Individual Development Plan Essay

Life is a never-ending learning experience. One of the most important lessons we can ever learn from comes from within. As we go through life, it is essential that we learn who we are, and have the ability to recognize and grow from our own personal strengths and weaknesses. Knowing what we are good at and what we are weak in is the only way we can truly grow as individuals. This knowledge helps us to accomplish the goals we set for ourselves in life. Through taking these personal inventory tests of my strengths and weaknesses, I have determined what I need to do not only to better understand who I am, but how to improve my life. All my life, I’ve been known to be serious, dutiful, and reserved. My parents instilled a great deal of order and structure upon us so that if they happen to not be around we would know what to do. Coming from a family of four girls, me being the 2nd to the oldest, I had to be a good role model for my other sisters. While my parents worked, my older sister and I were responsible to watch the younger sisters, do choirs and then homework. Coming home from school, I always made sure that all these things expected of me is accomplished before I go out to play. We used to live in a big apartment complex with maybe 150 units so there were many kids around the neighborhood to play with. Our most favorite activity is to ride our bikes around the complex, racing at times, but most of the time just riding, talking and joking around. I was always a little older than most of the kids, but they loved hanging around with me because I always took care of them and made sure that know one dared them into doing something they couldn’t do. As a teenager, I was pretty down to earth. Being the responsible and thoughtful person that I am, I always try to do the appropriate thing at the appropriate time. I felt that each person should earn one’s keep and got a part time job to help the family out. More like so that I wouldn’t have to ask for money from my parents. They should only be responsible for the livelihood of the family. I often spent the money I made on practical things  that I needed instead of fashion like most of my friends. A person should be responsible for their own destiny instead of being totally dependent on someone for survival. At the age of sixteen, I started my first semester in college. This was the right path for me and the one that I’ve been planning for. My motivation to go and complete my college education, stemmed from the fact I will be the first person in my family tree to be educated and being able to accomplish a goal. Failure was not an option and was never able to understand why so many people decide to drop out. Being a freshman, I really didn’t know what I wanted to study. I knew that majors such as liberal arts would not be something I would chose because I felt they are not practical. What will I learn from it and what job will I do using those skills? So I chose biology. Within two years, I discovered this was not for me either because science never posed concrete answers to questions. There are specific steps you need to take to acquire an answer but the answers can be different when controls are moved around or changed. Business management was my next choice because the concepts were practical and useful. After taking all the self-assessment tests on personality styles, I’ve determined that the term ‘personality style’ generally means the ways in which one is most comfortable when reacting to different situations. I also discovered that while controversy surrounds the theories of personality style assessments, the practice of self-assessment with the intent of greater self-awareness can be helpful in maximizing my ability to understand what is really important to me and the traits which will impact my likeliness to succeed or fail at various careers. If we have a good understanding of our self we can make the most of natural strengths and build on skills in areas in which we are less confident. In order to fully assess my strengths, I first determined the areas that I am most competent in. I generally consider myself to be a well organized individual. Everyday, I prioritize my daily activities by reviewing my never  ending â€Å"to do† list. I am particularly strong and careful in keeping track of facts and details. At work, my job is to plan all the activities of the operations department and report on the activities of the engineering development to upper management. Therefore being systematic, thorough and sincere is important to accomplishing any task that I do. Hardworking and dependable is how most people describe me. Given any assignment, I will get the job done or completed on schedule. When a shipment date has been committed to the customer, I will make sure that the order gets shipped to the right place at the right time. I will often take on extra responsibilities in order to maintain what I think is important. Like the Lemuel Green case presented in class, my motivation is the feeling of existence within an organization. I need to feel that what I do is important to both the company and the people I work with. I consider myself a team player. I often provide assistance to fellow employees when they are in a bind. I am appreciated by my peers for always lending a helping hand when needed. I take pleasure in offering my skills, suggestions or perspective to my co-workers when I think it would be useful to them. According to the five factor theory, I rank highest at being conscientious and lowest at being extraverted. In between are emotional stability, agreeableness and openness to experience. I think this is also right about my personality because I tend to be very aware of my surroundings which allows for flexibility when adapting to any type of environmental or situational change. I’m also emotionally stable, can easily be approached, and always open for different experiences. This is important because Another method I used for assessing personality style is the widely known and recognized, Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, a test â€Å"derived from psychologist Carl Jung’s theory on psychological types† (Robbins, 2001). According to this test, I am an introvert, sensing, thinking, judgment or ISTJ. For each of the words or letters that I identify most strongly with, is an opposite trait that I have less association with. For example, I am definitely much more of an introvert than an extrovert, as evidenced in quiet and reserved  personality. I am also more of a sensor that an intuitor, because intuitors love ideas, broad concepts and meanings, whereas sensors focus on facts and details. I consider myself more of a thinker than a feeler, because I value critical and logical thinking over doing what I feel is right. And lastly, I see myself as being more a judger than perceiver because like judgers, I believe truth wins out over tact. Within each of my strengths lies a weakness. One of my most noticeable and possibly destructive weaknesses is overlooking the long-range implications of the actions I choose to take. I tend to get really excited about a task at hand and find myself half way through that I should have taken a step back, thought about it, and then take action. This can affect my performance and the ability to complete tasks efficiently and on schedule in this results-driven world. As described earlier, I am able to work well within organizational structures, however there are a few things I need to work on in terms of team dynamics. I am not very personable. When meeting with teams or people, I often focus on the purpose at hand. I seldom take the time to know people and often run the danger of inappropriately passing judgment on them. Also in relation to working in teams is my tendency to expect everyone to be as logical and analytical as I am. This is an unreasonable expectation because people are different and I should look at it as an opportunity to learn new insights and ideas. Another significant weakness for me is the inability to express myself creatively whether it is written or verbal. I have a realistic respect for facts and am extremely dependent on it when performing daily tasks. I don’t feel like I rebuff creativity, I tend not to pay much attention to it. When thinking or speaking I try to focus only on reaching my point. I usually a have a solid perception of the concepts or purpose but often run into problems when trying to build a framework that links all the parts together creatively. Whether it is Myers-Briggs or the five factor model, these methodologies all  showed me that I have several strengths, which I have used throughout my life. The fact that I’m realistic, systematic and organize enables me to work well within any organizational structure. I am very thorough, hard working, and careful with particulars and procedures. My practical judgment and valuing of procedure makes me consistent and conservative. I need to assemble all the necessary facts in order to support my evaluations and decisions.

Cosmic Race Essay

The term â€Å"Cosmic Race† is also known as â€Å"La raza cosmica† which was based on the opinions of some Mexican Scholars in the 1920’s who held that since the Latin Americans held the blood of all the races, the transcended the races of the â€Å"Old World†. This term basically embodies the idea that traditional, exclusive concepts of race and nationality can be transcended in the name of humanity’s common destiny (MacLachlan, 1980). While the idea of the origins or creation of the â€Å"Cosmic Race† has been attributed to other races, there is no denying that it was the Spaniards who played a major role in this. The open-mindedness, in this case the open philosophy and attitude of Spain regarding culture and society, was influential in creating this cosmic race. Spain realized that the key to being able to build a vital and flourishing economy in the colony was to build a common denominator for acculturation by both Indian and European races (MacLachlan, 1980). Spain was able to accomplish this by establishing and expanding the colonial political and ecclesiastical institutions, the economy, society, and the role of women in the Mexica Society. Further proof of this was the policies of Spain regarding women as they encouraged the women to participate in economics and politics by providing the women during that time with extensive legal rights (MacLachlan, 1980). These factors and the methods by which Spain cultivated the Mexica Empire are brought on by the characteristic of Spain as being â€Å"open-minded†, which in turn led to the creation of the â€Å"Cosmic Race. † References: MacLachlan, C. and Rodriguez, J. (1980) The Forging of the Cosmic Race: A Reinterpretation of Colonial Mexico. University of California Press,

Review Essay on Major Publication of a Movie Found Engaging or

Essay on Major Publication of a Found Engaging or Meaningful - Movie Review Example Michael is shown as big black kid from Memphis Tennessee. He is leading a troubled and a miserable life. His dad’s dead and his mom didn’t bother about him. He had no clue where his future was taking. Things turn around for him when he bumps into Leigh Ann. She takes him and for the first time Michael finds himself amidst normal things – for instance a house, having food to eat, a bed to sleep and some ray of home for his future. The stirking contrast shown between the lives led by Leigh’s family and Michael stirred very strong emotions in me. The ground reality of the divisions in our society between the upper echelons and the lower echelons could not help but make me feel bad for the state of poor Michael. He did nothing to deserve the kind of childhood and life he was leading. Unfortunately, he is just a depiction and fictitious character but there are many such cases out there that are malnutritioned, with no home to stay and with no hope for future. T he plight of those kids stood before me as Michael maneuvered his way into the track of the movie. It was heart-breaking to know the reality but even worse was inkling in the back of my mind that Michael is just a character and there are many others out there who literally go through this every day. You can’t help but wonder why some people are blessed with everything in the world (Ann’s family) while some don’t even have a roof above them. The disparity in the society raised a lot of questions in my mind. (The Blind-Side Rotten Tomatoes) While I loved the theme of the movie, it had some short –comings too. They did not characterize Leigh Ann deeply. It was never made clear what her motivations were. What was she feeling guilty about? For being so rich or for Michael being so unlucky? Was it guilt over her being white and Michael being black? He goes on to become a player in the NFL. What financial gain did she gain in bringing him down? What was her yout h like? Clearly, there are so many rich people out there but not everyone bothers to offer shelter to passersby in their house. What drove Leigh Ann to such an extent? There are such potholes in the track that need to make sense in the movie. Part of the reason why it garnered flak from most of the critics is because of such places where the movie failed to make sense. I also felt that the casting of the movie was inappropriate for Michael. Quinton Aaron was not the best choice. He didn’t generate a lot of emotions. Most of the time he stood there with a half smile on his face. It was very difficult to decipher his emotions through the course of the movie. Kathy Bates had nothing substantial to offer. Why she was even there made no sense too. However the aforementioned are the only glitches in the track. The Blind Side takes on a very different humanitarian theme. It was heart wrenching to see Michael trying to lead a normal life; doing little things and especially when he pl ayed football. The movie does not have extra-vagant sets or an extra-ordinary script that will fetch it an Oscar but it is good movie that takes on the plight of the unfortunate. It made me feel good to know that there are people out there who feel for the state of the under pledged and tried to depict it through a movie. The film-maker deserves a standing ovation for this no matter what his motive was. While performances are concerned, Sandra Bullock was spot-on. This was one of her career best performances. She carries herself very

Dimensions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Dimensions - Essay Example Furthermore, he categorizes people as monochromic or polychromic people. Monochromic people denote individuals who do one thing before another and are often not easily distractible when doing something. In addition, they are committed to work and respect deadlines. Polychromic people Finally, Hall talks about proxemics in the cultural dimensions. He insists that there exists a public space, personal space, social space, and intimate space which everyone has to aware and watch them so that one can know when to and when not to intrude ones space. Choose one or more of the cultural dimensions discussed in this week’s lecture and your reading so far (i.e., Hall, Hofstede, Trompenaars, House, Schwartz, etc.), and reflect on where you think you would place on that dimension’s continuum, and how that might impact your behaviour and attitudes working in a multicultural team where some members are quite different on that

E-commerce and Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

E-commerce and Marketing - Assignment Example The aim of this paper is to examine the importance of social media marketing. The different elements of social media have been highlighted and discussed. The paper also discusses the promotion strategies which Xazha a small scale retailer in United Kingdom is supposed to adopt so as to maximize their profits. Lastly the paper also includes the factors which the small scale enterprise is supposed to consider before adopting the promotion strategies. Social media Its application in marketing has highly increased and it is being used as a base for client development. The insight of marketing through the social media has shifted in a very high rate and it is no longer seen as a trendy but as a flexible means. The big three sites which are ; Facebook, twitter, and Google have become a part and parcel of any business whereby each retail is seeking for a place in the traditional and modernized market place (Jaffrey, 2011). According to a report released in the year 2012, almost 60% of the marketers are spending time online focusing on promoting their products. It was also found out that 43% of the people who are in the age group of (20-29) are spending approximately 10 hours or more in a week on the social Medias. Most of them are chatting or just browsing. 58% of the businesses which use the social medial for promoting their products have been reported to increase their sales in the previous three years (Jaffrey, 2011). Facebook The site is mainly used by the youths. They find new friends and view their friend’s pictures among other activities. However, Facebook has been adopted for advertising. The businesses are creating Facebook pages which the Facebook users are in a position to view. The businesses can then use the pages they have created to promote their products, build, the organization’s brand as well as offering deals (Jaffrey, 2011). Twitter Just like face

Article or case law search Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Article or case law search - Essay Example l doesnt have an effective set of regulations to protect people once they have entered the healthcare delivery system.† Deaths and severe injuries attributed to lack of patient safety are some of the issues that have been recently reported. The main issue highlighted in the article is that patient safety advocates are calling for policy review that is meant to protect the patients at any healthcare facility they would be receiving treatment since the federal government has no policy meant to protect the safety interests of the patients. This paper is related to the nature and other facets of the law in many ways. The common law which that obtains from natural law and is a source of law in different scenarios stipulates that all the individuals have the right to equality and fair treatment. All the institutions that deal with the welfare of the people have a responsibility to ensure that all the people within their territories are entitled to full protection such that they may not be injured or involved in other accidents. This is very important since healthcare institutions in particular have a duty care to make sure that their patients are safe and they are not exposed to any form of danger. Basically, patient safety is a virtue and it should not be compromised under whatever circumstance. Therefore, this issue is very important since it addresses some of the issues that are very important with regards to the practice of healthcare practitioners. The government represents the interests of all the citizens and it should also offer protection to the same. Healthcare is a basic human right and the government has the responsibility of making sure that this right is not violated by members of different healthcare institutions. This can be achieved through enacting legislation that is specifically meant to protect the safety of all the people who may visit different health care institutions. In other words, the healthcare system should be reformed so that sound

IT in Finance Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

IT in Finance Industry - Essay Example If I have to do this project again, I will plan a version management system and instruct the team members to strictly follow it and verify the version of the files before uploading them to the live server. First and foremost, always have up to date reliable anti-virus software with an Internet Firewall installed in the system. It is not possible to eliminate all threats as hackers and malware programmers cannot be eliminated. So the best policy is to prevent such attempts. In case a threat is encountered, the user has to report the issue to the anti-virus software provider, so that the provider can issue a fix for that threat as well. The system administrators can have security certificates and encryptions included in their web applications so that it is impossible for anybody to include viral software in the web application and spread it across the web. As far as a backup system is considered, reliability is far more important than the features included. The main reason for using a backup system is to restore the original system if it encounters a sudden threat or gets corrupted. The backup system has to be reliable and error free so that it can actually serve its purpose. Limited features are sufficient for a backup system, as they do not play major role. In order to provide uninterrupted service to the end users, it is always essential that the backup system is reliable and is always ready to be used as a substitute. In this case, resolving the problem depends on the nature of the issue and at times, even on the level of technical knowledge of the user. In any case, the basic things to check in the event of a complaint are: The first thing to do is to stop continuing the changes try and reverse the changes done recently. It is best practice to take a screen shot or record the steps that are being taken. The database has to be checked to verify if the

Personal statement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Personal statement - Essay Example The future belongs to mobile devices and wireless network technologies, the earlier we equip ourselves for future, the better. My experience so far has taught me that everything is interconnected; there is no more the time of specialization. What I mean from this argument is that Steve Jobs studied calligraphy when he had no idea that he would be using his calligraphy in programming languages, there was something about the mathematics and the geometry of it that helped Jobs incorporate it in his computer topology and he admits that without that necessary knowledge he would not have been able to write operating systems in his own company NeXT. I have always been curious about how to relate operating systems (the software) with the hardware, there is something that captivates me how the software, an intangible thing, can run a hardware, much like the soul operating the human body. Learning should be easy when taught in a meaningful and productive way, plus when there are aspirations and expectations after the study program that one will be able to pursue his or her life passion without worrying about finances; this is nothing short of a blessing. I want to build a career in Networking and want to become a part of a well-known tech company like Google, Apple or Xbox. And for that I need my subjects carefully added to my curriculum vita so that my portfolio becomes hard to ignore for these companies. I have chosen this subject because at Birmingham City University, embedded systems and well equipped laboratories are used to create real-time systems, this includes specialist hardware training. It is required that development software and programmes should be updated, because each day the tech industry is becoming more and more competitive. Industry-standard software development and simulation tools are necessary for this type of knowledge, old programming knowledge is no good and when one desires a job in popular software companies then one needs to be on top

Fiduciary Responsibility Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fiduciary Responsibility - Research Paper Example It reveals how the board can busy themselves with governing its corporate, financial planning by controlling budget values and not the budget members. In addressing the thesis statement of comparing and contrasting Corporate Fiduciary Responsibility and Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance, we will draw attention to the significant of the two concepts. Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Verse Corporate Fiduciary Responsibility Holt (2008) indicates that the Sarbanes –Oxley is based on the legislative and administrative, whereas corporate fiduciary responsibility, although, based on the statutory, it is established from the equity and is created by judges. According to Kieff and Paredes (2010), the corporate fiduciary responsibility under the state law practices has fluid standards and duties based approach. Whereas Sarbanes –Oxley adopt a rule based approach to corporate governance. According to Hopkins (2011), fiduciary responsibility requires board members of exempt corporate to be objec tive and should act for its excellent and betterment, rather than for their personal benefit. Sarbanes –Oxley indiscriminately imposes significant compliance cost on the corporate due to the inflexible rules that are applied to corporate regardless of the situation. According to Kieff and Paredes (2010), fiduciary relationship arises in the context of complex and constantly evolving long-term arrangements. Thus, do not provide themselves with easy, clear line rules or detailed regulations. However, Sarbanes –Oxley does not involve the complexities of the corporate environment. It deals with setting wide standards and allowing corporate a chance in determining how best to comply with those standards. The occurrence of corporate misconduct provides essential insights about the manner that board members demonstrate compliances with their fiduciary responsibility. Kieff and Paredes (2010) indicate that trustee responsibility is limited in that the fiduciary who agrees to t ake control of plan assets may appoint an investment manager. If the investment manager is appointed, the trustee is not accountable for that the investment manager’s acts. Meanwhile, he or she is not under any obligation to invest or to manage any plan asset that is subject to the management of the investment manager. Moreover, a plan may expressly provide that the trustee is subject to follow the ways of listed party who is not a trustee. According to Kieff and Paredes (2010), a trustee is subject to proper directions of that named fiduciary. Since this duty does not relieve the trustee from determining whether the direction of the named fiduciary is prudent, it does not considerably limit a trustee’s responsibility. In additional, where plan assets are detained by more than one trustee, trustee is only accountable for an act of a trustee own trust. Meanwhile, co trustees may agree to allocate responsibilities, obligations and duties among themselves in case such agr eement is authorized by the trust instrument. According to Kieff and Paredes (2010), a trustee will not be accountable for a loss to the plan arising from the acts of another trustee to whom responsibility has been allocated. However, in the Sarbanes –Oxley the corporate are seeking to reduce the cost of ongoing compliance while maximizing benefits (Holt, 2008). Meanwhile, the act does not authorize corporate to change audit firms periodically, but recommends essential

American jail Essay Example for Free

American jail Essay Prejudice is defined as â€Å"a partiality that prevents objective consideration of an issue (â€Å"Prejudice,† 2005). † A person may assume, for example, that all individuals suffering from AIDS are filthy and must be ignored; or all Africans are unintelligent. The Nazis had similarly supposed that all Jews are worthless and stupid, and therefore must be killed. As a matter of fact, prejudice can be based on gender, religions, cultures, geographical backgrounds, as well as race. Social psychologists define it as an attitude. It could be positive as well as negative. The positive type of prejudice is understood to result in the white privilege. It may also be directed at beautiful or rich people regardless of color. The negative attitude could similarly be directed at an individual or an entire society. Regardless, our attitudes known as prejudices are usually not founded in reason. People who foster prejudices normally believe that they are right to have negative attitudes toward certain individuals or groups of people. Such people justify their prejudices by offering various examples to show that they are right. A white man who has visited an American jail may say that he knows that all African Americans are bad people because most of the people in jail are African Americans. Racism – which is a form of a prejudice – thus intellectualizes the negative attitude of people toward people. Racism is actually defined as a belief system which states that individuals can be superior to others on the basis of race. This theory has led to much violence and genocide in the world. Still, most people have preconceived notions about other people with respect to their races. It takes a high level of education, perhaps, to believe in the essential equality of mankind. References Prejudice. (2005). WordNet: Princeton University Cognitive Science Lab.

Social Work Domestic Violence Case Study

Social Work Domestic Violence Case Study You are working as a Social Worker in a Gateway Team. A referral is received from the PSNI that they attended an incident of domestic abuse the previous Saturday evening. The referral is being made because there are two children in the household aged 4 years and 18 months. Discuss the main roles and responsibilities of the Social Work profession, including law and policy, service user perspectives, the social work process, and professional ethics and values. Social work involves working with some of the most vulnerable people who have been oppressed or disadvantaged in Society. The role of the Social Worker is to challenge these oppressions to help service users help themselves. It is about promoting change, and is underpinned by laws, theories, policies and procedures. Social Work as a profession has never experienced so many changes in policy and practice (Iwaniec and Hill 20099) Theory is far from benign and practitioners need to ensure that their understanding of theory has not stopped, slowed or become misplaced (Helm 2010) although they cannot represent an absolute truth they can help understand, explain and bring about change. (Howe 1990) For the purpose of this assignment the assumption is that this is a heterosexual married couple where the husband is committing domestic violence against his wife. The Gateway team is the first point of contact when children are involved, when the referral is made, their input; although may be short term has a crucial impact in ensuring the safety of the children. It is their duty to investigate, the Social Worker must see this family within twenty four hours or the reasons why this cannot be achieved must be clearly recorded (Laming, 2003, Recommendation 53) It is the Social Workers duty to make contact with this family as soon as possible. It may be beneficial to look at the four main parts of the helping cycle which are Assessment, Care Planning, Implementation and Review. (Taylor and Devine 1993) Although Gateway doesnt tend to execute care plans, except possibly on a short term basis, this cycle can provide a firm foundation for the Social Work process. On receipt of this referral the Social Work process begins, Social work is never mechanistic or predictable and any encounter is seen as unique, Social Workers need to be properly prepared to ensure effective practice. One of the most important methods of preparation for Social workers is that of Tuning in which should begin when the referral has been received. Shulman (1992) has described this as involving effort from the workers to get in touch with potential feelings and concerns the Service User may bring to the helping encounter. This should help the Social Worker prepare for undertaking the referral with a more objective approach; they may equip themselves with information to be provided as a means of empowering the family such as agencies they can connect with. Social work has been described as a practical moral activity. (Parrott 2010 3) Before attending any referral it is important the Social Worker takes into account their own values, we all have a set of beliefs that influence our actions they relate to what we believe others should do or what we should be doing (Parrott 2010) Values are influenced by things such as culture, family, and life experience. As a Social Work practitioner there is a professional set of values that must be reflected in practice. It is important to be aware of our own values and understand that there will be occasions when our personal and professional values will conflict. The Cornerstone of a high quality assessment is a sound value base, which challenges oppression and respects individuals rights. Middleton (1997) believes the process of assessment is firmly rooted in the context of Social Work values and individual difference is central if the process is not going to disempower the individual. Several potential pitfalls in making judgement are identified by Milner and OByrne (2009) such as, stereotyping, labelling people and attributing certain characteristics to people because how we perceive they are likely to behave, as a Social Worker it is important to be able to recognise these downfalls and try to avoid them, to ensure effective practice. Our values and views of childhood can play a part in the assessment process. (Helm 2010162) Due to the possible risk to the children it may be difficult to feel respect for the father; he is allegedly carrying out domestic violence in the family home, putting both his wife and children at risk from harm. It is important as a Social Worker to be clear that, although the actions may not be respected it is a professional duty to respect the persons as an individual in their own right. Recognising potential value conflicts can contribute to effective practice. Milner and Byrne (2009) argue assessment is a key task in social work practice. It is an ongoing process involving Service User participation, with the purpose of understanding people in relation to their environment. (Coulshed and Orme, 2006) Assessment demands the ability to organise, systemise and rationalise knowledge gathered, the Social Worker needs to be sensitive and demonstrate the ability to value the uniqueness of each individual assessed. (Parker and Bradley 200716). Practitioners require the skill and determination to find methods of communication to demonstrate their competence.'(Thomas and OKane 2000819) One of the most controversial and complex areas of Social Work is the assessment of a child and their family when there are concerns about the welfare of the child. (Holland 2004) So it is important that all knowledge is kept up to date. It is important that the assessment ensures full involvement of the family and any significant others, portraying respect and consideration, working in partnership with the family will be beneficial. The Social Worker needs to be open and honest and give the family a clear understanding of the assessment process and their roles within it. In this particular case the exchange model could be applied, where it is seen that the service user is their own best expert, the interview should be collaborative, the family will know what problems they are facing, they will be able to provide their perspectives on what is happening. Part of the assessment process would be to gather information, through observation, questioning and the interview process. The Social Worker will need to be aware what they are looking to find out and decide who they need to speak with, the parents, the children and any significant other that could provide an insight into the family setting. As Part of the tuning in process it is important that the Social Worker works in partnership with other agencies as this might help to get a clearer understanding of the situation, they must liaise with the police as they were the ones that made the referral and it may also be beneficial to speak to the familys GP and the health visitor, as there is an 18th month old child in the house the health visitor may have made regular visits and could give a good insight into the family and the childrens development. Observation is a critical element of assessment (Holland 2004) Observing the family is a major part of the assessment process, visualising how they interact with each-other and how the children interact with both parents, it is important to look for signs of disruption and possibly fear on the part of the children. Observation can allow the practitioner to see how the childrens daily life looks like with particular reference to emotional abuse and neglect (Helm 2010) as both children are still young the use of observation with reference to the attachment theory could provide vital information as the attachment theory focuses on how the children interact with their parents. The childs development can be affected by lack of attachment with parents. (Hirschy and Wilkinson 2009) What is being said and what is being done may not be easily to depict, the use of observation allows the practitioner to validate what is being said or it may provide contradictory evidence that needs to be addre ssed. (Helm 201057) Another crucial area of the assessment is the interview process. The parents, the children and any significant others, will need to be interviewed in relation to this case, to provide a holistic view of what is happening and the effect it may be having on the children. Interviewing others outside the family may cause controvsersy with the parents as the Human Rights act (1998) states people have the right to a private and family life, (www.legislation.gov.uk) if there is a possibility the children are at risk all avenues need to be assessed. When interviewing the parents it is important that their rights are promoted. Questions need to be appropriately structured to ensure that the family are not oppressed in anyway. Ethics are an important part of Social Work (Banks 2006) According to the Northern Ireland Social Care Council (NISCC www.niscc.info) Social Workers should promote the independence of the Service Users while seeking to ensure that their behaviour does not harm themselves or other people. It is important to consider the mothers view of the situation, although the purpose of the Gateway team is primarily to look after the welfare of the child, they must also be aware of the oppression being faced by the other members in the family and promote their rights. As the mother is suffering from domestic violence, it may be beneficial to provide her with advice and with information on Womens aid who provide support for anyone who suffers from domestic violence; it may help to empower her and give her a sense of self determination. She may not wish to leave for several reasons but she should be aware that it is not only her that is suffering, her children are as well. OLoughlin and OLoughlin (2008) believe that some mothers experiencing domestic violence may emotionally distance themselves from their children, resulting in emotional neglect. Information on certain laws could be provided; one main order would be The Family Homes and Domestic Violence (NI) Order (1998) which includes two orders, the non-molestation order and the occupation order. It is useful to provide the family with this information because if the problem still persists this law gives the authority for the abuser to be removed from the home where children are involved. (White 2007) Providing this information can empower the mother. Womens Aid believes all forms of domestic violence come from the abusers desire for power and control over family members or intimate partners. (www.womensaid.org.uk). When interviewing the father it is crucial the practitioner is non-judgemental and shows respect, he may view himself as the dominant figure in the family, the idea of male patriarchy may play a part here therefore it may prove valuable talking with the father to give advice and provide information on possible anger management classes that he could attend, which may be of benefit to him and his family. When carrying out assessment with Children the Social Worker with utilize UNOCINI, which provides the framework for assessing and providing services to children and their families, by ensuring timely high quality assessments with a focus on achieving good outcomes for children. It is important to explain to the family the purpose of UNOCINI. Using the UNOCINI framework provides the Social Worker with in-depth knowledge of the circumstances at hand and can aid the Social Workers role of advocacy, representing the views of the children. It can help the Social Worker assess areas such as the childrens development, the family relationships, emotional warmth and education and learning. UNOCINI emphasises the importance of multidisciplinary contributions to the holistic assessment of the childs needs (Boginsky 2008) such as work with GP and health visitor and adequate levels of communication between Social Work teams and can provide evidence of the level of help required. The main purpose of the assessment is to identify possible risked posed to the children. The Childrens (NI) Order 1995 is put in place to protect the child. When assessing a case like this it is extremely important to understand the laws that are crucial, as Social Work laws unpin practice. The Paramouncy Principle states that when a childs upbringing is being considered, the childs welfare will be the paramount consideration. (White 2007) The Social Worker is required to work with and on behalf of the service users. When interviewing the children it is important that the Social Worker uses appropriate language that the children understand, explain to them why your there and what the situation is. The Childrens (NI) order (1995) which states children should be kept informed. (www.dsspsni.gov.uk) it is the responsibility of the Social Worker to ensure that both the childs welfare is protected and their voice is heard. (Brandon et al 1998) The needs of the children must be recognised. People First NI (1995) believes that needs led assessments are the cornerstone of community care. Children have rights and needs just like adults, to have their views and feeling heard and to be treated with respect they need to be able to talk to adults they trust. (Brandon et al 1998) By asking children to communicate in ways that suit adults, such as talking, reading and writing, we play to adult competencies and not to those of children . (Helm 2010170) Social Workers need to be accountable for the quality of their work and should consistently be maintaining and improving their skills (NISCC www.niscc.info) In order to ensure effective communication the Social Worker must try to build a rapport with the children; this could be done through trying to engage their attention, to help develop a relationship that will help the Social Worker to learn from the child. There are possible ways this can be done; the use of a basic kit bag may prove beneficial, containing items such as play people, soft animals or soft balls. (Brandon et al 1998) It is vital to try to understand what is happening from the childrens perspectives to help assess the level of risk they face; children need to be listened too. Domestic violence can have a huge impact on children of all ages, age can influence the way in which children make sense of their experiences and how they demonstrate certain anxieties. The children in this family are an infant and a child of preschool age. Oloughlin and Oloughlin (2008) believe in situations of domestic violence an infants needs may not be met, such as personal hygiene, cognitive development may be delayed through inconsistent neglect, and they become insecurely attached which could put the infant at risk. Younger children do not have the ability to express themselves verbally and research has shown that children of preschool age tend to be the group to demonstrate the most behavioural disturbances (Hughes 1988; Cited by Humphreys and Stanley 2006 20) they may become withdrawn and display poor concentration, which may possibly be identified through observation of the children. The Social Worker is required to carry out a risk assessment in relation to the children. As this is an alleged case of domestic violence the children may be at risk. Brearleys model of risk assessment is a good focus point as it can help determine the level of risk. The four stages of Brearleys model are predisposing hazards; situational hazards; dangers and strengths, doing so may help inform the Social Worker of the level of support the family require. Safeguarding the child is essential so it is imperative that a detailed, well informed assessment is completed. It is vital to uncover what the children have seen or heard and if they have ever been abused themselves, due to the age of the younger child this may be difficult to ascertain. However the liaison with the health visitor could provide more information on the childrens wellbeing and also their stages of development. Bronfenbrenners (1979) theory of ecological development would be a beneficial theory to be aware of when observing the children. This theory looks at a childs development within the context of the system of relationships that form his or her environment. He believes that if the relationships in the home break down, the child will not have the tools to explore other parts of their environment. (Crawford and Walker 2010) All children witnessing domestic violence are being emotionally abused (Womens Aid) and may be at risk of harm. Harm is defined in the Children Order as ill-treatment or the impairment of health or development and from the above statements we can see adverse effect that domestic violence within the home can have on children. (Probation Board for Northern Ireland 2006) Throughout the assessment it is vital that the interests of the child are always at the forefront. Frequent exposure to domestic violence can predispose children to social, emotional and physical problems and through this they may learn unhealthy ways of expressing anger teaching them that it is okay to hit others and to get away with it. (Newman and Newman 20084) When the assessment is completed the Social Worker must record all details accurately. The practitioner needs to be open and honest with the family about the information and findings. Review and evaluation is central to good practice (Parker and Bradley 2007) The Social Worker must review their assessment to determine the level of support and protection the children and the family require. Reflection is required so the Social Worker can determine if their practice could be improved and if they have carried out the assessment in the best interests of the children and the family. If Care planning is required, it is important that a plan is constructed that meets the needs of the family and safeguards the well being of the children. If the assessment highlights that the children are in need; in conjunction with Hardikers thresholds of intervention, it is possible for the gateway team to put in a short term plan which would set aims and objectives within the family; to support them with partnership from other agencies involved. Gateway only work on short term basis, if this family require more support a referral will be made to the family intervention team so they can provide the appropriate support to enable the family to stay together where possible. However if it is a child protection nature, a case conference may be required to decide if the children should be placed on the child protection register. Information should be passed within an appropriate timescale to ensure that the needs of the family are properly met. Communication between the agencies is vital to ensure the correct care is provided. The Childrens (NI) Order (1995) highlight that Parents with children in need should be helped to bring up their children themselves and such help should be provided in partnership with parents. (www.dhsspsni.gov.uk) A social worker being present at an important point in another persons life can make a big difference. (Parker and Bradley 200790). Although the family can be a source of danger to a child, supporting the family in most cases can be the most productive way to protect the child. (Brandon et al 1998) The principles associated with the legislation require practitioners to work in partnership with children and families, (Helm 2010) to enhance the well being of the children. The key aspects of Social Work are the practitioners interventions orientated towards enhancing childrens wellbeing; ensuring that they grow up in healthy and safe environments; and developing their full potential.'(Dominelli 200925) Owen and Pritchard (1993) highlight, it is important that the rights of the parents, the child and the legal system are balanced and the role of professionals in protecting the rights of children will be promoted if we actively listen to the voices of children and take their thoughts into consideration when making decisions can act in the best interests of the child. Social Work is complex and diverse and the roles and tasks allotted to it are equally varied. (Parker and Bradley 2007117) One important point to remember is that every case is unique; everyone should be treated with respect as an individual, Social Workers should have the knowledge to deal with the different demands of different situations to ensure efficient, effective practice.

Comanche People :: essays papers

Comanche People In the western part of Oklahoma, ranging south on the Plains, a courageous people, known as the Comanches, roamed. They were a nomadic people who lived in skin teepees, which were easily moved from place to place. They had strong friends among Indians, such as the Kiowas and Apaches, as well as many enemies. This is only a minute view into the Comanche tribe, however. Before learning about the tribe's history, one must learn first, who the Comanche people were, and then who they are now. Where did the name Comanche originate? What are characteristics of these people? How is the tribal system organized? These are questions that must be answered in order to learn more about the tribe. In order to fully comprehend their past, one must look to their background and then to their present history. So, put on your anthropological hat, and explore the lives of the Comanche. It has been said that the origin of the name Comanche is a contradiction of the Spanish tern camion ancho, meaning literally, the broad trail. This term refers to the broad range traveled by the warriors of this tribe on their trading and war expeditions. First applied to the tribe soon after 1700, the name Comanche is spelled mjany different ways, such as Camanche, Commanche, or Cumanche. The Comanche Indians call themselves Nerm, meaning, people of people. The Comanche are from the Shoshonean linguistic family. This linguistic family developed in the Shoshoni and Snake River regions of Wyoming and Idaho. The linguistic stock is also said to have been of Nahuatl origin in Mexico and remotely related to the Aztec. They are the only division of the Shoshonean family who left their haunts in the Rock Mountains and established themselves on the Plains as one of the great tribes of the region. They later became divided in as many as twelve different bands. The most prominent band in the history of Oklahoma are the Penateka, meaning honey eaters, and the Quahadi, meaning antelopes. In Oklahoma, as early as 1869, the total population of Comanche was estimated at 2,538. During other periods the Comanche numbered 1,399 is 1880, 1,553 in 1898, 1,476 in 1910, 1,718 is 1924, and 2,700 is 1950. Texas, on the other hand, reported that in 1851, the Comanche population totaled 20,000.

Famous People :: essays papers

Famous People In 1999 Ricky Martin’s debut album hit number one on the Billboard Top 100 charts and also surpassed his other CD sales by selling almost 661,000 copies of his first English language album. That same year two major publishers printed biographies on him. (Griffiths, john 1of 5) Since his Grammy debut in 1999 he seems to have found success in every aspect of his career except in his personal life. Even with all the success he has reaped he unfortunately still suffers from the inability to keep a lasting partner in his life. This problem is seen through interpreting his music, where he expresses his loneliness and feelings about losing love. His loneliness has occurred from putting his career in front of his personal life due to his earliest obsession with having the full attention of his both his separated parents. His need for attention did not start at the beginning of the divorce though, in contrary he received even more attention then normal because both his parents wanted to see him be as happy as possible. With his parents not communicating to each other regularly he was able to get things from one parent that the other previously disapproved of. (Furman 5-7) One of the things he convinced his parents to let him do was acting. While watching other actors on TV he wished that he would one day do the same. He decided at the age of five that he wanted to entertain and his father supported him all the way. For his Father, seeing him perform in school plays and sing in his church choir only proved that letting his son act was the most reasonable thing to do. (Celebrating Hispanic Culture 1 of 4) â€Å"For Ricky being on-stage was synonymous with being loved. It was like having an even bigger family to adore and admire his every move and gesture.†(Furman 7) But soon Ricky’s new and improved â€Å"bigger† family would become a littler bit smaller. A short while after his acting pursuit began both his parents remarried and five new stepbrothers and sisters followed. Since losing most of his parents full attention he dreamt day and night about being a huge star so that, once again, he could just not get the attention of his parents but also of the adoring public all around the world. (Furman 8-9) He didn’t know that the public adoration was just around the corner though.

I-Function, Pain And Memory :: Biology Essays Research Papers

I-Function, Pain And Memory Pain is capable of leaving a long lasting effect on ones life and in ones memory. It can literally "change" who "you" are. "You" change according to the input that your nervous system receives and reacts to. Permanent changes can be seen in long-term memories with the manufacturing of new proteins stored in the memory that account for the inputs. Pain can be an extremely powerful input to the nervous system with varying effects that could lay dormant for many years, stored in long-term memory. Several questions that could be posed concerning pain and long term memory involve the I-function. Can the I-function be turned off during a painful experience, but still be stored in long-term memory, able to be recalled later such as under hypnosis? Could pain cause a separation of the I-function from the physical self or a loss of ones sense of self? Many examples of pain can be quickly imagined and recalled from long or short-term memory. Certain types of pain reside deep inside the stored memory in the brain and require a special state of consciousness to bring out those memories. Pain memories associated with various actions such as rape and circumcision have been found to exist in long term memory. These painful experiences at different stages in life are separate in the way that they are remembered and recalled, but both involve feelings later of a physical violation and mental trauma due to the lack of consent. Circumcision, the removal of the foreskin over the penis, was long thought to be a painless experience for an infant and was treated accordingly with little or no anesthesia. Most of the times during the surgical procedure, the babies cry very forcefully. This was for a long time thought to be normal and healthy. Other times, they lie still without making a sound from either shock or the act of passing out from the pain (1). This unresponsiveness was always thought to be from undeveloped pain receptors, or Nociceptors in the Somatosensory system (2) . These pain receptors send information to the spinal cord, then to the brain stem, thalamus, and somatosensory cortex. Modulation can occur through these pathways by way of suppression using large mechanosensitive fibers that enter the spinal cord or by endorphine release. This modulation involves changing the information about the pain to lessen the perception of its magnitude. I-Function, Pain And Memory :: Biology Essays Research Papers I-Function, Pain And Memory Pain is capable of leaving a long lasting effect on ones life and in ones memory. It can literally "change" who "you" are. "You" change according to the input that your nervous system receives and reacts to. Permanent changes can be seen in long-term memories with the manufacturing of new proteins stored in the memory that account for the inputs. Pain can be an extremely powerful input to the nervous system with varying effects that could lay dormant for many years, stored in long-term memory. Several questions that could be posed concerning pain and long term memory involve the I-function. Can the I-function be turned off during a painful experience, but still be stored in long-term memory, able to be recalled later such as under hypnosis? Could pain cause a separation of the I-function from the physical self or a loss of ones sense of self? Many examples of pain can be quickly imagined and recalled from long or short-term memory. Certain types of pain reside deep inside the stored memory in the brain and require a special state of consciousness to bring out those memories. Pain memories associated with various actions such as rape and circumcision have been found to exist in long term memory. These painful experiences at different stages in life are separate in the way that they are remembered and recalled, but both involve feelings later of a physical violation and mental trauma due to the lack of consent. Circumcision, the removal of the foreskin over the penis, was long thought to be a painless experience for an infant and was treated accordingly with little or no anesthesia. Most of the times during the surgical procedure, the babies cry very forcefully. This was for a long time thought to be normal and healthy. Other times, they lie still without making a sound from either shock or the act of passing out from the pain (1). This unresponsiveness was always thought to be from undeveloped pain receptors, or Nociceptors in the Somatosensory system (2) . These pain receptors send information to the spinal cord, then to the brain stem, thalamus, and somatosensory cortex. Modulation can occur through these pathways by way of suppression using large mechanosensitive fibers that enter the spinal cord or by endorphine release. This modulation involves changing the information about the pain to lessen the perception of its magnitude.

Quality Management within Toyota Motor Company Essay

Abstract This paper explores multiple published articles discussing Toyota Motor Company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. A review of Toyota’s decisions to hide important information prior to recalls leads us to a discussion of where Toyota can go from here. The paper includes recommendations for Toyota Motor Company in order to move forward after their 2010 recalls. In addition, organizational changes will assist Toyota Motor Company in overcoming their recall problems. Quality Management within Toyota Motor Company After a number of discouraging recalls at Toyota Motor Company in 2010, a number of quality management techniques were implemented. Toyota Motor Company’s SWOT Analysis played into the newly implemented quality management techniques. Toyota’s strengths allowed them to fight back quickly against these recalls that could have ultimately led to Toyota’s fall from one of the top motor company’s. Toyota Motor Company’s strengths include dominant position in the marketplace, strong brand recognition, strong focus on research and development, and broad production and distribution network. In addition to Toyota’s strengths, their weaknesses were reviewed in order to find opportunities to capitalize upon. The recalls were obviously a large weakness at Toyota. Opportunities were reviewed which included the growth of the global automotive industry. Last, Toyota’s threats were reviewed. Here it was found that powerful competition is a worry for To yota Motor Company. After the review of Toyota Motor Company’s SWOT Analysis, the issue of the recalls was assessed. Analysis shows the issue within Toyota Motor Company did not appear overnight. However, secretive management styles let the company astray. A diagram was created by functional area to summarize how Toyota has responded to these recall problems. The functional areas reviewed include management, production design and safety, quality, and manufacturing. Last, the analysis of Toyota Motor Company’s recall and quality management issues are discussed from a point of solving the problem. Recommendations are discussed that will help Toyota Motor Company to turn their weaknesses into strengths. Method Discussion SWOT Analysis Internal Factors Strengths Weaknesses Product †¢ Dominant position in the marketplace †¢ Strong brand recognition †¢ Strong focus on Research & Development †¢ Broad production and distribution network †¢ Product recalls have the ability to negatively affect brand image †¢ Declining sales in crucial geographic areas External Factors Opportunities Threats Competition †¢ Growth of the global automotive industry †¢ Potential benefit from partnering with BMW †¢The outlook for the new global car market is strong †¢ Powerful competition †¢ Appreciation of the Japanese Yen †¢ Environmental regulations †¢Natural disasters Strengths. Toyota has a number of internal product strengths as noted in the SWOT Analysis table above. Toyota’s market share in 2011 was 16.5 percent,  its highest market share in 4 years. This strong market share allowed Toyota to hold a competitive advantage against their competition. In addition to holding a dominant position in the marketplace, Toyota possesses strong brand recognition through a number of brands. These brands include Toyota, Lexus, Prius, Corolla, Yaris, Camry, Sequoia, 4Runner, Scion tC, Highlander, Land Cruiser, and a number of other brand names. These brands are some of the most desired premium brands in the world according to the Company Profile report for Toyota Motor Company documented by MarketLine. Another strength of Toyota is their strong attention to research and development. According to the Company Profile report, Toyota’s focus on research and development is pointed towards the creation of new and improved products. Research and development operations are conducted at 14 facilities located around the world. This strength has allowed Toyota to increase the technology included in existing products. One of these products, a Pre-collision System (PCS) helps drivers avoid collisions. Overall, the strong focus on research and development has been a big strength for Toyota. Last, Toyota’s production and distribution network has been a big strength for the company. Toyota produces automobiles, related parts, and other components through more than 50 manufacturing companies throughout 27 countries and regions, not including Japan. As mentioned on the Toyota Motor Company website, major locations include Japan, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Thailand, China, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, South Africa, Australia, Argentina, and Brazil. As reported by Toyota Motor Company, during fiscal year 2013 the company had consolidated vehicle sales totals of 8.871 million units (TCM, 2013). As reported by Toyota Motor Company, this was an increase of 1.519 million units compared to the previous fiscal year. In addition to the widespread production of Toyota products, the company has a large distribution network. Toyota’s distribution network is one of the largest in Japan encompassing four sales channels (Toyota, Toyopet, Corolla, and Netz). In 2012 the distribution network of these channels was comprised of 283 dealers. In addition to this network, Toyota operates over 170 Lexus sales channels in Japan. As reported by Toyota Motor Company, in fiscal year 2013 these networks accounted for the following vehicle sales: Japan sales totaled 2.279 million units In North America vehicle sales totaled 2.469 million units In Europe vehicle sales totaled 799,085 units Asia came in at total vehicle sales of 1.684 million units Central and South America, Oceania and Africa came in at 1.640 million units As you can see, Toyota’s distribution network is widespread allowing for diversification and a wide reach of clientele, ultimately boosting revenues and sales. Weaknesses. A large focus of the case study focuses on the weakness of Toyota’s product recalls. As many are aware, Toyota has encountered a number of recalls in the recent past. It is a concern that these recalls could negatively affect Toyota’s brand imagine ultimately leading to decreased sales for the company. When searching for Toyota recalls it was easy to find a few recent recalls. The most recent is a recall of 700,000 Toyota Prius models which were recalled over electronic issues in the United States (csmonitor.com, 2014). Another very recent recall includes certain versions of the Lexus RX crossover. In this case, more than 261,000 vehicles are being recalled due to a brake issue (csmonitor.com, 2014). In addition to the many recalls, Toyota has been involved in a number of lawsuits. In December 2012, Toyota settled a suit by paying $17.4 million to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to settle claims related to the June 2012 recall of potential accelerator pedal entrapment issues. This bad press will ultimately result in a negative effect on consumer’s confidence in Toyota’s brand. In addition, the settlement of suits ultimately decreases Toyota’s profits. As a result of this bad press Toyota saw a decline in 2012 sales in important geographic areas. Declining sales in fiscal year 2012 were seen across North America, Asia, and Europe. Opportunities. As reported by the article, Global automotive industry to experience modest growth in 2012, a number of opportunities exist in the global automotive industry (2012). The Japanese auto industry responded from natural disasters which had caused reduced inventories and production. It is forecasted that the industry will continue to grow increasing Toyota revenues. In June of 2012, BMW and Toyota signed a long-term partnership. The two companies are partnering on the developments that will help to increase market share and sales. This relationship is expected to increase technology between the two companies as  well as result in new product development. In addition to these opportunities, the new car market is experiencing moderate growth which will assist in increased sales and profits. Threats. Intense competition in the worldwide car market has become very competitive. This competition will likely increase in the upcoming years as competitors add more technology and increase developments. In addition to the intense competition, the appreciating Japanese Yen has become a big concern for Toyota. Last, environment regulations have the potential to increase production costs. Emissions regulations that are updated periodically could cause issues in new car production. Evolvement of Quality Management Issues At first glance, it seems that Toyota’s gas pedal issue appeared overnight. However, upon further research, evidence was found to prove the opposite. As reported in the article Secretive Culture Let Toyota Astray, evidence that Toyota cars could suddenly speed up had been piling up for years (2010). At the time of the recalls, Toyota had known about this gas pedal problem for more than a year. The problem was stated to be Toyota’s secretive corporate culture in Japan which ultimately conflicted with United States requirements that auto makers disclose safety threats. New initiatives brought to the table by Toyota have attempted to correct the previous secretive culture of Toyota. Total quality management initiatives have been put in place to assist in better customer service and safety and repair issues. According to Jacobs and Chase, total quality management can be defined as managing the entire organization so that it excels on all dimensions of products and services that are important to the customer (Chase and Jacobs, 2014, p. 296). The table following this discussion addresses the steps Toyota has taken in response to its recent quality recall problems. Functional Area Quality Management Steps Management †¢ Managing Director names to oversee any safety-related issues †¢ Top down management approach Product Design & Safety †¢ Troubleshooting teams known as Swift Market Analysis Response Teams work to  find any safety issues that need to be reported Quality †¢ TAQIC – Toyota Advanced Quality Information Center staffed by a group of employees who compile repair reports from dealerships worldwide †¢ 1000 engineers hired to spot-check quality Manufacturing †¢ No drastic changes to assembly lines Results/Discussion Problem Solution As discussed in the diagram above, there were many opportunities for Toyota after their encounter with the recall situation. Akio Toyoda, the head of the company, acted quickly by implementing a top down management approach instead of the more popular Japanese â€Å"bottom up† approach that slows down the decision making. In addition, Akio cut board of directors by fifty percent and cut out management layers. Akio also began meeting with his top five advisers on a weekly basis. In these meetings decisions were made quickly. Akio pushed his team to make â€Å"always better cars.† This change in the way the organization is managed helped Toyota to stay on top even through the recalls. Recommendations Many recommendations have been made to assist Toyota Motor Company in improving the recall situation they encountered in 2011. Some recommendations Toyota should follow include as recommended by the North American Quality Advisory Panel include the following: Give North American operations more independence in making recall decisions Strengthen quality control processes Extend development time of new products to include more safety tests Create a role of Chief Safety Technology Officer Create and launch a Safety Research Center focused on protecting the most important clientele (children, teens, and seniors) These ideas follow the concept of total quality management which focuses on two fundamental goals: Careful design of the product (in the case of Toyota Motor Company, the vehicle) Ensure that Toyota Motor Company systems can produce this design  in a consistent manner Quality at the source seems to be a great way for Toyota Motor Company to proceed. Quality at the source means that the person who is doing the work is taking the responsibility for making sure the work meets specifications. As previously discussed, safety control will be a huge initiative for Toyota Motor Company going forward. If implemented, these recommendations can do a lot to help Toyota Motor Company increase their organizational effectiveness. As previously discussed, many organizational steps were taken by Akio Toyoda after these recalls. It seems that Toyota could greatly benefit from organizational learning. As stated by Operations and Supply Chain Management, â€Å"it has been argued that organizational learning is critical to sustaining a competitive advantage† (Chase and Jacobs, 2014, p. 138). Organizational realignment was important to Toyota Motor Company after the 2010 and 2011 recalls. According to a Toyota news release in December of 2008 organizational changes include the establishment of the below: A Government and Public Affairs Group which was focused on quick response to inquiries from around the world while also unifying public affairs functions. An Accounting Group aimed at strengthening the business management and financial management system of Toyota Motor Company. A Europe and Africa Operations Group intended to assist with business planning in African and Central Asia. The group was also established to conduct business promotion events in both Europe and Africa. A Production Engineering Group aimed at increasing the strength of the quality control system for semiconductors for hybrid vehicles. The recommendations made are important to Toyota’s future. Reorganization and creation of new groups within the organization will help Toyota to overcome these recalls. References Ingram, A. (2014, Feb 12). Toyota recall: 1.9 million Prius vehicles recalled to fix software glitch. Retrieved from http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2014/0212/Toyota-recall-1.9-million-Prius-vehicles-recalled-to-fix-software-glitch Jacobs, F. R., & Chase, R. (2014). Operations and supply chain management. (14 ed.). New York, NY:

Jacques Bertrand’s ‘Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Indonesia’

The book to be analyzed is Jacques Bertrand's ‘Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Indonesia', published by Cambridge University Press in 2004. This book is seen as one of the most recent writings on the subject of ethnic conflicts as they are, and through the prism of the situation in Indonesia.Jacques Bertrand is known for the deep scientific research in the area of Asian studies; Bertrand is the authors of numerous works related to Indonesian conflicts and ethnic backgrounds, so the book may be seen as either a continuation of this research, or as the means of concluding all previous knowledge and making it more systematic, thus eliminating unnecessary information and creating a clear picture of what the situation is and what the roots of this situation are.A question may appear (as well as serious doubts) as for how a Professor and a scientists of Toronto University, which is not even close to Indonesia could perform such deep research and whether the ideas given in the book can be trusted and can be relevant, but Bertrand was able to view the situation from inside, visiting Indonesia and conducting the research there. These ‘research trips' as the author calls them, transformed the initial idea and image of the book, and the resulting work is the one we read now.Speaking about the situation when a foreign author writes about ethnic conflicts of some other country, it has both its advantages and drawbacks. Taking into account that the author states ‘many people from various non-governmental organizations across Indonesia provided me with assistance, contacts and resources' (Bertrand 2004, p. xv), it may be assumed that the conclusions made in the book are relevant and reliable. 2.The author's purpose of writing this book was systematization of the information which had already been at disposal and needed deeper analysis and application in the theories described in the book; however, probably the principal aim of writing this book was to fin d possible solutions of the conflict situation. ‘I only hope that my work, in its very small way, can help to elucidate some aspects of the conflict and perhaps contribute to the reconciliation process'. (Bertrand 2004, p. xv) 3. One of the principal benefits of the book is that Bertrand was able to make huge systematization of the already existing material.This is clearly seen through the strict structure of the book, with each part addressing the separate aspect of the conflict without tearing it off the general line of discussion. Thus, step by step, the reader fills the image of the situation which he has given through the beginning of the book, with additional aspects and details, making it multidimensional. ‘The argument of this book consequently differs from other studies that have addressed various aspects of the ethnic violence of the late 1990s'. (Bertrand 2004, p.6) The principal difference and one of the main advantages of this classification is that it is do ne through three lines – the first one described what role elites play in raising ethnic conflict; here Bertrand was brave enough to deny the strength of certain arguments and evidences (for example, the role of outside forces) and to re-direct discussion into understanding, what forces linked local groups to elites, and why so many people joined the riots. The whole structure of the book is made as leading the reader to the possible conclusions step by step.From the very beginning the author gives basic theoretical approaches as for the possibilities of escalating ethnic violence. The advantages of making this chapter the first is in giving serious background for the reader to understand what roots of violence and ethnic conflicts exist at present, which helps to make personal conclusions as for which of the theories is applicable to the situation in Indonesia. Bernard tries to explain the core of ethnic violence through the conjunction and interrelation of nationalism, inst itutions and relations between ethnic groups.It has been emphasized through the book that all previous studies had focused on national ethnic identities as well as various socio-economic factors; not a single theory had made any stress on the assumption that ethnic violence becomes relevant through the periods of institutional reconstruction of the state. (Bertrand 2004, p. 10) These theoretic approaches are also seen through the light of the nationalism/ ethnic conflict connection, in which Bernard sees the essential aspect – nationalism is what links nations to the states (Bertrand 2004, p.15), and while it is often seen as a very negative aspect, in its moderate forms nationalism is what defines the ‘face' of nation. Having once paid attention to the assumption that religion is the core of the ethnic conflict in Indonesia, Bernard follows this line across the several more sections, coming to the point that the discussion of how religious issues are managed in the cou ntry and how islamization influenced the ethnic structure and relation of people in Indonesia will finally become the correct choice giving the ideas as for how this conflict should be solved.Making logical structure, Bernard leads the reader to the issue of religion as leading in Indonesian ethnic conflicts, gradually; starting the section of religious conflicts with the description of their essence, the reader goes through the explanation of connections between riots and religion, as well as the fall of Sukarto's regime which is seen one of the pushing forces for the escalation of ethnic violence. ‘Though the violence was directed most clearly at the ethnic Chinese, religious undertones were nevertheless present'. (Bertrand 2004, p. 102) – this quotation shows the objectivity of analysis.Bernard tries to avoid categorical statements and assumes that the analysis of the Indonesian ethnic conflicts should be done very carefully; the author is rather cautious in many sta tements which make the reader understand the striving for being objective. In explaining the reasons for religious riots, for example, Bernard was rather critical of the previous analyses made by other authors, but even in that case it has not been done in denying way, but through the prism of the knowledge which the author possessed and wanted to deliver to the public.(Bertrand 2004, p. 111) Making autonomy or federalism the best resolution of the ethnic conflict, Bernard explains this position stating that ‘autonomy could redistribute political power, representation, and control over the state's resources to provincial or district levels. As such, it gave political elites in these territorial units more power to direct resources to their specific needs' (Bertrand 2004, p.185) Thus, having started the book with the discussion of the political local elites as one of the major participants of ethnic violence, having gone through historical and religious aspects, Bernard still c omes back to these elites in the solution, seeing it as the most beneficial. As it has become clear, the structure is absolutely strict, vivid, logical and correct. The book can be viewed as the basis for deep analysis and understanding the misconceptions which existed in the previous studies on the same subject. These misconceptions have also partially been mentioned here.4. The assumptions which underlie the author's argument mainly touch the aspect of religion; the basic assumption is that religious conflicts become the moving forces for the ethnic conflict, as well as that local elites need self-identification, which also leads them to riots and ethnic violence. One more useful assumption is that though many riots had no religious tint on the surface, the conflict between Islam and Christianity is the ground on which ethnic conflicts grew; with assuming that local elites play not the last role in creating these riots.It is also possible to assume that ethnic violence is used as cover for elimination of the undesired religious layers; this assumption can be seen through the whole book, though it is not expressed openly, but is rather implied. 5. How to categorize the author's approach to the problem? I would state that it is a combination of sociological and political approaches. It is suggested that sociological approach is viewed through the analysis of the connections between the elites of various level (national, local).Political approach is seen through the suggestion that autonomy will be the best resolution of the conflict. The question is here what other views and perspectives could be used here and how they could change the whole book. Let's think – the two approaches used by the author are beneficial because they make it possible to come to the relevant conclusions and to make real suggestions as for the possible solutions. If this approach was philosophical – it would be absolutely different and probably deeper, but it would not be possible to create basic resolutions for the conflict.6. Methodology which was used by the author is mostly interviewing – Bernard spent rather long time speaking to native people and living among them to gather all information possible for the book. As it is stated in the very first section of the book, ‘colleagues provided useful comments on parts of the manuscript or related papers, some influenced my ideas in discussions at various venues where I presented my work, or forced me to revise my analysis significantly in light of their constructive criticism'. (Bertrand 2004, p. xiv) 7.It may seem difficult to define what audience Bernard addresses in this book. Looking closer at the language in which the book is written, and thinking of what audience should be the best for reading the theoretical and practical material, it may be assumed that this book will be the most suitable for the researchers who now only work in he area of Asian conflicts and would be interested i n information about Indonesia – the theoretical background is so strong that it can be used in any related sociological and political studies in the area of the ethnic conflicts, violence and their reasons and sources.Moreover, the line which the author makes through the book (the logical line) can also be used by professionals in analyzing other regions of the world in the similar manner. Though the references made by Bernard to other works and authors, are all noted in the book, it is still easier to be read for those who have an idea about these works and what these works are about. 8. Any author can be criticized and it is always possible to find weak sides in any work, no matter how professional it can be.There of course can be other views on the problem, and Bernard was wise enough as to show these viewpoints in this work and to critically analyze them on the basis of the knowledge available from her life in Indonesia, though it is also possible to look at the problem n ot through religious prism, but through the prism of political reasons of striving for autonomy, for example, and in this case the research would take a different form.For example, Bowen (1996) speaks about ethnic conflicts viewing them through social conflict and the importance of political choices, without any relation to religion. In his article he writes that emerging of the political systems is the crucial element for avoiding violence in any form, and though Bernard relates to institutional changes in the political structure, the arguments are still directed towards religion. 9.Though it may be suggested that while the book was published in 2004, three years might have created serious effect on the Indonesian regime and much could have changed after that. One of the recent articles in Washington Times about Indonesia (Anonymous 2005 p. A22) and its violence on the ethnic background has given assurance that Bernard was right – the arguments given about the Sukarno regime and its impact on raising ethnic conflict are only supported and are not denied and even neutralized.Though the tendency towards democratization of the Indonesian society was noted as an important political factor for eliminating violence and destroying the grounds for the conflict; when population has received the right to elect and to vote, it has become clear that the Sukarno regime's supporters would not have many chances to win the elections. While Bertrand states at the end of the book that ‘the end of regime opened up opportunities for renegotiating new terms of inclusion, or secession, for ethnonationalist groups', (Bertrand 2004, p. 217) this assumption is supported by the abovementioned article.Thus, it is not possible to say that the arguments given by Bernard were weakened with time; the perspective drawn by the author was developed as predicted, and the absence of any recent articles on violence in Indonesia is the best support for the prediction that renegotiati ng of ethnic groups has taken place. 10. The significance of the writing analyzed here is not under any doubts; it has become clear that the analysis made by Bertrand is so deep that it cannot be stated any other author has been able to conduct the research of such large scale over the recent years.The significance of this writing is more increased through the two following factors: first of all, it has been done ‘from inside' of the situation with Bertrand undertaking multiple research trips to the country; and second, seeing the serious conclusions touching the need of autonomy, to which the author was able to come. References Anonymous 2005, ‘Democratizing Indonesia', The Washington Times, September 23, p. A22 Bertrand, Jacques 2004, Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict in Indonesia, Cambridge University Press. Bowen, JR 1996, ‘The myth of global ethnic conflict', Journal of Democracy, vol. 7, no. 4, p. 3-14

Alcohol Advertisement in Australia Essay

Alcohol advertising in Australia ignores the long-term and short-term health risks associated with excessive alcohol consumption; these are detrimental to the Australian population of all ages, therefore they should be banned. Alcohol advertising is the promotion of alcoholic beverages by alcohol companies through a range of different media. Alcohol advertising is one of the most closely regulated forms of advertising, along with tobacco. The self-regulation system in Australia is not effective at protecting children and youth from exposure to alcohol advertising, a great deal of which contains material appealing to these groups (Fielder, Donovan & Ouschan 2009). The Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Code was introduced to guarantee that alcohol advertising will be conducted in a way that encourages responsibility and moderation in liquor merchandising and consumption, and does not promote the consumption of alcoholic beverages by underage persons. The Alcoholic Beverages Advertising Code first introduced in 1998 is the regulatory system for alcohol advertisement in Australia. For advertisement to comply with this code it is assessed to whom the advertisement is directed, and whom the advertisement may possibly be communicated. Australians’ consumption of alcohol is large on a global scale, with consumption estimated at 9. 88 litres per capita in 2007 (National Preventative Health Taskforce 2009). Scientific research has revealed, over decades, that there is a correlation between alcohol advertising and the consumption of alcohol. However, it has not yet been proven that alcohol advertising causes higher consumption (Hanson, 2011). It is the Alcohol Companies aim to demonstrate that the alcohol campaigns effectively increase their potential market share and brand loyalty, and not higher alcohol consumption. Adolescences are exposed to alcohol advertisements through many different forms of media, and can result in the consumption of alcoholic beverages. A study has shown that alcoholic beverages are the most advertised product inside a 250 metre radius of primary schools and children are exposed up to 25 advertisements for alcohol per square kilometre (Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health 2008). The alcohol industry lack credibility in the argument about banning alcohol advertising, given their dire attempts at enforcing their own self-regulatory code (the Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code). Children’s exposure to alcohol advertisement is on a daily basis. The advertisement of alcohol and alcohol products is not adequately regulated to restrict youths viewing alcohol-related images and messages. Research has shows that underage children are frequently shown alcohol advertising (Fielder, Donovan & Ouschan 2009). Mounting evidence has revealed, for youths, the increasing pressure of alcohol marketing creates negative attitudes towards alcohol consumption, and significantly impacts their decision to drink, as well as how they drink (National Preventative Health Taskforce 2009). Underage drinking can cause youth’s brains to be extremely damaged from alcohol. Large alcohol exposure to the developing youth’s brain can be very dangerous. Adolescents are shown to be more susceptible to the learning and memory difficulties that can arise from alcohol consumption. Sections of the brain that are affected by alcohol are directly correlated with memory and emotions, and binge drinking could produce memory problems, problems with verbal skills, incapacity to learn and depression. The existing regulatory system does not effectively regulate these exposures, and does not attempt to decrease or abolish the appeal of the advertising content. The 30 highest viewed alcohol advertisements to the underage population included at least one component identified to appeal to children and underage youth, with 23 found to contain two or more such material. It was also found that 15 of the 30 advertisements contained an animal (Fielder, Donovan & Ouschan 2009). The self-regulation system in Australia fails to safe-guard children and youth from exposure to alcohol advertising, with a good majority containing elements appealing to youths. The advertising companies’ target audience of their advertising campaigns have changed, with various brands being targeted towards a particular population. Some drinks are typically seen as a masculine drink, predominantly beers and dark spirits, whilst wines and cocktails are seen as feminine. Brands have said to be specifically produced to appeal to a population that would not generally drink that kind of alcoholic beverage. The alcohol industry has come under criticism and restricted legislation in their alleged targeting of young people, with the creation of alcoholic beverages that are sweet-tasting and bright coloured which appeal to the younger population. However, there is no solid evidence that supports this alleged targeting of youths. There have been wide spread debate on whether alcohol advertisements are targeting the teenage population, although alcohol advertisement makes consumption look extremely exciting and enjoyable with a majority of which involve parties. Exposure to alcohol advertisements is a daily occasion; they are on television, radio, billboards, concerts, magazines and sporting events. If alcohol advertising was to be banned there would be a certain objection from alcohol companies, outlets, sporting bodies and association. Alcohol is a major sponsor within Australian sports and is estimated to be worth $1. 25 billion a year. Large quantities of alcohol consumption are linked to severe public and social health problems involving violence, crime, road accidents and disease. With the taxing of premixed drinks there is intent to address the problem, however this has not made much of a difference, with adolescence moving onto different forms of alcohol. With the alcohol advertisement nearly everywhere and binge drinking within the teenage population still prevalent, the self-regulatory systems set up at present are not adequate. Heavy alcohol consumption has become a part of Australian culture; advertisement is encouraging these trends, and should be banned. Reference List: * Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, NSW Centre for Overweight and Obesity, 2008 * Fielder, L. , Donovan, R. J. & Ouschan, R. (2009) ‘Exposure of children and adolescents to alcohol advertising on Australian metropolitan free-to-air television’, Addiction, 104: 1157-1165 * Hanson, David, 2011; Alcohol Advertising * National Preventative Health Taskforce (2009) Australia: The healthiest country by 2020, Technical Report No 3.

Email vs. Snail Mail

Throughout history people have communicated with each other in various ways. For instance, some used birds to transfer their messages while others used the smoke of fire to signal their friend who were far from them. Lately postal mail was used as a mean for correspondence, which was referred to as snail mail afterword. And with the invention of telegraph and development of civilization a new tool came in known as e-mail. There are significant discrepancies between snail mail and e-mail along with some common points.First of all, both tools are uses for communication in society, and they are both under risk in terms of confidentiality, but for different reasons. For instance, you cannot be secure that all post offices are safe enough to send your messages that are too personal or contain secret information about your work†¦ etc. E-mails suffer from the same problem but for different reasons. For example your computer can become a victim of hacking and a hacker can get your whole archive in a few seconds. Finally, once they are delivered to the wanted place there is no way going back.Although they share some common points, snail mail and e-mail are tremendously different in many ways. Firstly, e-mail is way a lot faster than snail mail, it enables you to delivers your message in the blink of an eye, whereas it might take days for a snail mail to receive the place you want. Secondly, for sending an e-mail all you need is an internet connection and you can send it to hundreds of people at once, nonetheless, you can send a snail mail once at a time and you have to pay for it respectively.Moreover, there are many options for editing an e-mail and sending different types of media files along with it, in contrast to snail mail with which you can only send text messages. In addition, nowadays people are very busy to memorize the address of all of their acquaintance, e-mail solves this too, you can save all of those confusing addresses in your account without any e ffort, for snail mail this option is not present.The last and most important difference is that using snail mail we actually use up our natural resources like paper and ink, yet e-mail is a tool the encourages sustainability because you neither use resources nor throw it away after using it. As a conclusion, we can say that although both e-mail and snail are similar to each other to some extent it’s clear that all ways lead to using e-mail and regarding snail mail as an obsolete way for communication.

Toulmin Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Toulmin Analysis - Essay Example The backing is also reinforced by the claim that the Web is godsend to the narrator as a writer. The backing is also emphasized by not only the assertion that research that used to be carried out in days is now done in minutes, but also the assertion that the author when not working spends a lot of time in the Web’s info-thickets’ reading (Carr 2). Additionally, the backing is emphasized by the assertion that the more time spent on the web makes a person to straggle stay focused on lengthy pieces of writing. There qualifier for the argument is that the Net has become a universal medium that provides most information which flows not only through eyes and ears, but also the mind (Carr 4). A direct rebuttal to the claim that the Internet is affecting the way we think appears in this article. The narrator claims that the advantage of accessing such an incredible of information are diverse and many. In support of the rebuttal, the narrator claims that media supply the stuff of thought as well as shape the process of

Culture Serves as Informal Structure in Organizations - Organisational Research Paper

Culture Serves as Informal Structure in Organizations - Organisational Behavior - Research Paper Example Organizations both small and large multinational conglomerates can achieve high profits in their business by matching their needs with the structure they employ in operation. There are various forms of organizational structures and they include function, matrix and division structures. In a functional structure, an organization is set up in order to group every portion of the organization according to its purpose and this structure works well for small businesses where each department relies on the talent and knowledge of workers and support. Nevertheless, the main drawback for the structure is that coordination and communication-linking departments are restricted by organizational boundaries that have various departments working separately. Divisional structure is employed in large organizations that work in large geographic location or in organizations that have different small organizations in the same company to take care of different forms of products or even market areas. The s tructure is beneficial in that it enables needs to be met rapidly although communication is inhibited since employees are in various divisions thus not working together; besides, the structure is costly owing to its size and scope. The matrix structure is a hybrid of both functional and divisional structures and is often employed by multinational companies since it allows the benefits of functional and divisional structures to exist in a single organization. Nevertheless, the structures create a potential for power struggles since many areas of the organization have dual management like a functional manager as well as a product or divisional manager working in the same stage and covering same managerial territory (Singh, 2010).