Individual case study

BUSM2301

Student name: Luong Truong Hai

Student ID: s3825624

Table of content:
1. Introduction
2. Summary of the case study
3. Factors of the different ideological viewpoints and limitations
4. Recommendations
5. Reflection
6. References
 1. Introduction:

A problem needs to be viewed in multiple dimensions, rather than focusing on one

aspect (Shaban 2016). Each solution usually works but also has the back side as a
double-edged sword. Controversy and contradiction are often due to seldom solutions
that are complete without loopholes, especially when they apply to a large extent with a
wide variety of stakeholders. This report examines the issue of ‘bikies’. Specifically, in
terms of contents, it considers that the use of gangs as ‘hired muscle’ by Victorian
construction organizations has sparked controversy among parties, the police as well as
attracting the attention of Fame. As a Government Advisor, this report is intended to
provide an insight into the issue through Radical Structuralism and Neo-humanism in
this regard. From there, this report proposes strategic solutions to effectively manage
this conflict situation as well as restoring orders.

In terms of structure, this report includes the following main parts:

(1) The “Introduction” focuses on introducing the main contents, objectives as well as
the structure of the report.

(2) The “Summary of the case study” provides a brief of the situation, perspectives
and dynamics of stakeholders as well as their differences in opinion.

(3) The “Factors of the different ideological viewpoints and limitations” focuses on
explaining why there are different perspectives among stakeholders on the issue of
outlaw bikies gangs in terms of their perspectives and approaches. Radical
Structuralism. This part also relies on Neo-humanism to explain the terms of looking at
problems through an objective, polarizing lens.
(4) The “Recommendations” recommend government solutions. These solutions aim
at managing the situation, solving the problem of the “climate of fear” as well as
restoring the inherent social order.
 2. Summary of the case study:

The issue of outlaw gangs has been and is one of the hot potatoes that have been
paying great attention by the Australian government for many years. Acts have been
introduced to prevent the problem as well as to block gang headquarters such as the
Statutes Amendment (Anti-Fortification) Act 2003 (Atkinson 2010) and the Serious and
Organized Crime. (Control) Act 2008 (Rann 2008). These laws address the issue that
members of gangs who engage in issues of public intimidation and violence go to
prison. Attendance to community events can be banned by the police if they perceive
gangs to be a danger to the public. Stalking, stalking or intimidation of victims is also
concerned, and new forms of violence will also drive gang members to police attention,
even imprisonment (Bartels 2009).

However, these strict laws do not resolve the issue. In fact, the anti-bikies law failed to
convict anyone for several years after it went into effect. A “tunnel-vision approach” and
a common law with deterrent statements show no results (Ketchell 2016). Not only was
the aim of destroying the bikies gangs unsuccessful, but the amount of bikies remaining
was still abundant. Law deterrence is actually very low (Ketchell 2016).

Over the years, the problem of outlaw gangs as well as bikies has been and is still
experiencing erratic changes. Specifically, on the side of the police, the Victorian police
once again raised the alarm about the bikies. The police demanded more power to
investigate the unions that are affiliated with the bikies in the construction industry. The
fact that Victorian police address the issue that unions have been using bikies as “debt
collectors” and create a “climate of fear” in the construction industry. As a result, the
victims do not want to disclose the problem to any authorities, fearing they will be
punished by the gangs. The police’s real wall also added that the new forms of threats
are more sophisticated, as no threatening words are uttered. As a result, the victim lives
in fear, but without any evidence there is no way to deal with the matter under the
auspices of the law. Victoria Police, through this matter, wanted to call for the return of
the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) (Savage 2016).
On the Australia Construction Forestry Maritime Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) side,
CFMEU pointed out the irregularities in the police’s argument. These indications
emphasize that a Victorian police account, which was cross verified in 2014, is
inconsistent with the Victorian police’s own 2015 submission on the matter. The police
were interested and started an investigation, but they failed to carry out any arrests,
pushing the matter to a dead end. CFMEU approaches the matter from a political
perspective and it emphasizes on the fact that ABCC is not related to criminal matters
like the real police (Savage 2016).

It is clear that the proposal to the watchdog, here ABCC, in the CFMEU’s opinion is
unreasonable.

On the union side, the union insisted that they work closely and actively with the police.
Whereas police narrative makes the union appear to have harbored criminals for their
own purposes (Savage 2016).

On the opposition party side, political issues and competition between parties arose.
The Victorian Opposition joined the story line with the argument that the government
could not ignore police allegations. They emphasized that there is a criminal element in
union movements, and that the atmosphere of fear is real. This has led the state
government to make a commitment that they will scrutinize the Victorian police request
(Savage, 2016).

3. Factors of different ideological viewpoints and limitations:

Hirschheim and Klein (1989) have argued for four paradigms of an information system
development (ISD). The authors argue that all systems develop on assumptions that are
both explicit and implicit. A “paradigm” is the most basic collection of beliefs embraced
by a professional community that encourages its participants to share similar views and
participate in widely held activities. A paradigm usually consists of assumptions about
knowledge and how to learn it, and about the social and physical environment. Thus,
Hirschheim and Klein proposed four paradigms including (1) Functionalism; (2) Social
Relativism, (3) Radical Structuralism and (4) Neo-humanism (Hirschheim & Klein 1989).
Particularly, the Radical Structuralism concerned with the construction of ideological
conscience as well as consciousness through the actions of political organizations.
Since then, political organizations have built solutions and implementation tools to meet
the needs and interests of diverse social classes (Hirschheim & Klein 1989). Radical
structuralism emphasizes historical and social positions arguing that realism reflects a
belief in what existed before (Thomassen 2010). Meanwhile, Neo-humanism looks for
revolutionary change, liberation, and possibility and stresses the job that distinctive
social and hierarchical powers play in agreement change. It centers around all types of
hindrances to liberation such as the ideology or the psychological comparisons, etc.
(Küçükalp 2017). Thus, the neo-humanism perceives reality through the construction of
technical controls. It attacks the social constructions and mutual understanding of the
community to find ways to solve problems (Nabende et al. 2009).

Through the above-mentioned summary of the case study, it is possible to see that the
views of the parties are different. In particular, the police point of view is built on order
storytelling. It is, at first glance, plausible. But, like a wall with a loose structure, just the
core indications of the government will knock it over. For example, the police accused
elements of crime within federations but could not show an accurate investigation or a
clear impeachment. On the other hand, the 2014 Police Assistant Commissioner
Stephen Fontana narrative contradicts the 2015 Victorian police report itself. Things like
the Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton lobbying or the ABCC call to
return. in spite of this being a political issue (which is beyond the control of the police)
also reveals many issues in this unsubstantiated narrative. Meanwhile, the view of
CFMEU is the opposite and that of the Victorian Opposition is in agreement.

From the lens of radical structuralism, it is able to explain the different approaches of
the parties. The government needs to have valid evidence and evidence-based
arguments. A mere policeman’s narrative, which contradicts the police bureau’s own
subsequent report would be suspicious. At the same time, when an investigation fails to
show evidence, the police will not be able to successfully persuade the government.
The realism that government believes is closely related to evidence-based reports and
arguments. At the same time, active in the political sphere, the government and the
local government will need to scrutinize any proposals for watchdogs for an
organizational issue that the police call for an institutional rebuild. In fact, each political
organization has its own functional structure with its own operational goals. Thus, all
launching a political organization involved more parties than a single proposed goal
from one side (Zaleznik 1970).

Meanwhile, the police have an approach to the experimental clearance problem at the
scene. Because the police have both professional skills as well as field operations, they
are able to visualize and sense hazards (Roufa 2019). Police realism is built through
this channel.

Thus, it is not difficult to understand that the police might ask for increased power. That
power can be used to help them solve real-world problems. On the part of the party,
parties compete for each other for the attention and enthusiasm of the people, which will
directly affect the election results (Reilly & Reynolds 2010). Thus, when the opposite
side approaches the situation, it will take moves to make the public’s interested in a
direction in its favor. Influencing mass media through statements and requests to action
on contemporary government are moves that have a great deal of influence. It is not to
rule out the possibility of the political implications behind the wings, rather than
enthusiastic attention to the problem on the surface of the iceberg.

Thus, through the steering wheel of Radical Structuralism, it is possible to see that in a
system, the information given by each party is dependent on its own practical
experience as well as on the individual context of each stakeholder. It depends on both
the functions and powers of these parties. At the same time, the realism of each
stakeholder is approached in different ways, while the implications of the iceberg cannot
be eliminated when considering the issue.

Regarding the limitations of narrative, it is possible to see the limitations when an

individual approaches the matter in his subjective way. Viewing the world under a
subjective lens, narrative is more emotional than rational (Tuckett & Nikolic 2017). As a
result, the information presented is more about psychological impact on the listener than
logically convincing them. But why is narrative still important in some situations?

Seeing the world under polarizing and objective lenses still includes its limitations.
When reality is approached from the perspective of empiricism, non-traditional things
threaten the uncertainties of a situation as well as the lack of rational factors calling for
need. of Neo-humanism. A prime example of this is that the introduction of harsh
legislation to eliminate the bikies problem has not worked. Laws lack the deterrent
needed while criminals are becoming more sophisticated. As a result, the police were
empty handed with no remarkable investigation results. Neo-humanism’s approach
highlights the limitation of objective view because it considers social therapists more.
This report examines the issue that from a legal perspective it is inbuilt laws with severe
penalties to punish the bikies and even remove them, but the laws do not show results.
From this very fact as well as the limitations of seeing the world from an objective lens,
this report proposes solutions related to the neo-humanism paradigm, that is, solutions
of the emancipator and social therapist.

4. Recommendations:

It is worth noting that the laws are readily available. It is a series of legislation including
the Statutes Amendment (Anti-Fortification) Act 2003; the Serious and Organized
Crime. (Control) Act 2008; the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment (VLAD)
2013; the Tattoo Parlor Act (2013) and the Criminal Law Amendment Bill (2013).
Specifically, the Criminal Law 2013 has updated new criminals, which are aimed directly
at criminals in Australian society with criminals and imprisonment.

This report proposes a solution to expand the influence of the law. First, the police’s
point of view is of concern as they are actual operators at the scene. The police may not
be given additional authority as long as this is closely related to the division of power,
but they may have additional associates. It means there should be a watchdog,
considering the important roles of a watchdog (Ward 2005). This watchdog will act on
behalf of the government to both collect evidence of criminals in the gang society, thus
assisting the police. This watchdog also operates under functionalism, that is, it
observes police activity, to ensure that the police do not abuse their power.

Second, communication and education solutions are concerned. As victims do not come
into the light easily, the solution for them should be one that is sustainable and long
lasting. Witness protection programs can be developed. The installation of the help lines
can be installed through the union. These hotlines allow victims to report anonymously,
directly to the union or the police, any party they trust.

Third, the media and mass media solutions need attention. Looking at the chessboard
with at least three parties involved, it is clear that the government’s point of view is
inconsistent with the views of the police and the opposition. Media agitation is an issue
that deserves attention as the media is an important weapon in political competition
(Van Aelst & Walgrave 2017). Therefore, the government should not stand alone.
Constructing a deferred state while establishing requests of evidence-based proves are
needed to be done simultaneously. This could help calm the media and audience but no
harm the key politic functional of the government.

5. Reflection:

Leaders or politicians are responsible for qualifying what they have seen (n.d). In fact, it
is important to check the articles, the images or the videos whether it contains wrong
message or argument viewpoints since this may lead to the controversy among society.
There are different ways to check the information, for example, the introduction about
the author, the sources of the images or even the link (n.d). That is the way for people in
order to legitimate their views. On the other hand, the role of evidence and knowledge is
vital for people in debate due to some factors. For example, the people understand
about the options what they are going to choose; or within the evidence, they have a
strong foundation to do that in the case they do not receive specific details. The fact
that, if people in a debate, probably they will need to apply the standard of logics in
order to gain the benefits to themselves as well as the belief of others.
https://www.youracclaim.com/badges/eb73af8d-87bd-4b94-8301-4c52d0d0b53f/
public_url
 6. References

Atkinson, M 2010, News release from the Government of South Australia, viewed 18
January 2021, <https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/index.php?
Itemid=10&id=807%3Aspecial-leave-granted&view=article&catid=21%3Ahon-michael-
atkinson-mp-press-releases&option=com_content>.

Bartels, L 2009, The status of laws on outlaw motorcycle gangs in Australia, Research
in practice No. 2, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.

Hirschheim, R & Klein, H 1989, ‘Four paradigms of information systems development’,

Communications of the ACM, vol. 32, no. 10, pp. 1199–1216.

Küçükalp, K 2017, ‘Neo-Humanism and Diminution of the Concept of the Human’,

Ilahiyat Studies (Basılı materyal), vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 7–27.

Nabende, P, Ahimbisibwe, B & Lubega, JJ 2009, Relationship between Information

Systems Development Paradigms and Methods, Conference paper - 5th Annual
International Conference on Computing and ICT Research.

Rann, M 2008, SA set for world’s toughest anti-bikie laws, viewed 18 January 2021,
<https://www.premier.sa.gov.au/news.php?id=3097>.

Reilly, B & Reynolds, A 2010, Electoral Systems and Conflict in Divided Societies,
National Academies Press, Washington, D.C.

Savage, A 2016, Construction unions using bikies as ‘hired muscle’ in industrial

disputes: Victoria Police, viewed 18 January 2021, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-
01-08/construction-unions-using-bikies-as-hired-muscle-victoria-police/7075728>.

Shaban, A 2016, ‘Managing and Leading a Diverse Workforce: One of the Main
Challenges in Management’, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 230, 76–
84.
Thomassen, L 2010, ‘Unstable universalities: Poststructuralism and radical politics’,
Contemporary political theory, vol 9, no. 1, 137–139.

Tuckett, D & Nikolic, M 2017, ‘The role of conviction and narrative in decision-making
under radical uncertainty’, Theory & psychology, vol. 27, no. 4, 501–523.

Van Aelst, P & Walgrave, S 2017, How Political Actors Use the Media A Functional
Analysis of the Media’s Role in Politics, Springer International Publishing, Cham.

Ward, B 2005, Watchdog Culture: Why You Need it and How You Can Build It, viewed
18 January 2021, <https://www.poynter.org/reporting-editing/2005/watchdog-culture-
why-you-need-it-how-you-can-build-it/>.

Zaleznik, A 1970, ‘Power and politics in organizational life’, Harvard Business Review,
vol. 48, no. 3, 47.