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Introduction The increasing population along with climatic changes continue to put enormous stresses on freshwater supply. Water resources are valuable to ecosystems and society. Additionally, clean drinking water is essential for good health as well as for agriculture, production of energy, recreation, navigation, and manufacturing. However, most of these uses exert immense pressure on the water resources, and the climatic changes continue to exacerbate the situation. The goal of this article is to elaborate on the impact of increasing populations and climatic changes on freshwater sources, the most impacted areas of the globe, and the best solutions implemented to minimize the effects. The increasing populations of the globe are on pace to outstrip the supply of freshwater. Furthermore, the deteriorating climatic conditions make the situation even worse as experts project the supplies to dwindle to dangerous levels should there be no policies implemented to regulate use and conservation. Although technology is helping with consumption by increasing efficiency usage, not everyone in the world enjoys or benefits it. Asian countries like the Philippines, Nepal, Afghanistan, and India have little to no access to fresh clean water (Badran et al., 2017). Some African countries also do not access freshwater especially those in the sub- Saharan region. Factually, according to the United Nations, the country in that region expends more than 40 billion hours annually collecting water, which equates the whole year’s worth labor by the entire workforce in France (Distefano & Kelly, 2017). Furthermore, these nations have high population growth with poor governance that translates to poor economic and environmental policies that are critical for the conservation of freshwater and climatic changes. The increasing population growth in the Philippines and sub-Saharan African countries face the most pressure. Presently, almost 1.8 billion people or 25% of the world’s population, in 17 countries continue to steer towards the water crisis, with huge probabilities of severe shortages in the next few years. The other countries affected by the water crisis include Libya, Eritrea, Oman, Pakistan, India, Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar being the worst of all. These countries are in the sub-Saharan region and the Middle East region where rainfall is scare and access to freshwater is a problem. Furthermore, the climatic changes are affecting the weather patterns across the globe; altering rainfall patterns, warming the globe, and eventually exacerbating the drought conditions in those areas. The increasing population in these regions put more pressure on the already low supply of freshwater, and with government agencies that focus on personal corrupt agendas, they fail to implement important policies and strategies to tackle the deteriorating freshwater resources. Severe water shortages have huge economic effects, for instance, in 2019, heatwaves and monsoon delays in the summer months led to the drying up of the freshwater of Chennai in the southern Indian city of Chennai (Rucksthuhl & Ward, 2017). The Indians protested violently since the climatic changes and drought-affected their business to the point where some tech companies asking most if not all their employees to work remotely; from home (Rucksthuhl & Ward, 2017). For nations like Qatar that depend on desalination of seawater, must invest heavily to create drinking water for both the people and the industries. India continues to face the highest risk of freshwater access given that out of the 13th list of nations with tremendously high-water risk, they have a population more than three times the population of the other 16 nations in the cluster combined. India has the highest population at risk from lack of both water and fresh water supply. In comparison, Pakistan has 204 million people, Iran 83 million, Saudi Arabia 34 million, 13 other nations in the list combine to 68 million, and India boasts a stunning 1.4 billion (Zhao et al., 2019). Extreme groundwater depletion threatens these countries and it is because of global warming and climatic changes that the water is no longer replenished. The world leaders are trying to restore tropical freshwater ecosystems and limit the number of carbons dumped into the atmosphere, which are primarily responsible for climatic changes. The restoration strategies are urgent and are meant to restore conventional ecological processes lost in the integrated management and rational use and protection of the ecosystem. Nations have begun implementing tree-planting initiatives across the world. The United Nations Environmental Protection (UNEP) alongside other water conservation and climatic restoration activists’ groups continue to push for the implementation of new strategies to reduce water pollution, increase restoration, and conserve the water and the ecosystem. Some nations have implemented methods to deal with acidification, which has been a big problem affecting lakes due to the increased use of fossil fuels; they are doing so by adding lime or calcium carbonate; a technique that most Scandinavian countries, the UK, and eastern Canada implement (Martens, 2017). Riparian areas must be managed better as well as the habitats because these areas are the sources of a healthy ecosystem. The environmental organizations continue to implement strict rules for industries that pollute freshwater sources. It is the very same fresh-water polluting industries that pollute the environment resulting in climatic changes that further worsen the water crisis. Thus, steep measures to regulate what, when, and how they release treated waste help to restore water sources and conserve the ecosystem. All these methods to regulate the number of wastes created by industries must be correlated by population control because further population growth puts immense pressure on products, services, and food. Industries are consuming more resources, depleting water resources, and producing more pollutants because they seek to keep up with the growing demand caused by the growing population. Currency and trade agreements impact the water crisis due to the increasing trade amid nations and continents where the production of exports require water. The transportation of virtual water or the volume of water used to produce a commodity; over long distances is essential in the production of exportation goods, affects countries given the direction of flow of the virtual water (Vos & Hinojosa, 2016). For instance, Jordan important around 1 billion cubic meters of virtual water annually and export 1 billion cubic meters (Qu et al., 2018). This disparity means that Jordanians ideally survive owing to the imports of water-exhaustive merchandise from states like the USA. Thus, this means that the World Trade Organizations' top- nations control the direction of virtual water as well as the environmental protection policies in place and industrial regulations concerning water and climatic change influences. Conclusion Every year, on an estimate, the countries in the drought-prone areas face high water stresses as they consume over 80% of the available surface and groundwater supplies. Countries like India that have a high population and reside in areas with exceptionally poor reserves of freshwater require interventions to help restore and conserve the little remaining sources. UNEP and other environmental organizations are engaged in a fight with members of the World Trade Organizations as the members focus on profits and not climate and water resources. The issue of freshwater is very political and activities continue to put more pressure on administrations to implement new strategies to conserve water and save lives and livestock as well as the environment. The imbalance existing amid international trade agreements and the international agreement on the sustainability of the use of water will continue to exist especially with the former taking precedence. References Badran, A., Murad, S., Baydoun, E., & Daghir, N. (2017). Water, energy & food sustainability in the middle east. Springer International Publishing, New York. Distefano, T., & Kelly, S. (2017). Are we in deep water? Water scarcity and its limits to economic growth. Ecological Economics, 142, 130-147. Martens, M. (2017). Food and Water Security in the Middle East and North Africa. NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Qu, S., Liang, S., Konar, M., Zhu, Z., Chiu, A. S., Jia, X., & Xu, M. (2018). Virtual water scarcity risk to the global trade system. Environmental science & technology, 52(2), 673- 683. Rucksthuhl, S., & Ward, C. (2017). Water scarcity, climate change and conflict in the Middle East: securing livelihoods, building peace. Bloomsbury Publishing. Vos, J., & Hinojosa, L. (2016). Virtual water trade and the contestation of hydrosocial territories. Water International, 41(1), 37-53. Zhao, H., Qu, S., Guo, S., Zhao, H., Liang, S., & Xu, M. (2019). Virtual water scarcity risk to global trade under climate change. Journal of Cleaner Production, 230, 1013-1026.

Introduction Youth crime prevention is a designed community programs that help keep away young people from committing crimes (Ssamula, 2015). Such community programs may not necessarily be correctional centers but schools as well. This paper discusses findings based on observational interviews, documents, and experiences on Toowoomba Flexi School. The school is an addition of Centenary Heights State High School and is a responsive learning environment giving pertinent instructive chances and breaking the pattern of withdrawal. The program in Toowoomba Flexi School is intended to build the quantity of instructively 'in danger' learners finishing the Senior Phase of Learning with a reasonable and continued progress pathway. The key quality result is drawing in and working with youth through escalated case management works to overcome detriment and poverty. The work and the philosophy of Toowoomba Flexi School Being an educational Centre, Toowoomba Flexi School improves the learning outcomes of the learners through its partnership with the community. The culture of Flexi is built on respect and trust indicated by the teachers (Flexi School, 2019). It focuses on what young people can do, their strengths and capacities not necessarily looking at their limits. This helps the learners have control over their lives and have respectable relationships. Flexi also emphasizes hard work and this has made it one of the best schools in Australia. Its main focus is inclusivity where learners are allowed to take part in all activities within the school environment (Burton et al., 2017). The curriculum of Toowoomba Flexi School is designed to accommodate all kinds of learners as it has incorporated both co-curricular and extracurricular activities (Flexi School, 2019). As the Annexe of Centenary Heights state high school, it allows learners to study, take part in bands and it exposes them to the field of careers. Peer pressure and loss of identity is the main challenge affecting young people. The Flexi school offers mentorship programs to young people which improves their mental and physical health, productivity, and quality of life (Flexi School, 2019). This is achieved through teaching them life skills, helping them to realize their strengths, guiding and counseling them, and listening to them without necessarily judging them. Activities that are constructive and support both intellectually and financially are offered by these mentors. This not only enables young people to develop self-confidence but also the mentors gain satisfaction feelings of accomplishment. Mentorship also provides them with leadership qualities preparing them for the role of future leaders (Burton et al., 2017). Research indicates that before enrolling in Toowoomba Flexi School, many young people had low participation records and attendance to the mainstream schools (Flexi School, 2019). Many had also disengaged from studies. Flexi has caused them to re-engage in study programs by challenging the negative stereotypes of their views of being disadvantaged. The Flexi school enables young people to become more responsible for their actions. The environment which is student-centered and career-focused makes learner built healthy relationships with the society by participating in voluntary activities in both the public and private sectors. This in essence increases the chances of employability to the youths. The curriculum of Flexi school is designed in a manner that offers a wide range of subjects. Educated unemployment which is the major issue affecting the youths is curbed by this. Youths are taught the content depending on the job market requirement. Creativity is also enhanced by the variety of subjects offered in Flexi thus making the young people productive in society (Burton et al., 2017). Experimentation and improvisation bring about this creativity and this makes the young people realize their potentials and work towards strengthening themselves (Flexi School, 2019). Extra-curricular clubs like peer support, peer mediation, harmony day and week, Eco-action gives young people a platform to share their experiences and find solutions to some of their problems. These clubs also raise money which they use to buy furniture and other resources thus accommodating a large number of students. Sporting activities within Toowoomba Flexi School enable the youths to realize their talents. Basketball, cross-country running, martial arts, netball, rugby, and soccer are sports offered by Flexi and it's a renowned champion of basketball for both boys and girls (Burton et al., 2017). The students can use their talents to build themselves and earn a living through them especially by participating in award-winning competitions. Through this, they can derive their livelihood and become independent later in future. The Toowoomba Flexi School and Youth Crime Prevention According to Balderson & Martin, (2011), youth positive development model tends to the six life areas of work, training, connections, community, wellbeing, and innovativeness. However, the two important assets that young people need are learning and a sense of belonging which is well outlined in Toowoomba Flexi School's objectives. Flexi has reliably given chances to youngsters who are confronted with noteworthy social and passionate hindrance making it hard to connect completely in school. Understudies originate from a wide scope of circumstances over the region to get to the novel contrast that Flexi offers. According to Mulholland, (2008), education, just like one provided in Toowoomba Flexi School, is one of the factors that help prevent crime and promote a culture of lawfulness. The fact that learners come from a diversified cultural background, this helps them to take part in training on the advancement of a culture of harmony and peacefulness Commonwealth of Australia (2009). Toowoomba Flexi School has passed on the significance of building versatility among youngsters and youth through deliberately focused on exhaustive instructive projects that effectively include youngsters and every single pertinent partner. One of the subjects that learners are taught is ‘studies of society and environment', which exposes students to the depth of the importance of peacekeeping, conflict resolutions, and more importantly, dangers that come along with committing crimes. (Mulholland, 2008). Another important area in which Toowoomba Flexi School help in youth crime prevention is through sporting activities, which is one of the co-curriculum activities the school offers. Research studies propose that sports can interface youth to positive grown-up good examples and give positive advancement opportunities (Mulholland, 2008), just as advance the learning and use of fundamental abilities. Besides, notwithstanding the physical action and positive wellbeing impacts it gives, sport is a generator of social capital, assisting with activating the society by advancing inclusion, harmony, and collaboration just as culture development in the community (MacIntosh et al., 2016). The Toowoomba Flexi School’s both intra-school and inter-schools sporting activities engages learners into a meaningful activity and helps them keep focused in life while keeping them away from committing crimes (Carmichael,2008). The youths, actively participating in sports, may not have time to engage themselves in drug crimes which may cause them to further get involved in crimes such as robbery, rape, and any other form of crime. The Toowoomba Flexi School has successfully demonstrated its ability in enabling positive behaviors and building all-rounded youths who can effectively participate in the community activities that promote a crime-free society. It also promotes self-examination and offers opportunities for the youth to fully realized their full potential and personal development. Apart from co-curriculum activities, Toowoomba Flexi School provides extra-curricular activities, for instance, peer support and peer mediation as well as youth mentorship programs. Violence is indeed the greatest threat to the life of young people and many at times it is a result of psychological trauma (Ssamula, 2015). Specialists have hypothesized the relationship between trauma and misconduct; however, few have inspected the course of these connections tentatively and, explicitly, with tests of reprobate young people. According to Widom, (2017).; Watts & McNulty, (2013), youth exploitation and presentation to brutality are huge social issues, with an expected 25% of youngsters being presented to the family, school, and community savagery around the globe. Albeit most youngsters who have encountered traumatic events display flexibility and don't create critical conduct issues, many become powerless against genuine formative interferences and negative long-haul outcomes including substance misuse, dangerous sexual conduct, poor academic performance, psychological well-being issues, and reprobate conduct. Mentorships programs, peer support, and peer mediation help these youths return to their mental state and heal them from psychological issues. Toowoomba Flexi School demonstrates that ability through such programs which enable the learners to improve on the quality of life and their productivity (MacIntosh et al., 2016). The programs are enhanced through learning life skills, guiding them to achieve their potential while offering counsel to those that are psychologically challenged. All these programs purpose to build a positive life and shape the youths while helping them to keep away from committing crimes. The strengths and limitations of what Toowoomba Flexi School does with youths Both extra and co-curriculum activities are key in Toowoomba Flexi School where, community, clubs, and mentorships programs are emphasized. This has offered an opportunity for many youths to be mentored and provided a platform to nurture their talents. Since it was started in 1998, a lot of youths have benefited from these programs both from within Bell Street Mall and beyond (Flexi School, 2019). This school is also based on solid connections among staff and between staff and learners. The teaching and support services staff take the time to get to know each learner and they all derived their morale in the motor ‘when a teacher learns to care, a student cares to learn'. Flexi is improving learning results for its different scope of understudies and keeps on working in organizations with guardians, carers, and various esteemed local groups to help this change. Flexi has reliably given chances to youngsters who are confronted with critical social and passionate drawbacks making it hard to connect completely in school. Understudies originate from a wide scope of circumstances over the area to get to the exceptional contrast that the school offers. Another strength is that the schools admit a few learners that the school can manage effectively (Burton et al., 2017). The resources, therefore, are sufficient and each learner gets fully exposed and molded into an all rounded-person and can be able to tackle challenges in life, contributing to the community building while disengaging in any form of crime. The ability of Flexi school to embrace diversity makes it a good organization. It has got over seventy senior secondary schools which cater for learners who dropped out of mainstream schooling because of one reason or another. These students are also mentored by a group of old men and women who help them to get skills in both numeric and literacy. They are trained in other projects which need a hand on skills. It is therefore notable that like other organizations and agencies, this one also embraces marginality. It also accommodates people of all kinds regardless of the districts they are from, their family background, and financial status. It provides equal services to all sorts of people (Flexi School, 2019). However, despite all these strengths, there are noticeable shortcomings within the Flexi school. Maintaining the standards of discipline for many students from different backgrounds becomes challenging. Making integration systematically to suit the students from mainstream schools become more challenging as they may feel dissatisfied leading to depression. Some students may end up harming themselves. Increased tension, immigration, and exclusion may pose a great challenge to the students joining this school. This is because some are looked down upon by those who came to schools earlier. Those used to the environment make the new students feel hopeless (Flexi School, 2019). Conclusion Through a partnership with the community, Toowoomba Flexi School have, and continues to transform the lives of many youths through both academic, co-curriculum, and extra-curriculum activities. The mentorship programs and counseling, sporting, and clubs engage learners and build them to be all-rounded persons who can positively contribute to the community. The programs are enhanced through learning life skills, guiding them to achieve their potential while offering counsel to those that are psychologically challenged. All these programs purpose to build a positive life and shape the youths while helping them to keep away from committing crimes. One of the strengths of this organization is the relationship that is built between the school staff and the learners and which contributes to a conducive learning environment. There is also good cooperation between all the stakeholders it's embracing diversity which facilitates the learning process. However, there is some weakness in the manner in which the standards of discipline for many students from different backgrounds are maintained. At times making integration systematically to suit the students from mainstream schools become more challenging as they may feel dissatisfied leading to depression. References Balderson, D. W., & Martin, M. (2011). The efficacy of the personal and social responsibility model in a physical education setting. Revue phénEPS/PHEnex Journal, 3(3). Burton, L. J., McDonald, K., & Postle, G. D. (2017). The Toowoomba flexi school model: one size does not fit all. Carmichael, D. (2008). Youth sport vs. youth crime – Evidence that youth engaged in organized sport are not likely to participate in criminal activities. Active Healthy Links Inc. Commonwealth of Australia (2009). A stronger fairer Australia: A new social inclusion strategy, launched 28 January, 2010, retrieved 8 February, 2010, from http://www.socialinclusion.gov.au/Resources/Pages/ Resources.aspx. Flexi School. (2019, April 4). Centenary Heights State High School. https://centheigshs.eq.edu.au/curriculum/subject-areas/flexi-school Mulholland, E. (2008). What Sport Can Do – A True Sport Report. Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport MacIntosh, E., Parent, M., & Culver, D. (2016) Exploring the community and external-agency partnership in sport-for-development programming. European Sport Management Quarterly, 16(1), 38-57. Ssamula, M. (2015). Criminal Socialization and Career: A Review of Social Learning Theoretical Perspectives. Humanities & Social Sciences, 41 Watts, S. J., & McNulty, T. L. (2013). Childhood abuse and criminal behavior: Testing a general strain theory model. Journal of interpersonal violence, 28(15), 3023-3040. Widom, C. S. (2017). Long‐term impact of childhood abuse and neglect on crime and violence. Clinical psychology: science and practice, 24(2), 186-202.

Abstract This paper will look at three different dimensions of business law. It will start with an Overview of the Australian legal system looking at separation of powers, the Australian constitution and the federal parliament. It will then look at the issue of contacts of sale, making an argument on their nature that makes them by far the most popular and common commercial contracts before culminating with an overview of business ethics plus a study of various cases of unethical practices in Boeing Company which has been grappling with court cases and dip in public confidence due to some business malpractices. The Australian Legal System The Australian legal system has a fundamental foundation of the rule of law, independence of the judiciary and justice (Henry, 2004). This means the law treats all people, the Australians and the non Australians equally ensuring that everyone is safeguarded from unfair treatment by the government or its officials. The main basic principles of the Australian legal system are the procedural fairness, judicial precedence and the separation of powers. The Australian law system follows the one in the United Kingdom though it is distinct from most of the laws that operate in countries in Europe, South America and Japan. It is referred to as the common laws system and counties like the US, New Zealand and Malaysia use different variations of the law (Neil, 2009). The Australian constitution established a system of government called the federal system and the constitution distributes powers between the states and the federal government. In the constitution are two kinds of powers. There are the exclusive powers that entail the power of the government to make laws on national matters such as trade, taxation, commerce. External issues, national defense, Citizenship and immigration (Terence, 2004). There other powers that the federal government has been given by the constitution are called the concurrent powers where the two governmental tiers are able to make enactment of laws. The territories and the states have legislative powers that are independent in matters that are not particularly addressed to the federal government. If there is an inconsistency or controversy between the state/ territorial laws and the federal ones, the federal laws prevail because they apply to the whole of Australia. Australia has nine legal units; the eight territorial units and the overall federal unit. The day to day lives of the Australians are run by the territorial laws. Each of the federal and state units incorporates various separate branches of the governance system and these are the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The legislature is responsible for making the laws, the executive administers them while the judiciary which is interprets and makes an application of them. The Australian high court makes an interpretation of the Australian laws and makes the decision on the cases that have federal significance including the validity of the law constitutionally. The high court is headed by the chief justice who is assisted by six other senior judges (Whitmore, 2009). There other courts like the federal court of Australia, the family court of Australia and the federal magistrate’s court which was established by the federal legislature in 1999 and has a wide range of jurisdictions. The Australian territorial courts have jurisdiction in all matters that are brought under the state or the territorial laws. The courts including the self-governing Territories in the North and Capital Territory, which are subject to the overriding Commonwealth's have plenary constitutional powers to make laws that would maintain order and peace in the in the states or the territories that they are made in (Whitmeore,2009). Each state and territorial system of courts is independent and some of the laws vary in nature. The government of Australia understands that people should have access to legal representation in order to ensure common justice. This means that the government can provide legal representation tom individuals who may not have the wherewithal to hire their own representative. Australian, like many other countries does not maintain strict separation of powers between the legislature and the executive sides of the governance. The Australian constitution defines the three governmental branches differently and the ministers in the government are supposed to hold a parliamentary seat. Australia does not maintain a strict separation between the legislative and executive branches of government indeed, government ministers are required to be a Member of Parliament constitution. The federal system of government in Australia means that the legislative powers are usually divided between the states and the common wealth. This is what popularly referred to as federal division of powers is and the enumerated powers are usually enjoyed by the commonwealth though the courts have expanded the scope at which the common wealth can make legal decisions. The northern and the Australian Capital territories are usually subjected to the power of the commonwealth in making full plenary powers especially if the territorial laws are inconsistent with the federal laws. However, the constitution states that there shall not arise a controversy in the interpretation of the federal and the state laws because if such discrepancy arises, the federal law is always superior that the different laws of each state. The States including the self-governing Territories in the North and Capital Territory, which are subject to the overriding Commonwealth's have plenary constitutional powers to make laws that would maintain order and peace in the in the states or the territories that they are made in. This means that most the laws in section 51 are concurrent while the one in the next section are very exclusive to the commonwealth. This further explains that the states can make legislations in the aforementioned areas as long as there is inconsistent with the federal law and this also falls under division of powers. However, a situation where the high court has been largely involved in the interpretation of the constitution has led to a marked increase in the commonwealth powers thus the executive at the expense of the territorial and statutory powers (Whitmore, 2009). The Australian parliament is the arm of the government that makes laws and supervises all the other arms of the federal government and can make changes to the laws if it deems appropriate. The parliament is bi cameral meaning that it consists of a queen, a senate that has seventy six members and house of representative members who are 150 in number. There are two types of senators in the parliament; the state senators and the territory senators and the territory ones are elected using the preferential voting meaning that their term in office is not fixed. The territory senators are more influential in the national decision making because they represent a larger number of citizens that the state senators. Contract of sale A contract of sale is a contract that’s legal for the exchange of goods property or services from the vendor to the purchaser for a value that is agreed upon and they are, without doubt, both the most common and the most important of all commercial contracts. It is an ancient exchange practice recognized by the common laws but the Australian statutory law now recognizes it. The sale of goods contract of 1896 was designed to ensure that the transactions between merchants are straightforward (Salanie, 2003). The most basic application of the contract of sale is the simple transfer of property, goods or services for a monetary consideration that may involve one part owner and another part owner. This means that there are two levels of a contract of sale; absolute and conditional. A sale contract occurs when the property is transferred from a vendor to a purchaser while an agreement to sell is when the contract of sale does not occur immediately, and it is given a future consideration. This means that an agreement to sell becomes a sale after the time span indicated in the agreement elapses. In every transaction that involves the transfer of good s, property and services for monetary consideration, the contract of sale must be involved whether consciously or subconsciously and this capacity to make purchase or conduct sales is usually regulated by the general Australian law under the sales act of 1806. There are even laws that govern contracts of sales made to people who are incapacitated, like the drunks, mad people or even minors who may not have the mental capacity to understand the details of the contract. Most common contracts of sale today are usually done in writing and the writing can be with or without a seal. There are others, albeit in few cases that are made by word of mouth or a combination of the two methods. The law is however different when it comes to contracts of sale and the corporations (Fitzgerald, 2006). The goods that are involved in the contract of sale may be already in existent or may be manufactured or processed later after the contract is made and in the act, this is usually referred as future goods. There may be a contract of sale of goods where the sale depends on the contingency and this may not materialize meaning that in case a contract of sale is purported to effect a present sale of a good that is not already in existence the contract is not yet a contract of sale but an agreement to sell which means that there are chances that it may not materials. The contract becomes void if the goods which the seller and the buyer are transacting have perished without the knowledge of the seller prior to the making of the contract. However, if they perish after an agreement to sell is made; the risk is usually passed to the buyer according to the law. One of the most important factors in a contract of sale is pricing and the price may be fixed by the contract of left blank to be decided by the vendor and the buyer depending on circumstantial considerations in the course of dealership between the two transacting parties (Terry, 2003). Another famous instance in the modern days still under contract of sale is the agreement to sell goods using terms where the price will be fixed by a third party valuation and if that third party cannot make a valuation, the agreement is usually avoided. If the third party is prohibited from making the valuation because of fault of the vendor or the purchaser, the third party usually may seek damages from the two parties at fault. According to the Australian laws, a contract of sale is always subject to a condition that must be fulfilled by the seller and the buyer may decide to waive the condition or even treat that condition as a breach of contract depending on how the seller behaves especially if it is an agreement to sell. The law in the case of a breach of a contract of sale is condition gives repudiations or warranties and ant party can claim for damages arising form the breach but this depends on the construction of the contract and the stipulations that were laid down when the contract was being made. This means that the contact is not severable and the buyer has to accept the goods once the contact is signed and any illogical grounds for rejecting it may lead to the treating of the contract as repudiated (Salanie, 2003). The implied terms in a contract of sale is that the goods are free and they remain free until a time shall come when the property passes to the buyer and the buyer is entitled to enjoy quiet possession of the good unless he or she is intercepted by the seller or any other party related to the contract. One of the most common contracts of sale is the hire purchase (Cossa, 2008). Hire purchase is a close ended leasing and occurs in situation where the buyer cannot afford to pay the price that the seller has quoted at one go or in a lump sum but can afford to pay a fraction of the price as a deposit followed monthly rent figures called installments. In this case, the buyer gains possession of the property before he or she settles the full amount but the seller gets a percentage higher of the original price when the full amount is paid after the agreed period because the hire purchase price is always higher than the ordinary cash price. In most circles, hire purchase is referred to as installment plans or rent to own. In case the buyer does not honor the payment as agreed in the contract, the seller is allowed by the terms in the contract to repossess the property without refunding the deposit and the installments already paid. This is because the contract is even recognized by the law and the action the seller will take will be in accordance with the law. Ethics Business ethics is also known as corporate ethics and it is applied to examine the principles of ethics that arise in business atmosphere and it applies to every aspect of how a business conducts itself. The conduct of individuals in a business, position notwithstanding is relevant in the analysis of business ethics in a certain entity. Ethicism is the focus on ethical processes of business especially in the conscience focused 21st century business environment where pressure is being applied unto businesses to improve on how they conduct themselves ethically. This is because, the gains that are made when a business acts in an unethical manner are short term but the long term effects can be highly detrimental. Most businesses act ethically for a variety of reasons especially avoidance of fines and litigation, improving the reputation in the public realm, protecting the investments of the share holders, and to also protect the market share of the business. An ethical business has a competitive advantage over unethical ones especially because internal corruption is not condoned in such a business. Unethical Practices at Boeing One of the companies that have been riddled by a myriad of unethical practices in the recent past is the leading plane maker, Boeing of the United States (NY Times,2003). These unethical practices range from illegal business deals, accounting malpractices and illicit sexual liaisons involving top executives. The latest blemish on the waning reputation of the aero maker is the sentencing of four years to prison of the chief financial officer at Boeing, Mr. Mike Sears for secretly negotiating with procurement officer at the US air force to lease about 100 planes to be modified so that they can become tankers. The investigations into this illicit deal have cost the government more than 2.5 million dollars. This is one of the most high profile corruption cases that would have cost the government and the taxpayers at large billions of dollars had the secret deal gone though. The public outcry towards the revelations was sharp and acerbic because it exposed the underbelly of Boeing which in the past has had a clean record shying away from various controversies that have tainted a variety of companies in the United States of America. In 2003, Phillip Condit was forced to resign because of widespread criticism against Boeing because of unethical business practices in a series of ethical lapses that has hit the worlds leading aero maker. The resignation was as a result of a lawsuit filed by its competitor, Lockheed, that resulted in pentagon canceling contracts of more than $1 billion that were supposed to be awarded to Boeing and the company was also disqualified from making bids for defense projects for two years. This is because it was found out that the company had been spying on the competitor in a manner that was likely to affect the market presence of the latter. These revelations also brought under scrutiny the tanker project that Boeing had a deal with the US air force. The pressure from the media forced the pentagon to review the deal actually at the negotiation stage. Two top executives had been sacked prior to the resignation of Condit. These top executive had been involved in human resource malpractices where underhand methods were used to hire some top accounting personnel in order to conceal some unethical accounting malpractices that would have seen the government lose billions in revenue from the multi billion dollar aero company. A few months later, the CEO who took over from Condit was also forced to resign after an illicit sexual liaison with a junior female staff that brought the reputation of the company down. Harry Stonecipher did not even make a year at the helm of the embattled air craft manufacturer before he was forced out because of an improper relationship with the female officer. Though the relationship did not have an impact on any business of the company, the revelation of the relationship with the executive young enough to be his daughter is enough to dent the image of the company already grappling with bad publicity due to an upsurge of unethical behaviors. A CEO is supposed to be the one leading in upholding any ethic that is laid out by the company and the conduct of Mr. Stonecipher, did not reflect that of someone who is supposed to lead the way in ensuring that high levels of corporate ethics are followed in the company. It is also a bad example to the young members of the public who are looking up to influential figures like Mr. Stonecipher for motivation and inspiration. The public expects a person holding the position like that to be of unquestionable integrity and ethics and morality which means that Mr. Stonecipher has terribly failed the test and as such cannot be entrusted to hold such a position of public importance. These ethical lapses have brought down the credibility of this are manufacturer down and there has been a lot of media and public scrutiny on the corporate governance of the company. This because Boeing is a blue chip company, a trendsetter in the aviation industry and one of the historical industrial masterpieces in the United States. This means that this is a pride of the nation and any bit of negative development is bound to raise public outcry. There is the accepted code that the CEOs and the top executives of the company were supposed to adhere to that they did not. Staring with the cancelled deal with the US air force, the CEO was supposed handle the deal in a manner that does not betray the corporate image of the company. However, the CEO decided to use underhand methods of spying onto the operations of its main competitor thus compromising it’s the company’s image that is supposed to be without blemish (NY Times,2003). There is no problem if the US air force decided to split the tender and award it to the two rival company but sending officers on an espionage mission to the rival firm in order to scrutinize all their business deals was a contravention of the fair play policy and raised questions about the credibility of Condit as a CEO who was supposed to lead Boeing out of the woods. The move was cheap and tainted the image of the company in the public eye. The public who the company serves also expects the leadership of the company to be responsible and act in a way that would not have a detrimental impact on one of the biggest national symbols. A tainted image of a national symbol taints the whole nation and that is why high quality business practices and ethics are supposed to be upheld (Terry, 2009). The case involving illegal recruitment of accounting executives was a move that was supposed to hide the underhand and unethical accounting principles of the company that were geared towards tax avoidance and other forms of defrauding the government (NY Times, 2003). Once gain, corruption, whether in hiring or in accounting is a very unethical practice that the public does not expect from a company of Boeing stature. It is expected that the company should submit clean accounts fro public auditing but the revelations that illegal hiring were made in order to adulterate the accounts in bid to defraud the government is a stain on the company and that is why the top executives had to be sacked. At a time when the American public has become increasingly conscious of the gradually growing corruption cases in the country corporate and public realms, such revelations coming from a symbolic multinational are just too grave to contemplate (NY Times,2003). As a result of the string of ethical scandals that have hit the company in the recent years, the public confidence in one of Americas biggest exporters of technology has dipped to an all time low and this loss of confidence in the corporate governance can also affect the market share of the company because people will now start questioning the products of the company. The public expects an all round perfection in any company that is in business because if the way the company is being administered is questionable, then even the process of making the goods or providing some services will be in doubt.(Garland,2009) In the mind of the public are a myriad of unanswered question because what has been unearthed about Boeing may be just a fraction of the rot that is in the company and this decay may compromise the company’s efficiency in providing the world class technology that is famed for. This will subsequently dent the competitive advantage that Boeing has been having internationally and giving its competitors space to catch up and even take its market share. The effect of this unethical behavior can be evidenced by the gradual dip of the share prices of the Boeing Company at the local stock market (NY Times, 2003). Bibliography Cossa, L, 2008, Commercial Law II, Willey, NY Fitzgerald, S.R, 2006, Legal Perspectives in Commerce, OUP, Durban Garland, O, 2009, Corporate Ethics, OUP, Oxford Henry, J, U, 2004: The Australian Government, OUP, Oxford. New York Times, 2003, Boeing: Scandal after Scandal, retrieved on 17th Jan 2010 . Neil, P, 2009, Australian Constitution: The History, Harper and Row, London Salanie, B, 2003, Australian Laws: economic perspective, CUP, Cambridge. . Silverman, H.A, 2000, Tax avoidance, OUP, Canberra Terry, E., 2009, Ethical Practices in Corporate Sense, Willey, NY Terence, Y, 2004, Commonwealth Constitutions, OUP, Oxford. Whitmore, B, 2009, Australian Laws, OUP,Canberra.

For this research paper, I assessed basic police reforms put in place to combat crime and drug abuse. The research included analysis of past information from articles, books, and other journals from different organizations aiming at comprehending the concept of police reforms. The information was gathered through detailed reading, comparing, analyzing, and recording all the information found from the sources. In addition, this paper comprises information from interviews conducted in the past regarding police reforms. Introduction The function of police agencies is law enforcement and the protection of the public. In most contexts, especially after crimes such as illegal drug trafficking and other forms of crimes, police officers are perceived as perpetrators rather than law enforcement officers mandated to protect the public from any form of crime. Most global administrations, organizations, and NGOs supported police reforms, especially in how police handle the issue of crime and drug trafficking by bridging the distance between the police officer and the public (Dammert, 2019). SSR context indicates that police reforms purpose to change the culture, practices, and values of police agencies such that the officer can execute their responsibilities in the context of democratic values, the rule of law, and human rights (McGonigle, 2021). Due to police's direct association with society and the authority conferred to them, it is necessary to ensure that officer maintains excellent levels of accountability and professionalism in their mandate. Insufficient democratic control, oversight, and accountability over police officers can lead to corruption, violation of human rights, penetration of crimes, and interference with the process of mitigating illicit drug trafficking (Wiatrowski, 2016). This literature review will focus on police reforms, particularly in combating drug trafficking and crimes. Internationally there has been some police reform put in place to mitigate crimes. Police Reforms To discourse drug trafficking and combat planned criminal violence, criminals must be known, sued, punished, and prohibited from conducting their illegal events (Brown, Esbensen & Geis, 2018). Effective prosecutors, police, and courts that are not corrupted are vital in attaining that end. In the case of Colombia police reforms, in 1993, the Colombia administration established a key reform in the police department after a reported violation of human rights (Dugas, 2021). Colombia has been the main global cocoa production; the coherent relationship between the police agencies and community is fundamental in combating illicit drug trafficking. Due to continuous brutality, corruption, and inefficient CNP force, the law enforcement agencies had to accept changes. The reform began with the formation of two commissions; internal to officers and external commission. The 1993 police reform incorporated numerous external commissions’ requirements, most of which aimed to maximize civilian control and build police and public relations (Bacon, 2015). Among these actions was the formation of a National Police Commissioner, a civilian authority in charge of overseeing police officer disciplinary processes; the civilian was mandated to receive, process, and analyze any complaint concerning police behavior from the public (Hope Sr, 2021) . The NCP created program evaluation and statistical analyses; the authority functions were above the authority of administrations' human rights. Decriminalization is also a vital police reform step in the correct way for illicit drug policy reform. Other reforms include; First, Vetting and evaluation. Administrations created a vetting and evaluation control system as a key reform to vet and evaluate police officers (Balliu, 2020). The evaluations are purposed to ensure that police officers newly recruited have clean records and proper qualifications. These evaluations and vetting are regularly performed for active departments; they also aim to eliminate corrupt agents and detect police officers who are using illicit drugs or having psychological issues to help them. These vetting and evaluation police reforms are significant because police forces were accused of corruption and records of the police force that drug traffickers and criminal groups completely penetrated—secondly, external and internal control policy reforms (Khlif & Samaha, 2016). Police departments started an internal affairs unit with higher autonomy and power to conduct investigations, including undercover investigations of officers suspected of engaging in illicit drug and criminal activities. The internal affairs unit is also administratively sanctioned for human rights violations or other criminal activities linked to police officers. Internal control was mandated to report to the public administration department. Lastly, police recruitment and training reform; another key focus was how law enforcement departments recruit and train personals to reflect the society they serve excellently (Thill, 2019). Approximately twelve percent of police officers were women, a percent that has been constant for a long period despite the study that indicated that women tend to use a method of policing that is less violent and less physical force; this style of handling crimes is very crucial in combating illicit drugs. Law enforcement departments increased the number of women in the police officers. On training, law enforcement departments trained officers in more communicative and less violent styles of policing. State of Knowledge From my literature review, the topic does not have enough robust literature, and there are some gaps in the policy reforms need to be addressed. First, decriminalization; this is a fundamental action towards illegal drugs; however, to attain good results in combating illicit drugs and the harm caused by abuse of drugs, law enforcement agencies must combat illegal drugs from cultivations, production, and distributions; this action is vital in the control of drug abuse that needs to be embraced by the police department (Dempsey & Forst, 2015). Its factual decriminalization of persons involved in illegal drugs can have good health, economic, and social outcomes, but for these clusters to be fully combated, the illegal drug market also needs to be controlled. Internationally, it is approximated that drug trafficking generates the largest money for organized crime, making such groups have the financial power to corrupt, weak police officers and other state departments (Beittel, 2015). Even with the decriminalized model, the public is still susceptible to the effects of the illicit drug trade; individuals who abuse drugs are also at risk by this model, having to sail across the doubt of an unregulated illegal drugs market. Secondly; Drug couriers are persons who use transport drugs; studies have indicated that drug carriers are from a marginalized and vulnerable part of the community in most settings (Coomber & Moyle, 2018). Most couriers are usually encouraged by economic hardship and poverty and have less knowledge of outcomes if caught; other couriers are usually forced to transport drugs and threatened against their close people if they resist transport. The moment couriers resume their duty, they are typically powerless. Illicit drug owners typically transport less than couriers because they understand the results if law enforcement agencies find them. Couriers are mostly held responsible and convicted for situations and decisions out of their control (Baltzer, 2018). To criminalize and convict a person involved in transporting illegal drugs out of external forces and economic status is unjust. Still, farmers of crops used to manufacture illegal drugs, for instant, coca and opium poppies, usually are involved in illicit drug cultivation because of economic challenges (Buxton, 2015). Most stay in regions where access to the legal market, infrastructure, and health care are insufficient. In such a situation, farming illegal crops becomes the ultimate decision since it provides them stable economic life, and the crops grow even in low agricultural conditions. However, farmers face a threat of criminalization, having their incomes destroyed. For decades, the elimination of illicit drug crops has been a major constituent of failed supply reduction labors. Such abolition labors have had terrible results, not only economically for farmers but also for the health and safety of the entire society. For example, in Colombia, violent in-flight fumigation campaigns to eradicate coca plantations caused important collateral harm: people’s legal crops were damaged, soil productiveness was spoiled, and there were reports of gastrointestinal, respiratory, and skin complications, along with miscarriages, all connected to fumigation (Shelton & Cutting, 2015). Illegal drug consumption is a reality in communities all over the globe. Though governing units are being applied in certain authorities for illicit drugs, it is time for governments to move further by correctly controlling all drugs by providing and using other reforms instead of forceful approaches. Police conduct towards the community is also a gap on this literature. I believe the issue of police conduct toward the community has not been well addressed in the past literatures. In the stir of current events involving police officers' use of strength and other matters, the validity of the officer has been grilled in most societies (Ellis, 2021). Most towns in the United States encountered large-scale protests, and in some other cases, there have been unrests over perceptions of armed officers’ delinquency and excessive use of force. In Colombia, people who live remote areas where coca farming have been taking place, experience excess force from police officer which make them cooperate with illegal groups that tends to protect and support them. Police agencies need to improve associations with their communities. A positive police society relationship is significant for acquiring society’s confidence and safeguarding their help in criminal anxiety. Community support and collaboration are built basically upon a connection resulting from just conduct by law implementation officers. The police officer image among the community is usually the product of a few brief individual encounters with law implementation (Nagin & Telep, 2020). As underlined by the media, any negative community encounter can have a wave effect. These events can often seriously harm long-standing affirmative between law enforcement and community relationships. There are numerous general procedures of conduct that if enhanced by police officers on a steady basis, assist in creating and maintaining community help (Wilson & Kelling, 2017). Specifically, police officers should always enhance good conduct toward society, disregarding race or ethnicity when relating to the people. In addition, police officers should treat every person with dignity, respect, and courtesy. Overbearing arrogances and language that can ridicule, intimidate or demean individuals should be evaded. Handling people in a fair, impartial, and unbiased manner is also vital to gaining community support, cooperation, and trust (Tyler & Jackson, 2014). These should be done when relating with the public in law enforcement encounters and when providing services like crime prevention activities and preventive patrol. Generally, police conduct toward the public play a significant role in building a coherent relationship with the public; this can help combat crimes and help in mitigating illicit drugs. Police conduct policy help improves law enforcement balance between major and minority. Some of the methods used in this literature are such as case study, surveys, questionnaires, and interviews (Baskarada, 2014). This literature has strengths and weaknesses. Some of the strengths of this literature include; have gathered together most of the information accomplished, it allow for great and wide summation for people who are new to the topic, incorporate inconclusive and small researches that help in making clear conclusion. Some of the weaknesses of this literature include; it does not have systematic research evaluations and methods, it have some restrictive on focuses of certain methods used in research, there are contradictory sentiments concerning when exact methods are essential for the literature, it does not have set methods to ensure all information on the topic was put into consideration. The function of police agencies is law enforcement and the protection of the public. To mitigate illegal drug trafficking and combat planned criminal violence: criminals must be known, sued, punished, and prohibited from conducting their illegal events. Effective prosecutors, police, and courts that are not corrupted are vital in attaining that end. In the case of Colombia police reforms, in 1993, the Colombia administration established a key reform in the police department after a reported violation of human rights. Colombia has been the main global cocoa production; the coherent relationship between the police agencies and community is fundamental in combating illicit drug trafficking. However, from my literature review, some gaps in the policy reforms need to be addressed, such as decriminalization. References   Bacon, L. (2015). Liberia's Gender-Sensitive Police Reform: Improving Representation and Responsiveness in a Post-Conflict Setting. International Peacekeeping, 22(4), 372-397. Balliu, A. (2020). The Reform of Justice in Albania. Beijing L. Rev., 11, 709. Baltzer, M. (2018). Redefining drug offences in Southeast Asia. Singapore Academy of Law Journal, 30(2), 776-796. Baskarada, S. (2014). Qualitative case study guidelines. Baškarada, S.(2014). Qualitative case studies guidelines. The Qualitative Report, 19(40), 1-25. Beittel, J. S. (2015). Mexico: Organized crime and drug trafficking organizations. Congressional Research Service, 3. Brown, S. E., Esbensen, F. A., & Geis, G. (2018). Criminology: Explaining crime and its context. Routledge. Buxton, J. (2015). Drugs and development: The great disconnect. Policy Report, 2, 12. Coomber, R., & Moyle, L. (2018). The changing shape of street-level heroin and crack supply in England: Commuting, holidaying and cuckooing drug dealers across ‘county lines’. The British Journal of Criminology, 58(6), 1323-1342. Dammert, L. (2019). Challenges of police reform in Latin America. In Routledge handbook of law and society in Latin America (pp. 259-277). Routledge. Dempsey, J. S., & Forst, L. S. (2015). An introduction to policing. Cengage Learning. Dugas, J. C. (2021). The Colombian nightmare: human rights abuses and the contradictory effects of US foreign policy. In When states kill (pp. 227-251). University of Texas Press. Ellis, J. R. (2021). More than a trivial pursuit: Public order policing narratives and the ‘social media test’. Crime, Media, Culture, 17(2), 185-207. Hope Sr, K. R. (2021). Civilian oversight for democratic policing and its challenges: Overcoming obstacles for improved police accountability. Journal of Applied Security Research, 16(4), 423-455. Khlif, H., & Samaha, K. (2016). Audit committee activity and internal control quality in Egypt: does external auditor’s size matter?. Managerial Auditing Journal. McGonigle Leyh, B. (2021). A New Frame? Transforming Policing through Guarantees of Non- Repetition. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 15(1), 362-372. Nagin, D. S., & Telep, C. W. (2020). Procedural justice and legal compliance: A revisionist perspective. Criminology & Public Policy, 19(3), 761-786. Shelton, D., & Cutting, I. (2015). If you Break it, do you own it?: Legal Consequences of Environmental Harm from Military Activities. Journal of International Humanitarian Legal Studies, 6(2), 201-246. Thill, M. (2019). Recycling as bricolage in the Congolese National Police: Lessons from police training in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Tyler, T. R., & Jackson, J. (2014). Popular legitimacy and the exercise of legal authority: Motivating compliance, cooperation, and engagement. Psychology, public policy, and law, 20(1), 78. Wiatrowski, M. D. (2016). Democratic policing in transitional and developing countries. Routledge. Wilson, J. Q., & Kelling, G. L. (2017). The police and neighborhood safety Broken Windows. In Social, Ecological and Environmental Theories of Crime (pp. 169-178). Routledge.

There are various discoveries of brain disorders, and as years of learnings pass, modern findings and researches are published. Authors from the National Research Center at Dokki Cairo, Egypt associated with the International Journal of Public Mental Health and Neurosciences published a journal article entitled “Neurological Disorders: Causes and Treatments Strategies” (Rizk,, Fouad, Aly, 2018), presented the main factors of brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson disease, stroke, and other disorders thus gave treatment options to diagnosed individuals. Stated in the journal when they introduced disorder treatments which needed much attention because of the society burden it causes, that also mainly affected older people of age. The authors first discussed what neurological disease is and where this dysfunction comes from. As stated, since the nervous system is in charge of most of the basic functions of the body which consist of two systems, the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) that transfers information signals between the muscles, tissues, and nerves of the whole body traveling to the brain. The second is the Central Nervous System (CNS), that is comprised of the brain and the spinal cord also known as the “Central Processing Station'' and this is also where the disease takes place that results to the physical damage of the brain, spinal cord, or even nerves, this state is said to be called the Neurological Disorder hence, not all conditions are assumed as a brain disorder since causes may also be because of unknown factors. To show more concrete evidence and background about the significance of neurological disorders the researchers also provided the statistical information report, on how this has become a load of problem economically and socially. Claims estimated the death rates of this chronic disorder, which resulted in 12% of total deaths all over the world, with nearly seven million dying each year (United Nations, 2007). Because of this they discussed the factors contributing to these high rates of disorders over the world, which consists of Iron hemostasis, an abnormal iron homeostasis causing cellular damage. Diet is also one of the factors since health risk problems are mostly the cause of complications which they mentioned to be obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other metabolic health related conditions that seriously affects the brain function. Gut Microbiota, the relation of Gastrointestinal Tract (GIT) and Central Nervous System (CNS) is said to be considered as an exposed area where in neuroinflammation can be influenced between the relation of these two. Lastly, is how the age of a person is also one of the factors contributing to this matter, since aging also has different aspects of its own such as infections, malnutrition, and stress that may also reduce life span. The journal consisted of numerous Neurological Disorders, one of the commonly known disorders are headache, brain tumors, stroke due to hemorrhage in brain, and malnutrition. Some specifics namely, Dementia, a syndrome by the disturbance of cortical functions, such as memory, and learning judgment. Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) described as the neurofibrillary tangles, derangement of neurotransmitters, and amyloids, these are all inflammatory mechanisms that stress in brains and peripheral tissues elevated in AD. Next is Epilepsy that was described as “Acute Epileptic Symptomatic Seizures” which is a momentary disruption of the brain function, this usually occurs after stroke that affects the muscles, sense, or a combination of both which leads to a complete loss of consciousness. Multiple sclerosis is a cause of disability of different ages in which the body’s immune system attacks its tissues, though minimal disabilities are recorded with this. Next is said to be one of the most difficult diseases to treat, the Parkinson’s Disease (PD), which results a person to have the instability of postural and falls, gait freezing, difficulties in speech and also swallowing. There is also indirect pain according to the authors with the effects of physical and psychological, that is considered as a challenge to its diagnosis and treatment for the individual. Another one is Neuroinfections wherein the microorganisms are said to invade the nervous system, with viral infections i.e. rabies, that reaches the brain and causes confusion and convulsions to a person. Lastly is the ASD or the Autism spectrum disorder that includes excess of axons which leads to the over-connection in the brain. Treatment strategies with modern approaches were discussed, specifically clinical treatment of neurological diseases called Genetic therapy; it is said to be a powerful treatment compared to surgical interventions and drugs that are unable to prevent the diseases. Stated that transferring normal gene to diseased cells would normalize biochemical disturbance, along with other techniques that transfer a direct replacement of gene. Another approach proposed by the research is the Gene therapy — vector, delivering of the treated gene to the brain, although this is more effective and tested on animal models, side effects and conditions resulting in deafness, and also to blindness in animals were discovered. Examinations as vectors in clinical trials are still in continuous expedition, for safety and the success of this treatment. The journal was mainly focused on advertising and introducing new treatments since this journal article was published in 2018, meaning new findings were proposed. Moreover, it was claimed that there are still clinical trials that are proceeding for Gene therapy. Also, one of the key points to take note of, is how open and aware the authors were about the on-going research. Furthermore, basing on the title itself, it answered all of its questions such as the causes and also the treatment suggested for neurological disorders, nonetheless the heading should still cover what it is composed of, and not generalized since it identified future treatment for brain disorders. Lastly is how the abstract was contradicting from its content, where in the lack of supporting details and mentions about how aging is one of the main risk factors for the said disorders. To summarize the journal article made use of the information stated above, enough details were said and clearly distributed. With that being said the findings were on the same page regardless of some shortcomings of also comparing or contrasting disorders, in order to make use of this to further widen the scope of its study. For future research it is a must to provide enough basis included as content, this will give more validity as material. Reference Maha, R., Fouad, I., G., & Hanan, A. (2018). Neurological Disorders: Causes and Treatments strategies. Retrieved September 08, 2020, from https://www.researchgate  .net/publication/325093697_ Neu rological_Disorders_Causes_and_Treatments_strategies

Health facilities and hospitals are continuously trying to improve the delivery of care given to patients, their accountability, efficiencies, time, and reducing costs. A good method of improving quality measures within any healthcare organization is using available resources so that they can achieve greater leverage concerning technology developments and advancements. It is imperative for healthcare organizations to facilitate coordination of patient care across all levels of treatment so that timely efforts and safety are placed at the forefront (Lim, 2017). A significant method of improving care and coordination is via increasing the connectivity capabilities that exists among the multiple clinical systems (p. 9). Thus, a proper integration among these systems should be adhered to so that clinicians can obtain efficient patient information at whatever time they need it. It is also essential for all healthcare organizations to turn their attention to new advanced technology availabilities given that technology enhances the care of delivery and because it is useful towards increasing efficiency, security, workflows, safety, and can help decrease medical mistakes. The study conducted by Jenkins (2017) had objectives that measure the association among advanced electronic medical records and how diabetes quality measures would correlate to bring about positive results for patients. The design of the study used a retrospective audit of PHR as well as a multivariable regression analysis (Jenkins, 2017). The patients used in the study included 10,746 participants among the ages of 18 to 75 that were being seen at a primary care facility location in Cleveland from 2008 to 2009 (p. 423). The results of the study concluded that patients using clinical support systems improved their diabetes outcomes due to the levels of higher engagement that took place concerning them becoming more involved with their health. Clinical systems are vital elements of achieving better communication and it is essential given that when failures of communication happen, the coordination also fails which can cause potential deaths or health risks for patients (Lim, 2017). Developing excellent coordination skills can help improve the variations and methods of health records whereas electronically, they are created within the system. This also helps productivity because it is much easier to locate and distribute health records of patients as opposed to how it is with the traditional paper methods. Clinical records allow for easier retrieval and distribution as well as capturing significant details of the patients past and current medical data that clinicians can use to increase the quality of care for patients (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). There have been recent studies regarding applications of personal health records becoming effective for those suffering from diabetes. Within this literature, there are revisions of elements that relate to how diabetics can utilize technology advancements to maintain and control their sugar levels (Jenkins, 2017). The study uses ideas from a clinical specialist that has developed and validated the components of diabetic diseases so that patients can take increased advantages towards recording their data and gaining up-to-date information concerning their health (p. 47). Clinical applications also help those with diabetes to provide accurate and efficient information at the point of care which enables for quicker access to the information presented in the form of data. Records help patients keep accurate details as well as provides them with opportunities of achieving a better diagnosis regarding their diabetic situations. Clinical applications also provide safer and realistic methods of improving security measures with privacy alerts so that patients can identify if access is authentic or not (Jenkins, 2017). The diabetic health records also ensure that the patients suffering from diabetes achieve better health care, an increase in safety measures are met, as well as efficiency and communication elements for the patients are successful with physicians. The records also help patients understand better healthier choices they can make concerning their health as well as engaging in more physical activity (Jenkins, 2017). Physical activity is essential for those who have diabetes because it helps to improve their nutritional values while avoiding risky lifestyles or behaviors. Most healthcare facilities are in the process, have already, or are planning to incorporate the new and improved technologies available so that assurance can be made to fill in the gaps that have decreased coordination among facilities. According to Detmer (2018), "care coordination and software is a growing market that is expected to increase by 26% in the year, which is a significant increase from 2015 to 2018" (p. 46). Coordination is essential to be included among the variations of technologies that are available given the different degrees of functions and integration capabilities. This also includes real-time communication processes providing physicians with the abilities to analyses and report the variations to the stakeholders ("HealthIT.gov", 2019). Thus, becoming essential when it is time to address the complex financial issues and operational challenges that arise in the healthcare industry. It becomes essential for health care systems and facilities to maintain their focus towards reducing costs while also leveraging the available platforms and technology resources so that optimization of workflow is achieved within the clinical setting (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). This would help address the challenges in healthcare that is a result of poor coordination and communication. Communication and collaboration help sustain the productivity levels of clinicians so that improvements in safety and care can be achieved, leading to greater satisfaction outcomes concerning patients. Thus, an improvement in readmissions and reimbursements would be made. When it pertains to personal health records, these are mandated to become available for patients in providing them with better access to their health information records. Thus, encourages that they participate in the decision-making process to that better health outcomes can be achieved which also enables for corrections of errors if they are found within the data. The purpose of the study conducted by Jenkins (2017), provides an analyzes towards the important components of enabling patients to be able to view their records and how providers and patients through collaborations succeed with positive end goals" (p. 47). According to Healthlt.gov (2019), "personal health records are essential tools for healthcare providers and patients alike because it enables for better results towards corrections that help achieve positive outcomes concerning the data input and output." Personal health records can also present challenges for the patients who aren't understanding towards the usage of it. The providers can become concerned regarding the relevance as patients enter into their portals because it allows for actions to eliminate the critical information that is contained within the records ("Healthit.gov", 2019). Concerns regarding this understanding and the legal liabilities that go along with it are not the time nor cost-effective for providers to achieve proper efficiencies. Past records were in the traditional paper sense whereas it made it harder to locate information concerning patients, find errors and correct them, as well as hard to transfer to other facilities. However, with advanced and new technology, patients and physicians can find anything they need with one click as well as submits information electronically. In the study conducted by McGonigle & Mastrian (2017), they excluded high-risk bias and those conducted in non-clinical settings. The research analysis was conducted by using both published and non­ published resources and included Medline, Cochrane Database, and Embase as their searching strategy. The study found that the clinical decision support helps provide medical professionals with the necessary information needed that is patient-specific and that is intended to increase positive decision making concerning the outcomes of patient's satisfaction and well-being (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). The study also concluded that when facilities use clinical systems it is found effective in changing and prescribing medication errors that have resulted in clinical importance towards treatment outcomes. In conclusion, clinical systems have greatly benefited the healthcare system while helping to improve safety measures, medication and records errors, as well as patient satisfaction. Clinical systems help physicians find support when it concerns locating, retrieving, and allocating patient-centered data and enhancing the decision-making process when it concerns diagnosing patients. Clinical systems also provide full access to patients so that they can understand what is going on with their health to take responsibilities towards the future of their health outcomes. There is significance importance when it concerns the personal health records and support data for diabetic patients so that physicians can better treat them and so that they can take charge of their own health such as the lifestyle-changing, they need to make or increase.   References "HealthIT.gov" (2019). What is an electronic health record (EHR)? Retrieved from https://www.healthit.gov/f aq/what-electronic-health-record-ehr Detmer, D. M. (2018). Integrated personal health records. Medical informatics and decision making, 45-59. Jenkins T. M. (2017). The association between personal health record use and diabetes quality measures. J Gen Intern Med. 2012; 27(4):420-424.doi:10.1007/s11606-011-1889-0. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3304034/pdf/116062011Article1 889.J;ldf Lim S, K. S. (2017). A survey on ubiquitous healthcare service demand among diabetic patients. PubMed, 7-13. McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Ozgur, C., Colliau, T., Rogers, G., Hughes, Z., & Myer-Tyson, B. (2017). MatLab vs. Python vs. R. Journal of Data Science, 15(3), 355-372. This paper expounds on R, Python and MatLab effectiveness. The paper has been written in such a way that it is suited for teaching in colleges and universities or any other institution of higher learning. It explains the basic knowledge of all three programming languages while trying to explain who uses the languages mostly. It also gives a list of the advantages and disadvantages of each of the three programming languages that are R, Python, and MatLab. It further discusses the advantages of one programming language over the other and vice versa. This paper further explains the utilization of the three programming languages, analysis of one over the other and the comparison of a programming language to other programming languages. The examples given in this paper are real-life examples and where the analysis processes are explained in every programming language. Before the author finished writing this paper, he introduces “new” statistical methods where R is now being compared with SAS and SPSS accompanied by good examples that help us who are the readers of this paper broaden our understanding in the field of Data Analysis, Data Mining, and Big Data. At the very end of this paper, the authors of this paper give their experiences on all three programming languages. Matloff, N. (2011). The art of R programming: A tour of statistical software design. No Starch Press. In this paper, all that concerns R programming is discussed fully starting from running R program, simulations and doing math in R all the way to installation and usage of R packages and libraries. It has only majored in discussing R programming language and how it can be incorporated with other programming languages like Object Oriented Programming (OOP). How I can describe this paper in a few words is that the paper has all the information concerning the R programming language. It explicitly explains the debugging facilities used in R and how these facilities are used in this programming language. If the problem has been not knowing how to interface R programming to other programming languages, the problem is solved in this paper where it explains how to interface R with C and C++ programming languages. It also introduces a package where R can be used from Python. This is achieved by installing a package called RPy and following the RPy syntax as explained in this paper. Chun, W. (2001). Core python programming (Vol. 1). Prentice Hall Professional. The Author of this paper Wesley J. Chun has precisely explained all that is concerned with the python programming language including definitions, History of python, the features that python programming language has, how to obtain python and he also added the installation procedure of python. The syntax of python and the objects used in python are correctly mentioned and examples are given in this paper that help the readers of this paper deepen their roots in Python programming language. This book is meant for starters, intermediates, and experts of python programming language suitable for teaching at colleges. In this book, there are advanced topics in part two where other advanced programming languages are incorporated and can be integrated with Python. The programming languages that are discussed in the advanced topics of this book include web programming, graphical user interface programming with TKinter, Multithreaded programming, Network programming among others. In summary, this is the best paper for starting up in learning and understanding Python programming. Jones, O., Maillardet, R., & Robinson, A. (2014). Introduction to scientific programming and simulation using R. Chapman and Hall/CRC. The motivation behind the writing of this book is the rapid growth of R programming, its development, and the application of this programming language in a number of fields. The book illustrates the application of R programming in different disciplines of the education curriculum. The book is helpful and of use to the developers and programmers who use the R programming language in developing software. It also helps those doing data analysis and statistics. The authors of this book have majored in simulation using R programming starting from the introductory part of R programming and later in the inner topics, this book describes how simulation can be done using R programming. In addition, the book has explained some key terms in statistics and data analysis also explaining how R programming is used in these other branches of science. The summary of this book is that it gives a clear understanding of how R programming is used in Data Analysis and Statistics. Chambers, J. (2008). Software for data analysis: programming with R. Springer Science & Business Media. This paper starts with an introductory part of the principles and concepts used in R. After the introduction, the paper now goes deeper to explain the usage of R programming and its evaluation. The examples that are given in this paper help the statisticians in getting to know how to plot different plots using R programming. In this chapter, the packages and libraries are explained then a guide on how to find and install these packages is given. The authors of the book did just end there, they further give real-world examples on the application of R programming in businesses and industries. They explain that R programming has many businesses in gaining huge profits due to the statistical approach of R programming that helps them learn the trends in the market and make a quality decision and at times predict the likeliness of events in the future using R programming tools and techniques. Sanner, M. F. (1999). Python: a programming language for software integration and development. J Mol Graph Model, 17(1), 57-61. This paper starts by giving a definition of what python is and a brief history of python programming language. In its introductory part, it adds the python extensions, how python performs and finally how python programming language functions as a tool for integration. In the part where python is explained as a tool for integration, the author explains how the functionality of python is being implemented and how advantageous this is on the independence of the platform. This paper brings in a new term used in the python programming language called Wrapping. Quoting from this paper, “this is a process where an existing C, C++ or Fotran code is accessed from the python programming language.” These existing codes can be re- implemented using python. Wrapping a code happens when just re-implementing it does not make sense. A better example is given in this paper to explain how to wrap code and how this wrapping occurs. Lutz, M. (2013). Learning python: Powerful object-oriented programming. " O'Reilly Media, Inc.". This paper is quite interactive since it starts with a question and answers session. The questions in this section try to answer all the questions or rather the frequently asked question concerning python programming language. These questions are answered in a way that even a first-time learner in python can understand and familiarize himself or herself with this programming language. In the preceding sections of this paper, the python programming language is now described in-depth with the different functions used in python discussed and very readable and understandable examples given. All that it takes to be a python guru is found in this paper and is a good paper in the journey of becoming a python programming language expert. In conclusion, this paper has exercises after every section that helps the readers of the paper put in practice what he/she has learned. Fox, J. (2005). Getting started with the R commander: a basic-statistics graphical user interface to R. J Stat Softw, 14(9), 1-42. The paper starts by stating how different R is from S-PLUS and how the statistical graphical user interface is not incorporated in R. What happens is that R programming language includes the tools used in building graphical user interfaces. I will rate this paper highly since it gives the screenshots of how to install R and the packages and libraries too. This guides the users are installing R for the first time in their computers. In this paper, the audience that the author has focused on is the newbies of the R programming language and also the newbies of the R graphical user interface. With this paper, anyone can install and use R without any problem. The paper concludes by giving practical examples recommended for new users of R to run before starting to run huge programs in R. Therefore, for any newbies in R, this is the recommended paper for perusal.

Introduction Also referred to as neo or contemporary slavery, modern slavery in general is institutional oppression that endures in present-day society. Often out of sight or obscured like a normal job, modern or neo-slavery entails exploitation of others that is severe for purposes of personal or profitable gain (Sogani, 2019; Antislavery, n.d.). As such, in present-day society, it is estimated that 40.3 persons, which includes both adults and children are trapped in slavery as they are controlled through violence or threats of violence (Walk Free, 2018). Most of the victims have fallen into this trap in their attempt to flee insecurity or poverty to either improve their life circumstances and/or support their families. What is more, from the 40.3 victims of modern slavery, 71 percent of them were women and children and 9.2 million were from Africa making it the continent with the highest prevalence for modern slavery (Rozpedowski, 2020). In addition, it is key to point out that exploitation is manifested in multiple forms, namely, adult and child trafficking, involuntary labor, bondage through debt, descent-based slavery, and forced and premature marriages. However, all victims are vulnerable to be exploited and trapped in slavery due to being predisposed to poverty, exclusion, and conflict, which are significantly prevalent in Africa compared to other continents (Antislavery, n.d.). A similar trend is evidenced in Africa’s relations with other continents. This can be evidenced by the mineral mining industry. That is, while Africa has an inordinate amount of minerals, gold, cobalt, palladium, and platinum, these minerals among other natural resources and metallic deposits have contributed to Africa becoming the contemporary epicenter of slavery (Rozpedowski, 2020). Specifically, Africa’s vulnerability due to poor regulation and state corruption coupled up with enticing foreign interests fueled by the need to support and advance society digitization has contributed a rise of conflict minerals, which is a key contributing factor to modern slavery. That is, conflict minerals also referred to as 3TGs (Tin, Tungsten, Tantalum, Gold) are commonly extracted from conflict zones, and being under the control of outside actors, rebel groups or armies contributes to the proliferation of violence and exploitation in these regions with the main one being eastern Congo (European Commission, 2021). These minerals are important as they are important in the manufacture of numerous devices which include computers, medical devices, tablets, and smartphones. This has led to the rise of the sentiment that Africa is faced with a resource curse which alludes to the fact that these resources have an innate potential to enhance the economies of the countries and the continent at large. However, they only benefit the groups involved in armed conflict whereby, slave labor is used to fuel the fighting and in mining operations which further hinders community members from building better lives. On the other hand, since poor institutions and regulations play a compounding role, Africa can also be termed to be institution- cursed as its local and regional institutions do not effectively safeguard residents and the region from exploitation and the descent into anarchy that collectively create or enable an environment that condones modern slavery. Conflict minerals are a key contributor to modern slavery vulnerability for both the inhabitants of a conflict zone and those who attempt to leave to enhance their life circumstances. However, the conflict situation is a product of institutional failure both in the African countries/region and the developed nations which points to regulatory and legislative gaps, multinational tech companies’ global supply chain for these minerals, and the capitalist system of production. Hence, all of these will be discussed to outline the relationship between conflict minerals and modern slavery as well as probable solutions to ensure the countries with these mineral deposits can use them to ensure prosperity for their people, the country, and the continent at large. Artisanal mines and conflict Conflict minerals are mainly synonymous with the mid- African region, particularly in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). However, there are several other countries in Africa with mineral and metal deposits, for instance, emeralds in Zambia, rubies in Mozambique, diamonds in Sierra Leone, and Liberia, among others (Rozpedowski, 2020). Nevertheless, as aforementioned, while these minerals have an innate capacity to enhance the prosperity of a country and its people, this is mostly not the case as they are mainly sold to finance the activity of insurgent groups who rely on slave labor to extract them. For instance, armed groups in conjunction with some individuals from the Congolese national army have capitalized on the 3TGs to finance the widespread war on eastern Congo for several decades (Global Witness, 2015; Free the Slaves, 2011). Consequently, Verpoorten et al. (2019) detail that how these minerals are extracted is what makes difference on whether they promote or deter conflict. Specifically, artisanal mines promote conflict while industrial mines deter conflict. This difference is due to the mode of extraction and who controls the mine whereby, for artisanal mines, the extraction of minerals is done manually compared to in industrial mines whereby the extraction process is mechanized. On the one hand, industrial mines are owned and run by large, multinational, or transnational companies. On the other hand, artisanal mines are owned and controlled by local elites. Concerning the employed labor, artisanal mines will usually attract approximately 20 million low-skilled positions compared to industrial mines that have very few jobs. The price of minerals is also a key conflict trigger whereby, when the prices increase, the battle between rival armed groups over the mines for artisanal mines when compared to industrial mines. This is also outlined to have a ripple effect on society such as increased attacks against civilians and looting around areas near the artisanal mines (Vircoulon, 2011). Focusing on eastern Congo which embodies the problem due to the prevalent high rebel activity and conflict, as well as having mineral deposits for Gold and the 3Ts, it is estimated to have approximately 382,000 artisanal miners spread across 2700 artisanal mines (Verpoorten et al., 2019). The result is that the central government is unable to oversee these mines and their activities. Also, while it is proposed that artisanal mining should be done in explicitly demarcated zones, only 1 percent of them operate this way with 61 percent of them operating on industrial concessions. What is more, these minerals are easily smuggled out of the country with proceeds only going to the armed groups who run these mines (Verpoorten, Stoop & Windt, 2019). However, as outlined by Gibb (2016), while Eastern Congo is synonymous with conflict minerals because of its 3TGs deposits, it is not the only country. For instance, the Central African Republic eastern rivers have diamonds and gold, which has attracted independent artisanal miners, but they have to pay for a license to the violent armed sets who have taken charge of these areas who are also the main beneficiaries of the mining activities. A similar trend is evidenced in diamond mines in Zimbabwe whereby, the existence of armed groups has been furthered by the police as well as the security forces who loot diamond grounds to acquire extra income. Also, this accords the mines and the groups that run them freedom from government oversight. The undiscerning and ready market for these minerals makes it easy to mix them into genuine supply chains because of the inherent weaknesses wrought by the culture of secrecy that defines the supply chains (Gibb, 2016). Consequently, a state of conflict results in or supports modern slavery, that is, in addition to fueling fighting which hinders residents from improving their life circumstances, the armed groups will usually round up villagers forcing them to work in the mine (Free The Slaves, 2011). Also, in conjunction with corrupt officials and security forces including the police, they falsify charges against residents who are then sentenced falsely to toil in the mines. Residents can also be enslaved in a form of bonded labor whereby exorbitant interest rates are attached to money, tools, or food extended to laborers (Free the Slaves, n.d). When this is combined with deceptive accounting, miners are locked in a cycle of forced labor as a way to ‘pay off’ their debts. Finally, regarding sex slavery, these armed groups will at times abduct women and girls from the nearby villages while others will resort to luring women and girls under the pretenses of financial support (Buss, 2018). While there are those directly victimized by the conflict situation by being subjected to the different forms of modern slavery by either being forced to work in the mines, being exploited due to the prevalent poverty status or being sexually exploited, displacement is a key modern slavery risk factor (Buss, 2018). In the case of Congo in the year 2014, it is estimated that 2.7 million individuals had been displaced due to the conflict. Specifically, the residents in North and South Kivu are disproportionately predisposed to rape, displacement, and murder because of the conflict situations (Global Witness, 2015). At this point, it is evident that Africa is not necessarily resource-cursed. Instead, it is the institutional curse that serves as an antecedent for the prevalent resource curse. That is, a state of conflict is fueled by ongoing competition over the lucrative mines with income from them serving as a key incentive for warring parties (Andersson, 2016). Also, some elements of these nations’ security forces such as the police and the army taking partisan sides fuel the conflict further by granting it some degree of legitimacy whilst protecting the activities of these armed groups from government oversight. In line with this, artisanal mines are particularly vulnerable to being run over by armed groups resulting in persistent conflict as different groups attempt to take control of the mine due to its lucrativeness. On the other hand, those who control the mine will attack nearby residents forcing most of them into some form of servitude or exploitation, and displacing others. Hence, artisanal mines as structured do have some degree of a vicious cycle with conflict since they share a self-reinforcing relationship. That is, artisanal mines thrive on conflict since it is the only way that armed groups can retain control of the mine and smuggle the minerals and metals overseas. On the other hand, since these armed groups have little to no human capital to carry out mining activities, they will resort to systems of structural servitude to lock nearby residents in forced labor, including children. This is achieved through threats of violence or perpetrating attacks on civilians. Hence, the existence of artisanal mines predicates and perpetuates a state of violence. Role of global supply chains Generating approximately US$150 billion in illegal profits yearly, slavery exists hidden in the international value chains run by powerful transnational firms. That is, in addition to these global value chains linking suppliers, labor contractors, and global retailers across numerous industries, countries, and institutions, the bottom-line justifiability of the utilization of slave labor and conditions in addition to the difficulty of organizing and governing these value chains causes the thriving of modern slavery (Landman & Silverman, 2019; Stringer & Michailova, 2018; Skelton, 2020; Gold et al., 2015; Griffin et al., 2014). What is more, the extensive subcontracting that characterizes the activities of multinational corporations contributes to their failure in effectively monitoring their supply chains. Also, as noted by Steiner-Dicks (2019), for most large companies, monitoring their supply chain lacks the incentive that the attractiveness of cheap labor offers. In line with this, globalization is posited to have resulted in the rise of complex and novel networks that resulted in new forms of exploitation (Christ et al., 2020). For multinational companies, this trend resulted in shaping and sustaining moral justification of using slaves and using underhanded tactics such as bribes to ensure the goals are met (Stringer & Michailova, 2018; Bales, 2002; Griffin et al., 2014). When this is considered against the role of the global value chains in the relationship between conflict minerals and modern slavery, Elgg (2017) asserts that while the global electronics industry is among the largest industrial sectors globally, it is the largest revenue- generating in the goods-producing sector. However, this impressive performance is at the expense of people who are essential in the electronics supply chains. That is, with labor-intensive sectors, low-skilled and low-wage jobs being considered disproportionately at risk of forced labor, manufacturing and extraction of raw materials tasks in the global electronics industry fit this risk profile since exploiters will seek to profit from vulnerabilities (Elgg, 2017; Christ et al., 2020). Specifically, DRC and Malaysia are uniquely positioned due to the raw material abundance and of electronics manufacturing factories of these countries respectively. What is more, Hermes (2017) asserts that while modern slavery concerns have been prevalent since the global electronics industry have continually relied on slave labor in the extraction of raw materials especially in DRC, the world’s largest consumer brands have continued to buy cobalt in these circumstances because of the lack of traceability throughout the value chain as well as the involvement of dodgy players in the supply chain (Hermes, 2017). That is, the use and reliance of subcontractors throughout the supply chain exacerbate the traceability concern while opening up the supply chain to unscrupulous third parties. Hence, it is difficult for multinational companies to determine whether the minerals sourced are legitimate or are sourced from conflict zones and artisanal mines. However, it is important to note that forced labor is not the only form of exploitation that the global supply chains support. That is, according to the International Labor Organization, it is estimated that more than a million young children illegally work in quarries. For instance, in Burkina Fason and Niger, children under the age of 15 make up approximately 30 to 50 percent of the labor found in the gold mines. Similarly, a study conducted in 2015 estimated that more than 20 percent of the workers in gold mines were children. Moreover, children were also exploited in gold mines located in the Western, Central, and Ashanti Ghanaian regions[ CITATION Int \l 1033 ]. What is more, Cobalt and Coltan mining sites in DRC have also been increasingly using child labor especially with the increased demand for batteries due to the increased uptake of portable electronic devices, and the increased move towards electric cars (Sovacool, 2021; International Labor Organization; Ayres, 2012). Moreover, these children are normally subjected to violence, intimidation, extortion, and harsh working conditions. Therefore, focusing on the impact of global value chains, it is key to note that their inherent weaknesses create an enabling environment for the exploitation of vulnerable populations. When this is coupled with the business case of slave labor, this further ingrains the culture of exploitation which proliferates because of the indifference by multinational companies controlling these supply chains to monitor and deter forms of modern slavery. Hence, the increased demand for the 3TGs contributes to the conflict environment because the trade not only finances the armed groups but it also triggers a series of violence between warring factions[ CITATION Chr12 \l 1033 ]. This opens a door to different forms of exploitation both to meet the needs of the multinational companies but to also provide cheap raw materials which appeal to these companies due to the impact they have on profitability resulting in the condoning of forced and child labor. Case in point, in December of 2019, Advocates of Human Rights filed a case representing 14 parents and their children accusing Apple, Google, Microsoft, Tesla, and Dell of aiding in the death and injuries of children illegally employed in cobalt mines that serve their business (Lavietes, 2019). According to the families, the children had been employed illegally by mines that were under a company named Glencore, based in the United Kingdom. The cobalt produced from the activity in the mining camps were then sold to Umicore, a trader, and ultimately to the tech giants (Kelly, 2019). Also, although Glencore and the tech companies denied the charges, Glencore had been accused previously of using child labor (Lavietes, 2019). A core aspect of the complaint detailed that these companies were complicit since they were well aware of the existence of child labor in their supply chain, and they had the resources and authority to monitor and regulate the supply chains but they did not. Also, in their responses, most of the mentioned companies claimed they do not knowingly engage in business with players who engage in fraudulent recruitment or labor practices which is indicative of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ culture they promote in the global value chains (Lavietes, 2019; Kelly, 2019). The existing regulatory and legislative gaps As aforementioned, Africa is significantly institution cursed which has significantly contributed to the rise of a seeming resource curse. Specifically, this is due to poor institutions and regulations that succumb to enticing foreign interests failing to safeguards residents in the region from exploitation. What is more, practices such as corruption within state institutions, and partisan politics have resulted in the creation or enablement of an environment that condones modern slavery because of the inherent legislative gaps which are furthered by regulatory gaps (Homewood, 2018; Silva & Schaltegger, 2019). Case in point, while it has been evidenced that security forces in most of the affected areas are partisan because of the extra income they obtain from conflict minerals, Hermes (2017) details that conflict minerals and modern slavery are a result of lacking regulation that directly addresses the vulnerabilities of the global supply chain. For instance, the United States does not classify Cobalt as a conflict mineral, which exempts its sourcing from falling under conflict mineral rules. Thereby, without laws that implore companies to check and publicly disclose the origin of raw materials as well as its suppliers there is lacking transparency in the supply chain that creates a breeding ground for modern forms of slavery (New, 2015; LeBaron & R€uhmkorf, 2017). As Banerjee (2020) notes, there are more slaves today than when slavery was legal with the majority of them being exploited by the private sector for business gain. Hence, while it is a crime, the present-day organization of the political-economic system largely supports the practice, specifically, the global neoliberal capitalism that creates a large market for forced and child labor both supply- and demand- wise. This is indicative of the failure of voluntary initiatives of self-regulation such as codes of conduct, multi-stakeholder initiatives, and corporate social responsibility which mainly play the role of strategic reputation management and transparency while doing little to curtail modern slavery practices in the supply chain (New, 2015; Silva & Schaltegger, 2019; Sankara et al., 2019). Nevertheless, the international community has responded with legislative instruments to combat the issue of neo-slavery existing in the international value chains for these minerals. While it is a commendable first step, these have not been particularly effective. Some of the notable legislative measures are the UK’s Modern Slavery Act, the US’ Dodd-Frank Act (2010), Australia’s Modern Slavery Act (2018). Except for Australia’s Modern Slavery Act (2018), the other two only require companies to do due diligence on their supply chain to trace the source of the raw materials they use (Kolieb & Wynn-Pope, 2020; Andersson, 2016; Sancha et al., 2019). In line with this, as noted by Steiner-Dicks (2019) and Skelton (2020) most companies are vague in their disclosure of how they ensure slave labor does not fester in their supply chains, which is compounded by the bottom-line attractiveness of using slave labor. However, in Australia, operational disclosure is not the only requirement as firms have to ensure that both their operations and their supply chain do not condone the practice. As such, the country has gone ahead to criminalize modern slavery practices under its criminal code, including those committed in foreign countries. This grants reprieve to victims who can seek legal remediation for injustices committed or condoned by Australian-based companies an example that should be emulated by other countries, especially, Western economies whose insatiable demand fuels modern slavery practices (Kolieb & Wynn-Pope, 2020; LeBaron & R€uhmkorf, 2017). What is more, while multinationals can be held accountable for acts of modern slavery and armed conflict under international criminal law under either ‘crimes against humanity’ or ‘war crimes’, the skewed distribution of power and finances between multinational companies and the victims results in a situation where the victims are unable to seek justice since these companies can circumvent legal responsibility using both overt and covert approach such as bribing officials or threats of violence (Kolieb & Wynn-Pope, 2020). As a result, most victims can only seek representation and legal remediation through non-governmental organizations and human rights groups which further reduces their probability of obtaining justice (Silva & Schaltegger, 2019). For instance, in the aforementioned 2019 case, International Rights Advocates, a human rights NGO based in the US, filed the case on behalf of the 14 families. However, there are other examples such as the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA) that operates in Mauritania which is a key slavery hub in Africa and the world. Others include Amnesty International and human rights watch that operate globally, as well as the Coalition of Civil Society for the Abolition of Slavery (COSCAE) and Center for Research on the Environment, Democracy and Human Rights (CREDDHO) that have been instrumental in addressing the modern slavery situation in DRC. Therefore, the lax regulatory and legislative regime both locally and internally fosters the exploitation of conflict minerals and the productive role of slave labor. That is, in African countries, the high rates of corruption and instability make them vulnerable to exploitation by international corporations due to the fragmented state of the supply chain and the widespread mineral deposits across the continent. On the other hand, in developed nations where these multinationals are based, there is a need for governments to take a more active role as opposed to the traditional reliance on self-regulation by these multinational companies. Specifically, opening channels where legal recourse can be sought across jurisdictions is a key step towards making multinationals accountable for monitoring and identifying modern forms of slavery in their supply chain and putting up measures to alleviate these practices. Summary of existing regulations and legislations addressing modern slavery UK’s Modern Slavery Act (2015) – consolidating human trafficking and slavery offences, the Act necessitates companies whose sales are more than £36 million to public annual statements detailing the steps taken to ensure human trafficking and slavery does not thrive in operations and supply chain or declare if no steps have been taken. The Act also establishes trafficking reparation orders and new criminal offences as well as the powers of enforcements and measures to safeguard victims. Australia’s Modern Slavery Act (2018) – it necessitates organizations that operate and that are based in Australia with a gross revenue of more than $100 million to report the issue of neo-slavery and its risks in their supply chains and operations on an annual basis as well as taking active actions to address the risks. California’s Transparency in Supply Chains Act (2010) – this Act necessitates all manufacturers, retailers, and sellers, in California that do business and exceeds $100 million in gross revenue to disclose the actions it takes to do away with slavery and human trafficking in its supply chain. United Nations Guiding Principles on Business Human Rights – a three-chapter document, it sets out the UN’s framework to protect, respect and remedy that governments and companies should adhere to. Hence, it defines the concrete and actionable steps to be taken to meet the duties and responsibilities of preventing human rights abuses in company operations while also providing remedies for such abuses. The EU Non-Financial Reporting Directive (2014) – under this directive, businesses with 500 employees and more should include non-financial statement in their annual reports that should detail the procedures, risks, and program outcomes on anticorruption and bribery, diversity, environment protection, good treatment of employees, corporate social responsibility, and the respect for human rights. Since modern slavery is emerging as a critical contemporary issue, and although it has been outlawed in several states and regions it is evident that there are unforeseen circumstances that have resulted in the proliferation of modern slavery in global value chains. Hence, different jurisdictions are taking an active role to address the systemic and structural factors that create an enabling role for modern slavery. Some notable modern slavery legislations that have been proposed include: The Canadian Modern Slavery Act – introduced in the Senate on 29th October 2020, this Act will necessitate companies to annually publish a modern slavery report whilst also amending the customs tariff to prohibit the entry of good produced by child labor in Canada. The EU Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence Legislation – proposed by the Committee on Legal Affairs of the European Parliament in its 11th September 2022 report, this legislation would require due diligence on environmental, governance and human rights risks to remediate impacts and make the relevant disclosures while also holding liable subjects liable for adverse impacts. The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act – while it is yet to be enacted, the Act was passed by the US house of representatives on 22nd September 2020. It establishes a presumption that goods produced by persons recruited by the XUAR government as part of its poverty alleviation program or the pairing assistance program, or those produced in Xinjiang are produced using forced labor and hence, their importation into the US is prohibited pursuant to the necessary amendment to Section 307 of the Tariff Act. Also, the Act will necessitate additional reporting obligations for some US public companies. The Tasmania Modern Slavery Act – presented to the Tasmanian House of Assembly on 30th April 2020, this Act would require modern slavery disclosures for commercial organizations stipulated in the Commonwealth Modern Slavery Act and New South Wales Modern Slavery Act. What is more, the Act would also introduce a post of an Independent Supply Chain (Anti-slavery) commissioner as well as a Supply Chain (Modern Slavery) Committee of Parliament. The Washington State Transparency in Supply Chains Act – proposed on 13th January 2020, this Act would require some retail seller of agricultural products with business operations in Washington to not only prepare and annual human trafficking statement but to also monitor their suppliers. In addition, while countries are taking active steps to enhance supply chain transparency and the traceability of raw materials, US States are also introducing separate anti-slavery acts as part of a multi-stakeholder approach to address the contemporary issue. The pioneers as evidenced are Washington and California. Discussion and Conclusion Sabo-Walsh (2017) outlines that with the demand for cobalt and lithium on the rise because of the increased demand for technologies and the reduction of carbon emission by increasing the use of batteries to decrease energy use, this poses a significant urgency to address the relationship between conflict minerals and modern slavery. Specifically, multinationals should enhance the traceability of key minerals especially the 3TGs (Vircoulon, 2011; Sancha et al., 2019). Laws and partnerships with key stakeholders and initiatives should also be enhanced and enforced to improve visibility throughout the supply chain (Gold et al., 2015). Therefore, as noted by Church & Crawford (2018), the mining sector is core to the international shift to a decline in carbon in the future. This is because the technologies needed all require mineral and metal inputs that are supplied by the mining sector. Hence, there is a risk that if the relationship between conflict minerals and modern slavery is not addressed, it will be exacerbated by the low- carbon transition which will make the mineral-producing countries more fragile and conflict- averse (Sovacool, 2021). Hence, to remedy the violence and conflict dynamics of mineral-rich resources, there is a need to address local tensions and weak governance which should then be supported by monitoring supply chains to rid them of modern forms of slavery. However, to ensure accountability and transparency, regulatory and legislative frameworks also have to evolve by necessitating supply chain disclosures as standard practice as well as holding multinational companies accountable for contemporary slavery forms orchestrated in their chains of supply. Finally, there is a need for states to assume full ownership of all mining sites to ensure modern forms of slavery do not fester and to also rid supply chains of artisanal mines. Therefore, by bringing together ethical sourcing and enforcing labor protections, it is possible to sever the relationship between conflict minerals and modern slavery by focusing on the global supply chains of key minerals and metals. References Andersson, J. M. (2016). 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