Functional Leadership Model in Healthcare Essay

The traditional leadership model focuses on three main areas which are looked at to be the core areas of leadership; task, individual, and team (Al-Touby, 1). Our text does not cover the traditional leadership model but, it does cover the path-goal leadership theory which in some sense relates to both the traditional leadership model and the functional result-oriented healthcare model. The path-goal theory focuses on the effectiveness for a leader to create high productivity and morale in a given situation (DuBrin, 147). In the path-goal theory it is important that the manager pick a style of leadership that focuses on the characteristics of the team and the demand for the task. In the traditional leadership style there is more emphasis on one core area over another; where in the path-goal leadership theory there is no emphasis on either. The path-goal theory lays the objective out in black and white. The path-goal theory is/ would be an effective leadership model for healthcare, how ever adapting it more closely to any organization would make it more effective and efficient. The main objective that can never be forgotten with healthcare is the patient’s outcome; if the outcome is lost, the leader, the team, and the task have failed. The Oman Medical Journal has perfected a leadership model specifically for healthcare facilities. The journal only compares the new healthcare model to the traditional leadership model however; it could also be compared with the characteristics of the path-goal leadership theory. If a healthcare facility focuses primarily on their individual staff characteristics, the facility will risk the possibility of losing sight of the patient’s needs (Al-Touby, 1). In any medical profession all employees are there for one reason, the patient’s service. With that being said, individual characteristics are not exactly the main concern in the healthcare leadership model. Moving on to having the task be the priority of the functional model; the task by itself remains incomplete until the patient recovers from the medical condition or the disease is managed (Al-Touby, 1-2). One patient is a task for too many people, but each employee contributes to the outcome of the patient. Lastly, healthcare leaders cannot only focus on the team, because the team has not completed the task until the patient recovers or the disease is managed. The team is combined of the individuals and the task but, in healthcare none of those elements need priority over another. Healthcare teams can work hard and be efficient and still be ineffective (Al-Touby, 2). In healthcare effectiveness must always be the goal over efficient teamwork. These examples and reasons are why the Oman Medical Journal decided to add the fourth element results or patient outcomes; and they refer to the modification as the â€Å"functional results-oriented leadership model†(Al-Touby, 3). No matter how perfect the healthcare team is; no matter how motivated the care staff is; no matter how well the care procedures are articulated and practiced, the yardstick of good healthcare leadership is patient outcomes, the results of care. (Al-Touby, 4) The functional leadership model is based on three core areas in leadership; task, individuals, and teams. All of these are important in effective leadership, however, the modified theory; functional-orientated leadership fits my lifestyle more precise. Working in healthcare and pursuing a profession in healthcare administration I can see how the typical functional leadership model does not fit the healthcare world. Patient care is the main focal point of every move made in the medical field; focusing more precisely on one of the three elements in the typical model could easily distract a leader in losing focal point on the patient’s result/outcome. Making the result the center of the three elements works. The organization I work at now uses the functional-orientated leadership model, and all our policies are based around this model. Patient’s safety and wellbeing is always priority. References Al-Touby, S. (2012). Functional Results-Oriented Healthcare Leadership: A Novel Leadership Model. Oman Medical Journal, 27(2), 104-107. doi:10. 5001/omj.2012.22 DuBrin, Andrew J. (2013). Leadership: Research Findings, Practice, and Skills. Mason: South-Western.

Equality and Diversity – the Way That People Describe Themselves and Others

Describe the individual factors that make a person who they are, by giving examples of each of the following factors: a) Physical characteristics b) Emotions c) Likes and dislikes d) Values and beliefs Each of us has different individual characteristics and factors, and it is the combination of these that make up who we are. The individual factors are made up of physical characteristics (what people see –examples might be our size, build, colour of hair or skin); emotions (the way in which you feel – examples might be confidence, shyness, an outgoing nature, or miserable); likes and dislikes (things you enjoy doing or those that you avoid – examples might be work, hobbies, sporting activities, cooking / eating, socialising); and values and beliefs (how the world appears to you – examples might be your religion, your moral code, your political beliefs, or your life choices in terms of education and employment). Resubmission: In relation to values and beliefs, these are essentially our moral make-up. They are the thoughts and beliefs by which we live our lives, and which will help to provide direction for us. Although they may develop as we progress from childhood into adulthood, our values and beliefs will generally tend to stay the same for much of our adult lives. Our values are ideas and moral views that we, as individuals, feel are very important to the way in which we live our lives, for instance the way in which we raise our children, or the way in which we value integrity and honesty in others. Our beliefs differ slightly in that they refer to ideas that we hold to be true, for instance religious or political views and ideology. Describe the ways in which someone might choose to describe themselves by giving examples of the following topics: a) Personal interests and characteristics b) Religious and cultural characteristics c) Geographic characteristics People are moulded to an extent by what they have seen and experience in their lifetimes, and this is something that can and will change as time moves on. When people are particularly interested or motivated by certain areas of life, hobbies or beliefs, they may choose to describe themselves by providing reference to that persuasion. For instance: †¢Personal interests and characteristics – As we progress through life, from child to adult, and then as we grow older, we develop interests in certain aspects of life and certain hobbies and pastimes. It may be that we develop these entirely independently of anyone else, but we are often guided and influenced by people we know or see. Our interests may be reflected in our membership of certain personal interest groups – for instance political parties, social groups or sporting groups. Someone with a particular interest in politics, and with particular political persuasion may choose to join a local political party, taking part in activities, and helping to campaign for certain political plans. They may then refer to themselves as a Conservative, for instance. Those who have a particular interest in community involvement may join a group such as the Rotary Club and help to organise charitable events. It may be that an ardent football or cricket fan joins a particular team as a member, thereafter referring to themselves by the name of the club (for example â€Å"A Gooner† (Arsenal FC)). , or a â€Å"Hell’s Angel†. In terms of personal characteristics, people may tend to refer to themselves by way of their characteristics, and these can be elements of a person’s make-up that they have not necessarily chosen or developed. These could be with regard to their emotional characteristics, perhaps describing themselves as â€Å"outgoing† or â€Å"funny†, or otherwise making reference to the way that they appear to others. They may also refer to themselves with regard to a particular personality trait, for instance their sexual persuasion. Some may refer to themselves by way of physical traits, for instance the colour of their hair, the size of their bodies, or a particular disability. †¢Religious and cultural characteristics – a person may refer to themselves in terms of their religion and belief (â€Å"I am a Christian / Jew / Muslim†). They may also choose to refer to themselves as being part of a particular cultural group, or as having particular cultural beliefs. For instance some may choose to describe themselves according to age group (for instance a teenager or pensioner), or with reference to their standing in society or perceived membership of a class group (working, middle or upper class), or perhaps with regard to their profession (for example tradesman, health worker). The cultural characteristics can also link in to an individual’s ideology or belief – it may be that they are a member of a particular belief group, such as Scientology, and therefore cal themselves a Scientologist; or they describe themselves as being of a particular political persuasion (â€Å"I am a Liberal†). Geographic characteristics – a person may describe themselves as being a member of a particular group based in a certain part of the Country. For instance, a â€Å"Geordie†, â€Å"Londoner†, or â€Å"Northerner† and â€Å"Southerner†. These groups carry with them a number of different identifiers: This cou ld be in terms of language and dialect used (one is often able to identify the geographic origin of those with particularly strong accents, or those using particular phrases); it may also be in terms of cuisine enjoyed within that particular region, the local sport, or perhaps the local customs and associated dress. In addition to these there has historically been differing geographic characteristics when it comes to employment and industry (for instance clay mining in the South West, coal mining in the northern areas of the UK, and steel making in areas such as Sheffield). All in all there are a number of different identifiers and characteristics that could be adopted by an individual as a result of where they originate from geographically. Explain what is meant by the following terms by completing the sentences: a) Dual discrimination means†¦ b) Positive discrimination means†¦ c) Discrimination arising from disability means†¦ ) Discrimination by association means†¦ e) Protected characteristics means†¦ a) Dual discrimination means being discriminated against for more than a single reason (eg race and religion). b) Positive discrimination means receiving favourable treatment as a result of one of their protected characteristics (eg level of service due to their age, or o ffer of a job due to gender). c) Discrimination arising from disability means being discriminated against as a result of having a disability. d) Discrimination by association means being discimnated against as a result of our association with another person or culture that is also receiving iscrimination. e) Protected characteristics means the personal / social characteristics that are protected from discrimination by law (gender / age / race / religion†¦ ). Make clear what it means to have multiple identities and then give three examples from people you know (not yourself) to illustrate your explanation of multiple identities. Having multiple or shared identities means that you are not just a member of a particaulr group or represent a single interest. People are made up of a number of different interests, beliefs, personal and geographical characteristics. Therefore when you describe yourself you would likely refer to a number of these identities in order to paint the full picture. For example: †¢A teacher, as well as a mother of two children, and a keen swimmer. †¢A doctor, as well as a cyclist, and a proud cook. †¢A schoolboy, older brother and keen gamer. Clearly explain what is meant by shared identities. Shared identities are interests or beliefs that we hold in common with a group of other people. This may be with regard to areas of life such as religion, sport, profession, or geographical area. Explain how an individual can identify themselves as belonging to a number of different groups. ) Give two examples for the above. An individual will almost certainly have interests, beliefs or membership that ties in with a number of different groups. As a result, they may choose to refer to any number of these when describing themselves as a person. For example: †¢I am a practising Christian and am also a proud North erner. †¢I am a pensioner, but still enjoy cycling with the Middlesex Marauders Any individual will almost certainly be a member of a number of different groups, either due to their specific ideals or beliefs, their physical and emotional characteristics, or their personal interests and characteristics. A number of these have been expanded upon in previous answers. A person may choose to describe themselves by reference to one or all of these membership groups. This may be with reference to personal interest groups – for instance political parties, social groups or sporting clubs. It may be with reference to personal characteristics, for instance their size, build, hair colour, emotional characteristics or sexual orientation. A person may refer to themselves in terms of their religion and belief. They may also choose to refer to themselves as being part of a particular cultural group, or as having particular political beliefs. An individual may also refer to themselves as coming from a particular geographic location, or as having originated from a particular demographic within society – for instance â€Å"a Northerner† or â€Å"a Geordie†. Two examples of using multiple groups as a way of describing yourself are as follows: †¢I am a practising Christian, a proud Northerner and am a founding member of the Lakeside lumberjacks. Here we see reference to a particular religious characteristic, in addition to a geographical characteristic and a personal interest characteristic. I am a pensioner, but still enjoy cycling with the Middlesex Marauders, and am a keen campaigner for the local Conservative party. Here we see examples of cultural (age and politics) characteristics, as well as personal interest characteristics. Write a description of yourself in terms of your own multiple identities. I am married and also a father of two children. I work locally as a police officer, a job that I entered after attending the University of Birmingham. I enjoy playing cricket as well as watching it, and am also a keen cyclist. I originate from Oxfordshire and have always lived in the South of England.

High School Life Essay

High school is a place where young teens learn to become mature and responsible. It is a place where students get trained to take on bigger challenges in life. Obstacles such as college. From my own personal experiences, high school didn’t seem that way. Students were more concerned about getting a passing grade then about what they were taught. They would even cheat their way out of high school. This would prepare them for college. My freshman year of high school, I was in a totally different place and it seemed quite interesting and fascinating at first. As the year passed by, I started to notice the techniques students were using to pass classes. It was something I didn’t see while I was in junior high school. Students were cheating on almost all the tests. They would bring little print-out cheat sheets to class to use on the tests. Hardly anyone got caught by the teacher. When students did get caught, all they would do is deny and usually the teacher would just let them get away with it. As Casey Banas wrote in â€Å"Why Students Are Turned Off?† â€Å"I sometimes estimated that half to two-thirds of a class cheated on a given test,’ Glanz said. ‘Worse, I’ve encountered students who feel no remorse about cheating but are annoyed that a teacher has confronted them on their actions† (Banas 659). Cheating seemed like the popular thing to do and if you didn’t cheat you would be considered real foolish.. Everyone in the class knew what was going on and it was basically a whole class effort to cheat. Students would discuss what the answers were before taking the test and give each other opinions on how to cheat safely. When the test came back, every student in the class would have a real close score, but the teachers didn’t seem to notice anything at all. Most of the students that go into a certain class usually wouldn’t even know what went on even after the class has ended. As Casey Banas wrote: â€Å"The teacher is convinced that the subject matter is worth knowing, but the student may not agree. Many students, Glanz said, are not convinced they need to know what teachers teach; but they believe good grades are needed to get into college†¦.(Banas 659) These kids could literally just sit there for forty-five minutes daydreaming. I find that many students feel the classes are extremely boring and is of no use to them in the future. I always used to ask myself â€Å"Why do I need to know this stuff for?†. When students feel this way, they don’t do the work because they don’t think they need it in life. When I used to go to high school, my whole class would get assignments and home works and about almost three-fourths of the class didn’t do it. Instead they would wait until someone who was paying attention and did do the assignment to come along and let them copy the assignment. They would do it in way that the teacher wouldn’t even know by slightly changing some words here and there. After that, that paper gets passed around the entire class to the students who didn’t do the assignment and everyone would have a slightly different paper. This way all the students hand in the assignment and will get a passing grade, but did they even learn anything?. These techniques that were used in the high school that I attended did work and a lot of students graduated from high school using these techniques. I, myself, used these techniques and got through my freshman year. As time went on I found that high school was really boring so I decided to cut and eventually dropped-out of school. These students got good grades and did all the assignments, but the truth is, they didn’t learn much at all. They can have a 85 average and get into a good college, but will they be prepared enough to survive college level work? I don’t think so.

Teaching Strategies

The book â€Å"Dharma Punx† was written by Noah Levine, the son of bestselling author and Buddhist teacher Stephen Levine. As a writer, he uses a natural, conversational and empathic voice to narrate his story in order to reach out to others who have gone through the same ordeal as he did.This book, which was written in a very thorough narrative serves more or less as his autobiography, focusing primarily on what would probably the most turbulent moments of this life when drifted from one â€Å"movement† to another, from punk rock to drugs and alcohol which nearly sent his life crashing down to the point of self-destruction or suicide which he attempted several times, hence the title of the first chapter is â€Å"Suicide Solution† (Levine, 2003, p. 1).The starting point of Levine's story was at the detention facility where he was confined and at the time, he was going through withdrawal symptoms as the adverse effects of drugs and alcohol were being flushed out o f his system. It was at this point that he would begin to retell his tale on how he got into that situation. Born in 1971, his parents hailed from the â€Å"hippies† generation of the 1960's where they revolted against the establishment at the height of the Vietnam War and one of their mantras was â€Å"Make Love, Not War!† as well as the overflowing freedom of expression of their generation that also indulged in free drugs and sexual promiscuity as well, thereby making the term â€Å"psychedelic† an understatement for their generation that turned to drugs as a way to escape a harsh, brutal and cynical reality they wanted to repudiate.They were trying to create their own brand of utopia but somehow, this would not be perfect as well, and this would be reflected in Levine's own family.  In his childhood years in the late 1970s and early '80s, Levine loved to skateboard but partly out of curiosity and influence, he got hooked into punk rock and often watched pun k-rock concerts as well as looking the part of a punk rocker by the time he was in his teens. Punk rock was to his generation what the psychadelic â€Å"hippie† movement was to his parents. Levine said that the situation of his generation made them turn to this fad – like him, the youth of his generation had to cope with problems like broken homes, irresponsible parents who were either alcoholic or drug dependents; there was no responsible adult who could guide them.His parents had divorced by then and he would spend time with each of them, shuttling between their homes in California and New Mexico. Both his parents remarried but his mother's second marriage was fraught with trouble and the irony of that was she met her second husband in a meditation retreat while his father was able to move on and remarry a woman whom he truly loved and gave him a happier marriage (Levine, 2003, p. 5). However, without his â€Å"enlightened† father around to guide him, the youn ger Levine was susceptible to the temptations of the materialistic world.By the time he was six years old, he already began smoking marijuana and was also trying out other banned substances as well like cocaine. This also came hand in hand in partaking of alcohol which would stay with him for most of his youth. He was so addicted into drugs and alcohol that by the time he was in high school, he had become very violent, often getting into trouble ranging from brawls to vandalism that he was arrested several times for such behavior, something he appeared to have welcomed, owing to his punk rock influence, his own way of defying authority.He eventually dropped out of school and lived like a vagrant, often stealing to support his habit (Levine, 2003, pp. 21-24). In his recent detention in 1988, the point where he was at his very low that his road to â€Å"enlightenment† would begin. When his father visited him, he was the one who had set him on the path by encouraging him to try meditation (Levine, 2003, pp. 3-4). At first, Levine regarded Buddhist teachings as â€Å"bullshit† but the moment he made an effort to try it, he underwent a profound transformation.He began the 12-step program and started attending meditation sessions. He was eventually released and he started on a new path in life. Over the next few years, Levine worked hard on his spiritual growth, even practicing celibacy and taking a pilgrimage to the Far East in search of enlightenment and even meeting and learning from the Dalai Lama himself! He would eventually finish his studies by getting a college degree but he did not stop there.He went further and obtained a graduate degree in counseling psychology as well. He followed in his father's footsteps by also becoming a Buddhist teacher and of all the places where he would like to teach, he chose to be at the very same detention facility where he used to be remanded. Although he is a totally reformed and transformed individual, there i s one thing from Levine's past that he has not repudiated, his passion for punk rock. He still listens to punk rock, and still acts, looks and dresses the part.He still sports tattoos but the difference now is that his tattoos are Buddhist-inspired such as the lotus flower and Sanskrit inscriptions, making Levine a look-alike of Hollywood actor Vin Diesel famous for his role as agent â€Å"XXX† where he would also sport tattoos. One of the things Levine discovered about Buddhism is that it is very open-minded into tolerating anything that would compliment it. Buddhist teachings, particularly the Zen school of thought, say that if an individual can be one with that particular subject, that is also Buddhism.Levine himself will attest that punk rock, contrary to what conservative thinkers may think, is not anathema to society at all. This is, of course, looking at it from a Buddhist perspective. Other people tend to view punk rock as wild, violent and to a certain extent, destru ctive. As Levine would also admit, he turned to punk rock as a way of defying the status quo of his generation, much like his parents were part of the â€Å"hippie† movement as an expression of defiance of the status quo of their own generation as well (Levine, 2003, p.  34).The nice thing about Buddhism is that it has a way of channeling the excess energy away from the destructive path. If there was one other thing that Levine learned from his enlightenment, it is that death is not the answer to his problems when he was attempting to commit suicide. For most people, to take one's life is the way of the loser, notwithstanding the â€Å"samurai† concept of suicide where they would take their own lives to erase the stigma of the shame. It does not apply here and this can be interpreted in several ways.From the Hindu/Buddhist perspective, there is the concept of â€Å"karma† and reincarnation where one's conduct in the present life would have an influence on what will become of them in the next. While these beliefs recognize death (as a natural occurrence), it does not encourage people to commit suicide. Based on â€Å"karma,† the one who commits suicide might find himself or herself reincarnated in a much lower life form because of this and surely, no one would like to be reborn as an animal or a microscopic organism!In most beliefs, death is not the end, but rather the beginning of the next phase, provided it would be allowed to take its natural course. Committing suicide would disrupt the grand design for the individual in the universe. One notable aspect of Buddhist Dharma is the direction one's path will be, depending on the choices made. Levine's somewhat troubled past serve as the basis of his writings and teachings. â€Å"We all sort of have a different doorway to dharma or spiritual practice. Suffering is a doorway.For me it was the suffering of addiction, violence and crime which opened me at a young age, 17 years old. I w as incarcerated, looking at the rest of my life in prison and thought, ‘Maybe I will try dad's hippie meditation bullshit. ‘ Suffering opened me to the possibility of trying meditation. † (Levine, 2003, p. 246) All in all, â€Å"Dharma Punx† is not only an autobiography, it is a spiritual journey of one individual who has endured probably the worst life can throw at him, send him on the wrong direction but through corrective â€Å"enlightenment,† was able to bounce back and become spiritually whole again.And if the spirit is â€Å"whole,† the physical body will follow as well. Noah Levine went through hell and came out of it intact. If this were to be applied in international relations, one thing Buddhism can teach is violence and hatred is not the answer to the problems in the world. Buddhist teachings teach compassion and empathy and if nations would like to establish close relations with one another, they have to begin by establishing a spir itual connection which is first done by â€Å"letting go† of one's self.Buddhism teaches that the reason why there is so much suffering in this world is due to worldly desires. In international relations, the struggle for power often puts nations at odds with one another and this often leads to wars. Buddhism teaches the opposite, in letting go of these desires and to empathize. In doing do, not only are friendly relations established, but one's own interests will be met by others and one need not worry about it anymore.Finally, â€Å"Dharma Punx† is a very enlightening book which is highly recommended to anyone, not necessarily to those who went through the same ordeal as the author went. The author had been there and had done that yet he would not encourage anyone to go through it. Nevertheless, the book is very helpful for anyone who needs to be steered to the right direction of real happiness which is something no worldly goods can provide.

Impromptu Speaking Feedback

non Boyd Impromptu speaking is not too bad Just trying to come up with a topic was a little anxiety. The feedback received was good they advised me I was very informative on my topic and my voice first was a little low, but once I got in to my speech it was better. I believe that my hardest part is dealing with certain words to pronounce and topics I do not know anything about when giving a speech.I do feel I need to Improve myself more concerning making speeches. I need to put more time on my preparation before my speeches, but sometimes there is not enough time, depending on the topic. Some speeches take longer than others Just depend on the speech and how long it needs to be. One thing I have learned with words I have trouble with is to draw a line between the letters to split them up when trying to say the word helps me.I have had many experiences when it comes to concerning public speaking In my past that has helped me throughout the years at the beginning I was very shy and was afraid to even talk In front of people. Since then I have done several presentations at schools and other public places like projects working with senior citizens were had to present my project In front of them and relate to the fire apartment, and it was also put In the local newspaper.I have also been a trainer for a few years with the company I work for that has helped me. I still get nervous when I do have to speak In front of people, afraid of forgetting what I am supposed to discuss or not saying certain words correctly. My memory Is not that good sometimes especially short memory because of my dillydally but I try my best. Note cards are easier they are a gulled to help present my speeches. I hope to learn more ways on how to give better speeches In this course and to Improve my confidence.

Green Buildings Improve Occupants Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Green Buildings Improve Occupants Health - Essay Example Construction of a green building is exceptionally costly as opposed to construction of a regular building. Before an individual is able to construct a green building he must consolidate a lot of money (Coussens, Pp 43). Individuals may save money from less energy consumption, but before this, they need to pay handsomely. Construction of green buildings is dreadfully expensive because eco-friendly materials used in building is not available in many regions. These materials have to be imported from other parts, thus increasing construction cost. There is a lot of indoor pollution in green building because these buildings are heavily sealed, hence ventilation is not enough. This worsens if the builder uses materials that emittoxic substances as it may result to health problems to the occupant. Green buildings are built in a manner that ensures maximum utilization of light. This results in construction of the buildings in the opposite direction to the neighborhood buildings, thus causing problems with the neighbors. Green buildings may take a long time before they are completed and this may put the home owners in difficult situations. The home owners are in difficult situations because some of them want the building to be completed at a specific time (Coussens, Pp 54). Green houses may take long before they are completed because materials are scarce and they have to be shipped from other countries. Another cause of delay is unavailable recycled materials that are supposed to be used in construction. It is difficult to install air cooling features that are self regulating like natural environment.

Case study - assignment question answer Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case study - question answer - Assignment Example As such, they decided to offer higher than the original prices to benefit the workers and to enable them maintain their jobs. The following statement from the text, â€Å"...harangued the Japanese team about their hypocrisy...† referring to the British boss, clearly reveals the anger and disappointment that the boss had towards the Japanese negotiators. Additionally, the aspect of emotion also appears from this statement, â€Å"...offer you an additional fifty cents a tonne above the price that you originally asked for...†. This statement by the chief Japanese negotiator is a reflection of the Japanese feelings towards the proposal forwarded by the British negotiators. Indeed, they had mixed feelings. The decision made by the Japanese negotiators triggered excitement though it was accompanied by a lot of surprise. According to Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory, effective intercultural communication plays a very significant role in creating understanding among different cultures and therefore preventing any cultural difference. Miscommunication is caused by lack of cultural understanding and poor communication skills, which can only trigger cultural conflicts. Hofstede suggested some cultural dimensions like uncertainty avoidance, collectiveness and individualism among others. Accordingly, Hofstede claims that these cultural dimensions, when put into use, assist in overcoming cultural differences. Arguably, the Japanese negotiators, listening to their counterparts and weighing the consequences of what they were about to do, enabled them solve their cultural differences and stabilized the situation. Accordingly, the British negotiators were very much interested on the interest of the South African workers. As such, they focused on their main reason of setting the prices and maintaining their position concerning the price. The British boss, having been disappointed by the Japanese negotiators, decided to be

An Aim, Passion and Future Anticipation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

An Aim, Passion and Future Anticipation - Essay Example However, this image is not based on practicality. Accountancy field requires much hard work, critical thinking and theoretical knowledge as any other field of work requires. The special art of tackling with numbers and applying critical thinking is required of the accountants. Accountants require a higher level of attention towards the details of any aspect of their work. They need to be careful when dealing with each and every account. Their accuracy is their professional competence and once it is lost, the work remains inadequately completed or represents wrong image of the company/organization/individual. In addition, accountancy keeps ethical considerations and behavior at the core of its professional requirements. The knowledge about computer and skills in maintaining and updating records is also linked to the accountancy field. I personally believe that I have all these characteristics which urge me to enter the field with confidence. My ethical standards are higher enough to m eet the demands of the accountancy profession. In addition, my habit of getting in touch with the latest technological advancements make it easier for me to adopt any new programs, techniques or technologies which may motivate more accurate and efficient accounts. Having these characteristics led me to practically step ahead in the field by choosing accounting as my majors. Stepping in the accountancy education provides me a ladder to reach the aim of becoming a financial manager of a company. My aim is not to make the records but to attain a level where I may foresee an organization’s future, plan for its future and make policies which may help in taking the organization out of crises positions. I aim to achieve the highest level of financial advising and responsibility of the financial affairs within the organization and prove my competence by keeping the organization financially sound. I enjoy fulfilling the toughest challenges and responsibilities. Unlike many people, I d o not fear responsibilities but they actually give me an energizing feature to strive more, plan, implement and to attain. Accountancy is the field which gets an individual started from a cashier to a higher position official like a financial manager of the company. The step by step promotion of responsibility and duty leads to a more even and gradual development in terms of profession. Hence, I believe that this profession best suits my requirements and temperament. A higher level of accountancy knowledge would be required to attain my long term goal of becoming a financial manager in a reputable company. However, initially I need to develop my understanding by taking up the graduation courses. I aim to complete my membership with ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) to familiarize myself with the professional needs and knowledge in practice. I need to have full grasp over accounting, finance, communication (both written and oral in case of writing reports on the f inancial performance and so on) and law. An accountant needs to be well aware of the regulations and laws relating to the accountancy practices in a particular region. Particularly, in larger corporations, companies need to follow the legal frameworks and regulatory requirements of presentation and preparation of financial reports and records. My initial inspiration towards this field is the rapid development of my uncle’s position in his work career. He started off with

International Economics between New Zealand and Morocco Research Paper

International Economics between New Zealand and Morocco - Research Paper Example The volume of export trade in New Zealand has been falling over the last two years. The export communities include meat, wood, and also mechanical machinery, with the top leader countries accounted for 56% of the total exports. Some of the top export markets include China, Korea, US, and Australia. On the other hand, the import of New Zealand has been on a rising trend over the years. The highest increase include the import from Brunei and Oman, while the imports entailed imports from Russia (Hirschman, 176). Some of the top partners were from Australia and China. Top 10 export commodities in New Zealand include dairy products like birds eggs and honey, meat, wood, prep milk, wood pulp, machinery, iron and steel, paper and paperboard, edible fruits, modified starch, and electric machinery while the top 10 imports in New Zealand include mineral fuel, electric machinery, boilers, plastics, vehicles, food industry residues, rubber articles, animal fats, miscellaneous edible fruits, and surgical instruments. In New Zealand, the terms of trade rose 1414 points in 2014 from 1389 in 2013. The terms of trade in the country was averaged at 1044.98 from 1957 to2014 reaching an index point of 1438 during the 2nd quarter of 1973 and lowest in 1975 with an index of 796. The index graph is as shown in the diagram below. Agriculture is the main economic block of New Zealand. The processing and production of the agricultural products lie wine, fruits, dairy products, and wool generate 16 per cent of the GDP and employs 15% of the workers (Helpman,  121). The products of agriculture generate almost half of the country’s GDP. In New Zealand, the regional and bilateral Free Trade Agreement play a crucial role in the international trade. The free trade agreement helps in maintaining high standards in protecting, supporting, and promoting sustainbale development and building capacity to address the issue of trade. The country has sought in

The Economic Environment and Anatomy of Business Essay - 1

The Economic Environment and Anatomy of Business - Essay Example The connection between demand and provide underlie the forces behind the allocation of resources. In economy theories, demand and provide theory can portion resources within the best approach doable. Census shows demand reasonable housing so much outstripped offer when the quantity of reasonable units rose, researchers say. Speak the housing crisis typically revolves round the scores of owners United Nations agency, unable to cater for their mortgage repayments, have lost their homes to proceedings. Renters have had it laborious, though, and therefore the enhanced population of homeowners-turned-renters has restricted reasonable rental choices for the less lucky, significantly in residential district Cook County. Looking at bureau information between the year 2007 and the year 2011, researchers in DePaul Universitys Institute of Housing Studies found demand for reasonable housing so much-outstripped offer when the quantity of reasonable units rose (Henderson and Hubert, 20). In 2007, there have been 118,794 residential district Cook County renter households that earned one hundred fifty percent of federal poverty line or $34,532 annually, and will afford a rent of $863.29. It means they paid no quite thirty percent of their financial gain on rent and utilities. That year, the provision of these units within the suburbs destroyed 71138, going away the reasonable housing wants of virtually 48,000 renters unmet. By 2011, despite the quantity of reasonable housing sectors rose to 85,176, demand for those units exceeded offer by nearly sixty thousand households (Hopkins and James, 12). The mate between offer and demand for reasonable units within the town of Chicago grew similarly. However, the gap wasnt as pronounced. "Theres continually attending to be a spot," aforesaid Geoff Smith, the institutes executive. "Its the expansion of the gap. They are not enough to accommodate them affordably. Because the gap grows, that

Leagalization of Medical Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Leagalization of Medical Marijuana - Essay Example Unlike alcohol abuse and other drug abuse that kill the grey cells causing brain damage or long term memory loss, the use of Marijuana causes only short term memory loss and that too, only while the individual is under its influence. Marijuana does not cause long term memory loss neither does it effect the immune system in the body. According to the UCLA School of Medicine study in 1997, (Volume 155 of the American Journal of Respiratory & Critical Care Medicine) on 243 Marijuana smokers for chronic lung disease, over the period eight years, it was found that "Neither the continuing nor the intermittent marijuana smokers exhibited any significantly different rates of decline in lung function as compared with those individuals who never smoked marijuana." In relation to smoking of Marijuana, the study found "No differences were noted between even quite heavy marijuana smoking and non-smoking of marijuana."The study concluded that unlike tobacco that is a major cause of deaths in the country, death from an overdose of Marijuana has never been recorded so far. Moreover, Legal prohibition of drugs is not going to prevent its consumers from taking them.

Higher Education Curriculum and Program Planning(Future Directions Research Paper

Higher Education Curriculum and Program Planning(Future Directions Question ) - Research Paper Example For a suitable professional in the current employment forum, graduates should uphold skills that will help them make informed decisions and possess significant communication, leadership, organizational, problem solving and technical skills. Therefore, the curriculum in place should be able to offer proper and required expertise in executing various tasks that a professional job demands and generally require (College Placement Council, 1994). Curriculum change has been fundamental in ensuring that it conquers with the major changing trends in the global business environment where these changes and late developments have significant implications for the reform of the professional education programs. This however has resulted to rising innovation, better organizational adaptability and flexibility, hence overall improved productivity (AACU, 2002). Future of curricular design Considering the changing business environment, the future of the curricular design is an evolving one that involv es considerations that are integrated in trainees’ deliberate decisions about education goals, content, instructional materials and methods, and assessment within social-cultural and organizational contexts. In examining these continuous changes, there is a reflection on various factors that influence these changes as explained as follows. Curriculum history Curriculum has been changing but its time past has been in question because students used to passively received information and acquired information that did not connect or conquer with the contexts where it would be used. For instance, in courses that require technical knowhow, the curriculum did not match with the demands of the career that requires trainees to posses certain skills that will help improve the productivity of the organization. In the chronology of a changing curriculum, assessment was mainly used to monitor the students learning, with the major criteria being articulation of the right answers. Students t ypically worked as individuals rather than organizing them in study groups and engages each other in discussions that would impove their understanding. The main objective of the colleges by then was just to transfer knowledge from the faculty to students as the curriculum provided through score sheets such as multiple choices. However, due to the upcoming requirements and changing environment, the curriculum has been reformed at a greater significance (Van, 1995). Forces influencing curriculum design The demands of a transforming society with varying needs and a competitive global market have greatly influenced design for the curriculum. Various innovations that are upcoming requiring specialized expertise have mostly affected the design for the curriculum to actually demonstrate what the trainees will be faced with in the market. An economy that is growing in a competitive region and latest inventions will need a form of learning that will equip graduates with necessary skill to co unter the challenges presented in these developments and even improve the innovations such us in engineering and medical fields. Currently, various faculties have embraced the learning centered paradigm as they create and implement major curriculum reforms. Accreditation also has played a pivotal

The School of the Americas Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The School of the Americas - Essay Example The schools presence in the region represented the United States growing role in Latin America. With the signing of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) in 1947 (Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Washington, DC) the United States involvement in the region grew even more. Yet another name change came in 1949. The U.S. Army Caribbean School continued to train both U.S. and Latin American soldiers. In 1963 the school got its most notable name: The School of the Americas (SOA). The SOA began training using Spanish only and controversy surrounding the school began. With the handing over of the Panama Canal to the government of Panama the school needed a new home. After much politicking, the Spanish speaking school was moved to Fort Benning, Georgia rather than Texas that had a Spanish speaking population (where the school thought was the most logical choice). In an August 1996 report sent to the Honorable Ronald V. ... The School of Americas thus played a part in this transition by providing Spanish language military training to Latin American countries that chose to send soldier-students. The School of the Americas closed in December of 2000 after much controversy and reopened in January 2001 as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation as a result of the National Defense Authorization Act. 2. Training Provided. As stated earlier, The School of the Americas functioned as a Spanish language military school and continues as the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation. It is interesting to note that the new school offers instruction (again in Spanish) in many of the same courses that the SOA did at the same location. The current school offers training to Latin American military personnel in courses such as2: Civil-Military Operations Course Information Operations Course Departmental Resource Management Human Rights Instructor Course Peace Operations Course The schools website claims that all courses listed are accredited at at least the baccalaureate level, students can receive credit for courses taken,3 and that all students receive at least eight hours of human rights training. As the SOA the school offered courses using manuals with such titles as4: Human Resource Exploitation Training Manual-1983 KUBARK Counterintelligence Interrogation-July 1963 3. The Controversy. As the SOA, the school came under scrutiny by various human rights groups because of the type of training provided to the Latin American students and the resulting human rights violations by SOA graduates. The United States was accused of training these soldiers to protect its economic interests in the region. CIA manuals used by

The Business, Its Mission and Its Strategy Term Paper

The Business, Its Mission and Its Strategy - Term Paper Example The organization has continued to experience an explosive growth, which is demonstrated by its annual revenues moving from $250,000 in 2009 to over $2 million in 2010 (Samasource, 2011). Samasource’s core business is outsourcing of digital work from large or small organizations. The organization offers outsourcing services under five broad categories: data services, research and archival services, machine learning, customer support services, and online content services (Samasource, 2012). This is mainly done on the Internet. The organization operates as follows. First it sources for work from other organizations. It then uses a proprietary technology platform to divide the digital work it has received into smaller tasks which are then distributed through the Internet to its various processing centers or partner sites. At these processing centers Samasource specifically recruits and trains women and youth from poverty-stricken areas who then perform the small tasks. Upon co mpletion, each of these small tasks is taken through a rigorous quality-assurance process on the proprietary platform before they are aggregated back into complete projects and delivered to the clients. The proprietary technology platform is known as SamaHub and the small tasks are referred to as microwork – a term first coined by the Samasource founder. ... This industry has numerous buyers and suppliers, which makes the bargaining power of both parties relatively weak. The three forces that Samasource would need to be wary of are competitive rivalry, threat of entry and threat of substitutes. The intensity of rivalry here is currently moderate because of the contrasting characteristics. On the one hand, there are numerous competitors, which should warrant a fight for market share. On the other hand, industry growth is high, and this somewhat negates the need for fighting over market share. Also, exit barriers in this industry are low, which means that companies that are earning low or negative returns can easily opt to leave the market rather than struggle. This eliminates excess capacity from the market (Porter, 2008). Nevertheless, we single out competitive rivalry because of the potential for rivals to converge and compete on the same dimensions. The nearly identical services of rivals coupled with low buyer switching costs could lead to price competition and, consequently, destructive rivalry. Barriers to entry for this industry are low for the following reasons. Firstly, the primary infrastructure for this industry is the Internet, which weakens the incumbents’ ability to harness supply-side economies of scale. Secondly, buyers face low switching costs in changing suppliers. Thirdly, capital requirements are modest. Fourth, the Internet gives new entrants equal access to the distribution channel. These low entry barriers make the threat of entry industry force to be very high. Substitutes to Samasource’s offerings are Odesk, Elance, Freelancer and other online outsourcing sites as well as the traditional BPOs found in the developing countries. We have

Why do you want to be a petroleum engineer. As a nigerian student in Essay

Why do you want to be a petroleum engineer. As a nigerian student in Texas A&M University - Essay Example In spite of the economic climate, active recruitment of graduates in the discipline of Petroleum Engineering by oil companies remains buoyant. Job prospects for Petroleum Engineers are abundant both within Nigeria and abroad. My cousins are Petroleum Engineers and have been working in the Gulf States for over a decade. They are a huge source of motivation for me. Having seen them successfully progress professionally as Petroleum Engineers, getting a degree in Petroleum Engineering is not a decision that I have reached in a hurry. I have been learning about Petroleum Engineering by consulting such websites over the Internet as Rigzone and SPE as well as watching university lectures. Once I went to Mount Pilchuck with my friends for climbing and was amazed to see how the rock composition varied from one level to another. Learning how geological variations impact our ability to develop a field would be fascinating. Opportunities for excelling academically in Petroleum Engineering are tremendous. Every year, thousands of scholarships are offered to the qualifying graduates of Petroleum Engineering worldwide. Being an interdisciplinary field, students study a broad range of subjects including thermodynamics, geology, mathematics, chemistry, and fluid mechanics. I can easily specialize in one of these core subjects of Petroleum Engineering after

The Gross Profit Margin of Mark Equipment Pty Ltd Essay

The Gross Profit Margin of Mark Equipment Pty Ltd - Essay Example The Gross Income Margin is a financial measure to evaluate an organization’s financial wellbeing by disclosing the percentage of cash left after considering the cost of goods sold into account. The gross income value of an organization serves as the basis for the payment of further expenses and future reserves. The gross income margin of an organization can be calculated as the ratio of its revenue less its cost of sales to its revenue value. i.e., Gross Income Margin = (Revenue – Cost of Sales)/ Revenue The cost of sales refers to the direct expenses involved in the manufacturing of the products sold by the organization. The cost of sales value includes the cost of resources utilized in the manufacturing of the products along with the labor expenses utilized in the production of the products. Thus, the cost of sales can be computed as, Cost of Sales = Opening Stock + Purchases – Closing Stock The computation of the cost of sales of a company does not comprise of any indirect costs involved in the process of sale of the products. Thus, the repair and maintenance charges, costs of depreciation of tools and equipments, rent expenditure, wages and charges of water and electricity have been excluded from the calculation of the cost of sales and hence from the computation of the gross profit of the company . Therefore, the cost of sales of Mark Equipment Pty Ltd for the present year and the previous year would be, The assessment of the financial health of Mark Equipment Pty Ltd can be carried out by the examination of the financial ratios of the company. The analysis of the current ratio shows that it has increased from 1.28 in the previous year to 1.34 in the present year. Ideally, the company should have current assets by current liabilities ratio of 2:1, in order to be in a position to comfortably repay their short-term liabilities. Thus, though the percentage of current assets of the company is a little higher than that of the current liabilities, the company should try to improve its current ratio in order to enhance its liquidity. The company also needs to focus on its cash assets so as to improve its creditworthiness. The debt ratio and the debt to equity ratio indicate the financial leverage of the organization. Debt ratio signifies the relationship between the total liabilities and the total assets. The debt ratio of Mark Equipment Pty Ltd has slightly increased from 0.57 to 0.69 during the period. The debt to equity ratio helps in deriving a reasonable relationship between the debt and the equity value of a company . The present value of the debt to equity ratio also increased a little from 0.17 in the previous year to 0.21. Since the values of the mentioned ratios are moderately low, it can be implied that the company is in a position to raise long-term debts, in case it wants to, considering the moderately low interest rate. The fixed asset turnover ratio of Mark Equipment is 22.51 in the present year, whereas the fixed asset turnover of the company for the previous year has been 18.07. The total asset turnover for the previous year was 5.23, whereas it decreased to 3.63 in the present year. It implies that Mark Equipment had been able to generate more volume of sales in relation to the fixed assets it holds . Thus, the company had utilized and managed its fixed assets quite fairly, though it needs to improve the utilization of its overall assets.

Using Jomini and Clausewitz, where do these two philosophers draw the Essay

Using Jomini and Clausewitz, where do these two philosophers draw the line in war between art and science - Essay Example The division of Gaul into east and west gave rise to Germany as West Francia - Charles the Fat’s (son of Charlemagne) share. The Germans under Otto I, would later take the crown away from the Franks in 962 AD and held on to it for the most part of the empire’s existence. In 1330 when the state separated from the church as a result of the anti-pope, Wittelsbach Louis IV’s victory over the popish Habsburg Frederick the Fair ( two contenders to the crown of the Holy Roman empire), the broken empire underwent periodic upheavals as each royal family consolidated its territory. The results have for almost a millennium now since the Declaration of Rense in 1338, became the pattern for conflict in Europe. The exodus out of the Roman Catholic church’ grip on the peoples of Europe that was the Protestant Reformation (1517–1648) that began on October 31, 1517 with Martin Luther – spurred hundreds of years of religious civil wars which spread in Europe w ith France at its center. It began with the French Huguenots revolt, after the Cathars, e.g. the Albighenses, in 1209 became the object of the Crusade led by Arnold of Amalric after a papal legate was killed. The massacre of Huguenots at Vassaly in 1562 began the so- called Wars of Religion.1 Napoleon Bonaparte in the Battle of Austerlitz in 1806 in the ensuing French Revoluion, put an end to the empire and Holy Roman Emperor Francis II of Austria abdicated. The lines which would in the future make up the boundaries of the nations were not defined then as they are now, until the wars that soon followed. Thus, the Battle of Austerlitz in 1806, is a mere consequence of these earlier events, which had taken 476 years since 1330 AD from the time the state separated from the church. Carl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) was a Prussian soldier from a middle class family of noble origins and had

Balance Scorecard for projects by Stewart (2001) Essay

Balance Scorecard for projects by Stewart (2001) - Essay Example On the other hand, it can also be observed that the success of any particular project heavily draws on the performance of the people involved in that particular project. A project is often regarded as a mini organization as a result of the fact that it is more structured and controlled. It can also be noted that different projects have failed to achieve their goals as a result of poor management. â€Å"With a proper performance measurement tool such as the balanced scorecard (BSC), organisations can clarify their vision through measurable goals and outcomes,† (Shepko & Douglas, 1998 as cited in Stewart, 2000, p. 38). Against this background, this essay will discuss the BSC as a more contemporary means of implementing the strategies of an organisation in order to operate viably with the aim of achieving its stated goals. The discussion will heavily draw on the work of Stewart, Kaplan and Norton, Ahn and Prastacos. Particular attention will be given to the work of Stewart (2001) entitled Balanced scorecard for projects. The essay will critique journal the articles by these authors with the aim of discussing their views about this topic which is related to BSC. The paper is structure in different parts and the first part deals with giving an overview of the topic in view of the ideas raised by different authors. In the main, the essay will discuss the findings of different authors about the topic in question. The last part of the essay is based on a critical analysis of a case scenario of BBCL/El Nino/El Dorado. The discussion of this case study will heavily draw on the ideas raised by different authors mentioned above. A conclusion to give the main points discussed in the essay will be given at the end where a personal reflection about the writer’s own perception about the topic will be given. 1.1 Overview of the topic Organisations are currently encountering a revolutionary transformation where industrial age competition is replaced by the information age competition. During the contemporary period, it can be noted that sophisticated financial control systems were developed to monitor efficient allocations of financial and physical capital. Thus, the need for a new approach to the evaluation of value creation of the organisations has led to the development of the balanced scorecard. According to Kaplan and Norton (1996), a balanced scorecard is a strategy that is used to supplement the traditional financial measures with other criteria that measure performance from three additional dimensions which include the following: customers, internal business processes, learning and growth. The BSC can be used to transform the vision of the organisation towards the attainment of its strategic goals. According to these authors, building a scorecard enables the organisation to link its financial budgets with its strategic goals given that it will be easier to monitor the performance of the organisation as a whole through an outlined step by step process. Stewart (2000) suggests th at the goal of every organisation is to do more, better,

The Experience of Ethnic Minority Workers Essay Example for Free

The Experience of Ethnic Minority Workers Essay Working conditions in hotels and restaurants †¢ Cash-in-hand, undeclared or under-declared, and illegal working was found among the ethnic minority and migrant restaurant workers interviewed, and affected both employment conditions and rates of pay. This was prevalent in small, ethnic minority-owned restaurants, usually employing members of the same ethnic group. The National Minimum Wage (NMW) was the rate commonly paid to basic grade staff, including bar and restaurant staff, hotel porters and housekeeping staff, particularly outside of London. The research also found a high incidence of flat rate payments per shift or per week, regardless of hours worked, below the NMW, often paid cash-in-hand. Long hours working was a further feature. Full-time workers did a minimum 40-hour week, with 50 to 60 hours a week being common, particularly in restaurants. Late night working, or until the last customer left, was often expected without extra pay. Some felt that they had no life outside work due to the long hours demanded by the job. In some instances, individuals had several jobs to earn money to support family or send back home. There was low awareness of holiday and leave entitlements. Very few workers received more than the statutory entitlement to four weeks’ holiday. Some reported getting no paid holidays or receiving less than the legal minimum, and there was generally low awareness of holiday entitlement. In small restaurants there was sometimes an informal policy of two weeks’ leave. It was common for workers to have received no written statements of particulars or contracts. This was found among both informally and legitimately employed workers, and was a source of anxiety for several. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 1 †¢ There were poor perceptions of job security in the sector. Few workers felt secure in their employment, often feeling they could be sacked on the spot, particularly those working informally. Some longer-term workers in regular employment were aware that increasing use of casual and agency staff meant that their jobs were not secure. Training available to migrant workers, particularly in restaurants, was minimal, usually only in basic health and safety, hygiene or fire procedures. In some hotels, however, managers had recognised the neglect of training in the past and were offering staff the chance to pursue National Vocational Qualifications. †¢ Problems at work †¢ There was a high degree of acceptance of the poor working conditions in the sector among interviewees, with issues such as low pay, long hours, unpaid overtime and poor health and safety standards often not perceived as particular â€Å"problems† but rather viewed as the nature of work in the sector. Where problems were identified these related to: pay; long working hours; workload; getting time off; bullying and verbal abuse, including racial harassment; problems getting on with colleagues; English language skills; and theft of property from work. Bullying and verbal abuse was common, particularly in kitchens where chefs were often known as bullies, but this was accepted by some as â€Å"just the mentality of the kitchen†. Sometimes the abuse had a racial element, with â€Å"bloody foreigner† used as a term of abuse. Racist abuse from restaurant customers was also regularly suffered by some waiters. In one hotel, several staff had experienced bullying from a manager, resulting in time off sick with stress. Staff believed there was an ulterior motive of trying to get rid of long-serving employees and replacing them with cheaper casual staff. Opportunities for promotion were felt by several interviewees to be inhibited by discrimination on grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality or age, as well as the limitations imposed by work permit or visa rules. Some long-term workers felt they had been overlooked for promotion, with their age then compounding the problem as employers looked for younger staff to promote and develop. Where employees saw that they had opportunities to progress, this was due to the support of a manager. Opportunities were further limited by employer presumptions about the suitability of staff for â€Å"front-of-house† jobs, such as reception or waiter positions, based on ethnicity, gender and age. Some employers expressed preferences for white staff, or a â€Å"balance† of white and non-white front-of ­ house staff, on the grounds that it was what their customers wanted. The research found that such racial stereotyping was expressed openly in this sector in a way that may not be acceptable in other sectors. †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ 2  . In the main, interviewees did not raise health and safety concerns when discussing problems at work, reflecting an acceptance of the hazards of this type of work. However many issues did arise during the course of interviews, which included: burns and working in hot kitchens; working in a confined space; back and shoulder pains; and tiredness from long working hours and heavy workload. Often, responsibility for health and safety, such as avoiding burns, was seen as primarily belonging to the employee and not the employer. Most workers believed that little could be done to tackle the problems that they were having at work, or felt that the only solution was to leave the job. A handful of workers had taken action to resolve their problems at work, either by raising concerns with their manager, or seeking outside support or advice. †¢ Support, advice and awareness of rights †¢ Workers felt poorly informed about employment rights in the UK, and had little idea of where to get information if they needed it. Many also were unsure about aspects of their own particular terms and conditions of employment, which was related to a lack of written information. As might be expected, those who had been in the UK for a longer time, and the small number who were members of a trade union, felt better informed about their rights at work. Trade unions had been a valuable source of support for a small number of interviewees, but for most workers, unions simply did not feature in their experience of work. But despite the difficulties of organising in the sector, including high staff turnover, no culture of trade unionism and employers that are hostile to trade unions, union membership was growing in one London hotel and catering branch. This was the result of recruitment campaigns that included information in several languages. Some interviewees either had, or would, seek support from community organisations about problems at work. However, there was a variation in the level of community support available in the three regions, with London and the West Midlands having established organisations representing a variety of ethnic groups, but such structures were much less well developed in the South West. Seeking support and advice through community organisations can also be a double-edged sword for those who work for employers within the same ethnic community, with some fearing that if they sought advice, word would get around and they would have problems getting work in future. Of the small number of workers who had sought support for problems at work, Citizen’s Advice, Acas and a specific project for service workers (no longer in existence) had been used. While a small number were aware of Citizen’s Advice, a couple thought that the service excluded them because of its name, which implied to them that it was for British citizens only. †¢ †¢ †¢ 3 Conclusions and recommendations †¢ While many of the working conditions and problems highlighted in this report are common to workers in the sector, the research found several features that serve to differentiate the experience of ethnic minority and migrant workers: immigration status; working in the informal sector; discrimination in the labour market and employment; and low expectations which increase tolerance of poor working conditions. For ethnic minority and migrant workers the difficulties in raising and resolving problems relate both to their own individual vulnerability and characteristics of work in the sector. Recent migrant workers may have limited English language skills and little or no knowledge of UK employment rights and support structures, factors that compound the difficulties of addressing problems in the sector. These include: the perception that there is a ready supply of labour to replace workers who complain; a lack of union organisation; a culture of poor personnel practice, such as minimal training and provision of information; and the informal nature of much employment obtained by ethnic minority and migrant workers in the sector. There appeared also to be a lack of monitoring or enforcement of employers’ compliance with employment legislation in this sector. To understand the different experiences and motivations for ethnic minority and migrant workers working in hotels and restaurants, the research developed a typology of strategies that highlights at one end how some individuals feel they are acting strategically in relation to their work choices, whereas at the other, economic factors and limitations play a greater role in determining their choices. The strategies move from Career progression through Broadening opportunities and Stepping stone to Pragmatic acceptance and No alternative. The research makes a number of recommendations about how the position of this vulnerable group of workers can be improved through better access to employment rights and information, improvements in working conditions and career opportunities, and improved provision of support and advice. †¢ †¢ †¢ 4 1. INTRODUCTION This project, The Experience of Ethnic Minority Workers in the Hotel and Catering Industry: Routes to Support and Advice on Workplace Problems, was funded by the European Social Fund and Acas and carried out by the Working Lives Research Institute, London Metropolitan University between May 2004 and July 2006. The project used qualitative research methods to explore the experiences and problems at work of ethnic minority and migrant workers in hotels and restaurants, with the aim of both identifying the range of experiences and problems encountered, and gaining a greater understanding of access to and use of support and advice to resolve these problems. The research therefore provides evidence of the conditions faced by ethnic minority and migrant workers, which is an area relatively neglected by research so far. Its objective is to inform policy in order to improve good practice in relation to the employment of ethnic minority and migrant workers, to prevent problems from arising, and to improve the support and advice mechanisms available. The key target groups for these research findings and policy objectives are thus employers, statutory bodies, the voluntary sector, trade unions and community groups. 1. 1 Background to the project At the start of the project a working paper (Wright and Pollert, 2005) was prepared to establish the extent of ethnic minority and migrant working in the hotel and restaurant sector, as well as pinpointing the main issues for workers in the sector identified by the existing literature. The working paper is available on the project website1. The paper showed that ethnic minority and migrant workers make up a significant part of the hotel and restaurant workforce – almost threefifths (59%) of workers in the sector in London described themselves as other than. White British in the 2001 census (Wright and Pollert, 2005: 27). Outside of London the picture reflects the differences in the concentration of the ethnic minority population across the UK. In the West Midlands, where 84% of the hotel and restaurant workforce were White British in 2001, the largest other groups were White other (2. 9%), Bangladeshi (2. 3%) and Indian (2. 2%). The sector is a particularly important source of employment for some groups, with 52% of male Bangladeshi workers employed in restaurants, compared to only 1% of white males (Holgate, 2004: 21). In London, migrant workers (those born outside the UK) account for 60% of those employed in the hotel and restaurant sector (GLA, 2005: 68), compared to 31% of all London workers who were born outside the UK. However there have been important changes in the composition of the hotel and restaurant workforce since the 2001 census, with employers filling vacancies in the sector by employing significant numbers of workers from the East European countries that acceded to the EU in 2004 (known as the A8 countries). The government requires nationals of the A8 countries who wish to work in the UK to register with the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS), and Home Office figures show that of the 375,000 workers registered between May 2004 and March 2006, 22% were working in hospitality and catering (80,570 workers) (Home Office, 1 http://www. workinglives. org/HotelCatering. html 5 2006a). There has, however, been a decline in the proportion of WRS applicants in Hospitality and Catering from 31% in the second quarter of 2004, to 18% in the first quarter of 2006, with Administration, Business and Management now employing greater numbers. The highest proportion of all applicants under the scheme were Polish (61%), followed by Lithuanian (12%) and Slovak (10%). The figures also show a movement of registered workers to other parts of the UK than London, with the percentage applying to London falling from 25% in the second quarter of 2004, to 11% in the first quarter of 2006 (Home Office, 2006a). While working conditions in the industry have been well documented as consisting of low pay, low status, exploitation of employees and lack of unionisation (e.g. Gabriel, 1988; Price, 1994; Head and Lucas, 2004; LPC 2005), little has been written in the UK about the actual experiences of ethnic minority and migrant workers, with much of the existing literature focusing on management behaviour and strategy (Wright and Pollert, 2005). Some recent exceptions include a study of low pay in London (Evans et al, 2005), which included the hotel and catering industry. This study of 341 randomly selected low paid workers contained 90% who were migrants. Of their sample of hotel and hospitality workers, the largest group (two-fifths) were non-British whites, mainly from Eastern Europe, followed by Africans (24%). It found the lowest rates of pay to be in the hotel and catering sector, below contract cleaning, home care and the food industry. Other recent research has considered the experience of Central and East European migrants in low paid employment in the UK in the context of the A8 countries joining the EU, and covers hospitality, along with construction, agriculture and au pairs (Anderson et al, 2006). It is some 15 years since the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) undertook a formal investigation into recruitment and selection in hotels (CRE, 1991) in response to concern that the sector was failing to consider equal opportunities in employment practices. It found that ethnic minority staff were disproportionately concentrated in unskilled jobs, and found only one ethnic minority manager out of 117 hotels investigated. It made a number of recommendations about how hotels should improve their practices in relation to recruitment, monitoring, positive action and training taking account of equal opportunities issues. However, we have been unable to find evidence of any monitoring or evaluation of whether these recommendations have been heeded or implemented by hotel employers. While knowledge of employment rights among all workers in the UK is poor, it has been shown that vulnerable groups know even less (Pollert, 2005). A random survey of people’s awareness of employment rights in the West Midlands found that women, ethnic minorities, young people and the low paid were least likely to be aware of their rights (WMLPU, 2001). The research was undertaken in the context of considerable public debate on migration policy, and at a time when the government was intending to phase out low skilled migration schemes, such as the Sectors Based Scheme, which granted work permits to certain numbers of workers in skills shortage sectors such as hospitality, in the light of new labour available from the European Union (Home Office,2005). At the same time there is increasing concern for â€Å"vulnerable† workers, and the government has recently published a policy statement on protecting vulnerable workers, defined as â€Å"someone working in an environment where the risk of being denied employment rights is high and who does not have the capacity or means to protect themselves from that abuse† (DTI, 2006: 25). 6 1. 2 Research aims The research set out to address the following key questions: 1. What are the working conditions of ethnic minority and migrant workers in hotels and restaurants? 2. How are working conditions seen and what are perceived as ‘problems’, and how does this impact on acceptance of poor working conditions? 3. What type of problems do ethnic minority and migrant workers have working in hotels and restaurants? 4. How do these compare to the problems generally affecting workers in the sector and to what extent are they associated with particular labourmarket niches within the sector to which these workers are confined? If this is so, to what extent is the insecurity of migrant status relevant, or is racial discrimination relevant? 5. How much do ethnic minority and migrant workers in this sector know about their rights at work, and to what extent do ethnic minority and migrant workers in this sector attempt to enforce their legal rights at work, or instead try to find ways to achieve a sufficient income and manageable working conditions, even if this means colluding with illegal employment practices? 6. How much do ethnic minority and migrant workers in this sector know about where to get advice and support for problems at work? And who do they turn to for advice and support? To what extent do ethnic minority and migrant workers in this sector use statutory (i.e. Acas, CRE), voluntary (CABx, local advice agencies), trade union, community (groups or informal contacts through ethnic networks) or informal (friends, family) sources of support and advice? 7. What are the experiences of ethnic minority and migrant workers in this sector of using all these sources of support and advice and what barriers do they face in accessing support and advice for workplace problems? 1. 3 Structure of the report The report describes the research methodology and access routes, together with the characteristics of the interviewees in section 2. The working conditions experienced by interviewees are described in section 3, confirming evidence from much of the existing literature on the sector, but also highlighting where the experience of ethnic minority and migrant workers may be particular. Section 4 describes the problems encountered by interviewees in their jobs in hotels and restaurants, but also considers the attitude of these workers to defining â€Å"problems† at work, as well as their approaches to resolving problems and barriers to resolution. The information, support and advice available to and used by the ethnic minority and migrant workers interviewed is explored in section 5, together with their awareness of employment rights in the UK. 7 In section 6 conclusions are drawn about the specific experiences of ethnic minority and migrant workers in the sector, the problems that they face and their need for support and advice, suggesting that changes need to be made to practice within the sector, as well as in improved provision of support to ethnic minority and migrant workers. 8 2. METHODOLOGY The project employed qualitative research methods to gather in-depth accounts of the experiences of 50 ethnic minority and migrant workers. Interviews were carried out between May 2005 and May 2006. In addition, interviews and face-to ­ face and telephone conversations were held with key informants to provide contextual information on features and trends within the sector affecting ethnic minority and migrant workers. The strengths of using qualitative methods are that they can not only identify tangible issues (the problems themselves, for example), but also more elusive, subjective issues, such as motivation, perceptions of opportunities and of rights, sense of inclusion, integration and fairness – or their opposites – sense of frustration, alienation and barriers to obtaining support and fairness at work. 2. 1 Regional scope The research project was confined to England within the terms of reference set by the European Social Fund. Three English regions were selected in order to provide a comparison of experiences of migrant and ethnic minority workers: London, the West Midlands and the South West. London and the West Midlands have considerably larger non-white and migrant populations than other parts of the country, with significant numbers of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis working in the hotel and restaurant sector in the West Midlands (Wright and Pollert, 2005: 27 ­ 28). In contrast, the South West is the English region with the smallest non-white population, but is experiencing a growth in migrant workers. The problems facing ethnic minority and migrant populations here have been less well documented, but where studies have been done, isolation from ethnic minority communities and support structures emerges as an issue (BMG Research, 2003; Gaine and Lamley, 2003; SWTUC, 2004). Tourism also accounts for 10% of total employment in the South West, with the greatest proportion of these (70%) employed in the hospitality sector – accommodation, restaurants, pubs etc. (Tourism Skills Network South West, 2002). In the South West it was decided to focus the research on two towns with a large tourist population and therefore a high demand for a hotel and restaurant workforce: Bournemouth and Plymouth. The Human Resources manager of a Bournemouth hotel group, interviewed for this research, said that only 32% of their workforce was British, indicating a high reliance on foreign-born workers. 2. 2 Definitions of ethnic minority and migrant workers The research includes both â€Å"ethnic minority† and â€Å"migrant† workers, categories which, in real life, are complex, changing and overlapping. Some ethnic minorities (using the Labour Force Survey definitions) will also be migrants. Migrants (defined here as all those who were born outside the UK, Home Office, 2002) may or may not be defined as ethnic minorities, and may or may not be discriminated against. White Australian or Canadian migrant workers, for example, would not be. But Kosovan people may be regarded as ethnic minorities, and suffer racism and discrimination, and Czech or Polish people may or may not be discriminated against, and while they may not be â€Å"visible† in terms of skin colour, in the way black and Asian people are, they are â€Å"visible† in terms of language, cultural characteristics, and discrimination. As many â€Å"white† Eastern Europeans are now 9 working in the hotel and restaurant sector, particularly since the EU enlargement in May 2004, it was felt to be important to include their experiences in the study. 2. 3 Access to research participants In order to include the experience of a broad range of interviewees from different ethnic groups and backgrounds, including both recent and more settled ethnic minorities, it was decided to use multiple routes to access interviewees. Therefore a range of bodies were contacted, many with a twofold purpose of: a) providing contextual information about the sector and/or the experiences of particular ethnic groups; and b) helping gain access to research participants. Organisations contacted included trade unions, community and worker organisations, sector bodies, employers and statutory and advice agencies (see Appendix 2). In the South West, where there are fewer organised community groups than in the two other regions, we spoke to officers at Bournemouth Borough Council, who gave us informal contacts within the main local ethnic minority communities, as well as putting us in contact with several community interpreters who spoke the main languages of the local ethnic minority groups: Portuguese, Korean, Turkish, Bengali and Spanish. These routes proved very useful in helping to access research participants and in providing interpretation for interviews. However, in the end, Turkish and Bangladeshi workers were reluctant to come forward to be interviewed, which the interpreters said was because they were fearful of speaking out about their employers, despite reassurances of confidentiality. In all three areas we used fieldworkers who were able to use their language skills to carry out interviews in workers’ native languages, namely Bengali, Spanish, Polish, Lithuanian and Mandarin. The fieldworkers were also able to provide access to workers who may not have come forward otherwise, being people who were known and trusted among their own ethnic communities, or who were able to provide sufficient reassurance of confidentiality. Training was provided in using the interview guide to all fieldworkers to ensure a common approach was used in interviews and that fieldworkers understood the aims and objectives of the research. While the approach used provided access to workers in a wide range of establishments, from large hotel groups to small independent restaurants, including several working ‘illegally’ or ‘informally’, we acknowledge that using such routes could not access the most hard-to-reach illegal migrant and ethnic minority workers, who may constitute a considerable proportion of workers in the sector. The research may not fully represent the worst conditions found in the ‘underbelly’ of the sector as suffered by many ‘illegal’ or ‘undocumented’ migrants, as portrayed, for example, in Steven Frear’s 2002 film about a London hotel, Dirty Pretty Things. It was decided not only to seek out interviewees who perceived themselves as having had a â€Å"problem† at work, but a range of people in different jobs in the sector, in order to explore their typical work experiences and their attitudes towards â€Å"problems† and conditions in the sector. 10 2. 4 Key informants In addition to the worker interviews, at least 20 key informants (see Appendix 2) provided further context on the hotel and restaurant sector, including regional knowledge. These included employers and employer representative bodies, trade union officials and branch members, community organisations, representatives of sector bodies and statutory and voluntary organisations. In some cases in-depth interviews were carried out, and in others more informal conversations were held either face-to-face or on the telephone. 2. 5 Worker interviews A total of 50 in-depth qualitative interviews were carried out in the three regions, with a greater number in London due to the huge range of ethnic minority and migrant workers in the sector in the capital. The breakdown was as follows: Table 1: Worker interviews by region Region London South West West Midlands Total % 46% 24% 30% 100% No. of worker interviews 23 12 15 50 during the interviews, which and a half. Participants were of both themselves and their participation with a ? 10 shop A semi-structured interview schedule was used generally lasted between 45 minutes to an hour assured of confidentiality, and of the anonymity employer. They were thanked for their time and voucher. At the start of the interview, participants were asked to complete a two-page questionnaire giving basic demographic and employment details, data from which is provided in the following section. 2. 5. 1 Ethnicity Respondents were asked to describe their ethnicity, according to the classification used in the 2001 Census. The results are grouped together in table 2. Table 2: Ethnicity of the sample Ethnicity White Bangladeshi and Pakistani Chinese and Other Asian Black Mixed % 36% 26% 20% 16% 2% No. of interviewees 18 13 10 8 1 11 2. 5. 2 Country of birth Table 3 shows the range of countries from which interviewees came. It was notable that only one participant was born in the UK, despite attempts to find British-born ethnic minority workers in the sector. Both fieldworkers and interviewees themselves commented that many British-born people do not wish to work in a sector that is known for low pay and long hours, including the children of migrants interviewed, as they seek better alternative employment opportunities (some young British-born workers do work in the sector while they are students, but tend to do so for only a short time). Table 3: Country of birth Country of birth Bangladesh China Colombia France Ghana Holland Indonesia Ivory coast Korea Lithuania Philippines Poland Portugal Slovakia Somalia Spain Sudan Turkey UK Ukraine 2. 5. 3 Gender Women are under-represented in the sample (38% of interviewees) compared to their presence in the sector as a whole, but this reflects the fact that the sample includes a substantial number of Bangladeshi workers, who represent a significant group in the sector in the West Midlands, and most of these workers are male (Wright and Pollert, 2005: 27-28). 2. 5. 4 Age Only one interviewee was under 21 years old. Almost two-fifths (38%) were aged 21 to 30 years old, and the same proportion were between 31 and 40 years old. Six interviewees (12%) were aged 41 to 50, and five (10%) were between 51 to 60. None of the interviewees were aged over 60. 2. 5. 5 Education Overall the sample was fairly highly educated, with 36% having a first stage or higher degree. Another 10% had post-secondary non-tertiary level education, and 36% had received education up to secondary level, while 12% had received. % 24% 10% 6% 2% 4% 2% 2% 2% 6% 8% 2% 4% 4% 6% 6% 2% 2% 4% 2% 2% No. of interviewees 12 5 3 1 2 1 1 1 3 4 1 2 2 3 3 1 1 2 1 1 12 primary level education or less. A further 6% had other qualifications or the details of their education were not known. 2. 5. 6 Employment The majority (62%) of the interviewees worked in restaurants, while 30% worked in hotels. The remaining 8% either worked in both hotels and restaurants, as agency workers, or in catering services. More than half of respondents (54%) said there were 10 or fewer employees where they worked. A further 22% said there were between 11 and 25 people where they worked. Only 6% worked for employers with between 26 to 49 people and 10% said there were 50 or more employees where they worked. However these figures should be treated with caution, and may underestimate the number working for larger employers, as respondents may have interpreted the questions as referring to the workplace or department of the hotel where they worked, rather than the employer as a whole. Almost half the interviewees (48%) worked as waiters or waitresses, either in hotels or restaurants. Another 20% were chefs or cooks, and a further 4% worked in kitchens as general assistants. 12% said they were supervisors or managers and 4% described themselves as cashiers. Another 10% worked in other jobs in hotels as receptionist, general assistant or porter/bar worker. The majority of workers were full-time (70%), while 14% said they worked parttime, and 14% were casual workers. Working hours were long. The largest proportion (40%) worked over 40 hours per week – 10% worked between 41 and 48 hours, while almost a third (30%) said they worked over 48 hours a week. Just over a third (36%) worked between 21 and 40 hours a week. Only 6% did less than 20 hours a week. The majority (82%) had only one job at the time of the interview, with 18% having two or more jobs. However, some of those currently working in only one job talked of previous times in the sector when they had more than one job. 2. 5. 7 Union membership Only five were members of a trade union (either the GMB or the TG), or 10% of the interviewees, although this is still a higher proportion than in the sector as a whole, where only 5% of workers are unionised (Wright and Pollert, 2005: 25). 2. 6 Data analysis All worker interviews were tape recorded and transcribed (or detailed notes were made where the quality of the recording did not allow for full transcription) with the participants’ consent, and field-notes were made shortly after the interviews. This data was analysed with the help of QSR N6 data analysis software in order to assist a consistent and rigorous approach to the data being analysed. A thematic index was developed to categorise the transcripts according to major themes and transcripts were coded accordingly using the N6 software.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding Essay Example for Free

My Big Fat Greek Wedding Essay In order for counsellors to help their clients evaluate their values in either work or personal issues, they make them look towards both their values and interests. In a study conducted by Neville and Saber (1986), it was found that â€Å"values are the objectives sought in behaviour, whereas interests are the activities in which values are sought. † Therefore, values determine why an individual may undertake a certain activity, whereas interests dictate what a person chooses to do. It has also been suggested that values are more correlated with work satisfaction (Rounds, 1990) as opposed to interests, which are more connected to the choices one may make in their career. The film, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, broaches the subject of values in a very intricate manner. The protagonist, Toula Portokalos, is brought up on three essential values; `Marry a Greek boy, have Greek babies, and feed everyone. ’ As a result, she begins to resent everything Greek, as she feels that being Greek has overtaken everything she wants for herself. To the extent, that when she meets a man who is a regular American, she is almost ashamed of disclosing the fact that she comes form a Greek family. Dating a non-Greek and then eventually her decision to marry him evokes a guilt within her. This is because her parents have always taught her that marrying a Greek man and inevitably bearing his children is one of the fundamental points to her existence, the reason her parents had worked so hard to give her the comfortable life she has had. Therefore, she is made to feel indebted to them. At this point, we see a classic incongruence between values and interests. On the one hand, we have her intrinsic values, what she wants for herself, personally, juxtaposed to the extrinsic values she needs to fulfil in order maintain her prestige, status, etc. It is interesting to see how despite the fact that Toula resents the Greek values she has been brought up with, it is her values that Ian, her fiance, adopts when they decide to get married. For example, he converts to her faith, the wedding and reception take place in the Greek manner, and even at the end of the film, when they have a daughter, she is sent to Greek school. Ian is depicted as a ‘WASP-ish’ individual with a very middle-upper class up-bringing. He comes from a family of lawyers and has rebelled against what is expected of him by becoming a teacher and then by marrying a Greek. However, Ian doesn’t demonstrate the same guilt that is seen in Toula. In his academic study A Critical Analysis of Values Clarification, David Lipe argues that Moral education generally has been regarded as an integral part of institutions such as the family, the church and the school. This is very much evident in the film, as both Toula and Ian seem to be products of their environments. Therefore, if this couple were to receive counselling, the values that they have accumulated throughout their lives would be an integral part of the process. This is because values are a direct reflection of our attitudes and therefore our beliefs. For example, if we take Toula’s love for Ian as an example, she is willing to work hard to sustain that love, and to even make sacrifices. She has clearly learnt this ability from her mother, as this is also conveyed within the film. This childhood value therefore becomes a pillar within her personality. If a counsellor was to overlook this whilst counselling her, he would miss a vital component to her personality and therefore risk prescribing the incorrect treatment for her. Values can be assessed by either a values inventory or a values clarification, and counsellors generally utilise these processes to treat people who feel confused or uncomfortable with their values. Both treatments focus on the patient examining their internal blueprint and direction of their lives. These processes provide the means to both be retrospective and evaluating the values that have been instilled within us, which then in turn aids us to set goals and prioritise. Both exercises are carried out in the form of a questionnaire aimed specifically towards the individual’s needs. This allows the patient to decide which goals are important and which may be left aside. The clarification of our values would inevitably help us to strengthen our core values and achieve a wholeness. Inevitably, for the couple depicted in the film, this process would be vital if they were to ever need counselling. As essentially, their values are what makes the essence of them. References http://www. apologeticspress. org/rr/reprints/Critical-Analysis-of-Values-Cla. pdf retrieved 22/01/09 Hood, A. B. and Johnson, R. W. 1997, Assessment in Counselling: A Guide to the use of psychological assessment procedures, American Counselling Association, 3 ed