Saturday, August 31, 2019

Domination, Church and Naacp Paper

To sustain the many privileges of the white society, the tripartite system of racial segregation was formed. In order to function properly, the â€Å"tripartite system of domination† aimed to control the blacks in three distinct ways: economically, politically and personally. In the economical standpoint, work place inequality was heavily apparent. Blacks were placed at the bottom of the work hierarchy. Even in the comfort of their common unskilled occupations, they were still controlled by the whites. It was very rare to have a black in a position that held some sort of authority. Most of the supervisor jobs were handed to the whites, which gave them the decision of who was hired, fired and who would take on the toughest work load. Politically, blacks were just excluded from any political processes, simple as that. New laws were constantly being passed to eliminate the Black voices. Such tactics include the poll tax, the grandfather clause, all white primaries, and most commonly, through fear and intimidation. The due process of law was indisputably controlled by whites and always worked in the favor of whites as well. And lastly just to hit home with blacks, whites made sure that blacks were not only constantly reminded that they were the inferior race but that they also felt inferior. Separate schools, bathrooms, water fountains, and entrances were just a few of the ways their plan was carried out. The NAACP and the church worked together to battle racism. NAACP meeting would be held in the churches and there leaders would plan out the major battles of the modem civil rights movement. The NAACP provided these leaders with resources and organizing skills. The church and the NAACP set the stage for the future of modern civil rights movements.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Ethical conduct and the work environment -Apple Inc Essay

Ethics defined is simply principals of right and wrong, or good and bad. Many people believe that ethics are personal, religious and social behaviours, but this is not the case. In today’s business world ethics are critical to the work environment, as all members of organisations follow a framework including public acceptance, policies and procedures which are generally guided by law. Business ethics are moral principles that guide the behaviour of and within the organisation the importance of business ethics is more important than ever in today’s society. To operate in a moral and ethical manner is essential for the company to further benefit in the future to come. The code of conduct is designed by the company to utilize integrity based decision-making and to achieve satisfaction for the organisation internally and externally. Working in an ethical manner benefits the organisation through the satisfaction of their employees, investors and customers (Global Post, 2013) . But ethical practises go beyond the expected morals in an organisation. In this day and age businesses are more willing to make an impact on their community by giving to social programs, investing in developing countries and lobbying for political change (Udemy, 2013). It’s important that all businesses strive to achieve higher standards of ethical and morality for future generations. Apple Inc. is a multinational American corporation which originated on 1st April 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. Apple designs and manufacturers’ electronics, computers and software, the most popular hardware products are Macintosh including the iPod, the iPhone and iPad. With 284 retail locations across 10 different countries Apple is the largest technology organization in the world. Apple’s code of conduct states; ‘Apple suppliers are required to provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, act fairly and ethically, and use env ironmental responsible practises where ever they make products or perform services to Apple’(Apple Inc. 2014). Unfortunately Apple has disregarded some of their ethical standards and caused big ethical issues for the company 2011 Apple was criticised and the issues caught the public eye for appalling ethics through forced overtime, child labour and other inexcusable working conditions in their manufacturing factories in Southern China, operated by a manufacturing company Foxconn (Wopschall, 2013). Poor work conditions and high suicide rates of Apple employees in Southern China shortly leaked to  the public. This publicity shocked many and Apple then vowed ‘to clean up their supply chain’ (ref). As a result Tim Cook, Chief Executive of Apple implemented processes in place to control the working conditions and improve constraints in the factories. Apple the technology giant has now given Pegatron a contract for manufacturing goods due to the high volume of product demand. With negative public criticism surrounding Foxconn Apple is veering away from the unethical conduct that went on. Sadly once again there have been cases of similar activity in Pegatron’s factories. In 2013 an undercover investigation took place by China Labor Watch (CLW) from March until July. There were many interviews conducted with workers outside the factory which released information regarding the factories violations. The investigations where undertaken at three factories Shanghai, Riteng and AVY, all three factories included a total of about 70,000 workers. The investigation identified ethical standards that were being breached, as workers were earning approximately $1.50 per hour ($268 per month) which is not sufficient funds to live on; this has led to working overtime with 11 hour days, six days a week (total 66 hours per week) with majority of the time spent standing up. China’s law confirms 49 hours per week is the limit of working hours and overtime is limited to 36 hours and must be paid correctly (CLW, 2013). Apple were trying to cover this by forcing workers to sign forms indicating that overtime hours were less than what they were (CLW, 2013). In addition pregnant woman were working these absurd hours, effectively breaking Chinese laws that restrict employers to ask pregnant woman to work more than 8 hours a day. In the Pegatron factories there were over 10,000 underage and student workers aged between 16 and 20 years, they were placed in the production rooms alongside the adults completing the same job, although being an intern (student) the wages lessened due to school deductions whilst other underage workers didn’t receive payment on time (CLW, 2013). Many of the underage workers whom were under 18 years were hired through third party agents; this made it easier getting through the recruiting process. Child labor is inappropriate and should not be tolerated we are in the 21st century and for many years had activists working to eliminate slavery. There are no exceptions and for such a large company like Apple this unethical behaviour is unacceptable. The factories provide dormitories for workers due to the long hours which cost $19.65 per month  for an eight person dorm. Founded through investigation by CLW the dormitories housed 8-12 people, the rooms were dirty and crowded, and the bathrooms and urinals were very unhygienic. In the shower blocks there was two dozen showers shared between hundreds of workers (CLW, 2013). After a long day of hard work these workers didn’t have much to look forward to other then a line up for a quick cold shower. Sadly workers had little ability to push for better conditions because they did not know how independent unions functioned (NY Times, 2012). CLW revealed the number of violations in Apples supply chain, a total of 86 labor right violations, 36 which were legal and 50 ethical. The investigation that took place only last year 2013 released what violations were occurring inside the factories; dispatch labour abuse, woman’s rights violation, underage labour, contract violation s, insufficient training, excessive working hours, insufficient wages, poor work conditions, poor living conditions, labor health and safety concerns, abuse by management and environmental pollution (CLW, 2013). Throughout pegatrons factories International and Chinese laws have been continuously broken, not only have Apple been breaking these laws but breached their own standards. In their social responsibility code of conduct ‘Apple requires its suppliers to operate in accordance with the principals in this Apple supplier code of conduct and in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations’ (Apple Inc. 2014). As proven a business’s greatest asset is their employees no matter where you stand in the hierarchy everyone still plays a part so all should be appreciated equally. Workers abide by organisation policies and procedures and will perform in an environment with integrity and strong ethics, and will not take advantage if they have pride and believe in what they are doing. How can you expect the workers to perform to the best of their ability if they are taken for granted and depreciated. These large factories find ways to reduce expenses by cutting corners, pushing employees to work longer and faster, and replacing chemicals with cheaper alternatives. So far the end result for the workers has been unfair and unethical. When new products are released such as the Apple iPhone 5, more pressure is put on the manufacturing chain. Apple sold 5 million iPhone over one weekend and sold approximately 10 times the amount by the end of the quarter (Wopschall, 2013). This demand was high because of the volumes of product needed resulting in employees forcing themto work faster and longer, and within these factories employees will be replaced at the drop of a hat if they lack efficiency. The violations don’t stop there as Apple continues manufacturing, environmental and safety standards are being breached. Apple was contacted by the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) due to their poor environmental performance. Apple was asked to increase management of their environmental performance of factories in its supply chain. There were major concerns which needed observation and attention as they were chronically out of compliance with the environment regulations (Udemy, 2013). The factories were discharging toxic metal like copper and nickel, breaching international safety standards, ignoring health concerns and disposing hazardous waste incorrectly (Udemy, 2013). Once inspections started more problems rose with storing and handling of hazardous chemicals and the disposing and recycling wasn’t up to standard by law. Stated on Apple’s website is a list of efforts to manage the environment performance of its suppliers, which includes greenhouse gas emissions and removing of toxic substances. Apples code of conduct has detailed rules to control hazardous substances, solid waste, water-waste and air emissions (Apple Inc. 2014). Failing to comply with these rules as Apple has not prevente d pollution. Part of the manufacturing process for the iPhone and iPad uses high density PCB fabrication which requires a lot of power and water to produce, the chemicals etching the laminate can result in environmental violations due to the large quantities of air and water pollution (Udemy, 2013). Apple’s environmental responsibilities should be abided by, also noted by IPE Apple doesn’t have an actions productivity review to record their suppliers environment performances. With no legitimist records you are unable to evaluate processes and implement improvement and change. Ethical issues in Apple factories and ongoing public criticism it’s time for Apple to address the problems properly, not just a quick fix. Over the last three years Apple has made efforts and small improvements to better working conditions for their employees. However the work environments still remains unhuman and proven through investigations which only took place last year there is still a lot of corruption occurring in these factories where standards are breached. The excessive hours of overtime workers are doing needs to be managed and controlled with strict working hour limits, once reach the  overtime limit employees are unable to continue working overtime. In research overtime constraints were implemented but were not followed up and controlled. New policies and procedures should be implemented in all factories with regular inspections to ensure employee’s conditions are of appropriate standards and abide with China’s Legislation. This of course leads to better pay rates so workers can survive without feeling the need to work ridiculous overtime. Also it’s very important that Apple make efforts to minimise illegal underage workers, understandably the factories will always have young workers through internship s. However it’s Apples responsibility to manage their students offering opportunities and work experience, therefore I believe constraints should be put in place to limit the number of internships accepted in the factories at one point in time. Apple needs to create a strategic plan to clean up the factories inside and out, to improve environmental practises and develop factory cleanliness. Looking at the staff quarters is a good start to this process, what can be improved at low cost like general hygiene in the rooms and bathrooms. Assessing the number of people living in the quarters as it’s essential to track and not overcrowd the rooms. Future development or renovations to improve comfort, having enough shower blocks and bathroom facilities to accommodate the number of employees living in. If the standards are lifted not only in the staff quarters but also the factories this will provide workers with more pride, therefore staff will be happier and perhaps less turnover will occur. All over the world organisations and individuals have been working towards environmental sustainability to better our future. Reasons for implications of laws and regulations are aimed at safe and ethical use and disposal of all hazardous substances. Apple needs not to ignore the fact that their suppliers are not working in alignment of their environmental responsibility. What is restricting the factories to improper disposal of hazardous waste and recycling, there is no excuse for the factories to dispose and recycle incorrectly as all organisations have responsibilities. If the original processes of reaching environmental standards isn’t working. Then clearly it needs to be updated and if new infrastructure needs to be implemented then so be it. Apple should be portraying a positive influence on environmental sustainability. Especially because people all over the world are buying their products with promises by  their attainment of values that Apple as a company exceed customer expectations which goes beyond the hardware you purchase from a store. The importance of ethics in the business world is following moral principles and adhering by the code of conduct as founded through investigations Apple has displayed some appalling ethical behaviour, pursuing child labor, working overtime, breaching environmental standards and other excusable conduct. Making changes is not going to happen overnight, but with ethical decision making and focus towards morality, Apple will be on the right track to implement a better working environment internally and externally. Training should be pursued for employees to gain a greater understanding of what ethical standards and behaviours are expected under the Apple code of conduct. If consequences are in place for workers who breach the code perhaps this would give them more incentive to follow the ethical and moral pathway that apple has perceived. Along with Apple organisations around the globe they must pride on ensuring ethical standards are included in their policies and procedures and align with legislation. This will promote and educate people on ethical standards and ensure sustainability is achieved. References Apple Inc, ‘Apple Supplier Code of Conduct version 4.0’, January 2014, retrieved on 1/04/14 from: https://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple_Supplier_Code_of_Conduct.pdf Business Ethics Case, Cody Wopschall, ‘Apple Inc, Severe Employee Abuse’, 2013, retrieved on 2/04/14 from: http://businessethicscases.blogspot.com.au/2013/04/apple-inc-severe-employee-abuse-2011.html China Labor Watch, ‘Apple’s Unkept Promises: Investigation of Three Pegatron Group Factories Supplying to Apple’, July 2013, retrieved on 8/04/14 from: http://www.chinalaborwatch.org/pro/proshow-181.html David Mielach, Business News Daily, ‘Is It Ethical To Own An Iphone?’, February 2012, retrieved on 5/04/14 from: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/1979-owning-iphone-ethical.html Global Post, The Benefits and Importance of Ethics in the Workplace, 2013, retrieved on 8/04/14 from: http://everydaylife.globalpost.com/benefits-importance-ethics-workplace- 7414.html The Guardian,†Apple’s Chinese workers treated ‘inhumanely, like

How Does Shakespeare Present Aspects of Folly in Twelfth Night?

All or most of Shakespeare's plays contain playfulness and foolishness and within ‘Twelfth Night' there are many examples of this. All these examples of folly add to the overall humour of the play. Throughout ‘Twelfth Night' the theme of foolishness links the plot, characters and scenes in the play. In Shakespeare's day, people wanted to go to the theatre and be able to laugh. They loved all plays with an element of comedy, even Shakepeare's tragedies have elements of comedy in them. In Romeo and Juliet there are characters seen as crazy or foolish such as Mercutio. First of all there's Malvolio, one of the main characters. Proud and pompous, he is easily ridiculed as he is lead into dreadful humiliation at the hands of Fabian, Maria, Sir Toby, Feste and Sir Andrew. All the formentioned people make Malvolio look foolish when Maria writes a letter to Malvolio expressing her love for him and signing it from Olivia. Malvolio falls into the trap and begins to believe that Olivia is madly in love with him. The letter says: ‘Remember who commanded thy yellow stockings and wished to see thee ever cross gartered.' This causes Malvolio to dress in yellow stockings and cross garters to impress and try to woo his lady. On stage this is a very amusing scene to watch as Malvolio comes on wearing this ridiculous outfit — very memorable. The letter also says: ‘If thou entertain'st my love, let it appear in thy smiling thy smiles become thee well. Therefore in my presence still smile, dear my sweet I prithee.' This causes Malvolio to keep a smile on his face constantly. Not only has Malvolio a rather unattractive smile but since Olivia's brother had recently died, Olivia wants everyone to act mournful around her. She insists on wearing black with a veil over her face. When Malvolio appears with yellow clothing and a huge smile on his face he inevitably looks foolish. Olivia supposes that Malvolio is mad, subject to the heat affecting the brain – ‘Midsummer Madness.' Malvolio would not have looked so foolish if he had not had certain qualities. His over sensitive nature, pretentiousness, self-centred character and self importance make it simple for the servants and the others involved in the trick to take advantage of these faults and cut Malvolio down to size. The difference in class between Olivia and Malvolio also adds to the humour and the foolery because in Shakepeare's day there would be no possibility of any sort of romance between Malvolio and Olivia, Malvolio being a mere steward and Olivia being a wealthy countess, the status contrast is simply too immense. When Malvolio reads the letter, Malvolio begins to fall in love with the idea of being in love . Another character within Twelfth Night who adds to the theme of foolishness is obviously the fool – a professional jester. Feste has a very important role. He is constantly acting foolishly as his job is to solace and entertain his fellowmates. Although he acts like a clown through most of the play, he is probably one of the most sensible and wise characters in the play. In Act 3, Viola says: ‘This fellow is wise enough to play the fool and to do that well, craves a kind of wit.' This is an accurate depiction on Feste. He often outsmarts the other characters in the play using his quickwits most of all Malvolio and Olivia. Many other characters are the ‘real fools' such as Sir Toby Belch — an ironic surname due to his tendency to drink heavily, Sebastian for marrying Olivia when he barely knew her. Overall, Viola is quite sensible. Although dressed like a man, in those days there would be no way that she would be able to obtain service with Orsino as a woman, so her disguise was quite an ingenious idea. When talking to higher status characters, especially Olivia, Feste almost reverses the roles talking down to Olivia as shown in a conversation on page 17. Other characters cannot talk to Olivia in the same way as Feste, as everyone must look up to her and respect her. Olivia tells Malvolio to ‘Take the fool away' and Feste answers ‘Do you not hear fellows? Take away the lady.' Feste also often mocks Olivia as he is the only character who can do so. The first example of this is Feste telling Olivia she is being foolish, her brother has died and she is in mourning this is the first mention of foolishness in the play: Feste: Good Madonna, why mourn'st thou? Olivia: Good Fool, for my brother's death Feste: I think his soul is in hell, Madonna. Olivia: I know his soul is in heaven, fool Feste: The more fool, Madonna, to mourn for your brother's soul, being in heaven. There are many other times during the play when aspects of folly come into the characters' speeches. Feste in Act 1 says: ‘Better a witty fool than a foolish wit.' There are many other examples of role swapping and disguises that also add to the humour of the play. It also makes characters look foolish and humiliates them. The prime example of role swapping is Viola dressing as a man and changing her identity to become a man called Caesario. This causes much confusion leading to characters being foiled and being made to look foolish. Not only did everyone believe that Viola was in fact a man but Olivia actually falls in love with her and not surprisingly feels humiliated and foolish when she discovers that Caesario is actually a woman. Olivia does look foolish although no-one can mock her due to her high status and most people look up to her with respect. The language used in the play is not strictly foolish although many of the names are ‘fooled with' as Viola, Olivia and Malvolio, the main characters, all have names containing the same letters (v,o,l,a and i). Malvolio means ‘ill wishing' very fitting to his character. There are other character's names which are amusing such as Sir Toby Belch – ironic as he is a heavy drinker. Aguecheek is a ridiculous name†¦. And Orsino is named so because Don Virgino Orsino – an Italian Nobleman was the guest of honour at the opening night of Twelfth Night so Shakespeare named the Duke in his play after him. Twelfth Night was once a day of great merrymaking to mark the end of the Christmas festivities. It was the feast of fools and even now, the Christmas season is a time where we all seek entertainment in the form of amusement and folly. Although written all those years ago, Twelfth Night is still relevant today. A twentieth century audience still enjoy this play today as people still love to laugh and have a good time some of the jokes, although obscure are still found amusing today. Even now we love to see people make fools of themselves and the characters we don't like to be served with just retribution.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS 10 QUESTIONS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS 10 QUESTIONS - Essay Example If there are adverse economic conditions affecting the business environment in one country, they may escalate and affect other countries and have a high chance of ending up adopting global proportions. Most of the smaller global firms might find themselves unable to adequately compete on the international market as a result of lack of enough resources. This might cause them to eventually be forced out of business. Political Risk is the risk that a business or individual’s investments could end up suffering a huge loss mainly due to a result of a country’s instability or political changes in a country’s legislative body, government, military control or other foreign policy makers. It is also commonly referred to as geopolitical risk, while economic risk is the risk that a country’s macroeconomic conditions like government regulations, exchange rates and political stability will affect a business entity’s investment in that country to be economically unsustainable as a result of its profit revenues not being sufficient enough to repay its debts and cover its every day operating costs. On the other hand, legal risk is the risk that a company’s business transactions will contravene the regulatory policies in a country or parties in a business contract are not able to enter into any business contract. Managers can manage political risks by better understanding the political uncertainties in a given country and employing the use of mitigation tactics like risk diversification, intellectual property safeguards and buying political insurance. A subsidy is a form of assistance made mostly by governments mostly in the form of tax deductions or cash payments, to businesses like producers and have the result of being distributed as subventions within a given industry with the intention of preventing the overall decline of that industry in the interest of the general public. 4. (TCO D) Despite its advantages, FDI has been described as an "expensive"

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Online Journalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Online Journalism - Essay Example The main source of journalists and online reporters for the internet medium is the Online News Association which has 800 members. The different forms of online journalism pertain to forums, discussion boards, epapers, online news boards as well as blogs and RSS feeds. The nature of the medium and the ease of information dissemination on the internet have made it a very competitive field for online journalism. The internet is in fact challenging the traditional form of reporting and journalism as the classified advertising as well as advertisements are shifting to the online medium for newspapers. Aside from this the niche as well as general scope of journalism online makes it much more appealing for readers than the hardcopy based newspapers and magazines. People even consider online journalism to be broader in scope, more informative as compared to those conducted through the traditional medium. There is more freedom of speech online, as official journalists as well as volunteers can provide information on various topic. Aside form this online journalism is also considered to be less biased as compared to the traditional medium for journalism. According to Cohen as per her article in the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media in 2002, online journalism is depicted as a form of journalism which is entirely driven by the market. However, opposition to the benefits of online journalism and its advantages the form of journalism also is considered to be of temporary nature, with the news structure being more random than properly structured. Advantages of Online Journalism As mentioned earlier, the advantage of online journalism pertain to the fact that the online medium is less biased than the traditional medium for journalism, has more information and is more specialized for the niche market of readers. However the most significant benefit that is reported for online journalism is the real time dissemination of information and the immediacy. The publishers in the online medium have the opportunity and the facility to publish news about news and events as it happens. "Other advantages of online journalism relate to other medium-specific characteristics. The incorporation of multimedia elements makes news websites more informative and entertaining. Hyperlinks, blogs and discussion forums allow web-users a more hands on experience, allowing them to be participants in the news process. The archiving ability of news websites is also a great advantage as it provides an extensive research resource to the public." (Rayment, 2004) Other benefits of online journalism also include the positive effect it has on the social and the culture of the people in the regional and global community. Moreover the online news channel is available to the readers twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, making it one of the most accessible medium for disseminating news and opinions. Aside from this the journalism on the online medium also allows the people to access news and opinions which are regional as well as global in nature providing them an increased scope of information and knowledge. The ease and the convenience provided through the online nature of the online journalism is the biggest advantage that is available to readers as well as information publishers in the world of today. This is because people can access epapers as well as forums and new boards

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Dust exposure and respiratory symptoms among cement factory workers in Assignment

Dust exposure and respiratory symptoms among cement factory workers in the United arab emirates - Assignment Example They then compared the estimated amount to the limit of exposure. They then used the information to determine the respiratory symptoms occurrence among those that are exposed and compare to those that are not exposed to the dust. The information collected was used by Ahmed & Abdullah (2012) to evaluate the details in relation to the use of necessary equipment for respiratory infection protection. The hypothesis of the study is that; the dust level of the factory is low and the same can be said to the level of exposure among the workers thus there are no prevalence difference among the exposed subjects and the non-exposed ones. The importance of the study was that it helped in the determination of the level of United Arab Emirates cement factories’ workers exposure to dust. The data collected was therefore used to determine if the cement factories in the United Arab Emirates have increased the rate of respiratory infections among the workers. It also looked at the use of the protection gears as the mitigation measure and the effects that it has caused (Ahmed & Abdullah, 2012). Cement manufacturing has several processes that include mining, raw material grinding and crashing, kiln burning and blending for clinker formation, milling of cement and packaging. During this processes, there is an emanation of dust thus making the workers exposed to it. There are several researchers that have linked the occupational exposure that is chronic to the chronic respiratory infections among workers exposed. The signs and symptoms of these infections include sputum, coughing, dyspenia and alteration of the indices of pulmonary functioning. This is contrary to the findings of some of the researchers that most of the respiratory symptoms between most of the unexposed and exposed workers have difference that is not significant (Ahmed & Abdullah, 2012). The hypothesis was tested at one of the United Arab Emirates factories. The selected factory had never been sampled

Monday, August 26, 2019

Journal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 50

Journal - Essay Example These assignments also shaped my thinking because I became more conscious of how writers communicate with their readers and how to make connections between texts and real life that deepened my reading process through developing hindsight and insight. These assignments affected my writing because these articles had different writing styles and formats that improved my consciousness of my writing process through teaching me that they must be geared towards the needs of my audience. For instance, though I used sources that are considered as scholarly articles, Daniel Miller’s and Mark Griffiths’ works have an essay format, while Aysen Bakir and Scott J. Vitell use a typical empirical article format that includes the research design, findings, and discussion. These formats show that I must also know the proper formats that are aligned with what my audience needs and expects. Moreover, these assignments emphasized the importance of writing style to writing effectiveness. By effectiveness, I refer to being credible and persuasive to my audience. I believe that these articles are valid and convincing because of their use of formal academic language and credible sources that their target audiences may find important. Throu gh these assignments, I understood the centrality of the audience in making decisions about formats and writing styles. Besides enhancing my awareness for my writing process and making me more concerned of my audience’s needs, these assignments improved my thinking as a writer because I realized that there are different ways of presenting and supporting arguments and that connecting readings with real life and other texts deepen my ability to develop insight and hindsight. These articles approached their arguments and topics in different ways. Bakir and Vitell made conclusions about what parents think regarding the ethics of food advertising that targets children, only after they have gathered their data. Miller used the main points

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Annotated Bibliography Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Annotated Bibliography - Assignment Example Reason for declining the version Ratterman’s account is due to the then period’s involvement of government officials into funding and strategically backing varied organized crimes. The focus of this source touches on crime, justice and its context of Kentucky’s history. This was during a time of heightened organized crime fueled by government of the day through corruption. It is a primary source outlining how the government despite through its respective authorities seemed to curb the period’s crime actually fueled. I am strongly convinced based on the content of this source it will be helpful in my paper. This is because I will use it to elaborate how the government played a significant role in enhancing crime and crime’s role towards development of Kentucky’s history led by a corrupt government. I do agree with this primary source due to its relevance information that is also evident in other similar sources more the image source, which depicts utter pretence and effort by securities in curbing organized crime. Linduff, Jim., Klein, Roy & Trapp, Larry. 2012. â€Å"When Vice Was King: A History Of Northern Kentucky Gambling 1920-1970.† Accessed 8Th April 2014. In this secondary source, authors trace the history of crime in the N. Kentucky with much emphasis on bootlegging operation. Hence, being relevance to the field of study that I have chosen whereby I believe the source will be helpful in backing varied historical arguments about justice and crime. This is because it will act as an historical source starting from 1920s up to 70s, whereby the latter encompasses the scope of the study’s focus. I do concur with the content outlined in this study, which ranges from prostitution, bootlegging operations to other vices that enhanced crime

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Huella Online Travel Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Huella Online Travel - Case Study Example was also found that the firm was viewed as risky and not very reliable especially because of perceived security and stability concerns regarding the online security. People especially feared that online purchasing exposes them to cybercriminals and hackers. Consumers need to be provided with data about the workings of the organization, in Huella’s case, many claim they only used it to check prices and compare the products to what they were getting in regular brick and mortar store (Zhou and Chan 2008). The firm needs to enlighten customers on the merits of online shopping and reduce the negative perception associated with internet business. In addition, given that most people do not even know of Huella’s existence, the firm needs to educate perspective clients through aggressive advertisement so they are both aware of the products existence and what they are used for. Most importantly however is the phobia to do business online in as much as they have been found to techno-savvy, if Huella plans on making headway in the online market, it needs must educate its customer base on online security and ensure they are aware of the security protocols in place. Given that Huella is targets clients who use frequently use the internet, the target population in the Hong Kong market is the group aged above 15 years to 45 who either were using the internet currently or were likely to become generic users of online services in the future. This group makes up approximately 59% of the population in Hong Kong (Zhou and Chan 2008), whereby the youths were especially targeted because they are the heaviest consumers of online content. Consequently, they were by virtue of that more likely to come across Huella’s services on online marketing boards as they browsed through social media sites. Before carrying out the survey, the qualitative insights for the current Huella users however have to be tested; their sample basis is approximated to have generated HK$80.7 million in

Friday, August 23, 2019

Motivational Interviewing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Motivational Interviewing - Research Paper Example This technique allows the practitioner to set up a supportive environment for a productive encounter. Expression of empathy encompasses acceptance and sincerity. This creates a feeling of not been alone among persons with problems. For instance, a person suffering from a chronic illness needs to realize that there other people dealing with chronic illness (Miller, & Rollnick, 2002). This technique prepares the patient for other therapies and MI techniques. Development of discrepancy is a basic element that defines MI objectives. It entails initiating an intentional conversation that allows individuals to identify their current position and determine its discrepancy with the position they intend to be or achieve. The technique allows patients to have a self-challenge and determination to achieve their objective (Prochasta, & DiClemente, 2008). For instance, a person struggling with drug abuse can begin a positive change through the discrepancy development technique. The technique allows the person to visualize the negative element about their current trends and the need to make timely interventions. The principal require motivational interviewers to resist from engaging in an argument with the person whenever he or she shows resistance. From the third principal of MI, a patient respond positively only when the therapist do not attack their feelings and ideas. Instead, a therapist should allow patients to identify their problems instead of pinpointing the problem. Avoiding argumentation allows therapist to create a supportive environment for patients to open up for information. For instance, a therapist interviewing a drug addict should allow him to view the consequences of his behavior instead of pointing out that drug abuse is a risky behavior. Resistance is a common encounter in MI that results when individuals argue against a change. For instance, if a therapist begins by making an argument on why

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Week4 presentation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Week4 presentation - Assignment Example There are various reasons why it took a long period for the American constitution to be amended from 1870 to 1913. However, the main reason was the fact that senators were elected by governors indirectly instead of being directly elected to the senate by the United States citizens. This slowed down the amendment process since senators enacted laws that benefited themselves and governors who had elected them to the senate instead of protecting the interest of the ordinary American citizen. This can be proved by the fact that amendments to the United States of America constitution practically began after the amendment in 1913 where power to elect the senate was left to the American citizens. One reform that took the Christian approach in the United States of America between the late 19th century and 20th century is the 18th amendment that was adopted in 1919. This was a law reform that banned the sale, consumption, buying, and importing alcoholic beverages. This reform took a Christian approach since alcohol made people behave in an unethical manner. The second reform that was based on the Christian approach was abortion, which was enacted in many states. Christianity also prohibits abortion hence such a reform was supported by most citizens. The 19th amendment that was adopted in 1920 in the United States of America is a good example of American reforms that took the socialistic approach. This amendment provided for the right of women to  vote in any election involving the government. This is considered a socialistic approach since it meant that women would vote for people who would fight for their needs in the legislature hence good governance. Another example of a reform that took a socialistic approach was the17th amendment that provided that senators would be elected by citizens from their state. This provided good governance since it meant that

Internal, External Essay Example for Free

Internal, External Essay | Identify the key actors and forces in the company’s marketing environment that affect its ability to serve its target customers effectively.The marketing environment can be defined as everything that surrounds an organization’s environment and can affect its operation.The business environment consists of the actors and forces that affect an organization’s ability to develop and maintain business with its targeted customers. These are the Micro Environment, the Macro environment and the internal environment.The micro-environment of an organization can best be understood as comprising all those other organizations and individuals who directly or indirectly affect the activities of the organization. The following key groups can be identified as: their suppliers, marketing intermediaries, customers, competitors and the public. * Neil Saab, PROCTER’s European head of laundry products development * Edward Arwell, PROCTER’s Chief Marketing Officer * scientists and over 60,000 consumers * Dutch press * PR Firm hired by PROCTER * Europe targeting consumers’ associations, washing machine manufacturers, retailers * and anybody else who would listen * Dutch consumers’ union * Six test institutesThe Macro environment is the non specific aspect in the company’s surrounding that have the potential impact on the organizations strategies. This environment comprises general trends and forces which may not immediately affect the relationships that a company has with its customers, suppliers and intermediaries, but sooner or later, macro-environmental change will alter the nature of these relationships. These are demographic forces, economic factors, natural, technological, political and socio cultural factors. * For ULTRA WASH, they had claimed a technological lead based on their formula and this was keeping them ahead * Environmental campaigners in Sweden were keen on the effects of the product * Freedom of speech allowed Procter to lobby openly against their competitorThe Internal Environment refers to those activities within the local influence which includes it marketing plans and strategies, how they are implemented and its research and development. Actors in the internal environment include: * David Fritz, ULTRA WASH’s global coordinator of detergent marketing * Top executives at ULTRA WASH Head Office in the UK * Other management and staff of ULTRA WASH Show how each of the actors/forces you have identified in question 1, directly (or indirectly) impacted on ULTRA WASH’s final decision to revamp and relaunch the defective Eno/Ersil Power.For ULTRA WASH, the SWOT analysis summarizes the main environmental issues in the form of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.Strengths of ULTRA WASH: * Power branded in Netherlands, UK and France * Biggest advance fabric detergent over 20 years * They had the technological lead Weaknesses of ULTRA WASH: * Did not act on private warning from Procter before they went public * Did not effectively counter Procter’s negative campaign against their product * Ultra Wash image damaged and undermined as they were slow to act Opportunities of ULTRA WASH: * To launch Power in 11 other countries Threats of ULTRA WASH: * Flaw discovered in technology by rival competitor * The need to withdraw their once successful product from the market * Leading supermarket emptying shelves of the product * Various tests confirmed damaging effects of their products With all the negative publicity that ULTRA WASH had received from Procter, various media agencies as well as tests that proved the product was in fact damaging, it was in ULTRA WASH’s best interest to revamp and re-launch their product.The Impact of the Actors in the Micro EnvironmentThe lobbying and negative campaigning done by Procter’s executives sensitized the public on the damaging effects of ULTRA WASH’s product therefore reducing the demand in the market.Various Scientists confirmed that the product was faulty also confirming to the public that this product was not ide al for their laundry.The Press and PR Firm hired by Proctor hammered bad publicity that contributed to the decline in sales of this product. As the Customers are the most important to consider, a re launch was necessary to correct the past manufacturing errors and reclaim their loyalty. It was also important to create a new image in the minds of the target market by changing their perception. The Impact of the Actors in the Macro Environment * Legal: ULTRA WASH also had on going legal battle with PROCTOR, it was important to end that chapter and show some differentiation in their rebranded product. * Technological: Advances in Technology would create opportunity for ULTRA WASH to develop a new detergent with the correct product mix that would meet environmental specifications. * Social and Cultural: PROCTOR was able to freely express their opinions and change the perception of the general product thereby reducing the market share of ULTRA WASH. The Impact of the Actors in the Internal EnvironmentThe entire series of events proved that  the Executives and marketing personnel at ULTRA WASH were not fully equipped to handle all the negative publicity and did not act expeditiously to recover from this problem. Top Executives should have heeded the secret warnings of PROCTOR and test their product privately to prevent an international outburst. The strategies were not enough to protect their product. Internal branding was important as ULTRA WASH needed to re create a core product with distinctive values that distinguishes it from its competition. ULTRA WASH needed to highlight the true benefits to be from using their product. Brand strategies must be communicated to staff so that they understand the company character on which the company brand is built. Investment in staff training is required to achieve the service levels required for the brand strategy.In order to be successful and to reclaim their market share, ULTRA WASH would need to revisit their team strategies, review their research and development strategies and improve on their technological advances.| Question #1 A company’s marketing environment refers to factors outside of marketing, which has either a direct or indirect affect on the company’s ability to develop and maintain successful relationships with its target market. (Various Environmental factors Affecting Marketing Function, 2012) An understanding of a company’s marketing environment is instrumental in the development of its SWOT analysis as the marketing department would be able to identify the strengths, weakness, threats and opportunities. The marketing environment can be divided into three sub- categories which are internal environment, micro- environment and macro- environment. (Various Environmental factors Affecting Marketing Function, 2012) Ultra Wash Power detergent was affected by factors and actors from these three marketing environment which hindered the company from serving its target market. The internal marketing environment of a company refers to factors and actors that are part of the company, which the company has control over. These factors have an influence on the operations of the organization and a high level of control is placed over this environment, as the organization can change it strategies to ensure that these factors support marketing. (The marketing environment, n.d.) (Various Environmental factors Affecting  Marketing Function, 2012) Ultra Wash was affect by the following in its effort to serve its target market: Research and Development: this is the creation of products, improvements to existing products or the production process through a combination of basic and applied research. The aim of research and development is to position the company as a market leader through competitive advantage. (Research and Development , n.d.) Company’s Imagine- refers to what consumers think about your business when they hear the name of the product or business. (Image , n.d.) Top Management: this refers to marketing decisions taken by members of the Board of Directors, shareholders and executives. Micro- environment refers to factors and actors that are closely linked to the organization and their decisions and operations directly affect the company’s ability to serve its customers. (The marketing environment, n.d.) Ultra Wash was affected by the following three factors in this environment: Consumer Behavior- this is how consumers select, purchase and use goods and services to satisfy their wants and needs. (Consumer Buying Behavior) Market intermediaries: these are third party persons or organizations between the final customer and manufacturer and given the responsibility of promoting, selling and distributing of the goods and services. (Various Environmental factors Affecting Marketing Function, 2012) Competitors: firms which sell same or similar goods and services in the same market. (Various Environmental factors Affecting Marketing Function, 2012) Marco – Environment are factors which are uncontrollable external to the company. Although these factors directly influence the company marketing decisions, they do not directly affect the company’s ability to serve its customers. (The marketing environment,n.d.) This environment is analyzed through the STEEPLE analysis. The seven areas of focus in the STEEPLE analysis are political, economic, social, technological, environmental, legal and ethical. (Williams, 2013) Of which, technological, environmental, and ethical affected the ability for Ultra Wash to serve its target customers. (The marketing environment, n.d.) Question#2 Internal Environment: Research and development directly affected the ability of Ultra Wash  to serve its target market as the company did not undertake sufficient research when developing the product. This was evident when they were faced with the facts about how the enzyme â€Å"dirt buster† affects clothing. Also they did not take heed to the warning made by PROCTER, had the company research the information made by their competitors it could have saved them thousands of dollars in damage control and advertising. Company’s Imagine- With the information about the effects of their detergent being published in the media, the company’s image began to plummet in the eyes of consumers. The company had to take steps to try to rebuild the company’s imagine by offering a new revamped detergent gave them a chance to do this. Top Management- David Fritz the global coordinator of detergent marketing and the Ultra Wash executives decided to ignore the warnings about the product made by Edward Artwell with the belief that recalling the product would be costly and humiliating to the company and for David Fritz his career. Micro- Environment: Consumer Behavior- Ultra Wash revenues for the Power detergent was reducing radically due to the information on the detergent which PROCTER released and their campaign against detergent with â€Å"dirt buster†. In order for any company to be able to remain competitive they must be able to attain profits and with the constant decline in Ultra Wash revenues and profit, the company had to make changes to the product to realize an increase the sales and revenues when advertising and promotions did not work. Market intermediaries- Many supermarket chains considered removing the products from their shelves after being informed by PROCTER about the harmful effects of the Power detergent. In order to maintain relationships with these market intermediaries, who in turn wants to ensure that they are able to maintain good relationship with their customers, Ultra Wash needed to make sure that the standard of the product was improved. This would satisfy customer wants as well as allow Ultra Wash to maintain good relationships the market intermediaries. Competitors- The actions of the competitors PROCTOR played the biggest part of the decision to revamp and re-launch the defective Power  detergent. PROCTOR tried to assist the Ultra Wash Company by providing them with research concerning the effects of â€Å"dirt buster†; however the company did not listen and proceeded to mass launch the product. As a result of the launch PROCTER released a statement providing the public with the effects of the detergent. Although Ultra Wash made their own releases refuting those claims, increasing advertisement and promotions they were not able to convince consumers otherwise and realized deduced sales. PROCTOR continued to provide the public, including consumers, retailers and consumers’ associations with information on this product until Ultra Wash finally decided to remove the product from all markets. Marco- Environment Technological- Ultra Wash believe that this new technology would be able to provide them with competitive advantage of being more advanced that they rest of the market. However, in the hurry to become the market leader the technology was not properly research and developed causing the company to experience major losses. Environmental- Many environmental lobbyist in European and Sweden released public statements about the effects the Power detergent and its affects on clothes. These statements can persuade consumer behavior against a certain product as in this case. Ethical- Consumer groups such as the Dutch consumer’s union confirmed the damaging effects of the upgraded Power detergent. Ultra Wash needed to ensure that the product standard are to the level the consumers expect as statement against a product will persuade the consumers decisions against the product. All these factors played a major part in the decision taken by Ultra Wash to revamp and re-launch the defective Power Detergent as Ersil tablets. These tablets were able to provide them with the competitive advantage as well as become the market leader for this product. References: Various Environmental factors Affecting Marketing Function. (2012, July 19). Retrieved June 10, 2013, from ebstudies: http://ebstudies.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/various-environmental-factors-affecting-marketing-function/ Consumer Buying Behavior. (n.d.). Retrieved June 11, 2013, from BusinessDictionary.com:

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Micro Credit In Mauritius Social Work Essay

Micro Credit In Mauritius Social Work Essay Abstract In this study, the impact of micro-credit as a poverty alleviation strategy in Mauritius is analyzed. A close link is made between microcredit and empowerment of women through different chapters and how it helps to empower Mauritian women. Women are empowered when they are able to take decisions, have their own roles and responsibilities, are independent, educated and are ready to face discriminations which exists due to deep norms and values of society. Income is the main concept of this study because data collected have proved that microcredit helped to increase income generated through these women business. This study has raised many questions because it is observed that microcredit tend to empower economically but very less in social terms. Findings have showed that women situation have changed but not that far compared to other countries where microcredit is very popular. Still, microcredit has encouraged women be follow trainings and develop their skills, and promoted participa tion in activities of society mainly economic activities. On the other side microcredit is also a vicious circle of debts for women who face difficulties to repay their loans which shows how microcredit create impoverishment of women which very is far from reducing poverty. CHAPTER 1.0: INTRODUCTION Poverty is usually defined as the lack of opportunities, lack of education and skills, and also in terms of standard of living. Poverty in Mauritius is not similar like other countries, whether someone lives in urban or rural areas is not valid to categorize him as poor. Poor people in Mauritius (mainly women) are often denied access to resources, to opportunities, education and training for development of skills. This is often the main reason why these people cannot cope with changes occurring in our Mauritians society, in terms of social and economical transitions (IFAD). There is a real concern to alleviate poverty a ministry of social security and social welfare has even been set up to tackle this problem. It is clear cut that poverty is not just an economic problem but also a social problem affecting life of Mauritians. The government work closely with NGOs and other institution, a National action plan has even been set up to promote economic growth. This includes improving educational system, providing financial support for investment ad micro-enterprises and micro-finance institutions (IFAD 2011). 1.2 Micro credit in Mauritius Microcredit started in July 2001; it was a project by the IFAD to promote Mauritian women through microenterprises. The aim of this project was to provide financial facilities and support to needy women and promote income-generating activities. Micro-credit is known as the key tool to poverty alleviation (Grameen bank). Micro-credit scheme in Mauritius has brought progress and attracted women there are more than 3,500 women registered as entrepreneurs (Nwec 2010). They are even given financial facilities like Microcredit loans for their business. The Development Bank of Mauritius (DBM) and cooperative bank provides with loans at lower interest rates Trade fairs are organized to these women to expose their product and even Awards ceremony are organized every year to reward the best women entrepreneurs. The ministry of Gender Equality and child welfare set up micro credit programmes to target women in poverty. Together with other institution like NGOs and banks, which provide further contributions to assist needy women. In Mauritius, the National Women Entrepreneur Council is responsible for women entrepreneurs, providing trainings in their incubators found at Phoenix. Empowerment of women is very important for economic growth, that is why an empowerment programme has been set up in 2006 and the National empowerment Foundation (NEF) in 2008 to ensure the good purpose of the empowerment programme (NEF 2009). There are very few reports that 1.3 Problem statement It is a fact that micro-credit is very important to fight poverty and many studies have shown its positive impact in terms of standard of living, income, education, and health. However despite these strategies, poverty still remains (Mosley 2002). The main question is that has it really empowered women? By empowerment we mean women being emancipated, taking and participating in decision making access to employment and trainings. But statistics show a different result because women in the active economy represent only 43.7 % compared to men 75.5%, only 35.5 % of women in Mauritius work (CSO 2011). Microcredit was supposed to help in creating job opportunities for women, Statistics show that there is a population of 645 875 women, and the number of female-headed household in Mauritius and this wage gap which exist between men and women make them less economically active compared to men. Only 30% of women work in government services in Mauritius, it has been observed that 61% of women are unemployed and the rest that is 33% receive an income of Rs 4,000 compared to the 8% of men. Women income is around Rs 8,350 compared to men Rs 12,560, we are very far from reaching gender equality. How far has microcredit helped in poverty alleviation, are these strategies enough to combat poverty, how did it change or not image that society set on women and their role, responsibilities and economic activities are the questions this study will try to answer. Aim of study To assess the impact of micro-credit programme in poverty alleviation among women in Mauritius. Objectives of the study To evaluate the benefits of microcredit as poverty alleviation tool in Mauritius. To determine how microcredit promoted socio-economic development in Mauritius. To describe how micro-credit alleviate poverty through income-generated activities. To analyze how women empowerment through micro-credit helps to alleviate poverty in Mauritius. 1.4 Layout of study This study is organized as follows: Chapter 2 give deep explanations about main concepts used in this study and how they are linked. Another part of this chapter describes studies conducted on the impact of micro-credit on women and how it helps to alleviate poverty in other countries and how different authors view it, its effect on these countries and also problems they faced. Chapter 3 describes methods used to collect data for this study and why it is appropriate. Different parts of this chapter define the problems faced during data collection, how data will be analyzed and ethical considerations to be respected for this study. Chapter 4 provides an in-depth explanation of all findings during data collection and is followed by the discussion part where findings will be linked with other authors explanations from chapter 2.Chapter 5 is the conclusion, a summary of this study followed by recommendation which might help to bring better improvements to this field or encourage other research. CHAPTER 2.0: LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter provides an in depth analysis of concepts used in this study and how different authors assessed microcredit effectiveness on women and poverty, how government and Ngos help to promote women. There are also various studies conducted across the world showing its impact on socio-economic development in many countries in contrast with Mauritius. 2.1 Concept of Poverty Poverty is defined in different terms and it is difficult to have an exact definition of it. The UN (United Nations) defines poverty as a denial of choices and opportunities, a violation of human dignity (Langmore 2000: 37). It means lack willingness and opportunity to participate effectively in society. UN also relate poverty to lack of income to enable survival, social discriminations that the poor face, and by denial of opportunities, it means that they are denied to participate in decisions in society (UN, 1995: Para. 19). In the Beijing declaration it was mentioned how poverty is characterized: lack of participation in social and cultural life, this occurs in many developing countries forming pockets of poverty: regions where poor lives. A poor is not poor because of lack of participation in civil society but also due to economic problems such as recession which prevent people below the poverty line from having a decent life. Sen. (1981), who is a famous researcher on the subject of poverty, explains poverty as the lack of basic needs essential for survival and fails to participate in social and economic activities. Poverty can be categorized into two that is absolute poverty and relative poverty. Absolute poverty refers to a situation where an individual is unable to satisfy his basic needs that are food, shelter and clothing and health. Peter Townsend (1979) defines relative poverty as a situation where an individual standard of living is below the level that they are unable to enjoy normal way of life (Reporting poverty in the UK p 15). It is more about standard of living where there is an individual possess a big villa, new brand car, high income whereas another one is at medium level and can at least satisfy his basic needs and stay healthy. 2.2 Women and poverty More than 1.3 billion of people live in poverty in the world and most of them are located in developing countries like Asia and Africa (UNDP 1996). Women are the one who bear all the burden, they have to manage their household which means work and cater for their family at the same time which is not an easy task. A woman is described as a human being of female sex who can be distinguished through her gender roles and responsibilities in society (Wikimedia 2005). 70 % of women are poor and they mostly come from female-headed households (UNIFEM 2010). Poverty among women keep on increasing, that is why it was conceptualized as Feminization of poverty; an increase in female-headed household (Buduwski 2002). There are various reasons which explain why women, one because there are gender based values like gender roles (housewife/nest builder) which prevent women to emancipate, the increase of divorce increases female-headed families (GAP 2008). There are gender-based inequalities which re strict women to have access to resources and opportunities; which failed to empower them. There were more than 22 millions of unemployed women in the world in 2008 and in developing countries like African countries and south Asia women engaged in insecure jobs (UN 2009). Empirical studies conducted in Poland showed that there are more than 90% of women who are engaged in household work and also their paid, which is a real burden for them (Mandal 2008:163).In Mauritius, Women are more likely to face poverty than men; a report of the CSO showed that 8.9% of women compared to 8.1% of men live in relative poverty in 2009. There is a gap in income between male and female employee only Rs 7,100 for female and Rs 12, 330 for male (ESI 2010:11). 2.3 women and Poverty alleviation Poverty alleviation is based on different strategies to reduce poverty at individual, group and community level. These strategies include education facilities to promote socio-economic development and break down barriers leading to disparities in our society (Barder 2009). Greenberg (2005) defines poverty alleviation as set of strategies to reduce the impacts of poverty on vulnerable groups. In 2000, the millennium development goals were set up to reduce poverty (UN 2000). It was followed by a guideline for poverty alleviation to better help organizations over the world to achieve this objective (DAC 2001). To alleviate poverty barriers which restrict access and participation in society have to be removed (UNDP 2011). These barriers include; problem of unemployment, promoting human capital through educational facilities, trainings for development of skills, health facilities, support to family in difficulty through social benefits, promoting access to services through financial support and building up of self help groups to create solidarity and policies to reduce discrimination and inequalities towards the poor (Headey 2006). 2.4 Poverty alleviation among women through empowerment During the Women conference of the United Nations, it has been declared that to have stability in terms of social, economic, politic, culture and environment, achieving gender equality and empowerment is the essential keys (UN 2009). Empowerment refers to creating opportunities so that individual can develop their capacities in terms of skills and knowledge to face social prejudices in society (Waterhouse 2003). It is the 3rd goal of the Millennium Development Goals which aim to reduce poverty till 2015. Empowerment takes place through decision making, building up of self-esteem in women, improving their status in society and at home (Cheston and Khun 2002). Kabeer (2003) focus on empowerment as being able to make own choices and taking decision to achieve goals. A report from Unifem declares that to achieve women empowerment, access to all basic resources is important (Unifem 2008). Women do not only face money problems but also social ones through exclusion education, politics, and the world of work. Empowerment of women is very important to promote their participation in economic activities of society (Eyben 2008). Women are the ones who are most engaged in work and produce more but yet they only 10% of the income (Clinton 2009). Women tend to invest more even at home, a study done in Brazil showed that all household where women were in control improve the chances of survival of their children by 20% (OECD 2010). Why is empowerment important? It is because women are the one who are less educated, denied access to resources, support (financial), education and are mostly vulnerable in society, they are discriminated and exploited both at work and at home (Mayoux 2009). To achieve empowerment there are intervention from both government and Ngos working together to reduce poverty and promote women. In Mauritius, the NEF has been set up to promote empowerment of women through 2.5 Women and microcredit Micro-credit is too wide which makes it difficult to define (Oikocredit 2011). It is generally define as small loans granted to people from poor background to help them improve their income (income generating activities) and way of life (Grameen bank 2011). In the 1800s, Lysander Spooner found out that providing credit facilities to small famers was very successful that where came the new term micro-credit today, poor population have accessed to loans and payment facilities. In 1976, Muhammad Yanus (winner of the Nobel Prize in 2006) created micro-credit facilities in the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. At first it was only meant to assess the facilities which can be provided to the poor but later proved to be a key tool to reduce poverty. This was followed by the United Nations declaring the year 2005 as the international year of Micro-credit with five main goals among which were to promote contribution of micro-credit facilities and enable accessibility to these facilities (UN 2005). Micro-credit has been proved to promote social development and a tool to struggle against poverty in both developed and developing countries (Da Silva et al. 2007). MFI reports showed that 70 % of women are beneficiaries of micro-credit loans, this give an overview of women vulnerability and how they consider micro-credit loans as a way to get out of poverty. One main question is raised: Why women? Evidence have showed that women are the ones who are less paid and work in secondary sectors where they are at risk and do not have benefits compared to men in society (ILO 2008). Women face too many inequalities such as unemployment and discriminations based on gender, it has to be noted that Mauritius gender statistics showed that we are ranked 63rd  out of 146 countries on the Gender Inequality Index of the UN (CSO 2011). That is why micro-credit scheme has been introduced to promote access to resources such as land and infrastructure and also access to credit facilities. Besides Micro-credit programme also include training of women so that become independent and confident in their business (CIDA 1995). Micro-credit help women to improve their income household and build a safety-net which secure them and reduce their vulnerability to fall into traps of poverty., they become more mature to deal with issues of their business and make their o wn decision and choices (Mends 2000). Through entrepreneurship, Women have the opportunity to overcome cultural norms which trap them into their housewife role. (Swain and Wallentin 2007). 2.6 Empowerment of women through microcredit Many authors find a link between credit and empowerment. Cornwall and Edward (2010) consider empowerment as crucial to overcome economic and social dilemmas in society. Micro-credit is a system which gives access to finance through loans and savings for entrepreneurships. Studies have shown that micro-credit has been useful to the poor household due to low cost (Miller, Morhnee, Stephens and Tazi 2006). It is a fact that micro-credit programme improved women situation (economic, social, political, cultural) and also in terms of education (trainings) allowing them to develop their skills (Johnson Rogaky 1997).Empowerment has two dimension one in terms of household, women tend be at home doing housework and taking care of their family. With micro-credit programme they work and earn their own money which improves their status and their role at home compared to their previous role. They feel in a better position to apply their own decision (Osmani 2007). There were extensive debates about women and poverty and the impact of micro credit as a poverty alleviation tool. Many literatures have referred to the micro-credit scheme as the best alternative to reduce poverty and to empower women (Bernasek, 2003, Bhatt 2001, Khand Ker el al 1998, Leach and Sitaram, 2002). An assessment on the role of micro-credit schemes conducted through a survey in the South Asia together with Ngos showed that these schemes have improved economic status of women in society through education and training to acquire professional skills in entrepreneurship so that they become self-efficient and this has improve their social status in their household and improved awareness (Hashemi, Schuler and Riley 1996). Micro-credit programmes include Income-generating strategies, increasing awareness and empowering women. This help to socio-economic development of the country through education, participation in decision making, improving quality of health, sanitation and nutrition but most important of all to alleviate poverty through food security, income, improving literacy rates among women, thus leading to social inclusion of women in social, economic and political activities (Bernasek and al. 2003). Halkias, Nwajiuba, Harkiolakis, Caracatsanis (2011) study targeting the Challenges facing women entrepreneurs in Nigeria with a sample of 62 females entrepreneurs a self-administered survey showed that women showed more devotion and effort for their entrepreneurship compared to male entrepreneurs. Another result was that female entrepreneurs can professionally control their entrepreneurship and maintain their household effectively. Micro-credit had also an impact on savings made each month to improve standard of living of their families (Siringi 2011). Kabeer (1998) found out that micro-credit is an opportunity for women to bring their own contribution in terms of money. Policies should target more social and educational spheres to encourage women in the combat to alleviate poverty. Besides (Rogers and Youssef, 1988; Consultative Group to Assist the Poor CGAP, 2004: 6) findings showed that a rise in women income has positive influence on education, and health of children in the hous ehold. A study conducted in Nepal showed that more than 68% which represent more than 89 000 women over 130 000 who were involve in empowerment programme and experienced a change in their role at home and towards their own community, they have become someone who is respected for efforts and sacrifice don to reach this target of women with confidence and esteem (Ashe and Parrot 2001). Micro-credit has open new avenues for women in terms of education and development of skills. Having access to credit is more secure for women and they are able to take care of their family. Reports have shown that women are the one who spend more for the welfare of their family; in-depth interviews conducted in Rwanda with women benefiting from micro-credit scheme have shown that more than 54% of them are now able to manage on their own in their business without men (URWEGO 1994). It also helps to build up their self-confidence and self-esteem. Self-confidence is part of the aims of empowerment of women. It is the based to change women perception on various patriarchal aspects that exist in society and this also enable them to develop skills for the success of micro-credit. Micro-credit is a programme which train women to become professional business women and to be able to control their own business. Microcredit programme have empowered women leading to a change women role, status and relationship at home and in society. In-depth interviews conducted in Rwanda showed that there was an increase of 69 % in self-confidence and self-esteem of women (Ashe Parrot 1994). Studies conducted by Gobezie (2007) showed that more than 54% of women (micro-entrepreneurs) feel more at ease to deal with decisions both at home and their enterprise with the increase in self-esteem and self-confidence. 2.7 Government contribution The government plays an important role in promoting welfare through programmes and policies to better address the problem of poverty and promote equity (Cawthorne 2008). Funds from taxation help for development of the country and the government establishes a framework to know how to use funds efficiently (Serpa 2008). There is a belief that government intervention in micro-credit to give access to credit facilities only. But reality is that it acts as facilitator which provides access to service to the poor without ceilings. Another question usually asked is how micro-credit helps the poor? It increases income of poor household and improve patterns of consumption. When the needy people have access to credit, it helps them to maintain basic standard of living and have cash for emergencies. The government has an aim to promote welfare of citizens mostly needy ones; through micro-credit policies to better target and assist them but also programmes, which create opportunities to poor peo ple to develop skills and gain experience in entrepreneurship and learn how to manage their business. Several reports have shown positive impacts of micro-credit on women but there is big dilemma, political influences which exist and result to abuses, giving privileges to others and drainage of funds to be allocated to micro-entrepreneurs (CGAP 2002). Such influences affect good running and success of these programmes. Similarly to others countries like Bangladesh where the government work together with banks like BRAAC, in Mauritius there is the DBM which provide micro credit loans to people which also aim at socio-economic development and empowerment of women but through financial facilities. Micro-entrepreneurs (women) benefit from loan facility of Rs 150 000 with a period of five years for repayment, only women willing to create a small enterprise. These women are registered at the NWEC where they follow trainings to become independent wage earners (Nwec 2010). 2.9 Constrains of Micro-credit Micro credit was supposed to play a vital role in reduction of poverty but it also has its dark side. This strategy is seen as being too simple to reduce the problem of poverty (Endeley and Thompson 2005). Explanations provided to justify the failure of Micro-credit programme is that it failed to target real needy groups, it can observed that non-poor are taking most advantages of this programme and poor are becoming poorer, criteria of selection are not appropriate and this causes abuses (Copestake, Morduch, Dugger 2004). For Duvenduck (2011), until now there have not been valid evidence which prove that microcredit positively affect women. Abuses are not only from rich people but also from male in households where women benefit from micro-credit schemes. They are aware of their wives eligibility to access micro-credit loans and use them for their own business having nothing to do with women entrepreneurship (Goetz and Gupta 1995). This raises the question of gender equality which e xists in society and men always getting involved in female activities. Furthermore, the main purpose of micro- finance was supposed to provide credit a facility in terms of loan to the marginalized group to help them to generate income for their own business, the state has failed in its mission. (Swain et al 2008:193). It has rather created a vicious cycle of indebtness among women; they get trapped and become dependent on the state and banks. The problem is that they often failed to have the level of profit expected and have to work double to save for loan repayment (Copestake 2001). A report published by business week (2005:4) showed that interest rates are higher and failure to repay loans means closure of their business and huge debts to clear. It can be seen that intervention and contribution of private and public sectors are thin. There is a lack of continuous assistance to women entrepreneurs which makes the safety net very vulnerable as any mismanagement and low profitability can put the business at risk (Neff 1996). All these shortcomings of micro-credit have raised a question; is micro-credit really a tool to reduce poverty? Findings from different surveys showed that it really reduced poverty in the world but to some extent. Kandler (2005) found out that 31 % of women participating in micro-credit programs have been out of their abject poverty in Bangladesh. Another fact of micro-credit success is the increase and improvement of consumption patterns of poor people together with the increase in income this has lead to economic development. Kah (2005) reject the positive results of micro-credit in the developing countries. After a study in different countries with different methods like interviews, surveys and ethnogra phic surveys, Kay found out that it is a too optimistic assumption to classify micro-credit as a tool to alleviate poverty. Micro-credit programmes also have short-comings which tend to be ignored. Antaitwe (2006) claimed that there programmes have failed to meet their aims and objectives. The reason provided was that the fact that people who deserve this service and assistance were excluded from these programmes (Hulme 2003). Another short-coming of micro-credit is whether these programmes are accessible to extremely poor people. Reports from the United Nations (UN) showed that these programmes are inaccessible to extremely poor because of high interest rates and lack of infrastructures and structural patterns to better assist needy people so that they develop their skills and become efficient in society. Peredo and Chrisman (2006) focus on the fact that network should be created to enable better sharing and also facilities in terms of resources and management of enterprises including cost of resources, methods of distribution after production and how to value their products. Pollin (2007) consider microcredit as undervaluing entrepreneurship because it has rather encourage short-term income activities. Entrepreneurship is more based on investment of profit (Harper 2007), however micro-enterprises profit are used for personal matters like luxuries, education, health and other emergencies rather than for development of the country. The main problem with micro-credit shemes is that they deal with economic problems than social ones. It is clear that poverty is the socio-economic problem for most of the world. The male dominance which exists in the most societies acts like a barrier for women success. Men have control over everything in society, even incomes earned by their wife in their enterprise are used for other purposes and women barely have access to it (Omorodion 2007). All these deep-rooted perception, values and customs prevent women to protest because they fear to be harassed, beated up, humiliated by their husband. To some extent micro-credit create tensions in households in most developing countries. For example Mauritius is a country where men power prevails both at work and home. Men refuse to accept women emancipation and recognize their capacities which are very essential for the success of micro-credit programmes (World Bank 2006). This might explain the high rate of domestic violence which was 3 9% in Mauritius in 2011 (ESI 2011). It seems that micro-credit programmes have been introduced only to increase economic activity and supply of labor through job creations (Pitt and Khandler 1998). Micro-credit programmes were supposed to increase income of poor households but it failed because most of the money saved goes in loan repayment and in case of emergencies access to money become a big issue (Brett 2006). The fact that women have low status and are seen as weak ,ignorant and low skilled in society they tend to take loans to move further on the social ladder of society (Lucas 2001). They are trapped to being dependent on their husband and even more when they fail to repay their loan. This ideological image of women responsibility being at home to bring balance is a barrier to success, and though the effort to achieve gender equality in society it has failed. All government strategies for integration of women in society have failed and have provoked misconceptions about women failure in micro-credit programmes and confirming stereotype on women weakness and incapacity (Nesbitt 2006). Too little concerns are attached to empowerment of women (Bellman 2010), it is not only based on increasing their income and developing skills but it is based on changing deep perceptions. It is very difficult to change perceptions people make on women (Swain and Wallentin 2007:25). 2.8 Summary of literature review Through the previous paragraphs, in-depth explanations about the impacts of micro-credit have been given by different authors. It seems that micro-credit programmes have been very efficient in terms of income-generating, development of professional skill to manage own business, emancipation of women in the World. Women have been empowered by these programmes through increase of confidence and assertiveness and independency. The importance of empowerment to alleviate poverty is pointed by many authors; micro-credit increases their awareness and make women more efficient in society. It has brought changes in family income and standard of living and a change in roles that women become entrepreneurs this imply devoting time to both their business and their family which is very hard and often end into conflicts. The government and Ngos also play an important role to promote development and emancipation of women together with policies to protect and respect their rights and programmes to m ake them successful women in the future. Despite all positive impacts of micro-credit on women, there are also short-comings. Micro-credit encourage women to take loan to build their own business and are also trained for it but there is not enough assistance for mentors to make sure these women are on the right track and to counsel them in case of problem to tackle within their business. The problem is when these businesses are unable to make enough profit to repay their loan, there went to deficit and loses their business, all their efforts, time and sacrifices made to achieves this. This result to women becoming dependent on their husband again and men control them again which means empow

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

History Of An Ethical Dilemma Social Work Essay

History Of An Ethical Dilemma Social Work Essay In this essay, based on a case study and ethical dilemma (see appendix); I will demonstrate the process of ethical decision making and justify a course of action. I will discuss the ethical issues from the dilemma; critically examine competing BACP ethical principles and guidelines, issues of difference, organisational issues and legal implications and evaluating the outcome. To conclude I will discuss the therapeutic relationship. To maintain confidentiality and client anonymity, all personal details have been amended within this academic essay and case study. Impacts upon the problem and issues to consider An impact upon the problem is, if I breach confidentiality, I will be damaging the trusting relationship formed with Raj, leaving her feeling isolated, further vulnerable and let down. This could affect not only her trust in future relationships and prevent her from seeking help in the future but also her therapeutic progress. If I breached confidentiality it could lead to my client experiencing further threats from her husband. Raj is fearful of going to the police when this happens as in the past he manipulated the police into believing she was abusing her husband which led to him having custody of their son. Furthermore, it could cause the father to be angry with Aaron and could lead to him experiencing further abuse. However, as a member of the BACP I have a duty of care towards my client and a statutory and common law duty to safeguard vulnerable children as recognised by the Childrens Act (2004) (Jenkins, 2004). Further impacting the situation is the organisations policies regarding confidentiality and child protection, which require me to breach confidentiality and report such concerns to my line manager and make a safeguarding alert to social services. Additionally, when contracting in our initial counselling session, I explained that in circumstances of child protection and where my client or others are at risk of harm, confidentiality would be breached, which Raj agreed too, thus she was aware of this when she disclosed child abuse to me. Furthermore, if I was to breach confidentiality without Rajs consent, she would not want to continue our counselling sessions due to trust being broken. It could also seem disrespectful of Rajs choices and concerns and that I do not understand her frame of reference. Further issues to consider include the clients culture, my own morals and standpoint, what action needs to be taken to ensure a good quality of practice, the ethical, legal and professional implications for any decision made as well as considering will breaching confidentiality be for the greater good and whose interests will be met. While also considering Rajs interests and rights to be free of harm, autonomous living, justice and good quality of therapy, I must also consider the consequences for myself and my own self-respect and needs (BACP, 2010). Whose dilemma is it? It is Rajs dilemma as she is fearful of her ex-husband finding out that Aaron told her about the incident, fearing this will lead to Aaron being further abused. The decision affects Raj as I have been trusted with personal, confidential information, therefore Raj will feel neglected and betrayed if confidentiality is breached, leaving her isolated (Welfel, 2006, pp 67). Her vulnerability will further due to feelings of abandonment as presently I am her only support besides the collectivist family unit. It is also my problem as I am being asked to keep confidence despite feeling wary and uncomfortable in doing so. While I have no legal obligation to report child abuse, I have an ethical obligation to report the disclosure as I have a duty of care towards protecting a child at risk and a vulnerable adult as well as acting in the best interests of the client. Furthermore it would be morally wrong of me to not report the incident and especially if something else happens causing further harm to Aaron and/or Raj, which seems likely as the ex-husband has a history of abuse and aggressive behaviour. I will need to act quickly in order to prevent possible further harm to Aaron. Raj has specifically asked for confidentiality to be maintained, so if I breached confidentiality, this will be untrustworthy and going against my clients wishes. However, confidentiality can be breached in cases of child protection and if someone is at risk of harm; in this case Aaron. Due to Rajs vulnerability and fear resulting from domestic violence, her thought process may be irrational and anxiety provoked. As a counsellor I need to act in the best interests of my client and to protect her from harm. By breaching confidence, I do not want to create further problems for my client or do anything that will cause harm to her or her son. I have an obligation to Raj, BACP and the organisation to put my own feelings aside in order to follow the best interests of my client and what causes the least harm to her whilst also having an ethical obligation to protect Aaron against harm. In my job description, it is not stated that I will solely liable for damages; therefore, it is the organisations problem because as my employer they could face legal implications if confidentiality is breached, i.e. if Raj sued the organisation. BACP (2010) state respecting client confidentiality is a fundamental requirement for keeping trust. I am a member of the BACP so I would be going against their guidelines by breaching confidence without consent. Ethical Principles and Values, Organisation Policies and Legal Issues By law, I am required to maintain confidentiality so long as the client or anyone else is not at risk of harm and when confidentiality is assumed or requested, , I would be lying to Raj and betraying her trust and their relationship is this information was disclosed to a third party (Welfel, 2006). However, while in cases of child protection informed consent is not required due to having a statutory duty to report, I can be honest and open with Raj about what I plan on doing to ensure congruence and maintain the therapeutic relationship. There are many possible conflicts between ethical principles and the law. The law states confidentiality must be abided so long as no one is at harm, however the BACP ethical principles of justice and self-respect ensure that not only does the professional consider the clients best interest, without causing harm to themselves. However, by adhering to confidentiality about something I am morally against I would not be appropriately applying the ethical principles as entitlements for myself. While I have a main responsibility to keep Raj from harm, I also must consider the Aarons right for safety. While Raj has a human right to choice, I have an ethical and professional obligation to ensure I provide Raj with necessary information to ensure the decision made is the best possible decision for Raj and Aaron and would cause the least harm. By attending clinical supervision and line management supervision I will be able to receive guidance on dealing with dilemma, gain a differing perspective on the situation. Reflection will also help me understand the situation more clearly. Fidelity I have established an effective therapeutic relationship based on trust, congruence, safety, UPR and warmth with Raj. It would be untrustworthy of me to breach confidentiality as Raj trusts me. However as I am required by the BACP and organisation to report child protection, I will need to be honest with Raj and explain that I will need to report the incident however it would be better if she gave her consent and explaining why this matter needs to be reported. Autonomy Throughout the counselling process, I have valued Rajs autonomy through choice and offering power to make decisions within therapy. I must respect her decision by keeping her material confidential and her right to be self-governing and make choices independently without hindrance (Gillon, 1985). However by helping Raj consider the situation and consequences thoroughly, through all perspectives, she will be able to make an informed decision. By gaining informed consent I will be abiding by BACP guidelines as well as respecting my clients right to choice and accurate information and being client-centred. By explaining my ethical obligations in the contracting process and reiterating this and my requirements in safeguarding children when Raj made the disclosure, I am informing her of foreseeable conflicts as soon as possible. Beneficence Raj is vulnerable, confused, scared and distressed, therefore is it not sure if she is able to recognise her best interest. She may not be acting rationally due to her fear of her ex-husband and worry over her son. By explaining why it would be in her best interests and Aarons best interests to disclose child abuse, I am showing a commitment to promoting her well-being as well as being concrete and honest. Non-maleficence The action that would cause the least amount of harm to Raj is to make the safeguarding alert without disclosing where I gained the information. While this will limit the action social services can take against her husband and to protect her son, it will ensure that her husband will not find out that she or Aaron disclosed the abuse. If I was to not make the safeguarding alert, Raj would remain distressed and fearing for her sons safety which would cause her further emotional harm. Justice Raj has human rights to freedom and choice over her decision and the support she receives and the right to respect for private and family life, however she and Aaron have a right to prohibition of torture. The fairest decision for both Raj and Aaron is to make the safeguarding alert with informed consent. By honouring her right to information I am being fair by assisting her to make an informed decision. I am also being fair to myself in abiding by BACP ethics, the law and organisational policies. Self-Respect I am being asked to go against my own beliefs and morals as well statutory law and BACP ethical guidelines, thus conflicting with my right to beneficence, autonomy, non-maleficence, justice and my human rights. BACP state informed consent should be sought before breaching confidentiality, however the organisations policies state that clients do not need to be informed when breaching confidentiality for child protection matters, which would be dishonest of me and affect the therapeutic relationship. This causes conflicts within what is being asked of me, professionally, ethically, legally and morally what I feel is right. To work through these conflicts I attended clinical supervision and discussed the dilemma with my line manager. Possible Courses of Action As a member of the BACP I am required to maintain confidence at Rajs request. By providing a rationale as to why confidentiality needs to be breached, I could work within the boundaries of my job and BACP ethical guidelines by helping Raj to understand that this disclosure would assist in ensuring Aarons safety in the future as procedures would be put into place to prevent further harm to Aaron and a safety plan can be formed to ensure Raj is safe from harm from her ex-husband. I could explain to her that when I make the disclosure to social services, I dont have to disclose her personal details and she can remain anonymous thus her ex-husband will not know that she has reported the incident. I can also explain to social services that Aaron is at risk of further harm so procedures will be put into place to protect him should the incident be investigated. This will hopefully put Raj at ease. Raj would need to give written informed consent for me to share her information with a third p arty (Welfel, 2006), providing she is fully informed of all the facts to make that choice (Gerch and Dhomhnaill (2005). This would ensure I am abiding by the Data Protection Act (1998). By giving a rationale, offering a different perspective and accurate and necessary information, Raj will be able to make an informed decision. Raj is more likely to give me informed consent to make the disclosure if I show her that she can trust me to consider her best interests and ensure her safety as far as possible. I will allow Raj time to make up her mind, and ask questions to ensure she does not feel pressured (McLeod, 2010). The other option is to breach confidentiality without Rajs consent as a child is at risk of harm. This would mean the disclosure could be made sooner as I would not need to speak to Raj thus action to ensure Aarons safety could be taken sooner. However, in doing so I will damage the therapeutic relationship, breaking her trust and causing more psychological harm as she I would then be another person in her life whom she trusted but let her down, which will then make her more vulnerable and cause trust issues within future relationships. Furthermore, Raj could take legal action against me or the organisation (Jenkins, 2007). By choosing this course of action I will be going against BACP ethical guidelines, the organisations ethos and my own values and morals as an integrative practitioner as well as safeguarding legislations. To ensure Rajs safety I still could keep Rajs personal details confidential when making the safeguarding alert. Course of Action Having referred to the Childrens Act (1989, 2004) and its supporting guidance for safeguarding children (HM Government, 2006, 2010). I will explain to Raj that due to ethical guidelines, the organisations policies regarding child protection and statutory and common law as well as my moral duty of care towards Aaron, I need to breach confidentiality as stated in the counselling contract. I will explain to her that this safeguarding alert will assist in ensuring her sons safety in the future as there will be a record made and that social services will do whatever they can to prevent further harm to Aaron. I will explain to Raj that when I raise this alert to social services, if she prefers, I will not disclose her personal details, I will maintain her anonymity in accordance to the data protection act (1998) (Jenkins, 2007) and I will not disclose where I got this information from thus her husband will not know that she has reported the incident. However I will also explain to Raj that should she give me permission to disclose where I got this information from it will be further help as the more evidence I can provide, the better chance there is of social services acting upon the disclosure. I will explain that this is completely her choice and I will respect whatever decision she make, but I am professionally, ethically and legally required to breach confidentiality, thus enabling her to make an informed choice. Thus Raj would feel more confident and knowledgeable about her decision and she will have a choice in her decision (BMAED, 2004, pp. 74), thus respecting her autonomy and Human Rights (Bond, 2010). I will also explain that due to my respect for Raj I would like her permission to make this disclosure and to agree upon what information will be shared as well as abiding by BACP guidelines and the law. By explaining to Raj why this action must be taken, how I will ensure her and Aarons safety is maintained as much as possible and explaining each step I will take and the information to be shared, I am showing Raj that I value her and her opinion, I have her best interests at heart and that protecting Aaron and maintaining her safety is key within the work that I am doing. Ultimately I am exemplifying she can trust me and providing her with a safe environment, free from punishment. By also offering alternative perspectives such as explaining the possible consequences of not making the safeguarding alert would also allow Raj to make an informed choice (BACP, 2010). It is important that I am honest with Raj and that I give her the necessary information as this would exemplify fidelity, client autonomy, respect, and equality. I will reassure Raj that I will support her, listen to her and that as an Asian counsellor I can understand her concerns regarding family honour and confidentiality thus I will maintain her anonymity it she feels that it what she wants to do. By choosing this course of action I show that I have considered universality, publicity and justice (Bond, 2010, Gabriel and Casemore, 2010) and the ethical, legal and professional implications, whereby I am abiding by the BACP ethical framework, the organisations policies on child protection and statutory law regarding data protection, confidentiality, and child protection and safeguarding vulnerable adults. Furthermore, I have considered the consequences of this action within supervision, considering the effect on the therapeutic relationship, my own rights and legal implications if informed consent is not sought. Evaluation of the outcome The outcome was that after the fourth session, with informed consent I made a safeguarding alert whilst also maintaining Rajs anonymity, which led to social services checking on Aaron and a record being made. Raj attended a further where she reflected upon her therapeutic progress, her self-esteem and shared her decision to apply for sole custody of Aaron. I would take this action again for other clients and feel I made the right decision as I was honest, gave the necessary information, respected Rajs autonomy, beneficence, maleficence and ensured that the decision was fair for everyone involved, prevented further harm to Raj, Aaron and abided by ethical and legal guidelines (Bond, 2010, Gabriel and Casemore, 2010). Furthermore, I considered the clients culture and presenting issues which were relevant to ensuring her safety. Over all, I promoted the clients well-being and protected her from harm. Therapeutic Relationship When clients are able to see us as genuinely concerned for them, that we are not putting on a professional faà §ade, they will feel safe with us because we are reliable (Merry, 2002). By being honest about what I was intending to do and explaining I was congruent yet mindful of the clients frame of reference and experience I highlighted I was sincere in offering help. Beyond the physical scars, domestic violence has profound effects on a womens self-worth. Lewis (2003) stated an abused woman needs to regain power and control over her life by making independent choices and decisions. Carl Rogers (1951) highlighted that we all have the capacity to be fully functioning if our power is given recognition. Through a client centred approach based on respect, acceptance and choice, I helped Raj to recognise her worth and power within the therapeutic relationship and thus empowering her. Rogers core conditions (1951) encourage women to develop power from inside them in order to attain improved self-awareness and to take control. Thus by allowing Raj to take control over what was happening in therapy, I was helping her become autonomous, and take control over the choices she wanted in life, whilst also protecting her from harm and understanding her cultural needs through empathy and UPR. The increase in self-esteem would enable further self-awareness, which would later help achieve successful therapy outcomes from changes in personality and behaviour (Rogers, 1951). These points highlight that I had provided a good quality of care and maintained a good therapeutic relationship (BACP, 2010). It must be considered, it is due to the effective relationship that Raj felt comfortable to make the disclosure and through offering her power and autonomy and being honest, she felt comfortable with giving her consent as I was able to exemplify that her and Aarons safety was paramount.