Blog

The collapse of the Soviet Union

The collapse of the Soviet Union

Name

Institution

Date

Introduction

The collapse of the Soviet Union’s historic moment gained the attention of different groups of people in society. Many have perceived it to stem from the lack of the Soviet Union to embrace technology and keep up with its pace, the cold war, and the arms race. However, the manipulation of the Russian presidency by Boris Yeltsin and the rise of the Soviet national republics contributed massively to its collapse. The disintegration of the Soviet Union can be attributed to various factors as well. This research aims to examine the factors that led to the disintegration of the Soviet Union.

Marples (2016) suggests a multitude of events that caused the collapse of the Soviet Union but first discussed the different perspectives of other analysts. Marple explains how the end of the U.S.S.R. signaled the end of the Cold War and resulted in a victory for the United States. However, this did not signify that the United States was responsible for the collapse of the U.S.S.R. Marple highlights how the pressures of the arms race with the U.S. were not the cause of the economic collapse of the U.S.S.R(Marples, 2016). The disintegration of the Soviet Union and the consequent end of the U.S.S.R. resulted in a drastic improvement of the relationship between Western countries and the former northern Eurasian empire.

One of the factors that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union was the economic instability brought about by the fluctuation of global fuel prices. According to Marple theory, the communist party politician Mikhael Gorbachev took over the U.S.S.R. when its economy stagnated. Kramer (2003) differs from Marples’ school of thought by focusing on the market condition during the reign of the Soviet Union. He claims that the economy of the Soviet comprised of hoarding and consequent shortage of consumer goods, which acted as setbacks to the progressiveness of the economy. Kramer further argues that ten percent of the country’s G.D.P. originated from the black-market economy of the Soviets. For this reason, the country experienced an economic stagnation that worsened by the day. Mikhael Gorbachev developed two policies hoping that they would revive the economy. The two policies adopted are the perestroika and the glasnost policies. Under the perestroika policy, the Soviet Union shifted to the communalist-capitalist hybrid economic system under the command of Gorbachev. Kramer (2003) further states that Politburo, the policy-making committee of the capitalist movement, was in charge of the economy. Marple (2016) states that despite the economy’s underperformance, the government still allowed the market to influence the development decisions and production processes. Both Marples (2016) and Kramer (2003) agree that the establishment and implementation of the perestroika reforms to combat the effects of economic stagnation worsened the market condition. The government printed money to support wage hikes, an action that led to the inflationary spiral. A sharp drop in global oil prices threatened the Soviet Union (Kramer, 2003). In addition, the failure by the key players to develop and manage fiscal policies that would otherwise enhance the economy made the country vulnerable to external factors.

Marples notes that in the 80s and 90s, the Soviets ranked as one of the largest energy resources producers, producing natural gas and oil, which played a crucial role in its market dominance and being the world’s largest economy command (Marples, 2016). However, Zlotic disagrees with Marples’ argument and states that in March 1986, the oil prices experienced a drastic drop from 120 dollars per barrel in 1980 to 24 dollars a barrel. Therefore, the external capital fueling the Soviet Union economy was limited. Consequently, oil prices skyrocketed in 1990, when Kuwait was invaded by Iraqi. The Soviet Union’s economic constraints contributed to its collapse as it had already shown cracks in the economy and signs of instability and at the verge of collapsing.

Marples’ theory surrounding the collapse of the U.S.S.R. revolves around what he calls a coup from within. Marples states the collapse of the U.S.S.R. was partly due to the rise of national republics versus the central Moscow Soviets. He suggests this ideology was initiated by introducing the Glasnost policy. Gorbachev aimed to achieve political openness with the Soviet people through the Glasnost policy. The policy addressed personal restrictions on the people of the Soviet by eliminating the Stalinist repression remaining traces. He banned books like the Nobel-winning prize book, Dr. Zhivago, written by Boris Pasternak (Marples, 2016). The much-loathed secret police, the fall of many communist regimes in eastern Europe, and the refusal from Gorbachev to counter the fall of these with considerable force created an undermining of Gorbachev’s authority. Marples also explains how the economic collapse of 1990-1992 also played a crucial role but states the most critical event was the rise of a new Russia under the elected president Yeltsin. Yeltsin had the backing of his party members that became spiteful of previous encounters with Gorbachev and the policies introduced into Russia. He explains how it was a revolt from within instead of a civil conflict, with evidence from the composition of post-soviet leadership where all of the newly independent states had former communist leaders. With Marples giving the example of Belarus and their elected leader, Alyaksander Lukashenka, in which he openly stated that the collapse of the U.S.S.R. was an act of ‘treachery.’ Marples describes how many of these party leaders transformed from communist to nationalist to maintain their power. The only leader to not do this was the Georgian leader, later termed power-hungry and consequently lost his leadership. He explains how the main factor attributing to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. was the rise of nationalist republics and the coup from Yeltsin that caused a severe undermining of Gorbachev’s power. Ultimately it was the rise of a new Russia, separate from the Soviets.

The main aim is to provide an argument on the collapse of the U.S.S.R. The collapse was mainly a result of two interconnected factors: the rise of the Soviet national republics and the manipulation of the new Russian presidency by Boris Yeltsin in what became a direct power struggle between Yeltsin and the Soviet leader, Gorbachev. Marples follows a clear outlay in which he explains how the national question became a dominant topic in Soviet politics. He provides an analysis of the economic crisis in the late 1980s, explanations of the referendum to reform the Soviet Union, and how it led to the termination of the U.S.S.R. In addition, he addresses the final discussion of the two conflicting powers, Yeltsin and Gorbachev.

Marples’ chapter on the economy supports his main argument. Through his detailed explanation of Gorbachev reforms and Mining strikes, Marples explains how the economic crisis created growing discontent among the republics of the Soviet with Marples. He highlights Gorbachev’s leadership limitations, which revolved around his lack of delegation to experts and consequently a period of great economic regression.

Barnes (2014) produces a piece of work titled ‘Unpacking the “Collapse” of the Soviet Union.’ In his work, Barnes’ argument explains how the fall of the U.S.S.R. can be explained as a combination of regime change, state decline, and territorial disintegration. Barnes states how this allows scholars to make a formal judgment on other potential explanations. In his work Barnes (2014) explains how many people see the collapse of the U.S.S.R. as a single phenomenon and states that his article disaggregates the event into three separate though interconnected processes. Barne’s attribution of the collapse of the Soviet Union to a combination of events is similar to the work of Marples (2016). However, there is a difference in their approaches on the contributing factors to the collapse. While Marples (2016) and Barnes (2014) have differing arguments, they both have similarities in the argument. Marples’ rise of national question can be seen as similar to the territorial disintegration that Barnes talks about. With the rise of national republics, many Soviet republics sought independence, and therefore, once independent, they were no longer a part of the territory belonging to the U.S.S.R.

The work from Barnes (2014) allows for an understanding of the events from 1985-1991. It provides explanations in which we can reject arguments from other scholars, such as an economic decline or major faults with the Soviet system. It also highlights how the three factors mentioned could not single-handedly cause the collapse of the Soviet Union but only in conjunction with one another have the power to destroy the U.S.S.R. However, Barnes’ work seeks to explain the collapse of the Soviet Union to apply a framework for future political campaigns and predict political movements. This argument places a different perspective on his work, focusing on political reasoning. It fails to provide adequate information about the contribution of the people to the collapse of the U.S.S.R. Some of the contributions include but are not limited to the pressures to improve working conditions and the increase in goods prices, which created growing discontent among the general public.

Gorbachev believed that the explosion of the nuclear bomb over a year after he had taken over power contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union. Seliktar (2015) claims that the nuclear bomb explosion at the Chernobyl power station caused massive distraction and cost people’s lives. Seliktar explains that Gorbachev’s official response to the disaster was a test of his glasnost policy of openness. The communist party committees did their best to cover the severity of the bombing to reduce tension among the people and renounce any doubts on the leadership and integrity of Gorbachev. According to Seliktar (2015), one of the mechanisms adopted by the officials to suppress the disaster information was the proception of celebrations and Mayday parades in the affected areas despite the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals. He confirms in the article that the western reports regarding the severity of the explosions and the chemical exposure were downplayed and termed as gossip. The people’s trust in the Soviet system gradually reduced and shattered as more people dealing with the radioactive poisoning increased. Yet, the communalist party officials were spreading propaganda about the issue. The people’s lost faith in the Soviet system contributed to its collapse. (Soliktar 2015) coverage of the Chernobyl explosion gives adequate information regarding the events and its influence on the people’s perception of the Soviet Union. It outdoes other scholarly sources and makes scholars question their credibility.

In Suny’s article ‘The revenge of the Past: Nationalism, revolution, and the collapse of the Soviet Union,’ he states that the referendum to reform the Soviet Union in 1991 is the first in the history of Russia. It aimed to maintain the U.S.S.R. as a renewed federation. It was one of its kind because it came in place of the renewed federation prevented by a coup in August. It resulted in the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991. 80% of voters approved the referendum in question. Matlock (1995), on the other hand, believes that the referendum intended to give Gorchabev the popular mandate to pressure the newly elected Baltic state legislatures and the soviet republics who sought greater sovereignty. Gorbachev attempted to undermine the outcome of democracy using democratic methods. According to Matlock (1995), the Helsinki Commission sent its staff to monitor the Soviet republics and Baltic states’ parliamentary elections, in line with the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act. They aimed to gather substantial reports about Baltic states and perestroika as a way of representing the soviet politics democratization. In December 1990, a compendium report of the Baltic States and Soviet republics elections was documented and published.

Matlock (1995) claims that the observations made by the staff members of the Helsinki Commission in the soviet and the elections of the Baltic state reports showed that the international media and the soviet republics paid little attention to the historic referendum. Marpels (2016) supports Matlock’s point of view by affirming that the lack of attention from this partis reflected the referendum’s minimal impact on the people. The jurisdictional battles in U.S.S.R. between the republics and the center indicated that the statement was flawed and irrelevant as a policy. Matlock (1995) further explains that the referendum helped generate the ‘April Pact’ between the leaders of the nine republics and Gorchabev. He claims that these consequences displayed a referendum’s failure in causing the impact initially thought about the establishers, which was a historic contribution to soviet politics. According to Suny (1993), pushing the referendum and advocating for it, Gorchabev demonstrated his interest in using it as a weapon against his political enemies and the lower government bodies in the federal structure. The referendum application by Boris Yeltsin and Mikhail Gorbachev impacted the usage of the device after communism in the post-soviet states. The collision between Yeltsin, the president of Russia, and Gorbachev contributed massively to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The two statemen had a strained relationship, and none took the other seriously. The passionate dislike of the two political leaders accelerated the collapse of the Soviet Union.

According to Zlotnic (2003), The failure of the coup in 1991 December was a clear indication that Yeltsin had more control and an upper hand in the whole situation. Their different personalities were perhaps the main cause of their rivalry. Kramer (2003) concurs with Zlotic’s (2003) argument and points out that their relationship was more of an intense rivalry than a competition. According to Yeltsin, Gorbachev was born for compromise and diplomacy. On the other hand, Yeltsin was perceived as reckless, impatient for negotiations, and preferred brinkmanship risks. Despite Gorbachev being the first to alter the Soviet political rules, Yeltsin was quick to play by the rules and consequently defeated Gorchabev. Yeltsin was able to convert his political career to and extend his rule that would have otherwise ended in 1987, thanks to the alterations introduced by Gorchabev into the political system.

Unlike Marple and Barnes, Seliktar (2015) focuses on how the involvement of the Soviet Union in the Afghanistan war and its financial budget for the military troops resulted in the collapse of the Union. The Soviet army settled in the Graveyard of Empires as they took over their role in World War II and repressed the Prague spring and the Hungarian revolution. Seliktar (2015) further adds that millions of Soviet troops took part in occupations for ten years. In the line of duty, over fifteen thousand troops lost their lives. More than a million Afghanistan civilians were also killed in the battle. Since the government controlled the press, the information about the war remained muted until the glasnost created an opportunity to vocalize the Afghanistan war-weariness. With this move, Gorbachev reform efforts opponents lost their leverage against him. The Afghan conflict veterans in Soviet republics were agitated against the Moscow war.

According to Suny (1993), protests broke in Asian republics in support of Afghanistan because many soldiers felt more closely attached to Afghanistan regarding their religion and ethnic background. The cleavage with Moscow by the European republics was more dramatic. The Baltic republic’s opposition forces resulted in the Anti-war demonstrations held in Ukraine. In 1990, the secessionist movements fueled by the Baltic Republics saw the independence declaration of three Baltic states. Sunny (1993) claims that the west was not responsible for the collapse of the Soviet Union. Despite the rigors and pressures of the arms race, it didn’t suffer economic collapse due to the competition. Barnes (2014), however, argues that the regionalism, nationalism, and ethnic tension experienced during this period originated from the economic decline witnessed in the Soviet nation. Contrary to Barne’s argument, Suny believes the war in Afghanistan contributed massively to the collapse of the U.S.S.R compared to other factors.

Conclusion

The disengagement of the Soviet Union had a huge impact on the post-soviet states and the communist afterward. It is undeniable that the coup’s failure led to the demise of Soviet communism. The collapse of the Soviet Union did not necessarily commerce when the coup failed. Other factors shook the Union’s stability gradually and facilitated its collapse. This collapse brought about political stability and continuity for its people. It allowed for a well-functioning, industrialized, well-planned economy for the Soviet Republics. Therefore, it is right to conclude that the collapse of the Soviet Union benefited the Soviet Republics and the Baltic states.

References

Barnes, A. (2014). Three in One: Unpacking the “Collapse” of the Soviet Union. Problems of Post-Communism, 61(5), 3-13.

Kramer, M. (2003). The Collapse of the Soviet Union (Part 2): Introduction. Journal of Cold War Studies, 5(4), 3-42.

Marples, D. R. (2016). The collapse of the Soviet Union, 1985-1991. Routledge.

Matlock, J. (1995). Autopsy on an Empire: The American Ambassadors Account of the Collapse of the Soviet Union (1st ed.). Random House.

Seliktar, O. (2015). Politics, Paradigms, and Intelligence Failures: Why So Few Predicted the Collapse of the Soviet Union: Why So Few Predicted the Collapse of the Soviet Union. (1st ed.). Routledge.

Suny, R. (1993). The revenge of the past (1st ed.). Stanford Univ. Press.

Zlotnik, M. (2003). Yeltsin and Gorbachev: The Politics of Confrontation. Journal of Cold War Studies, 5(1), 128–164. https://www.jstor.org/stable/26925263

Telling Truth Autonomy and Confidentiality.

Telling Truth Autonomy and Confidentiality.

Name of Student

Institutional Affiliation

Introduction.

The truth has a way to defend itself, as it is commonly understood. A reality with absolute discretion will auger well with the recipient as much it may hurt sometimes. Health institutions prepare nurses and doctors to be truthful as they handle patients. Governments, through their legislative chambers, have developed bills touching on elevating and maintaining the nobility of the medical profession, especially the code of ethics. In recent times before employment, medical practitioners do swear to uphold and protect the code of ethics as they discharge their duties. Telling the truth to the patient on their health status and maintaining the confidentiality of the patient are some of the ethics that medical practitioners swear to protect. This paper looks at the intrigues of either telling the truth in some situations or telling a lie whenever its necessary to save the patient.

Does informed consent matter in a medical context?

Informed consent is the primary step in medicine. The patient should be willing and cooperating with the doctors for them to be treated. However, permission should be mutual so that both the doctor and especially the patient, can make an informed decision. For instance, a patient who has cancer, such kind of patients, should be given enough information on the type of cancer they are suffering from. The patient should be given information on prognosis and diagnosis and the various treatment stages, according to Robert (2009). This information helps the patients to prepare psychologically and mentally for treatment. Therefore, this may result in the patient responding better to treatment.

Also, the truth should be given according to the patient’s discretion. Some patients may require hearing the truth themselves, and others let their next of kin or health practitioners deal with it. Although, the other person to receive such information should as well as be prepared while it may harm them as well. In such a scenario, then the doctor can discuss with the patient’s caregiver for medication to begin. The patient’s autonomy should always be respected, which includes the right not to know their medical condition if they deem so.

Should it be adhered to in an absolute way?

The patient’s privilege and right to informed consent should be respected and observed. This is due to the benefits and pre-disposed values that accompany it. Informed consent provides the patient with prior information which they can use to make informed and well-thought decisions concerning their health. It also provides vital information economically that the patient can be able to meet for their medication. Failure to informed consent is a severe health breach, which, for instance, may lead to the patient deteriorate health-wise or die. Without permission, it contradicts the principles of patient-centered care, patient empowerment, and shared decision making. A patient may not make a conscious and informed choice without truthful information shared with them, according to Craig M. et al. (2018).

Moreover, informed consent has both psychological and physical benefits. Psychologically, the patient settles having the knowledge of what they ail from and the possible diagnosis and prognosis. The patient with the exact information on what they are suffering from tends to respond well to treatment as they already have a knowledge of what to expect during treatment. It also prevents mental torture to patients without any anxieties since they already have information on the diagnosis and prognosis. The patient also can undergo the procedure as painful it maybe since they have truthful information, and they understand likely scenarios.

Furthermore, informed consent enables the patient to build trust in the health practitioner and believe in the process. Positive energy from a patient is an excellent stride towards the patient recovering. Informed consent fosters a patient-health practitioner relationship, which may, in turn, lead to the patient opening up on their medical history, which can help the doctor to handle the condition of the patient better. As Yusrita {2018} notes that competent patients should handle the truth, and painful truth is only but an “accident,” but a lie cannot be concealed since, in the fullness of time, it will come out. The fact helps patients to make informed decisions.

Informed consent should be adhered to considering the facts above, and also the moral principle of sharing the truth with the patient so that they can make informed decisions. There is more good than harm in having informed consent between a doctor and patient than not.

Is it ethical to disregard it sometimes?

As the paper has discussed above, informed consent is almost necessary, and it is the right thing to do legally and ethically. However, some cases dispel the notion that informed consent is a necessity, and morally they are right. Sometimes, telling the truth is a prima facie obligation whereby sometimes one duty can override the other. For instance, if lying means life can be saved to telling the truth, then the medical practitioner must lie. The doctors can also hold any information from the patient if it may cause harm.

We consider a case study; Yusrita (2018), in the paper, gives an example of a critically ill patient in ICU and has just gained consciousness after a road accident in which the family members perished. The man then decides to ask about the whereabouts of the family it would be most appropriate that the medical practitioner withholds such information because of his health condition and that it will do him more harm. The lie will give him hope to fight for his life so that he can unite with his family; therefore, the myth is morally justifiable. The primary duty of the doctor is to save the patient’s life, and if it requires a lie, it’s worth a life. Clinical analysis should be conducted by the medical practitioner before such a decision, with proper documentation to prove that a lie was necessary.

Also, when new doctors come on board, they need to be given a platform to learn and gain experience to handle patients. Most patients will most likely object to the fact that a fresh graduate doctor treats them; therefore, such information is held so that the medical profession can continue. Also, the patients who are anti-tablets sometimes can be tricked, and the tablets are smashed into their drinks without their consent. This is wrong to have a patient take pills without their permission, but again it helps to make their dose and finally morally acceptable recovery.

It is necessary to note that it’s not all the times that a medical practitioner should withhold information, but when they deem it appropriate, and it’s for the sake of protecting a patient’s life. Therefore, a medical practitioner should clinically assess the patient and weigh the impacts to make a decision.

In conclusion, the oath of telling the truth should be respected by the doctor as it is the right of the patient to have a piece of information to determine their health problems. Undoubtedly, telling the truth is the right thing any human being should do. However, some medical cases give an impression that not always. Thus, doctors should understand the circumstances in which they have to lie. It is necessary that lying should be the last thing a medical practitioner should do but for the noble cause of saving humanity.

References

Zolkefli, Y. (2018). The ethics of truth-telling in health-care settings. The Malaysian journal of medical sciences: MJMS, 25(3), 135.

Veatch, R. M. (2009). Case studies in biomedical ethics: Decision-making, principles, and cases.

Klugman, C. M., Dunn, L. B., Schwartz, J., & Cohen, I. G. (2018). The ethics of smart pills and self-acting devices: Autonomy, truth-telling, and trust at the dawn of digital medicine. The American Journal of Bioethics, 18(9), 38-47.

Summaries Chapter Seven, Eight and Nine – Law, Justice, and Society A Sociolegal Introduction

Summaries Chapter Seven, Eight and Nine – Law, Justice, and Society: A Sociolegal Introduction

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Chapter Seven Summary: Civil and Administrative Law

In this chapter, we are introduced to civil law as well as administrative law. Civil law is defined as private law that governs the transactions that take place between non-government entities that include the likes of corporations and private individuals. Also, according to the chapter, both civil and criminal law are public law; however, Civil law is different from criminal law in ways that can be broadly categorized into who is the legal victim? Who initiates the lawsuit? The issue before the court, the various standards of proof, which the burden of providing proof falls on, what is the sought-out remedy, the defendants’ rights and who has the right to appeal in adverse circumstances. Civil law aims at resolving the disagreements that occur among citizens and the institutions in various areas such as property, contracts and personal injury. Therefore, civil law is designed to ensure that all citizens respect the rights of other individuals, even if it means sacrificing some of their interests to create an environment that is conducive for everyone. There are five subdivisions of civil law, namely; torts, property, contracts, family and juvenile law.

Tort law is the part of civil war that handles the harm that is caused to the plaintiff by the action or the inaction of the defendant that do not include breaches of contract. Several forms of harm are covered under the tort law, including invasion of property, inflicting injury to someone, medical or legal malpractice, product liability and the act of trespassing. Tort law differs from criminal law in that unlike criminal law tort law seeks not to punish the crime doer, but to ensure that the aggrieved gains some financial compensation. There are three categories under tort law, including intentional acts where the defendant willingly causes harm to another person’s self or their property.

Negligent acts whereby the defendant had a duty to act in a certain way in which he did not do, and hence, the plaintiff was injured and finally acted for which strict liability exists. Strict liability involves cases whereby the plaintiff does not have to prove that the defendant acted either intentionally or negligently. The liability comes into play when it can be proven that the defendant caused injury to the plaintiff. There are defenses to liability which a defendant can use to challenge the case including contributory negligence, comparative negligence, consent and immunity.

Another category of civil law is family law that is designed to protect the integrity that exists in marriage. The law focusses on the intricacies that are involved when parties are entering into or dissolving a marriage. There are no national laws on family law, only state laws that vary. For a marriage to be considered valid thereby, they have to have a license from the state, have vows made in front of someone who is legally eligible to acknowledge marriage and the vows must be witnessed. The law also governs who may marry whom? Persons who have reached the legal limit of eighteen can marry in all the states. However, persons with mental deficiencies, closely related persons and persons who are below the legal age of marriage. Other categories of civil law are Property law and contract law. Property law involves laws that govern the rights of ownership of personal, real and intellectual ideas. The laws also handle how these properties can be used. On the other hand, contract law handles the laws on how business can be conducted.

Finally, there is administrative law which is the branch of law that involves the governmental administrative agencies whose activities range from the making of, enforcement and the adjudication of particular regulatory agendas. The agendas usually have a massive impact on everyone. The chapter also touches on the origins and the growth of administrative agencies and their legislative function.

Chapter Eight Summary- Juvenile Justice

The chapter addresses the justice system of the United States on the treatment of children, adolescents and young adults. The individuals need to be protected from themselves as they are not aware of the long-term effect that they behaviors may have on their future. Thus, juvenile justice is placed under civil law and not criminal law. Status offenders are the situation where the law punishes the children from engaging in activities that are illegal to them but legal to the adults. For Example, drinking, smoking, refusing to go to school, having unprotected sex. Nonetheless, juvenile delinquents are children who have committed criminal acts that are illegal even for adults, For Example, murder, stealing.

The law must determine the extent of delinquency when dealing with the youths. Statistics estimate that juvenile offenders are about 2.5 times the total violent offenders in the country and about 4.5 times the property offenders. However, the youths under eighteen-year-old are only 6% of the population. Therefore, youths are lost at this time in their lives; they aim to detach themselves from their parents and find their place in this complex world. The court makes a ruling based on this assumption and with the determination of the extent of delinquency.

The court should be able to understand the developmental factors of juvenile such as the environment around and the influence that the environment has on them. Also, the synchrony between the immature nervous system and the overly mature physical body of the juvenile may have led to such criminal activities. The juvenile may also have varying feelings of pleasure from the normal adults hence resulting in the use of other simulations to achieve the same desire. Puberty has everything to do with the level of crime committed by the juvenile. Hence, essential to understanding the different levels of synchronization and factors surrounding the juvenile, leading to such violations.

According to research, the majority of adolescent offenders are known to reform when they become adults. Only a small percentage of the adults continue to offend wit time; hence, thus the life-course-persistent (LCP) offenders. The offenders exhibit a low IQ and possess negative emotions. On the other hand, adolescent limited offenders are stimulated to commit a crime due to the surrounding factors. They may have a high IQ and are regarded as normal adolescents who may have been caught up with the pressure of adjusting in a complex world.

In the history of the United States, there is a record of children being jailed, executed and even life imprisoned for minor offences. Children as young as six years old being imprisoned in the same jails as the adults are wrong; thus, the juvenile offences were classified under civil law. The standard year of jail term is eight years, but it varies in the different states from six in North Carolina to ten in Arkansas and Colorado. Previously, children were punished by the family, especially the fathers. Nonetheless, in some families, children are let loose, which has led to an increase in the crime rate as the children grew up. There was a need for standard treatment of all children who are considered as persons under supervision, the children under eighteen years.

According to the church, the spiritual scripture stipulated that children under seven years old are not to be held accountable for their acts as they had not reached the age of transgression. The government saw the need to establish a standard measure of violations by the children as some parents placed their kids under the law for small violations such as idle and disorderly behavior. Also, abuse of children for personal gain was evident when the children were placed in homes, and the homeowners were the determinants of the reform in the children or not. Thus, using the children in carrying out other duties and activities away from their parents. With the rise of the child savers came the need for juvenile facilities as the criminal courts were not sufficient for children.

Chapter Nine: The Law and Social Control

The chapter explains how society is controlled through the law. Social control is defined as actions that are either deliberate or unconscious that have the sole aim of instilling conformity to persons, whether or not they are aware of the process happening. The law is the tool used to maintain social control through a system of rules and regulations. The law reduced cases of unpredictable unconformity by encouraging behavior that is predictable and peaceful. Social control can be classified along two dimensions that include direct versus indirect and formal versus informal. Direct control is coercive, while, on the other hand, indirect control is both persuasive and voluntary.

Deterrence and punishment are some aspects of the law being used in social control. Deterrence is the means of using punishment to create a precedence that deters other persons who may have the same inclinations towers the crime. Deterrence can be classified as specific deterrence where an individual is punished for a crime. Therefore, the punishment is the deterrence for the person not to do the crime in the future. General deterrence occurs when a punishment is handed out as a preventive effect on those who have witnessed the punishment but have not themselves experience it. Other forms of punishment philosophies are retribution whereby the aspect of “an eye for an eye” is applied, incapacitation, rehabilitation, and reintegration.

Black Styles of social control are social control methods that were identified by Donald Black. He uncovered four styles, which are the penal, therapeutic, compensator, and conciliatory. The compensatory method involves the situation whereby there is a breach of an obligation between an accused debtor and their victim. The conciliatory style involves the type of breach that exists between people who are in a harmonious relationship. In this case, the resolution lies not in who is right or wrong but instead in fair and reasonable resolution for the problem. In penal style, one person has usually violated the penal code aspect and thus deserves punishment. The therapeutic style where the individual commits the crime is considered ill and therefore requires treatment instead of punishment. Punishment is handed in penal style because the individual is considered to have willingly done the crime while in therapeutic style, the person is not punished; rather, they are treated.

Several issues are in the social control system, which can be considered controversial, such as plea bargaining and the death penalty. Plea bargaining involves the process whereby the defendant pleads guilty to gain a lighter sentence. The death penalty is the ultimate form of punishment, where the guilty party loses their lives for their crimes. Plea bargains are controversial because the judges and prosecutors usually hold grudges against defenders who refuse the plea bargain. The death penalty has the other side of the controversy because it is the highest magnitude punishment. Therefore, some parties want it abolished, and another party that wants the death penalty is maintained. Also, minorities are the ones who suffer most in the s plea agreement and the death penalty, thus alluding to the fact that the justice system is racist.

Also, the chapter touches on the law and social control of political dissent. The rights to free speech and to assemble are contained in the Bill of rights. Wall governments wish to stay in power, and to do so, they would require various forms of social control. More totalitarian governments restrict political dissent than more democratic countries such as the U.S. Finally, the use of physiatrist social control whereby the society is controlled by being deemed mad, thus in need of assistance. The assumption based on this social control methods is that an n insane person cannot make a very rational decision,

Steps Taken in Twin Lake Mining Company

Student’s name

Course title

Instructor

Date of submission

Steps Taken in Twin Lake Mining Company

After several complaints from the people of Tamarack about pollution being caused by Twin Lakes mining company, the management of the firm received a warning of closure of their premises by the City council. The company was given two options; either to help the government in cleaning up or quit their production services. The management of Twin lakes, together with council members agreed to set up a meeting, where both were to discuss on the plans of eliminating the problem of pollution. This paper explains the two cases and gives an analysis on how the change should be done based on the interests of the people.

As a Representative of City Council

The committee is fighting hard to ensure that the quality of water has been made better, where they are trying to come up with the best solution to improve the state. As a member of the city council, I would suggest that the city increases the taxes paid by the people, so that some cash may be left for helping the company in cleaning the water sources as they consider the firm as an important asset to the people of Minnesota hence the burden cannot be left for the company alone (Gupta, 45). Bonds paid by the company should also be regulated, to ensure that no side has been taken in considering the two situations so that they can spare the financial state of the firm. Having an access to a nearby university should be an advantage to the city, where I would suggest that some funds be set aside to pay for services which the engineering students would partake in purification of water sources for the people.

Air pollution is also another complain which the people have addressed, thus I would suggest that the city consider shifting all the roads which are near the company, in order to keep people away from the effects of emissions (Game, 728). At the same time, the city council should also consider the lives of people living near those roads, as they will be affected during the constructions processes. I would suggest that the council take a deep research on the safest methods of switching the roads and also pending enough money to compensate people who would lose homes or workplaces due to the sudden change of ideas. As a committee, I would suggest we consider the amount of taxes which the company pays for its land (Gupta, 45). I would suggest that we look into the profits that the company makes, so that we can consider the amount of tax the firm should pay without causing any loss for the firm. The city should have in their minds that the company is a benefit to whole of Minnesota; hence they should rather support its operations but not limiting them. A considerate amount of tax should be levied on the firm for owning the lands. The money should be used in these processes which the committee is planning about curbing the pollution problem.

As a Member of Top Management of Twin Lakes Company

Bearing in mind that the city cannot afford to pay for the purification of water source alone, I would suggest to the whole management of Twin Lakes to consider sparing some amount of money to help the city in paying those students who are ready to develop a nice plan of changing the quality of water (Mills, 420). The firm should think of buying securities from the city such as bonds which will improve the financial status of the company thus giving a hand on purification.

On improvement of air quality, I would suggest to the management that they abide on the agreed amount of money of putting up a plan of reducing emissions from the company’s manufacturing processes. The firm should be aware that they are responsible for the pollution going on, thus they should be ready to collaborate with the city in ensuring that proper control is taken upon this issue. On paving roads, I would suggest to the committee that we share the costs of these constructions considering that it’s our fault that the city is being forced to move the roads. On the issue of ownership of land, I would propose to the management that we make complaints on reduction of some of the taxes the city has been putting on the company (Game, 728). The city has imposed high taxes upon the company hence I would suggest a reduction to be done on the annual rate set for the firm. Lastly I would suggest to the rest of management to decline the taxes imposed on the company as a result of road improvement as that should be a role played by the firm.

Works Cited

Game, Kingsley W. “Controlling air pollution: Why some states try harder.” Policy Studies Journal 7.4 (1979): 728.Gupta, Rameshwar Dass. Environment Pollution: Hazards and Control. Concept Publishing Company, 2006: 45

Mills, Andrew, Richard H. Davies, and David Worsley. “Water purification by semiconductor photocatalysis.” Chemical Society Reviews 22.6 (1993): 417-425.

Social media in work places

Social media in work places

Jacques and Michael surveyed more than 3,500 executives to examine the prevalence of social media in work places. The article, found out that 83% of the companies are using at least one form of social technology. Jacques and Michael established that the most common forms of social media are blogs, video-sharing sites, wikis, podcasts and micoblogs. The respondents in this survey reported that social media encourages knowledge access. Moreover, it improves employee satisfaction as interaction between workers is enhanced. However, the survey found out that social media is associated with leakage of confidential information and intellectual property. Use of social media could also distract employees from performing their duties as required. Although, social media has potential risks, the article reports that 60% of the respondents in the survey believe the potential benefits outweigh the risks. Based on this information, it is recommended for organizations to integrate the use of social media platforms in the workplace. It is foreseeable that widespread use of the social media between employees, customers and business partners is likely to lead to a high degree of integration in daily workflow. This article was chosen because it offers fresh insights and it the respondents in the survey were drawn from the executive management.

Sinha, Vinita., Subramanian, K., Bhattacharya, Sonali., and Chaudhuri, Kaushik. “The Contemporary Framework on Social Media analytics as an emerging tool for behavior informatics, HR analytics and business process.” Management 17, 2(2012): 65-84

This is one of the most comprehensive articles. The authors of this article have attained high academic distinctions in their areas of specialization. The article begins by describing social media and by defining key concepts. The authors then delve into the features of social media: participation, openness, conversation, community and connectedness. The article also gives us an overview of current social media tool practices in hiring, collaboration, communication, talent management and internal branding. The article also outlines the key benefits of social media from an employee’s perspective. Social media fosters innovation, and collaboration among the employees. Social media could also be used to improve customer relationships. In this regard, the article cites some instances where social media has been used to support digital marketing initiatives. The article also has a rich literature review section that evaluates numerous studies that have been conducted on this subject. The findings of this article clearly show that the way organizations interact with the employees is fast changing. Consequently, it is imperative for the management to tap this new found resource by developing an appropriate reward system that encourages social media culture in an organization. At the end, the article provides helpful recommendations and succinct conclusion. The paper was helpful because it was clearly written and covered most of the important aspects of the social media, unlike other articles. The article will be useful to those who do not have basic idea about social media and web 2.0 technologies.

Pentland, Alex. “The new science of building great teams.” Harvard Business Review 61(2012): 61- 76

This article provides us with unique ideas on how individual behaviors can be analyzed using social media. Balancing the role of each member is important in setting up high-performing teams. Pentland demonstrates how studying communication patterns of the employees can be used to generate important information. This information can then be applied in building better individual and team performance. Pentland offers particular instances on how the data collected can be used for training purposes. Using exploration maps, an organization can be able to study the deficiencies affecting teams and individual employees. The data collected could also help the management to detect its failings and areas where it should improve on in order to enhance employees’ productivity. Pentland introduces a key concept of visualization which can be utilized to study team dynamics and to calculate performance related constructs such as energy, engagement and exploration. This concept can be very useful to managers who wish to identify and motivate low-energy and unengaged employees in their organizations. This resource could also be used to balance the usage of social media and other forms of communications in an organization. The article convincingly proves how communication can be used to enhance performance. However, it all depends on whether an organization can be able to influence communication patterns. This could be achieved by using hard and soft concepts of change management. Unlike the other article, this one had unique ideas on how social media can be used to encourage personal development and ultimately, organizational productivity.

Turner, Jeanine., Grube, Jean, Tinsley, Catherine., Lee, Cynthia., and O’Peall, Cheryl. “How Does Media use reflect organizational norms and affect performance?” Journal of Business Communication 4, 3(2008): 220- 250

This article examines how social media influences organizational norms and performance. The researchers use a mix of both qualitative and quantitative methods to test their hypotheses. The methodology uses a sizable number of participants and is strong enough. Quantitative data was analyzed using regression method. On the other hand, qualitative data was analyzed through thematic analysis. The findings of this article are compelling, to say the least. Tuner and his colleagues suggest that social media is an important assessment indicator for performance and is a meaningful organizational symbol. Given that the use of social media has become prevalent in organizations, it has also become a dominant communication norm. Turner and his colleagues do just make these assertions; rather they use the social influence theory and other necessary statistical tools to prove their point. Even then, organization may have different norms and values when it comes to guiding the communication behavior. The article suggests that the values and norms of an organization could either create persons with low polychromic orientation or persons with high polychromic orientation. There is also a direct correlation between social media and overall employee’s performance. As expected, Turner and his colleagues are quick to suggest that extensive use of social media in organizations at the expense of face-to-face communication should be discouraged especially in large organizations.

References

Lorri, Freifeld. “Social media at work.” Training 49, 6(2012): 7

Sinha, Vinita., Subramanian, K., Bhattacharya, Sonali., and Chaudhuri, Kaushik. The Contemporary Framework on Social Media analytics as an emerging tool for behavior informatics, HR analytics and business process. Management 17, 2(2012): 65-84

Hartley, Deanna. Learning goes social. McKingsley Quarterly 1 (2011): 88- 99

Pentland, Alex. The new science of building great teams. Harvard Business Review 61(2012): 61- 76

Olguin, Daniel., Waber, Benjamin., Kim, Taemie., Mohan, Akshay., Ara, Koji., and Pentland, Alex. Sensible organizations: technology and methodology for automatically measuring organizational behavior. Cybernetics 39, 1(2009): 43-55

SINOPEC PETROCHEMICAL COMPANY BUSINESS PROPOSAL

SINOPEC PETROCHEMICAL COMPANY BUSINESS PROPOSAL

Student’s Name

University Name

Course Name and Code

Professor’s Name

Date

Sinopec Petrochemical Company Business Proposal

Introduction

This paper offers a proposal for a Sinopec Petrochemical Company. The Petrochemical sector has flourished in locations with an entrepreneurial organizational structure, confident backing from major petroleum and chemical investors, and a history of successfully developing new developments. The Company’s goal is to discover new ways to distribute and supply basic commodities that are essential to modern use. Results from the global market study show that Petrochemical companies are still at high risk from technological competition. Due to the rising demand for Petrochemical research and supply, the Petrochemical business has emerged as one of the most promising areas for investment in the 21st century. The proposal describes the organization’s industry, purpose, and staff size; how the Company will benefit from an internal coaching culture; the competencies that should be required from an internal coach; and the strategy for developing the internal coaches (Ciporean, 2015, p.7). Also included in the proposal is a plan for training and advancing the in-house coaching staff. The proposal also includes a breakdown of the estimated costs of implementing internal coaching and a strategy for dealing with potential ethical or diversity issues. These are some of the additional subjects covered.

Organizational Structure

Business Sector

Many scientific fields are under pressure to research and develop new technology and innovations to combat the emergence of resistant strains of Petrochemical products and pieces of machinery affecting and impeding today’s population. Numerous developments in the industrial and technological fields can be attributed to this phenomenon. Many more people are speaking up about dealing with petroleum issues in nearly every part of the globe. Back in the day, the quantity and diversity of Petrochemical effects outbreaks worldwide increased dramatically. Researchers de Haan (2019, p.8) have found evidence to support this claim. Therefore, there is an urgent need to enter the petrochemical profession and lend a hand in discovering, developing, and manufacturing plastics, fertilizers, packaging, clothing, digital devices, medical equipment, detergents, tires, and medications that can aid in the battle against the increasing number of health problems and basic human needs. The shortage of essential petrochemicals has the most significant impact on people living in urban and sub-urban areas. Because of this, corporate productivity suffers.

Opening a petrochemical company will not only solve the problem by providing petrochemical products with better access to what humans need, but it will also allow them to get back to work with good and stable standards. As a result, the petrochemical industry will grow substantially as a licensed commercial enterprise engaged in plastics, fertilizers, packaging, clothing, digital devices, medical equipment, detergents, and tires. The petrochemical firm believes it can successfully launch new products to the market since it has several in various research and production phases.

The raw materials and by-products are the active compounds the business hopes to use to develop preventative technological competition for emerging markets using the global analysis platform. They also provide medical equipment for managing different treatment processes and treating various neurological diseases (de Haan, 2019, p.8). A wider population of people with moderate to high living standards will be interested in the potential commercialization of these improvements, given that the bulk of these petrochemicals is in the third or fourth phase of their petrochemical studies. The company intends to collaborate with other organizations, including Rutgers University, Massachusetts University, Yale University, and Saudi Aramco.

Company Mission

The Company’s mission is to inform the public and other businesses about the importance of creating a petrochemical firm that cares about its clients’ social standards and then to collaborate with those groups to make it happen. The corporation would act to open up avenues for the mass production and distribution of petrochemical products to countries worldwide and donations to third-world nations.

Staff Size

The petrochemical company will typically run as a corporation rather than an independent business. A hierarchy of executive committees and a Board of Directors govern the internal operations of these organizations. These groups will make crucial decisions and keep an eye on how those decisions are carried out inside the business. Petrochemical companies work with other organizations and enterprises through relationships, collaborations, and agreements. Any independent Chairman serves as the head of the Board of Directors and is in charge of calling meetings and presiding over agendas submitted by the entire directorate. In this structure, authority and responsibility are separated. The Company will employ more than 2000 workers in various manufacturing depots and warehouses.

Ways The Company Will Benefit from An Internal Coaching Culture

The petrochemical firm recognizes the importance of developing an internal coaching culture to ensure success in reaching its objective. Adopting this culture is expected to have numerous positive effects on the business. To begin, the Company’s established tradition of mentoring employees bodes well for the growth of future leaders (Ciporen, 2015, p.7). Therefore, the petrochemical business may take advantage of this benefit by introducing an internal coaching program.

Internal coaching has the added benefit of giving the Company a more resilient workforce. Administrators who stay in their positions for extended periods and take on new tasks, such as coaching, are more resilient and remain in their positions for longer. Moreover, the business will save time and money on training by adopting a coaching culture (de Haan, 2019, p.8). An advantage of internal coaching over external coaching is that it can be performed more rapidly and at a reduced overall cost. Also, let us pretend the petrochemical firm adopts a coaching culture within the workplace. In such a case, it can take advantage of easily accessible coaches and relish the fact that those coaches are well-versed in the customs of the Company. The coaching sessions will positively affect the Company and help organize large-scale projects. Given these benefits of internal coaching over external coaching, I believe the Company will be well-positioned to reap all of the above advantages.

The competencies the Company will require from an internal coach.

For the advantages mentioned earlier of internal coaching to accrue to the Company, the internal coaches must possess the necessary skills and knowledge. Because of this, the Company’s internal coaches must possess all eleven coaching competencies recognized by the International Labor Organization. The coaches must be able to establish the coaching agreement and be held to specific ethical and professional standards before the process can begin. As a result of having these two skill sets, the coaches will be able to build a good coaching foundation (de Haan, 2019, p.7). As an added requirement, in-house coaches will need to be able to build rapport with their clients and remain there throughout all coaching sessions. Maintaining an open, flexible, and safe approach while cultivating authentic, self-aware, and spontaneous encounters with clients is essential to having a coaching presence.

It has been found that internal coaches who possess these two traits are better able to co-create connections with their coached individuals. Internal coaches will also need strong, active listening skills, the ability to ask insightful questions, and the willingness to encourage an open conversation to ensure effective communication. The last four sets of skills required of internal coaches include the ability to raise consciousness, create practical activities, map out a course of action to achieve desired outcomes, and take responsibility for results. These characteristics will help the coaching sessions go more smoothly and produce better results.

Plan To Address Ethical and Diversity Issues That Could Arise from Internal Coaching

Every facet of coaching needs to change to accommodate the ever-evolving trends that drive the market. As a result, training practices and information may become obsolete over time. The Company’s internal coaches will be provided with a roadmap for growth to ensure they are prepared to adapt to the ever-changing petrochemical services market (DiGirolamo & Tkach, 2019, p.12). To begin, the Company is going to send internal coaches to various seminars so that they can maintain their education. To make it easier for the internal coaches to keep up with the latest developments in the field, a conference or workshop tailored to their needs will be held at least twice yearly.

The coaches will be able to hone their craft by participating in seminars and conferences where they may network with and learn from coaches from a wide range of businesses. In addition, we will be hiring a coach to help our in-house trainers hone their craft and grow as educators (DiGirolamo & Tkach, 2019, p.12). It is important to remember that just because someone is a coach does not mean they know everything; all coaches may benefit from having someone train them. These trainers will be responsible for instructing all of the Company’s current coaches in the coaching methods that have recently been established.

Plan To Deal with Issues of Ethics and Diversity That Come Up Because Of Internal Coaching

The Petrochemical Company’s internal coaches will likely face ethical and diversity issues when dealing with customers due to the Company’s plan to hire people from all over the world. To address the ethical and diversity issues that have surfaced as a result of in-house training, the Company will research to unearth data and gain a more profound familiarity with the ideas and values that shape the actions of professionals (Hamurcu, 2018, p.36). The Company has policies to deal with any ethical issues that may arise from any unethical actions taken by our coaching personnel. Professional behavior, in its more comprehensive definition, is one of the ethical and multicultural approaches our Company will continually address. Another way to deal with the diversity and ethics issues that may arise from internal coaching is to adopt a policy.

The Company will implement a code of ethics for coaches during their sessions. A corporation’s code of ethics refers to the collection of principles, norms, and practices adopted by the Company and are to be adhered to by all employees. The internal coaches and the coaches will be made aware of the ethical coaching code to set clear expectations for conduct during coaching sessions (Maltbia et al., 2014, p.170). Furthermore, the Company will hire culturally experienced internal coaches to address potential ethical and diversity issues during internal coaching (Hamurcu, 2018, p.36). Employing culturally competent coaches ensures that they can address any issues relating to ethics or diversity that may arise during the coaching session. These in-house coaches will be able to handle these issues because their coaching methods are sensitive to their client’s cultural backgrounds.

Costs Associated with The Proposal

The notion was not without its price tag, which included substantial outlays for things like startup funding, IT infrastructure, and human resources. The total amount spent on employees in the first, second, and third phases. Here is a breakdown of the main costs incurred by the Company as a direct result of its workforce requirements. When option 1 of the executive is chosen, there are two branch managers to maintain a 2:1 ratio, and six days a week are worked; the aforementioned calculations for firm management at an hourly rate of £38.00 are accurate. The cost of coaching is estimated to be $4,000,000 per year. It will cost $2,500,000 to pay for the internal coaches. Further, a million dollars would be required to arrange the coaching workshops.

Conclusion

The main objective of this proposal is to offer a plan for founding a petrochemical firm to investigate and create cutting-edge medications for various illnesses. The Company will implement a coaching culture throughout the whole organization to increase the likelihood that it will succeed in its aim. Adopting an internal coaching culture has made it possible to achieve long-term leadership development, enhanced resilience, a more efficient and effective coaching program, and easier access to coaches familiar with the Company’s culture. The ability to follow ethical standards and industry norms is one of the talents required for internal coaches. In addition to these fundamental qualities, coaches also need to be able to make coaching agreements, develop a strong relationship with clients, keep a coaching presence, listen intently and ask probing questions and speak clearly. Additionally, the internal coaches must possess qualities like the capacity to broaden awareness, the capacity to plan and carry out efficient activities, the capacity to set and attain goals, and the desire to accept accountability for the outcomes. In order to address the ethical and diversity issues raised by internal coaching, the company will recruit culturally competent internal coaches and create a coaching code of conduct.

References

Ciporen, R. (2015). The emerging field of executive and organizational coaching: An overview. New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2015(148), 5-15.

de Haan, E. (2019). A systematic review of qualitative studies in workplace and executive coaching: The emergence of a body of research. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 71(4), 227. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2019-50828-001DiGirolamo, J. A., & Tkach, J. T. (2019). An exploration of managers and leaders using coaching skills. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 71(3), 195.https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037/cpb0000138Hamurcu, Ç. (2018). Core Professional Coaching Competencies Scale. Performance Improvement, 57(9), 36-47.https://doi.org/10.1002/pfi.21806Maltbia, T. E., Marsick, V. J., & Ghosh, R. (2014). Executive and organizational coaching: A review of insights drawn from literature to inform HRD practice. Advances in Developing Human Resources, 16(2), 161-183.https://doi.org/10.1177/1523422313520474Schalk, M., & Landeta, J. (2017). Internal versus external executive coaching. Coaching: An International Journal of Theory, Research, and Practice, 10(2), 140-156. https://doi.org/10.1080/17521882.2017.1310120Smith, K. F., Goldberg, M., Rosenthal, S., Carlson, L., Chen, J., Chen, C., & Ramachandran, S. (2014). Global rise in human infectious disease outbreaks. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, 11(101), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frsif.2014.0950Tzafestas, S. G. (2018). Ethics and law in the internet of things world. Smart cities, 1(1), 98-120.

Regulating Blood Sugar as a Negative Feedback

Regulating Blood Sugar as a Negative Feedback

Student’s name

Institutional affiliation

Regulating Blood Sugar as a Negative Feedback

Negative feedback is a kind of regulation whereby the final product of a given process diminishes the process’s stimulus. In general, feedback is a viable regulatory mechanism that is common for numerous biological reactions. Through allowing specific pathways to be turned on and off, the body is able to control various facer of its internal environment. Feedback makes it possible for the pathway product to control the switch. Negative feedback is also known as a negative feedback loop and takes place when a pathway product turns off the biochemical pathway. This text discusses regulating blood sugar as an example of negative feedback.

There is a negative feedback mechanism that controls sugar levels in the blood every time we eat. Glucose is the main sugar that is found in the blood. After eating, the body absorbs glucose in the bloodstream before depositing it into the blood. As a result, there is increased glucose concentration which stimulates the pancreas to produce a chemical known as insulin. Insulin is a cellular molecule that signals liver and muscle cells to take up glucose. Excess glucose is stored in liver cells in the form of glycogen. Glycogen is a chain of glucose that is employed as a storage product. Muscle cells either store glucose and employ it in making ATP and contract. In this process, glucose concentrations get depleted in the blood. Glucose signals the production of insulin in the liver. Without glucose, the pancreas does not produce insulin, and hence cells do not take up glucose (Yu, Wang, Zhang, Chen, Mao, Ye, & Gu, 2020). As a result, the levels of glucose get maintained in a given range, and the entire body will access glucose consistently. In this system, negative feedback is viewed particularly in the way high levels of glucose produce a product that is meant to reduce glucose levels. When glucose levels go too low, the pathway gets shuts off.

Exercise draws upon the sugar reserves stored in the liver and muscles. As the body reconstructs the stores, it removes sugar from the blood. The more strenuous a workout is, the longer blood sugar levels get affected. It is possible to have low blood sugar for up to eight hours post-exercise. This explains why having a snack such as a trail mix or granola bar can help raise blood sugar. According to Harvard’s Joslin Diabetes Center, the body is dependent on two sources of fuel, namely fat and glucose, during physical activity (Gjerstad, Lightman, & Spiga, 2018). Prolonged exercise depletes glycogen stores and blood glucose. In the first fifteen minutes of a work out, the body mainly relies on muscle glycogen and blood glucose. As exercise carries on, the body begins to re-convert glycogen into glucose. The body then started depending on more body fat after thirty minutes. Eventually, the body reconstructs its glycogen within six hours but exercise reduces blood sugar for up to a day. Worth noting, exercise makes the body more receptive to insulin effects meaning more glucose moves from the blood and into the cells. Moreover, exercise pushes cells to take more glucose to sustain increased energy demands.

In closing, blood sugar regulation is an example of negative feedback. Blood sugar regulation has a unique effect on the body’s internal environment during exercise. Exercise tends to rely on sugar reserves in the liver and muscles and the more strenuous activity is, the longer the blood sugar is affected. While exercise boosts health in numerous ways, people with diabetes are advised to keep track of their sugar level after, during and before an exercise.

References

Gjerstad, J. K., Lightman, S. L., & Spiga, F. (2018). Role of glucocorticoid negative feedback in the regulation of HPA axis pulsatility. Stress, 21(5), 403-416.

Yu, J., Wang, J., Zhang, Y., Chen, G., Mao, W., Ye, Y., & Gu, Z. (2020). Glucose-responsive insulin patch for the regulation of blood glucose in mice and minipigs. Nature biomedical engineering, 4(5), 499-506.

ORAL BRIEF

ORAL BRIEF

In this presentation, I will provide a critical reflection of my Co-operative Education Experience. I will examine a combination of key learning and work example and how these have impacted on my thinking about my personal development and future career plans.

I work for Zhengzhou Country Garden Hai Long Zhi Ye Company as a market analyst. The company specializes in real estate and partners with restaurants and other hospitality industry players for purposes relating to real estate. My company partners with restaurants all over China and other hospitality participants including hotels to acquire and manage properties both in the construction phases and later in their maintenance. My role in the company is to provide market analysis for different real estate markets within the country for purposes of advising our clients and for managerial decision making intentions. My background as an economics major requires that I lead my team in conducting research, collection of data and its analysis, monitoring economic trends, and developing forecast reports for my organization in the real estate industry that focus on restaurant construction and sales. Real estate markets are very versatile and are affected by the slightest of changes in the national market as well as other external elements such as the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic. It is important that I am able to provide relevant information to my superiors in relation to how different changes in the market lead to various types of impacts on our company. Previously, at the start of the cooperative education program, I was only a part of the team as a market analysis. In the course of the program, I have been promoted to head of market analysis. What has changed is that I am now in charge of an entire department in the market analysis department. My role now includes managing and leading a team of other market analysts, to help in achieving the same goals to management and our clientele including conducting research, collection of data and its analysis, monitoring economic trends, and developing forecast reports for my organization in the real estate industry that focus on restaurant construction and sales.

A key learning experience for me has been the need for collaborative working in the workplace. According to the systems view of management, an organization exists as a complex collection of interrelated parts (Boon, Den Hartog, & Lepak, 2019). These parts, as I learned through my cooperative education and working experience, must constantly work collaborative towards the attainment of a common purpose as outlined by an organization.

For my future personal development, creating a collaborative environment will be a key objective, which will ensure that I am able to learn from others, to showcase my strengths, and to have my weaknesses covered through the strengths of the group. My career plan is to be a leader in the market analysis world and to employ a systems view approach to my area.

My academic progress has been impressive in relation to the issue of being inquiring, open, and an agile thinker able to seek out and address complex problems by applying specialist knowledge in the field of market analysis. Flexibility in operations, thinking, and working are important in creating agility for economists (Shekarian, Nooraie, & Parast, 2020). It is also important within my role as a market analyst and in the real estate industry, which is changing rapidly with the changing global environment.

Questions:

How can businesses incorporate a balanced work-life system?

Is it possible to maintain competitiveness and also ensure that employees are well developed in personal development?

References

Boon, C., Den Hartog, D. N., & Lepak, D. P. (2019). A systematic review of human

resource management systems and their measurement. Journal of management, 45(6), 2498-2537.

Shekarian, M., Nooraie, S. V. R., & Parast, M. M. (2020). An examination of the impact

of flexibility and agility on mitigating supply chain disruptions. International Journal of Production Economics, 220, 107438.

Summary and outline of Twyla Tharp chapter 7-9

Name

Professor

Course

Date

Summary and outline of Twyla Tharp chapter 7-9

Summary for reading

Tharp uses the most part of the book to explain strategies for success in both dance and choreography and business strategy. The last two chapters thus shift from the main theme so as to reflect on the concept of failure. Failure is a factor that is experienced by each and every human being. The author takes the initiative to admit her past and present failures in the industry (Tharp, 1- 243).

Success is one of the most sort after factors in the life of all human beings. The main way for an individual to have success is to follow their dreams and perform their duties to the best of their abilities. This is essential in identifying ones talents which can either make or break a person (Derezinski, 144).

When taking the route to success, a person is met with a number of hurdles that they have to overcome. This is a significant part of a person’s life in that this is the point when they prove their worth so themselves and the world.

The author mentions that the quest to achieving our dreams is bitter sweet. Individuals are forced to break some rules so that they can identify with their new character. This new character is armed with the confidence needed for facing our problems without fear.

When challenges are presented to human beings, we either choose to confront them or take a back seat. This is a defining moment in a human beings life in that it places them in the next level of life good or bad.

When a person confronts their challenges, they can either succeed or fail. Failure is the experience of defeat, or the lack of achievement. When people do not succeed in their fulfilling their dreams. There is a high probability that they will react negatively to the situation. This should not be the case according to the author (Tharp, 1- 243).

Getting back on the bandwagon is an essential step in an achievers life. When one does not succeed in achieving their goals, they acquire a low self esteem. This is not an ideal situation due to the repercussion that comes with this new attitude.

Failing is one of the hardest experiences to undergo. This experience can however, act as a blessing in disguise to an individual in this situation. The only way of dealing with this issue is to move one in a positive light. Having a positive attitude towards failure is the only way to get through hard times in life. One can move on by learning from their mistakes (Derezinski, 134).

The last two chapters place emphasis on facing failure due to the fact that is part of life. A person cannot be consistently successful in everything they do. Falling from grace is sometimes considered to be an ideal situation in life. The book trains young minds to deal with failure at an early stage in life.

There are many ways of moving on to new ideas and opportunities. This is however, difficult due to the constant reminder of the past. One can move forward with the help of a mentor. This in turn, showcases the need for a person to identify with a role model who can act as a positive influence (Tharp, 1- 243).

Works cited

Derezinski, Amelia. Twyla Tharp. New York: Rosen Pub. Group, 2006. Print.

Tharp, Twyla, The creative habit: learn it and use it for life. New York: a practical guide, Simon and Shuster, 2003. Print.

Structural Functionalism

Name

Institution

Date

Course

Structural Functionalism

Radcliffe-Brown defined social structure as a normal relation in terms of the aspects of the social activities that people were involved in and that also conformed to the social rules or norms. The rules as well as the norms that have been created brings the members of a society together into socially useful activities. According to Radcliffe-Brown societies are structured by the institution that hold them together and an example is family. Family relations is likely to set behavior as well as patterns of the members in relation to each other. An institution will likely to determine how people are expected to behave. Radcliffe Brown argued that as long as a biological organism continued to live then it would help in the preservation of structure however it cannot preserver the unity of the other parts. His focus was more on social structure than the people’s biological needs. Radcliffe-Brown argued that the social structure was made up of a separate level of reality that was different from inorganic matter and biological forms (Radcliffe-Brown, pg. 394-402).

Radcliffe-Brown describes function as the contribution which is a part of an activity that eventually contributes to the total activity of what it is part of. Radcliffe-Brown was mainly concerned with the role of various element in maintenance as well as the development of the social structure. The other way that he uses function is in his theory that all features of a society including norms, roles and institution have a role and that they are all needed for the society to survive in the long run. All these units have a contribution that they make for the maintenance of a social structure for example the set of relationships that exists among the various social units. A group as well as an individual behavior is likely to contribute or serve as a function for the societal structure.

Work Cited

Radcliffe-Brown, Alfred Reginald. “On the concept of function in social science.” American Anthropologist 37.3 (1935): 394-402.