Author name: Stephen Kimunya

Business Strategy

Currently, the modern business environment is more competitive than ever, and this is because numerous business outfits have emerged to compete for roughly the same market. Therefore, successful companies are those that devise means which give them a competitive edge over their rivals. One such measure entails the adoption of a practical business strategy. The term business strategy is a workable plan that a business entity uses to compete favorably with other organizations, improve financial performance, achieve organizational goals, and attract new customers. An effective strategy is one that plots a clear guideline on actions that people are encouraged (not) to take for the betterment of the company, thus ensuring that no vital aspect of the business is left to chance.

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In this digital era, innovations like the internet have driven companies towards globalization, raising the stakes, and making it imperative for companies to adopt effective strategies. Regarding the analysis of business organizations’ strategies, few are as insightful as Team Wikispeed’s case. This paper proceeds on the thesis that Team Wikispeed’s case is a testament to the fact that companies must incorporate novel ideas into their operations if they are to succeed in the business scene.

Embracing Agile

In the quest to assess Wikispeed’s strategy and performance, it is vital to create the proper context in which this discourse shall occur. No article gives more insight into the intricacies of crafting effective business strategies and embracing creativity than Embracing Agile. In this piece, the authors highlight the revolutionary impact of innovation and place a particular focus on the information technology sector to derive lessons that any business entity can adopt (Rigby et al., 2016). They note that innovative Agile methods have radically altered the IT landscape for the last thirty years in software development, quality improvement, and market speed, as well as enhancing the IT teams’ drive and productivity. Rigby et al. (2016) conceptualize Agile’s methodologies as welcome reprieves from the conventional command-and-control model of management. The approach embodies a whole set of new values and practices that yield immense benefits to people working in the organization. According to the authors, Agile’s proposal has gained widespread acceptance in other business spheres owing to its universally applicable principles.

The authors pinpoint innovation as the fundamental aspect of Agile’s approach (Rigby et al., 2016). According to the authors, this creative approach works for most companies because the business environment is more dynamic than ever, necessitating the formulation of plans to enable business entities to keep up with the rapidly changing market conditions. The biggest challenge, however, is that most executives purport to implement the novel strategy, yet they are reluctant to let go of outdated methods. For instance, many CEOs launch too many programs and set strict deadlines for employees, yet the company would fare much better if only a few projects were prioritized. They also tend to overturn the decisions that teams make by intervening midway and re-introducing concepts that had been ruled out.

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As a remedy to the challenges that entities face in implementing the Agile approach, the authors make six recommendations (Rigby et al., 2016). First, leaders must familiarize themselves with the new method if they are to provide effective leadership. The second facet entails appreciating situations where the strategy would work, and those where attempts at implementing it will constitute wasted effort. The third recommendation is that entities should resist the urge to change everything at once and instead introduce new methodologies progressively. The fourth step for success in a dynamic business environment is to allow for flexibility so that proficient teams can customize processes. At the fifth stage, entities should implement innovative strategies like agile in high-ranking functions within the company in situations where the mundane routine aspects of company operations are static, leading to corporate realignments in their organizations. The last step entails removing all the possible hurdles to the implementation of novel and creative interventions. The researchers discovered that bureaucracy is the main frustrating factor for creativity because innovations are subjected to long approval sequences. To remedy this shortcoming, Rigby et al. (2016) recommend inquisitorial leadership where executives ask questions on the viability of innovations rather than clamping down on innovative ideas using the conventional command-and-control model.

The Wikispeed Approach and its Difference from Traditional Product Development Processes

The case study on Team Wikispeed provides a radically unique perspective on product development approaches (Kupp et al., 2013). Team Wikispeed embraced the Agile model, and from the details provided by its founder Joe Justice, the development process that the team uses is markedly different from conventional practice. Where others use the standard Waterfall model, Wikispeed uses Scrum, which embodies agile principles. In Agile methodologies, the development process allows for iteration, which is the repetition of sequences until one achieves the desired outcome. On the other hand, the Waterfall sequence entails the input of immense efforts and resources into a predetermined path from the beginning and pursuing that plan until it is complete.

Another difference that exists between these two processes pits flexibility against rigidity (Kupp et al., 2013). The agile approach is akin to an inquisitorial process where the parties try different things until the product’s specifications are deemed appropriate. The advantage of this approach is that it allows for alteration of the design in case the product’s requirements, in this case, a car, change. In the Waterfall model, however, the specifications are fixed, and the product design finalized even before the process takes off. As such, there is no space for making changes when circumstances change midway through the process. The inadaptability of the Waterfall method makes production a costly affair, especially where sales dwindle, customer preferences change, or the industry makes discoveries that render previous designs and materials obsolete.

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The line of production’s organization is another distinguishing factor between Team Wikispeed’s production process and other conventional approaches (Kupp et al., 2013). Wikispeed embraces a collaborative structure under Scrum to ensure that responsibility is distributed evenly across the team. The organization around production takes a tri-faceted approach with the product owner, team members, and the scrum master bearing different roles. On the contrary, conventional productions take a command-and-control model where team members are accountable to the manager.

Elements of the Wikispeed Approach Applicable to Traditional manufacturing Firms

A critical factor in the successful implementation of Agile is knowing where it can work and the aspects that can or cannot work in a given scenario (Kupp et al., 2013). Traditional manufacturing firms do not have the opportunity to try out novel ideas like iteration because their fields are not dynamic. However, there are vital lessons that they can borrow from Wikispeed’s approach. A significant transgression that multinationals have been guilty of in reverse engineering is planning on market segments using existing products (Winter & Govindarajan, 2015). Such a strategy manifests in removing existing features and leaving a lower quality product to serve less affluent markets. The main lesson from Team Wikispeed’s case study is the necessity of shifting accountability of the business from the manager to the customer (Kupp et al., 2013). Managers tend to be out of touch with the market, and while they may provide strategic leadership, the basis of manufacturing should satisfy the consumer’s needs.

Another positive practice embraced by Wikispeed is the distribution of responsibility across the entire team and allowing teams that have attained expertise in their fields to improvise where necessary to create practical solutions (Kupp et al., 2013). Traditional manufacturers should remove rigidity where strict adherence to specific processes have no functional impact on products and embrace new ideas.  In trying to come up with new products, executives should conceptualize the problem objectively without having an immediate solution (Winter & Govindarajan, 2015). Taking such an approach will remove the inconveniences caused by managers exercising their executive authority to interfere with the teams.

In conclusion, business strategy is a necessary facet of organizational operation as it determines its success or failure. Team Wikispeed’s approach demonstrates the importance of having a flexible and customer-centered plan. Even where the entities involved are traditional manufacturing companies, there are a few lessons that can be borrowed from Agile to improve efficiency.

References

Kupp, M., Dahlander, L., & Morrow, E. (2013, November 8). Team Wikispeed: Developing Hardware the Software Way. HBR Store. https://store.hbr.org/product/team-wikispeed-developing-hardware-the-software-way/ES1391

Rigby, D. K., Sutherland, J., & Takeuchi, H. (2016, May 1). Embracing Agile. Harvard Business Review, May 2016. https://hbr.org/2016/05/embracing-agile

Winter, A., & Govindarajan, V. (2015, July 1). Engineering Reverse Innovations. Harvard Business Review, July–August 2015. https://hbr.org/2015/07/engineering-reverse-innovations

Cancer Awareness

According to the American Cancer Society (2018), cancer is a significant health issue that has a high mortality rate such that per 6 reported cases of death, there is one death case of cancer. Risk factors like tobacco use, excess body weight, immune conditions, and inherited genetic mutations may promote the growth of cancerous cells. However, early detection through screening tests like mammography can help in reducing cancer-causing infections. Ethnic minorities, however, fail to have adequate cancer awareness due to emotional barriers like worry and mistrust with health practitioners (Knight, 2012). Inadequate cancer awareness is, therefore, an issue of great concern and this needs drastic attention since the cases of cancers are higher mostly among the ethnic minorities.

Background Information

Statistics show that there is low attendance of screening of cancers like cervical and breast cancer among women between 24 and 65 years in minority groups (Knight, 2012). Such women are unmarried; they have low educational qualifications and low socioeconomic status. Among the perceived barriers to screening such as worry, a dislike of going for the tests, inconvenient appointments; the lack of knowledge concerning the importance of screening is a significant problem. This is quite unfortunate considering that there are health organizations and advocates of health whose role is ensuring that they provide educational campaigns about health issues like cancer. Another challenge is that of language barriers which affect the level of understanding among these groups such as the Somali women, Asians, and Black Africans. Still, apart from the women, ethnic minority men also lack awareness about the importance of screening. For instance, Knight (2012) holds that incidences of prostate cancer in men are quite common, and these incidences are three times higher among African men as well as African-Caribbean men. Hence, when compared to White men, there is a severe lack of awareness about tests like prostate-specific antigen (PSA) among the men in minority communities.

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Some religious and cultural myths in these communities also prevent the populations from acquiring relevant information about cancer since it is believed that the disease is a death sentence. Initiatives like The National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative (NAEDI) in the United Kingdom reveal that the negative attitudes among the ethnic minority populations also influence poor knowledge about the disease. Hence, due to the negative beliefs; this prevents the people from attending forums and health services where they can learn more about cancer. It is quite unfortunate that based on these presented real-life issues; there are high death rates and shortest survival among the African Americans in most of the cancers. Another group is the Hispanics which is also at a high risk of developing cancer connected with infections that affect the liver, stomach and uterine cervix. On another note, the lack of awareness on issues like health insurance tends to create a financial burden to those affected thus creating a low chance of survival. Still, factors like poverty in these communities due to unemployment prevent the populations from attaining an education that can aid in increasing their awareness about maintaining healthy lifestyles (Knight, 2012). Therefore, with such factors, it can be quite challenging to convince some of these groups about lifestyle changes that can help in preventing cancer. For instance, the Latinos believe that weightiness is a highly preferable aspect in their culture yet this contributes to obesity which is a risk factor for cancer. Altogether, based on the underlying issues, it is evident that several factors make the ethnic minority groups lack adequate knowledge about cancer prevention. Unfortunately, this prevents them from taking the right measures like going for screening or getting immediate treatment.

The Proposed Solution to The Addressed Problem

Increasing cancer awareness should be a priority among the ethnic minority groups since this can reduce the mortality rate and increase cancer survivors. Low cancer awareness on factors like the knowledge and beliefs on cancer symptoms, the risk factors, screening strategies, effective treatment approaches increase delays of a cancer diagnosis. Therefore, having public campaigns on cancer awareness would be an effective solution to the presented problem. Based on a study conducted by Austoker et al., (2009) the campaigns have been linked with improving cancer awareness and encouraging these communities to go for early screening. On this note, further effectiveness of the awareness drives could be achieved by having language interpreters who understand the dialect and cultural beliefs of people from these communities. Still, the initiatives should have tailored printed information that meets the unique needs of the different ethnic minority groups since general information could have less impact. In the same study, Austoker et al. hold that tailored information promotes active engagement on cancer awareness by 11% when compared with general information at 4% or not information at all. In this case, such tailored information helps in modifying the people’s attitudes by motivating them to pay attention and seek help after the forum. Still, the programs would encourage the minorities the essence of maintaining a healthy weight, having regular exercises, and also enhance their knowledge about other risk factors of cancer.

Further, computer-interactive programs or e-health interventions would also aid in increasing cancer awareness in these populations. Technology has provided significant channels for interacting with people from all walks of life. Therefore, with the use of smartphones and other technology-related devices, this would provide adequate information and screening programs for targeted populations. For instance, specific drives have been developed to raise screening awareness on colorectal cancer where health care providers integrate e-health strategies for enhanced collaboration between them and the individuals. According to Slev et al., (2016), these screening programs have also been implemented for breast cancer where the internet-based initiatives have encouraged healthcare participation. This has been successful since the programs have electronic symptom reporting mechanisms and consultation support. Still, with this intervention, it would promote the sharing of screening information through publicly accessible websites sponsored by significant organizations. Such organizations include but not limited to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Cancer Institute (NCI) and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It is also important to note that the e-health intervention for increasing cancer awareness is highly recommendable considering that some of the minorities have mistrust issues with health professionals. Hence, with the e-health support, it does not require individuals to have face-to-face contact thus encouraging minorities like the Somali women to gain confidence when airing their issues with health providers in the virtual networks. Slev et al., (2016) holds that the e-health strategy for creating awareness has positive effects.  It acts as a complement for traditional professional support, and it also reduces some healthcare costs like the consultation charges.

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It also solves the issue of inconvenient appointments which saves on time this being a practical barrier that prevents men from going for screening. Hence, initiatives that support these groups have a high chance of increasing cancer awareness and even promote the enactment of policies for minorities that cannot afford screening and cancer treatment. Generally, what the ethnic minorities need is social support since these are groups that are looked down upon by the majority in society. With the two proposed solutions, follow up plans using reminders in emails or text would motivate individuals to take action by going for appropriate screening. Hence, this would require a proper registration process of individuals attending the initiatives to gather their contact information to enhance communication and follow up.

Opposing Views Concerning the Suggested Solutions

Although raising cancer awareness through campaigns is a significant approach, critics have conflicting opinions on such initiatives. According to Christiano and Neimand (2017), there are many awareness campaigns not only about cancer but also other health issues. They further argue that the activists of these campaigns fail to act in ensuring that after raising the awareness, the targeted populations go for the right screenings that are relevant according to their age or gender. Therefore, Christiano and Neimand believe that awareness campaigns are likely to fail if the advocates of health lack to incorporate appropriately crafted messages that call for action and behavioral change. Further, due to the rise of security threats on the internet, an issue of concern in the opposing view is related to the e-health intervention for raising awareness by encouraging cancer screening. Critics argue that the security of the information transmitted through the networks could be at risk of ending up in the wrong hands of hackers. Generally, it is believed that systems lacking security measures that prevent data theft could jeopardize e-health intervention.

Conclusion

In conclusion, regardless of the raised opposing views, the public campaigns that target minorities incorporated with tailored information, as well as e-health interventions, would be useful in raising cancer awareness. Sensitizing the essence of encrypting the conversations in the networks would prevent data threat. Data security is an essential component that has to be enhanced without question between patients and healthcare professionals. Generally, the initiatives would motivate change and the perceptions of the ethnic minorities concerning the essence of cancer screening and prevention measures.

Reference

American Cancer Society, (2018). Global Cancer Facts and Figures 4th Edition

Austoker, J., Bankhead, C., Forbes, L. J., Atkins, L., Martin, F., Robb, K., … & Ramirez, A. J. (2009). Interventions to promote cancer awareness and early presentation: systematic review. British journal of cancer, 101(S2), S31.

Christiano, A., & Neimand, A. (2017). Stop raising awareness already. Stanf Soc Innov Rev. Spring, 2017.

Knight, P. L. (2012). Raising cancer awareness in minority ethnic groups. Nursing times, 108(38), 17-19.

Slev, V. N., Mistiaen, P., Pasman, H. R. W., Verdonck-de Leeuw, I. M., van Uden-Kraan, C. F., & Francke, A. L. (2016). Effects of eHealth for patients and informal caregivers       confronted with cancer: a meta-review. International journal of medical informatics, 87, 54-67.

Biography of an Influential Person

The purpose of this Final Project Assignment is for you to recognize human development and outcomes (e.g., developmental constructs, processes, milestones, and stages) through the lifespan of an influential person. You will describe this person’s development through cognitive, physical, and social-emotional processes at various key periods, and how his or her development is influenced by nature (genetics), nurture (environment), or both.

For this Final Project Assignment, you will read a biography about an individual of your choosing. Think about leaders, artists, composers, researchers, professors, and otherwise influential people, etc. The person you choose should be someone who has had an impact (positive or negative) on others and/or on society.

This Final Project Assignment is a 2.5- to 4-page paper composed of three parts. These parts include: the Summary during Week 2, Part 1 during Week 7, and the Final Project submission during Week 10. Note: It is recommended that you begin reviewing the biography you chose starting at Week 2 and plan your time accordingly.

For this week, you will review the Final Project Assignment Overview document and consider an influential person you would like to learn more about.

To prepare for this Final Project Assignment:

• Review the Final Project Assignment Overview document found in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Select a biography, not an autobiography, of an influential person. Your selection must be one person and not a group of individuals.
• The biography should be written for adults and not children and cover the entire life of the individual.
• You must use an actual hardcover/paperback book or ebook (Note: Using biography.com or other websites as primary sources of information is not acceptable).
• You must include at least two theories from this course in your Final Project Assignment and discuss at least two of the three developmental processes (cognitive, physical, and social-emotional).

No Assignment submission due this week.

Submit your Final Project Assignment in Week 10.

Sample Answer

Introduction

During human development, several milestones occur from childhood to adulthood. The milestones are marked by the cognitive, physical, and social, emotional growth processes, which are essential stages in an individual’s life. Various theorists such as Piaget and Erik Erickson came up with theories to describe the human developmental processes. By focusing on the biography of Barack Obama, understanding his social, emotional, and cognitive growth; this will offer an insight concerning the factors that contributed to him being influential.

A Summary of Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama’s date of birth was 4^th August 1961. He was born of Barack Obama Senior and Ann Dunham who were from a mixed heritage. Obama’s popularity increased when he started contesting for the United States presidential seat, and he ended up being the first black president to rule the country. According to Maraniss (2012), Obama became the forty-fourth American president and his highly influential leadership skills enabled him to serve the nation for two terms, which was between the years 2009 to 2012. However, Obama’s political journey began in 1996 when he contested for the Illinois State Senate seat as a Democrat. He was the Senator for Illinois for three terms. During his administration, Obama influenced significant policies such as Obama Care. He also called for equal rights for women and the LGTB community in America, considering that these are two groups that have faced discriminatory challenges in society.

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Obama’s Cognitive Development

In human development, the cognitive stage describes the mental processes which are learning, thinking, problem-solving, and remembering. With that in mind, Obama cognitive development can be illustrated through his education journey. On this note, Obama began his early school education in 1966, where he attended the Noelani Elementary School. For his high school diploma, Obama joined the Punahou School in Hawaii and then transferred to Occidental College in Columbia. The education he received from these institutions enhanced his intellectual abilities such that in 1981, he made the very first public speech. The learning process in Obama’s development portrayed a high level of intelligence. Based on Piaget’s cognitive theory of development; the building blocks of intelligence or schema are influenced by aspects like assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration (Brown, & Desforges, 2013). From Obama’s academic journey, he enhanced his self-efficacy by putting into practice what he learned. He did not let issues like his cultural background to define him, considering that he was from a mixed-race of an American White mother and an African father.

Obama’s Social-Emotional Development

In this stage, social-emotional development demonstrates how humans develop skills that help them interact with people from diverse backgrounds and how they express and take charge of their emotions. During Obama’s development, he encountered several challenges, mostly during his teenage years. This was a period that he needed social and emotional support from his father. However, Obama’s father was not always present. Thomas (2008) holds that his father returned to Kenya in the year 1964, when Obama was three years old. He only returned to visit his son when he was ten years old. He later died after being involved in a car accident. The lack of a father-son relationship created a void that made Obama struggle with exploring how to be a man. Despite this challenge, during his young adulthood, Obama’s social-political involvement enhanced his socio-emotional development. During his enrollment at the Columbia University in New York, Obama began to research his African roots when he started writing a personal memoir after his father’s death, which occurred in 1982. He even traveled to Kenya to meet his relatives, and during his short stay; he learned a lot about his origin. Still, in his college life, Obama participated in several clubs such as the International Students Association. These clubs made him feel loved and appreciated since people around him encouraged him to talk about Kenya and Africa at large. Further, after completing his education at the Columbia University in New York, Obama moved to Chicago, where he enrolled for a job as a community organizer.

Analyzing How Nurture Influenced Obama’s Development

Generally, it is justified saying that nurture or the community environment influenced Obama’s cognitive and social-emotional development. In this case, his surroundings helped him understand the needs of Roseland the Altgeld Gardens communities. Through social interactions, he unveiled aspects that needed change, and this influenced to work on community development programs. He also used his intellectual abilities to develop job training programs and an organization for tenants’ rights because he understood what people wanted. Further, in his quest for knowledge, Obama joined the Harvard Law School, and it is here that he got to meet Michelle, who he married in the year 1992. This is a crucial stage in human development since according to Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development, social and emotional development occurs in different phases (Huitt, 2008). Obama finding the love of his life falls under the sixth stage of intimacy and isolation. Successful young adults who engage in romantic relationships, according to Erickson’s theory, they manage to establish strong relationships with people around them.

 Conclusion

In conclusion, Barack Obama went against all the odds in society to rise to the scales by becoming the first African American to rule America. Through his cognitive and social-emotional development, this enabled him to promote change by eliminating issues like racial profiling and inequality among minority groups. Overall, Obama will continue to be an influential leader globally due to his admirable confidence, eloquence in speech and leadership. 

Reference

Brown, G., & Desforges, C. (2013). Piaget’s theory. Routledge.

Huitt, W. (2008). Socioemotional development. Educational psychology interactive.

Maraniss, D. (2012). Barack Obama: The Story. Simon and Schuster.

Thomas, G. (2008). Yes, we can: A biography of President Barack Obama. Feiwel & Friends.

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A challenge many teachers face is identifying effective ways to engage students in meaningful dialogue that advances thinking and elicits critical, higher-order responses based on current learning needs. Exploring appropriate questioning techniques, for various grade and ability levels, helps teachers to design questions that encourage critical and higher-order thinking and guide students in their learning.

Using one of the lessons you developed in this course, create both content and critical thinking questions you could ask during the implementation of the lesson. The questions should be based on the standards and objectives within the lesson you selected.

In 500-750 words, explain the following:

• The lesson title, standards, and objectives on which the questions focus.
• At least three content- or skill-based questions that are appropriate for students’ grade and ability levels for each objective, and examples of answers the question is designed to elicit.
• At least three questions for each objective that would encourage critical thinking and higher-order thinking, and examples of answers the question is designed to elicit.

In addition, write 150-250 words examining how questioning strategies facilitate students’ comprehension and critical thinking related to literary and informational texts.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric.

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Patterns of Offenses and Victimization

Violent crimes in America such as rape, robbery murder, and aggravated assaults are frequent (Rosenfeld, 2014). Law enforcers use crime data to review the pattern of offenses and victimization in the nation or cities. Without crime statistics, it becomes difficult for agencies or government to establish patterns of offenses in the nation or a city, like San Antonio.

Statistics of Murders and Aggravated Assaults

The presented research shows statistics of murders and aggravated assaults for the United States and City of San Antonio for the past four years, 2018 to 2015. The 2018 statistics of the violent crime for the nations are not yet released by the FBI. However, it is approximated that were 394 violent crimes per a population of 100,000 and a projected 1.1% murders plus high aggravated assaults. The 2017 data shows 397 violent crimes per 100,000 occupants were experienced where 65% involved aggravated assaults and 1.4% murders (FBI: UCR, 2017-2015). In 2016, per 100,000 occupants, 386 were violent crimes with 64.3% aggravated assaults and 1.4% murders. In 2015, in a population of 100,000, 372.6 were violent crimes with 63.8% aggravated assaults and 1.3% murders. The Uniform Crime Reports, (2018-2015) statistics for City of San Antonio shows in 2018, approximately 5,890 were the aggravated assaults and103 murders. In 2017, an estimated 7,067 involved aggravated assaults and 125 murders. In 2016, the murders were 149 and aggravated assaults 7,813. The year 2015 further showed 94 murders and 5465 aggravated assaults.

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Evaluation of the National and Local Rates

Based on the presented national and local rates, the national rates tend to be increasing yearly in the aggravated assaults and dropping rates of murders. In the local rates, the aggravated assaults have dropped (Uniform Crime Reports, 2018-2015). The murder rates, on the other hand, have reduced and looking at the trends; it is likely that the rates will further decrease in the coming year. A common aspect seen in the national and local crimes is that the aggravated assaults have high numbers and the murders rates are low. A major difference is that the violent crimes in the local area tend to be decreasing as years go by for both the aggravated assaults and murders while as nationally, the aggravated assaults are increasing.

Definition and Characteristics of Aggravated Assault and Murder

In violent crime, aggravated assault is described as an act where a lawbreaker purposefully causes severe injuries to another either by using a weapon or not. Further, murder is an unlawful act where an offender kills another person out of malice. The two crimes differ because murder leads to death, but aggravated assault does not (Rosenfeld, 2014). Based on the traits, the characteristic for aggravated assault entails the presence of severe body injuries. The offenders are mostly male, and strangers to the victim and most victims are young females. The weapon used may include explosives, sharp objects, mouth bites, or bartering and the crime scenes are homes or dangerous streets. In the case of murder, crimes are premeditated and well-organized with the modus operandi of killing. The offenders in most cases are males and have a close relationship with the victim. The victims are mainly female and of young age. The crime involves the use of weapons mainly guns and knives, and the location of most murders take place in homes.

Also see: Effective Interpersonal-Communication

Differences in Arrests and Clearance Rates and Cause of the Crimes

Looking at the arrests and clearance rates of both violent crimes nationwide, 2017 data shows in 302,941 aggravated assault arrests, the clearance rates were approximately 53.3%. In murders arrests of 9,468, the clearance rate was 61.6%. The difference between the arrest and clearance rate is that murder clearance rates are high. Possibly, this may be due to the lack of proper identification of the offenders who can be held accountable upon the arrest of the suspect. Hence, most offenders, therefore, end up getting away with murder. On the other hand, the aggravated assaults arrests are high, and clearance rates are low since the victims are usually available to confirm the suspects. The possible reason offenders commit murder and aggravated assault in San Antonio is due to lack of employment or revenge (Rosenfeld, 2014). The best theory to explain the mentioned reasons is the general strain theory. The theory suggests that strain is an aspect that increases negative emotions such as anger, resentment thus creating an individual’s desire to revenge.

Conclusion

In conclusion, upon understanding why most people end up in violent crime, law enforcers and other agencies can establish approaches to help the perpetrators. This is important since it minimizes the patterns of offenses and victimization in regions, local areas and the nation at large. Law enforcement helps to prevent damages that could occur and also enhance the security of the persons in the area.

References

Rosenfeld, R. (2014). Understanding homicide and aggravated assault. In Encyclopedia of      Criminology and Criminal Justice (pp. 5355-5370). Springer, New York, NY.

Uniform Crime Reports, (2018-2015). The City of San Antonio. Retrieved from             https://www.sanantonio.gov/SAPD/Uniform-Crime-Reports#30261650-2015

FBI:UCR, (2017-2015), Crime in the United StatesRetrieved from: https://ucr.fbi.gov/crime-in-   the-u.s/2015/crime-in-the-u.s.-2015/offenses-known-to-law-enforcement/violent-crime

The Role of Culture and Self-Awareness in Interpersonal Communication:

Culture helps in describing the people’s way of life, depending on their beliefs, values, and practices like religion and law. Culture is generally passed from a generation to the next through communication. Before attempting to understand people’s culture, the integration of interpersonal communication is essential. DeVito (2019) holds that interpersonal communication helps an individual to understand cognitive constraints and different types of barriers like physical and language obstacles that interfere with effective communication. The objective will be identifying the effect of culture on communication, assessing my other orientation, and identifying verbal and nonverbal communication approaches that could be applied in human service.

Impact of Culture on Communication

In this first step, understanding how culture impacts communication is essential. People build trust with others when they first understand other’s cultures to establish the most effective communication tool to use when interacting. Particular considerations that go in place are assessing factors like where, when, what to do, or how much to disclose influence effective communication. Such questions generally eliminate most of the assumptions that people make regarding different cultures globally. From such matters, it is possible to know the behavioral dimensions such as people’s values, norms, beliefs, and expectations (DeVito, 2019). From the identified beliefs, the level of trust and openness in communication differs, hence impacting the context in different cultures. This is another significant aspect that helps in determining the kind of message to deliver to various groups.

For professionals in the human service settings, they have to portray cultural sensitivity the most significant strategy is improving open-mindedness. This helps a human service professional to learn how to accept diverse communication practices from different cultures. For instance, cultures in East Asia like Taiwan, China, Korea, and Japan, among others, have a high-context level of communication. This means that their measure of how messages should be exchanged is high because they prefer non-verbal communication more than the verbal. The non-verbal communication, however, is less direct, and it might confuse people from other cultures if they do not understand what the gestures mean. By looking at the Chinese, for example, minimal eye contact when communicating is a sign of respect, but in western culture, this is a rude gesture. Martin and Nakayama (2013) explain that direct eye contact through communication shows confidence and sincerity. Generally, westerners are low-context cultures, and they prefer verbal communication, for it is straightforward, which helps people understand each other easily. Another strategy is training the human service professionals to communicate with clients and workers with diverse cultural backgrounds. This would also help the professionals learn how to appreciate art, customs, and behaviors of different groups, which is essential in human service settings.

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Assessment of Other Orientation

In my evaluation of my other-orientation, which is one measure of self-awareness, I try to consider other people’s perspectives and communication patterns. This helps me avoid making the “I am right statements,” which do not promote cultural sensitivity (DeVito, 2019). I also acknowledge the importance of other people, whereby I always ask for their views concerning solutions to problems. However, I recognize that I find it challenging, revealing appropriate facial cues, especially when I engage with individuals from different cultures. This challenges me to educate myself about the communication practices of diverse cultures like the Chinese. I have acquaintances from this group; therefore, I would want them to feel that I care about their feelings. I believe having the element of other orientation portrays one’s willingness to promote change by accepting the diverse values, beliefs, and practices of other people.

Personal Strengths and Improvement

Although I have a significant challenge of interpreting facial cues, I can also acknowledge the strength of having a high ambiguity tolerance. Regardless of the working or social settings that I find myself in, I am comfortable with the people surrounding me because I embrace diversity. This has enabled me to engage in unfamiliar tasks freely because I know the importance of seeking advice and working in teams to accomplish the tasks. Also, I communicate with empathy and listen attentively to understand the message from the other person. This has enabled me to show the people I interact with that I care about their emotions, perspectives, and I am curious to know more about them. However, one area I need to improve is learning the nonverbal communication patterns, as identified in my assessment reflection (DeVito, 2019). I believe this would assist me in having a more impactful conversation. In most cases, I always end up dumbfounded when I realize that I have used gestures that have different meanings in different cultures. For example, I once used a thumbs-up sign to show approval in a group activity; however, among the members was an individual from Bangladesh who told me that was an insult. I felt embarrassed since I did not mean any harm. Nevertheless, this was a lesson, and from the cultural awareness course, I am more than motivated to diversify extensively my knowledge concerning interpersonal communication.

Other Orientation and Interpersonal Communication

Generally, having an other-orientation attitude would improve interpersonal communication in human service. On this note, this would enable human service professionals to make their clients happy and comfortable when sharing their issues. Focusing on other people’s perspectives enhance interactions by encouraging an individual to portray traits like honesty and fairness. DeVito (2013) holds that these characteristics in human service influence the development of credibility strategies like competence and charisma. These are essential ethical elements among the professionals which encourage interpersonal communication. Hence, having an other-orientation attitude like acknowledging the beliefs and values of clients, allowing people to express themselves freely, and showing consideration promote interpersonal communication (Martin, 2015). Every client seeking aid from human service settings expect that customer-service delivery is customer-centered. This means that having the other orientation is an indicator that a human service worker appreciates people’s differences in terms of culture.

Also see: Effective Interpersonal-Communication

Culture and Self-Awareness in Interpersonal Communication

To deliver quality services, culture and self-awareness are two critical elements in interpersonal communication. For one, cultural literacy, competence, and cultural awareness are all components that promote cultural intelligence. Achieving this requires an individual to identify strategic ways of enhancing his or her self-awareness. Secondly, the extent to which one knows the strengths, weaknesses, thoughts, feelings, and personality tendencies allows him or her to have an in-depth understanding of how to handle others (Martin & Nakayama, 2013). Therefore, culture and self-awareness are critical in interpersonal communication. In this case, they shape how professionals should communicate, build relationships, make decisions, as well as address tasks. Additionally, both culture and self-awareness motivate individuals in human service settings to enhance metacommunication effective. DeVito (2019) emphasizes that metacommunication is essential in interpersonal communication that encourages people to practice their talk by explaining their feelings appropriately and using straightforward messages. Additionally, they learn how to seek clarification when they are not sure of the message being delivered by the other person. Therefore, having such considerations in interpersonal communication facilitates cultural sensitivity and inclusivity in human service.

Examples of Effective Verbal and Non-Verbal Communication Techniques

Granted that culture and self-awareness are critical in human service, professionals need to identify appropriate verbal and non-verbal communication strategies to apply when serving. A verbal communication technique that a human service professional could consider is extensionalize the message. Professionals are encouraged to distinguish between what exists in the real world and how people refer to objects, issues, and events, among others. Otherwise, treating words and objects as similar aspects prevents one from addressing specific matters that are in question. Another technique is recognizing change, considering that the meaning of words keeps changing. Hence, performing a regular update of the messages and evaluation of beliefs can help in demonstrating self-awareness and culture in human service settings. Additionally, non-verbal communication techniques are also essential, and one of them is conveying a smile to show interest, positivity, and even attention. However, DeVito (2019) illustrates that this should be done moderately; otherwise, overdoing would be perceived negatively. Another technique is using vocal variations to match the emotions being portrayed by the other person communicating. The difference could be in rate, pitch, rhythm, and volume, which again should not be overdone since this might disrupt the communication and also make the person talking to feel uncomfortable. Furthermore, nodding and leaning forward is an approach that is encouraged since it reveals that an individual is interested and is listening keenly to understand the message. When the professionals demonstrate these techniques in human service, they promote their reputation and that of the organization.

Conclusion

In conclusion, culture has a significant impact on communication, and it encourages human service professionals to have self-awareness. These are factors that improve interpersonal communication considering that in human service settings, there are clients from diverse cultures. These people have different needs, and the only way a worker can understand them is by taking an interest in knowing the verbal and nonverbal communication they use to help them. This encourages the concept of other orientation, which every professional should possess to avoid making assumptions of people from different cultures.

Reference

DeVito, J. A. (2019). The interpersonal communication book. Instructor, 1, 18. 

Martin, J. N., & Nakayama, T. K. (2013). Intercultural communication in contexts. New York,     NY: McGraw-Hill.

Martin, J. N. (2015). Revisiting intercultural communication competence: Where to go from here. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 48, 6-8.