and urban women and its accessibility must respect women’s right to privacy in addition to seeking to prevent an unintended pregnancy. Access behind the counter may help in reducing unintended pregnancy because the pills are harmless, effective, and easy to use medication that only requires timeliness. Although privacy may be impossible because the drugs are purchased in public places, taking it off the shelf and directly to the checkout offers a higher degree of privacy. Additionally, making morning-after pills available over the counter provides several options of purchasing the drug thus enhancing privacy. This is because a buyer may avoid either friends or people they know working in the nearby pharmacy that may perhaps interfere with their privacy.

It is argued that consultations with the pharmacists may be a good idea because they are qualified individuals whose counseling may be regarded significant when it comes to contraceptive options. Proponents of pharmacist consultation assert that pharmacists usually have frontline contact with their clients and possess the right qualifications required to provide emergency contraception even though they are not taught counseling in universities. On the other hand, according to CMAJ (2005), anti-pharmacists counseling feel that only a few pharmacists may offer the privacy necessary for such kind of consultation and that the consultation fees attached may act as barrier to many women. Moreover, history of self-administered morning-after pills shows high level of appropriate use and therefore competent women who have experienced contraceptive failure or a lapse in caution do not need unwanted questioning or unsought advice. In cases where clients may not be able to purchase the morning-after pills, the pharmacists refer them to the doctors.

How often should Morning-after pills used

Considering the limit on the number of times morning-after pills may be used, Princeton University’s Office of Population Research (2013) explains that there are no safety concerns about using progestin-only emergency pills more than once. It is argued that morning after pills will always prove effective when used in preventing unintended pregnancy after intercourse provided it is used appropriately. However, sexually active individuals should resort to other birth control techniques such as condoms and or pills before or during intercourse instead of continuous use of the morning-after pills. In some instances, the morning after pills may have some unpleasant side effects and should therefore not used repeatedly. Sexually active people need to talk to their health care providers or check out for better birth control technique options for safety and effectiveness of the methods chosen.Morning – after pills tend to help solving the solution of unwanted pregnancies particularly growing teenage pregnancies. However, it is vital to note that the pills do not prevent spread of sexually transmitted infections that have been on the rise especially amongst teenagers. Teenagers and other adults who engage in unsafe sex without considering the issues of unwanted pregnancies sometimes abuse morning – after pills. Unwanted pregnancies and the wider use of

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Journal Entries

27/5/2018 Morning Ag Clips “U.S. takes action vs. Canadian wine trade measures” by USDA

Canada has placed wine measures that don not favour other international wine producers. For instance, British Colombia has a law that excludes all imported wine from the grocery stores. This has raised an alarm to the U.S and other countries since Canada is one of the major markers for United States wine makers. According to Secretary Perdue, they want British Colombians to be given an opportunity to buy wine from the U.S as a great wine producer. The idea of Canada having regulations that discriminate against the U.S is unfair and won’t be tolerated.

The government of the United States through Donald Trump’s administration has requested WTO (World Trade Organisation) to create a dispute settlement panel that will investigate the move taken by Canada and help solve the issue. According to the article Canadian wine measures are against the laws and provisions of WTO thus the government is going to fight for its rights. Wine makers in the U.S gain most of its income from the international sales and when Canada is trying to regulate wine sales in the groceries it means that this is a loss to the U.S wine makers. The reason for requesting the WTO to come in is because in 2017 the U.S held meetings with Canada on the same issue but it was not resolved.

In my own opinion the direction taken by Canada is unfair to other outside markets. The provisions of WTO allow for even trade measures thus Canada needs to adhere to this fact. Canada has its export products and it will be bad for the countries locked away by the wine measure to stop receiving goods from Canada. On the other hand, this is the only way Canada can do to boost local wine sales since imported wine seem to gain more market than local wine. Thus Canada need to revisit their wine measures of restricting sales of imported wine in groceries but have a limit so that both the international and local markets are not affected.

https://www.morningagclips.com/u-s-takes-action-vs-canadian-wine-trade-measures/17/10/2017 CBC News “U.S. makes ‘aggressive’ demands to access Canadian dairy market, wants end to supply management” by Katie Simpson.

The article is about U.S aggressiveness of seeking ten times of what Canada agreed to give up in the TTP. Canada has a protected dairy market that the U.S wants it to be opened and termination within a decade of supply management that protects Canada’s industry. The motive behind this is to widen the producers market in the U.S. the president of the U.S farmers said that they are not in shock since the demands made by the U.S are similar to the demands made in the other sector. CBC news has learned that the idea of the U.S requesting for transparency might be used to gather information that will be used against Canada later. From the article two sources say that the U.S is using this demand as a way of gathering data that will be used against Canada in a tribunal case of the supply management system. U.S demand for market access may be a way of presenting a full vision of renegotiating NAFTA.

In my own opinion if Canada grants the U.S its demand they will be at risk of losing their dairy markets and U.S market will gain a wider producers market. The U.S is on the run demanding a lot from Canada just like the first article of asking Canada to revisit its wine measures thus the U.S might be at a trade war with Canada in the near future. It seems the U.S doesn’t want Canada to have a protected marked with the fear of losing sales from the Canadian market. Market transparency might be risky since through transparency a lot of information can be leaked to the competitor. It is upon Canada to weigh the advantages and disadvantages before granting the U.S its demands.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/united-states-dairy-market-demands-1.43568405/4/2018 The Guardian “How a US-China trade war would hurt us all” by Linda Yueh.

Creating trade barriers will damage the world at large and not only china and the U.S will be affected. Trade barrier will have product and serviced increase in price and also the global supply chain will be interrupted. China and the U.S currently are having tit for tat exchange tariffs which might lead to a trade war in a few years’ time. The Trump administration announced the imposition of tariffs on a range of Chinese products, china responded to this by having tariffs on U.S imports. Possibly the next step will be to restrict Chinese investment in America and if so then China will give a similar response. This tit for tat game, will be damaging both countries since companies such as Apple have invested in the two. If china and the U.S do not come to the table for an agreement more trade barriers will be seen not only in them but other countries too.

In my opinion the battle between china and USA is aimed at no good and the two super power countries can continue with their tit for tat game but they have to put in mind the economy of other countries that will be affected with their trade war. Third world countries depend so much of the super power countries and if they create barriers and trade tariffs among themselves then it will be difficult for the developing countries. The U.S.A has an aim to distract the made in china 2025 plan which is aimed at making china manufacturing globally. U.S.A and China need to sit and table their issues come to an agreement and solve their trade disputes thus enhancing peace.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/05/us-china-trade-war-supply-chains-consumers25/11/2017 Emerald Insight “Conflict, international trade and President Trump’s isolationist policies” by Yusuf Ayotunde AbdulkareemThe article stats by explaining President Trump’s policies that aim at showing reminiscent of the era of the smooth Hawley tariff of the 1930s. the article is a research paper that shows hoe Trumps administration has uneasy relationship with other governments which is going to harm the U.S economy. The idea of isolates is seen not to work yet President Trump has embraced such policies. The article compares current regime in America to that of the 1930s which was characterized by isolationism. There is tension in international trade and this is linked to the conflict that the U.S is having with other super powers majorly china. Trump’s isolationist policies are certainly going to harm the USA in the long run and a big part of that is because of the personality of the President himself.

In my own opinion the paper by Yusuf takes the right direction of research in international trade and conflict. It is true that isolationism ideas will never impact a country positively but rather the country’s economy will be affected since economy is boosted by international trade. America has tensions with other countries and from the previous article this tensions are creating bad relationship and soon there will be a trade war between china and the U.S.A. Isolating from the other countries will make U.S. A’s economy to go down since even other developing countries might not want to associate with a country that detaches from other super powers. Thus countries need to work together to enhance peace, share ideologies and promote international trade which will in turn boost economy.

https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/JITLP-07-2017-002413/8/2018 The Guardian” Is Free Trade Always the Answer” by Richard Partington.

Concerns continue to increase over Donald Trump’s import tariffs as ministers negotiate Britain’s trading with Europe. Free trade allows free flow of goods along international boarders without being taxed which generates wealth. Free trade has lifted a lot of people around the world out of poverty. Cheaper labor costs appear to be giving china an added advantage over western countries in the manufacturing sector. The main ideology behind import tariffs in to make imported good a bit expensive than local goods thus promoting the local manufacturers. Countries in the WTO signed up an agreement to keep their tariffs to a certain limit, U.S is a major driving force but Trump view this membership as a disaster. According to the economists’ international competition ushers in innovations. The existing U.S tariffs according to economists might trigger job losses and a weaker economic growth.

In my own opinion the idea of free trade is good since it boosts economic growth and creates wealth for the poor communities. Imposing tariffs on imported goods might seem effective for the short term period but long term effects are negative. Increasing import duty in the US might lead to countries withdrawing from selling their goods in America which will be a loss to the country. Members of the WTO need to embrace the terms and limits they signed up for till when new limits are agreed by the whole membership. Also free trade is good since it makes imported goods cheaper and affordable thus promoting international trade and a country having a diversity of goods. When having taxes on imports it will affect international trade and in the long run there will be product monopoly in the country.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/aug/13/is-free-trade-always-the-answer14/1/2017 The Guardian. “Aid in reverse: how poor countries develop rich countries” by Jackson Hickel.

Research shows that developing countries send trillions to the west than the other way round. We have always known that the first world countries give the developing countries to help eradicate poverty. The US-based Global Financial Integrity (GFI) and the Centre for Applied Research at the Norwegian School of Economics a few months contradicted this with the idea that the flow of money from rich countries to the third world countries pales in the comparison to the flow that run the other direction. The statement means that rich countries are not developing poor countries but it is the other way round. Through invoice faking multinational companies from the first world countries get a way to steal from the poor countries. They do so by shifting also the developed countries take advantage and give the poor countries loans on interests which the loans become huge thus difficult to pay yet the interests continue to build up. The developing countries end up paying a huge debt that what they borrowed thus making these countries rich.

In my own opinion developing countries need generosity from the developed countries and not them taking advantage and stealing from them. It is true that developing countries are making rich countries richer since for over a decade we have not seen a big improvement from the third world countries yet the first world countries continue to emerge competing to be super powers. There have been reports of countries having hug debts by world bank yet the richer countries continue to give them funds and later go to exploit resources in the developing countries. Developing countries need justice and if possible they could be given debt reliefs to help them pick up a fresh.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals-network/2017/jan/14/aid-in-reverse-how-poor-countries-develop-rich-countries

Case study

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There are various cause of hypothyroidism which include lack of iodine and autoimmune condition Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an injury in the hypothalamus, an initial treatment of a radioactive, pituitary gland, a previous thyroid surgery, and lack if a functioning thyroid at birth and even use of certain medications. When the TSH test shows it has come back to normal and the symptoms still show hypothyroid, the level of free T4 Should be measured in one’s blood stream. Most hypothyroid patient have high levels of TSH and low levels of T4 which is known as primary hypothyroidism. This takes place because the pituitary gland has realized that the thyroid does not produce enough hormones.

Due to that the pituitary gland releases more TSH in order to motivate the thyroid into a creating hormone (Allahabadia .et.al, 2009). If the thyroid is not functioning well it will not respond to the pituitary signs and this will lead to low levels of free T4 and high levels of TSH. When one has free T4 levels that are low the range will be lower than 5micrograms per deciliter.Bertha had pneumonia which is a lung disease and pleural effusion affect the lungs during inspiration and expiration. Bertha had pneumonia bacteria which comes together with parapneumonic effusion this might have led to pleural effusion (Light, 2007) .A pleural effusion occurs when an abnormal fluid collects in chest within the pleural and visceral areas. Bertha’s rate was reduced because er heart rate had slowed which lead to decreased blood circulation in the heart and other organs. Myxedema coma is an advanced hypothyroid and If Bertha does not get intensive care she is at high risk

References

Allahabadia A., Razvi S., Abraham P., Franklyn . Diagnosis and treatment of primary hypothyroidism. British Medical Journal (International Edition) [serial online]. 2009;338:1090. Available from: Health Module. Accessed February 19, 2010, Document ID: 1731734701.

Light RW. Pleural Diseases Fifth Edition. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2007.

Refetoff S. Thyroid function tests. In: DeGroot ED. ed. Endocrinology. New York: Grune & Stratton, 1979;1:387–428.

To: weim@osint.comSubject: Adjustment of the Project’s Working Timeline and Schedule

Dear Mr. Wei,

I am writing to brief you of the current progress of the project and to also inform you of a regrettable and unprecedented delay in the Deep Learning Model Project. Accordingly, we have adjusted the timeline to fit the new scenario.

The project is facing some difficulties at the moment. The trained YOLO deep learning classification model works with 95% accuracy on the most common fish that were first tested but has only 37% accuracy on rare fish, camouflaged fish, and three species of fish with similar colouring. As a result, detection and classification of these groups is not consistent. Due to the need to provide accurate results, we have had to apply a combination of techniques including generating augmented data for the rare fish specifies and to modify the deep learning model for the camouflaged fish. We are also preparing to label more training examples for the three similar species of fish. As you are well aware, each of the aforementioned techniques has been used before to solve other problems but we will need to adapt them for our data.

Therefore, the current problem is on providing consistent results for the project to be used for purposes of our project. The scope of the project has expanded due to the unforeseen need to conduct more research and to apply more techniques to cover the base of the project. Consequently, the time needed to complete this phase of the project has had to be adjusted. We are not in a position to provide a working deadline or timeframe for the remaining parts of the project, but we will furnish you with this information in the course of the week.

We are very confident that we will solve the delay and come up with solutions toward a reliable technique that can be used during the course of the project. All our attention is focused on the completion of this project, including the provision of accurate data and information for purposes of our cooperation.

Our team expresses much appreciation for your understanding and flexibility as we endeavor to tackle this unforeseen issue. We know that you understand the need for us to provide accurate information in every step of the way.

Thank you. Please feel free to contact me in case you have any questions regarding the time extension, the pending schedule, or the expansion of the scope of the project.

Sincerely,

Enter Name

Cases of news journals or article that do not seem to give complete information has been on the rise in the 21st century. Getting the right and accurate information out there is no longer a big deal as getting a news piece or article that will get more reading and clicks which translates to more money is far much important. The press has often been seen as a corrupt entity just as much as how the government is corrupt. News press accept bribes not a physical way but in a systematic sense. The news should often report the truth as they owe the public however we see that the government and the media are entwined in a circle of mythmaking and manipulation. Certain news articles are often written to propagate certain agendas or to pass a misleading information out there. This essay will look at three news stories that have non truth telling context.

In 2016 during the Presidential campaign, a term Pizzagate theory emerged. This was a fake story that had been created on Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign. According to the story, John Podesra who was Hillary Clinton campaign manager had his email hacked. There were speculations that he among other top Democratic officials ran a human trafficking ring. Although this information was not founded there were several mainstream medias that took up the story. According to them two restaurants Pizzagate and DC, Comet Ping Pong pizzeria were where the meetings were held. This story did quickly spread to all social media platforms and even top officials most from the Republican party were engaging in it. With a lot of engagements, it was getting it quickly did spread although every single accusation was false. This false story caused a lot of damage to the two restaurants and while the news stories were running they were losing profits because were avoiding the place. There was also a shooting as a man walked into Comet Pizzeria with an assault rifle and fired shots because of the non-truth telling news that were being spread.

Mainstream medias have fallen victims of reporting half-baked news that seem to have little lies. Recently Fox news offered an apology on their fake news that was targeting Cal Poly. There was a news headline after they interviewed a conservative student on the plight of conservative that said “CAL POLY PLOTS TO REDUCE WHITE ENROLLMENT” (Sheeler, 2018). This was actually untrue as it was claiming that Cal Poly was using a race-based admission process v which was against Proposition 209 passed by Californian voters in 1996 that prohibited the public universities from using race to increase either the number of Latinos, African American or other underrepresented students. This caused a lot of anger that Fox eventually had to apologize for this mistake. When one got to read the article, the headline might have been misleading but the content gave a little bit of an understanding of what they were saying. With the lie on their headline, they were more likely to get the clicks and more people were likely to read the article as opposed to if they actually used the correct news headline.

CNN in 2017 reported a story that linked Antony Scaramucci to a Russian investment firm. The story reported that the Congress was investigating a Russian investment fund that had ties with Trump officials. According to the reporter, the information came from an anonymous single source. The story was not really wrong but it did lack enough facts for it to be published. The article reported that a meeting had taken place between Antony Scaramucci and Kirill Dmitriev. This news led to resignation of three CNN journalist who were part of an investigative team that had been created in CNN to look into investigative stories that will be run by the news network. As news network it is important to get the facts right on a story before publishing especially if it involves hefty matters that are likely to get the attention of many. Many news sources know that any link between Trump and Russia is likely to get a huge reading thus there was need to get all the facts right before publishing the story. The fact that a reputable news network would publish a news article based on a single anonymous source without proof is quite saddening and goes against the ethics of journalism.

Plato and Aristotle have often been seen as post-truth philosophers. Plato in terms of truth and governance he talks of how to set up a just society and one way of setting it up is having a divided view on what one should let people know. Plato in his argument believes that the kind of knowledge a society needs is the one that is necessary for their lives. When Martha Stewart was linked to the crime of Insider trading at Imclone. IN2001, she sold her shares of the company and just two days later the stock values dropped. By selling her shares before the value dropped she had saved $45,673. However, she was not the only one that had benefitted as the CEO had also sold his shares thus they were faced with the case of illegal insider trading. From Stewart’s case, prosecutors worked hard to try and prove that Steward had sold her shares from nonpublic information.

Administering Competency Screening Tests

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Administering Competency Screening Tests on a Minor

Abstract

Balancing between Competency Screening Test (CST) expectations and demands of a given situations is normally an uphill task for CST administrators. A CST tool administers tests on juvenile or mentally challenged individuals. The process is tedious since there are several situation of communication breakdown, and this endangers the processes. For this reason, the administering official should displays proper and higher degree of professionalism by using of tests or face-to-face communication with the juvenile. This analysis will appoint Dr. Roberts defense of a 17-year-old individual who has been accused of sexual assault and battery. The juvenile is a linguistically challenged immigrant from Chile. The individual can only communicate Mapudungun and Spanish; however, he can speak and communicate rudimentary English, and this is not positive to the court. The commencing research will prove that Dr. Robert should apply a professional approach to determine the case’s course. The report will further clarify it is appropriate to encourage CST as compared to direct judicial test to minors who are linguistically challenged.

How should Dr. Roberts proceed with the evaluation?

Determining the eligibility of the case is normally an uphill task if the defendant is linguistically challenged. However, this does not deter clinicians from providing a valid assessment of whether the case is in a position to defend himself through language. The male defendant in Dr. Robert case is rather complicated. Accordingly, the young male defendant is not only linguistically challenged but also has a lower I.Q and is paranoid of ideas. Dr. Robert is expected by the judiciary to provide appropriate assessment. For this reason, the evaluation should ascertain judiciary expectations that the defendant is in a position to comply with the appropriate judicial process.

Since Dr. Robert is authorized by the court to conduct an evaluation, it will only be necessary to have the paperwork intact. Dr. Robert should clarify whether the evaluation is appropriately sought and assess possibility of psycho-legal questions is also at hand. Preliminary information seeks to clarify issues that elicit CST concern. This reflects the subject’s background information. The young man can communicate using rudimentary English. Dr. Robert should be able to understand this English when assessing the young man.

Secondly, Dr. Robert should specify the appropriate time, which should be applied during the evaluation process. Time specification reduces redundancy or false information development. For the legal assessment, Dr. Robert should alert the defense counsel to determine how the attorney plans to present the minor. In addition, Dr. Robert should assess whether the attorney understands the defendant situation and whether it is possible to provide reasons for the CST concerns. Thirdly, Dr. Robert should present the situation the minor parents and caregivers (Jackson, Rogers and Sewell, 2005, pp. 201).

Data overview and evaluation is an essential process that should be pursued and demonstrated with proper connection. Empirical demonstration seeks to examine the youth’s behavioral, social, cognitive, and emotional situation. That is, whether the juvenile conducted the act at his right mental status. Dr. Robert should necessitate direct question based on observation, mental status question, interviewing, psychological testing and symptom interviewing. Dr. Robert should adopt the principle of reliability that is, credibility and dependability.

What, if any, testing should be conducted?

As stated, Data overview and evaluation will seek examine test, which will outline possible results. Tests will be necessary to reflect the juvenile situation. Dr. Robert may think it prudent to use a Competency Screening Test (CST) tool. The test will initialize standardized and scoring tools that are presented on a scale of 0-2 with two meant to reflect a higher degree of sentence completion showing a higher degree of legal comprehension and 0 presenting a low level. Test administration time should be over 25 minutes.

Dr. Robert will have to examine the test results presented during the interview. If the defendant scores below 20, this will request for a comprehensive evaluation. Twenty is according to reliable standards established for the tests. Errors are part of the test results, and they happen to indicate false positives; for example, labeling the minor as incompetent whereas he is competent. Dr. Robert should therefore specify room error even though this provision is controlled. False positive rate should sufficiently demonstrate lower instrumental competence, and these will encourage Dr. Robert to initiate a more decisive evaluation. Testing tool will further seek to clarify a false result that is a percentage, which ranges from 14.3% to 28.6% and is maintained and controlled at that point.

Should he use an individual who speaks Spanish to assist with the evaluation?

Using an individual who speaks French is an ideal approach, however for clinical competence, and this not prove a reliable loom. Rosner (2006, pp. 218) argues that translators are very essential at the judicial court level since the magistrate or the clerk may fail to understand the defendant language. However, in a clinical test, dealing with the juvenile directly is essential since this enables communication. Additionally, Dr. Robert test seek to clarify whether the Juvenile is capable of presenting himself in court of law. There are several problems associated with involving a translator at the clinical level. Most of these problems cannot be extinguished by mere counseling, and it is up to practitioners like Dr. Robert to go the last mile.

It is hard to get a competent translator and according to the extract, and the county does not have finances to hire for a translator neither does Dr. Robert. Secondly, translators utilizing a language fluently are hard to get, and the defendant rudimentary English might be much better. A non-professional translator will naturally pose as competent, and this seeks to sabotage the development of the process.

Thirdly, a mental health professional is likely to exit effectual qualities conveyed in a statement, and this are transported directly as opposed to being experienced directly. Quality and accuracy is the key in the clinical health experiences. Further to this, respond patterns might change valiantly. Emotional issues for instance, visual response, remorse and expression may not be experienced yet this communicates much better than the verbal communication based on the nature of the case. Additionally, a translator might be from the Juvenile Spanish background. This is dangerous since the translator might use his fairer better I.Q to alter various sections of the information with intent to help the juvenile.

Moreover, having a translator on board might deter the quality of the case. Assuming the only available translator is feminine; the Juvenile might feel withdrawn from sharing vital information with the translator. Alternatively, the translator might be withdrawn by the case and might present deceitful information with intent to conduct personal judgment. This is true when self-disclosure of an examiner seeks to present evaluations, and that occur in emotionally intense situation. Rosner (2006, pp. 218) argues that issues related to shame and face-savings play a critical role of everyday situation. Dr. Roberts might inquire factors, which create shaming situation, and the examiner fails to get important information regarding the situation. Hence, the quality of information is a serious stake when it comes to translator.

Firstly, it is a prerequisite that the test construct should be observable by the Dr. Roberts and the juvenile in constructing a conceptual framework. This is a measure of agreement between and concept and where it is derived from. For the content of the interview, it is necessary to create a criterion validity, which has different subscales, and all should be convergent. The goal is to determine the degree of detail that should be dealt with at each specific test. Additionally, Dr. Roberts should apply predictive validity evidence to examine the criterion of the performance assessment instrument. Certification screens identify the extent at which individuals are excluded on the pass test results.

Consequential validity is a central interpretation of test scores, and this appraises the social impact of the examination to the juvenile. A close example of these questions is how the juvenile could have acted in normal life situation. Social impact expresses the degree of persistence and the competencies measured in the assessment over a significant lapse of time during the interview. As part of the ethical principles, Dr. Robert should ensure that the amount time he spends on a juvenile should be proportionate on the nature of I.Q.

What are the ethical issues faced by Dr. Roberts?

Dr. Roberts might fail serious ethical issues hurting standards and governing the relationship between him and the juvenile, him and the judiciary and him and the society. Other issues include secret remedies and exclusive methods of location and appearance and presentation. While most of these requirements are primarily met, it is good to note that the there are other professionals standards that Dr. Roberts should maintain, and this are responsive directly based on the nature of the case.

CST faces critical ethical challenges as it enters the twenty-first century. Struggles seek to meet mission of a changing CST system from one, which is not investigative based to that which understanding based. One serious ethical issue is freedom versus control. The juvenile feels that he want to make some choices yet this constrains Dr. Robert, who is supposed to handle the juvenile as convict. Secondly, another issue involved empirical knowledge versus personal belief. The juvenile might begin feeling nervous and needs a responsive restoration of his normal life, which hinders the development of the case. Thirdly, Dr. Robert also faces significant effects of differences between telling the truth. Dr. Robert might attempt to hold some information from the authority since this might sabotage the development of the case at that particular time. Finally, distribution of resources remains a significant problem towards the development of the case. Some of Dr. Robert C.S.T tools might be absence and this endangers the overall professional development of the situation

How should he resolve these ethical dilemmas?

According to the above ethical possible ethical issues, it is notable that much should be done with intent to protect Dr. Robert professionalism. The chief problems of freedom and empirical knowledge should be handled professionalism by making the juvenile understand the fundamentality of the process. Secondly, issues related to deceit should not be Dr. Robert concern. At all stages, Dr Robert should control the juvenile and assume full responsibility of the how the interview enfolds (Hunter, 2007, pp. 241).

In addition, Dr. Robert should ensure that ethical principles required incompetency are not eroded either physical or mental maturation. Changing attitudes, physical maturation and constraints should not be allowed to hijack the process of evaluation. Validation fosters proper ethical principles; a close example is the face-to-face evaluation. Dr. Robert should face a test juvenile at all time on the eyes but with a charming and professional manner. Additionally, Dr. Robert should organize interviews based on protocol of flow and issues should be not overriding each other. Interviews should be based on APA principles and should focus on getting information in a much friendlier professional way and not hurting the juvenile. Finally, documentation of each process is necessarily as far as ethical issues is concerned.

References

Hunter, D. (2007). Proportional ethical review and the identification of ethical issues. Journal of

Medical Ethics, 33(4), 241-245.

Jackson, R. L., Rogers, R., & Sewell, K. W. (2005). Forensic Applications of the Miller Forensic

Assessment of Symptoms Test (MFAST): Screening for Feigned Disorders in Competency to Stand Trial Evaluations.. Law and Human Behavior, 29(2), 199-210.

Rosner, F. (2006). Medical Research in Children: Ethical Issues. Cancer Investigation, 24(2),

218-220.

Morphemes

Morphemes are the smallest units that hold meaning in language or an element of a word such as –ing in walking. They can not be divided further into any small parts that have meaning. Phonemes on the other hand are the smallest units of sound which are found in a language. These are small phonetic units found in a particular language that have the capability of completely changing the entire meaning of a particular word such as b in bat and c in cat in English. In English the word cat can not be broken down into small ideas that are based on the word. This means that “cat” is completely a sound of its own. On the other hand each and every letter in the word ”cat” corresponds to a particular sound which if put separately they can not be complete with each other. In English there are various cases where more than a single phoneme is in correspondence with a single morpheme. For example telephone contains two morphemes which are tele and phone and within the same words there are other several phonemes which are t, e, l, e, f, o, and n.

This paper will therefore identify some of the morphemes and phonemes which are found within some phrases.

Morphemes

Morphemes can be classified into two broad categories they are either free or bound. These two morpheme categories are mutually exclusive to each other. This therefore means that a particular morpheme can only belong to a particular category. So/me gentle /men dined at an economical restaurant. They found the service to be un /acceptable and wish/ed to ex/press their un/happiness to the man/age/ment. The manager was un/available, so they brought the left/overs home to their dog who resided in a dog/house in the back/yard. These phrases contain various morphemes, some of then are free while others are bound. These morphemes are so and me in some, gentle and man in gentleman, un and acceptable in unacceptable, wish and ed in wished, ex and press in express, un and happiness in unhappiness, man, age and ment in management, un and available in unavailable, left and overs in left overs, back and yard in backyard and lastly dog and house in dog house. Among the free morphemes are gentle,men,acceptable,wish,available,press,man,age,left,overs,dog,house,back, and yard. They are classified as free morphemes because each of the morphemes can exist and function as complete words with specific meanings independently.

The Bound morphemes on the other hand are so, me, ed, un, ment, ex .these morphemes are classified as bound since they form part of words and act as conjunctions with roots or even other free morphemes or other bound morphemes. For instance un is only found together with other morphemes so that it forms a word with meaning. Most of these morphemes are prefixes like ex, un and suffixes like –ed,-ment while others are cranberry morphemes which are neither prefixes nor suffixes such as so and me.

Phonemes

There are various phonemes found in English. There are close to forty phonemes found in English. The phrase “There was an old woman who swallowed a fly. I don’t know why she swallowed a fly. Perhaps she’ll die” contains various phonemes This can be represented in the IPA format as follows

/ðɛər/-there,/ wʌz/-was, /æn/-an, /oʊld/-old, /wʊmən/-woman, /swɒloʊ/-swallow, /flaɪ/-fly, /doʊnt/- don’t, /noʊ/-know, ,/ waɪ/-why, /ʃi/-she, /pərˈhæps/-perhaps, /ʃil/-she’ll, /daɪ/-die. Therefore all these words have particular phonemes in them which are represented.

MRC Rubber Company

Contents

TOC o “1-3” h z u HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165900” SWOT Analysis PAGEREF _Toc378165900 h 1

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165901” Strengths PAGEREF _Toc378165901 h 1

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165902” Weaknesses PAGEREF _Toc378165902 h 2

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165903” Opportunities PAGEREF _Toc378165903 h 2

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165904” Threats PAGEREF _Toc378165904 h 2

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165905” PESTLE Analysis PAGEREF _Toc378165905 h 3

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165906” Political Factors PAGEREF _Toc378165906 h 3

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165907” Economic Factors PAGEREF _Toc378165907 h 3

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165908” Social Factors PAGEREF _Toc378165908 h 4

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165909” Technological Factors PAGEREF _Toc378165909 h 5

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165910” Legal Factors PAGEREF _Toc378165910 h 5

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165911” Environmental Factors PAGEREF _Toc378165911 h 6

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165912” Strategy and Implementation Summary PAGEREF _Toc378165912 h 6

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165913” Marketing PAGEREF _Toc378165913 h 6

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165914” Marketing Communications PAGEREF _Toc378165914 h 7

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165915” Sales Strategy PAGEREF _Toc378165915 h 8

HYPERLINK l “_Toc378165916” Distribution PAGEREF _Toc378165916 h 9

SWOT AnalysisMyanmar is a growing rubber industry player with expectations of production hitting over 95,000 metric tons, which reflects various operations features. With low rubber prices in the country, setting up MRC as a rubber company in the country would gain the benefits of value addition hence increased production (Khaing, 2012). In this SWOT analysis, the prevailing market attributes likely to support and affect productivity for the new production plant are highlighted.

StrengthsThe rubber industry in Burma is currently projected to enjoy an estimated annual growth of 10,000 metric tons, a reflection of 11.8 per cent. A strong production capacity is important in determination of the source of raw materials, which cuts down on the costs of operation as well as assurance of constant production around the year. Locating the business in the Mon State will facilitate production due to its massive interest in the crop. Alternatively, the position of the country as a typical developing nation leaves Burma having a readily available labor market at a low cost than in western countries, which implies that the production cost apportionable to labor is generally lower than in many other parts of the world.

Additionally, Burma has a ready market in the emerging Asian economies like china and India, with Japan also providing sufficient cushion against absorption issues. Equally, political transformation taking place in the country indicates emergence of a stable economy country ready to support business and investment than it did before.

WeaknessesComplete political reforms are not guaranteed as episodes of violence reported in the country hinder meaningful investment improvement. Political difficulties that led to trade sanctions against the country may not yet pave the way for the new order, despite support from China. Low prices for the crop means that, farmers may opt to venture in other types of production such as food crops for higher returns. Additionally, chronic poverty, poor infrastructure and lack of credit may discourage farmers to participate in meaningful production.

OpportunitiesGrowth in production in the recent years would need to be sustained by tapping on the current output to maximize production. Strong but slow recovery indications paint the country in good faith among trade partners, making international trade more promising. International community recognition of Burma’s efforts towards reconstruction presents a lucrative chance for the growth of business at the international level. The majority of the Burmese population is composed of an emerging middle class that holds promise to economic development and consumption.

ThreatsThe main threat of the industry is perhaps declining Chinese economic growth leading to reduced consumption of rubber products in its main market. However, other regional trade partners may step in place of china for instance Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India and Thailand (Khaing, 2012). The threat of climate change places Burma in a risky agricultural setting, which may influence interests in food and cash crops (Boot, 2012). In addition, unstable economic performance poses a threat to production costs. Despite the relaxing of US and EU sanctions, the economy of Burma remains volatile for investor confidence (Roughneen, 2012).

PESTLE AnalysisPolitical FactorsThe country is experiencing dramatic changes in the political organization and processes, with recent democratic milestone of peaceful elections paving the way for a bright future. Increasing confidence from the international community has led to the easing of trade sanctions slapped on the country on grounds of government abuse of civilian rights. In terms of economic freedoms in the country, investors can for once in a decade and a half find assurances of a civilian regime eventually taking over from authoritarian extremists (Hoag, 2012). Despite the huge difference from a standard global business environment, Burma is making impressive steps towards public-private cooperation balance in development of the economy. Setting up MRC in the country will be based on the current trend of investment flow into the country, with some experts tipping Burma as a competitor to more seasoned business hubs in the region, including Indonesia and Thailand. Assurances of political and business cooperation for instance with the US implies that the Burmese administration will have to continually improve its involvement in development to attract such cooperation. Numerous changes in Burma civil rights have been registered in a very short time, including rise of parliament, freedom of expression and public participation (Shoemaker, 2012).

Economic Factors

As an observation by Shoemaker (2012) on Burma illustrates, the country has an impressive chance for improvement from the downtrodden economic infrastructure. Falling risk levels such as interest rates and inflation show that the country is destined for a brighter future ahead. Incentives currently advanced to investors in the country add investor confidence, which underscores the need for the MRC rubber production to set shop in Burma (DPS, 2006). International community assurances of assistance for the rebuilding of the country show the guaranteed growth setting. As an illustration, Japan wrote off a debt of 3.7 billion US dollars, enabling participation of Japanese infrastructure construction companies accessing opportunities to reconstruct the country. Telecommunication investment opportunity in the country is on an upward trend and the interest from investors in this sector shows the openness that technology flow in the country will support industrial processes. Availability of important resources for the growth of the economy such as oil and gas has attracted investment support steps towards industrialization. These and other impressive economic strides happening in Burma provide assurances of an upward trend in future growth, making it advisable for the rubber MRC project to take the opportunity while these impressive indicators prevail.

Social FactorsAs mentioned above, Myanmar’s features of a developing nation underscores the rising status into a middle level economy, with impressive population demographics supporting business in the country. An active labor market of about 18 million people with an interesting mix of skilled and semi-skilled labor markets available at relatively lower than in the regional economies create an opportunity for setting up MRC production plant. Population growth factors support the development trends in availability of market and labor in the country with current population estimates of about 57.5 million supporting annual growth rates of about 4 per cent (GPS, 2006; Myanmar, n.d.). Increase in government interest in social services such as social security, education and healthcare further support stability of the economy as an investment destination.

Technological Factors

The state of the technological advancement has not been supportive of business until the dramatic turnaround of the socioeconomic and political development began several months ago. Low automation and technological research in the economy has hampered meaningful investment in the country when compared to the other nations in the region. However, a deliberate move by the authorities to accommodate internal innovation and welcome external technology indicate an upward growth in development in the country. At the current information and communication technology rates in the global economy. Burma is poised to benefit from massive inflow of technology at a relatively lower cost than other nations achieved when the technologies were newly introduced in the market. With technology giants such as Japan, South Korea and the US having a keen interest in the country and region, Burma’s rise into technology productivity setting will not take as much time. Investment in the country in industrial projects will therefore find it easier by the day to set up operations that it was a few years back.

Legal FactorsIn terms of preparedness by the country to accommodate business interests witnessed over the last several months, Burma is actively involved in restructuring its legal framework. Several legislations have passed in the country’s parliament that is making tremendous contributions in the socioeconomic and political advancement in the country. As an illustration, the Foreign Direct Investment law was passed in September, paving way for synchronization of the country’s foreign investment policies with globalization setting (Mizzima News, 2012). Business registration bureaucracies in the country prove to hold back operations by businesses with international market interests and the indications sent by such laws sends the appropriate signals to investors since willingness to remove bottlenecks is high in parliament. Challenges to drastic changes in the business legal framework are expected, however, but an increased political participation will eventually settle out differences (Gweri, 2012).

Environmental FactorsThe integrity of the environment in Burma was severely damaged by the military regime, with virtually no legal framework taking care of environmental issues in the country. Few steps were made to control the environmental pollution activities since the British laws in force in 1962 were repealed by the junta (Gutter, 2001). The current difficulty in management of environmental mess created during the military rule could have been avoided if the appropriate legal framework was forthcoming (Rispoli and Strizzi, 2001). Since the political restructuring started in the country, several environmental consciousness enhancement laws and policies have taken place in the country. Natural location and resources that the country enjoys such as vegetation act as sinks for a significant quantity of pollutants, which shield it from extremes of climate change facing the global community (Myanmar, n.d.). Steps towards a responsible environmental regime indicate the appropriateness of the country for a rubber producing plant.

Strategy and Implementation SummaryMarketingAs an amorphous environment without definite competition strategy with regional rubber players, operations in Burma by MRC will need specialized marketing for success to be recorded. The initial step for the marketing functionality of the new rubber business will be characterization of the regional and global markets in order to approach marketing from an informed perspective. Rubber consumption is increasing in Japan, China and India, with supply competition arising from Thai and Indonesian companies. In order to penetrate through the market established by these players, the MRC project will venture in production of diversified products and concentrate on the segment with a high demand for marketing compatibility. To market tires, rubber gloves, rubber moldings and motor vehicle brake parts will require expansive marketing for each product line (Kim and Mauborgne, 2005).

Marketing of tires, brake and other rubber motor vehicle spare parts, in the growing motor vehicle markets in India, China, South America and in Africa will require physical marketing and distribution as well as online marketing. Rubber gloves marketing in all construction works in the country will require marketing functionality with the authorities to facilitate consumption of locally produced products. Rubber moldings will have an online marketing functionality due to the diversified market locally and on the international market. The opportunity of the social media as an emerging marketing platform will be exploited to access regional and international markets using an aggressive marketing campaign. Other online marketing options such as use of mailing lists will also form part of the marketing strategy to consider. A marketing outsourcing concept with rubber market experts such as HJ Ventures will be weighed to cut down on costs of marketing (HJ Ventures, 2012). Such a joint venture may facilitate in studying the market and providing marketing and production diversification insights.

Marketing CommunicationsBurma as an emerging market in next several months in the rubber industry will require MRC’s efficiency in relaying of products information for maximum productivity. In order to facilitate an effective marketing functionality, the 4Ps model will be employed in the MRC marketing strategy (NGFL, n.d.). Communication trends in the market imply that the relaying of marketing information will be internet intensive, by use of electronic messages on television, mobile applications, SMS, blogs and microblogs backed by the social media. Search engine optimization in the marketing communication strategy will be enhanced to ensure that the MRC products find the right market entry. An efficient data collection and monitoring of responses in order to inform marketing decisions will be a central theme in the communication strategy adopted. The integrated system will require harmonization of all relayed messages as well as reconciling it with the customer responses, which can be direct or indirect.

Integration of the relayed messages as well as customer cues in informing marketing and production patterns will be geared towards accuracy and efficiency in the operations of MRC, considering that the market has bigger players offering competition in the market. Marketing communication with respect to different rubber product will facilitate marketing segmentation of the respective performance with an aim of reducing mismatch in operations. MRC will give marketing the attention that it deserves by making sufficient investment in electronic and other marketing media. An efficient system will monitor advertising, sales promotion, public relations, direct marketing, personal selling and social media blogging (MSG, 2012a).

Sales Strategy

MRC will formulate a sales strategy that defines the market in accurate estimations, taking five considerations. Firstly, target markets for the different products identified in the products portfolio will be identified to complement marketing outlook. Newer markets will also form part of the deliberations since the Blue Ocean strategy also encourages creative sales packaging (Kim and Mauborgne, 2005). Secondly, the most readily available and best outreach that the MRC will afford to create sales outcomes will be specified and enriched. In addition, sales operations will require a very professional team with solutions to queries raised by the customers to facilitate establishment of customer loyalty and confidence. Alternatively, orders and inquiries will be effected immediately to avoid losing acquired ground. This implies that the sales and delivery teams will need to perform highly coordinated operations to take care of sales achieved. Finally, constant reviews and monitoring of the sales experience will be facilitated to ensure that the correct results are maintained throughout the sales processes (MSG, 2012b).

In terms of the appropriate review procedures, sales targets set and results achieved will keenly be followed to ensure growth in operations. Management of the details of sales experience will formulate important strategic approach by MRC, including initial cue decoding, creation of contact, information exchange and follow-ups, need identification, scheduled meetings, prospecting for sales, negotiations, sealing deals as well as after sales follow-up (Helbig, 2011). These details will ensure that the initial sales establishment support long-term objectives of the MRC.

DistributionAs mentioned above, the sales and marketing functionalities of the MRC will need close coordination with the delivery system in order to ensure that revenue from orders is not lost. Across the expansive regional and global market space, MRC will have definite supply system that corresponds with current capacity of logistics and network of supply and demand. In order for the company to convert demand into supply outcomes needed for growth, wholesale and retail considerations will be considered (Gaebler Ventures, 2012). Due to the new entry status in Burma, it may not be immediately possible for the company to make an efficient presence on its own.

Wholesale and retail functionalities may be possible at the plant outlet to be constructed and implemented immediately. Supply across country and across the region as well as the global market will require partnerships and joint ventures as mentioned above. Various joint venture opportunities will be effected immediately, supported by agreements on delivery. International orders will be coordinated through shipping companies such as DHL. Online ordering and shopping portal will be integrated with the joint venture with shipping partner of choice. The initial supply targets will first cover the local and regional markets before the larger global market.

References

Boot, W. (2012). “Environmental Crises Threaten Burma’s Economy.” Retrieved from http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/12024

DPS. (2006). “Guide to Invest in Myanmar.” Retrieved from http://www.myanmar.ca/business/request_form.htm

Gaebler Ventures. (2012). “Selling a Rubber Products Wholesale and Manufacturers Business.” Retrieved from http://www.gaebler.com/Selling-a-Rubber-Products-Wholesale-and-Manufacturers-Business-7660.htm

Gutter, P. (2001). “Environment and Law in Burma.” Legal Issues on Burma Journal, 9:1-28

Gweri, R. (2012). “Myanmar: Planned Foreign Investment Law Delayed by Local Business Opposition.” Retrieved from http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2012/08/28/myanmar-planned-foreign-investment-law-delayed-by-local-business-opposition/#axzz2AkdfuWpL

Helbig, D. (2011). “5 Keys to Successful Sales Strategies.” Retrieved from http://smallbiztrends.com/2011/11/5-keys-successful-sales-strategies.html

HJ Ventures (2012). “Starting a Rubber Product Manufacturing Business.” Retrieved from http://www.hjventures.com/writing/Rubber-Business-Plan.html

Hoag, F. (2012). “Responsible Investment in Burma (Myanmar): An Experiment that Cannot Afford to Fail.” Retrieved from http://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/responsible-investment-in-burma-myanmar-53891/

Khaing, A. K. (2012). “Burma’s Rubber Prices Low.” Retrieved from http://www.mizzima.com/business/7664-burmas-rubber-prices-low.html

Kim, W. C. & Mauborgne, R. (2005). Blue ocean strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant, Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Publishing

Mizzima News. (2012). “Burma’s Foreign Investment Law Approved by Parliament.” Retrieved from http://www.mizzima.com/business/7967-burmas-foreign-investment-law-approved-by-parliament.html

MSG (2012a). “Integrated Marketing Communications.” Retrieved from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/integrated-marketing-communications.htm

MSG (2012b). “Sales Management- An Overview.” Retrieved from http://www.managementstudyguide.com/sales-management.htm

Myanmar (n.d.) “Climate Change Management in Myanmar.” Retrieved from http://www.gwpsea.org/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=54&Itemid=135

NGFL, (n.d.) “The 4Ps of Marketing- The Marketing Mix.” Retrieved from http://www.ngfl-cymru.org.uk/vtc/ngfl/bus_studies/gcse_m_smidman/unit3/4ps.htm

Rispoli, L. & Strizzi, N. (2001). “Asia’s Foreign Debt: an Evaluation and Strategic Overview.” Ivey Journal on Global Business, (May/June 2001)

Roughneen, S. (2012). “”Commodity Prices, Cronyism Threaten Burma’s Economy.” Retrieved from http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/3928

Shoemaker, R. (2012). “”Burma: Open for Business?” Retrieved from http://thediplomat.com/2012/07/26/burma-open-for-buisness/

Case Study on Leadership: Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Author

Institution

Course

Instructor

Date

Part 1: Leadership Styles of the Two Primary Characters: Mr. Walt Disney & Mrs. Travers

Walt Disney’s leadership style blends the key features of the democratic and authoritative styles. He is a visionary leader who maps the way for his followers and sets expectations, while energizing and engaging them in the process of management. He is also democratic because he shares information with his team of employees about all issues that affect work responsibilities, seeking their opinion and approval before major decisions. He runs his company with a lot of love, evident friendship, and the notable involvement of every employee. For example, in Saving Mr. Banks (Hancock, 2013: 21:03), he insists on being called Walt, and is in first name basis with all of his employees. According to Iqbal, Anwar, & Haider (2015), such leaders inspire confidence in their employees, make them feel valued, and instill a sense of commitment and value in their abilities. The employees understand what Walt Disney desires not just from them but also for the company, in terms of direction, commitment, and how to go about every step of their role and responsibilities. Blanchard, Hodges, & Hendry (2016). The benefits to Disney’s participative and visionary leadership style is realized throughout the battle to win over Mrs. Travers. His ability to engender trust and help in the promotion of cooperation and tea spirit from every employee are beneficial to the company. It is clear from Saving Mr. Banks (Hancock, 2013: 1:05:21) that Disney’s democratic and authoritative styles have allowed the employees to be creative and has led to their growth and development. Walt Disney rarely tells his employees what to do, he leads through sharing his vision, and enabling the employees to be innovative through ideas and implementation of the same. His leadership style gets the employees to do as he wishes but in ways that feel more as if they want to do it. Combined with his authoritative style, he leads his team out of any uncertainty by allowing people latitude and choice on the best ways to achieve company and individual goals.

In Saving Mr. Banks, the character of Mrs. Travers portrays autocratic leadership. According to Iqbal, Anwar, & Haider (2015), autocratic leadership is exhibited in a leader whose style shows individual control relating to all decisions without much input from other members of the team or group. Mrs. Travers shows how autocratic leaders base their choices on their own judgments, interpretation, and ideas without necessarily factoring in the opinion of others, even when the others are experts on a matter that the autocratic leader is not. For example, at the start of the movie, Mrs. Travers, without consultations or taking into consideration the opinion of her lawyer, cancels an important contract and insists on having everything her way (Hancock, 2013: 4:50). She is very detail-oriented and asserts control over every matter, even dictating how she should be addressed by her own lawyer. She is obsessed with being right all the time, lacks empathy and does not seem to read social cues properly. Her leadership style is exerting, assertive, controlling, and she always wants to be in charge of every decision. Her leadership style comes out as a bit delusional, for example when she demands that the proposed film features no red, despite the setting being in London, England where everything from buses to mailboxes are characteristically red. She threatens to cancel the cooperation with Walt Disney if all of her demands are not fully met. She leaves no room for a bargain, even though some of her demands are not very realistic. Overall, Mrs. Travers uses her own beliefs to decide on everything and exercise authoritarian control over others and all situations, a characteristic of the authoritarian or autocratic leader.

Part 2: Leadership Styles of the Supporting Characters

Ralph is an exceptional character in the way he remains bubbly despite Mrs. Travers overwhelming and constantly gloomy nature. He is a ray of sunshine in a very dark day, when his happy and lively persona is pitted against Mrs. Travers uptight and ever-agitated personality. Their differences emerge in a conversation where Mrs. Travers prefers the rain as it is more responsible since it brings life, but Ralph counters this by expressing how happy he is for the sun because it also brings life (Hancock, 2013: 11:31). As a supporting character, Ralph’s servant leadership style allows him to take the weight of Mrs. Travers stubbornness. He helps Walt to soften Mrs. Travers heart, by driving her around without losing his temper, bringing her tea, and joining her in her moment of breaking down on the grass and so on. Although Walt gets to work on softening Mrs. Travers’ position too in one or two instances, Ralph gets the bulk of this task, dong it with so much grace because of how he is as a servant leader, a role that he executes with utmost perfection.

Ralph is a servant leader in more ways than one: he put the needs of others first, shows empathy, listens, is aware of the surrounding, is persuasive, and displays stewardship. Two of his strongest leadership qualities include empathy and fostering healing through spiritual and emotional well-being. Servant leadership allows Ralph to not only recognize but also understand the emotions and feelings that Mrs. Travers is going through. For example, in the film (Hancock, 2013: 32:13), Ralph is able to recognize and understand that Mrs. Travers is not in a pleasant mood. He constantly checks his rare view mirror to check on the emotional condition of Mrs. Travers. He seems to know just what to say to trigger a conversation that takes his passenger away from her own thoughts. He deeply experiences emotions to match those of Mrs. Travers as evidenced by his constant sighs and facial expressions. Because Ralph understand Mrs. Travers so well, despite only knowing her for a short while, his actions are all motivated by a real desire to help her navigate a new country and understand how to cope with the overwhelming demands of making a film. He succeeds as a servant leader by making a friend out of a very unlikely partnership, evidenced in the concluding scene in the film (Hancock, 2013: 1:51:28) where Mrs. Travers lovingly embraces him.

Ralph’s listening skills and awareness allow him to foster a sense of healing. Burch, Swails, & Mills (2015) mention that servant leaders are very good with other people, connecting emotionally and being able to see the world from their point of view. In Saving Mr. Banks, Mrs. Travers is broken, as seen through her constantly complaining and disapproval of almost everything around her. She seems utterly unmoved even in situations where everyone else awes pleasure. Ralph recognizes this and takes on the challenge of being there for Mrs. Travers. He connects to her on an emotional level, insists on calling her Mrs., against her will, and takes on the role of a friend, knowing very well that this may not be reciprocated. By taking on this role actively, Ralph is able to inspire a markedly exceptional level of faith and trust from Mrs. Travers. In the end (Hancock, 2013: 1:51:28), they are happy to see each other, Mrs. Travers smiles and embraces her friend, Ralph, who through servant leadership was able to connect to her, understand her, and even insisted on calling her friend.

Ralph faces a mountain of a challenge in managing to establish a relationship with Mrs. Travers, without showing signs of frustration or anger. Clearly, Mrs. Travers is both condescending, rude, and very opinionated. It is very easy for Ralph to decide to only perform his role as a driver ferrying her from one point to the next. In their first encounter, Ralph’s servant leadership allows him to recognize that Mrs. Travers would not be his conventional client. She slams the partition window shut to keep out Ralph’s bubbly interaction and chooses to remain in her somber mood. This is especially a challenge for Ralph who is keen on establishing a relationship. He uses the foresight of a servant leader to break through the barrier by predicting how Mrs. Travers would act or respond. He relentlessly tries to get her to communicate and is very persuasive. Ultimately, he overcomes the challenge and is able to connect to her on a personal level. It is clear that Ralph is committed to see others grow, and is therefore actively involved in their journey towards the same.

Part 3: Forgiveness and Servant Leadership

Servant leadership is all about forgiveness, not just for the shortcomings of others but also for oneself in a process of healing and being able to overcome emotional and spiritual challenges. In Saving Mr. Banks, the concept of forgiveness is paramount to the entire story. Mrs. Travers is very uptight and prefers to see disappointment in everyone else as a way of coping. She does not understand the concept of forgiveness and is yet to forgive her father who put his own family in a lot of problems from his drinking and poor decision-making. Ralph, on the other hand, is a servant leader who easily forgives. For example, he forgets about the poor treatment from Mrs. Travers and moves on quickly to try and forge a relationship. He is happy to connect to her emotionally even when sometimes it backfires on his face. He chooses forgiveness over resentment, a quality that is uniquely characteristic of servant leadership. In another example, Walt Disney displays qualities of a servant leader where he overlooks al of the misery that making the film Mary Poppins has brought to his company and staff members. He is not bitter against Mrs. Travers but also attempts to understand why she is so difficult, obsessive, compulsive, and controlling. In these instances, I learnt that forgiveness and servant leadership go together. Forgiveness improves every relationship in the film Saving Mr. Banks. Forgiveness allows the Ralph and Walt Disney to tolerate Mrs. Travers, and bring out the best in her in the long run. I learnt that the servant leader desire to honor every relationship that they are a part of, even when the relationship is strictly professional. For example, Ralph does not look at Mrs. Travers as a client but as a friend in need of emotional help. I have appreciated how the film combines the role of servant leadership and forgiveness to bring out the qualities that matter in every relationship.

Ultimately, forgiveness is an important quality in a servant leader because it improves a relationship and fosters a way forward for everyone involved. It allows one to shed off their pride and embrace a spirit of forgiveness, overlooking the shortcomings to focus on the positive. Walt Disney is able to forgive Mrs. Travers, so does Ralph, and others involved in the film. Most importantly, Mrs. Travers forgives herself and her father, a situation that allows her to start enjoying the world.

References

Blanchard, K., Hodges, P., & Hendry, P. (2016). Lead like Jesus revisited: Lessons from the

greatest leadership role model of all time. Thomas Nelson.

Burch, M. J., Swails, P., & Mills, R. (2015). Perceptions of administrators’ servant leadership

qualities at a Christian university: A descriptive study. Education, 135(4), 399-404.

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Addictions

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Millions of people across the world are addicted to drugs and other substances such as alcohol. While persons of legal age can purchase and consume alcohol freely, drugs are prohibited under the law, and anyone caught in possession of even the smallest amounts of drugs is likely to spend some time in jail. In the United States, the majority of drug addicts and drug-associated offenders belong to minority groups, and this has led to oppression of drug addicts without a real solution in sight. Drug addicts are sent to prison and punished in other ways that have led to an exacerbation of the problem rather than a practical solution. The United States has millions of people incarcerated in its prisons and jails across the country, and the majority of these are due to drug-related charges. The criminal justice system and the legislature have been slow to address the drug addiction pandemic, and they would rather maintain the status quo. This paper will examine the statistics on drug addiction in the United States, the factors contributing to the growing pandemic, the oppression of drug addicts and how this has affected their lives.

Statistics

The American Addiction Centers website provides an analysis of valuable statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) on drugs and substance addiction. In the year 2017, 19.7 million Americans 12 years and older struggled with substance abuse. Substance abuse has a high correlation with alcohol abuse, as 74% of those battling substance abuse also struggles with alcohol use disorder. One in every eight Americans battled both alcohol and substance abuse disorders in the year 2017. These numbers are a cause for concern because it is a widespread problem affecting people of all ages and other demographics. The NSDUH also reported that alcohol and substance abuse is highly related to mental health disorders, as 8.5 million Americans experienced the two issues concurrently in 2017 (Thomas 2020).

The United States pursues a prohibitionist stance when it comes to drugs, meaning that persons caught selling or in possession of drugs face criminal charges. By the year 2015, arrests for drug charges averaged 1.3 million annually. 20% of all persons incarcerated in the country’s prions are serving time for drug-related charges, and an additional 1.15 million are on parole and probation for drug-related offences (Thomas 2020). Drug addicts have been the biggest casualties in the war against drugs, which the country has lost on all fronts. In discussing drug addiction, race plays a crucial role, especially when it comes to minority groups, specifically African-Americans. The African-American population accounts for 12.5 percent of substances users in the country, yet they make up thirty percent of all arrests related to drug charges. These high levels have had no effect on substance abuse and addiction numbers which have been on the rise over the years. Black Americans are on average six times more likely to be jailed for drug-related charges as compared to their white counterparts, even with similar charges levelled against them. On average, sixty percent of those serving time for drug-related offences in state prisons are people of colour. This number is even higher in federal prisons, where 80% of persons jailed for drug offenders are either black or Latino. These numbers shed light on the disproportionate effects of the war on drugs on minority groups in the United States.

The systematic oppression of minority groups such as Latinos and African-Americans concerning the issue of drug and substance addiction is due in most part to the criminal justice system, the law-making organs, and law enforcement bodies in the country. Officers have systematically pursued persons of colour in their fight against drugs, and the law supports this. Law enforcement officers are permitted under the law to stop and search any vehicle for drugs, and officers apply this law mainly on persons of colour. Additionally, the criminal justice system has contributed to the oppression of people of colour in drug addiction by handing them disproportionate jail terms. For example, a black defendant in the federal system convicted of a minor drug offence will likely serve the same amount of time (58.7 months) as a white individual convicted of violent crime (61.7 months). Prosecutors also fight for mandatory minimum sentences for black defendants more than white ones, and this has resulted in people of colour accounting for 70% of all mandatory minimum sentences (Thomas 2020). Policymakers at different levels of government have consistently applied harsher laws, especially for low-level drug offences, and this has oppressed many drug addicts.

Theory

The systems theory is the best theory that can be used to explain how the issue of drug and substance addiction is created and maintained. The systems theory asserts that a person’s behaviour is significantly influenced by various factors that work as a system. When it comes to addicts, these factors include family, community, schools, economic class and the government. A majority of addicts develop their problems due to social environments such as peers and family. For example, a child born to addict parents or one who spends a lot of time with addict peers is more likely to become addicts themselves. Addicts could also turn to drugs and other substances to deal with problems in their lives such as poverty, violence, family problems, among others. This translates into an endless cycle of addiction. Addicts are often shunned by their family and community because they are seen as criminals and irresponsible individuals. This sends them deeper and deeper into addiction, and they may turn to criminal activities such as dealing drugs. They will then be arrested by law enforcement officers and sent to the criminal justice system, which puts them in prison. Their addiction is never cause for concern at any point within the system; instead they are vilified and shunned by all parties.

Historical Background

The historical problem that led to the oppression of addicts is the growing use of drugs that prompted President Nixon to declare war on drugs in 1971. different arms of government worked together to fight against the drug menace fast growing across the country, seeing prohibition as the best way to eliminate the consumption and production of drugs in the country. Drugs then became a law enforcement issue rather than the public health issue. Addiction has been a significant problem over the past few decades for various reasons. One of these reasons is that it has encouraged the illicit trade of drugs which has grown into a multi-billion dollar industry globally. Drug and substance addiction has ruined the lives of millions, leading to loss of employment, imprisonment, addiction, physical and mental health problems, and even death (Fellner 2009). Unfortunately, the war on drugs has disproportionately affected minority groups in the country. Although drug addiction affects all parts of the US population, minority groups make up the majority of those incarcerated for drug-related offences.

Life for drug addicts before the oppression was better than it is. For example, laws against minor drug offences such as possession of little amounts of marijuana were less strict. As the years have gone by, the laws have become stricter, and even minor offences get significant jail times. However, President Nixon implemented several draconian laws on drugs that proved oppressive. One of these was the mandatory sentencing laws that require any person arrested on drug offences be given some mandatory minimum sentence. Federal drug agencies control and presence was also drastically increased to improve surveillance and arrest of drug offenders. Since the oppression began, the number of drug-related arrests per year has been growing exponentially, tripling since the 1980s (Provine 2011). The number of arrests from drug possession is six times those from drug sales. The oppression of drug addicts has only grown since the introduction of oppressive drug policies in the 1970s and 1980s. For example, more people have been sentenced to longer jail terms, and the majority of those incarcerated for drug-related charges are from minority groups (Wyatt-Nichol & Seabrook 2016). The macro-component of oppression has also widened its oppressive efforts. Those imprisoned for non-violent drug charges now serve longer prison sentences as public prosecutors fight for mandatory minimum sentences, and judges rule in their favour. The Center for America Progress reports on the unfairness of the justice system to minorities in the war against drugs. For example, African-Americans are four times more likely to be arrested and serve longer jail terms for marijuana possession, than their white peers under similar charges.

Analysis

The macro-components keeping the oppressed population in their current system is law enforcement, the justice system, and drugs policymakers. Law enforcement has been consistent in their unfair bias against communities of colour in the fights against drugs (Fellner 2009). Officers arrest such persons even on the most minor charges, rather than implementing other interventions such as diverting drug users to social services . The justice system is similarly discriminatory to minority groups in the war on drugs. Drug addiction affects all demographics in the country, but users from minority groups have been the largest group of victims in the effort to fight drugs and drug abuse. They are often sentenced to longer terms for similar offences as others. Policymakers on the issues of drugs have also contributed to oppression because they continue to such prohibitionist policies that unfairly target addicts and users from minority groups (Wyatt-Nichol & Seabrook 2016). There are specific factors that encourage these macro-components to maintain status quo in the oppression of drug addicts, specifically those from minority groups. For law enforcement, the primary motivation for oppression is financial. Officers who make more arrests get more overtime pay and this coupled with their historical bias against persons of colour leads to the arrest of more addicts. The judiciary also has similar biases against offenders from minority groups, fanned by pressure from the prosecution and other public bodies.

These macro-component practices affect drug addicts, their families and communities. Addicts sent to jail suffer from even more problems while incarcerated and later when released. They do not get the medical help they need to tackle their addiction, and when they get out of prions, they simply go back to their old ways. After prions, they find it hard to get employment and face discrimination in other social fronts. Their families suffer when their breadwinner goes to jail, and they are left without an income (Coyne, & Hall 2017). This loss of wages could drive such a family into poverty. Additionally, such families face stigma from their society for having addict members. Communities also suffer when addicts get arrested or go to jail because they lose some productive members, and the root causes of addiction also fail to be addressed, which would benefit more members of the community.

The macro-component is quite effective at oppressing addicts from minority groups as the system is biased against such addicts, right from officers carrying out arrests and providing evidence, prosecutors seeking longer and harsher sentences, to judges who eventually sentence the offenders. The macro-component is funded through government mechanisms that allocate billions of dollars to the fight against drugs each year. There is significant social awareness surrounding the oppressive capacity of these macro-components in the war on drugs, spread by statistics from organizations such as the Drug Policy Alliance and documentaries such as ‘The House I Live In’, ‘The War on Drugs’ and others focusing on the failed war on drugs (Gray 2010).

Addiction should be addressed at different micro and macro levels such as family, community and institutional levels. At the family level, an effective social work strategy is to encourage family members, especially parents and guardians, to be on the look-out for early signs of substance abuse and addiction. Most of them are clueless about the problem until it gets out of hand. Social workers should educate families on some things to look out for such as truancy, change in behaviour, and lack of concentration, irritability and withdrawal, especially in young people. Families should also be educated on the resources available to addicts and those struggling with substance abuse (Rolles 2010). These social work strategies at the family level also apply at the community level such as schools, churches and neighbourhoods so that people can look out for their neighbours and others in the community. At the institutional level, some social work strategies include engaging with leadership such as college administration to increase awareness on dangers of drug and substance abuse, offering counselling services and spreading information on services available to those struggling with such problems. When it comes to the macro component of oppression, these should be policy changes and anti-bias training for the relevant bodies. For example, law enforcement officers should be given anti-bias training to address issues of bias against minority groups, as well as alternative ways of dealing with petty, non-violent offenders. The Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program is an effective solution where officers refer minor offenders to treatment and social programs rather than arresting them (Fellner 2009).

Reducing oppression and increasing cultural diversity contribute to social equality. Most of the victims in the war on drugs are minorities affected by poverty, unemployment and illiteracy. Doing away with oppressive policies against them will promote social equality as they get fair and equal treatment, as well as the help they need for addiction. Addressing the actions of the macro components in promoting oppression will promote the rights and entitlements of the oppressed. All sick people have the right to get treatment, and this applies to addicts. Doing away with Oppressive policies such as harsh and long sentences promote the rights of the addicts. When such people get the help they need, they can lead productive lives, get employed and earn an income and improve their social status in the community. Such events also give addicts, and their families improved quality of life as they get the treatment they need, allowing them to lead normal lives. Addicts and other low-level drug offenders will have a more positive interaction with the community once the oppressive mechanisms are eliminated. They no longer have to be treated like criminals but as people who need medical and social intervention, and this improves interactions with their community. These goals align with principles of social work such as acceptance, access to resources, and non-judgmental attitude.

In conclusion, addiction is a major problem in society today. Millions of people are addicted to drugs, alcohol and other substances. One of the major problems in tackling the issue of addiction is the oppressive policies and laws targeting drug users and other drug offenders. The oppressive organs in the system include the justice system, law enforcement and policymakers. People of colour make up the majority of those convicted for drug-related charges, and consistently receive disproportionately harsher sentences for their crimes compared to other demographics. The country should abandon its prohibitionist policies in favour of decriminalization and addressing the drugs pandemic as a public health issue. The war on drugs has failed on all fronts, punishing addicts for a health condition.

References

Coyne, C. J., & Hall, A. (2017). Four decades and counting: The continued failure of the war on drugs. Cato Institute Policy Analysis, (811).

Fellner, J. (2009). Race, drugs, and law enforcement in the United States. Stan. L. & Pol’y Rev., 20, 257.

Gray, J. (2010). Why our drug laws have failed: a judicial indictment of war on drugs. Temple University Press.

Provine, D. M. (2011). Race and inequality in the war on drugs. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 7, 41-60.

Rolles, S. (2010). An alternative to the war on drugs. Bmj, 341, c3360.

Thomas, S. (2020) Alcohol and Drug Abuse Statistics. American Addiction Centers. https://americanaddictioncenters.org/rehab-guide/addiction-statisticsWyatt-Nichol, H., & Seabrook, R. (2016). The ugly side of America: Institutional oppression and race.