A Dolls House Christine Linde as Dramatic Foil Essay

In Henrik Ibsens A Dolls House, Christine Linde surprises Nora Helmer with a visit to her house. The two women were childhood friends and have not seen each other in many years. As both characters qualities unfold during the play, it is easy to see how Mrs. Lindes character traits underscore those of Noras. Mrs. Lindes serious, responsible nature amplifies Noras playful, childlike personality; Mrs. Lindes taking care of her sick mother and two young brothers emphasizes Noras abandonment of her dying father; and finally Mrs. Linde deciding to marry Krogstad heightens the ending of Noras marriage. When the audience first meets Mrs. Linde, she seems to be quite a contrast to the childish Nora. Nora is immature and†¦show more content†¦Mrs. Linde was not as privileged as Nora was--she had to accept responsibility and work hard for her money. Mrs. Lindes acceptance of responsibility draws attention to Noras abandonment of her father. When her father was sick, she chose to spend all of her time caring for her husband and waiting for the arrival of her child, then to find any time to go and visit him. Nora did whatever she could to raise money to go on a trip to save Torvalds life and did not think once about visiting her dying father. During the friends conversation, it was actually Mrs. Linde that brought up her father. When Nora was discussing how difficult it was to get away and go to Italy, because she had just had her child, she failed to mention that her father had passed away during that time and could have contributed to the difficult timing. Mrs. Linde i s the one who had brought up the death of Noras father in the conversation, in which Nora replied yes...wasnt it dreadful, I couldnt go look after him. I was expecting little Ivar any day. And then I had my poor Torvald to care for--we really didnt think hed live. Dear, kind Papa! I never saw him again, (Ibsen, 374). Mrs. Lindes priority was taking care of her mother; Noras priority was raising money to take her husband on a trip to care for him while completely abandoning her father. Mrs. Lindes responsible actions exaggerate Noras irresponsibility and neglect. AtShow MoreRelatedA Doll House by Henrik Ibsen7379 Words   |  30 PagesMa. Jennifer S. Yap Dr. Sherwin Perlas World Literature January 14, 2012 A Doll House by Henrik Ibsen Translated by Rolf Fjelde I. Introduction During the late nineteenth century, women were enslaved in their gender roles and certain restrictions were enforced on them by a male dominant culture. Every woman was raised believing that they had neither self-control nor self-government but that they must yield to the control of a stronger gender. John Stuart Mill wrote in his essay, â€Å"The Subjection

The Lion Of The White House A Life Of Theodore Roosevelt

Aida Donald is the author of the Lion in the White House: A Life of Theodore Roosevelt. This book is a chronicle story and achievement of Theodore Roosevelt. Aida Donald has also written a biography of President Harry S. Truman. On one of her interview, she simply said she has had great fun writing about Theodore Roosevelt. Ms. Donald is former editor in chief of Harvard University Press. In this well-written book, she gives a brief history of life of one of the greatest president of United States of America, Theodore Roosevelt. This is not in depth biography of Theodore Roosevelt but she covers the main points of his life. Ms. Donald takes us journey of Theodore from his childhood to his trips in Egypt, Harvard College, first marriage, West and achievement he accomplished in office. Ms. Donald notes many of Theodore’s accomplishments before he took the office. He author and science geek, he had stuffed birds, strange chemicals and even his home laboratory in his bedroom. I re ally enjoyed this biography, it was really easy to comprehend and the way she illustrates I could really picture the life of Theodore. In the Lion in the White House, she opens up the book with childhood of Theodore and his family’s brief history. She did an amazing job to show audiences the childhood of Theodore Roosevelt. Beginning of each chapter, she starts off with a quotes or part of Theodore Roosevelt’s dairy which is first person perspective of Theodore. She also included many pictures ofShow MoreRelatedTheodore Roosevelt s Childhood, And Ending With His Death1215 Words   |  5 PagesBiography is on the life of Theodore Roosevelt. Beginning with his childhood, and ending with his death. Describing in detail his early childhood, the author gives a good explanation of what motivated the future President in his later years. 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He had a love and passion for nature, and he even became a permanent fixture of nature when his face was carved into a wall of rock, as one of the four presidents of Mount RushmoreRead MoreEssay on Theodore Roosevelt1858 Words   |  8 PagesTheodore Roosevelt was an inspiring man; he was not just one of United States greatest presidents, but one of the most important in the U.S. history. His life was the most adventurous and interesting of all the presidents. He was an explorer, a hunter, a rancher, a naturalist, an author, and a soldier. He was the first president-reformer in the modern era. All the courage he had, helped him gain or capture the public’s imagination like no president had done before since Andrew Jackson. He was a progressiveRead MoreTheodore Roosevelt And Woodrow Wilson : The Progressive Era1651 Words   |  7 Pages During the Progressive Era from 1890-1920, America saw three new presidents: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson. This period of time is known as the Progressive Era due to the political and social changes made to move away from a laissez-faire government to a more active government by the administrations of these presidents. Prior to this period, Americans had to suffer through poor working conditions, low wages, social and class inequality and become victims to largeRead MoreTheodore Roosevelt : The President Of The United States Under The Republican Party932 Words   |  4 Pagesthe assassination of President McKinley in 1901, Theodore R oosevelt â€Å"Teddy† became the 26th president of the United States under the Republican Party. At age 42, he was the youngest president in the Nation s history. He brought new excitement to the Presidency. For example, Roosevelt was a lover of animals and wildlife and had more than 40 pets while in the White House. His daughter had a snake and his sons rode their pony on the elevators. 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This park houses one of the last natural bionetworks left in the world’s temperate zone. It preserves a great diversity of marine and bacterial life. One of the main reasons Yellowstone was established as a national park was because of its geological and hydrothermal features. Geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and steam vents are justRead More Theodore Roosevelt Essay4300 Words   |  18 PagesTheodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt was fond of quoting an old African proverb that admonished people to speak softly and carry a big stick. Ironically, it was his thunderous voice that made him president, earned him enemies and brought him friends. That voice also made him the bulwark of the Progressive Movement. On October 27, 1858, Roosevelt was born on East Twentieth Street in New York City to Martha Bulloch, who he described as a sweet gracious, beautiful Southern Woman andRead MoreThe Most Controversial American Presidents9333 Words   |  38 PagesGeorge Washington 4 I.1 Early life 4 I.2 Presidency 5 I.3 Retirement and death 6 Chapter II. Abraham Lincoln 7 II.1 Early life and education 7 II.2 Presidency and the Civil War 8 II.3 Assassination 13 Chapter III. J. F. Kennedy 15 III.1 Early life and education 15 III.2 Presidency 17 III.3 Assassination 19 Chapter IV. Richard Nixon 21 IV.1 Early life and education 21 IV.2 Presidency 22 IV.3 Death and funeral 23 Chapter V. Theodore Roosevelt 24 V.1 Early life and education 24 V.2 PresidencyRead MoreAmerican Holidays11778 Words   |  48 Pagescommemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated on Sunday between March 22 and April 25. The 40 days leading up to Easter are observed as Lent. Besides the religious aspects of Easter, people also celebrate spring or the sign of the new life. Flowers are seen everywhere. There are often Easter Parades such as the one in New York City where people dress up in their new spring clothes. Children receive Easter baskets filled with candy Easter eggs, chocolate bunnies and jelly beans! The dying

A Description of Fluid Mechanics Free Essays

Any thing whose particles can move easily from one place to another that means shape can be easily changed upon the application of negligible force. MECHANICS: Study of response of bodies upon the application of force. FLUID MECHANICS : Fluid mechanics may be defined as the branch of engineering science which deal with behavior of fluids under the condition of rest and motion. We will write a custom essay sample on A Description of Fluid Mechanics or any similar topic only for you Order Now FLUID MECHANICS DIVIDED IN 3 PARTS 1 STATICS 2 KINAMETICS 3 DYNAMICS STATICS:Study of incompressible fluids under static conditions is called hydrostatic and that branch dealing compressible static gasses is termed as aero-statics. KINAMETICS: It deal with velocities acceleration and the pattern of flow only forces or energy, velocity and acceleration . DYNAMICS: It deals with the relation b/w velocities acceleration of fluid with the force or energy causing them. WRITE DOWN THE PROPERTIES OF FLUIED? The matter can be classified on the basis of spacing b/w the molecules of matter as 1 SOLID STATE: 2 FLUIED STATE. I LIQUID STATE i GASES STATE In solid molecules are very closed spaced where as liquids. The spacing b/w the different molecules is relatively large and in gases the spacing b/w molecules is still large Its means the intermolecular cohesive forces are large in solids, smaller in gases and extremely small in gases and on account of this fact solids posses compact and regional form, liquids molecules can move freely with in the liquids mass and the molecules of gases have greater freedom of movement so that the gases fill the container completely in which they are placed.A solid can resist tensile compr essive and shear stresses up to a certain limit where a fluid has no tensile strength or very little of it and it can resist the compressive forces only when it kept in a container. When a fluid is subjected to a shearing it deforms continuously as long as forces apply. The amount of shearing stress in a depends on the magnitude of state of deformation of the fluid element. Liquid and gases in habit different chacrterestics. The liquid under ordinary condition are quite different to compress where as gases can be compressed much widely under the action of external pressure.WRITE DOWN THE CHARTER OF FLUIDS: Fluid is a substance which is capable of following. 1. It has no definite shape but confirms the shape of container vessels 2. Even a smaller amount of shear force exerted on a fluid will cause it to undergo a deformation which continuous as long as the force continuous to applied. CLASIFICATION OF FLUID: 1) LIQUD 2) GAS 3)VAPOUR 1)IDEAL FLUIDS – 2)REAL FLUIDS 1 LIQUIDS: Liquid Is Type Of Fluid Having Definite volume which varies only slightly with temp and pressureLiquid have bulk elastic modulus when under compression and will store up energy in same manner as solids. As the contraction of volume of liquids under contraction is extremely it is usually ignored and liquid is assumed as incompressible. All known liquids evaporated at narrow pressure above zero depending on the temp. LIQUID AND THERE PROPERTIES: A liquid can be easily distinguished, solid or gas. A solid as a definite shape which a liquid takes the shape of vessel into which it is poured.A gas completely fills the vessel which contain it. 2 GAS: It possesses not definite volume and will be compressible. 3 VAPOUR: It is a gas whose temp and pressure are such that it is very near the liquid state for example steam IDEAL FLUID An ideal fluid is one which has no viscocity and surface tension and it is incompressible. In true sence no such fluid exist in the nature however fluid which have low viscocity such as water and air can be treated as ideal fluid under certain conditions.REAL FLUID A real fluid is one which has viscosity ,surface tension,and compresablity in addition to the density. The real fluid are actually avalible. PROP OF WATER DENSITY There are two types of density. 1-Mass density 2-Weight density 1-Mass density : The density (also known as mass density)of liquid may be defined as the mass per unit volume . Mass density= m/v It is usually denoted by =m/v Its unit is kg/m3. 2-Weight density:The weight density (also known as specific weidht)is defined as the weight per unit volume (w/v) at standard temp and pressure. It is usually denoted by w= g Its unit is KN/M3. SPECIFIC VOLUME It is defined as volume per mass of fluid. It is denoted by v =V/m=1/ SPECIAL GRAVITY Special gravity is the ratio of the specific weight of liquid to the specific weight ofstandard fluid. It is dimension less has no unit. It is denoted by S S = specific weight of liquid / specific weight of pure water S = W? /Wwater How to cite A Description of Fluid Mechanics, Papers

Introduction to business process management - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Introduction to business process management. Answer: Introduction to Leaders and their role in the organization: Leader 1: Margaret Cushing Meg Whitman is an American business executive, philanthropist and political activist. She is currently serving as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (Hansen, Ibarra Peyer, 2013). She belongs to New York and graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Business School. She was also the Vice President of Strategic Planning in The Walt Disney Company ("Forbes Welcome", 2018). She also served as the President and chief executive officer of eBay. Her leadership style is of transformational type. Leader 2: John Joseph Fallon is a British business executive, currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer at Pearson PLC. He completed his graduation from the University of Hull in economics, sociology and politics. He started his career as a researcher for the Labour politician then he became the Director of Communication of Pearson. His leadership style describes him as a transactional leader. Organization and its change: Hewlett Packard Hewlett Packard (HP) is a widely known American Information Technology company which has its headquarters in Palo Alto, California (Congdon, 2014). It provides various services to the consumers and a wide variety of software as well as hardware components. The various hardware components produced are printers, digital cameras, scanners, workstations and computers for business and home uses. The organisational change that took place in HP was the increment of employees and streamlining of administrative operations. Thus, the realignment meant to improve the focus of the company on the consumers. The change was transformational and was meant to evolve the fortune of HP. Pearson PLC Pearson PLC is a British multinational publishing and education company. It has its headquarters in London and was founded initially as a construction company. The service provided by the company includes Educational assessment, School management and higher education. The company publishes books, magazine and newspapers. It also includes online study materials, textbooks and latest digital technologies which enhance the scope of learning and understanding. The organizational changes that took place in Pearson were the introduction to reward and recognition which enhanced the employees performance and also played an important role in motivating the employees. Transactional leadership vs. Transformational leadership A transactional leadership is a style that involves rewards for good performance and punishments for not meeting the targets (Clarke, 2013). It basically involves the concept of embedding motivation among the employees. It enhances employees motivation by putting their self interest in the first place. The leader lays great emphasis on the relationship he/ she maintains with the employees. It is best suited for a settled environment and has only one leader. It is mostly focused on planning and execution. A transformational leadership is a style in which the leader incorporates enthusiasm to motivate and inspire his followers (Conchie, 2013). The motivation tool stimulates followers by setting group interest as a priority. The leader gives emphasis on ideals, morals, values and need of the followers. It is best suited for restless environment. It may have more than one leader and is basically focused on innovation. Identifying leadership styles: Transformational Leadership Margaret Cushing Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett Packard is considered as a transformational leader because she is focused on inspiring members and team building. She aims on earning trust, respect and confidence of the members such that it becomes easy for the members to adapt the changes incorporated by her. Example: Meg Whitman tends to gain immense trust and respect of the employees by breaking down the wired fences in the parking lot. The fencing created a separate area of parking for the executives and normal employees. The divisions in the office were also omitted. She never engaged herself into lavish offices and always supported her employees. She tried to inspire employees rather than forcing them to work. Transactional Leadership: John Fallon, the CEO of Pearson PLC is considered as a transactional leader since a transaction leadership is meant to provide motivation among the employees in terms of rewards and recognition, thereby ensuring the normal flow of operation in the organization. He also approached the method of involving the employees in decision making so as the employees do not feel neglected. Example: John Fallon decided to pay incentives to the employees whose works would benefit the organization. On the other hand for enhancing the professional skills of the employees he also decided to provide them with web based learning benefits to the employees for a year. Application of Leadership to manage changes in the Organization: Transformational leadership to manage changes in the Hewlett Packard: Meg Whitman the Chief Executive officer of HP, possess the transformational leadership style. She had a clear idea that she was to undertake a company that had suffered huge competitions in the past decade. The major competitors were low cost providers. She bought about a massive change in the production system and also changed the way of selling the software and hardware products. The transformational leadership is a leadership style which gives more attention to values and morals. The main focus is to motivate the employees. She constantly keeps on inspiring the employees for the betterment of the organization by guiding and supporting them. As, transformational leadership incorporates innovation the company dubbed the public cloud. This resulted to be beneficial as it was simple and easy to use. It proved to be an innovation for both the business model and technology. Transactional leadership to manage changes in the Pearson PLC: John Fallon, the CEO of the Pearson PLC has a transactional leadership style. This style involves giving rewards and recognition to employees whose performance enhanced the companys financial status or had good impact on its reputation. This in turn provides the employees motivation for further enhancing their performance. He provided the employees professionally so as to attain good skills. However, he was unable to meet his target, but still he continued to train his employees since he is a goal oriented person, such as to attain the accurate implementation of the target. The employees were provided with good motivation so as to increase their potential as well as efficiency. Incremental change vs. Radical change: Incremental change is a process which refines, modifies and adjusts the condition or the status of the organization through minor changes. These changes are simple changes so are not meant to bring changes to the core. It can also be referred to as first order change. Incremental changes are minor adjustments in the organization (Benn, Dunphy Griffiths, 2014). These are small adjustments in the hierarchies, products, services and processes. On the other hand, Radical changes are those changes that involve extreme changes within the organization (Dumas et al., 2013). They can also be called as transformational change. These huge changes have considerable effects on the function and structure of the organization. The change should be implemented when the employees agree and are satisfied. Organizational Change at Hewlett Packard: The major organizational change that took place in Hewlett Packard with Meg Whitman taking position as the CEO of HP was streamlining of the administrative procedures and employment of new employees in the company. The company also started investing in cloud services. This is considered as a radical change. Organizational change at Pearson PLC: The change that took place in the Pearson PLC is an incremental change as it required slow changes to take place and showed slow success in the organization. The CEO John Fallon introduced type concept of developing the professional skills of the employees by providing free web based learning. Initially, the concept of enhancing the professional skills failed, but later it showed great advantages earning huge amount of revenue to the company. Thus, the incremental change worked in the future and he is still working for the better future of the organization. Incremental change as Radical change and its management by the organization leader: The changes within the organization can be either incremental or radical. This can make significant changes in the performance and techniques of working of the employee. When new employees enter in the organization, they face difficulties in understanding the working culture of the organization. Thus, the higher authorities need to manage these employees. The managers need to change the managing techniques in order to train them, can be the radical change the manager needs to adopt. The manager is aware of the sale division of the products but when new products are introduced can lead to vast change in the managers perception. Meg Whitman divided employees into groups and teams such that it would be easier for them to manage such changes easily. Gradual implementation of Radical Change: It can be accurately said that radical changes can be implemented gradually. One of the reasons behind the relationship between Faxconn and Hewlett Packard was the introduction of Cloud Computing and the changes implemented in it. It is a radical change but was brought to action gradually. The employees were given specific learning access with the assessment of cloud solutions experts, such that it would bring quick customer response. Overcoming Barriers: Barriers faced by Meg Whitman: The various barriers faced by Meg Whitman are mentioned as follows: Growth through Acquisition: The Company is acquiring new technologies and acquiring new human resource is more prone to create challenges to the CEO. The new employees find it difficult to tackle with the harsh decisions of the higher authorities. Even the employees refrain to perform new tasks until they attain confidence in doing so. This leads to financial loss of the company and a major challenge for the CEO. Supervisory Oversight: The new employees required continuous supervision of the higher authorities such that they would attain proper guide. However, if the supervisor due to unavoidable circumstances is unable to supervise the employees, the organization will face difficulties in managing the new employees and thus, create another challenge for the CEO. Criticism faced by Meg Whitman: The CEO of Hewlett Packard (hp) decided to split hp into hp enterprises. This was done basically to involve new employees. The employment of new employees would lead to innovation but it has lead to certain issues in the administration. Thus, the leader faced certain barriers as the organization was not ready to accept the change. Strategies to overcome the barriers: The above stated barriers definitely lead to the hindrance of the proper working of the organization. Thus, it becomes necessary to adopt certain ways to resolve those issues such that the organization does not face problems. Some of the strategies adopted by the CEO of Hewlett Packard Meg Whitman to resolve these issues are listed below: Training: The introduction of new technologies brought greater chaos among the employees as it was difficult for them to get adjusted in the cloud service environment. Thus, training programs needs to be implemented so as to train the employees to gain expertise as well as benefits in the new field (Jehanzeb Bashir, 2013). Survey: The radical changes were not readily accepted by all the employees. Thus, a survey needs to be conducted so as to know the exact count of the employees who accepted the strategy readily. This would also help the leaders to design much proper way of delivering the changes to the employees. Hiring experts in cloud service domain: Hiring more experts from the cloud service domain would help the employees get better training and the aim of implementing better changes in the company. Effecting Change Using Lewins 3-step to manage change: Kurt Lewins Change Management Model defines motivation as a cause of change. He devised change as a 3-step model. The 3-steps consist of Unfreezing, Changing and Refreezing (Hayes, 2014). These 3 steps are required to bring changes in the organization. Unfreezing: This is the first step in the Lewins 3-step model. It lays emphasis on the idea of communicating the changes to the employees and makes the idea acceptable to them and also the methodology. For example, the CEO of hp explained her plan of implementing cloud services in the organization. She also explained how the plan would be beneficial to them as well as the company in the long run. Changing: This is the second step in Lewins 3-step model to manage changes. This step is the transition from the unfreeze stage to freeze stage. In this stage, the employees are reminded of the major reasons behind the changes being implemented. For example, the CEO of Hewlett Packard explained the employees the new opportunities and scope of the change being implemented in the organization such as that of the implementation of the cloud services. The CEO also explained the new options that would arise with the implementation of cloud services. Hence, it lead to change in the notion of employees during the implementation of radical change. Refreezing: This is the final step in the Lewins 3-step model to manage change in the organization. It guarantees that the change is solidified and there should be no revert backs from the new changes. It also makes sure that the employees follow the new guidelines stated and the new plan of action. For example, in the organization sited, Hewlett Packard, in the final stage majority of the employees were satisfied with the implementation of the cloud services in the organization as it provided greater opportunities and also incorporated innovation and it also provided latest web services to the employees. Thus, the change was successful. Kotters 8 stage change model for implementing change in Hewlett Packard: The world renowned change expert John Kotter, gave 8 stage change model for implementing the changes within the organization (Sarayreh, Khudair Barakat, 2013). The 8 steps are mentioned below: Create Urgency Creating urgency is the first stage in Kotters model to implement changes within an organization. Creating urgency is meant to create necessity for the change to be implemented in the organization. It also implies that for a change to be implemented there must a need for such changes and it should be urgent. For example, in the organization cited Hewlett Packard there was no cloud services implemented. The cloud services are in great demand in modern day hence, a change needed to be implemented to such that the company is in accordance with latest technologies. Thus, there was urgency for the change for its implementation and the change was implemented. Formation of Coalition The second stage in the Kotters change model is the formation of coalition. This stage involves the selection of employees having appropriate leadership qualities to perform the task. The major characteristics involved in effective guiding coalition are credibility, confidence, positional power and expertise in decision making. For example, Meg Whitman CEO of Hewlett Packard planned to hire experts in cloud services for better training of the employees. Creating vision for change The third stage is the creation of vision for change which consists of enhancing, developing and improving the vision of employees towards the change that needs to be implemented within the organization. This stage accounts for the following functions: Efficient co-ordination among the employees of different departments. Increased motivation among the employees towards the achievement of vision. Simplified directions to the employees from the leaders. For example, Meg Whitman vision for the betterment of Hewlett Packard was to make it a better product provider and gain maximum profit in the market. Her feasible vision and leadership skills led her achieve her goal and also incorporate cloud services in the organization. Communicate the vision Communicating the vision is the fourth stage in the Kotters Change Model. The leader faces various challenges in communicating his/ her vision to the employees. However, to attain the goal the leader has to overcome these issues. For example, interacting regularly with the employees helped the leaders to communicate new ideas to them. Organising workshops also played a major role in communicating visions of the leader to the employees. Remove Obstacles: The removing of obstacles is the sixth stage of Kotters Change Model. Obstacles lead to hindrance in change model. Hence, obstacles demands to be removed. For example, there were many major barriers that Meg Whitman has to deal with in order to implement the changes in the organization. However, due to her leadership skills she was able to handle those obstacles. Creating short-term wins The sixth stage in the Kotters Change Model is creating short term wins. It basically means to celebrate the small achievements of the employees and in whole the organization. Celebrating small achievements motivates the employees to perform better and work to the maximum potential to achieve the best. For example, Meg Whitman is a transformational leader and she gives more importance to motivation, values and respect. Celebrating small success also is a part of motivating the employees. She divided the sessions into various parts and on completion of the part; the employees were rewarded and congratulated for good performance. This added to the motivation that she used to provide to the employees because of which they thrived to perform even better. Build on the Change The seventh stage of the Kotters Change Model is to build on the change. Building on the change incorporates the execution of the change for some time. It is meant to keep in pace with the change. The implemented change is said to be successful only if it implemented for a certain amount of time. The leader should properly check that the change has been implemented for some time rather than declaring the change to be successful too early. For example, with the implementation of the cloud based service, Meg Whitman set targets for the employees to attain such that the changes are firmly maintained. Anchoring the changes in corporate culture This is the eighth stage in the Kotters Change Model. The final stage incorporates the core idea of daily work environment. The positive change will be recognized by the culture of the organization. For example, the organization Hewlett Packard implemented cloud based services which enhanced the accessing capability of the company and provided better services. The change was implemented successfully. References: Benn, S., Dunphy, D., Griffiths, A. (2014).Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Routledge. Clarke, S. (2013). Safety leadership: A meta?analytic review of transformational and transactional leadership styles as antecedents of safety behaviours.Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology,86(1), 22-49. Conchie, S. M. (2013). Transformational leadership, intrinsic motivation, and trust: a moderated-mediated model of workplace safety.Journal of occupational health psychology,18(2), 198. Congdon, P. T. (2014).U.S. Patent No. 8,826,385. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J., Reijers, H. A. (2013). Introduction to business process management. InFundamentals of Business Process Management(pp. 1-31). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Forbes Welcome. (2018).Forbes.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018. Hansen, M. T., Ibarra, H., Peyer, U. (2013). The best-performing CEOs in the world.Harvard Business Review,91(1), 81-95. Hayes, J. (2014).The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan. Jehanzeb, K., Bashir, N. A. (2013). Training and development program and its benefits to employee and organization: A conceptual study.European Journal of business and management,5(2). Sarayreh, B. H., Khudair, H., Barakat, E. A. (2013). Comparative study: the Kurt Lewin of change management.International Journal of Computer and Information Technology,2(4), 626-629.

Coral Divers Case Study Essay Example

Coral Divers Case Study Paper After investigating Coral Divers diligently, I am delighted to be hired as a consultant to evaluate Coral Divers strategic situation. Based on my findings, I believe Coral Divers is in a decreasing state of financials and diminishing competitive position. Their net income is negative and increasing in 2005 through 2007. In addition, there is a lack of differentiators at Coral Divers, hindering them from their competition. The issue at hand is whether Coral Divers should take on a potential growth strategy, which consists of adding a family vacation portion to their resort, and an adventure diving aspect. This would enable them to cater to a greater variety of people and allow increased competition. Exhibit 1. 1 Supplier Power * Minimal * Integrating vertically not likely * Service based Degree of Rivalry * High Competitive industry = Low returns because the cost of competition is high * Tough economy = bad * Buyer Power * High * Amenities and service important * Low cost in comparing resorts Threat Of Substitutes * Vacations elsewhere doing other activities is likely Threat Of New Entrants * High * Easy to open resort To analyze the industry I will start with a 5-forces analysis on the Scuba Diving Resort industry, shown in exhibit 1. 1. Based on the Five Forces Analysis, we can determine that the scuba diver resort industry exists in an intensely competitive market. It is a growing market in popularity over the years and is continuing to grow. Most divers range in age from 10 to 39. 80% of divers are educated and have families. Diving Resorts earn revenue from individual divers, family divers, accommodation and amenities, as well as types of vacations and dives offered. We will write a custom essay sample on Coral Divers Case Study specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Coral Divers Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Coral Divers Case Study specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In this case, accommodation, amenities, and quality diving excursions is means in combating threat of new entrants, and the degree of rivalry. Keeping a close eye on costs for vacationers in the resort is also essential. Because of the threat of substitutes and new entrants it is essential to keep costs low for potential customers. It is important Coral Divers keeps monitoring prices, such as keeping amenities to a minimum, not under booking dives, and keeping on-time flight operations. Major elements in Coral Divers current competitive strategy include: * Small, non – crowded tourist resort Well regarded * Safe and knowledgeable scuba diving resort * Beachfront location While Coral Divers is still running 90% capacity during the high season, this strategy is not very apparent, as Coral Divers simply operates basic business functions to stay afloat. Strategy Coral Divers could work on include: * Focus on Family Vacations utilizing Rascals in Paradise * Emphasizing in family di ves and resort activities * Adventure Diving * Shark Dives * Reef Dives * Wall Dives * Wreck Dives * Both Adventure and Family Vacations Neither Adventure or Family Vacations, continuing current strategy Also view Coral Divers’ business strategy diamond in exhibit 1. 2. Arenas * Bahamas * Vacations Vehicles * Rascals in Paradise * Adventure Diving Exhibit 1. 2 Economic Logic * Cost control * Growing Margins Staging * Focused on diving resort, moving slowly to family and/or adventure Differentiators * Small * Non-Crowded * Beachfront * Safe Knowledgeable Exhibit 1. 3 We can determine whether Coral Divers current situation is positive or negative by viewing a SWOT Analysis shown in exhibit 1. . Based on the SWOT analysis, Coral Divers has a fairly attractive position, as it has some strength. However, weaknesses and opportunities available provide a great deal of potential for Coral Divers to gain market share. In this case, many of the weaknesses are the opportunities availab le, and with success in opportunities combat threats. Coral Divers performance to date is steady. Based on balance sheets provided, Coral Divers assets are slowly declining, and liabilities are increasing. This is assumingly due to inflation in the market and no increased market share. Coral Divers revenues are also declining since 2005, I believe due to increasingly competitive markets and no strong differentiators. After analyzing the company, it is clear that Coral Divers needs to use opportunities and strengthen their differentiators. However, it is essential to analyze costs involved with new opportunities compared to potential revenues. The alternatives for Coral Divers includes: Alternative| Cost| Revenue Potential| Family Vacations / Rascals in Paradise| * $40,000 in renovations on rooms * Children’s play structure = $15,000 * Babysitter = $7/hr @ 5 hrs/week = ~$2000/yr| * Return client base * 90% annually * Higher prices for families * ~$1600 per family vacation * 90% rooms booked per week @ $3500 per special family week= $18,900/week = $982,800/yr| Adventure Diving| * $10 per dive = shark dive * Employee discouraged * $15,000 Chain mail suit| * Extra $50 per dive per person| Both| * Large upfront cost| * Good long term investment| Neither| * Differentiators in market| * None * Current operations| Exhibit 1. 4 As a consultant to help assess Coral Divers strategy, I recommend that Coral Divers add the family vacation element to their business and utilize Rascals in Paradise. By adding the Rascals Paradise, Coral Divers will be able to service families more efficiently and easily. In addition, Coral Divers should add adventure diving once family vacations is established. This will create more buzz, activity, and reason for families to stay at Coral Divers. I recommend this due to the lack of success Coral Divers has had in the past. Since they have established themselves, people will be able to trust and want to use Coral Divers for family vacations and know there is knowledge for adventure diving. We can create a new market for family vacations and adventure diving by looking at exhibit 1. 4. Creating New Markets Reduce * High costs * Inconveniences Create/Add * Adventure Diving * Family Vacation friendly Raise * Low cost * Good Service * Convenience for customers and families * More activity enjoyment * Eliminate Distasteful service * Average resort The plan of action I would suggest Coral Divers to take is to first implement Rascals in Paradise’s consulting service and bookings program. Coral Divers should take on packaged and prepaid vacations to provide convenience to customers. In addition, with Rascals experience, Coral Divers can utilize the specialty service and return client base. Higher revenues for the resort because of prepayment and packaged vacations are essential to the success. After about a half year to a year of implementing family vacations would suggest Coral Divers to take a look at how family vacationing impacted their revenue. Based on this result, I would suggest starting to implement adventure diving. I would start with one type of adventure per month. Perhaps offer only certain adventures at certain times until each excursion is mastered with no flaws. After each excursion is tested and analyzed, determine which adventures make the most money and offer them more often. Incorporate adventure diving into family packages.

Agency Review Expectations

Agency Review Expectations Introduction This paper explores the United States (US) Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC) as the main federal agency that enforces TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. In detail, this paper presents an overview of the agency, its successes, criticisms, tasks, and its usefulness to the workplace environment.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Agency Review Expectations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More To have a balanced analysis, this paper also evaluates employer responsibilities in the enforcement of TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. A careful assessment of these analyses shows that although EEOC has its challenges, it is highly beneficial to prospective and existing employees in the American workplace. The Agency The EEOC reserves the right to enforce TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. Among other federal laws, this agency reserves the mandate to enforce other federal laws touchin g on employment in America. Since 1980, the agency has experienced significant fluctuations in the number of employees. Understandably, the workforce has been shrinking from a high of 3,390 employees in 1980 to 2,346 in 2012 (because of budget cuts) (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013). As of 2013, the agency’s budget was $370,000,000. This is the highest budget allocation for the agency (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013). The diagram below shows the budgetary and staffing statistics for the last four years. Year President’s Request (Value in millions) Enacted (Value in millions) Approved Staffing ceiling Actual End of Fiscal year Staffing 2010 $367,303 $367,303 2,556 2,385 2011 $385,303 $366,568 2,470 2,505 2012 $385,520 $360,000 2,571 2,346 2013 $373,711 $370,000 2,354 The annual increments in the number of employees and budget allocation have largely stemmed from the increased workload and cost of operations of the agency. The EEOC’s headquarter is in Washington D.C, but the agency also has more than 53 field offices around the country (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013). List of Major Legislations Enforced by EEOC As a federal agency, EEOC enforces several legislations including TITLE VII OF THE 1964 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT, the PREGNANCY DISCRIMINATION ACT, and the 1963 EQUAL PAY ACT (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013). The AGE DISCRIMINATION IN EMPLOYMENT ACT, TITLE I OF THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, SECTION 102 AND 103 OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1991, SECTION 501 AND 505 OF THE 1973 REHABILITATION ACT, AND THE 2008 GENETIC INFORMATION NON-DISCRIMINATION ACTS are also other laws enforced by the agency (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013). Most of these acts aim to uphold antidiscrimination laws in America. Monetary Awards and Concluded Cases EEOC has helped thousands of employees to receive fair compensation for unlawful employ ment practices. Regarding complaints raised against the improper administration of TITLE VII OF THE 1964 CIVIL RIGHTS ACT, the EEOC has helped aggrieved employees to secure monetary benefits of 258, 600,000 (2012), 247,800,000 (2011), and 229,800,000 (2010) over the last three years (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013).Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Employees have realized these benefits through the settlement of 79,310cases in 2012, 82,980cases in 2011, 77,644 cases in 2010 (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013). The diagram below shows these statistics. Fiscal year FY 2010 FY 2011 FY 2012 Resolutions 77,644 82,980 79,310 Monetary Benefits (Millions) $229.8 $247.8 $258.6 Besides the enforcement of cases involving the infringement of Title VII of the 1964 civil rights act, EEOC has also won other cases involving other infringements of employment law. For example, in 2012, the agency settled 977 cases involving sexual harassment charges (amounting to $43,000,000 in benefits). In 2011, the agency settled 1039 cases involving sexual harassment cases (as well) and secured $45,000,000 in damages for aggrieved employees. In 2010, the agency secured $41,200,000 for aggrieved employees through the settlement of 995 sexual harassment cases. Monetary benefits involving age discrimination have been slightly higher than those of sexual harassment have because in 2012, EEOC secured $91,600,000 in damages for aggrieved employees (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013). This figure was slightly higher for 2011 and 2010 because the agency secured $95,200,000 and $93,600,000 in damages for age discrimination cases. These figures accumulated from the resolution of 27,335 cases in 2012, 26,080 cases in 2011, and 24,800 cases in 2010. There have been equally high monetary rewards secured by the agency for race-based cases. In 2012, EEOC secured $100,900,000 for aggrieved employees through the resolution of 38,426 cases. In 2011, the reward was equally high because the EEOC secured $83,300,000 after it resolved 40,534 cases. In 2010, the EEOC resolved 37,559 cases and secured $84,400,000 in damages (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2013). These statistics show that the agency has been relatively effective in undertaking its mandate. Discussion of Additional Responsibility to Employers Employers have different responsibilities in their organizations to ensure the full compliance with TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. Most of these responsibilities come at an additional cost to the employers. A notable cost is training. Employers have to ensure their staff and administrators are knowledgeable about the provisions of the act to ensure they do not infringe on them (Solotoff Kramer, 1994). Such training may include an understanding of gender, race, and identity disability laws (among other provisions covered by the act). It is also an additional cost to employers to keep records of their employees (and their possible demographics) (Solotoff Kramer, 1994). Such additional documentation may act as evidence to show how an employer complies with the provisions of the act, whenever there is a need to do so.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Agency Review Expectations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In extreme cases (when employers are found culpable of employment discrimination), they may have to pay litigation costs to the aggrieved parties. It may also come as an additional cost to employers if they have to investigate discrimination cases in their organizations (if they have an in-service dispute resolution mechanism before the issue escalates to the EEOC or any other external body). Generally, these costs outline additional obligations to employers under the enforcement of TITLE VII OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964. Challenges Experienced by the Agency Like other government agencies that experience the kind of work that EEOC does, a huge backlog of cases is an ordinary problem. This problem is a historical one that has plagued the agency for decades. For example, Keeney (2012) says in 1972, the backlog of cases reached 100,000. These cases forced former president Gerald Ford to request for additional funding for the agency to clear this backlog. The backlog has been a persistent problem since then. The 2007/2008 financial crisis further deepened the agency’s problems because it led to budget cuts and staffing cuts. Consequently, observers say the Federal government is rendering EEOC to be inefficient because the agency has to outsource the services of third parties to help it clear its case backlog, while such parties may lack the training and standards of quality upheld by EEOC (Keeney, 2012). The year 2006 is a perfect example of how the federal government al most incapacitated the agency when a partial budget freeze made it impossible for the agency to seek new recruits to fill vacant positions in the organization (Lee, 2006). This problem arose when the agency had realized a 20% reduction in staff size in the last decade (the Bush Administration justified the budget cuts to increased defense spending). Since 2008, the agency has experienced significant challenges in investigating and concluding its cases, especially because its staff size had reduced by almost 25% and it was unable to pay most of its experienced investigators (Lee, 2006). Consequently, the backlog of cases grew by 26% from 2006 to 2008 (the current case backlog is about 80,000) (Lee, 2006). This analysis therefore shows that most of the challenges facing the agency have been cyclic (bordering inadequate budgeting, low staffing, poor investigations, and increased case backlogs). Conclusion After weighing the findings of this study, it is important to acknowledge that, l ike other government agencies, EEOC has its unique challenges. However, so far, EEOC has eliminated systemic patterns of discrimination by creating a punitive environment for employers who may want to perpetrate discriminatory practices in their organizations.Advertising Looking for essay on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Based on the analysis of the number of solved cases, the EEOC has provided relief to thousands of employees. Indeed, through its administrative enforcement activities, more than 23,400 employees have received compensation through mediation, settlement, and conciliations. The downside to the existence of EEOC regulations is the need for lengthy and costly investigations to investigate baseless accusations. These lengthy and costly investigations affect employers and the EEOC alike because both parties automatically become part of the investigations. Particularly if the investigations affirm that an employer is innocent, they would amount to unnecessary wastage of time and resources for businesses. The existence of malicious employees who want to defame employers highlights the need to have a high threshold for cases brought before the EEOC. This situation could however lead to the inclusion of new standards for recruitment in the job market. Nonetheless, such an improvement should di scourage employees who claim damages when they have no basis for doing so. References Keeney, J. (2012). Enforcing the Civil Rights Act: Fighting Racism, Sexism and the  Ku Klux Klan. The Story of the Miami EEOCs First Class Action Trial. Sarasota, FL: Civil Rights Publishing. Lee, C. (2006). EEOC Is Hobbled, Groups Contend: Case Backlog Grows as Its  Staff Is Slashed, Critics Say. Retrieved from washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/13/AR2006061301418.html Solotoff, L., Kramer, H. (1994). Sex Discrimination and Sexual Harassment in the  Workplace. New York, NY: Law Journal Press. U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2013). Laws Enforced by EEOC. Retrieved from https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/

HIPAA and Security Breaches Annotated Bibliography

HIPAA and Security Breaches - Annotated Bibliography Example This failure was established by an investigation carried out by OCR that made an observation that this failures were in existence for a long time. The OCR’s actions have widely shown that the agency is continuing to heighten its enforcement efforts which can impose significant financial penalties for those entities not following to the laid down producers by the HIPAA This article clearly out line the HIPAA security rules making it informative, additionally, the information is supported by clear evidence. This information can be used for further studies and research since its present real life ongoing issue especially in medicine field After the HITECH act was affected which provided for the amendment of HIPAA privacy and security rules, the penalty charge for breach of patient information which is under the violation of patients’ right under HIPAA the penalty was revised with a maximum of $250,000. The author notes that covered entities should ensure they are in compliance with the HIPAA privacy and security rules. To show how this venture is the OCR is imposing penalties in the millions all to protect patient information Medical employees are also involved in the breach of security this information is stolen and sold to identity theft conspirators. This article is used to show explain how OCR view the patient information with much serious than depicted by many. This penalties which can be called harsh, are mainly used as a wake up call to medical institutions and everybody. Certain law and standards are put in place in health care business. The healthy portability and accountability HIPAA was established to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of health care system, among the HIPAA law includes a privacy rule and security rule. These rules are used to protect individuals’ medical records and other personal health information. The rule also gives the patients’ right over their health information, which includes

Pensions and Retairement Future Trends and Options Essay

Pensions and Retairement Future Trends and Options - Essay Example Pension is generally calculated depending on the Basic Pay and the Dearness allowance of the employee's salary. An employee gets his pension till his life time, after which the amount is given to their spouse. In some companies, pensions come with an additional insurance coverage which helps the pensioners or the disabled beneficiaries. Pension ensures the employee with a standard income that helps the family. The amount is based on his last designation. It is beneficial to the employee as it is tax free. Pension is a sort of moral support and security which helps them to lead a peaceful life. A government employee should retire from the organization at the age fixed by the respective departments. The age of retirement may differ from one company to another. Retirement is of various types like retirement on Superannuation and Voluntary Retirement Scheme. Superannuation is a form of retirement where the employee gets retired at the age as fixed by the organization. Voluntary retirement scheme is a form in which the employee leaves the organization after some 10 or 20 years, depending on the norms of the organization. (Mendel 2009).In this scheme the employee need not work till his retirement age. If an employee opts for this, he will get the pension amount and the proportionate lump sum amount for the remaining years of service. The government has changed this procedure and the employee retiring before his retirement age will get only the gratuity and other benefits in addition to the pension. In the normal retirement scheme, the person serves in the organization till the fixed age and then retires. He will then get the Provident fund amount. Retirement benefits include leave encashment, retirement gratuity and his contribution to the provident fund. Senior citizens are also eligible for all these benefits that help them to lead a problem free life after their retirement. There are other types of pension like extraordinary pension scheme which is given to disabled employees or in case an employee loses his life during his job tenure, the amount is given to his family. Retirement pensions are a guaranteed form of income for the people. Defined benefit and Defined contribution are the two classifications of retirement plans. Defined benefit plan ensures a certain amount at the time of retirement which is fixed based on the person's salary and years of service. Defined contribution plan gives an amount on retirement which depends on the money that he has contributed and his investments are included. (Copeland 2003). In some countries, defined benefit and defined contribution plan are combined and offered to the people after retirement. Defined benefit plans comes as a package inclusive of early retirement options. This allows the employee to get retirement before their retirement age is attained. Most of the employees prefer the defined contribution plan instead of defined benefit. Here the money a person gets is purely based on his investments and contributions and the employer does not assure a specific amount. This is an advantage to the employers as they need not guarantee an amount. When compared to this defined benefit plan is more beneficial since the employee gets a certain amount based on the average salary and this does not depend on the individual's investment. Defined contribution gives the amount as one lump sum where as defined benefit

Reasons for and Against Intervention in Syrian Civil War Essay

Reasons for and Against Intervention in Syrian Civil War - Essay Example The intricate state of affairs in the Middle East has encouraged President Al-Assad to cling onto power and instigate a bloody onslaught against his populace. The Syrian citizenry has continuously demanded that been demanding that President Al-Assad steps down, in order to facilitate the setting up of a government with a solid democratic foundation. Even though President Al-Assad has lost a solid power base, it is apparent that he has exploited the intricate regional state of affairs which has destabilized the capacity of the United Nations (U.N) to firmly counter the Syrian crisis 2. In order to comprehend the complex state of affairs, it is appropriate to take a broader look at this region. This may help in understanding why the U.N seems incapable of being decisive against President Al-Assad. However, as the president of the world’s superpower, there is urge of considering whether to intervene or not and save the Syrian people. This crisis that started on 15th March 2011, h as claimed very many lives as protesters all over the country call for the resignation of president Bashar Al-Asad in favor of political rights and freedom. However, Bashar has consistently ignored the grievances of the people and continuously used violence to protesters as well the rebels with the urge of overthrowing the government 3. Therefore, the United States of America should not and cannot stay oblivious to the abominable mass killings in Syria. It is thus with this regard that the government needs a strong and firm decision on the Syrian crisis so as to restore peace and stability in a country where the two attributes have long been forgotten. Moreover, The Syrian regime’s violent reaction to protests since March 2011 has led to the death of approximately 5,400  people, according to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).  

Power Politics And Change In Social Work Social Work Essay

Power Politics And Change In Social Work Social Work Essay Following a referral to childrens social care, the local authority has a statutory obligation to consider whether there are concerns about impairment to the childs health and development or the child is suffering harm which justifies an initial assessment to establish whether this child is a child in need (HM Government 2010: 5.34). Regardless of the length and breath of the case itself, assessments have to be completed within set statutory timescales. An initial assessment has to be completed within 10 working days and core assessments within 35 working days. This essay proposes that removing current distinction between initial and core assessment and the associated fixed statutory timescales for their completion will improve the quality of assessment reports completed by childrens social workers. A development of a single assessment form to replace initial and core assessment form would give social workers additional time to reflect and review historical information collated and collaborate with other agencies before completing the assessment thus improving practice. Although it is acknowledged that there may be challenges in implementing this proposal, this essay pre-empts that this change would give social workers greater opportunities to complete direct work with children and incorporate their views and feelings into the assessment (Munro and Lushey 2012). In the view of the above proposal, the essay explores the influence of the wider national and European policy agenda on the change proposed and explores some of the potential challenges from social work context which may impact on the implementation of the proposed changes. Finally, drawing on Change Theory, I critically discuss how my proposal could be implemented, meeting the challenges previously identified. But first, initial and core assessments are defined. An initial assessment is a brief assessment completed on each child referred to the local authority within a maximum of 10 working days of the referral date. Where necessary, it determines whether the child is in need; whether there is reasonable reason to suspect that the child is suffering or likely to suffer from significant harm; whether the child requires any services and if so what types; finally, a recommendation is made whether a more detailed core assessment should be undertaken (HM Government 2010: 5.36). The meaning of need is explored under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. A child is said to be in need if: [He] is unlikely to reach or maintain a satisfactory level of health or development, or [his] health and development will be significantly impaired without the provision of servicesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦[or he] is disabled, (HM Government 1989). Section 47 of the Children Act 1989 places a duty on local authorities to make enquires when there is a reasonable cause to believe that a child who is found or lives in their municipality is suffering, or likely to suffer from significant harm. A completion of the core assessment is the means in which a section 47 enquiry is initiated and should be completed within 35 working days. In these circumstances, the aim of the local authority is to determine what form of intervention is required to safeguard and promote the welfare of the child (Ibid; Brown et al. 2012). A core assessment refers to an in-depth assessment which addresses key aspects of a childs needs. This assessment may be completed at different junctures depending on the childs needs; an existing child protection concern is not a requirement (Brown et al 2012). According to Department for Education (2011) 40% of core assessments bare no relation to section 47 enquiries. Harm under section 31(9) of the Children Act 1989 is defined as ill-treatment or the impairment of health or development; development means physical, intellectual, emotional, social or behavioural development; health means physical or mental health; and ill-treatment includes sexual abuse and forms of ill-treatment which are not physical (HM Government 1989). Completion of both an initial and core assessment has to be undertaken in accordance with Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families (DOH 2000) and information regarding childrens needs should be obtained within the three general domains of that form the assessment triangle: the childs developmental needs; the parents and/or caregivers ability to respond to those needs; and wider family and environmental factors (HM Government 2010: 5.36, 5.62; Turney et al. 2011). Current statutory guidance on the completion of initial and core assessments are criticised for the following reasons: Firstly, imposition of a rigid timescale means that there is little time for social workers to meaningfully engage with children. This drive to meet performance targets may thus be at the expense of the quality of assessments, engagement with children and families and multi-agency collaboration with professionals (Hawkes 2005; Holland 2010; Munro and Lushey 2012). Secondly, current statutory assessment timescales are unrealistic especially the 10 working days set for the completion of initial assessment. It does not take into account that there might be some difficulties in engaging with certain families and assessments may as a result be form-led rather than needs led (Horwarth 2002). Turney et al. (2011) argued that the pressure to meet statutory timeframes set for initial and core assessment may lead to the developments of short cuts which may provide latent conditions for error and in turn increase the risk factors posed to vulnerable children. An assessment which is child-centred contains thorough, concise and accurate information; includes chronological information about family and wider history and makes good use of information from a wide net of sources is considered a good assessment (Turney et al 2011). A good assessment is crucial in improving outcomes for children as it can contribute to maintaining the welfare of children by preventing delays in the provision of support and services. Despite the Assessment Frameworks copious guidance in completing good assessment, (DOH 2000) research evidence continues to highlight on-going concerns of social workers assessment analysis (Dalzell and Sawyer 2007). Holland (2010) contends that strict imposition of tight timescales combined with high caseloads does not allow for in-depth analysis through critical reflection of available evidence. The need for the proposed change Replacing child in need initial and core assessment timescales with a single assessment form and removing fixed statutory timescales for the completion of initial and core assessment will improve quality of childrens social workers practice and increase the scope for practitioners to exercise their professional judgement. Although the single assessment forms will still retain the structure of Framework of the Assessment of Children in Needs and their Families (DOH 2000), it is hoped that this development will allow social workers to exercise their professional judgement about what information to record. Research studies and enquiries into child deaths and analysis of serious case reviews consistently report that the quality of social workers assessment reports have at times fallen short of the expected standard particularly in the following areas: failure to engage with the child, differential thresholds, inadequacies in information gathering, shortcomings in critical analysis, and shortfalls in inter-professional working (Turney et al. 2011). Whilst it is acknowledged that the implementation of a single assessment form may not necessarily eradicate some of the shortcomings of the current assessment forms highlighted above, it is hoped that removing timescales for completing assessment will improve quality of completed reports by creating an environment where workers are under less stress to extract all information during the first visit to the family and thus more attention can be paid on what is happening for the child. Moreover, reducing prescription concerning timescales would enable social workers to arrange to meet with children and families at a convenient time for the family rather than at short notice to meet statutory timescales. For cases whereby parents are reluctant to engage in services or cases where there are linguistic or cultural barriers to overcome, flexibility in timescales can be used as a mechanism to improve practice (Munro and Lushey 2011). Collaborative working relationship between social care services and families is essential in promoting the welfare of the child (DOH 2010). Having sufficient time to work at the childs pace is therefore crucial to improving practice. Moreover, assessments may take longer if family members have special needs which have to be met so that they can meaningfully contribute to assessment (Holland 2010). Whilst there is a need for assessments not to lose focus and direction, assessments need to be completed jointly by both social worker and the family within a context which takes into account issues of power, inequality and discrimination. Lack of flexibility within assessment is almost inevitably going to come at the cost of key principles such as partnership and empowerment. Hawkes (2005) suggests that there is just as much evidence about the impact of partnership and empowerment upon the outcomes of children as there is for the need to prevent delay and drift in assessment which may be c aused by flexibility measures of assessments. Influence of wider national and European policy agenda The need for a thorough assessment of children and families where there are child protection concerns is a key focus of many national policies in the UK. The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and Their Families (DOH 2000) for example acknowledges that improving assessment process is a critical aspect in improving social work practice with service users and ensuring multi-agency working. Although the framework offers guidance to social workers on how to meet the needs of children through a comprehensive process of assessment leading to action, its imposition of rigid timescales to complete assessments challenges some of the principles of the Children Act 1989. The guidance fails to take into account that the time it may take longer to engage with some families who may be initially hostile towards intervention. Moreover, due to lack of time to engage fully with children, social workers may be unable to ascertain and incorporate the childs feelings into assessment (Calder 2003). Similarly, the importance of timely and clear assessment was highlighted in Lord Laming report into the death of eight year old Victoria Climbie (DOH 2003). Lord Lamings enquiry led to the implementation of Children Act 2004 which emphasised the need for improve outcomes for all children. For children who come into attention of social services, these outcomes could be explored further in assessments. These outcomes are: being healthy, staying safe, making a positive contribution; and achieving economic wellbeing (HM Government 2004). As well as national policies, international legislations including the European Convention on Human Rights Act (1998) and United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) influenced the proposed change as enshrined within these legislations is the need to protect child and their interests (ECHR 1998:Article1, 2; UNCRC 1989: Article 2, 3, 12) and advocating for a single assessment form is a means of ensuring childrens voices remain the central focus of assessments. Potential challenges from the wider social work context which could impact on the implementation of the proposed changes Although this essay has highlighted some of the potential benefits of having a single assessment form and removing fixed statutory timescales, some potential challenges which could impact on the implementation of the proposed changes are critically discussed here. First, increased flexibility concerning timescales does not necessarily mean that the potential benefits discussed previously will be realised because a key aspect in realising these benefits largely depends on the skill and capacity of individual social worker and wider organisational contexts in which they are working. Although the aim of a flexible timescale was proposed in this essay to enhance social workers understanding of childrens needs, should the proposal be implemented, some social workers may use it as an excuse to postpone complex decisions (Turney et al. 2011). Secondly, in the absence of timescales social workers may spend longer time completing assessments. Whilst it is acknowledged that the more information gathered, the longer it may take to analyse, however, in the absence of additional staffing, the extra time social workers are seemingly spending on direct work with children and families may place greater demands on the team. This in turn may lead to the following: longer working hours to compensate for the additional time spent on assessments; prioritising child protection cases which may result in delay and drift in cases, which based on the presenting issues appear less serious; or changes to the threshold for intervention (Broadhurst et al. 2010; Holmes et al. 2010). The effect of such challenges may therefore inhibit workers ability to conduct additional visits, engage in more direct work with families and therefore undermining the intended aim of the single assessment proposal (Monro and Lushey 2012). Change Theory Change is inevitable; it can be threatening, disruptive and difficult to manage as it involves adapting to new settings, working practices or personal circumstances (Hayes 2010). Although one of the core values of a social worker is to advocate for change on behalf of their service users (Dolgoff et al. 2008) as a profession, it has been quite resistant to change (Munson 2012). Whilst there is no standard formula in managing change, there is a body of useful theories which that can help analyse how to manage the challenges of change in order to improve on practice and ensure better outcomes for service users. Here, I draw on Kurt Lewins(1951) theory of change and discuss how developing a single assessment form to replace current initial and core assessment forms can be implemented meeting some of the challenges previously identified. Lewin (1951) argued that implementing change involves managing competing forces and actively facilitating the driving forces to achieve the desired change while seeking to reduce or eliminate restraining forces (Russell and Russell 2006). In the first step of his three step change model, Lewin contends that to implement change, change leaders will need to unfreeze the status quo. Individuals who will be affected by the change must be led to recognise why the change is necessary (Griffin and Moorhead 2011). Next, the change itself is implemented. Finally, refreezing involves reinforcing and supporting the change so it becomes a part of the system. Using Lewins model, the first step (unfreezing) implementing my proposed change would involve convincing Michael Gove, current Secretary of State for Education to grant local authorities dispensation of Working together to Safeguard children guidance because of its capability to improve social work practice with children and families. After this unfreezing is accomplished, a pilot scheme conducted with several local authorities analysing the likely impact of implementing my proposed change on practice will be introduced. If the results of the pilot scheme are positive, the scheme will be rolled out nationally (implementation). Following implementation, regular training, robust supervision and support systems will be introduced to support social workers in writing assessments (refreezing) in order to meet challenges previously identified. As influential as Lewins model of change is, some critics have argued that the model is too rigid and assumes change occurs in static steps. It is argued that Lewins theory lacks the flexibility required to fit with the chaotic process of change (Longo 2011). In relation to my proposed change, Lewins theory fails to.. Similarly, Williams et al. (2002) argue that whilst Lewins model of change is useful in conceptualising how to bring about change, it fails to explore how what causes individuals to accept or resist change. Similarly to Lewin (1951), Beckhard and Harris (1987) change model provide a useful analogy of what motivates individuals to change. They argue that for change to happen, the forces of change must outweigh the perceived costs of change (in terms of emotions, energy financial costs etc). Beckhard and Harris suggest that to successfully implement change, individuals need to be convinced that the present is problematic; individuals need to perceive desirable vision of the future and that there is a means of achieving it (Williams et al. 2002). Although this model is valuable to understanding how to manage planned change, similarly to Lewins (1951) theory, Beckhard and Harris (1987) also assume that that there is a logical, linear process to achieving change. Burke (2002) argues that in practice, planned change occurs in a spiral fashion rather in a linear line as suggested by both Lewin and Beckhard and Harris. According to Deutsch et al. (2006) there are many unintended and unanticipat ed consequences which may affect and be affected by planned, change efforts and neither of the change theories discussed above explore this in depth. Whilst a change in current policy of how initial and core assessment are being completed may appear irrational, a recommendation for such change was recently proposed by Eileen Munro in The Munro Review of Child Protection (Munro 2011). The Secretary of State for Education granted eight local authorities (Hackney, Knowsley, Cumbria, Kensington and Chelsea, Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth and Islington) between March and September 2011 permission to carry out flexible assessment practices. Although a vast majority of social workers and managers were in favour of the single frame assessment form and findings from the pilot study reported that flexibility of assessment timescales improved practice and quality of assessments (Munro and Lushey 2012), this proposal has yet to be implemented nationally. This recommendation is good example of some of the challenges implementing change. As simply put by Chaudry et al. (1994) a good idea that is very difficult to implement is, after all not that good an idea. In conclusion, this essay has highlighted some of the potential benefits of developing a single assessment form which replaces current initial and core assessments and the associated fixed timescales for their completion when completing assessments children. Whilst this essay acknowledges that implementation of the proposal does not necessarily guarantee improvement in the quality of assessments produced by social workers or the amount of direct work completed with children and families, it is felt this flexibility in timescale will enhance social work practice with children (Munro 2011). Importance of supporting social workers via training and adequate supervision was also acknowledged in ensuring completed assessments are of good standard. As well has exploring the influence of national and European policy agenda on the proposed change, the essay also critically analysed how the proposal could be implemented drawing on Lewins (1991) model of change.

John Smith Essay -- essays research papers

John Smith is one of the most famous people in American literature history. He was a dedicated man to his country of England, and wanted nothing more than to claim America in the name of the king. During his adventures to the new land he encountered many new things and people including a young Native American woman named Pocahontas. He also wrote many journals enticing people to want to come to America. This shall tell you the story of John Smith from his journeys as a young man all the way to when he finally came to America, and how his writings still influence people to immigrate to America still today. John Smith was born in Lincolnshire, England to a farmer and his wife in 1580. He only had a grammar school education, but with this education he was able to join the British volunteers fighting in the Dutch war of independence from Spain. While in the military, he was captured by the Turks and sold as a slave. He eventually escaped and came back to his mother land of Great Britain in 1605. He then became interested in settling Virginia in the new world. The following year, Smith sailed to Virginia with the Virginia Company’s first colonist as one of seven councilors. This was the first of many voyages to the new world for him. Smith spent much time exploring the land. By this time, the governor of Jamestown was executed for treason and Smith was then elected president of Jamestown colony. He then began building houses, churches, and fortifications. He also had a policy th...