Hewlett-Packard

Human Trafficking

Steve Weber INT 3300-L8RP:Final Research Paper Dr. Gail Bentley

Texas Tech University

Step 1: State the focus question 1

Human trafficking continues to be a very serious problem throughout the world on a

regularly basis. For our problem to be an interdisciplinary problem it must address open-ended

questions and, to be too complex, it must be very researchable to find a solution to our

problem that the world is experiencing. The main focus question that my disciplines consist of,

human resources, communication studies, and organizational management, will deal with the

question of what are the key concepts of resolving human trafficking within today`s world?

The current version can go in multiple directions as there are two benefits of asking

open ended questions as interdisciplinary research process and theory points out, “The

question can deepen an existing line of inquiry and possibly initiate a new line of inquiry, and

the question can help draw out interrelationships among phenomena. Disciplines can rarely

explain all aspects of a complex problem.” (Repko, 2012) My key disciplines throughout my

research have the ability to break down the problem with their own question such as in human

trafficking, what areas of training are necessary to work in ceasing human trafficking?

Communication studies have the ability to ask what forms of communication studies within

agencies throughout the world are informing the public and others on human trafficking.

Finally, organizational management can use its own research question of what planning,

organizing, and leading are required to achieve its overall objective. What are the key concepts

that all three of my disciplines can come together as one to help resolve human trafficking

against all of mankind throughout today`s world.

Step 2: Justify using an Interdisciplinary Approach 2

An interdisciplinary study gives one the ability to solve and find a suitable solution to a

problem using multiple forms of disciplines or areas of studies. Although many critics of

interdisciplinary studies frequently charge that there is no widely accepted definition of

interdisciplinary studies. The main objective within the interdisciplinary research process is

pragmatic: to produce a cognitive advancement in the forms of new understanding, a new

product, or a new meaning. (Repko, 2012)

Secondly, an interdisciplinary research process is a decision making process that is a

process, heuristic, iterative, and reflexive. Finally, no single discipline has been able to explain

or resolve the main problem we are working toward ending or finding a suitable reasoning to

human trafficking throughout the world.

A secondary definition toward our problem can be applied with, “Interdisciplinary

studies is a process of answering a question, solving a problem, or addressing a topic that is too

broad or complex to be dealt with adequately by a single discipline, and draws on the discipline

with goal of integrating their insights to construct a more comprehensive understanding.”

(Repko, 2012) An interesting part is that interdisciplinary us used to describe a research process

as Repko points out in his book as, “The interdisciplinary research process is the how part of the

definition of interdisciplinary refers to the process used to study a complex

problem/issue/question, not the problem/issue/question itself.” (Repko, 2012) It must be

broken down it multiple parts using my disciplines to come to a strong comprehensive

understanding.

Step 3: Identify Relevant/literature 3

To come to a strong comprehensive understanding of our problem when dealing with

human trafficking and finding a key concepts on improving and fighting this terrible crime is

using areas of human resources, communication studies, and organizational management

techniques. We live in a world that deals with millions of people throughout the world and at

times we need some people to lead, manage, and contribute necessary items to come to a

conclusion to our problem. Using an interdisciplinary research process involves two steps, one

being the initial step/beginning step in the process and secondly, the full scale search which

deals with identifying all relevant expert insights and theories on our problem which leads to

achieving mastery of the problem in all of its complexity.

The first resource located that can seriously help human trafficking throughout the

world is, U.S. flight attendants seek mandatory training to spot human trafficking. The

Association of flights attendants (AFA) has over 50,000 members and 18 airlines in the skies

over the United States daily. Training would provide eyes over the skies to locate human

trafficking as the United States government states that an estimated 14,500-17,5000 people are

placed into trafficking every year. If the airlines had the training, possible trafficking could stop

and they could report it to local law enforcement agencies and save lives. This article follows

under the quantitative as it strong evidence that that can be expressed numerically over a

specific time frame and it ties in with human resources through training. (Dawson, 2015)

Step 3: Identifying Relevant/Literature 4

In Andrew Tulley’s article; Laura Lederer a state department expert official stated,

"Human trafficking is the third-largest global criminal enterprise, exceeded only by drug and

arms trafficking, as many of you have heard over and over again," she said. "We have some very

basic statistics on human trafficking. We've looked at this mainly as a law enforcement issue

and as a human rights issue. But it is also an industry. By some estimates, the industry is

growing, and the [worldwide] illegitimate gain from the industry is as high as $32 billion per

year.” (Tulley, 2015)

The second resource which has important implications on human trafficking is that the

U.S. Senate recently passed a Human Trafficking bill with 99-to-0 vote. The article strongly

points out, The Senate trafficking bill, which was intended to increase penalties for perpetrators

and support for victims, particular the preadolescent girls who are targeted, would also

strengthen the ability of law enforcement to investigate trafficking. Huetteman, (2015) this

second source follows under the quantitative field and it follows under the Human Resources

through legal principles. Experts agree that stiff punishment is the best opinion for human

traffickers committing these crimes against humans in the U.S. and the rest of the world. Where

do victims turn to when they need assistance from human trafficking?

One place they turn to is the next source is an organization called, Polaris; runs the U.S. Human

Trafficking Resource Center hotline and since 2007, the call center has received over 85,000

calls for help. This year alone, callers have reported 1,345 cases of human trafficking in the

United States.

Step 3: Identifying Relevant/Literature 5

Polaris CEO Bradley Myers stated, Lots of people are comfortable calling a non-profit because

we`re not the government, we`re not law enforcement when they call us, their voice isn`t being

recorded as a part of a federal case. (Lake, M. 2015) The non-profit organization has helped

with over 20,000 cases of trafficking over seven years, many involving minors. This source has a

great deal of information on trafficking and it would fall under the qualitative field as it applies

to the organizational management discipline. Regardless of the situation/expert if one needs

assistance, one should seek it as this source clearly points out outstanding statistics to our

problem we are faced with in our world. The next source located and falls under the qualitative

is the United States Department of Justice which handles all forms of credible resources of the

law; which falls under the human resources/organizational management.

Prime example from the source stated, Charles Marquez of El Paso, Texas was recently

sentenced to life in prison for Human Trafficking crimes. FBI`s Douglas Lindquist of the El Paso

office, Homeland security will continue to work effectively with other federal partners as well as

our international counterparts to identify and dismantle human trafficking rings. (DOJ, 2014) As

noted earlier, The U.S. Senate is cracking down on this crime and this source points out the

legal system is also being very serious about this crime within the borders of the United States.

The watchmen of the Arizona border patrol have three main goals according to Ollie Gillman,

stop illegal immigration, stop drug smuggling, and probably most importantly stop human

trafficking. (Gillman 2015) Clearly, the U.S. government is doing its part to keep America safe

once again and keep these illegal traffickers outside of America.

Step 3: Identifying Relevant/Literature 6

Author Abby Sher’s book entitled, Breaking Free: True stories of girls who escaped modern

slavery, stated in her book, The United Nations reports that almost two million people are

trafficked each year into sex trade. On any given night in New York, more than four thousand

underage youth are trafficked for sex. Another strong point in same book, the average age of

people entering the U.S. commercial sex industry is between 12 to 14 years old. Another

interesting point from the same book stated men in Cambodia will pay hundreds or thousands

of dollars to rape a virgin for a week because of virgin’s magical powers. The brothels today will

often sell girls who are five or six years old. After the week is over, the girls are sewn up on the

inside so they will look like virgins. Then they are sold again. Most girls in the sex industry are

forced in by family, kidnappers, and rapists. It`s hard to measure because trafficking is so

secretive but U.N.I.C.E.F., an organization that defends the rights of children estimates 1.2

million are trafficked every year. (Sher, A. 2014)

Another great book on human trafficking throughout our world is entitled A crime so

monstrous written by Benjamin Skinner, one was able to gather that, former United States

Congressman of Virginia is quoted in the book, “You do not generally get involved in this issue

unless you`re driven by faith or you see slavery-trafficking, and feel it and taste it. It`s hard to

just fabricate the commitment and the interest and the desire.” After reading Benjamin Skinner

book I was able to learn that Haiti was one of the leaders in the world in child slavery

throughout our world. His book applied to my communication discipline with the following

forms of information located.

Step 3: Identifying Relevant/Literature 6

The U.S. agency for international development (USAID) funded awareness campaigns to

discourage child slavery, but the bulk of the money went toward billboards for a population

that could not read, and television and radio jingles for a population without electricity.

(Skinner, B 2008) So not only is the United States fighting this crime within its own back yard

but it is also going the extra yard to attempting to fight this crime within the world itself. In

reality, that is probably the best idea since more than likely some of those criminal

masterminds within trafficking world understands that to make the real money throughout the

world, its best interest is to come to America, but sadly for the traffickers who are committing

this crime America is setting up its efforts and fighting this crime.

The next book is entitled, Modern American slave labor and the dark side of the new

global economy and written by John Bowe. This reference will focus on the organization

management of my paper and is falls under the quantitative as quality of information located.

The main form of information that this book pointed out was, today an estimated 27 million

people are enslaved around the world. Brazilians and Persians are lured to the Amazon

rainforest and forced to burn wood into charcoal and mine for gold. Political prisoners are held

in North Korea and China and forced to atone for their crime with unpaid labor.” (Bowe, J.

2008) Sadly, this is just yet another strong source telling us that human trafficking is not just

sex-based as some human trafficking that occurs throughout our world is truly slave based. One

cannot understand where slavery still happens in such places such as China, which is where a

great deal of items come from that arrive on the shelves in the United States.

Step 3: Identifying Relevant/Literature 7

I believe it is extremely important to add multiple sources of information when we are

discussing human trafficking but I also believe it is just as important to share a small story from

one of the survivors from human trafficking. The following is a letter located on Polaris

webpage which helps and supports girls and others that have been harmed by the human

trafficking around the world as a girl named Iris whom is a client at the Polaris New Jersey

office. After President Obama spoke about human trafficking at the Clinton Global Initiative a

number of clients wrote him and shared with permission.

“Dear President Obama I am 20 years old and have been a slave for 2 years but I thank

God for helping me to escape from where I was. I was brought in USA to go to school but when

I came here it became a nightmare & I starting working without pay, bitten, abused physically

and mentally but the day I was expecting to be dead that’s when God made me a way to escape

where I was bleeding, crying, not knowing what happening and Polaris found me and keep me

safe. I believe I am the eye of my family because everybody there their hope is in me but they

don’t know what’s going on with me. I thank you for thinking about people like me and those

who are worse than me. May God keep you and show you many ways to help us!!!!Thanks so

much & I am proud to be in America.” (Polaris, 2015)

Researchers must avoid allowing the existing literature and the view of others, even if

they are experts, to disproportionately influence their understanding of the problem. Relying

on what others said at the very outset of the research enterprise risk short-circuiting objective

and creative thinking that is essential to good disciplinary work. (Repko, 2012)

Step 5: Develop Adequacy in each relevant Discipline 8

Human Resources view the world its primary theory that will be applied is the strategic

training and development process. This theory is based on mission, values, and goals of our

organization to fight human trafficking. It will also benefit overall capture and shared

knowledge throughout the employees. Its primary objective will be to increase development

planning, performance improvement, training, and increase employee satisfaction. The second

method of our theory that will be applied is the human resources laws and regulations. The

department of labor (DOL) administers and enforces more than 180 federal laws. I feel that

having strategic training and development, laws and regulation, and recruitment/focus on

results truly help me lead to find quality and credible forms of theory information. One cannot

just walk in the door and say, I’m ready to fight trafficking.

"The interdisciplinary position on disciplinary methods is that there are many methods, each

with different strengths and weaknesses, and that no one method or overall approach should

be privileged over any other in interdisciplinary work." (Repko, 2012)

Communication theories view the world with a standpoint theory. Standpoint theory

focuses on how membership in groups, such as those designated by gender, race, and class,

and sexual identity, shapes what individuals experience, know, feel, and do, as well as how

individuals understand social life as a whole. But standpoint theory is achieved through critical

reflection on power relations and through engaging in the struggle required to construct an

oppositional stance. Finally, Standpoint theory claims that marginalized groups can generate

unique insights into how a society works.

Step 5: Develop Adequacy in each relevant Discipline 9

Another communication theory one can use when it comes to human trafficking is the

performance communication theory which is said that it argues that humans generate

identities, including gender, through performance or expression. When we think of

communication we suddenly must understand that not all traffickers and/or victims will speak

the same language, so that in alone with demonstrate a theory that there needs to be other

forms of communication such as it body language and facial expressions.

Organizational Management have very common interest with human resources in

today`s work places however, Organizational Management see the world in a multiple of

different theories but based on our wicked problem we are studying the Theory X and Theory Y

are fantastic approaches; especially when it is dealing with training its staff regularly within

management and the human resources disciplines toward human trafficking. The management

theory an individual chooses to utilize is strongly influenced by beliefs about worker attitudes.

Managers who believe workers naturally lack ambition and need incentives to increase

productivity lean toward the Theory X management style. Theory Y believes that workers are

naturally driven and take responsibility. While managers who believe in Theory X values often

use an authoritarian style of leadership, Theory Y leaders encourage participation from

workers.

Analyze the problem & Evaluate each insight or theory 10

The human resources typically see training and development as the key to being

prepared to handle any and all forms of human trafficking and expressing shared knowledge

through the group of employees toward the project at hand. One needs to ensure that their

team is prepared for all forms within the organization to handle such a difficult task. It also

must provide the necessary legal training that is essential; one could easily use the 5`W

questions to evaluate the appropriateness of each theory to the problem. The communication

theory that was discussed is aware that human trafficking is not just an American war but more

of a world war on crime, as this crime continues to happen throughout the world on a regular

basis. When a certain individual is grown up in a certain environment, one perceives that to be

a normal circumstance. In reality with human trafficking that is clearly not the case and the U.S.

government and other top agencies around the world are attempting to change that

perspective. The stand point theory believes that societies around the world are going to be

different and there will be a lack of communication among different societies around the world.

Bias may enter into an interdisciplinary study merely by the choice, or focus on, a

particular discipline. To develop a more comprehensive understanding of a problem

information should not exclude, or be dominated by, any one perspective. (Repko, 2012)

Organizational Management theories X and Y are completely different theories

however, they both play essential roles in employees taking charge of learning the necessary

requirements when it comes to human trafficking in our world today. Theory X believes

employees dislike it, while theory Y believes people are self-motivated to win this battle.

Step 7: Identify conflicts between insights and sources 11

The conflicts that occur while addressing the problems is embedded terminology or

concepts and underlying assumptions; One problem is that one of my disciplines believes it fits

one way while another one of my disciplines might believe it fits another, simply some

disciplines have a different feel for the problem at hand or use different meanings however

they share the same assumption. Another way is attempting to change different meanings from

different disciplines; they simply have different ideas on how to resolve human trafficking.

Finally, there could be a lack of problem and/or authors using concepts pertain to the problem.

My disciplines could use forms of assumptions toward our problem. The conflict here is that

each discipline uses forms of what constitutes as truth, what counts as evidence or proof, how

problems should be formulated and what is the general idea. According to Newell, assumptions

can be of three kind, “ontological, epistemological, and value-laden.” (Newell, 2007)

Clearly all information must be understandable and truthful as Repko points out in

text, “sufficient information of each discipline`s cognitive map and is thus able to identify its

perspective, epistemology, assumptions, concepts, theories, and methods in order to

understand its insights into a particular problem.” (Repko, 2012) The problem that I have had

in the past while working with human resources and organization management has been when

conflicting insights into the same problem produced by authors from different disciplines. The

challenge then is to determine if the authors are clearly talking about the same issue and to

map each author`s argument. At this time, I have had some forms difficulties with vocabulary

problems at certain times during my research progress.

Step 8 Create common ground 12

I would believe there would be forms of conflicts when one is dealing with multiple

forms of disciplines as each discipline has its own fair share of perspectives toward our human

trafficking problem. Repko (2012) points out two great points toward common ground,

Common ground is required in at least two circumstances. The first is when people or

disciplines use different concepts or terms to describe the same thing. The second is when

people take opposing positions on a particular issue stemming from conflicting assumptions or

values.

The problem that I have had in the past while working with human resources and

organization management has been when conflicting insights into the same problem produced

by authors from different disciplines. The challenge then is to determine if the authors are

clearly talking about the same issue and to map each author`s argument. Human resources and

organizational management are nearly the same subject matter and at times they have some

very strong insights on the issue at hand. At first I could use the redefinition however; conflicts

and assumptions do not conflict at all. So I turned to extension which states an interdisciplinary

to increase the scope of what we are talking about. It involves addressing the differences and

oppositions in disciplinary concepts. One can use redefinition, extension, transformation, and

organization to create common ground. Finally, Repko points out one last great point, one only

needs to find common ground between authors who disagreeing about the same “something”,

not between those who are talking about two different things. (Repko, 2012)

Step 9 : Construct a More Comprehensive Understanding 13

When the world has a problem on most cases they would normally handle that single

issue with one discipline and/or a single way on handling an issue/problem. Interdisciplinans on

the other hand look at the same issue/problem from multiple perspectives or disciplines but

use their insights to their benefit which have been researched from a scholar contribution. The

rest of the world should understand that I on a personal level have learned multiple of theories,

concepts, and certain ideas on how to come to a common ground between different disciplines.

Simply, one applying multiple of disciplines to come together as one and help solve any forms

of problems that might arise so instead of studying just business management, one can state

they are studying human resources, communications, and organization management. (A+B+C =

comprehensive explanation)

“No one theory explains the whole sequence.” (Repko, 2012) Each one of the disciplines

has an insight toward my research. However, if they leave one or both out then they are

missing key concepts from the research that we are conducting. Simply, one must have

contributions from their disciplines but one discipline cannot dominate the entire research.

“The best theory is the one that jointly maximizes its fit with the overall pattern on the one

hand, and with the disciplinary theories on the other.” (Repko, 2012)

Although it is possible that forms disciplines could have forms of conflict within

theories the most important aspect is that there is a common ground that is created.

STEP 10: Communicating the Results 14

The overall strength was able to locate quality forms of information from the previous

research in prior weeks of study or simply using the reflection in an interdisciplinary sense,

thinking and agreeing with my previous choices I have made however, One continues to also

continue to tweak the credible sources and apply new knowledge that one has gained over the

weeks which really leads to being a life-long learner. Yes, I nailed it really well when applying

common ground in my studies, although all of my disciplines were not talking about the same

thing; they were limited areas of conflicts within my disciplines as each discipline were

attacking and attempting to come to a conclusion on how to stop human trafficking.

As an interdisciplinary student over this past semester, one has gain the necessary

knowledge that not one single discipline can truly have all of the necessary forms of

information to a wicked problem that might arise. One should not limit themselves when they

are searching for quality references and other forms of scholar information toward a problem

regardless of the subject matter. Human Resources deals with training of the employees in our

organizations, however; they might not have the expertise that an individual might have who

has studied forms of communication studies. While one who has studied organizational

management might have a little extra then the two others combined. Although it is great to

have the ability to study a particular field of study, it might be in the best interest to locate who

someone who has multiple fields of study which they can apply more perspectives to our

problem that we or the world faces such as human trafficking.

References

Dawson, S. (2015) U.S. flight attendants seek mandatory training retrieved on September 19,

2015 from http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/05/us-airlines-trafficking-training-

idUSKBN0OL2EO20150605

Huetteman, E. (2015) Senate approves stalled human trafficking bill retrieved on September 19,

2015 from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/23/us/politics/senate-vote-on-human-

trafficking-bill.html?_r=1

Lake, M. (2015) can big data stamp out human trafficking? Retrieved on September 19, 2015

from http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/10/world/can-big-data-help-stamp-out-human-trafficking/

Department of Justice (2015) Federal Prison on Human Trafficking Charges Retrieved on

September 19, 2015 from http://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx/pr/el-paso-man-sentenced-life-

federal-prison-human-trafficking-charges

Polaris survivor letter (2015) Letter to President Obama Retrieved on September 19, 2015 from

http://www.polarisproject.org/what-we-do/client-services/survivor-stories/788-iris-letter-to-

president-obama

Sher, A. (2014) Breaking Free: True stories of girls who escaped modern slavery. Retrieved from

Lubbock Public Library ISBN # 978-1-4380-04532

Skinner, B. (2008) A crime so monstrous, Retrieved from Lubbock Public Library ISBN #

978074390074

Bowe, J. (2008) No bodies: Modern American slave labor and the dark side of the new global

economy. Retrieved from Lubbock Public Library ISBN # 9781400062096

Tulley, A. (2008) Experts on human trafficking a major problem in the U.S.; Retrieved on

November 29, 2015 located from

http://www.rferl.org/content/Experts_Say_Human_Trafficking_A_Major_Problem_In_US/

1183179.html

Gillman, O. (2015) The band of brothers retrieved on November 29, 2015 from

http://www.dailymail.com/news/article-3258980/What-guarding-border-really-looks-like-

Pictures-veterans-retired-private-security-experts-patrol-Mexico-border-stopping-immigrants-

smugglers-human-traffickers.html

Repko, A.F. (2012) Interdisciplinary Research Process and theory, 2nd Edition: University of Texas

at Arlington.