Licensure and Certification Requirements in the State of Florida Essay Example for Free

Licensure and Certification Requirements in the State of Florida Essay [emailprotected]: Dr. Darlene DanekerAbstract This paper will discuss the licensure and certification requirements for the state of Florida for mental health counselors. It will discuss whether a mental health counselor needs to; hold a license, credential, certification, or some other designation to practice independently as a professional counselor, it will define the laws that regulate and impact the credentialing, certification, and/or licensing of counseling professionals working within mental health counseling, and it will discuss three key content areas that are included in your state laws as they relate to professionals in mental health counseling. Licensure and Certification Requirements in the State of Florida for Mental Health Counselors This paper will discuss the licensure and certification requirements for the state of Florida for mental health counselors. It will discuss whether a mental health counselor needs to; hold a license, credential, certification, or some other designation to practice independently as a professional counselor, it will define the laws that regulate and impact the credentialing, certification, and/or licensing of counseling professionals working within mental health counseling and it will discuss key content areas of; educational requirements, fieldwork and supervision requirements, licensure requirements, specific required examination requirements, and continuing education that are included in Florida state laws as they relate to professionals in mental health counseling. In order to practice mental health counseling in the state of Florida it is a requirement to hold a license for mental health counseling In order to receive such license one must have completed the application for mental health counselor, taken, and passed the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Examination. However, before endeavoring  on the path of licensure one must also have taken required courses within their graduate program which include (1) Counseling Theories and Practice, (2) Human Growth and Development, (3) Diagnosis and Treatment of Psychopathology, (4) Human Sexuality, (5) Group Theories and Practice, (6) Individual Evaluation and Assessment, (7) Career and Lifestyle Assessment, (8) Research and Program Evaluation, (9) Social and Cultural Foundations, (10) Counseling in Community Settings, (11) Substance Abuse, and (12) Legal, Ethical, and Professional Standards Issues. In addition, the graduate program for which one hales from must be accredited by the Council for the Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP); carrying a minimum of sixty semester hours in the areas listed above or a minimum of eighty quarter hours of clinical and didactic instruction, including a course in human sexuality and substance abuse CITATION Flo131 \l 1033 (Department, 2013). Fieldwork and supervision are also a requirement of the laws in order to be licensed in Florida; one must have the â€Å"equivalent of at least 1,000 hours of university-sponsored supervised clinical practicum, internship, or field experience as required in the standards for CACREP accredited mental health counseling programs† CITATION Flo131 \l 1033 (Department, 2013). The state of Florida strictly follows the CACREP accreditation practices for licensure acceptance. In addition, the requirement for two years of post-master’s supervised experienced under the supervision of a licensed mental health counselor or equivalent who is deemed qualified by the Florida Board of Professional Regulations and the â€Å"supervision experience must have consisted of at least 1,500 hours providing psychotherapy face-to-face with clients for the profession for which licensure is sought† CITATION Flo131 \l 1033 (Department, 2013). Finally, the applicant must pass the national clinical mental health counseling examination (NCMHCE) developed by the National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC), and complete an eight-hour laws and rules course from an approved provider, complete a two-hour prevention of medical errors course from an approved provider, complete a three-hour course on human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome within six months of licensure, and complete a two hour domestic violence course from a board approved provider within six months of licensure. The state of  Florida requires its licensed Mental Health Counselors to continue their education on a bi-yearly basis. In order to follow this guideline one must; Licensees must complete 30 hours of approved continuing education (CE) within the two year licensure period (biennium) to include the following: a two hour course relating to prevention of medical errors, a three hour course in ethics and boundary issues, a two h ours of CE on domestic violence must be completed every third biennial licensure renewal period. These two hours shall be part of the 30 hours otherwise required for each biennial licensure renewal, and may be taken at any time during the six years preceding the renewal for the biennial in which the credit is due CITATION Flo132 \l 1033 (Statue, 2013). In order to remain current in all aspects of licensure requirements one must know their renewal date, know their biennial date and the clear and precise steps to timely complete the process in which one is expected. Florida offers a concierge system to track continuing education mandated courses. Utilizing this and an organizational calendar will allow one to keep up with their requirements. Staying apprised of legislation through the state of Florida medical quality assurance website will allow one to be updated as well as sign up for emails that will trigger one to review new laws and legislation regarding their licensure. References BIBLIOGRAPHY \l 1033 Department, F. H. (2013, August 24). To be licensed as a Mental Health Counselor in Florida. Tallahassee, Florida, United States. Florida, C. (2013, July 20). Clinical Social Work, Marriage Family Therapy Mental Health Counseling Statutes and Rules. Retrieved from Florida Department of Health: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/mqa/491/soc_statutes.html Statue, F. (2013, August 24). Continuing Education. Tallahassee, Florida, United States http://doh.state.fl.us/mqa/continuingeducation/ce_licenseeinfo.html.

The Hawthrone Studies And Their Implications

The Hawthrone Studies And Their Implications According to Hucyznski and Buchanan, In the United States, during the 1920s and 1930s, the Hawthorne studies were to lead to the creation of the human relations movement and a highly influential school of academic and practical management thinking. The Hawthorne studies revolutionised the way in which the management of an organization deals with its human resources and the relationship between the different levels of the human resource chain. The Human Relations Movement originated in the United States of America and was the outcome of the Hawthrone Studies. The Movement and its basic theories were developed primarily by Elton Mayo. These experiments were conducted in the Western Electric Hawthrone Works in Chicago from the early 1920s to the 1930s. The Hawthorne Studies involved the examination and measurement of the affect of physical working conditions such as lighting, humidity, cleanliness, etc. and psychological factors such as managerial leadership, payment systems, working hours and respites between work on the output and productivity of the workers and on employee motivation. The most significant discovery from the Hawthorne experiments was that workers were not so much impacted by physical working conditions and remunerations, or by changes thereof, than they were by the very fact that they were being observed. When workers became aware that they were being supervised, they felt that they were an imperative part of the organization. They felt the need to perform better. This raised employee morale and motivation and in turn increased employee productivity. Thus, the term Hawthorne Effect was coined and used widely to denote the improvement or modification of the behaviour of a subject under study due to the fact that it was being studied. Subsequent studies that were conducted revealed that informal groups and informal social conventions within the organisation played an important role in determining the work habits and opinions of the workers along with the organisation and conduct of work. Course of the Experiments Changes in Lighting: The initial step in the experiments was the gauging of worker productivity against changes in the intensity of lighting conditions. Two groups were selected, lighting being changed for one, but kept constant for the other. However both groups were under the impression that lighting was changed. Mayo observed that output rose in both cases. Relay Assembly: This was the most crucial aspect of the experiments. These were conducted mainly on a small group of six women to test their responses to certain changes, over a period of five years. First, Mayo attempted to find a correlation between fatigue and monotony and productivity. Changes were made in the work hours, break timings, lunch timings, piece works and physical conditions to assess the workers responses to each. Next, a group was employed in assembling relays. The effect of changes was evaluated to see how these changes influenced the production and rate of relay assembly. Throughout the experiments an observer or supervisor was made to record the events and incidents, to direct the women and provide help and information where needed and to listen to their feedbacks and complaints. The most startling observation that was made during these experiments was that the output reached the maximum point when all the incentives, breaks and piece works were taken away from the workers and they were returned to working 48 hour six day weeks. This defied the notion that physical, economic and material benefits affect productivity to the highest degree. Here social factors were at play. The women worked sincerely and to the best of their abilities as a result of being free from any type of coercion. The sense of importance they were endowed with urged them to improve performance. The women under investigation were given the liberty to choose their own techniques of putting the relay parts together. It was noticed that each of them followed different patterns and introduced innovative techniques to avoid monotony. The freedom of movement accorded to the women encouraged them to work responsibly, without inhibitions and incited them to execute tasks in an enhanced manner. Interviews: Interviews were conducted with the workers to establish their attitude towards their work. It was uncovered that the relationships that existed between the workers and their supervisors and management were highly significant. Bank Wiring Observation Room: A sample of 14 workers were taken from the production line and observed for six months. No changes in working conditions were implemented. It was noticed that workers developed their own procedures and methods to protect their interests. Production was constant, even after changes in compensation. Counselling: Counselling sessions were held to discern the problems and complaints of workers towards their jobs. Inferences The results of the experiments led Mayo to draw the following conclusions: Work is a group activity. Workers should be considered a part of the group, but also as individuals. The status of the worker within the group, the recognition of his work and a sense of belonging impacts his productivity more than working conditions or pay scales. Workers are motivated by the attention and importance given to them by their supervisors. The relationship of the worker with his superiors and with the management was imperative to his performance and efficiency. Social and emotional factors play a vital part in determining productivity of workers. The workplace is a social system and the workers are influenced by internal and external social demands. Informal groups within an organisation have a strong bearing on the attitudes and behaviour of the workers. Group cooperation needs to be planned and cultivated. According to Wilson and Rosenfeld, George Elton Mayo stressed the following: Natural groups, in which social aspects take precedence over functional organizational structures. Upwards communication, by which communication is two way, from worker to chief executive, as well as vice versa. Cohesive and good leadership is needed to communicate goals and to ensure effective and coherent decision making. Thus, Elton Mayo looked at the organisation of work from a totally new perspective. He stressed on the social, rather than technical organisation of work. The inferences made by Elton Mayo led to the development of the Human Relations Movement. The implications of Mayos perspectives on modern day organisations are immense. The propositions laid down by Mayo were radical and changed the way in which organisations view their workers and their productive capacities. Mayos suggestions are the premise of human relations and their management in various organisations, even today. Importance of Human Relations Movement for Todays Organisations Mayo and his ideas have made organisations recognise the fact that apart from monetary and material rewards, social satisfaction and a sense of belonging is also important for the workers of the company. In order to guarantee that a worker will perform to the best of his ability, not only his economic but also emotional and social needs must be taken into account. Companies integrate the propositions of Elton Mayo and the Human Relations Movement perspective into their human resource management techniques by recognising the workers need for acknowledgement. As observed, workers tend to be more productive when they feel that they are an integral part of a group or the organisation and when their work is appreciated. The management of modern day organisations involves these perspectives to motivate employees and boost their morale. When an employee senses that the organisation is taking an interest in him, he will be motivated to enhance the execution of his tasks. Workers also perform better when there is internal stimulus, from within the working group rather than when there is pressure from management. Thus, the management must ensure that too much pressure or control is not placed on the worker. Instead group dynamics should be studied and control should be accorded to each group correspondingly. The propositions, laid down by Mayo have also taught organisations the importance of relationships. By maintaining healthy and positive relations with the workers and strengthening the relations at each level of the organisation, the management can further augment employee motivation, satisfaction and productivity. Mistrust or animosity should not be allowed to develop between the workers and their superiors. Communication is also an essential aspect of keeping a worker motivated. There ought to be adequate two-way communication between supervisors and workers. Instructions should be properly and unambiguously given to the employees. Further, employees feedback should be given due recognition. Their problems, complaints and suggestions should be heard and taken into consideration. Mayos suggestions also help organisations comprehend the importance of teams in the workplace. Groups and their functioning play a crucial role in the operation of the organisations. The integration of group or team goals with the goals of the company can aid the latter in ensuring greater efficiency. Freedom of movement should be conferred on the workers as it has been perceived that workers tend to do better when they have the independence to function according to their own methods and techniques. Thus, the Hawthrone Studies and the Human Relations Movement, spearheaded by Elton Mayo have made remarkable contributions to the administration and management of the human resources of an organisation. Since then, there have many developments in this field. Nonetheless, even modern day organisations choose to consider and implement Mayos notions and perspectives when dealing with the organisation of work and management of workers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Relations_Movement

Tuberculosis :: Health, Diseases

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infection that can attack any part of the body, but it is normally found in the lungs (Huether, McCance, Brashers and Rote, 2008,). TB is an infection caused by a acid-fast bacillus also know as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Huether et al. 2008) It is one of the leading causes of death in Asia, China, Indian, Indonesia and Pakistan (Huether et al. 2008). These countries show that in most cases the incidence rate is highest in young adults, and are usually the result from re-infection in recent infections. The spread of TB is attributed to the emigration of infected people from high-prevalent countries, substance abuse, poverty, transmission in crowd places, and the lack of proper medical care for the infected individuals (Huether et al. 2008). Tuberculosis is transmitted from person to person through airborne droplets, when a person that is infected with TB coughs, sneezes, talks, and/or sings letting tiny droplet to be released into the air(Bare, Smeltzer, Hinkle, and Cheever, 2008). TB cannot be spread through touching inanimate objects, food, or drinks (Bare et al. 2008). The person must be in the same area an affected individual is in and inspirate the droplets to be affected. Once the bacillus is inspired into the lungs, the bacilli start to multiply causing lung inflammation also known as nonspecific pneumontis (Huether et al. 2008). To cause an immune response the bacilli will travel through lymphatic system and become lodged in the lymph nodes (Huether et al. 2008). Lung inflammation causes the activation of the alveolar macrophages and neutrophils (Huether et al. 2008). Granulomas, new tissue masses of live and dead bacilli, are surrounded by macrophages, which form a protective wall. They then transform into a fi brous tissue mass, the central portion is called a ghon tubercle (Bare et al. 2008). The bacterial then necrotic, forming a cheesy mass, this mass may become calcified and form a collagenous scar (Bare et al. 2008). At this point, the bacteria becomes dormant and there is no further progression of the active disease. The disease can become active again by re-infection or activation of the dormant bacteria (Bare et al. 2008). TB can be classified as latent or active (Bare et al. 2008). TB that is a latent is bacilli that are isolated with a tubercle can remain, dormant, causing no symptoms. Active TB occurs when live bacilli escape into the bronchi or if the immune system is weaken by diseases such as HIV or Cancer (Bare et al.

The marketing mix is a marketing tool. It is a checklist, which focuses

The marketing mix is a marketing tool. It is a checklist, which focuses attention on the main marketing activities in which a firm needs to carry out UNIT 9 – MARKETING MIX The marketing mix is a marketing tool. It is a checklist, which focuses attention on the main marketing activities in which a firm needs to carry out its marketing strategy. It consists of the four Ps (product, price, promotion and place). Â · Product (including range of pack sizes, flavours and colours) Â · Price (pricing strategy and pricing method) Â · Promotion (branding, advertising, packaging and sales promotion) Â · Place (distribution channels and seeking shop distribution) Managers look at these areas and decide what marketing actions need to taken. For effective marketing each area needs to be considered. The actions taken must work with each other. A successful mix will achieve marketing objectives and customer satisfaction. The most important element of the mix is the product. Good marketing means developing products that fit the market. It needs to be designed to meet requirements of the target market, which is probably achieved by extensive market research. The design must keep pace with market changes. Once the product has been chosen, the other elements of the mix become clear: The price must be suited to the target market and to the image of the product The promotion must be through the media that the target market watch or read The place should be the ...

Essay --

Anthony L. Smith Instructor Cook English IV 11 November 2013 The Nuances of the Black Plague Imagine half of a continent dying seemingly without reason, all within two years. The devastation caused on families would be unbearable. This is exactly what happened just 700 years ago in Europe. Probably the darkest, most devastating catastrophe in that century, and yet, the cause of deaths remains a question. One ‘thing’ has been confirmed; the deaths were caused by a plague. Three strands of the plague were Pneumonic, Bubonic, and the Septicemic. All three included similar symptoms, such as fever and chills; however, distinct symptoms also were noted. In Pneumonic, people experienced bloody sputum and difficulty breathing, whereas the Septicemic plague caused death of tissue in finger tips and in the nose. The Bubonic plague, the focus of this research paper, was the most popular strain of the plague. This strain caused swollen lymph nodes and buboes under the arms and around the groin area. The Plague was airborne, spread by rat bites, and by flea bites. All three of these strains were very painful. The Black plague was a major epidemic from 1348-1350, but it remained a threat until the 1666 London fire. Over 50 million Europeans were affected by this deadly disease, which ignited the rising of inflation, urban and peasant immorality, and challenges to the authorities of the Church. Different theories of contracting the disease brought several twists to this era. The Black plague is commonly believed to have started in Central Asia in the early 1300s. The plague is believed to have been brought to Europe on in October of 1347 when 12 ships docked in Sicily. On the ships were dead and sickly sailors who had the plague. Sicilian citiz... ...ls. They admitted to doing it thinking they would be left alone, but they and a lot of their community were murdered because of it. People began to doubt God and do things their own way. They became frustrated with questions as to why God would let this happen. As the death toll from the plague became higher and higher, people became really sad and depressed from losing friends and loved ones. As jobs were more available after the start of the plague, people began to make more money, but food and taxes also became more expensive. As prices rose, so did the peasants tempers. Violence was not uncommon in European towns and cities. Revolts were a way to release stress. The plague became an epidemic again in 1665, and killed about 100,000 people in that summer. In 1666 the London fire helped to suppress the plague to the point where it did not spread like it did before.

China’s Compliance with its obligations under GATT and WTO

The history of China and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) dates back to 1948, when China became a contracting party after being among the 23 founding members of the organization. In 1950 however, the country under the Kuomintang government pulled out of GATT, but was later granted an observer status in 1982 after pleading that the pull-out was not done by a legitimate government. By 1986, China’s persistence to resume its position in GATT set a platform for talks with other member countries, which continued throughout the 1990’s. The country only managed to regain its membership in 1999 and joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001. By Joining WTO, China agreed to be bound by Subsidies and Countervailing Measures Agreement (SCM), GATT and Trade-Related Investment Measures Agreement (TRIMs) trade agreements. The entrance of China to the WTO was of great importance not only to the country, but to other world economies, which had observed the economic expansion of the country with heightened interests in the past decades. In 2000 for example, China was the world’s eighth largest importer and the seventh largest exporter of goods. The country accounted for $249. 2 billion in exports and $225. 1 billion in imports. In the commercial services sector China ranked twelfth in position at $ 29. 7 billion, while it was it was ranked as the tenth largest importer at $34. 8 billion (WTO news ). It was not however smooth sailing for the country and the other WTO signatories mainly because China is enormous in size and had a set trade regime by the time it joined WTO. As such, a change of the country’s legal and regulatory system in trade was required in order to ensure consistency with the WTO regulations. Although most countries supported the entrant of China to WTO, many observed that compliance for the country would not only need dedication, but also transparency. Sentiments regarding the hard task ahead for China were for example expressed by the United States’ Trade Representative, Mr. Robert Zoellick in 2002 , who said that since China had freely chosen its WTO obligations freely, other countries expected that the country would comply with all. Zoellick however agreed that meeting some of the obligations would not be easy for China, but would play a major role in ensuring that China was open to trade with the rest of the world. CHINA’S WTO OBLIGATIONS China took up obligations laid down in GATT, under the WTO by agreeing to non-discriminate and equally treat national trade from WTO member countries and also agreed to a adhere to the national trade policies as set out by WTO. First on China’s list of obligations under GATT/WTO, was the quota’s withdrawal requirement as earlier stated by the People’s Republic of China, under a protocol document. The country was also obligated to conform to the GATT 1994 agreement and the WTO agreement that addressed procedures involved in import licensing. Another obligation was the right to have enterprises in China trading in exports and imports as authorized under the customs territory of China. As such, China agreed to wipe out state import monopolies earlier maintained in the agricultural sector. In addition, china was required to subject all its imports and exports to rules set out under the WTO. More to this, the country was also subject to varying terms regarding price control restrictions and state trading (Vallera pp 2-3) GATT obligations included the prohibition of restrictions on imports specifically agriculture related imports. Another requirement under the GATT agreement related to giving imported goods equal treatment with the domestic products. In addition, the GATT agreement spelt out that fees or charges imposed on imports would be approximate to services rendered (Williams, Brett p 3) GATT Requirements GATT was a brain child of the United States, which first floated the idea of regulating 45,000 tariff rates in 1947 during an international conference held in Geneva (econ. iastate. du) . A year later, 22 other countries signed the trade agreement. Under GATT, a member country was to treat other signatory countries as a â€Å"Most Favored Nation† (MFN). The MFN treatment assured GATT member countries that non signatory countries would not receive lower tariffs than them. China was at war during the early years of the implementation of GATT, the discussions to rejoin GATT , which started in the 1980’s was further curtailed by the Tiananmen announcement , which marked halted Chinese interaction with the GATT member countries in 1989 (Skanderup p32) . On resumption of the talks in 1995, WTO had taken over from GATT and with the new identity came stricter requirements, which often led to stalemates of the negotiations. It was however, china’s realization of economic gains in terms of expertise, technology and capital gains from other countries that eventually convinced the country leaders of the importance of joining GATT/WTO. China was petitioning to be recognized as a developing country upon resumption to GATT/WTO. This was rightfully so because despite China being the largest economy among the developing countries, most regions in the country still registered very low GDP. Being recognized as a developing country allowed the country to enjoy special benefits under the agreement. Such included the elimination or reduction of tariffs on products from the developing countries; developed countries were also encouraged to avoid imposing tariffs and internal taxes on products from the developing countries. More so, the developed countries were alerted not to expect reciprocal trade from the developing countries (econ. iastate. edu). Compliance with WTO By the time that China was re-admitted to the WTO, the organization had 140 countries signed up for membership. The Bilateral agreement between china and the other member countries was therefore complex and long, such that the entire document was 900 pages and covered every aspect of trade as discussed. It was a consensus that China would implement some of the agreements in the 900 page document immediately, while others would be stretched over a five year period. Others still w ere expected to last the entire decade before China could finally reform its system entirely to match the compliance requirements. To aid the Chinese government in this, a WTO secretariat was appointed, with an assisting 16 subcommittees being mandated at monitoring the country’s progress and producing annual reports about China over an 8 year period of time (Skanderup, Jane p32). On its part, the Chinese government took up massive public education campaigns that sought to offer insight on what compliance meant. Local universities started offering degrees on international law, finance, foreign trades and trade. By the look of it, China had every intention to stick to the rule of WTO. Foreign governments, such as the United States government extended a helping hand and offered to create oversight bodies in Chinese state departments with an aim of ensuring that China complied with the WTO agreement. Transparency China did not always operate transparently in its trade dealings, regulations and decision making. As such, the WTO requirement signified a great shift in the country and so far, the country has done well in compliance with the GATT/WTO requirement’s on transparency. In this, China publicized trade related laws to improve how people accessed them. The most notable efforts were from the Ministry of Commerce, which adopted impressive policies with the aim of complying to the WTO transparency requirements (United States Trade Representative). However, there were complaints that China was not fast enough in its compliance. This was especially the case with short term goals that were supposed to be met within the first two years. In a 2004 review, it was noted that China had challenges with conforming to transparent practices especially with international set standards and value-added tax. In the six year period ending in 2007, China had eight dispute cases filed against it by other WTO members (Stewart et al p7) . Five of these cases were by the United States, while the European Union, Mexico and Canada had one case each. The eight cases were based on china’s non-compliance on Value added Tax, automobile imports, tax reductions and exemptions, trading rights, distribution services and intellectual rights on publication and audiovisual. The Transitional Review Mechanism is in charge of monitoring China’s progress and has raised these issues. Because of non-compliance, foreign and domestic business suffers frustrations when establishing businesses and often suffers from systemic uncertainties. Because of the language barrier, China still under the transparency requirement agreed to translate laws and regulations relating to trade into French, English or Spanish. The country also agreed to modify hundreds of its laws and regulations in order to become WTO compliant (USTR. gov) China also agreed to eliminate the local content requirement, foreign currency balancing requirement and export performance requirements from its laws. Allegations that China still manipulates its currency to date however abound. Intellectual Property rights China has been accused of not doing enough to ensure that the intellectual property rights are upheld in the country. Since joining the WTO, a 2007 TLAG report states that IPR infringement was at its worst in 2005 and 2006. To make it even worse, the report indicates that China had demonstrated no initiatives in trying to reform the criminal code in the country, which is the only way through which the country can enforce the protection of the intellectual properties (Stewart et al p11). Industrial policies China’s industrialized policies have always sought to protect local industries. This was meant to change after the ratification of the WTO agreement. However, complaints from other countries still abound pertaining to china’s protectionism measures over its auto part industry, export restrictions, regulatory interventions and subsidies on domestic industries. Subsidies China agreed to eliminate subsidies on exports and industrial goods. This was done under the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM), China further agreed to stop subsidies on state-owned enterprises especially because some of the state owned companies were not profitable and only aided in destabilizing trade. The SCM agreement only prohibited subsidies on a limited range of products, and imposed countervailing duties. Such compliance encouraged Chinese industries to become more competitive especially because they were exposed to market pressures from foreign investors. Discriminatory Safeguard By acceding to the safeguard agreement China agreed to steer clear of WTO inconsistent tariffs and quotas, except those allowed by the organization on temporary measures. Under this agreement, non-compliance by China would earn her penalties that would see other WTO members imposing tariffs and Quotas on Chinese products, while denying China the ability to counter such actions (Halverson, Karen). Trading and Distribution rights China has scored fairly well in this front. However, the complaints from other member countries allege that the country still impose restrictions to specific products. Among the cases highlighted are import restrictions on copyrighted materials such as periodicals, books, audio and audio-visual products. The 2007 TLAG report indicates that China is yet to fully comply with the direct selling requirement since it still restricts direct sales from foreign companies (Stewart et al p12). Agriculture China has largely complied with the agricultural requirements but this depends on the market situation. At times, the country employs selective market interventions that cause delays in agricultural shipments. In addition, the country sometimes applies scientific rationales with the intention of preventing some agricultural commodities from entering her market. Other complaints allude that China lacks a consistent and predictable regulatory administration, which is laden with capricious practices in the customs departments. The Chinese agricultural market also lacks predictability and transparency. China’s agriculture obligations included her commitment to avoid providing export subsidies to the domestic producers. China also was obligated to lift the meat, citrus products, corn and wheat bans. The country further had to implement some tariff –rate quotas that world provide sufficient market to farmers from signatory countries. Services- Arguably, this is among the sectors where China has scored the least points as far as compliance to the WTO commitments is concerned. Despite the initial promises made under the general Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), China is yet to lift some of its restrictions in the services sector. As such, other countries still experience limited access to the Chinese services industry. Areas of concern between 2001 and 2004 remained the financial sub-sectors (insurance and banking), in a 2007report however, the United States lauded Chinas efforts to comply with the obligations (USCBC) . It confirmed that China has indeed complied with the insurance requirements by lowering the total assets to $200 million down from the earlier requirement of $300 million on foreign insurers. In the banking sector, the USCBC report further indicates that China has lifted geographic barriers earlier set on its local currency, which mad business challenging for foreign based financial institutions. China also allowed her nations to freely choose among foreign or domestic owned financial institutions. In addition, the country removed restrictions that hindered ownership and operations of financial institutions thus allowing more foreign owners to invest in the industry. Telecommunication sector was however dragging behind, with the report stating that although China had committed itself to lift geographic limitations on data services and mobile voice for joint ventures, China was yet to draft regulations on how to meet that commitment. Another requirement on the telecom sector yet to be met by China is her commitment to expand the geographical capacity of domestic owned telecom services by raising foreign ownership to 35 percent. The engineering, architectural and urban planning requirements were however met between 2003 and 2007 and foreign owned enterprises can now take part in integrated engineering, planning and architecture without the requirement of domestic partnerships. The country is also yet to fully comply with WTO requirements set on the express delivery sub sector (Stewart et al p13). Foreign owned enterprises can operate in courier services but restrictions on the scope of business that such enterprises can engage in still exist. Obtaining licenses for the foreign based firms remains a big challenge for many. China’s obligation in allowing foreign firms to operate in freight inspection and testing services were yet to be met in 2007 as their were restrictions on the scope of business that a foreign firm could engage in. In a 2005-2006 US-China Business Council’s (USCBC) report, China is said to have complied with the advertising requirements, which allowed foreign-owned enterprises to invest in advertising companies. China met this requirement in 2005 through the country’s ministry of Commerce Foreign owned business own and operate hotel and restaurant business in China, but have to abide by set regulations. In this sub-sector, China is yet to comply with the WTO requirements since foreign-owned enterprises are restricted on the amount of air cargo space they can book (USCBC). Tariff Reductions China agreed to reduce its tariffs on agriculture products to 15 percent, with average tariff level for industrial goods being set at 8. 9 percent. Tariff reduction obligations were scheduled for immediate, short term and long-term implementation. Trading Rights Trading rights are two way under the WTO agreement. They include the rights to I) other WTO member countries importing products and services to china, and ii) China exporting its domestic products to other WTO countries. In 2004, China enforced trading rights process that ensured that foreign nationals registering businesses in the country did so without any hindrances. This was a step that was lauded by many signatory countries, most notably the United States. However, some deficiencies in trading rights still existed. Such included commitments on pharmaceutical and books importations. Another deficiency noted in China’s compliance to the WTO trading rights requirement was the lack of liberalization of agreed trading rights. Such includes wholesaling services, retail services, franchising services, agent’s services and other related services. By 2004, China was yet to open its markets to allow foreign investors to practice direct sales or off-location sales. Among the notable compliances in the trading rights requirements was china allowing importers and exporters to conduct their businesses directly, without using middle men. Tourism In 2004, China took the first steps to complying with the WTO in the tourism sector by allowing foreign based firms to acquire joint ventures in China. It was expected that by December 2007, wholly foreign-based enterprises would be able to operate in the Chinese tourism industry. It was also expected that all branch restrictions, registered capital restrictions and geographical barriers would be lifted. The WTO requirements for China in the Tourism Industry were initially meant for Xi’an, Shaanxi, Shangai, Guangzhou and Beijing regions. In a 2004 report to Congress, the US lauded China’s progress in complying with the tourism, professional, education and environmental services (United States Trade Representative ) . CONCLUSION China’s compliance and non-compliance is widely a matter of government and industry protectionism. Whereas the private sector players may intentionally avoid adhering to the WTO rules, the government, which has the capacity to press the private industry players towards compliance does not apply the necessary internal pressure required to move the players. The spirit of WTO agreement that China exhibited on its entry to the WTO was already running out in the third year of implementation. Other issues that arise in the only communist country as it puts up measures that ensures compliance to WTO is the fear of the China Communist Party of loosing national support. This is especially likely because the income inequalities in China are on a steep incline, something that the locals blame on the market reforms under WTO and the expanded private sector (Halverson, Karen) Overall, China has received mixed rating for its compliance levels of the WTO requirements. The United States is among the biggest bilateral trader whose public holds mixed reactions on the role of China’s trade to the US under WTO. Some of the notable complaints from US investors include China’s continued protection of its steel and auto producers. Other claims allege that China uses her tax system to discriminate particular imports. Some export regulations in China also contravene the WTO requirements. Such include restrictions placed on raw materials, thus driving up production costs. Foreigners claim this is discriminatory since foreign investor’s ends up producing at higher costs, while the Chinese nationals operate at lower costs thus giving the former a market advantage. Eight years later after China joined the WTO; many member countries agree that it is the high time that the country took accountability for its obligations. This is especially so because most of its requirements were meant for accomplishment in the first five years. The United States is one such country, which is pursuing dialogue, dispute settlement mechanisms, legal action or a combination of all in order to ensure that China complies.

Carrefour

France's Carrefour relies on the key strengths of supplier contacts and customer knowledge when developing and implementing marketing strategy. Carrefour has ‚Â ¬108 billion in yearly turnover and operates 1,530 hypermarkets, supermarkets, discount stores and convenience stores in 33 countries. Even though retailing is an intensely competitive industry, Carrefour's marketers have used these global strengths to great advantage when preparing marketing plans to address various opportunities and threats in Europe, Latin America and Asia.For example, a few months after Carrefour moved its global sourcing office to Thailand, executives became aware that local farmers were producing a surplus of fruits such as durian and mangosteens. In the past, these fruits had sold well in the 34 Thai Carrefour stores as well as in the chain's outlets in Taiwan, China and Indonesia. Identifying this as a marketing opportunity, Carrefour's marketing director in Thailand arranged to buy hundreds of additional tonnes of local fruits and created a plan to encourage he European stores to stock the fruits as a taste of Thailand at an attractive price.Depending on the country, as much as 90-95 per cent of merchandise stocked in Carrefour stores is purchased from local suppliers. The purpose is to make the most of the opportunity by establishing mutually beneficial connections with local suppliers for the long term. When Carrefour's marketers analyze the internal environment, they examine the results of previous marketing programmes across the entire chain and in individual stores. They have grouped the customer base of 14 illion households worldwide into 60,000 customer segments for more relevant marketing attention.With deep analysis, they can target more precisely and measure the return on investment for each programme in the marketing plan. Carrefour also acts quickly when analyses point to unusual challenges or opportunities. For example, Just a few months after opening hyperm arkets in Moscow and Krasnodar, the retailer decided to stop expansion in Russia and sell the new stores because difficult economic circumstances had reduced short-term growth opportunities.