Category: Case study

It is understood that those with disabilities are faced with many disadvantages. When looking at children with disability one can see the vulnerability and dependency they have on their primary caregiver. Often the primary caregiver is the child’s parent. Within this relationship, the parent usually makes all health-related decisions on behalf of their child, with implied consent. However, Robert Latimer brought up the question of whether or not it just in the eye of the law for a parent to decide on ending their child’s suffering by ending their life. On October 24th, 1993, Robert Latimer chose to end the life of his 12-year-old daughter Tracy Latimer through carbon monoxide poisoning. Mr. Latimer was charged with second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 10 years. This analysis will use newspaper sources and scholarly literature to argue that the court’s decision to invoke the minimum sentence of 10 years without parole for Robert Latimer was a decision that threatened the protection of those with disabilities living in Canada. This will be done first by examining the case history, then looking at the media’s perspective for disabled groups, and lastly looking at the possible issues within the law.

Case History

Robert Latimer was a Saskatchewan farmer who lived with his wife and 4 children (Roach, 2001). On the Sunday of October 24th, 1993, while Robert’s wife and three other children went to church, he decided to murder his 12-year-old daughter through asphyxiation from carbon monoxide poisoning (Taylor, 2001). By just hearing these details one can conclude Robert to be a cold-blooded killer, however, his motive suggested otherwise to the courts. Latimer’s daughter Tracy suffered from cerebral palsy since birth. When Tracy was born she was pronounced clinically dead, losing oxygen to her brain causing severe brain damage (Reade, 1995). As a result of this trauma, she developed cerebral palsy which left her with no use of her arms or legs, becoming fully dependent on her parents for her care and daily activities (Reade, 1995). Most of Tracy’s days were spent in bed or propped in a wheelchair (Roach, 2001). Tracy underwent several surgeries, however leading up to her death Tracy’s mother testified that her daughter began on a downward spiral, recently baring the news that her daughter would have to undergo another surgery to remove part of her leg bone to reduce the pain in her hip (Perreaux, 1997). It was this news that acted as a final straw for Mr. Latimer. Latimer explained to the court that as a loving father, all he wanted was to put an end to his daughter’s pain and suffering (Perreaux, 1997). Latimer claimed he waited 12 days between deciding and committing the murder (Perreaux, 1997). With this confession it clear that this murder was planned and deliberate. However, although initially being charged with first-degree murder, both the options of manslaughter and first-degree murder were eliminated during the trial process and Latimer was found guilty of second-degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment with no possibility for parole for 10 years (Perreaux, 1997). This is the minimum sentence for second-degree murder. This Supreme Court final decision caused a media uproar, where several media outlets have analyzed this ruling and discussed the topic of euthanasia and disabled people.

Disability Advocates in Media

Euthanasia is defined as interventions intended to cause death (Gardner, 1998). Non-voluntary euthanasia describes specifically cases where the person dying did not decide to end their life (Gardner, 1998). Tracy is a victim of non-voluntary euthanasia. Because of her condition, she was unable to consent thus; Robert decided to end his daughter’s life against her will. The minimal sentence was decided upon based on the evidence that Latimer was, in fact, a loving father, and that the physical crime did not depict a brutal and painful death (Eisler, 1995). However, several media outlets discuss the two stances Canadians have taken. Several Canadians felt that this sentence was cruel and unusual since Latimer was a loving father who did not want to see his daughter suffer. In contrast, many Canadians saw the crime for what it was, pre-meditated murder (Taylor, 2001). People living with disabilities in Canada have fought hard for their basic human rights. By giving Latimer a lesser sentence it’s as if the court is suggesting it is OK to kill those with a disability when they become ‘too much to handle’ (McLaughlin, 1998). After the trial, several newspapers began to give voice to those with disabilities. Margaret Birrell believed that Latimer should have been charged with first-degree murder, being sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole for 25 years (Taylor, 2001). She points out how carefully Latimer planned his daughter’s death, and how he attempted to conceal the cause of death when she was first found (Taylor, 2001). She goes against the sympathized claims that Robert had no choice but to murder his daughter, arguing that several resources could have assisted in the care and the prolonging of Tracy Latimer’s life (Taylor, 2001). This is true, not all possible interventions were exhausted before deciding to murder Tracy. Her father did not take into consideration how Tracy felt; he just assumed her pain because she was disabled. Diaries that Mrs. Latimer kept before Tracy’s death were presented during the trial. The last entry reported that Tracy was happy, alert and cheerful six days before being murder (The Canadian Press, 1998). Not evidence which depicts someone who is suffering to the point that they want to end their life. This sentencing brings out the fear that the law accepts the killing of those who are disabled simply because their lives are viewed as less valuable based on their limitations (Taylor, 2001). This crime involved a lot of premeditation and in the end, a child was murdered.

The media sparks the question from disability advocates of whether or not, the sentencing would have been more serious if Tracy was not disabled and her father had just murdered her (Reade, 1995). The Supreme Court is giving the idea to the public that Tracy’s life was not as valuable and that her father’s actions were justified because in the public’s eye Tracy was not living a ‘good life’. During this time the difference between mercy killing and assisted suicide was clearly not understood. Assisted suicide is when a person wants to end their life and decides to get help in doing so (Bort, 1997). Robert Latimer was a caregiver who decided to take the life of his daughter and get a light sentence for doing so. To summarize the media’s perspective, Canadians with disabilities felt threatened by the light sentence and its message to the public that is it alright for a parent with good intentions to murder their child with a disability (Bort, 1997).

Issues within the Law

The Latimer Case tells us a lot about crime and punishment in Canada. Most of the media debates were centered around the justification of Latimer’s punishment and its effects on Canadians living with disabilities (Sneiderman, 1997). Latimer had his charges reduced from first degree to second-degree murder based on love and compassion. There is a need for the Canadian parliament to revisit their classification and punishment of murder (Sneiderman, 1997). Since Robert Latimer did not fit the image of a cold-blooded killer, with ‘psychopathic tendencies’ he was granted a more lenient sentence. During his trial the courts allowed Robert to give the idea that he had the right to decide to end his daughter’s life because of her lack of physical and intellectual abilities (Sneiderman, 1997). The courts explained how Robert was not a threat to the public and therefore a harsher sentence would have been seen as cruel and usual. In the end, the courts decided to give a minimum penalty to make the public happy, and deter others from committing a similar crime against the vulnerable (Sneiderman, 1997). This shows how the media and the concerns expressed by groups representing the disabled had some impact on the court’s final decision (Sneiderman, 1997). Although, it could be argued that giving the minimum sentence gives the idea that murdering someone who is disabled is less severe than murdering someone who is not. In this case, it seems that Latimer was granted mercy, based on the sympathy for a loving father who did what he needed to do. The judge in the Supreme Court made it clear that he wished he could give eligibility for parole within a year but that mandatory sentencing did not allow for it (Perreaux, 1997). Therefore, Latimer’s minimum sentencing was related to a lack of options. In the end, the law fails to recognize mercy killing or un-voluntary suicide, therefore it fails to protect those with disabilities. Because Latimer’s murder did not depict brutality and violence, the courts were unsure how to proceed with sentencing. However, if mercy killing/ un-voluntary suicide were recognized as their distinct forms of murder than punishment would be able to fit the crime.

Conclusion

In, conclusion several issues arose from the Robert Latimer Case. The key issue, however, is the court’s inability to protect the rights of those living with disabilities in Canada. Tracy Latimer was a 12-year-old battling cerebral palsy. She was described as happy and cheerful up until October, 24th 1993 when her father Robert Latimer decided to end her life. Mr. Latimer was first charged with first-degree murder however through several appeals the courts decided to acquit him from first-degree murder and charged him with second-degree murder, sentenced to 10 years without parole. This decision sparked controversy within the media. Several media outlets discussed the harshness of the sentencing since it was argued that Robert was a loving father to eliminate his daughter’s suffering. Those who advocated on behalf of Canadians living with disabilities thought otherwise. They believed that giving someone who admitted to a premeditative crime a minimum sentence opposed a threat to Canadians with disabilities. Giving the public the idea that murdering someone with a disability is less severe than murdering someone without a disability, giving permission for caregivers to decide their child’s life is less valuable because of their condition. In the end, there is a call for the Canadian parliament to revisit their murder laws and expand them to encompass specific cases of involuntary suicide and mercy killings. This way the crime can fit the punishment and mercy will not be granted in cases where the suspect does not fit the image of a ‘cold-blooded killer’.

References

1. Bort, R. (1997, December 13). Latimer sentence highly contentious. Star-Phoenix, p. 76.
2. Eisler, D. (1995, July 21). This has been a case where justice only produces more victims. The Ottawa Citizen, p. 11.
3. Gardner, D. (1998, November 28). Debating the way we die. The Ottawa Citizen, p. 27.
4. McLaughlin, J. (1998, November 24). Latimer case calls for justice, mercy. Red Deer Advocate, p. 4.
5. Perreaux, L. (1997, November 6). Latimer guilty in daughter’s death. The Edmonton Journal, p. 3
6. Reade, B. (1995, July 21). Is life sentence ‘cruel and unusual’?. The Ottawa Citizen, p. 11
7. Roach, K. W. (2001). Crime and punishment in the latimer case. Saskatchewan Law Review, 64(2), 469.
8. Sneiderman, B. (1997). The latimer mercy-killing case: A rumination on crime and punishment. Health Law Journal, 5, 1.
9. Taylor, S. (2001, January 28). Two sides to the mercy story. The Surrey Leader, p. 20
10. The Canadian Press. (1997, November 4). Mom tells courts she rather see her daughter dead than ‘mutilated’. Calgary Herald, p. 3.

Introduction

Research has shown that family plays a vital role in a person’s spiritual, emotional, and physical development. However, no family is perfect, and some families will encounter struggles, trauma, and disagreements. The key to having a strong family system is being able to acknowledge the needs of each family member. Family therapy can help families identify needs, changes, and behavior patterns in the family structure. Family therapy is a form of treatment that seeks to reduce discomfort and conflict by improving the system of interactions between family members (Walsh, 2013). Family therapy allows for different members of a family (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings) to work together to focus on the family system, structure, and patterns of communication (Walsh, 2013). This paper will discuss an overview of two major family theories Bowens Family System theory and Structural Family theory and how these theories can help the Solitano family.

Family Case

Pat Solitano is a thirty-four-year-old and is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Solitano. Pat was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and the illness was triggered by his wife’s affair. Pat was admitted to a psychiatric hospital for eight months after assaulting his wife’s lover. The lover, wife, and Pat all worked at the same school as teachers. After being released from a psychiatric hospital Pat moves in with his parents in their home. Pat is mandated to visit a therapist during the week and is required to take medication, which he refuses to take. Throughout the therapy session and day-to-day life Pat is learning more about his diagnosis, triggers, and how both impact his daily functioning. Pat is infatuated with the idea that he will get back together with his wife, who has ordered a restraining order against him. Pat expressed that he enjoys going for long runs around his neighborhood for exercise and to “clear his mind”.

Mr. Solitano, Pat’s father is a Philadelphia Eagles fan and behaviors show symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder. He has rituals and many outbursts when watching the game; in addition, he is superstitious and has a gambling problem. Mr. Solitano recently was laid off from his job at the post office and is working to start his own company. Mr. Solitano has a quick temper and often blames others for his actions. Mr. Solitano will like to spend more quality time with his son Pat and strengthen their relationship. Mrs. Solitano, Pat’s mother is a recently retired store clerk. She is dedicated and loyal to her family specifically about Pat’s well-being. She constantly expresses her concern about her husband’s gambling problem.

The Solitano family is experiencing multiple challenges that are placing a strain on the family system. Since moving to his parent’s house Pat had an episode one night that results in him knocking down his mother and his father violently hitting him. The scene is loud and extremely intense, this altercation wakes up the neighborhood and the police are called. During the movie, Pat has constant flashbacks of beating up his wife’s lover after catching them in the shower together. Pat has been through a traumatizing experience, which affects his current relationship with his parents. There has been multiple occasions during the night where the parents were both asleep and Pat has woken them up to ask questions concerning his marriage (i.e. looking for his wedding video). The family’s sleep cycle is constantly interrupted because of Pat’s episodes, which may be a result of Pat not taking his medication. The family is also facing financial hardships since Mr. Solitano was laid off, Pat is not able to work in the school system again and Mrs. Solitano is retired.

After observing the dynamics and structure of the Solitano family they would benefit from family therapy. Attending family therapy sessions can help address individual member behaviors and form techniques to improve interactions between the family systems. The two theories that will be used are Bowen’s Family System Theory and Structural Family Theory.

Bowens Family System Theory

Murray Bowen is acknowledged as the founder of the Family System Theory. The Family System Theory emphasizes individuality and togetherness. As humans it’s important to have family interactions, however, it is crucial that we are able to learn and practice independence. Family systems also highlight how familial relationships influence different relationships an individual has in adulthood (Walsh, 2013). According to this theory the more success a person has in individualizing their emotions from their families, the more successful they are in non-familial relationships.

Bowen’s interest in the family started in the 1940s when he worked at the Menninger Clinic as a psychiatrist focusing on schizophrenia. While working at this clinic Bowen was captivated by the emotional relationships between patients and their mothers. After looking at many maternal interactions he also focused on how humans react emotionally in other relationships between family members. In 1954 Bowen relocated to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) where he focused on entire families that contained a schizophrenic family member (Bowen).

After this project ended in 1959, Bowen moved to Georgetown University where he began working with families who did not have severe challenges. However, Bowen discovered that no matter what challenges families face if they shadow the following models this would mend family relationships and cause stronger relationships within the family system. Bowen’s major concepts are differentiation of self, triangles, multigenerational emotional processes, emotional cutoff, and societal emotional processes (Walsh, 2013).

Structural Family Therapy

Salvador Minuchin created Structural Family Therapy in the 1960s, which has become a prominent intervention in family therapy. This theory focuses on family structure and how family members interact with one another. This theory does not focus on the emotional dynamics of family members, however, it focuses on the configuration of the family. Salvador Minuchin was born in Argentina in the 1920s and become a pediatric physician (Walsh, 2013). He eventually relocated to the United States where he studied child psychiatry with a family theorist by the name of Nathan Ackerman. In the late 1950s Minuchin moved to New York and became a psychiatrist at the Wiltwyck for Boys, he had the opportunity to work with boys and people of color (McAdams et al., 2019).

Many of the boys had behavioral challenges, criminal records, and emotional problems. Minuchin worked to find effective interventions for these boys to decrease negative behaviors and teach tem coping skills. After much research, Minuchin noticed that using family interventions were most effective and provided positive outcomes for the boys at Wiltwyck (McAdams et al.,2019). Minuchin was able to use family interventions for any family problem especially relating to the boys. Over the years Minuchin worked with children and families from low-class urban areas.

Structural Family therapy has multiple concepts: executive authority, subsystems, boundaries, rules roles, alliances, triangles, flexibility, and communication. For this theory, it is important to have someone adopt the position of decision-making (Walsh, 2013). The structural theory emphasizes the importance of every family member exercising decision-making power at some point. During the assessment, the social worker should acknowledge who has power in the family dynamics and who does the decision-making for the family. In many cases, power shifts depending on the situation for example if a family consists of a mother, father, son, and daughter, sometimes the father is in power, and other times the mother is given power.

Subsystems are any family that is comprised of two or more people. Some examples of subsystems are “parents, adult members, nuclear-versus, extended-family members, siblings, and some adult/child alliances (McAdams el al.,2019).” Boundaries are internal and external. Internal boundaries are the barriers that regulate the number of interactions the family is expected to have with one another. “For example in some families each family member is allowed to have their own room, while in other families, it is desired that members share rooms (McAdams el al., 2019).” External boundaries refer to a parting of the family but outside systems such as other family members and different communities. Most families believe the motto “what happens in this house stays in this house” they prefer to keep their internal business (finances, struggles, and health) private from people outside the immediate family (Walsh,2013).

Rules are ways family members are expected to conduct themselves and adhere to their responsibilities within the family system. This can be difficult for certain family members depending on their age, maturity, and development. Rules may pertain to household chores, academics, respect, and finances. Every family is different when communicating rules some families articulate their expectations while some may follow just follow rules through custom (McAdams el al., 2019). For a successful family, environmental rules should be clear and understood by everyone in the household. Roles are important in a family system and structure (Walsh, 2013). Each member plays a vital role and all these roles help manage the day-to-day operations of the household. Examples of roles are (breadwinner, money manager, and housekeeper). Circumstances may occur in each family such as divorce, job, illness, death, moving can all cause roles to change.

Alliances are when two family members or subsystems cooperate together. These collaborations provide a positive atmosphere for the family structure. Triangles represent alliance when two family members turn to a third family member for relief when in a conflict with each other. For example, if two siblings get in an argument with one another they will blame their youngest siblings for their problem (McAdams el al.,2019). Flexibility is when a family needs to make alterations to their structure and roles based off changes in their members’ lives. Changes may include different life stages, birth, death, injury, and illness. Lastly, Verbal and nonverbal communication is essential when developing a positive family structure.

Compare and Contrast

Family System Theory and Structural Family Theory have similarities and differences. Both theories are used to promote change in family dynamics and structure. Family systems and Structural theory both work with families to increase communication and coping skills, identify behavioral patterns and overall create a positive home environment (Crago, 2005). Each theory teaches therapists and social workers to meet the family where they are, use the strength perspective, emphasize communication and establish rapport with families. The differences between the two theories are Family Systems focus on genograms, questioning, the concept of differentiation, and interdependent individuals (Crago, 2005). The structural theory focuses on restructuring family roles and adapting to these new changes.

Interventions for Family Case

When working with the Solitano family the social worker has to make sure they set the tone for the client/ professional relationship. During the first session, the social worker has to make sure they create a safe and comfortable environment that will make interventions possible to occur. In the early stages of the intervention process, the social worker has to make sure that the family is interacting with one another and motivated and willing to change (Klever 2009).

When finding interventions to help the Solitano family it would be helpful to use a genogram. The Family emotional theory uses genograms as a tool to gather information about the family and assist the social worker to find appropriate interventions to help this family. A genogram is a pictorial diagram that has the ability to display two or more generational information (Klever, 2009). By having the Solitano family create a genogram it will give them a visual map of their family’s structure history, mental health background, past conflicts, interpersonal relationships, roles, and patterns of communication. Pat is diagnosed with bipolar disorder; Mr. Solitano shows symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder completing a genogram can also gather information of the family’s mental health history.

Detriangulation would be a suitable intervention for the Solitano family (Walsh, 2013). When Mr. Solitano wishes to spend time with Pat but is unable to he begins complaining to his wife and his temper quickly rises. Instead of Mr. Solitano communicating to Pat regarding his frustrations about spending quality time together, he takes his angry and frustrations out on Mrs. Solitano.

Increasing Insight- The social worker will facilitate reflective conversations with the family to help the family acknowledge their behaviors with one another. There are two techniques that support Insight, person-situation reflection and developmental reflection. Person-situation focuses on the family’s current behaviors and developmental reflection focuses on the history of family behaviors (Walsh, 2013). These techniques will help family members evaluate their feelings and attitudes, understand each other, and help identify the root of their behaviors and way that can decrease these behaviors. By the Solitanos using developmental reflection, the social worker has the responsibility to use comments, questions, and accounts of the past to explore patterns in family behaviors. The social worker has to make sure that every member is using “I” statements when explaining and identifying their past experiences and behaviors (Walsh, 2013). This technique will eliminate members from blaming one another and will prevent other members being defensive, building walls to protect themselves, and shutting down.

Structural Family therapy interventions would be helpful for the Solitano household, this type of therapy focuses on behavioral changes within each member of the family. When working with the Solitano family the social worker must remember the necessary steps for intervention (Radohl, 2011). The first step according to Structural therapy is acknowledging the family’s strengths. The Solitano has many strengths which include the parents being supportive of Pat seeking therapy, each family member is able to express there feelings thoughts, and emotions and Mr. Solitano will like to build a relationship with Pat. The second step is relabeling, this process helps the family create a new perspective of their problems and where they stem from. Many might say that Mrs. Solitano is a pushover, but her behaviors might stem from her not wanting the family to separate.

Another technique is problem tracking, this requires the Solitano family to track their behaviors at home so they can identify each other, trigger, behavior patterns, and develop problem-solving skills (Radohl, 2011). The fourth technique is teaching stress management, learning this skill can increase self-control in members of the family. Pat would benefit greatly from this because when he feels stressed and overwhelmed he reacts rather than respond to situations. For example, Pat was kicked out of a tailgate for getting into a physical altercation. Mr. Solitano often gets frustrated and gets into verbal alternations with Pat; Mrs. Solitano is usually the mediator in the household and works to resolve family conflicts. I would say that Mrs. Solitano is the “glue” of the family. She keeps the family together, however working on stress management skills can help decrease verbal altercations within the household.

When observing the family’s behaviors he has become evident that Pat’s parents are awareness of Pat’s diagnosis, however, they have limited knowledge of the bipolar disorder. At some when Pat has episodes or mood changes, his parents are unsure how to provide proper care for Pat. During a few sessions, the family would benefit from psychoeducational lessons on bipolar disorder. The goal is to educate the family on the symptoms and behaviors of Pat’s diagnosis. Hopefully educating the parents will decrease arguments in the household because they are knowledgeable about bipolar disorder and are able to support Pat’s behaviors.

Lastly, communication skills training would be helpful for the Solitano family. The social worker can help the family come up with methods to begin clear speaking and listening skills. Currently, this family screams a lot at one another and walks away, instead of actively communicating. The social worker can teach the family how it is important now to interrupt one another when speaking, the power of nonverbal behaviors, and asking questions if someone does not understand something.

Limitations

Both interventions are used by many social workers and continue to evolve through ongoing practice and knowledge. Bowens Family System Theory is a well-known family therapy that stresses the importance of individual family members’ strengths and behaviors contributing to family dynamics. Even though this is legendary therapy when viewing numerous scholarly articles concerning Family System Theory there is a limited number of empirical evidence to support this approach.

Structural Family Therapy has shown to be an effective treatment. Structural Family therapy has many strengths, however, this theory has some limitations that affect social work practice. This theory can discourage and disempower families the social worker or therapist has certain responsibilities that can be seen as controlling. When the social worker controls the treatment process this can cause the family to be unmotivated.

References

1. Crago, H. (2005). Clinical Applications of Bowen Family Systems Theory. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Family Therapy, 26(2), 116. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=20472800&site=ehost-live
2. Klever, P. (2009). The Primary Triangle and Variation in Nuclear Family Functioning. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 31(2), 140–159. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-008-9082-2
3. Merritts, A. (2016). A Review of Family Therapy in Residential Settings. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 38(1), 75–85. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-016-9378-6
4. McAdams, C., Avadhanam, R., Foster, V., Harris, P., Javaheri, A., Kim, S., … Williams, A. (2016). The Viability of Structural Family Therapy in the Twenty-first Century: An Analysis of Key Indicators. Contemporary Family Therapy: An International Journal, 38(3), 255–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-016-9383-9
5. Radohl, T. (2011). Incorporating family into the formula: family-directed structural therapy for children with serious emotional disturbance. Child & Family Social Work, 16(2), 127–137. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2206.2010.00720.x
6. Walsh, J. (2013). Theories for Direct Social Work Practice.

Abstract

This essay brings an opinion to 2 cases: Newcrest Mining (WA) Ltd v Commonwealth and Western Australia v Ward. The first case argues that Australian laws overlook certain fundamental rights that would otherwise be covered by interpreting international laws. Therefore, it should be incorporated into the interpretation process of legislation and the constitution. The second case dissents this to be more of a personal agenda and a potential breach of the separation of powers. If courts look to international laws to resolve ambiguities in the constitution no matter the intention, it will influence lawmakers and breach the separation of powers. The Constitution will be analysed to draw a fair and direct comparison of why the courts should have the right to co-interpret international law(s) with the constitution whenever the scope of ‘fundamental rights’, limited to human rights specifically, is unspecified, and why courts should do so. Each issue will be analysed from various perspectives with regards to international law and conclude why the Australian courts should adopt Kirby J’s reasoning for a better future.

Public perception: International laws in Constitutive interpretation

The Australian Constitution has been both accepted and rejected to be interpreted in such a way that it is consistent with international law by the HCA in multiple cases. Though developments after the year 1900 may be considered in constitutional interpretation, it does not mean that international law will definitely apply in those areas.[footnoteRef:5] In respect of parliamentary debates and reviews of HCA Judgements, the similarities identified from both clash with each other,[footnoteRef:6] forming a nationwide conflict that sparks reclusive behaviour from politicians or judges alike at the mere mention of the topic. The Australian constitution currently excludes its own Bill of rights and it is for this reason that judges had to refer to this for a better understanding of principles and values in Human Rights.

Australia’s Stance on a Bill of Rights

Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard had argued that having a Bill of rights would cause a power shift from elected politicians to the administrative and judiciary. Politicians should also be trusted to do the ‘right thing’ instead of limiting what parliament may legislate over. In 1985, Lionel Bowen had tried to initiate a bill of rights which passed through the House of Representatives but was claimed as an ‘outrage’ and refused by the Senate. Only 3 Australian states currently have a human rights Act. Incidentally, the judiciary has mandated that it shall not interpret legislation to interfere with basic human rights unless the expression to interfere is evident. These facts demonstrate Australia’s concurrent anomalous stance on this topic.

Callinan J’s concerns

His theory is that Courts should not influence the legislative assembly by using international laws in correlation with the Constitution as interpretative materials for conflicting materials. The doctrine of Separation of Powers should be strictly adhered to without tampering in this case. However, the crucial basis for his reasoning was where the “legislation is not genuinely ambiguous”, it was referring to the Native Title Act clearly allowing partial extinguishment, and that there was no specific submission in international law on that matter.

Kirby J’s theory

The Australian Constitution lacks a Bill of Rights and only briefly mentions certain personal rights in legislation. In the ‘Interpretative Principle’ section of his written judgement, he wrote that “The duty of the Court is to interpret what the Constitution says and not what individual judges may think it should have said”. In doing so, it demonstrated consideration of Callinan J’s reasoning in this principle. He then acknowledged that international law holds in subsistence the existence of human rights and since Australia was included in several treaties, Parliament had already incorporated international law in its development in legislation and common law. It was also imperative to consider this principle because it was understood to be the law abided by most international communities that Australia is part of.

Why should International laws be included in interpretation?

The intent of International law is not to limit the legislative power of Australia but rather, to act as the governing integrity of relations between States which facilitates the roles, duties and responsibilities of all involved. Treaties, conventions, customary principles and other recognized principles such as jus cogens are only adhered to since it is mostly in the best interest of a State to do so.[footnoteRef:23] Being part of treaties entitles States to enjoy legal benefits and endorse obligations of other States in exchange with its performance of similar obligations as well. One example that Australia demonstrates is The International Bill of Human Rights.

Point of Convergence

Kirby J’s reasoning does not necessarily discredit Callinan J’s since human rights under international law can be used as an extrinsic interpretation material in conjunction with the Constitution only when ambiguity is clearly present. Otherwise, the constitution should always precede case law created via interpreting international law.[footnoteRef:26] By acquiring a means of interpretation that is synonymous with fundamental human rights under international tribunals, not only would it ensure that international obligations are always considered when issuing verdicts, but a more ‘fairer’ approach would also be available when dealing with human rights.

Other Factors

Another argument that can be put forth is though the Constitution[footnoteRef:28] gives original jurisdiction to the High Court in all matters under any treaty, it does not mean that any or all treaties that Australia is involved in must or should be considered in interpretations. The courts can only interpret legislation in accordance with the Constitution, but they are not compelled to use international materials unless they are incorporated into domestic law.

Conclusion

I would agree more with Kirby J.

Even if the courts look to international laws to interpret ambiguity in the constitution, it would not necessarily breach the separation since the ‘will of parliament to enact laws based on international obligations is already in effect. The courts are merely honouring the decision by carrying out their duties.

I fundamentally disagree with Callinan J that on any occasion, doing so potentially breaches the separation of powers. Judges are not legally bound to use international law in their constitutive interpretation. The materials are available should they require a deeper understanding, but they are always required to adhere strictly to the constitution first-hand. However, the extent of whence Australia can use these materials should also be considered. Due to her unique geographical, environmental, political, socio-economic, and heritage statuses, not every piece of international law is applicable as part of the interpretation process and it should be left up to the discretion of the courts as they see fit.

This conflict may be based on minor misrepresentations or exaggerations. Australia may retain its stance on its bill of rights. However, it should also be noted that Australia is the only country with a common law system whose majority rejects a bill of rights.[footnoteRef:31]. Politicians have a duty to honour treaties and conventions by drafting domestic laws to ensure compliance, therefore Judges adopting human rights principles from International law to create case law is no different.

Bibliography

A Articles/Books/Reports

1. Andrew T. Guzman, ‘International Law: A Compliance Based Theory’ (Working Paper No 47, School of Law, University of California, April 2001)
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3. Charlesworth, Hillary et al, ‘Deep Anxieties: Australia and the International Legal Order’ (2003) 25(4) Sydney Law Review 423
4. Courtney Hillebrecht, ‘The Domestic Mechanisms of Compliance with International Human Rights Law: Case Studies from the Inter-American Human Rights System’ (2012) 34(4) Human Rights Quarterly 959
5. Goldsmith, Jack L. and Eric A. Posner, The Limits of International Law (Oxford University Press, 2005)
6. Hovell, Devika and George Williams, ‘A Tale of Two Systems: The Use of International Law in Constitutional Interpretation in Australia and South Africa’ (2005) 29(1) Melbourne University Law Review 95
7. Laura Thomas, ‘Can international human rights law have a legitimate influence on the interpretation of the Australian Constitution?’ (2005) 14(1) Polemic 24
8. Opeskin, Brian R. & Donald R. Rothwell, International Law and Australian Federalism (Melbourne University Press, 1997)
9. Walker, Kristen, ‘International Law as a Tool of Constitutional Interpretation’ (2002) 28 Monash University Law Review 85
10. Williams, George, Human Rights under the Australian Constitution (Oxford University Press, 1999)

B Cases

1. Al-Kateb v Godwin (2004) 208 ALR 124
2. Horta v The Commonwealth (1994) 181 CLR 183
3. Lamshed v Lake (1958) 99 CLR 132
4. Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs v Al Khafaji (2004) 208 ALR 201
5. NewCrest Mining (WA) Ltd v Commonwealth (1997) 190 CLR 513
6. Polites v The Commonwealth (1945) 70 CLR 60
7. Potter v Minahan (1908) 7 CLR 277
8. Re Woolley; Ex parte Applicants M276/2003 by their next friend GS (2004) 210 ALR 369
9. Western Australia v Ward (2002) 213 CLR 1

C Legislation

• Australian Constitution

1. Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2008 (Vic)
2. Human Rights Act 2004 (ACT)
3. Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld)
4. Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Act 1986 (Cth)
5. Native Title Act 1993 (Cth)

D Treaties

• Charter of the United Nations ch I–II.

1. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, opened for signature 19 December 1966, 999 UNTS 171 (entered into force 23 March 1976)
2. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, opened for signature 16 December 1966, 993 UNTS 3 (entered into force 3 January 1976)

• Statute of the International Court of Justice

1. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, GA Res 217A (III), UN GAOR, 3rd sess, 183rd plen mtg, UN Doc A/810 (10 December 1948)
2. Universal Declaration of Human Rights, GA Res 217A (III), UN GAOR, 3rd sess, 183rd plen mtg, UN Doc A/810 (10 December 1948)
3. Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, opened for signature 23 May 1969, 1155 UNTS 331 (entered into force 27 January 1980)

E Other

1. Commonwealth, Parliamentary Debates, Senate, 28 March 1985
2. Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, ‘Treaty making process’ (2020)
3. John Howard, ‘2009 Menzies Lecture by John Howard’, The Australian (online 21 August 2009) , archived at
4. Kirby, Justice Michael, ‘The Growing Impact of International Law on the Common Law’ (Lecture, University of Adelaide, 14 October 2009)

The fire safety engineering has been finding increased use in the recent time as with the rapid globalization and interconnectivity. FDIs have been flowing into the infra market and which has put the focus on how to improve the fire safety particularly in engineering applications. This review basically focusses on innovative solutions to fire safety problem in those cases where prescriptive building regulations are costly and there are some restrictions in building design. It basically presents case studies where the use of fire science and fire safety engineering to address various aspects of building design where sprinklers systems are involved are present. The first case is basically a case where an alternative fire suppression system is used in place of sprinklers. The second case discusses about an airport where how the rationalization of the sprinkler system helped in saving money. The third case is about how spread of fire from floor to floor can be prevented in balconies by using partial sprinkler system.

Case Study 1

This basically studies an alternative to sprinkler system in a hall

The exhibition hall is 280 m long, varies in height from 14 to 24m and is 70m wide. For this the hall was divided into 4 separate halls. Now the problems regarding Sprinkler Efficiency in the halls is

Limited impact which the sprinklers offer due to high height of the roof. Now one of the reasons for installing a sprinkler system is keep fire small and manageable, in case it is not extinguished. In case of office with relatively low ceiling sprinklers do make a significant impact. By calculation it can be shown that in a sprinkler protected office with a 3m ceiling height, sprinklers would activate when the fire intensity is approximately 2.5 MW, and a properly designed and installed sprinkler system would ensure that the fire did not grow any further. In an unsprinklered office a fire could reach 10 MW quite easily, depending on the ventilation factor and fuel load. A reduction of fire intensity from 10 MW to 2.5 MW is quite significant.

In the Hall, however, sprinklers are not likely to produce such a meaningful reduction in fire size. Hall, however, sprinklers are not likely to produce such a meaningful reduction in fire size. Calculations using fast-response sprinklers with a Response Time Index (RTI) of 50 and a sprinkler activation temperature of 68°C, show that the lowest sprinklers, namely those at 14.5 m above the floor, would activate when an ultra-fast fire is at an intensity of approximately 4.4 MW. For the sprinklers at 20.5 m high, the fire size at sprinkler activation is approximately 10 MW. Significantly, in approximately 50% of the building the ceiling is above 20.5 m and the resultant fire size at sprinkler activation would be greater than 10 MW. Where the highest sprinklers (24.5m) were located the shape of the roof in this building makes predictions on sprinkler activation times unreliable.

Now talking about reduced effectiveness of sprinkler water spray

With fires of intensities around 10 MW the interaction of sprinkler water droplets with the fire plume would reduce the suppression and fire control effectiveness of the sprinklers due to the upward velocity of the hot gases in the plume and the evaporation of the water due to the heat. In addition, the drop size distribution of a sprinkler spray is such that not all droplets would be capable of penetrating the fire plume due to the upward velocity of the hot gases and evaporation.

The Alternative

On the assumption that the fire growth rate could be ultra-fast, the 10 MW heat output would be reached in approximately 4 min from the time that the fire reached the so-called established burning stage of around 10 kW). On this basis it would not be sufficient to rely on Fire Brigade intervention alone. Although Fire Brigade response time might be in the vicinity of 4 min, additional time would be required to locate the seat of the fire, and set to up hoses for firefighting. Attack on the fire is also not likely to commence until evacuation is complete.

In terms of water quantity and effectiveness of firefighting, hydrants would theoretically be adequate to control a 10 MW fire. If a system providing water equivalent to that from a hydrant or hydrants could be designed to get water onto a fire in less than 4 mins then the design objectives (10 MW max) could be met.

The Method

In considering the approach used in some large aircraft hangars where automatic foam monitors are used to apply a foam solution over the floor in the event of an aircraft fuel spillage, it was decided that one could control a 10 MW fire in the Exhibition Halls by a similar method, namely fixed monitors, but without the foam.

A major benefit of such a monitor system would be its ability to apply water to the seat of the fire from the side of the plume, rather than from above the plume as is the case with sprinklers. This would obviate the difficulty of having to penetrate the plume for its full height, and the fire suppression effectiveness would be substantially enhanced

The functionalities of the monitor installed

In order to ensure total coverage of the floor area, bearing in mind high obstructions that could be part of an exhibit, four monitors were installed in each Hall. The monitors were mounted at an elevated position at a height of approximately 4 m above the Exhibition Hall floor. The nozzle size was selected by the mechanical consultants on the basis of the quantity of water that should be delivered to provide a density at least equal to that of a sprinkler system, together with the maximum distance that the water had to be projected. The maximum effective distance reached by each monitor was 40 m, using four monitors per hall. Being attached to the Hydrant system the water supplies were required by the authorities to allow the hydrants to operate simultaneously with two monitors. In operation, each monitor would be preset to oscillate through a certain arc and at a certain elevation when activated. Activation could be either remotely from the Control Room or manually by an operator at the monitor. The operators of the monitors would be either trained staff or Fire Brigade personnel.

In conclusion, the fire safety engineering solution to the fire suppression problem in this building was not only effective but achieved significant cost savings.

Case Study 2

This case involves the use of the Sprinkler system at airport

It basically involves fire-safety engineering methods used in Sprinkler system which has estimated cost of ten million dollars. The engineering approach was motivated with cost savings in mind, but at the same time fire safety objectives as required.

The study addressed the fire hazard associated with easily defined and separate areas typical of airports, such as Arrivals and Departures Concourses, Departures Hall, Baggage Claim Hall and Baggage Handling Areas, and because the layout, usage and fire loading in different compartments varied, a variety of methods were employed in the analysis.

The departures

This area had the seats which contained foam rubber filling it was necessary to establish the likely worst case fire scenario as accurately as possible. For this it was decided bum a selection of the seats in a furniture calorimeter in order to obtain data on their burning characteristics.

An analysis of corresponding sprinkler response times resulted in an increase in sprinkler spacing across the corridor, from the 4 m maximum allowed by the code, to 5.2 m. This arrangement would not give rise to any loss of sprinkler effectiveness because it was considered that those areas where the water application density was below standard would be at the pedestrian aisle between the rows of seats where the fire load was negligible.

Departures hall

The floor areas are very large (around 10,000 m2 ), the average fire load was very low, and more importantly, those parts having a significant fire load, namely check-in counters, groups of seats or carousels full of baggage, were separated by unfurnished floor areas. for an assumed worst case fire, namely, an ultra-fast fire in a check-in counter full of baggage, sprinklers at the Extra Light Hazard spacing of 21 m2 per sprinkler, would operate when the fire had reached an intensity of approximately 4 MW.

It was concluded that the sprinkler system would not be required to handle a fire involving more than one check-in counter, and hence the recommendation to use Extra Light Hazard instead of Ordinary Hazard in this area was justified.

Canopy outside departures hall

In the context this canopy (140 m long) required two rows of sprinkler heads. A likely fire scenario was a car on fire at the kerb of the roadway. Being beyond the edge of the canopy there would be no convected flow of hot gases to activate the sprinklers. It was shown that a single row of sprinklers would provide adequate protection for the building in the assumed fire scenario.

Radiant Heat calculations showed that in the event of a car fire at the kerb of the roadway, the windows of the building closest to the car could be subjected to a heat flux of up to 13.5 kW/m2. A single row of sprinklers below the awning ceiling was considered to provide sufficient protection in the assumed fire scenario.

Ceiling space above departures hall

This large compartment contained a timber floor and other combustibles such as electrical wiring. The concrete slab above consisted of inverted troughs which were 2.5 m wide and arranged in groups of five. The Sprinkler Code required sprinklers to be installed in the narrow troughs but it was evident that the effectiveness of these sprinklers was questionable on two counts. Firstly, if the sprinklers we-re installed at the optimum distance from the slab (around 100- mm) the water spray would be baffled by the sides of the troughs. Secondly, heat from a fire immediately below a narrow trough would travel very quickly along the trough and activate an excessive number of sprinkler head.

Assuming that there were no sprinklers in the narrow troughs, the behavior of hot gases from a fire below these troughs was examined. It was found that a 10m length of the narrow trough would be filled with hot gases in less than 5 s. Therefore, if baffles were placed at 10m intervals along the trough, the hot gases would overflow from the narrow trough and into the adjoining larger troughs where the sprinklers would be activated with a minimal delay.

This resulted in the deletion of the 400 sprinklers from the narrow troughs. This in turn saved a lot of money for the airport.

Case Study 3

This involved how to prevent fire from spreading from one floor to other in a multi storey apartment.

The problem associated with enclosed balconies in a multi-storey building is related to the fire spread objectives in particular, the upward spread of fire from one storey to those storeys above the fire affected storey. Where balconies are not enclosed flames issuing from a fire would be deflected horizontally by the balcony above and this would prevent spread of fire to the floor above. In this case the balcony above would act as a spandrel. Where balconies were enclosed, the spandrel effect was effectively removed because the enclosed balcony becomes a room capable of reaching flashover conditions in a fire.

In an effort to overcome this problem it was proposed to install sprinklers in the enclosed balconies.

Because sprinklers would be installed only in the enclosed balconies and not in the apartments two fire scenarios were addressed, firstly a fire originating in the enclosed balcony and secondly, a fire originating in the adjoining apartment.

Fire Scenario I

On the basis that the sprinklers installed in the enclosed balconies It may be assumed that a fire occurring in an enclosed balcony would be controlled by the sprinklers and flashover is unlikely. In these circumstances fire spread to the upper level would not occur.

Fire Scenario 2

For fire scenario 2 a fire is assumed to occur in an apartment adjoining an enclosed balcony. Because the apartment is not sprinkler protected it was assumed that the fire would reach flashover proportions and break the windows to the enclosed balcony and then the external windows of the enclosed balcony.

The Effect of Balcony Sprinklers

In a flashover fire as the flames and hot gases flowed out of a window the gases would be cooled by mixing with outside air. At this temperature radiant heat from the flames issuing from the window below would be sufficient to cause breakage to the windows above, resulting in a potential for spread of fire to the level above the fire Where sprinklers are installed in the balcony the hot gases from the room of fire origin will be cooled by the sprinkIer water spray before they issue from the window.

A calculation showed that in a typical situation radiant heat received by a window from flames at 600 ° C issuing from a window below would be 22 kW/m2 , while with gases at 350 ° C in the same situation the window would receive less than 6 kW/m2 Standard windows can safely withstand a radiant heat intensity ofup to 10 kW/m2

It was concluded therefore that the provision of sprinklers in an enclosed balcony would reduce the temperature of fire gases flowing through the balcony to such an extent that there would be radiant heat hazard to the windows in the floor above

Mostly people do not like to even think about the donation of their organs. Maybe It makes them feel extremely uncomfortable. We can take away this discomfort by getting people to concentrate on the advantages of organ donation. Would prefer to provide them with real stories of people whose lives were saved because of organ donation. By demonstrating number of people’s lives can be saved, is sometimes the most effective way to convince someone.

Giving them a large list of examples of how organ donations have saved someone’s life or enhanced the quality of someone’s life is the best way to doing this. They may change their mind after they witness the positive outcomes and the significant difference it can make. Find instances of children who have benefitted from organ donations if you want to be convincing or persuasive, and I am just saying this from the perspective of your objective of being more persuasive. It has a powerful influence.

Moreover, not sure if persuading someone to give their organs is the right thing to do. Because organ donation is such a private matter. People have a variety of reasons for deciding whether to donate their organs, so this might be a sticky issue for them. Religious views might sometimes prevent someone from donating an organ. However, it is admirable that organ donation is so essential to you. Every year, organ donation saves hundreds of lives.

Another method we can try to persuade someone to donate, I would like to tell them about what you know about organ donation. Individuals are not required to give their complete bodies. They have complete control over what they donate. By sharing your understanding of organ donation, you are assisting in their education, and they will be able to make their own decision.

Persuading someone to give their organs is a complicated process. What happens to a person’s body after they die is entirely up to them, because some people may be motivated by religious beliefs, you must be extremely careful in your approach. Furthermore, by education of organ donation the number of lives that a single individual may save.

According to the website organdonor.gov, one person’s organ donation can save the lives of eight individuals. Children, single parents, or even relatives might be among the eight persons. It is incredible how much of an influence one person can have on eight lives. meeting with someone who has been saved by an organ donor would be quite motivating. Would be persuaded by seeing people’s thankfulness and joy in life.

For example, days before his death, legendary Walter Payton filmed a series of public service advertisements encouraging people to become organ donors. It was especially heartbreaking because he was suffering from a rare liver condition. Organ donation in Illinois increased significantly after these PSAs were taped.

By donating tissues and eyes, the donor can improve up to fifty lives. So, I would like to say people should take a pledge to donate their organs. People should not believe in religious myths about organ donation. As we know after death our body organs will decompose into the soil and it will get waste. Instead of wasting our organs into earth, we should donate and save lives. People respects the donors.

Barriers: Researchers at the University of Geneva studied shows many social and psychological reasons why people choose not to donate organs, either by not registering as an organ donor during their lives or by refusing to donate the organs of their relatives, in a recent literature study. Mistrust in the medical community and a lack of understanding regarding brain death are consider as important hurdles to donation. For instance, demonstrates the scenario concerning brain death and patient hearts is still beating, most of the people denied donating their organs if their loved one’s heart is still beating. But the heart may be able to save someone’s life.

Many individuals believe that if a doctor is aware that you are a registered donor, they will not try everything possible to preserve your life,” says Brian Quick, an associate professor of communication at the University of Illinois. This actually really true many people have this assumption that doctors will not take proper care for themselves or their loved ones which is absolutely not the truth.

Besides this religious is another one of the most common factors which prevent most of the people from organ donating. The majority of people are unaware of their religious group’s organ and tissue donation philosophy or viewpoint. As a result, the decision maker frequently seeks advice from a religious leader. In most of the religion’s organ donation is considered as really good thing to for mankind. Every religion wants the betterment of the society and by donating organs to other and saving lives is always considered as good work.

But people with falls beliefs are the one who take religion as an excuse for not participating in organ donation. Some people really don’t have complete knowledge about their own religion, and they always try to follow their own religious leader may sometime lead them to wrong path. While most of the religions consider organ donation act of kindness and love, research has revealed that Catholics are less likely to give than other religious groups. This appears to be attributable to a belief in the afterlife and desire to keep one’s body in good shape.

Moreover, there are so many people those feel uncomfortable or unwilling to talk about death or even about the fact that the eventually everyone has to die. They avoid the making plan about their death which apparently led to less chances of organ donation as they don’t want to think about it eventually they never sign up for donation.

There could be so many reasons to avoid the organ donation but the fact that the organ donation is the biggest charity for the mankind, and nothing can be considered as more selfless act than this. It actually gives someone second chance of living, your organ donation can change lives of many and can bring happiness in lives of so many families.

Introduction

A minimum wage is essentially the lowest remuneration that employers pay their workers legally. It thus acts as a price floor below which workers do not sell their labor. Most countries introduced laws related to minimum wages by the end of the 20th century and New Zealand in fact, became the first country to enact minimum wage laws as early as 1894. The current minimum wage rate is $17.70 per hour in New Zealand and the Coalition Agreement between the New Zealand Labour Party and New Zealand First Party is to progressively increase the minimum wage to $20 by 2020.

There is no denying the fact that an increase in the minimum wage leads to an increase in the standard of living and in a way reduces poverty and encourages people to work. In contrast, this can also lead to mass unemployment (particularly amongst low skilled persons), increase poverty, and can also damage businesses as excessively high minimum wages require businesses to raise the prices of their products to accommodate the expense of higher wages.

The job market is like any other market and markets work best when wages are set by supply and demand, not by any other factor, like government rules. Economics tells us that minimum wage is a bad idea and increasing it can lead to slow economic growth and unemployment, yet there have been many researches and studies that point that there has been little impact on unemployment due to minimum wage policies. According to the minimum wage review of November 2018 by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the unemployment rate in New Zealand fell to 3.9 percent and employment increased to 2.8 percent indicating a positive sign for the labour market. (MBIE, 2018)

Economic Analysis of the Labour Market

A firm requires a few inputs like labor, land, and capital to produce some output. The demand for these inputs is not direct or final demand, but a derived demand, reflecting demand for the firm’s output. Each firm simultaneously decides how much output to supply and how much input to demand. The two are closely linked. (Begg, 2003)

The firms always think about producing outputs at the lowest cost possible and then select output that maximizes profit. To produce any output with the cheapest available technique, a rise in the price of labor due to the minimum wage will lead to firms switching towards the more capital-intensive techniques. Conversely, if capital becomes expensive, the least-cost technique for a given output is now more labor-intensive. The firms are away from the factors of production that have relatively become more expensive. This principle helps explain differences in capital-labour ratios in the same industries across different countries. A higher wage will lead to firms substituting capital for labour in making an output which will also lead to an increase in the total cost of producing the output. Firms still use the same labor but are now paying more than before. With higher marginal costs, but unchanged demand and marginal revenue curves, the firm chooses to make less output.

Hence, a simple analysis using the basic supply and demand model tells us that in the long run, the minimum wage will reduce the quantity of labor demanded. The substitution effect leads to the labor demanded getting low for each output, and this, in turn, reduces the demand for all inputs. The following graph shows us the basic supply and demand model in the labor markets.

Graph showing basic supply demand in labor markets

If there was no minimum wage in place the wages would adjust reaching equilibrium, where the demand equals supply and curves intersect. The minimum wage acts as a price floor and economics suggests that if the minimum wage is set above the equilibrium price, more labor would be willing to work than will be demanded by employers, thereby creating unemployment.

Thus, as far as the basic economic model of demand and supply goes, increasing the minimum wage to $20 seems to be a bad idea according to me as it pushes people towards unemployment by creating a surplus. This is an increase of almost 15.25% from the current minimum wage of $17.70. This would also push employers increasingly towards automation and can also lead to businesses getting shut down because they cannot keep up.

The service sector industry of New Zealand accounts for almost 64% of its GDP. There are many small and medium-scale industries operating in and around New Zealand. The country also depends greatly on international trade. An increase in the minimum wage would encourage the youth to work but this may discourage youths from getting education and training leading to the formation of a youth population who are low on productivity, thereby discouraging employers from hiring them. Another major impact of the increase in minimum wage can be the outsourcing of operations by companies. Many companies would prefer outsourcing their functions to countries where there is cheap labor available. This increase can also lead to a decrease in the number of working hours for workers.

There can be some other impacts of this rise in minimum wage like employers cutting down on the benefits that they can provide to their employees like healthcare, training, etc. In small and medium enterprises, the margins are very small, and an increase in wages can lead to negative employment impacts in industries that are labor-intensive like the hospitality and tourism industry. There is also an uncertainty that surrounds businesses that are already burdened by the impacts of environmental laws, government barriers, and industrial relations. A certainty allows businesses to build for the future and respond effectively to increased costs, including the cost of labor.

Conclusion

To achieve the goal of a higher wage economy it is recommended that the government concentrates on making people more productive by providing training rather than relying on increasing wages alone. The youth will be the most affected due to increased minimum wage as this might increase unemployment among them as the employers will look for more experienced workers due to higher minimum wage. It is also recommended that the government provides support to small and medium enterprises by training and coaching them or by providing subsidies and tax rebates so that they can cope if there is an increase in the minimum wage.

To conclude, I believe that the increase in minimum wage can lead to massive unemployment among the youth and can lead to a rise in inflation. There will be people earning the minimum wage rather than a higher wage and increasing it to $20 means that it will be a long time before parity can be achieved. This increase can have a significant impact and can lead to many companies switching their operations overseas, while small and medium-scale enterprises will be the ones suffering the most.

So far no data is backing up the fact that there has been a negative effect of increased minimum wage. According to the review report published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment, there has been no significant impact due to increased wages as of now but still increasing the wage by such a huge margin in a short time can have an impact and it is recommended to have a skilled population rather than unskilled population. For now, the wages should remain the same and the focus should shift towards making the youth skilled.

Love, what is it really? Do we really know what love is? Such a complicated matter yet we humans like this topic so much. Since we humans are emotional beings who use love to express our feelings towards someone, it is the way of communication used by our hearts to reach someone’s heart. In this world of ours, though love can be seen everywhere, a lot of discriminations arise towards it such as gender, disability, religion, age, and race that affect how people see love or define love. Here, we are going to unlock, evaluate, and discuss the motif, elements, and interrelatedness of both promoting inclusiveness in a video regarding the topic of love discrimination or love biases entitled “Love Has No Labels”, that encourages everyone to stop these wrong perceptions through a campaign done in public during Valentine’s day. The things we should be aware of the love as it undergoes different circumstances and limitations given by modern society.

When we talk about love, the usual thing that comes into our minds is love towards our friends, family, special someone, and even objects. According to Elkrief (2014), love is what we experience in any moment that we are with someone without having or believing any judgments about that person whether good or bad. It only means that if we truly love a person, we must not judge that person or in simpler terms, love that person unconditionally. Love that most of us know is the feeling of deep affection that is given by the dictionary, but our perception of it might not be true. Based on Wolpe (2016), love should not be seen as a feeling but as an enacted emotion. To love is to feel and act lovingly. It states that love is not just a word but should be taken with action. Wrong perception of the meaning of love creates misunderstandings and results in discrimination. These discriminations show different limits of the word love. In order to stop these discriminations, a campaign is made to promote love and equality in all aspects. It is called “Love Has No Labels”, a video shown during Valentine’s Day that includes individuals showing love in different aspects on a big X-ray screen. To further understand it, we must know what’s in the message of the campaign by unlocking it and evaluating it.

First is to unlock it by knowing the general motif of the video which focuses on promoting inclusivity of all people towards love regardless of their gender, disability, religion, age, and race. In the campaign, the elements shown are the use of a big x-ray screen to be the focus, where it is placed in the middle part of that place which provides better angle or vision to people watching, and also the music that made it much livelier which reflects a better way of giving awareness in public, since it is catchy to the eyes of the people. The big x-ray screen gives it the best impact since it is a unique way to show promotion and it doesn’t seem to have an out-of-place object in the campaign which made it a really good campaign. In the campaign, the culture that prevails there is Valentine’s Day which is a very appropriate day to promote a campaign about love inclusivity. This day is a holiday made to commemorate St. Valentine who promotes love, Through time it developed and was celebrated by giving cards and gifts that later became usual in England(Brunner,2016). This culture made the message to be much more understandable since it is the day of love. The general note that could be drawn from the campaign is the promotion of inclusivity regardless of all discrimination.

The message has been unlocked, evaluation comes up next which starts on how the message is conveyed which is done through a campaign in a public place during Valentine’s Day. The belief used to support the message is the perception of people in love with biases, just for example gender, the usual perception with bias is that a person should only love or show love to a person of the opposite gender. That way of thinking only supports that the message wants to remove that kind of bias and all other biases. It is best delivered by showing a big X-ray screen in the middle part of the place where the crowd could easily see it. During Valentine’s Day, love is everywhere and since the message of the campaign is about love, it can easily pass through the hearts of the crowd and as a response to it they create such expressions that show how they see it and understand it. The ethos that supports the message that could be seen in the video is the promotion to stop biases or to be equal in their perception towards love, in short, to encourage people to be good with each other no matter what the situation is.

To further understand it better, the motif, elements, and the interrelatedness of both promoting inclusivity should be elaborated. The motif focuses on promoting universal equality of all people towards love, regardless of their gender, disability, religion, age, and race. To promote this, all people must think that they are just equal to each other and in order to do that different solutions and ideas have been created. One of the products of these ideas and solutions is this campaign of “Love Has No Labels”. Humans learn to discriminate against other people in terms of love due to different reasons. Gender discrimination is one of the society’s commonly known to be not acceptable, people don’t find them to be in the society because they feel that those people should not belong there. Not only gender is not acceptable to society, but also the race of an individual. This kind of thinking is very popular in some countries such as the USA, whose people usually discriminate against black men. Love between white people and black people in this particular country is criticized by many. Due to discrimination which also became a culture to many, the love between these two individuals became unacceptable. The same as race discrimination, religion also has the same issue. Religion varies in different countries, but the connection of people with different religions became a big issue, because of the difference in what they believe and their perception in life. The love of people with each other having different religions is a rare one that is also unaccepted by many. Another kind of love that is rarely seen is between two persons with disability. Usually, persons with disabilities are known to be criticized on an almost everyday basis. Although there are laws to help them, still in the eyes of most people, a person with a disability is someone who is incapable of many things which leads to avoidance, especially in terms of love. Lastly is age, which is a very big issue in modern times. This kind of love became inappropriate to many because it changed its meaning. Mostly if a person is in love with an older person, the people around them usually think it is because of money and what that person can get when the older person dies. It is sad to think that love is limited to everyone because of these kinds of mindsets.

Through a campaign, the mindsets of people towards discrimination against each other could be gone. As we can see in the video of the campaign, it shows a very inspiring representation of love. It started by showing a beautiful and peaceful day during Valentine’s Day or the Day of Love. Mixed with a calming type of music, that makes it much more emotional or touching. We can hear in the lyrics that “I can’t change, even if I try” which is stated by those persons loving each other even though there are people who criticize them. The people started to gather on the big screen in the center of the place and were curious about the skeletons moving that it shows. Little do they know that behind those skeletons are people. People who show their love for each other not thinking what others would think of them and proudly show it to everyone watching. There are kids, people with disabilities, aged ones, people with different religions, and couples of different races and genders who participated in that video and are very proud of themselves. By showing skeletons on the screen, they show that love is equal to everyone who desires it and is not limited to the outside appearance. They wanted to show that we are all the same on the inside and different aspects don’t stand a chance to stop this kind of thinking that is not accepted in modern society. to appreciate each other and to connect with each other regardless of their religion, age, disability, race, and gender which would create a better world for all of us living.

As a conclusion to this topic about the campaign “Love Has No Labels”, I have realized that love is very complex yet very powerful. The love that we feel is connected with the emotions that we have. It is so much connected to the point that it can be destroyed by our decisions carried by emotions. Even if it can be destroyed, it can also be so powerful to move a person or even a community. Based on the video, we can see that it really helps the people watching to realize the wrong biases they have in their minds and make them aware to stop doing it, because we are all the same in different aspects. It is wrong to judge others because of our biases, just because it doesn’t look appropriate or right in us it doesn’t mean that it is wrong. According to the bible, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:31). It says that everyone should love each other like how they love themselves because we are brothers and sisters in the eyes of the lord. No one is much more powerful and much greater than the lord to judge someone because of their flaws or unacceptable views in the eyes of a human. As we love each other, we offer our love as well to our lord. That strengthens us and gives us the motivation we need on a daily basis. Something that we should be encouraging everyone. Especially to those persons who have the wrong perception of love and those people who gave up already in love.

To summarize it all, Love should be for everyone and not only for limited members of society. Love should be appreciated and promoted throughout the world. Love is something that we should respect no matter how it is represented by different people. Love should not be used in a wrong way, instead use it to help others not only ourselves. That’s why love is one of the most powerful words we could ever have and we could ever give. No matter what the people around you think of you, as long as you don’t offend or do something bad to someone with the love you have, you don’t have to worry. What is much to be worried about is when you don’t feel love at all because it could result in different disadvantages that we may encounter in our lives. Imagining living alone is such a painful scenario, so be careful of the word love, because it could bring happiness but also sorrow. All in all, based on the given ideas here, we should now be aware and awakened of what to do with the word love. Now that we know the meaning of love, we must share it with everyone else so that they can spread love just like what we have known. Stop discrimination, stop the hate, stop the wrong idea of love because, in the end, the love that we look upon is what we need in the future.

The Aleppo Earthquake of 1138 stands as one of the most catastrophic seismic events in history, leaving an indelible mark on the city of Aleppo, Syria, and its surrounding regions. This informative essay delves into the details of the earthquake, exploring its causes, impact, and historical significance.

On October 11, 1138, a powerful earthquake struck the city of Aleppo, which was then part of the Seljuk Empire. The earthquake, estimated to have a magnitude of 8.5 on the Richter scale, was centered in the vicinity of Aleppo, with its effects reverberating across a vast area. The seismic waves unleashed by the earthquake caused extensive damage, not only in Aleppo but also in neighboring cities and towns.

The causes of the Aleppo Earthquake can be attributed to the region’s geological setting. Aleppo is situated along the boundary between the Arabian and Eurasian tectonic plates, where the convergence of these plates gives rise to significant seismic activity. The accumulation of stress along the fault lines eventually led to the release of energy in the form of the devastating earthquake.

The impact of the Aleppo Earthquake was immense, resulting in widespread destruction and loss of life. The city of Aleppo, with its densely populated neighborhoods and historical structures, bore the brunt of the disaster. Buildings, including mosques, palaces, and markets, crumbled under the force of the tremors, reducing much of the city to ruins. The earthquake also triggered landslides and caused significant damage to infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.

The loss of life resulting from the earthquake was staggering. Historical accounts suggest that tens of thousands of people perished, with estimates ranging from 230,000 to 600,000 casualties. The destruction was not limited to Aleppo alone, as nearby towns and villages also suffered significant human and material losses. The earthquake’s impact was felt across a wide geographic area, leaving a lasting scar on the region’s history.

In addition to the immediate devastation, the Aleppo Earthquake of 1138 had lasting implications for the city and its inhabitants. The disaster altered the city’s urban landscape and affected its socio-economic and cultural fabric. The reconstruction efforts that followed the earthquake led to the emergence of new architectural styles, incorporating innovative techniques to mitigate the risk of future earthquakes. The earthquake also prompted a reassessment of building codes and construction practices to enhance the resilience of structures against seismic events.

The Aleppo Earthquake of 1138 holds historical significance beyond its immediate impact. It serves as a reminder of the region’s vulnerability to seismic activity and the importance of preparedness and resilience in the face of natural disasters. The earthquake has been documented in historical records and chronicles, contributing to our understanding of past seismic events and their consequences.

In conclusion, the Aleppo Earthquake of 1138 was a devastating natural disaster that shook the city of Aleppo and its surroundings to their core. The earthquake’s causes, impact, and historical significance provide valuable insights into the region’s geological history and the challenges posed by seismic activity. Remembering this tragic event serves as a testament to the resilience of communities and the need for ongoing efforts to mitigate the risks associated with earthquakes and safeguard vulnerable areas from future disasters.

When I attended the policy events in my community, participating was significant in learning about social policy. I have attended policy events under three categories, policymaking, advocacy, and education. I attended the city council meeting, a panel discussion on social media, and a criminal justice reform in Springfield, Missouri. All three events have helped me learn about social policy and how it applies to my community.

City Council Meeting

I attended the Springfield City Council meeting on October 21, 2019, from 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM. This event took place at the Historic City Hall. At the meeting, the agenda listed council bills, resolutions, emergency bills, and grants. The speakers at this event were members of Zone Council Members, and General Councilmembers, Phyllis Ferguson, Abe McGill, Mike Schilling, Mathew Simpson, Jan Fisk, Craig Hosmer, Andre Lear, Richard Ollis, and the mayor Ken McClure. The first bill that was discussed by Schilling, Hosmer, Ollis, and Simpson is, establishing regulations for loan establishments, with permit requirements and a registration fee. The bill was to promote business regulations and loan establishments. The second bill discussed by McGill is to promote Springfield land development. The bill is about a plan to clean and expand the land in living areas. The third bill discussed by Ferguson is an ordinance for improving the Kansas and Kearney District. The fourth bill discussed by Simpson is an ordinance granting condition-use permits to reduce the front yards for buildings. The fifth bill discussed by Ollis is an ordinance for Springfield to have a master equipment lease-purchase agreement and schedules that would help the equipment costs of the city. This sixth bill is an ordinance that is known as the salary ordinance, to have four job titles and add full-time positions to the professional, administrative, and salary schedules. The seventh bill was discussed by McClure, and it was a resolution extending the term of the sexual assault task force until late November of this year. The 8th bill was discussed by Simpson, it was a resolution accepting recommendations of staff regarding the Galloway Redevelopment. At the city council meeting, public improvements were also discussed. These improvements were discussed for Sequoia Park. The improvements included preservation and added restrooms to the park. The ninth bill discussed by Lear was an ordinance, and grant for the city manager to accept funding from the United States Department of Justice. For improving criminal justice responses to domestic violence dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This ordinance would help prevent violence and stalking. The grant was an amount of $500,00.00 offered to the City manager. The 10th bill was discussed by Schilling. It was an ordinance of a redevelopment plan on Saint Louis Street to promote public peace prosperity, health, safety, and welfare. The 11th bill proposed was discussed by Ollis, an ordinance for the city manager to agree with traffic technology services so there would be information provided to vehicle manufacturers for connected vehicle applications. The 13th bill proposed was discussed by McGill, an ordinance for the city of Springfield to enter into intergovernmental agreements with the city utilities, Greene, and Christian counties for cooperative agreements to improve public transportation. The last bill the 13th bill was discussed by Hosmer, an ordinance for the city manager to enter into an intergovernmental agreement, met with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for the police department of Springfield to participate in Career Criminal Task Force, and amended the budget of the police department. This promotes the funds and criminal task program for the Springfield Police Department. The City of Springfield sponsored this event. My cognitive and behavioral experience toward this event was I thought it was interesting to see how a city council meeting works what and who addresses the social issues and who has the authority to make a policy change. The behavior of the room was calm, and people spoke about the issues that they cared about. I was impressed by the experience of what issues are addressed during a city council meeting, the city council meeting was not disappointing. An NASW Code of Ethics I can apply to this event is service as most of the bills proposed for redevelopment involve service to improve the environment. It is also good for a social worker to be aware of the improvements and social issues of the city so there can be advocacy for social issues as well, this is beneficial for future practice in becoming a social worker. What I can apply from what I learned in class from this event is policy analysis because the bills were discussed analyzed, decided, and voted upon, and the type of policies and how there are different bills such as an ordinance and resolutions. As this event was interesting and a learning experience I would attend more city council events. I feel like it was a good experience to learn about policy-making.

Impact of Social Media on Activism

I attended the Impact of Social Media on Activism panel on October 2, 2019, at Missouri State University from 3:00 PM to 4:15 PM. This event was for the public affairs conference held at Missouri State University. The presenters were Courtney Durham, director of development and PR, Narissa Punyanunt- Carter Assistance Deab of International Affairs Texas Tech University, Sharmini Rogers, Bureau Chief of Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, and Fernando Sustaita, social studies teacher of Nixa Junior Highschool. The topic of this event was how social media impacted activism. The main points of that are social media created a larger networking world and a smaller world, which is wonderful for awareness, being informed of social issues, being responsible for what people are communicating to the world, not being an influencer to matter, and making a change get out there. Activism is known for making a difference. People can make a change by using social media and advocating for social issues on social media. People are also more likely to read things on social media rather than posters or billboards. Social media can also provide education about social issues. While people live in poverty. It is important also on how you use social media for activism like before talking about a social issue educating yourself informing people on proper information and looking at the right information on what is true rather than biased. The emotional climate and mood were everyone in the room was engaged and asked a lot of questions to the panelists. My experience during this event was that I was engaged and interested in what was being discussed. I liked how they promoted social media and how that can be used for advocating and making a change. What I learned is what activism means and how activism and social media can make a change. This impacts social media because there are benefits to what people can do on social media. I can use this experience as I continue my education to talk about social issues on social media. An NASW Code of Ethics this event relates to can be social justice because of the many social issues including social justice issues people can advocate and talk about and competence by effectively using social media and activism. I was impressed by how well I was educated by this event and how it helped me look at social media and activism in a way I did not think about before. Two links I can link this to learn from a class are poverty and public assistance issues were brought up as examples in the presentations. I would attend events like this again to educate myself more, to attend this event I felt like I was learning something.

Changing Hearts Criminal Justice Reform

On November 11, 2019, I attended the Changing Heart Criminal Justice Reform at free-way Ministries in Springfield Missouri. The speaker of this event was Mathew Charles. This event is part of the empowerment of criminal justice and the social issues that arise in the criminal justice system. Part of what they advocate for is life after prison and how to improve the social justice system. Mathew Charles was a criminal and spent time in prison. He went to prison for selling cocaine. He was sentenced longer than his term was supposed to be. What I have learned in class is that African Americans typically have longer sentences than other people who commit the same crime. During his prison term, he wanted to be better. He worked very hard to improve himself and eventually, he was released from prison while gaining a shorter sentence, after a while he was sent back. Part of what was changing in Mathew Charles during his prison term was growing close to God by holding bible studies and studying the word of God. He continues to advocate and help people who are coming out of prison and released back into the community. The social issue in this event is the diversity in the criminal justice system and how people aren’t treated equally such as longer sentences. Freeway Ministries is a sponsor of this event. The emotional and climate mood was people were engaged on this topic. Former people who were released from jail and prison were also there to support and ask questions to Mathew Charles. The behavior of this environment was a passion for change and criminal justice reform. My experience was I enjoyed the event and learning more about the criminal justice system What I learned is being aware of the social issues in the criminal justice system. Two things I can link to what I have learned in class are the documentary we watched about an African American boy who was involved in a robbery, and the second would be the Union criminal justice and that statistic shared in class. A NASW code of ethics I can apply to this event is social justice, I can use this event in further social work practice as working with clients knowing what fair and equal treatment looks like, or helping them find resources. I was impressed by what I learned by attending this event. This misaligned with my beliefs because I did not know that because of the ethnicity or culture, someone has there are higher prison term rates. I think it is completely wrong. I would attend this event again to continue my education. It felt like a learning experience to attend this event.

Conclusion

While I have attended all three events for social policy it has helped me learn more about the social issues in my community. Attending these events has also helped me understand social policy and how policy affects the community. It has been a good learning experience. All three things that affect policy education policy making, and advocacy help shape policy in making changes and resolving issues. This has had a significant impact on my learning.

Abstract— The purpose of this article is to highlight the importance of maintaining good public relation in a healthcare unit. The public has been broadly categorized into two categories- External as well as Internal. Gone are the days when a healthcare unit was only considered at the time when a disease would arise. Fortis Hospital Ludhiana has been chosen as the area of study so that the efforts that an organization banks upon to maintain good market image can come to the light. A healthcare unit is known for the services that it provides and to make sure that a certain healthcare unit is applauded in the market for the perfect execution of its services, many new initiatives are driven by the PR team to disseminate the news. Fortis Hospital Ludhiana is also one of those hospitals where Public Relation is one of the most successful pillars to carry the efforts across the nation. These programs are driven for the External Public, patients, employees, vendors and contractual workers, suppliers, financers, stakeholders as well as all other interest groups.

Introduction

Healthcare system in the recent times has faced a lot of competition. The evolution in the field of medicine and surgery has opened many new avenues for the healthcare units to explore and offer as an end product. A healthcare unit is known for the services that it provides and to make sure that a certain healthcare unit is applauded in the market for the perfect execution of its services, many new initiatives are driven by the PR team to disseminate the news. This PR team works in bridging the gap between the healthcare unit and the publics and at the same time makes sure to create a positive image of capabilities and services. When Fortis Hospital Ludhiana was observed then it came to light that this hospital is very much active in creating positive image with the help of its frequent PR activities.

There is no doubt in the fact that like any other corporate unit, Fortis Hospital Ludhiana also has an objective that PR team determines to fulfill. The strategies are planned accordingly and then the execution takes place in the pre-decided way. Many outcomes come to the light and those outcomes leave an everlasting impression in the mind of the society.

From written word to the final display of any seminar or campaign, every minute step is planned with an agenda of fulfilling the need of promoting the services and the refection of the same is present in every event that is organized. Fortis Hospital Ludhiana leaves no stone unturned to establish a good market image of the services under different departments. Once an activity is executed, the results are analyzed and the feedback is collected in the form of the response of the society and then the future events are planned. These events vary from a simple newspaper report to a campaign that is hold for the cancer specialists. Activities from Corporate Social Responsibility to Industry Social Responsibility are also a part of PR agenda. The support that is attained from other firms while promoting a particular set of services turns out to be beneficial for PR team in both real as well as monetary wise.

Now when it comes to promotion, the target audience is not only the outside customers but also the internal employees who are a main source of spreading a good word of mouth regarding Fortis Hospital Ludhiana. There are many programs as well as the activities that are planned weekly/monthly to make sure that the satisfaction level of the employees is suitable to execute proper services.

Defining public relations:

Public Relation, termed as a persuasive communication process, is a two-way procedure that ends up in generating goodwill, co-operation as well as understanding between the organization and the concerned public. Public Relation is all about the goodwill or reputation. It is the end result of what is being done or said by a corporate house and at the same time what is being said for it. There is no doubt in the fact that every business unit has to maintain and enrich a good relationship with the concerned public in order to make sure its longest survival in this era of cut throat competition. It is the duty of the PR official to establish a cordial relationship amongst the organization and stake holders.

This concept has been accepted by the scholars that Public Relation is the most powerful tool that helps an organization to bag the public image. At the same time, it is also true that in order to have good Public Relations each organization has to believe in fair dealings. Effective Public Relations not only serve an organization in the terms of advertising its services but it also plays an impactful role to eliminate the doubts in the minds of people attached to it at the time of crises. In order to advertise a good corporate picture, Public Relations act as a mediator between the service providers as well as the concerned public.

In order to make Public Relations successful, media plays an important role as “they form a tactical approachable to influence the opinions of others and change their behaviour and creating new channels and opportunities for sale” (Alhadid & Qaddomi, 2016). Every corporate house adopts a strategy to mark a clean, good and clear picture in the market. And the strategy that is highly recommended is that “besides all aspects of communication activities (management communication, marketing communication and different concepts of organization communications) , PR strategy has the greatest influence on companies’ image” (Senija & Denar, 2015). This whole process starts when the Public Relation Officer is hired whose main aim is to improve the “vision of organizations to customers with regard to improving the mental image towards the clients, but many of those with existing allocated for Public Relations tasks are not doing their duties well, as they do not establish a strategic vision” (Alhadid & Qaddomi, 2016). At the same time, “the organization’s strategic plan should consider incorporating social responsibilities and sensitivity to diversity issues in an effort to boost organizational branding efforts” is also kept in the mind (Rivero & Theodore, 2014).

“With the formation of the internal and external image of the institution, its products and services are demanded more”(Selin, 2017) and it is also observed that more people inclined to be the workforce of that particular business house. Especially, if a firm is indulged in providing services than it becomes all the more important to establish a good image in the market so that more people could get attracted towards the corporate house.

Public relations in health care:

Whenever a person suffers from a disease then the first thing that comes to mind is to visit a heath care unit. Each unit has a plan to treat a disease that is executed by the team of physicians and doctors as well as other staff. Today, when there are numerous hospitals that are claiming to provide the best patient care there has been a certain level of competition that has ignited the revolution to leave a good impression on the target groups. This hunger to strive for a good market image has been the tool to ensure the survival of a hospital. This positive image can only be achieved when a healthcare unit has established good public relation services.

It was in Year 1970 that the importance of Public Relations in healthcare care sector achieved the limelight. Before that healthcare sector was assumed to be having a bridge between the service providers and service utilizers. Medicine has always been a profession that offers life, death and also strives for recovery. The frequent evolution of the health systems and the need of bridging the communication gap between the client (the sufferer) and suppliers (who provides cure to the suffering) have made Public Relation a need of the hour in healthcare system.

Each hospital has Internal and External Public that allows the smooth functioning of PR department. The Internal Public is broadly categorized into patients, doctors, physicians, nurses, administrative staff, as well as the families of the patients. The External Public is the combination of media and belief makers, government organizations and surroundings. (A) A good public relation department in a healthcare unit always keeps every level of public on the same page in order to make them aware of the good practices that are executed by the healthcare unit. At the same time, several activities on each level of public is driven so that a strong bond can be created in order to ensure a better market image.

Objective:

The objective of this study is to establish the understanding about the different kind of activities that are driven by the PR department of the healthcare unit. These activities are the information provider about the hospital to the external as well as Internal Public and thus lead to different level of results.

Research methodology:

The researcher has tried to present the study about the importance of PR activities in a healthcare unit. Fortis Hospital Ludhiana has been taken as the area of study and the PR activities took place there have been served as the main resource of study for this particular research.

The research has also taken place with the literature review of research papers, books, articles and blogs.

Key findings:

Fortis Hospital Ludhiana religiously believes into the fact that a good company image is the tool that gives an entity an extra edge even if the competition is very high. This involves maintaining good relation with internal and External Public and for that PR department at Fortis Hospital Ludhiana makes frequent efforts.

The in-house website of the healthcare unit, Facebook updates, in-house journals, newspaper press releases are the sources that can easily be cited to refer back these events.

Activities for internal public:

Doctors, Physicians, nursing staff, vendors, contractual workers and administrative department play an important role in a Hospital. Fortis Hospital Ludhiana leaves no stone unturned to ensure their frequent growth and mental satisfaction.

Programs such as Empathy Building- Walk into their Shoes- Reflecting Empathy, Grooming, Learning Forums and Service Excellence are held frequently to ensure the regular growth of the employees.

Apart from participation in different programs, awards and appreciations are also distributed to highlighted the talented employees and motivate others. Fortis Hospital Ludhiana also believes in celebrations and thus birthdays, occasions and festivals are celebrated to make sure that employees are enjoying coming to hospital every day.

Patients and their families are the vital part of Internal Public. Right from filling up the admission form at the reception to the time of their discharge, they are given treatment in such a way that they may take the feel of being important. For this, Patient Experience Department collects feedback from the patients time to time and submits that to the PR department that eventually is served as the yardstick for improvement.

Patient’s First and LEAP- (Listen, Empathize, Apologize and Problem Solving) are the names of such programs that are organized by PR department in association with Training Department of Fortis Hospital Ludhiana.

These activities emphasis the fact that the patients and their attendants are always on the top when it comes to provide services.

Activities for external public:

In order to promote the community relations and ensure smooth public affairs, a campaign SEWA was driven by Fortis Hospital Ludhiana during the time of demonetization in year 2016. People queued outside the banks and ATM’s were offered water and food as a community service relation activity.

Industry Social Responsibility is also one of the many PR driven activities. In this aspect, Fortis Hospital Ludhiana has successfully executed many sessions of empathy building on nursing care and common first aid acts. Many upcoming educational institutes have been visited to deliver guest lectures that in return have resulted into the generation of good word of mouth.

A Ray of Hope: The event Ray of Hope turned out to be a milestone where Liza Ray was invited as the Chief Guest to address the cancer patients. The message went out so well that the cancer patients turned out very positive. This event happened to bridge a gap between the public who struggles due to cancer and made them connected to the hope. Fortis Hospital Ludhiana tried to establish a direct connect with the cancer patients through this particular event by providing an assurance to them that they will be treated with utmost empathy.