Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Essay

A motive is a specific need or drive that arouses you and directs your behavior toward a certain goal. Emotion refers to the experience of feelings, (such as fear, sadness, happiness, etc) which also affects behavior. They push us to take some kind of action whether we are aware of it or not. Psychologists have put these behaviors into 3 categories: Arousal Theory, Drive-Reduction Theory, and Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation (Morris, 2012). Intrinsic & Extrinsic Motivation Shannon comes to work every day on time. She does her job as assigned, works hard, takes on challenging tasks to improve performance, and ensures that this is noticed by others. She is very clear about the expectations for her position as well as the criteria for evaluation. During annual evaluations, she hopes her evaluation scores are high enough for her to be eligible for a merit raise. One of her primary goals for this year is to be nominated for the employee of the year at the company’s annual dinner, which comes with both a preferred parking and a cash bonus. Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation may increase Shannon’s motivation because it motivates her to see others see her doing a good job and this behavior can be defined as intrinsic motivation because of the praise she gets from others. Her behavior is also motivated by the goal of being employee of the year, which comes with rewards and this can be defined as extrinsic motivation. Although Shannon enjoys her job the motivation of an award is what motivates her the most. She is motivated extrinsically by the rewards she may receive for her behavior at work, therefore her intrinsic motivation and sense of responsibility for her behavior are likely to increase. The Arousal theory may decrease Shannon’s motivation because she doesn’t need to be stimulated to do her job, and there are no incentives in the end to reward her for a job well done. She is not seeking a thrill for her behavior; she will perform better with praise and rewards (Morris, 2012). Arousal Theory Joe enjoys coming to work each day. He finds pleasure in the outcome of his work. He believes his work helps others. He seeks out new ways to make his work more effective, and often initiates new work projects. He likes to stay busy throughout the day. He sometimes has a hard time if there is not enough work to do. He has no desire to leave the organization and would like to continue to be promoted within the company as he gains experience. The Arousal Theory can best motivate Joe because he is a thrill seeker and is motivated by the challenge of seeking new ways to make his work more effective. Joe is a sensation seeker and without it he will become bored with his work. He needs to keep his arousal at an optimum level in order to be productive. The Drive- Reduction theory may decrease Joe’s motivation because it’s the drive that keeps him going. Homeostasis or balance may not be enough excitement for him, and will lower his motivation and ambition at work. His primary and secondary drives are already established by his work performance, and his reward is the knowledge he has gained (Morris, 2012). These achievement-oriented behaviors can be very useful in the work place because everyone need a motive to do a good job. An employee can motivate by giving new challenges to a bored employee whose job has become routine and boring like in the Arousal Theory, or by giving incentives such as praise and bonuses as mentioned in the Intrinsic and Extrinsic Theory. Once an employer observe an individual’s behavior and work ethics they can decide which method will best motivate their employee to do a good job and enjoy it as well (Morris, 2012). References Morris,C. (2012). Understanding Psychology( 10th ed.).

The Contemporary World

In the contemporary world, globalization refers to the increased interactions and integration between the people, companies and the governments or states on an international scale. Recently, globalization has grown rapidly attributable to greater improvements in the transport and telecommunication sector across the world. Majorly, globalization is subdivided into political, economic and cultural aspects. Moreover, increased interaction between the people and the national states has led to a vast growth of the international trade, improved cultures and generation of more innovative ideas.According to International Monetary Fund (IMF), major facets of globalization include capital and investments, trade and transactions, as well as dissemination of information and movement or migration of people. As an economic process, globalization implicates the interaction of people on the aspect of economic resources, goods, and services with the use of modern technology. Conversely, globalization is a subject to major environmental challenges which includes global warming, cross-border land, air and water pollution as a result of increased human economic activities across the globe. However, globalization as a current issue has experienced numerous changes of late. It is imperative to note that change is inevitable and the period between now and 2020 is speculated to bring forth greater changes in the subject of globalization. The increased modern technological advancements in transport and communication sectors are likely to impart both positive and negative changes in the interaction of people and integration of states on matters pertaining to the world economic activities. Technical predictions of expected global changes are herein discussed below. The first change in globalization is the global networking. Currently, extensive research and innovation in telecommunication have led to the discovery of internet which is known to link people through the World Wide Web platform hence has led to improved communication infrastructure. This has simplified the interaction of people and integration of nations across the globe by reducing the cost of communication and business transactions. Moreover, the use of smartphones, computers and other electronic devices to access the internet has made enormous changes on globalization. Such devices are designed with certain functionality software which is capable of selecting useful information that can be shared. With the internet enabled electronic devices, one is able to connect with anybody from anywhere around the world at his or her conveniences. Economically, exchange of goods and services has been made convenient. Business transactions have been more simplified and can as well be done online at an economical cost globally. The government and states are also able to integrate and reap the potential benefit for the citizens by improving their living standards by maintaining healthy relationships that promote the economic growth of both states. Additional significant change, subject to globalization is on safe marine and air transport, which has drastically reduced the inadequacy of resources. Sea transport has promoted the transportation of goods and people on the oceans and seas whereas air transport has been set to convey goods and people over the air. This has simplified the transportation of goods and services as well as safe traveling of people across the world. In the transport sector, technological invention stands out as the mother of innovation in airplanes, electric trains, and ship vessels basically used to transport goods and people. The supply of goods and services to effect businesses across the globe through air, water bodies and modern roads has progressively become more convenient. Increased use of flights has impressively improved the export and import goods for business transactions, which has in return increased the country's GDP.Air transport has led to the rapid delivery of both perishables i.e. agricultural produce (horticultural products) and non-perishable goods within the shortest period of time globally. With the contemporary increase in airline transport, more airports are likely to be established so as to meet the mounting demand of the usage of the aircraft. More passenger and cargo airplanes are also speculated to increase in the near future so as to meet the growing demand. Bulky goods have also been transported with ease by the use of heavy long-distance trucks. Additional innovations in the transport sector are still expected foster more changes with an aim of reducing the global distance and making the world a global village.Globalization is expected to rapidly hasten a change in the production of the labor markets. This is due to an extensive role it plays in the economic domain which includes outsourcing, mechanization, and finding of jobs in abroad countries. However, it shuns a threat of insecurity as a result of cyber-crimes which has adversely infringed the rights of intellectual property worldwide. Moreover, it exposes people to the risk of losing their jobs as a result of technological advancements which renders some of the task done by people computerized. The introduction and use of artificial intelligence gadgets such as robots used in manufacturing industries have indicated that globalization is facing a change from the labor intensive to capital intensive market. This is likely to cause adverse effects on the jobless people who will struggle to live a life. Also, it will result in a drop in the world's GDP index due to the elimination of human labor. Politically, globalization has been the pillar behind, cooperation and international cohesion as a result of the global integration of countries. It has brought together the cultures of all states, an imperative desire for peace. Furthermore, it has also led to the formation of global political organizations such as the United Nations and the International human relations. The global organizations have promoted respect and dignity people's lives globally, an indication of unity. International culture has shrined the world thus allowing people across the globe to discover new cultural practices through traveling for exposures to some international arts, religious cultures, music, televisions and more cultural perspectives. However, globalization is also believed to further ethical concerns, which results to the creation of worldwide awareness for condemning the social human injustices, and building notions pertaining the rights and responsibilities of persons towards each another on the international realm.To conclude, globalization is contributing largely to promoting the social, political, cultural and economic interaction of people businesses and integration of nations across the globe. The improved world-wide interaction has led to growth and development of most state economies through international trade which has inflated the GDP of such nations. Globalization has facilitated easy transfer of goods and services for economic purposes. Changes encountered in the globalization of late includes the use of modern technology which has significantly improved the communication and transport sectors in the world. The use of technology has eliminated global barriers. Increased use of internet has positively improved the connectivity of people across the entire world. Moreover, goods and people have also been safely transported safely both in water bodies and air as a result of technological inventions in the contemporary world. Besides, globalization is also faced with environmental challenges like global warming and pollution due to adverse human economic activities. However, it is imperative to note that by 2020, the world will be more shrined and access to goods and services, and other needs across the world will be made more convenient.

360 Degree Feedback In Developing Leadership Skills Management Essay

360 Degree Feedback In Developing Leadership Skills Management Essay There is a great deal of controversy about the relevancy of using 360-degree feedback as a tool to develop leadership skills. Some view 360-degree feedback as a collaborative tool, a tool offering a more balanced circle of feedback based on the assessments of superiors, peers, and subordinates. These views lead me to wonder, how effective can this tool be if it does not factor in â€Å"leadership styles† and the potential for bias based on â€Å"popularity?† Will personality and popularity play a role in the assessment? Though extreme, there is some merit to my position. This realization guided me to my decision that 360-degree feedback is an effective tool to provide self assessment and can also be used to enhance performance measures during annual counseling such as leadership, communication, and mission effectiveness. Background The underlying theory of 360-degree feedback asserts that an assessment received from multiple sources provides unique and meaningful infor mation to the recipient. Rapid growth of its use was fueled by the need to adapt to a changing human resources management environment and by numerous studies that supported the effectiveness of multi-source ratings in post-feedback management development. A significant complaint of the traditional performance appraisal system voiced by services is that feedback is generally one-sided and can lack objectivity. In the 1940s, the Army implemented a tool called the multi-rater system, also known as the multisource assessment process.   [ 1 ]   The multi-rater system allows a person’s evaluation to encompass reviews from not only a rater, but also a person’s subordinates, peers, clients, and organizational hierarchy. This allows a reviewer to get a more complete picture of a person and removes a singular rater from being able to determine the fate of a career. If an officer’s boss dislikes a subordinate, but he gets top marks from everyone else, it puts the bossà ¢â‚¬â„¢s review in context, and would likely generate questions from the senior rater over the rating ability of the boss. In 2006, the Navy tested a prototype model of the 360-degree feedback process in the Surface Warfare Community. Similar to Army results, the Navy prototype showcased a strength of the 360-degree feedback process is its ability to provide varying perspectives of raters. The Navy prototype findings also emphasized that a supervisor cannot observe all the interactions, strengths and opportunities for improvement of his subordinates for evaluation reports, especially if the span of control is broad.   [ 2 ]   So why should the supervisor be the only person to provide performance feedback? Discussion A major advantage to the 360-degree feedback process is that it provides an opportunity for people with whom a person comes into frequent contact to offer feedback. This is an important consideration because the rater should be the person that has observed the employ ee on a frequent basis. It would be unfair and impractical to ask a rater for input when the opportunity to observe an employee’s skills, talents and abilities have not been provided on a regular basis. Let’s look at two examples of 360-degree feedback in action; first let’s look at an Army Captain who serves as a signal officer in an infantry battalion. His rater is the Battalion Executive Officer, a combat-arms officer, who does not know much about communication other than how to operate a radio. If the signal officer performs his job well, the XO will likely give him a reasonably favorable review on a traditional Evaluation Review. Now let’s use a 360-degree feedback process and involve his higher-echelon counterpart, the Brigade S6 Officer, who is a Major and a signal officer, who gives the Captain an excellent rating based on his technical proficiency. If we involve his section, they can comment on his leadership, management style and his ability to explain complex technical issues in plain English. His peers in the battalion, other captains and the company commanders, all give him high marks for working with them to resolve communication issues. Now the 360-degree feedback process is given to his senior rater, the Battalion Commander, who now has a more complete view of this officer and how he has performed based on additional feedback from numerous sources, rather than the traditional counseling from one rater that would have communicated a generic, but reasonably positive review.

Beauty and Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Beauty and Art - Essay Example The thing may not necessarily be beautiful, but the individual’s point of view is indeed, beautiful! On the other hand, culture is the general way of living of a nation which signifies its trends, traditions, norms, values, moral standards, ethics and common practices. Culture of a nation is essentially its identity. Different nations are identified by their individualistic cultures. Like the difference of their meanings, beauty and culture both have their own individualistic uses. It is hard to identify particular uses of beauty since it is required in everything. It is used everywhere. Crockery is made beautiful to increase its market value. Makeup is worn to look beautiful and presentable so that a woman can work. The fundamental use of culture is that it lends identity to the people who belong to that culture. Culture is used to benchmark ethical standards which can be used to compare an individual’s performance against. Owing to their common identity ingrained in t heir culture, people of one nation become united and a strong force.

You decide Vancouver symphony orchestra Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

You decide Vancouver symphony orchestra - Essay Example Therefore, we have to reevaluate and determine their first priorities. The festive season comes with spending. Therefore, the company has to lay down proper strategies to boost the tickets sales. We look forward meeting everyone, any queries, suggestions and thoughts will be discussed in the meeting. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra was one of the most established orchestras of the 1980’s. It had a large number of fans, who always flocked in events to attend their functions. It attracted both subscribers, former members and those that were never subscribers. Suddenly, there was a change of events after 1986 with a steady decline in ticket sales. This prompted the need to reexamine the reasons why there was a decline in ticket sales. A questionnaire was developed and apparently out of the 2400 questionnaires only 614 respondents completed. Subscription revenue was on a steady decrease, which was a matter of high concern. There is the need to try and outline the reasons for the sudden decline of the orchestra, their cause and the possible ways of solving the problem. There is also need to assess the positives and negatives of this market approach. Over and above, identify the strengths of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and the possible reason that led to its bankruptcy with the basis to the data that is available and also provide the proper recommendations needed. In this article, the personnel in charge will try to identify, evaluate and scale down the specific preferences of all the groups of persons that attended the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. They will also come up with possible solutions to solve the situation. They will also address issues concerning proper event planning and timing that suits most of the clients, need to inquire and know the number one priorities by the clients, their preferences and tastes and device ideas that are centered towards redeeming the fame of VSO and

Introduction to Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Introduction to Psychology - Essay Example In the quest then for accurate psychic measurement, methods beyond the law must be considered in the interests of more accurate, useful and meaningful psychic measurement. (Fechner, 1912) Psychophysics: It’s Roots in Fechner and Weber As stated, quantitative scientific study of the relation between stimulus and sensation is, more to the point, the manual manipulation of stimulus properties for the purpose of analyzing perceptual processes of reaction to stimuli. Today, the area of modern psychophysics is seen as applying a whole class of methods evolved over time to the empirical study. Methods, for instance, such as absolute threshold can measure such sensory reactions as a subject’s ability to perceive a dim light in a dark room by manipulating the intensity of the dim light. (Zimbardo et al, 2010). While Gescheider (1997) found that modern applications tend to rely heavily on ideal observer analysis and signal detection theory, the work of Ernst Heinrich Weber and Gu stav Theodor Fechner, particularly Fechner as described in his 1912 treatise, Elemente der Psychophysik, remain the basis of new developmental processes. The classical techniques and theory of psychophysics were formulated by Fechner. Applying laws of physics and mathematics, he took Weber’s basic law of measuring the proportional aspects of stimuli a step further, using logarithmic relation between physical and psychological (or perceived) magnitudes—measuring statistically how individuals actually perceived stimuli, or understood it, in relationship to behavior. In considering the significance and practical consequences of access to such information, Zimbardo et al (2010) offer the example of the usefulness of knowing how loud a fire alarm must be for those inside a building to hear it. This particular example speaks to the importance of the hearing system in determining the impact of stimuli; the former example of perceiving a dim light in a dark room speaks to the visual system, which we focus on for the purpose of analyzing its importance to the measurement of stimuli and its effect. The Visual System The visual system as related to sensory reception is perhaps the most studied of all methods. Simplified, the eye gathers light, focuses it, and sends signals to the brain. For instance, Zimbardo et al (2010) found that color is literally created through neural processes of the brain as it interprets information from the original source. Hecht (1924) in his study of visual discrimination similarly found that sensory determination in changes of brightness and in discriminatory thresholds versus original light intensity can be calculated by mathematical formulas. These formulas over time, evolved and were incorporated into the Weber-Fechner law, combining â€Å"Weber’s Law that over a large dynamic range, and for many parameters, the threshold of discrimination between two stimuli increases linearly with stimulus intensity...[and Fechnerà ¢â‚¬â„¢s work] showed [ing] how Weber’s law could be accounted for by postulating that the external stimulus is scaled into a logarithmic internal representation of sensation† (Dehaene, 2003:146). Using information on the magnitude of star light and its ratio to intensity, Fechner (1860) was able to determine the relation between the two, and as suggested by Hecht (1924), thus developed the idea that this relationship produces a human threshold sensation leading to the perception of varying degrees of light.

The impact of Al Jazeera channel relationship with the State of Qatar Dissertation

The impact of Al Jazeera channel relationship with the State of Qatar to other countries - Dissertation Example 20-26, 2007), things have changed abruptly and media’s role has become decisive where breaking news has become a tool for changing of governments, as well as tensions between the nations. In this era of globalization, media has become an evident tool of bringing change through communication around the globe, and evidently, media has been benefiting from this huge authority and responsibility; however, it is an observation (Ingram & Dodds, pp. 58-69, 2009) that it has resulted in increment in governmental crisis in a number of countries. Research Statement In this regard, the researcher will put efforts on the below mentioned research statement to achieve aims and objectives of the research: â€Å"To identify and analyze the impact of Al-Jazeera Channel Relationship with the State of Qatar to other countries† Aims and Objectives Some of the particular aims and objectives of the proposed research are: Identification and analysis of the role of Al-Jazeera Channel in Arab r egion Scrutinize the extent of Al-Jazeera impact on the State of Qatar specifically Study the nature of Al-Jazeera’s relationship with the State of Qatar Investigate the impact of abovementioned relationship on Qatar’s relations with other nations Identify and recommend strategies that may ensure positive impact of studied factors on performance and reward management systems of business organizations Research Questions & Hypotheses In brief, the research will focus on the following research questions: What is the role of Al-Jazeera in Qatar? What is the role of Al-Jazeera in Arab region? What is the role of Al-Jazeera in enhancing/deteriorating relationships of Qatar with other nations/regions? The below-mentioned literature review has led to the following hypothesis, which will be under testing in the process of research: 1. Al-Jazeera is positively under correlation with Qatar. This means that Qatar will be able to resolve its various bilateral issues based on functi ons and operations of Al-Jazeera channel. LITERATURE REVIEW Brief analysis of literature (Miles, pp. 23-29, 2005) has indicated that neighbors Qatar and Saudi Arabia are almost similar in terms of their social and cultural existences, as both seem to be following ultra-sensitive Wahabbism (Tatham, 2005). However, one single notion that differentiates the State of Qatar from Saudi entity is television channel of Al-Jazeera (2011) that has been successful in ensuring an individual identification and social existence of Qatar around the globe. In particular, Al-Jazeera (2011) means ‘the island’ in literal perspective; however, from a critical perspective, Al-Jazeera (2011) is a satellite television channel that has been able to achieve success in a short period; however, has acquired this success with huge volumes of antagonism and controversies for itself, as well as for the State of Qatar (ICWN, 2010). Still, even after huge number of controversies, Al-Jazeera (2011) has been unbeaten in catering roughly thirty-five million Arabs by providing international news. In addition, scrutiny of media reports has indicated that Al-Jazeera (2011) has even been able to create disturbance for big names, such as BBC, CNN, etc by dominating on the news related

To Outline a Synthesis or Summary of two Quantitative Research Paper

To Outline a Synthesis or Summary of two Quantitative Articles about Nursing Rounds - Research Paper Example Meade, Amy L. Bursell and Lyn Ketelsen (2006) entitled â€Å"Effects of Nursing Rounds on Patients’ Call Light Use, Satisfaction and Safety† which found that hourly rounds by nursing personnel played a significant role in reducing patient falls as well as increasing their satisfaction while at the same time reducing the use of the call light. This study has been designed in a quasi- experimental like the previous study where hourly rounds are conducted by the nurses from two units namely 4S and 6S. 4S is a control unit where data was collected on an hourly round while 6S has been designed to maintain the current practice where there is no change implemented. Research has shown that falls among patients in the US are a problem given that 2.3 to 7 falls occur in U.S. hospitals every 1000 patient days and about 30-48% percent of these falls result in injury among both old and young patients. However, in this study, it has also been found that hourly nursing rounds can decr ease the rate of falls among the patients by 52 %. The study found that patients admitted in hospitals often require assistance with personal tasks such as the use of the toilet as well as during eating times where they will call for assistance using the call light. This study also found that the level of patient satisfaction is determined by his or her perception of the way a nurse conducts her duties. While the call light offers a lifeline to the patients in hospital, it has also been observed that it can be stressful on behalf of the practicing nurse. It often contributes to issues such as fatigue among the nurses and this negatively impacts on their patient care management which is often compounded by the existing shortage of staff. Therefore, hourly rounds have been found to be effective in this particular study which was carried over a twelve month period. At least, the study has been carried over a long period compared to the previous one. The sampling method employed by the study is non-probability sample on all subjects who are 18 years and over admitted to 4 South (Oncology/OBGYN) or 6 South (Orthopedic/Neurology) at Hospital during the period of the research. This method is ideal given that the results are likely to be reliable since it is inclusive of all subjects. This section also summarizes an article by Tucker, S.J. et al (2011) which is entitled "Outcomes and Challenges in Implementing Hourly Rounds to Reduce Falls in Orthopedic Units.† According to this article, patient falls remain a problem especially in acute care facilities as they have negative impacts such as injury to the affected people. Basically, patient fall can be described as unplanned descent to the floor (Curie, 2003). These range from 1.7 to 25 per 1,000 patient days with approximately 6–44% of these resulting in injury. Thus, patient safety through the reduction of falls is a very important phenomenon in the health care industry and can be derived from implementi ng structured nursing rounds interventions (SNRIs) according to this particular study. This study has been designed to establish the rate of patient fall during the three period intervals namely: baseline, during the 12-week SNRI implementation, and 1-year following implementation. According to this paper, evidence of effective interventions to prevent and reduce patient falls is mixed (Oliver et al. 2007; Currie 2008). However, in some studies like the work of Christine M. Meade, Amy L.

Financing and management of risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Financing and management of risk - Essay Example The Post Office Ltd. and General Logistics Systems are wholly owned subsidiaries of Royal Mail Group. Post Office Ltd. runs the post office counters and the General Logistics Systems is a global logistics company. The company employs around 2 lakh people working for the organization with a net income of ?300 million. Royal Mail has a network of around 14000 post offices. The network of Royal Mail distributes millions of letters and parcels everyday all over the world. The Royal Mail services include collection of mails and letters from all parts of the world and distribute the same to the respective postal addresses. The letters are posted by the senders in the wall posts which are collected everyday and despatched to the communication addresses. The first class deliveries take one day’s time to reach the address of the receiver. On additional payments, there are special deliveries to the receiver that reaches by 9 a.m. or 2 p.m. on the next day. Royal Mail also has provisions for insurance of the items sent to the receiver. In case the receiver is not present at the time of delivery, an information card is left for the receiver to be noticed. The special deliveries are used by the business houses, small businesses and consumers for prompt deliveries and insurance covers are taken for protection of the items sent by post. Royal Mail also runs a business mail service separately which offers provision for the business houses to send letters, parcels and items at reduced price. The network of distribution for deliveries consists of large fleet containing 40000 vehicles on the road along with the operation through air and rail network throughout day and night. The mails are collected from the wall boxes and collection points, sorted and delivered to the recipients. The various stages of the network through which the delivery is done include collection of mails in major three mail centres which are then passed to the network hubs where it is sorted and delive red across various parts of the country. The collection and delivery services vary according to the requirements and volume. The network of collection and delivery is finalised according to the work plan and targets of operation. Evaluation of risk exposures of Royal Mail The risk exposure to the operations and business environment of Royal Mail could be understood by analyzing the operational issues faced by the organization. Despite maintaining a large fleet for its operations, there are several risks faced by Royal Mail services depending on the location of collection and delivery, time of operations, existing infrastructural issues, etc. The operations of the Royal Mail pertaining to services for collection and delivery of post are carried out in areas which involve huge traffic congestion. Heavy traffic conditions in the localities affect the time of delivery of the postal service. Due to the existing local conditions, the company bears the risk of delay in delivery of items de spatched. The collection and delivery services of Royal Mail from the heart of the city and other localities occur at congested situations during peak traffic conditions. The fleet of workers who are responsible for collection and delivery within the stipulated times face tough operating conditions in order to meet the deadline or

Financial analysis Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial analysis - Case Study Example However, the fall in sales is attributed to operation expenses such as administration, general and sales expenditures. The scale of operations needed to execute the services and product manufacturing of the new venture is larger than when the company had not acquired Exterran Holdings (Haunschild, 570). The Gross Profit in 2013 was $963,006. However, the forecasts in 2014 indicate that there is a fall in gross profit. Despite the fact that this value is lower than 2013 reports, the figure gradually increases in 2015 and 2016 financial years. By 2016, the gross profit, after the acquisition of the new business, will be $195,865; a reflection of 19.6% increase from 2014. Forecasts in the growth of gross profit in 2015 record an increase by 9.4% from the values reported in 2014. From the percentage growth in gross profits, it is evident that in every financial year, the business’s gross profits, after acquiring Exterran Holdings Inc., doubles. Total operating expenses before the company acquired the new business decreased from 2010 ($888,015), 2012 ($864,909), and 2013($714,315). The decrease in the values of total operating expenses means that the company had acclimatized to the business conditions after establishing its niche in the new market. Consequently, the significant rise in operating expenses from the forecasts in 2014 ($121,434), through 2015 ($132,825) to 2016 ($145,284) indicate the business has not adapted to the new market conditions and challenges because of its wide operational needs. Acquiring the new business will also realize a significant growth in earnings before taxes and interests. The year 2011 and 2011 reported losses of $193,818 and $80,133 respectively. Because the business had just began, the challenges in the market and operating environments contributed to the loses in earnings. The forecasts in 2014 financial year records a fall in earnings before taxes and

Dbq on Mongol Dominance Essay Example for Free

Dbq on Mongol Dominance Essay The role of Mongol dominance in the integration of Eurasia was an important role because of inventions, their ideas, and the politics. The inventions of the Mogols helped to turn them into a huge melting pot. In document 4 we learned of their invention of the passport. This allowed people to move to travel around the empire easier with less hassle. While they moved they carried their ideas and told other about them which cause that to spread causing many diverse ideas among the people causing major diversity and diaspora of ideas. The passport was later adopted by the Europeans. In document 6 we learned about their use of moveable type. They used it to write things easily and more efficiently. They could use it to spread their ideas along to other empires and so on. The ideas of the Mongols helped them with integration too. In document 1 with the excerpt from Genghis Khan was that people should have their rights and freedoms of their own religion and none be forced upon them. So religion and cultural aspects could mix and their society would flourish. I believe he said this because he saw other civilizations fall because of internal rebellion against people trying to force people into doing something they didn’t want to do. With his system though it allowed everyone to be happy about having their religious beliefs .Also when people talked about their religion with others then that cause new religions to be made with the combining of the talked about religion . In document 5 that Mongols had ideas of knowledge and were very educated in astronomy and engineering. They were not just brutes that tore down stuff in there path and took over places just to lead them carelessly, they were the exact opposite. They were intelligent and continued to learn and become a much more sophisticated society over time. It apparently worked because in Document 3 it showed the empires that the Mongols were able to take control of because of their ideas on how to rule places you have taken over. Politics were important in their society. Document 1 it was excerpt from Genghis Khan which was like a precedent to all future Khan Rulers. It told them how to act and lead their society. In Document 2 it had information about the roles of the women in the empire. After one of the Khans’s died it was the wife’s job to make sure that her son would be heir of the throne. This kept the throne within the family. It was like insurance that the ruler ship would be left to someone who was a worthy enough to rule a huge empire. The Inventions, ideas, and politics affected the role of Mongol dominance integration of Eurasia greatly.

The relationship between education and development

The relationship between education and development Development, which implies positive values, has been the concern of mankind from time immemorial. Many renowned thinkers devoted efforts to understand development better consequently theories of development have emerged. Ingemar Fagerlind and Lawrence J. Saha (1983) cited at least four clusters of development theories, namely, the (i) classic cyclical theory, which includes the Greek and Roman views of the never ending cycles of growth and decay of all material things, including nations and civilization; (ii) Augustinian Christian theory, which represented the views of doomsdayer who sees the world as heading toward major catastrophe, including the threat from a nuclear war or the explosion of the population bomb; (iii) linear theory, represented by optimists who see development as a never-ending progress; and (iv) cyclical linear theory which combines the essence of the conflict orientation of the cyclical theory and the optimistic orientation of the linear theory. By and large, people who see a dynamic interactive relationship between education and development are advocates of the linear model theory. Within this model, however, are three groups of social scientists, namely, the so called structural functionalists (e.g. Talcott Parsons and Robert Merton), the human capitalist theories (e.g. Theodore Schultz), and the modernization theorists (Alex Inkeles). The human capitalist theory and to a certain extent the modernization theory constitute the framework for building cases to show that education enhances development. The human capital theory postulates that the most efficient path to national development lies in the improvement of a countrys population. And of course, educators and almost all socio-economic planners are convinced that the best way to improve the population is through various forms of education and training Those who think of education as crucial to development also draw inspiration from the modernization theory. Alex Inkeles and his colleagues think that to modernize is to develop. Society cannot develop unless its population holds modern attitudes and values. They see a direct relationship between education and socio-economic development, in that education brings about a change in outlook in the individual which promotes productivity and work efficiency. Education has a modernizing influence on values, beliefs and behaviours which make human beings more development-oriented. Viewed from the modernization theory, education is called upon to re-orientate and/or suppress beliefs, attitudes and values which tend to obstruct the initiation of the modernization process. EDUCATION, DEVELOPMENT AND HUMAN CAPITAL THEORY S.G. Strumlin first attempted to quantify the role of education in economic growth in 1925. It was not until the late 1950s and early 1960s that interest in the study of the nature of the changes occurring in the different sectors of the economy in the United States of America pushed economists to search for explanations. Some of these economists such as Denison and Solow found out that a large part of growth in Gross National Product (GNP) in the United States over the first half of the 20th Century remained unexplained when they tried to attribute the growth to conventional economic factors. Even after taking into account increases in real physical capital like equipment, structures and the like, and total number of hours worked, a large residual still remained to be explained. However, they came to realize that important qualitative changes in the labour force had occurred. People were more productive for each hour they worked because of the greater skills and knowledge they posse ssed. The assumption was made that formal education was instrumental to these high levels of productivity that they were observing in the economy. Economists such as Schults and Becker, and economists of education such as Welch and Hoffman explained a part of the residual by what they called Human Capital of which education through formal schooling was considered a major factor. It is the view of Fagerlind and Saha that one of the first systematic articulations of the Human Capital Theory occurred in 1960 in Theodore Schultzs Presidential Address to the American Economic Association on the topic investment in Human Capital. In the address, Schultz suggested that education-was not to be viewed simply as a form of consumption but rather as a productive investment. He also argued that an educated population provided the type of labour force necessary for industrial development. Proponents of Human Capital Theory assume that formal education is highly instrumental to the improvement of the productive capacity of a population. The improvements of the productive capacity of the human work force in this sense is a form of capital investment. Human capital theorists postulated that the most efficient path to national development lies in the improvement of human capital through education. They also contended that the two pre-conditions for economic growth and development in any nation were investment in education and improvement in technology. Klees and Wells put this argument as follows: Human Capital Theory considers educational activities explicitly as investment that contribute to efficiency now and growth over time. From this perspective, education develops an individuals productive skills and therefore yields benefits over time to the individual and to the society as a whole. Thus we can evaluate, at least in part, the relative worth of allocating resources to educational activities compared to other alternative uses of these resources by examining educational costs and benefits. This framework has provided the basis for a considerable amount of educational resource and policy through the developed and developing world. This orientation championed by Schultz and Associates dominated the thinking in Economics of Education throughout the sixties. It formed the basis for manpower planning models used in forecasting educational enrollments required for specific development needs. Human Capital Theory also gave economists the conceptual tools with which to link man -power demands, their changes over time in response to economic growth and the educational system; and to incorporate them into elaborate national development plans and growth targets. Four manpower planning strategies or guidelines emerged from Human Capital research. They are the Social Demand Approach, the Manpower Requirements Analysis, the Cost-Benefit or Rate of Return Analysis and the Optimum Allocation of Resources Method. The social demand approach assumes that education is a social good. It is believed that its expansion as the demand arises will eventually result in benefits for the society. Therefore the state should bear the costs of educational expansion. Demographic data and social conditions are used in planning educational provisions when using this approach. Manpower require-ments for certain economic production targets can be estimated and produced through the formal education system. Planning education using this technique involves estimating skill requirements for certain occupational categories needed for economic development over a period of time. In cost-benefit analysis, estimates of the costs of acquiring various levels and kinds of education and the benefits associated with each kind and level are made. The assumption is that the value of the ratios so estimated would guide planners in decision-making with respect to the kinds of education to be offered or changed. In so doing, competitive rates of return on investment in education relative to other investment portfolios in the conventional capital markets can be maintained. The method used in optimum allocation of resources is to describe the principal relationships between education and other sectors of the economy and then to allocate resources optimally, given some objective functions and constraints. In general, linear programming techniques are used to derive the education production functions. In most developing countries, the manpower requirements approach was used as a guideline to relate educational planning to economic needs. A survey in 76 countries in 1968 showed that 65 of them had educational plans modeled after the manpower needs of the country. How-ever, as Sobel pointed out, protagonists of the manpower planning approach subsequently developed systematic mathematical models integrating manpower needs and educational planning which resulted in a proliferation of single-occupation studies in virtually all societies by each university or national university system, governmental manpower department, education ministry or vocational training department. Linear programming techniques were used to combine rates of return or cost-benefit analyses approaches with manpower requirements techniques to generate models of demand for education from the expected level and distribution of output in a given economy. These were done in an effort to ascertain whether the resultant manpower and education mix would maximize the growth of Gross National Product, maximize the excess of benefits over the costs of education. Most of the research findings showed that in country after country, a correlation exists between levels of education and subsequent lifetime earnings. In a comprehensive research study, Psacharopoulos standardized 53 rate of return studies for 32 different countries and sought to determine what generalizations could be made from the results. Some of the findings are as follows: * rates of return are generally higher in less developed countries; * primary education tends to yield the highest returns; * returns to human capital exceed those on physical capital in underdeveloped countries but roughly equal those on physical capital in developed countries; and * differences in per capita income can be explained better by differences in human than in physical capital. This theoretical orientation of the Human Capital Theory, as Kless and Wells point out provided a basic justification for large public expenditure on the expansion of formal school systems in developing countries. Its appeal was based on the presumed economic returns to investment in education both at the macro and micro levels. Thus governments intensified efforts to invest in Human Capital so as to achieve rapid economic growth and development.The obvious policy implication for most governments given the results of such empirical research was to expand enrollments and to provide for a longer period of schooling in order to maximize the benefits from schooling. In Africa, a Conference of African States on the development of Education in Africa was organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from May 15 25, 1961. The Conference, as Thompson noted, firmly grasped the concept that education was an investment in productivity and urged that educational provision should be planned continuously in relation to manpower needs at all times. EDUCATION, DEVELOPMENT AND MODERNITY THEORY Another dimension from which the relationship between education and development was vigorously examined and explicated during the 1960s was in the social psychological and sociological formulations of modernity theory. Modernity theorists argued that modernization is essentially a social-psychological process through which a country becomes modern only after its population has adopted modern attitudes, values and beliefs. They tried to show that there were causal links between modernizing institutions, modern values, modern behaviour, modern society and economic development. They maintained that the creation of modern values can be planned. Particular social institutions like the school, the family, the media and the workplace were identified as being of extreme importance in the emergence of modem values. However, most modernity theorists placed considerable emphasis on education because the school was perceived as a major agent in producing the skilled manpower and the modem attitudes and values necessary for the existence of a modern society. In the early postà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬World War II era, approximately twenty societies were regarded as highly modernized and roughly another ten to twenty were depicted as having passed a threshold on the path to modernization. Definitions of modernized varied. Some noted structural features, such as levels of education, urbanization, use of inanimate sources of energy, and fertility. Others pointed to attitudes, such as secularization, achievement orientation, functional specificity in formal organizations, and acceptance of equality in relationships. Conscious of the ethnocentric nature of many earlier explanations for growth in national power and income, social scientists in the 1950s and 1960s generally omitted cultural traits associated closely with Western history from definitions of modernity. Yet, given the rhetoric of the Cold War and a preoccupation with democracy in U.S. national identity, political institutions became a central factor in many definitions. The theory of modernization normally consists of three parts: (1) identification of types of societies, and explanation of how those designated as modernized or relatively modernized differ from others; (2) specification of how societies become modernized, comparing factors that are more or less conducive to transformation; and (3) generalizations about how the parts of a modernized society fit together, involving comparisons of stages of modernization and types of modernized societies with clarity about prospects for further modernization. Actually, reasoning about all of these issues predated postwar theory. From the Industrial Revolution, there were recurrent arguments that a different type of society had been created, that other societies were either to be left permanently behind or to find a way to achieve a similar transformation, and that not all modernizing societies had equal success in sustaining the process due to differences in economic, political, and other institutions. In the middle of the 1950s, these themes acquired new social science and political casting with the claim of increased rigor in analysis. (Modernization Theory Defining Modernization Theory Modernization Theory Modernization theory is a description and explanation of the processes of transformation from traditional or underdeveloped societies to modern societies. In the words of one of the major proponents, Historically, modernization is the process of change towards those types of social, economic, and political systems that have developed in Western Europe and North America from the seventeenth century to the nineteenth and have then spread to other European countries and in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries to the South American, Asian, and African continents (Eisenstadt 1966, p. 1). Modernization theory has been one of the major perspectives in the sociology of national development and underdevelopment since the 1950s. Primary attention has focused on ways in which past and present premodern societies become modern (i.e., Westernized) through processes of economic growth and change in social, political, and cultural structures. In general, modernization theorists are concerned with economic growth within societies as indicated, for example, by measures of gross national product. Mechanization or industrialization are ingredients in the process of economic growth. Modernization theorists study the social, political, and cultural consequences of economic growth and the conditions that are important for industrialization and economic growth to occur. Indeed, a degree of circularity often characterizes discussions of social and economic change involved in modernization processes because of the notion, embedded in most modernization theories, of the functional compatibility of component parts. Although, there are many versions of modernization theory, major implicit or explicit tenets are that (1) societies develop through a series of evolutionary stages; (2) these stages are based on different degrees and patterns of social differentiation and reintegration of structural and cultural components that are functionally compatible for the maintenance of society; (3) contemporary developing societies are at a premodern stage of evolution and they eventually will achieve economic growth and will take on the social, political, and economic features of western European and North American societies which have progressed to the highest stage of social evolutionary development; (4) this modernization will result as complex Western technology is imported and traditional structural and cultural features incompatible with such development are overcome. For example, in the social realm, modern societies are characterized by high levels of urbanization, literacy, research, health care, secularization, bureaucracy, mass media, and transportation facilities. Kinship ties are weaker, and nuclear conjugal family systems prevail. Birthrates and death rates are lower, and life expectancy is relatively longer. In the political realm, the society becomes more participatory in decision-making processes, and typical institutions include universal suffrage, political parties, a civil service bureaucracy, and parliaments. Traditional sources of authority are weaker as bureaucratic institutions assume responsibility and power. In the economic realm, there is more industrialization, technical upgrading of production, replacement of exchange economies with extensive money markets, increased division of labor, growth of infrastructure and commercial facilities, and the development of large-scale markets. Associated with these structural changes are cultural changes in role relations and personality variables. Social relations are more bureaucratic, social mobility increases, and status relations are based less on such ascriptive criteria as age, gender, or ethnicity and more on meritocratic criteria. There is a shift from relations based on tradition and loyalty to those based on rational exchange, competence, and other universally applied criteria. People are more receptive to change, more interested in the future, more achievement-oriented, more concerned with the rights of individuals, and less fatalistic. Educational Reform and Human Capital Development. Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) is a Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education established by Aga Khan University (AKU) in response to demand from schools for more appropriate school examinations. AKU-EB was founded in August 2003. It offers examination services to both Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSSC) throughout Pakistan. Its primary purpose is to improve the quality of education by making examinations of reputable standard more accessible to Pakistani students and having them increasingly valued by leading higher education institutions in and outside the country. In 2000, AKU-BOT approved the recommendation of the task force to establish and examination board. Its principal aim was to offer high quality public examinations using modern methods of assessment to test achievement within the national curriculum in order to enhance the quality of education. AKU-EB from the beginning was envisaged as a small undertaking which would be able to serve as a role model to have positive impact in field of education. There has been great amount of funds poured in to AKU EB. Besides AKU, USAID supported through the Governments Educational Sector Reforms throughout Pakistan . After the initial start-up period of five years, the University expects to become solely responsible for AKU-EBs financial affairs. The general objective of the AKU-EB is to design and offer high quality public examinations in English and Urdu based on the national curriculum for secondary and higher secondary education. It also arranges training sessions for teachers to develop appropriate learning materials to prepare teachers and students for the new examination system. It is intended to serve as a model of internationally recognized good practice in order to enhance the countrys capacity for educational assessment and tests, and therefore to improve the quality of education in schools, and through them, the quality of education in the national universities. The concept of human capital and education revolutions intertwined because formal education is an important factor in human capital formation. One of the objectives of AKU EB is to improve school environment by improving their curriculum by changing assessment strategy. Generally an individualà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s levels of human capital are raised producing better school results. Hence this effect the policy making in public and privte sector involved in educational reforms. Education is an investment in human capital, that is, in the skills and knowledge that produce a return to the individual in the form of higher earnings. Education also has social returns or spillovers. The presence of educated workers in a region enhances the earnings of those who, regardless of their own educational level, work with or near educated workers. I would be interested to know about how AKU EB is measuring its impact on schools and teachers. How it can be explained by human capital development theory perspective? How is it investing in building infra structure and equiopment and training? What are individual and social returns of AKU EB efforts? And what are its effects on changing other local boardsà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢ assessment strategies and curricula. How are teachers and parents looking at AKU EB as source of human capital development?

Social Work Self-Evaluation Example

Social Work Self-Evaluation Example The case was referred to the school social worker by the F.1 class teacher and the teacher reported to the worker that she had noticed her student named Judy had avoided joining group activities and she was feared about bulling and she would cry suddenly in the class sometimes. After exploration, the following presenting problems are observed: Constantly bullied by classmates Avoid joining group activities Fear about bullying and cry suddenly in the class Aim of the assessment The aim of the assessment is: To gather the basic information of the client about personal, family, school and social network To study the underlying factors contributing to the presenting problems and To find out the facts those trigger the problems so that an intervention plan could be set up to help the client. Brief Social History The worker had conducted four personal interviews and based on the interview sessions conducted with the client, the following information is gathered. Genogram/family background and relationship The parents of Judy were divorced since she was in primary school and thus she was brought up in a single parent family. Judys father lives in Mainland China and he does not contact with the family. The three family members: Madam Wong, Andy and Judy live together. The mother: Madam Wong, 44 years old, works as a cleaner and she is the only bread winner of the family. Andy Cheung: elder brother of Judy is 15 years old attending F.2 at a different school from Judy. Emotional condition The client was observed to be upset with the situation she is being bullied. Moreover, she did not want to disclose much about her problems and she was not convinced that others could understand and help her. She also felt that she is not as capable as her brother in doing not very well with her school lessons. Living condition The client lives together with her mother and elder brother at a public housing flat. Financial condition The mother, Madam Wong is the main bread winner of the family and the monthly income was unobserved. History of violence/abuse There is not serious case of violence according to the workers observation. However, the worker had studied that the client had been constantly bullied by her classmates at school. She was hit and her belongings were destroyed sometimes. Supportive network The client had some friends at the previous school she attended but she does not have any friends at the current school. The client told the worker that although she reported to the teacher about the issue, those who bullied her did not stop bullying and she does not think it is a good idea to report the teacher. Moreover, she does not want to tell her mother about her problems and feelings since she does not want to bother her. It seems that the mother alone would be her supportive network since she mentioned during the interview that her mother would listen to her if she discloses her feelings. Coping strengths The worker assessed that she does not know how to cope with the problem except crying and according to the client, reporting to the teacher did not work. Case conceptualization Core issues referred by the school teacher a) Avoid joining group activities in the class b) Cry suddenly in the class sometimes c) Constantly bullied, belongings are destroyed and hit by classmates Workers perception of the core issues The worker identified based on the personal interviews conducted that a) The client lacks self confidence and self esteem Since she stated that she was not doing well at school and she is not as clever as her brother. b) The belief of the client that there is nobody who cares and understand her The client mentioned that talking with other people (eg. Teacher and family) would help and they would not listen to her nor understand her. According to cognitive theorists, most social and behavioral dysfunction is derived from misconceptions that people hold about themselves, other people and situations (Hepworth, 2006). In this case, the self-defeating belief of the client that she is not as capable as others and that there is no one who can help/understand her had led her to emotional and behavioral consequences that block her to be a confident and capable girl. Analysis of the problem The worker analyses the case by applying the Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy (REBT), using the ABC model which was created by Albert Allis (Corey, 2005). A (activating event) B (belief) C (emotional and behavioral consequences) D (disputing intervention) E (effect) F (new feelings) In this case, the worker conceptualized that the irrational beliefs of the client that she is bullied and maltreated because there is no one who understands her and that she is incapable triggered her to be depressed and to be away from the social environment at school. The worker strongly believes that once the client can detect what her irrational beliefs are, the client could be helped with the disputing interventions to debate her dysfunctional beliefs by herself to solve the problem and to be a confident girl. Strengths and opportunities The worker had identified the following strengths and opportunities of the client during the interview sessions: Strengths: Good friends (social life) at primary school. This implies that she does not lack socialization skills Helping her mother with household chores. It means she is a considerate daughter and she has a strong affection to her mother. Opportunities: The class teacher is concerned about the problem. She is also willing to help the client with the problem. Her mother would listen to her if she discloses her problems and feelings to her. Intervention plan The goal of the intervention plan is to help the client: a) To identify the irrational belief b) To debate then discriminate these irrational beliefs by herself c) To help the client to build self confidence and self esteem d) To help the client socialize and participate in school activities Immediate plan Ask the client to do assignment so that she can identify and cope with her irrational beliefs Assignment such as Feeling List would be given so as to make the client aware of her own emotional condition and the progress (Sheafor Horejsi, 2006). Encourage the client to build up self confidence and self esteem by assigning her to identify the specific conditions and circumstances under which she feels positive and worth about herself (Sheafor Horejsi, 2006). Promote the clients resilience by helping her to discover her own strengths to overcome all the hardships (Egan, 2007). Discuss with the teacher how to provide psychosocial support to the client Long term plan To set up a good social support for the client: to engage the school environment, family members in the helping process (Egan, 2007). Discuss with the class teacher for organizing classroom activities where the client would be able to actively participate and appreciate her own strengths. Recommendations for follow up To have another case session to set up an agreed intervention plan with the client and to encourage the client do the assignments. Assessment on the school environment regarding the bulling issues might help Discussion with the family and the school to engage in the helping process Part II Self Evaluation The worker had applied different types of communication and helping skills during the interview session with the client. The skills used and the effectiveness: Warm greeting before starting the interview Engaging with the client/rapport building It is a way to let the client feel comfortable with the interview session. The client was more willing to talk freely after engaging with some general conversation at the beginning of the session. Asking the understanding of the client about being referred by the class teacher Confirmation of whether the client is willing to talk to the worker Asking expectation of the client and inform about the interview session Explaining the main purpose of the interview that she would be helped through the process It helped the client see clearly what the worker will be doing with her so that she can feel free to talk to the about her problems. Express understanding towards the clients through basic attending skills such as faced the client squarely, adopted the open posture, leaned towards the client, maintained good eye contact and relaxed while interacting with the client. In these ways of basic attending skills, I expressed empathetic attending, understanding and willingness to help. It helped the client to be willing in expressing her feelings and problems. Using verbal and non-verbal attending skills such as eye contact with the client, facial expression, and minimal encouragers. It encouraged the client to be more willing to talk. It also showed that I was listening to the client carefully. I used follow up questions like open-ended questions to confirm what the client had said so that there would not be any misunderstandings. Clarifying and verifying what the client had told the worker I clarified/verified what the client had told me by using phrases like it appears to me that and questions like oh you want to is that what are saying? It helped to discriminate the misunderstanding and confusion that can occur if I did not clarify or verify what the client had told and if I interpret in my own perception. Paraphrasing and Summarizing It was effective in a sense that I could express my understanding about the client and that I had been listening carefully and finding a way to help the client. Using of open questions and miracle question I used open questions to explore what the client had said for better understanding. Moreover, I also asked the clients perception on problem solving by asking What do you think you can do to stop the bully? Although it did not help the client solve the problem completely, it helped the client think about what she could do to cope with the problem. I also used the questions to explore the clients wants and goals by asking How do you want your classmates to treat you? What kind of situation do you want? and What if ? By asking these questions, the client voiced out what she wants and what she wants to be like which can result in goal setting. Strengths and weaknesses in the intervention During the intervention process, I evaluate the strengths of mine that I had a pretty good engagement with the client applying basic communication and helping skills. The use of appropriate questioning and clarifying worked to identify the problem and in detecting what the client wants and needs. As weaknesses, I needed to improve more on rapport building to gain the trust of the client. More practice on follow up questions and leading questions so as to make the client more articulating to disclose her problems. In reflecting my learning, this practice session helped me a lot to build up my skills needed in social work practice. Moreover, I have learned a lot about the effectiveness of the skills and what more could have been done to boost up my skills to be a good professional. The class discussion and feedback from the classmates made me see myself clearly about the strengths and rooms for improvement.

Creative Story: The Golden Sock :: essays research papers

Creative Story: The Golden Sock Years after Odysseus came from his twenty year trip, Odysseus began to feel restless; he wanted to go on an adventure. He knew that his wife, Penelope would not agree to his decision to go seek the long stolen, "golden sock". To many people, this may be any ordinary sock, but to Ithica, it was different. It was the sock worn on the first person to set foot on the land of Ithica. Odysseus finally decided to go on the journey to seek the "golden sock." He snuck away leaving Penelope a note telling where he is, and what he wants to do. Him, and his hundred crew men went all the way to the Gibralter strait where he was turned around by Charybdis' funnel, and stranded on the peninsula of Hubble. He picked his best men to search the beautiful island. "Men, our objective here is to find the long gone, "golden sock". We have traveled hundreds of miles already, and we still have not come close to finding the "golden sock". I want you to look at the feet of every man on this island, hoping to see the "golden sock". This may not be easy, and we may have to fight, so I want every man to be ready to go to war," Odysseus claimed. Odysseus and his men came to a cave and were directly surrounded. They got ready to fight, but the people were only trying to find out if they were friendly or hostile. The people were called the Takol Klan. They invited Odysseus and his men for the verrano feast. The Takol Klan, that greeted them, seemed to overly excited to Odysseus. "Hey, do two of you want to come and help us set up for tomorrow's feast," Taboli said. "Sure, Odysseus, Ankortipo and I are going to go with these friendly hosts," said Amtiphorus. "Go ahead, you two, but watch your back; we don't know these people, they might have the holy, golden sock," said Odysseus. Odysseus gathered all of his men, and told them, that their main task was to look at all the men's feet, trying to seek the "golden sock". Odysseus followed the soldiers to the sitting room, and a mammoth of a beast was sitting on the couch watching T.V. He stood up and introduced himself. "My people call me Cyclops, and you can see why, I am the leader of this tribe." "My name is Odysseus, my men call me Odysseus, but you can call me Master." "Welcome Master. Will you join me for dinner in my private quarter?

Hard Drives :: science

Hard Drives Hard drives have been around longer than you think. In 1956, I. B. M. had invented a disk storage unit that was very large but did not store a lot of data. It was twenty-four inches in diameter and could hold only five megabytes, which is the equivalent to three and one half floppy disks. Originally called â€Å"fixed disks† later became known as â€Å"hard disks† opposed to floppy disks. In 1973, I. B. M. released a hard drive that could hold seventeen and one half megabytes. In 1980 Seagate made the first five and one quarter inch hard disk. In the late 1980’s, three and one half inch hard disks were invented (PCIN). Although there are smaller hard disks as small as two inches in diameter, three and one half inch hard disks have been made a standard and is used most often today. The capacity in hard drives has excelled thousands of times all over from five megabytes to one hundred sixty gigabytes (160,000 megabytes) which is the equivalent to one hundred eleven thousand one hundred eleven floppy disks. The hard drive or hard disk is one of the most critical components in the operation of a computer. It is also one of the only moving parts in the computer. Sadly, many people do not know the important role it has in the storage of their data or how it even works. When you think of your hard drive, think of it as the computer’s electronic filing cabinet. Everything you load, download, or save is stored on the hard drive. In fact, ten percent of your hard drive is already used when you purchase your computer because it needs certain system operating files that are required to make the basics work. Everything you add later such as word processors, antivirus software, e-mail software, games, and internet software are extra, soon leading to an over stuffed filing cabinet (Matthew Ferrara Seminars). However, many people ask, â€Å"What is the hard drive, physically?† The hard drive can be commonly referred to as â€Å"a box†. That is what it looks like, a three and one half inch metal box. It is located inside your mainframe or tower. It sits in what is called a drive bay. Here it is secured with screws. On the bottom of the hard drive is a chip board which is the really technical and complicated pieces of the hard drive.

The Use of Force by Carlos Williams Essay -- The Use of Force Carlos W

The Use of Force In Carlos Williams’s short story, â€Å"The Use of Force,† the doctor’s use of force is portrayed in a way that is controversial. Controversial in that it could easily be argued either that the doctor has complete reason to use force upon the girl, or that the doctor has no right to use any amount of force upon the girl without her consent. It could also be argued either that the results of the doctor’s use of force is a success or a failure. I feel that the doctor has reason to use force upon the girl in order to check her tonsils for a number of reasons. I believe this because the doctor has reason to use force because he believes that the girl has diphtheria based on his knowledge of numbers of other children at her school suffering from cases of diphtheria. I believ...

Boys&Girls Club

The Boys & Girls Club has opened my eyes to many opportunities. This is a safe place where parents can drop off their children or child when they have to go to work. Every day after school I go the Boys & Girls and I have so many things I could do. Such as playing sports in the gym, and even swim in the indoor swimming pool. The Boys &Girls club has a teen center where I always have someone to talk to like friends, counselors, even staff members.I have been a member of the Boys & Girls club since the third grade. I used to like coming to the club but now I love it even more. The club is where I can study and do my homework. I have many interests I’m involved with such as the torch club, mentoring, and previously in apprentice. These activities help me get involved with the community as I grow up. For example the torch club helps me keep the earth clean by recycling, helping the elderly, and giving food and other items needed by people.The mentoring program helps me improve my learning skills for any subject. They help with homework, tests, quizzes, and have fun with you like a best friend. The club means a lot to me as you can see and I’m pretty sure other kids think the same way. I think I am very lucky to be part of the club. I will always keep the club in my heart because their like my second family. I have been a member for 5 years and I think this place is sweet. The club is a great place to be. That’s what the Boys & Girls club means to me.

Research for Human Resource Management Activities Essay

With increasing globalization, most multinational corporations can not avoid cross-culture management issues. Especially, cross-cultural human resource management (HRM) has becoming one of the critical operating strategies. And in this paper, we will mainly analyze the current situation of human resource management activities that include selection and recruitment, training and development, and performance management in the Chinese and Australian cultural background. We aimed to find out the differences of human resource management activities between Chinese and Australian human resource department, and look forward to helping a Sino-Australia joint venture (JV) enterprise which is poor at cross-cultural human resource management. Culture forms values, creates attitudes, and influences behavior (Luthans & Jonathan, 2009). Due to national traits and region of culture, the interaction between different cultures is considered as cross-culture. And under the cross cultural background, international human resource management should carry out the activities of human resource management based on characteristics and differences of culture (Ramamoorthy et al. , 2005), which could increase the efficiency of human resource distribution and utilization. According to the Hofstede’s theory, we have got five cultural dimensions which as power distance, individualism versus collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity versus feminism, and long term orientation versus short term orientation (Hofstede, 1984). China and Australia have obvious differences in the cultural dimensions, which are showed as follows. Comparison of China and Australia on cultural dimensions cultural dimensions |China |Australia | |power distance |high |low | |individualism |low(collectivism) |high | |uncertainty avoidance |low |high | |masculinity |balanced |above the average(masculinity) | |long-term |high |low(short-term) | Source: From Hofstede and Hofstede, Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. And then we will analyze the activities of human resource management as selection and recruitment, training and development and performance management under their respective cultural backgrounds. Firstly, in selection and recruitment human resource activities, there is a large difference between HRM of Chinese enterprises and Australian enterprises. In Australia, the labor pool is relatively mature and developed (Dobbie & MacMillan, 2012). Because of Australia is supposed to value individualism, the HRM of Australian companies used to selecting and recruiting much people depend on market mechanism. Labors change their job and joined choice making with the need of market and the HRM think the person is wanted by them can be got through the mobility of trained personnel and market competition. They do not think this kind of person is disloyal to a company in their mind. But China emphasizes socialist collectivism as the value of the times. And in the case of collectivism, the HRM of Chinese enterprises tends to select and recruit the talents in the range of their favorable groups, they think the groups of graduates from famous colleges that should have the inherent abilities. So the degrees from domestic-famous such as Tsinghua and Peking University would be preferred by HRM. Furthermore, the HRM of Chinese enterprises attach great importance to ‘Guanxi’ (relationship) in the selection and recruitment of employee (Wang & Cindy, 2008). And by the impacts of ‘Guanxi’, the HRM of Chinese enterprises trend to create a job in order to accommodate a person, without considering person’s ability. So these situations have been a contrast with fair competition rules of Australian HRM. On the other hand, Australia is a short-term oriented country, the relationship between HR managers and staff is simple which is similar to a buyer-seller relation in short term. The manager of human resource department generally prefers candidates who have strong capacity to work and innovative consciousness. On the contrast, the long-term oriented Chinese HRM focuses on employee royalty, and try to reduce the rate of staff turnover. They expect employees to work steadily in long term, instead of frequent turnover behaviors in the workplace. Furthermore, because of the high power distance, in the standard of personnel selection in Chinese HRM, they mainly focus on personal background and seniority (Zhang, 2003). There is an obvious top-down hierarchy; the higher position is decided often by strong background and seniority. However, in the Australian HRM, the first is that personal ability to work and communicate. The job is offered to the person who is capable, and the manager of human resource department offered the qualified person an opportunity to move ahead quickly. Secondly, in the parts of training and development, there are also some differences between Australian and Chinese HRM because of the impact of different cultural dimensions. Under the influence of collectivism culture, what contents the Chinese enterprises use to train their employees generally have to meet the organization’s development goals . Most employees accept their superiors’ arrangement of the job training ,which mainly provides them with the skills training aiming at the skills that their job needs (Xiao et. al, 2011). This kind of job training is only beneficial to employment needed skills. Furthermore, being influenced by the high power distance, in the training process, the employees who are being trained are under high pressure from their superiors and have to accept the arrangement of training. Because most of the trainings are passively accepted, obviously it doesn’t work to take the ways of high participation training in China. Under the influence of individualism culture, the HRM of Australian enterprise lays stress on the career training and continuous education. The training was provided by HRM for their employees usually can help the employees to achieve their personal goals, but may be far away from the whole organization development vision, but beneficial to the employees’ personal future careers. And in such a low power distance country like Australia, the employees who are being trained appear more active in the training process. They are more willing to show themselves, and actively express their ideas; meanwhile, they are good at communicating with the coach. Thirdly, in the part of performance management, there are also some differences between Australian and Chinese HRM. Being influenced by the high power distance, in Chinese enterprise, the performance management system is usually built by the top manager, so the top manager decides the performance standards and evaluation criteria. There is a low involvement of employees. However, with the lower power distance, employee could participate in the performance system building, the employee and HR manger could come together to develop a performance management system. Australian advocate individualism, and emphasize personal achievements and rights. But in a country emphasizing collectivism culture as China, the values of pursuing the harmonious atmosphere makes the interpersonal relations in the collective obviously more important than individual achievements. When it comes to the performance evaluation, Australian emphasize standardized and quantified performance evaluation system, hoping that they can objectively measure individual contribution and value, while Chinese prefer the traditional way of evaluation which usually depends on experience because they don’t want to destroy the harmonious unity of their collective (Rajendar ; Ma, 2005) . And on the other hand, in Australian enterprise, the compensation system depends on the staff function and ability with low power distance. In this system, it is not unusual that employee with special skills or talents could get more compensation and bonus than manager in higher position. But in Chinese enterprise, the compensation system mainly focuses on job grade and employment level. There is a clear rank in the compensation system. In conclusion,  it’s very easy to find that main differences in the activities of human resource management between Chinese and Australian enterprises from what has been mentioned above. So far, for a Sino-Australia joint venture enterprise, it is necessary to combine comprehensive considerations cultural background of China and Australia for carrying out the human resource management activities. Furthermore, the joint venture enterprise should place great emphasis on building of enterprise culture and foster cohesion and centripetal force enterprises. Usually successful enterprise has excellent enterprise culture which enables employees to establish common values and standard of behaviors (Deem, 2009), it built a great channel between the parent-country nationals and host-country nationals to communicate more smoothly, that is helpful to minimize any culture clash. And in order to achieve optimal allocation of human resources under the context of international, Of course, there will be also many challenges and hardships along the way.

The Vandals

‘Answers to question on prose fiction should address relevantly the central concern(s)/theme(s) of the text and be supported by reference to appropriate techniques of prose fiction such as: Characterisation, setting, key incident(s), narrative technique, symbolism, structure, climax, plot, atmosphere, dialogue, imagery. Choose a novel or short story with a central character you consider to be heroic, Show how the heroic qualities are revealed and discuss how this portrayal of the character enhances your understanding of the text as a whole.ANSWER: Many complaints recently have revolved around the strong targeting the weak. In Alan Bolds short story ‘The Vandals’ we hear the story of Gordon Miller. A retired Civil Servant whom is a quiet gentle man. He could have been considered heroic when he stood up to a ground of youths – The Vandals of the story. Bold uses numerous techniques such as setting, imagery and foreshadowing to highlight Gordon Millers transiti on from hero to villain. The Vandals by Alan Bold is set in a small fictional Scottish town called Marshend.Gordon Miller moves into a small cottage here looking for peace and quiet. This is soon disrupted by a local group of youths who call him names and vandalise his property. After trying to confront these youths to reason with them he soon realises that he is trying to reason with people who know no limits, he soon takes things into his own hands. In the opening of the story Bold refers to the Roman invasion of Marshend and to the Roman General Agricola. However the Roman’s failed to completely conquer Marshend.From the beginning of the story Bold juxtaposes Miller against the Romans. Bold does this by giving the imagery of Miller being the Inhabitants of Marshend and the vandals being the Roman army. First Miller tries to reason with the vandals, however after multiple reoccurring attacks on his house Miller declares what would be classed as war on the vandals. Through n umerous applications of word choice Bold manages to foreshadow the fact that Gordon Miller may not be as calm and tolerable person as he seems to be. ‘Gordon Miller decided he would keep calm’This is after the first attack on his home. By having to decide to stay calm this shows that it is almost like he is forcing himself to do so and this is doubting that he isn’t as calm a person as he seems. In the village the others formed an opinion on Gordon Millers ‘mental stability’ from this it was reflected back to him to make an opinion on himself. This tells the reader that apart from what we have read Gordon Miller may act very differently as well. Bold seems to keep Gordon Miller personality close to his chest revealing only what he has too.It triggers a reaction in the readers mind wondering as to why the other villagers have been commenting on his mental stability. It also would make Miller question his actions, if he has been acting a certain way an d villagers were starting to question and talk about his actions then it would possibly make him take notice and try to change the way he acts around others. Nearing the end of the story Bold uses a lot of imagery linked in with Gordon Miller and the theme of the Romans.When the vandals come back for the last time Bold describes Miller as standing at the ‘summit of the hill, on the top terrace. ’ This is similar to the idea of the Roman General waiting and observing his territory. Gordon Miller is standing and observing the youths and his home before he launches his attack on the youths. This is the turning point in the story where Bold twists Gordon Miller from being symbolic of the villagers in Marshend under attack to being the Roman General who is waiting to start his attack.This shows Gordon Miller becoming heroic as he is standing up to the vandals who have been tormenting him. This gives us the understanding that certain people can only take so much stress and di sruption in their lives before they come to the end of their tether and retaliate. The last sentence in the story is an image of Miller sitting playing with a set of ‘Roman Soldiers’. This shows that Gordon Miller is a lot more complex than Bold let us believe. He likes order and stability in his life, he does not like change and disruptions.As he is playing with the Roman Soldier set this represents the order that he likes in his life. In conclusion revealing Gordon Millers personality slowly throughout the short story Bold uses a number of techniques such as pathos, setting, imagery and word choice. Through these we feel empathy towards Gordon Miller and understand why he proceeded taking the heroic actions that he did. This helps the reader not to dislike Miller for his actions but feel happy for him that he finally got justice on the vandals.Word Count: 755

Future Trends in Crisis Intervention

Future Trends in Crisis Intervention Abstract Mental Health Paraprofessionals (MHPP) will work with the client and family on behavioral issues that occur in the home, school, and community. The MHPP serves on the treatment team and assists professional staff with the execution of the treatment plan. They also assist with securing community services that might be available to the client and the client's family. The purpose of intensive Mental Health Paraprofessional Intervention is to enable the client to be maintained in the most normalized, least restrictive setting as possible, and to prevent unnecessary, inappropriate institutionalization.This paper discusses an overview paraprofessionals, the impact the paraprofessionals have on the field, the challenges that organizations are faced, and how to manage with the implemented changes. Future Trends in Crisis Intervention As the population in the United States continues to climb the need for human services professionals does the same. Human service agencies are often face the dilemmas of being over-worked and under paid. Professionals in this field are often prone to burnout because of these dilemmas. Sadly, human service agencies are often the first to experience budget cuts.These budget cuts affect the human service professional’s organization, facility, coworkers, pay, clients, and their personal moral. Leading officials of many human service organizations are noticing the affects of these dilemmas and are trying proactive approaches in solving the epidemics. As a result, the paraprofessional is becoming increasingly popular as the organization can fill the much needed worker positions and assist in alleviating clinician case load. This paper discusses the impact of this trend on the human services field and how the trend will impact the practice of crisis intervention in the future.The challenges faced as a result of the impact, and how the worker can proactively deal with this expanding trend is also covered. It is vital for these services to keep up with the demand and save as much of the valuable budget money. The Paraprofessional Counseling paraprofessionals are bachelor's level graduates whom have completed a course in order to become certified as a paraprofessional. Paraprofessionals generally work in mental health centers, crisis units, day treatment programs and group homes.Generally they provide direct care to patients, where as a counselor, psychologist or psychiatrist offer more specified trained services. Treatment centers will employ support staff to work directly with their patients; counseling center paraprofessionals (CCP) are distinctly different from other support staff (Barrios & Perlas, 2010). They hold a certification in working with the mentally ill and a bachelor's degree while certified counseling technicians (CCT) have a similar certification, but hold a high school diploma instead of a bachelor's degree (Barrios & Perlas, 2010).Some treatment ce nters will also hire direct service professionals that do not have CCP or CCT certifications, but generally, those whom hold a certification are in higher demand and are more employable. Contact of a Paraprofessional The main purpose of a CCP is to interact directly with patients in their care; this may involve setting and enforcing rules on unit, organizing daily activities, and helping with chores or other similar duties.According to Christine Wyman (2012), â€Å"They often have more contact with clients that much of the other staff, including doctors, psychologists, and therapists, as the CCP is usually in charge of the client's day to day activities. † Though the CCP performs less specialized work, they often have the most insight into individual clients. Because of the constant contact they are an invaluable member of the treatment team. With how often CCP’s get to observe patients on a daily basis they are able to pick up on behavior patterns that other staff may not see.They are also able to see how various treatments affect a patient in their daily lives. Some CCPs are designated to work one on one with a single client. A CCP in this role is often assigned as such because a client has a particular need. â€Å"Such needs could include but are not limited to helping a client with severe cognitive or physical limitations, watching a client whom is a danger to himself or others or working with a client whose treatment goals involve intensive one on one work† (Wyman, 2012). ImpactThere are many ways that the use of counseling center paraprofessionals can benefit the organization. One of the many benefits of the paraprofessional in the human service career field could be that they require less training than typical clinician or other human service professional. That way the CCP is able to become certified and begin work in a much shorter time frame then someone who is going through all the required schooling and testing to become a licen sed professional. Another aspect deals with the lesser amount of pay therefore saving the organization money.With the way budgets are being cut it is important to stretch every dollar as much as possible. â€Å"Someone without the education or licensure will not be able to do as much as a professional and therefore require less pay therefore saving money for other areas it is needed† (Barrios ;amp; Perlas, 2010). Since CCP’s spend a great deal of time with the patients they serve as valuable member of the treatment team in helping diagnose issues and observe if prescribed treatments are working. With the CCP’s doing this then that opens up the professionals to work with more clients on a one on one basis.Challenges Paraprofessionals in the human services field can be considered both an important asset and a nuisance to the clinicians and the clients served. With all the good that a paraprofessional brings the position also has some negatives. During this tumultu ous economy, districts find themselves entertaining a variety of solutions as a means of tackling severe budget reductions, and colleges are faced with the impossible task of providing quality student services without adequate resources.As a result, paraprofessionals may have absorbed additional duties previously performed by a robust counseling department. Also the CCP’s can be improperly trained or supervised. Because of these two occurrences the care provided can suffer. When people are overworked they are more likely to suffer from burnout. In this case the lack of CCP’s can cause burnout on behalf of the professionals and if the CCP’s are doing more than they should they can become burnt out. Managing Paraprofessional responsibilities should not extend beyond information dissemination.When the duties expand into goal setting, planning or decision making, the paraprofessional has overstepped his/her professional boundaries. It is recommended that paraprofess ional roles and duties be assessed to ensure that paraprofessionals do not extend beyond their primary job description (Barrios ;amp; Perlas, 2010). If paraprofessionals are utilized, proper training and supervision are imperative. Both training and supervision should be conducted with counselors taking an active role in both.Training methods could include individual one-on-one trainings, small group trainings, or an in-service training to the greater college community in order to differentiate the goals and responsibilities between counselors and paraprofessionals. Trainings and supervision should include clearly defined responsibilities and a counselor referral process. Identification badges, that include name and position, should be provided along with ethical and confidentiality regulations. Closing Crisis Intervention Counseling plays an important role and benefits many people in their time of need.With the direction of society and the numerous budget cuts that are implemented each year, the affected organizations that provide these services must find the best way to survive. In hiring counseling center paraprofessionals the group takes some of the pressure off of the professionals and spread the work out more evenly. This move also saves the organization money on a tight budget. There are many issues that face the human service field and counseling in the future but one major is the funding. CCP’s can do a lot to solve this issue now and in the future as budgets for these services get cut even more.