Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Essay

At first, I disagree with this statement. I think Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is universally appropriate or applicable to all businesses. Customer relationship management refers to a series of processes, focused on initiating two-way communication exchanges with customers to have a detailed knowledge of their specific needs and buying patterns. The major benefit of a CRM system is that it helps business organizations in determining the type of customer best suited for the growth of their business. CRM enables business organizations to formulate strategies focusing on customer-driven growth and in providing superior and friendly customer experience There are four advantages of CRM that businesses should implement this strategy. * Customer Satisfaction By implementing CRM strategies, the company can focus on improving customer satisfaction through examination of customer preferences, demographics and interests. This information may be collected through automated surveys or personal phone calls from customer service representatives. Customer research may be performed to discover the reasons why one product is more popular than another. Customers typically enjoy the attention they receive and the interest in their happiness and satisfaction with the product, and the data that is collected can help the company produce better products and services in the future, contributing to improved customer satisfaction. This also improves customer retention over the long run. * Marketing The data that is collected through customer research can provide ideas for marketing and advertising for a big business. With many products or services to market, a large company may have difficulty targeting different customers for each item. However, customer research will provide information about what the customer likes about the product, what they are looking for in future products, and what purpose they would like the product to serve. All of this information provides great content for print or commercial advertisements and packaging designs for each product. * Lowered Costs By automating customer service with CRM software, the company can easily gain customer research through online or telephone surveys. The software automatically formats and calculates the data, making it faster and easier to collect this information. Fewer customer service representatives will be needed for collecting this information and less time will be spent preparing reports on customer research. Another advantage is word-of-mouth advertising from satisfied customers; as CRM strategies make customers happier, they become more likely to bring in new customers through word-of-mouth, which lowers the cost of finding a new customer. * Brand Image As customer satisfaction and retention improves, the corporation’s brand image may begin to improve as well. Customers will begin to associate the brand with good customer service, quality products and a personable approach. The CRM strategy’s focus on the customer will let each buyer know that their input is valued by the company. This can attract more customers and continue to create loyal customers to the brand. There is an example about effective implement of CRM. ICICI Bank has to manage more than 13 million customers. The bank has over 550 branches, a network of 2025 ATMs, multiple call centres, Internet banking and mobile banking. Its customers often use multiple channels, and they are increasingly turning to electronic banking options. Business from the Internet. ATMs and other electronic channels now comprise more than 50 per cent of all transactions. In the process of making its business grow to this level, ICICI Bank has distinguished itself from other banks through its relationship with customers. The Teradata solution focuses on a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform. Information from various legacy and transaction systems is fed into a single enterprise called wide data warehouse. This allows the bank to generate a single view of its customers. The warehouse has the capability to integrate data from multiple sources comprising Oracle and flat files. The Behaviour Explorer enables profiling of customers and querying on various parameters. These enable the bank staff create suitable campaigns for targeting individual customers on the basis of their requirements. To sum up, CRM is one of the best ways of determining the marketing strategies and other services offered to the customer. A well planned CRM can help organizations predict the current trend in the market and provide better services for customers befitting the trend, in turn increasing the business returns. The three major aspects of CRM are an operational system, a collaborative CRM and an analytical CRM. The customer relationship management concepts adopted by each company differ with their organizational objectives. There are 3 challenges of implementing CRM. * Costs One of the biggest challenges facing companies trying to implement CRM is the cost associated with purchasing, installing and training employees to use new software, according to CRMInfoline.com. CRM often doesn’t deliver the return of investment that companies hope for, though this is typically the cause of a poorly implemented system or poorly trained staff. While a properly implemented system should, eventually, show a good return on investment, CRMInfoline.com claims these results could take years to see in full effect as the new system takes root and customer awareness and participation grow. * Transition In order for a business to use a CRM solution properly, nearly the entire business will have to change. Most companies operate on an â€Å"us first, customers second† mentality, whereas CRM-centric businesses focus on placing customers and their satisfaction before the company. Furthermore, CRM systems are typically very complex and span multiple departments, meaning most employees will have to go through some sort of training that will inhibit them, at least somewhat, from performing their normal work duties. * In-House Versus Supported System Supported systems are CRM solutions that are taken care of or outsourced to another company. While in-house CRM software can be more effective, it’s much more difficult to implement. Companies without any current CRM implementation should consider supported systems more than companies with at least some current level of CRM, according to TMCNet.com. Supported systems typically cost less to implement because they’re not as in-depth or effective as in-house solutions. Jollibee is a phenomenal success story, having grown from two ice cream parlours in 1975 to over 1,800 restaurants worldwide today, including the strategic acquisitions of high profile brands like Greenwich Pizza, Deli France, Red Ribbon and Chow King. The company now operates 300 international outlets in markets in the United States, across Asia and throughout the Middle East. The big business like Jollibee must implement complete and effective CRM strategy. * Form a cross-organizational team. A cross-organizational, or cross-functional team, is made up of leaders from each core department in Jollibee. Representatives usually include at least one member from sales, service, marketing, support, management, IT, finance, and any other functional area in Jollibee. * Jollibee should decide what project goals to begin with (customer acquisition, sales growth, service improvement, or something else). Once goals are laid out, phases for installation of CRM can begin. This includes technology and software implementation led by IT, communication of new roles and responsibilities in each department, and implementation of training and rewards programs. * Provide training. Employees in many functional areas, including, service and support, are likely going to be using new technology devices or software solutions for customer accounts, data collection, customer service, data analysis and other CRM functions. This often requires training on philosophy behind the new system and CRM role as well as technical training on the technology applications. * Measure results. CRM fails without constant measurement. By definition, CRM programs are ongoing and design to improve over time. Feedback and data collected during CRM projects and phases should be analysed, evaluated, and reacted to by the cross-organizational leadership team. Decisions on how to improve the customer experience, behaviours of employees, and any other important components of CRM help guide the next project phases or phases. With CRM systems, Jollibee can streamline their business processes effectively and in accordance with customer needs. Customer Relationship Management software is employed by Jollibee to manage and organize their customer database and contacts. Proper customer relationship management solutions are necessary for any business firm to empower their staff, to expand their business and to provide quality customer care services. Task 2 There are 5 possible negative impacts caused by heavy-use of sales promotions. 1. Increased price sensitivity Consumers wait for the promotion deals to be announced and then purchase the product. This is true even for brands where brand loyalty exists. Customers wait and time their purchases to coincide with promotional offers on their preferred brands. Thus, the routine sales at the market price are lost and the profit margin is reduced because of the discounts to be offered during sale-season. 2. Quality image may become tarnished If the promotions in a product category have been rare, the promotions could have a negative effect about its quality image. Consumers may start suspecting that perhaps the product has not been selling well, the quality of the product is true compared to the price or the product is likely to be discontinued because it has become outdated. The Smyle Powder offer of â€Å"Buy 1 and get 2 free† went on and on. Ultimately people stopped asking for the product as the on-going sales promotion strategy made the customers perceive it to be a cheap and an inferior product. 3. Merchandising support from dealers is doubtful In many cases, the dealers do not cooperate in providing the merchandising support nor do they pass on any benefit to consumers. The retailer might not be willing to give support because he does not have the place, or the product does not sell much in his shop, or maybe he thinks the effort required is more than the commission/benefit derived. 4. Short-term orientation Sales promotions are generally for a short duration. This gives a boost to sales for a short period. This short-term orientation may sometimes have negative effects on long-term future of the organization. Promotions mostly build short-term sales volume, which is difficult to maintain. Heavy use of sales promotion, in certain product categories, may be responsible for causing brand quality image dilution. 5. Harmful Effect of Band image If a brand is perceived by consumers as being a value rather than premium brand, it is more likely to receive the most benefit from a price-based sales promotion. However, overuse of price-based sales promotions for any brand can have devastating effects on the brand’s image. This is particularly true for premium and super-premium brands or products and services in which the consumer has difficulty judging product quality in other ways, such as legal services or vitamins. The objective behind sales promotional tools is to keep current customers while attracting new ones, maintaining sales of seasonal products, introducing new products and challenging competitors. The essence of sales promotion involves using all forms of promotional activities, besides personal selling and advertising, to improve sales. In order to gain a strong foothold in the Malaysian market, Jollibee need effective sales promotional tools to fight its competitor. Coupons Coupons are one sales promotional tool. Customers get coupons in several ways, including via newspapers, magazines, online or mail. Customers present coupons to the retailer while buying merchandise in order to receive a discount or free product. For example, a customer of Jollibee use a coupon which takes 50 per cent off a set of meal costing $10, he saves $5. Bonus Offers Bonus offers or gifts with purchase are widely used promotional tools. When customers purchase a product, sometimes a bonus product is given along with it. The purpose is to increase the sale of the product and to make it more attractive by offering an additional item. When customers spent up to $20, he will get a free ice cream. Free Samples Another popular promotional tool is the free sample. When a customer is in the store purchasing certain products, he may receive a free sample of deodorant, shampoo, energy drinks food or candy. Usually, free samples don’t require the customer to purchase anything. Free samples can be given to a particular target audience in order to attract that type of customer. Jollibee can put new product as free samples to get feedback. Premiums Premiums are extras added to sweeten a purchase for a customer. For example, a software company might add a year of free technical support for a customer who buys an expensive software program. Jollibee can offer special toys in their children meals. Offering premiums gives a business owner the opportunity to partner with complementary businesses, creating a wider target audience. This premium creates a win-win situation for everyone involved. It provides a demonstration to potential customers uses referrals to introduce the companies to potential customers and provides a free, useful gift to existing customers. Mystery Rewards Scratch-and-win cards or raffles for prizes are other popular promotional tools. The key is this mystery reward has enough attraction to attract customers. Popular food and unique gift will be work. Money Back Offers When customers doubt the quality or reliability of Jollibee, offer a money-back guarantee. Give a detailed explanation of eligible returns and refunds available for customer reference. Point of Purchase Displays Point of purchase displays is used in Jollibee to catch the attention of customers. The selected products may be sale items but may also be seasonal or high-demand merchandise. The displays are built in a prominent location such as on an aisle end or at the front of the store near the entrance. Jollibee may also place signs at the product’s normal shelf locations. Sales A sale is a reduction in the price of a product for a specified period of time. Sales are used by manufacturers to gain new users or to increase market share. They also generate traffic in a retail establishment. Sales can result in off-season purchases that normally would not occur, such as Jollibee offer special food at 50 per cent off in Malaysia festivals. Besides, some points about sales promotion are important. A sales promotion constructed to inform customers about a new product might include an advertisement in a local paper explaining the product and inviting customers to visit a Web site for a coupon offer. An activity like this can be measured by tracking the number of people who receive the paper, the number of people who visit the Web site, the number of people who download the coupon and the number of people who actually use the coupon. Reminding customers about a product or service is just as important as an initial product introduction. Something as simple as setting up an in-store display with coupons or having customers complete a survey to indicate how often they use the product keeps brands fresh in consumers’ minds. Information gathered from the survey can expose how often customers use a product, how familiar they are with a product and if they plan to use it more in the future. Couple this with a discount coupon and Jollibee can even track the number of people who make a purchase after completing the survey. A follow-up survey can assess things like customer satisfaction and likelihood for a repeat purchase. Sales promotions are a great way to inform and remind customers about Jollibee. Ultimately, the main objective of these activities is to increase revenue. Weigh the cost of promotional sales campaign against the total revenue Jollibee expect to receive. Consider that many companies are spending up to 60 per cent of advertising budgets on sales promotions. Be sure that Jollibee’s promotional campaign is both cost-effective and profitable. These sales promotion techniques can help Jollibee gain a strong foothold in the Malaysian market. References 1. Why Customer Relationship Management is so important? (2008) By Article Alley [online] Available from http://praveenortec.articlealley.com/why-customer-relationship-management-is-so-important-576369.html [Accessed on 12 Jan 2013] 2. Challenges of Implementing a CRM (2010) By Matt Koble [online] Available from http://www.ehow.com/list_6631188_challenges-implementing-crm.html [Accessed on 12 Jan 2013] 3. Tools of Sales Promotion (2005) By Chris Joseph [online] Available from http://www.ehow.com/list_6073558_tools-sales-promotion.html [Accessed on 12 Jan 2013] 4. Disadvantages of Sales Promotion (2008) By Drypen [online] Available from http://drypen.in/sales-promotion/disadvantages-of-sales-promotion.html [Accessed on 12 Jan 2013]

Margaret Atwood †Relationship between three of her poems Essay

Margaret Atwood is a Canadian poet, novelist, and critic, noted for her feminism and mythological themes. She was born in 1939 in Ottawa, about the same time World War 2 started. Her life was lived in a time of male dominance, which she did not like. She expressed her views of this by writing, and her writings showed many of the feminine views that she believes in. According to a reviewer, Atwood’s writings are obtained from the â€Å"traditional realist novel,† where often the female protagonist is representative of an ‘everywoman’ character, and is victimized by gender and politics. In her stories Atwood combine fantasy and social realism, myth and parody and poetry, and also uses postmodernist devices to unsettle the certainties of traditional realism. The reason why she uses a lot of mythological themes is because her father was a forest etymologist. Many of the experiences that she had when she was a child, influenced her to write about the things of nature. Her writings were praised by many, this can be seen through all the awards and recognitions that she has received throughout her long and productive life. Her most outstanding award would be the Canadian Governor General’s Award for poetry in 1966. Her work has been an inspiration to many and she will be recognized for many years to come. The three poems that I am going to discuss are: The Landlady, Rat Song and Song of the Worms. All three of these poems use strong imagery to show Margaret Atwood’s view of the way that women are treated. She uses several tones in her poems, the tone that she generally uses for these three poems are frustration and anger. Another thing that she likes to use is a run on style of poetry, which allows for the readers emotions to carry on to the next line all the way to the end of the story. Almost all of her poems are free verse, I could not find any rhythmic or rhyming devices used in any of them. She likes to use symbolisms to get her point out, and when she uses them they are direct. One thing that I find interesting in her writings is that she likes to use something like personification, but it is the opposite. She is giving people qualities of animals. Her writing style is unique and interesting, and this style will be seen in the three poems. In the poem The Landlady, Atwood shows that women are stronger than men. In the beginning of the story, someone is describing the landlady and we do not  know who this someone is, but I think that this someone represents men. This person describes the landlady as intrusive and she is everywhere. This symbolizes that women are getting stronger and will be controlling the men. The next section says that the landlady controls the man’s life. Everything belongs to the landlady and nothing to the man. The next section is where the man tries to escape from the landlady, but she is always surrounding him. Even in the man’s dreams the landlady will be there and there will be no way around it. The last section describes how the landlady is overpowering and will not let the man go through her. This poem is free verse, which means that there are no literary devices. The only style of writing that I can see in her poem is a type of run on poem, which allows the reader’s emotions and thoughts to carry through to the end of the story. The tone of the story is fear and entrapment by the male because of the woman’s power and authority over them. I think that this is a poem about how strong the female can be over the men. The woman will be able to control the men, and men will be at the mercy of the women. This is a strong feminist view that Atwood supports and shows through her writing. This is a strong poem and was criticized by an American journalist for being too one sided. I think that Atwood got her point through in this poem. In the poem Rat Song, Atwood is trying to show how the rat symbolizes the woman. In the first section, it says that when the man hears the voice of the rat singing, the man takes out his gun and tries to kill the rat. This symbolizes the woman when she is trying to be heard, and the man is trying to shut the woman up. The next stanza shows that when the man tries to trap the rat, the rat outsmarts it. This makes the man think that the rat is dangerous because it is very smart. That stanza symbolizes how women are smart and men should watch out for them. The following stanza talks about what the rat really wants. It says in the poem, â€Å"All I want is love,† the rat does not want to bother the man or live off of the man, all it wants is some love. This is just like women today, they do not want to annoy men, and all they want are love and respect. The reason why the rat lives off the man is not because it wants to, but because it is the only thing that it can do. Atwood is tr ying to say that women are weaker because men are suppressing the women. In the last section, there is a line that says, â€Å"he is hiding /  between your syllables.† This line talks about how the rat can hear compassion, but it is trying not to be shown by the man. This is a really interesting poem that shows how Margaret Atwood feels about men. She uses many symbolisms to imply what the men are thinking about he women. His style of writing is basically free verse; there is no recognizable beat or rhyming scheme. The only type of literary device that I can see is that she uses a style of run on poetry. This style can be seen throughout the entire poem to allow the reader’s emotions to carry all the way to the end of the story. The tone that she uses in the poem is anger. Atwood is mad about how women are treated by men. She finds that men know that women are smart and therefore are trying to suppress females. Her imagery is convincing and really makes us want to think about the truths in her writing. This poem was written in the early seventies, which is about the time when the feminists’ ideals were strongly implanted into the women of North America. This feminist view can be seen throughout the poem and what Atwood feels is expressed in the entire poem. Overall, this was a great poem with a message to the men on how they are treating the women. In the poem Song of the worms, Atwood tells us how women have been stepped on and taken advantage of. In the first section, it talks about how the worms have done their work and have been underground for so long. This section shows us that men have suppressed women for a long time. The women have done enough work for the men and it is time for a change. The second section talks about how all the women want is to be loved. This section is similar to a part in the first poem where it says that all women want is to be loved. The twist here is that they are rejected by the â€Å"boots† of men. This symbolizes the men stepping on the women and treating them like dirt. The women have been stepped on long enough and they know what being stepped on is about. The next stanza says, â€Å"Soon we will invade like weeds, everywhere but slowly.† This is a very strong stanza that is trying to tell the men that soon the women will stand up for themselves and rebel. They will be stepped on no longer and have no fear of what men will try to do to them. The last stanza says that until the time comes, the worms will be in the dirt waiting for the right time to come out and attack. This poem is again free verse and uses a run on style of writing. Atwood makes the worm  symbolize the women who are hardworking and oppressed. She believes that one day, women will rise up and say, â€Å"Enough is enough,† and rise up to rebel against the men. All three of these poems deal with feminism and show what Atwood thinks is going on and what will happen. The writing styles of these three poems are similar. All of them use free verse and a run on poem style, which can be seen in almost all of her work. This allows an easier way to get her point through. Her poems are strong and provocative showing what many people do not want to hear or accept. In the last two poems, they both use certain types of animals to symbolize the woman and how the men are treating them. They both say that men are stepping on women and that the women will one day rise and take down these men. Atwood uses animals because of the way that she was raised up, which was in a home with the father as an etymologist. Her father’s occupation made her enjoy the wilderness and nature, which has influenced her writing today. The first poem is similar to the other poems because it shows that the women have finally stood up for themselves and is now in control. Her feminist views are influenced by the time period that these poems were written in. During the late sixties and early seventies, there was a strong feminist uprising making the women realize that they were like being treated like slaves.

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Antonio Vivaldi: Introductory Concepts

Introductory Concepts Composed by Antonio Vivaldi,† L’inverno† (Winter) is the fourth concerto of a set of violin concertos named â€Å"Le Quattro Stagioni† (The four seasons) that belong to a more complex work titled â€Å"Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione† (The Contest of Harmony and Invention) (Grasmeier) . The structure of this piece is in ternary form. The piece begins with a fast tempo and then slows down to finish fast and loud again. Vivaldi makes use of variety in this â€Å"Winter† composition through dynamic when the music suddenly changes its volume and also through changes in pace.Although this concert is performed only by string instruments (mainly violins) he also achieves variety by using different techniques among the instruments (like pizzicato). Vivaldi’s â€Å"Winter† is considered a program music which means it must tell a story. I believe he is able to evoke cold, ice, chattering teeth, shivering bodies, and wind. Beginning with a fast pace seems like a big storm is about to come, when the violins go in crescendo it feels almost like some people are running to get shelter, and the pizzicatos reminded me of shivering.I also believe that the high pitch of the violins helps to give the image of coldness. This masterpiece is played by an instrumental ensemble, more specifically, an orchestra and has a violin solo. The instruments involved are string instruments (violin being the predominant). The main melody or Idea A is played very loud and the violin solo is executed with bravura which gives more heart to the music. In all, I believe that this composition serves its purpose of creating mood and is also very delightful to listen to.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Is Command and Control an Effective Management Style Essay - 4

Is Command and Control an Effective Management Style - Essay Example It is inappropriate for managers and  hence  managers should  consider  other management styles. There are other management styles, which are distinctively different from the command and control  style. They have proven effects on the positive change and  performance  of a company. These are not the days of considering  people  as working machines. People need to be managed and accorded respect  as being valuable to the company. Jackson K & Rowley C (2010, 136),  assert  that management styles such as the  modern  consultative and laissez-faire, are  extremely  productive. These and other methods  welcome  the ideas of the subjects in problem-solving. They are  advantageous  in that they  wholly  solve the problems that affect every  member, unlike the command and control. The command and  control  favor one side. The command and control are short of participation. Managers should be  analytical  in their ruling. This means that t hey should know the  root  of the problem, ask the why and how to solve them satisfactorily.The mind of a human  being  is highly  productive  when in a relaxed state. It is what controls the  body. When disturbed, then the outcome of the work done will not be  effective. It can be clearly seen from the video by Job Stains (public conversation website, n.d.), on the public conversation project that, threatening the  mind  leads to a state of relaxation leading to the production of hormones. These hormones  make  the  person  fight back or  decide  not to  react  to the threat. In the process, there are no results obtained as well as conflicts solved. The use of narrative as indicated by the narrative therapist (Morgan, 2000) can be a better way of managing people. Talking of the positive things is healthier than dwelling on the negatives. People interested in the things they consider  valuable  and not what discourages them.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

How Horses were still used in WWI Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

How Horses were still used in WWI - Essay Example Still, the distinguished armed forces’ officers receive a sword as an award against exemplary performance. The ancient warfare was primarily based on courage, strategy, and strength of character. But, the computer technology took charge of major military operations in the world and therefore, the focus shifted towards technological proficiency and the element of courage and manhood became secondary in the context of current and prevailing warfare standards in the world. Still, the value of traditional weapons and tactics is being recognized in the literature (Treherne pp.142). The so-called modern Armies still train their soldiers in horse riding so that they should know the traditional and classical way of commuting when needed. However, the concept of warfare is becoming and transforming into something highly mechanized. In few decades from now, the traditional war will become a permanent resident of history books, as human soldier will be replaced with a robot. Thusly, it c an be established that human involvement in wars will become extinct in the future version (Bernard and Jones pp. 1036). But, in the context of World War I, the horses were used as a means of commuting. The timing of the featured war was considered concurrent with major technological and theoretical breakthroughs but the commuting infrastructure was not largely institutionalized and neither was it available to general public. The abovementioned shortages of mechanized transportation contributed significantly towards forcing armed forces to use natural resources a great deal (Treherne pp 140). Additionally, the vehicles of that time were low on the most important dimension of fuel economy and therefore, the authorities followed the notion of economic rationality in terms of deciding to use the most efficient source of transportation at their disposal. Humans’ profound inclination towards saving money and exercising tight control on cash outflows translated into vast scale use of horses in World War I. Furthermore, the Armies were not trained to use vans and other vehicles but they had a profound and notable efficacy to effectively use horse as a strategic tool in the panicked conditions that are associated with the perception of war. The two major reasons supported the application of horses in World War I. Firstly, the ill-developed industry of mechanized transporters and secondly, soldiers of that era did not have the appropriate training needed to use the modern way of transportation. Moreover, it is important to note that the other historically known war based on volume was fought with the help of mechanized infantry and tanks. Yet, in the case of the First World War, the fight was fought with the help of rifles and other simpler and elementary equipment. The idea of war was partially based on courage and leadership abilities when the maiden global military confrontation was being fought and the warriors’ best companion was also significantly i nvolved in its proceedings as well. The art and science of war transformed into highly technological endeavor by the time, the world entered into the terminal years of the 20th century. The major economic powers of the world managed to develop and perfect their nuclear technology by late 1990s and therefore, the world’s ability to destroy itself grew substantially over the past decade. In the view of political specialists, the probability of war has

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Organisation and behaviour Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Organisation and behaviour - Assignment Example 52). Motivation is among the key determinant of work output of employees. There is a positive association between motivation and work output. When employees are adequately motivated, their output has been shown to increase considerably (Northouse, 2012.p 36). As such, managers ought to be well equipped with knowledge on how to motivate employees. Their primary role is to see goals and objectives of the firm realized and such requires dedicated employees. If employees are not motivated, their performance is not optimal and may not sustain the firm. Managers are; therefore, better off aware about motivation that will keep employees enthusiastic to realize the firm’s goals and objectives. Maslow hierarchy of needs tries to establish human motivations. It is the achievement of certain needs that motivates people, and they are in a hierarchical order from the very basic existence needs. It is upon fulfilling one need that a person ventures into fulfilling the next (Bass and Bass, 2009. p. 78). The model consists five stages that can be classified into three broad categories namely basics, needs, and growth needs. Basics include deficiencies, the needs include physiological needs, safety, love and self-esteem and lastly, growth needs accommodates self-actualization (Nel, 2011. p. 17). An individual toils to satisfy basic needs in the lower levels before progressing to growth needs in higher level. According to Maslow, a person stagnates on a specific level of need until that need is either partially of fully satisfied. When a need aggravates or the person is constantly not able to meet the need, the easy option often becomes to regress back to an earlier need to fulfill it more and to avoid the frustration (Bass and Bass, 2009. p. 80). This result in what the ERG theory calls frustration-regression aspect. The theory assumes that there are two

Friday, July 26, 2019

Research into Recent Developments in Gold Prices Paper

Into Recent Developments in Gold Prices - Research Paper Example Relating the context of recession to the price changes of gold in the international market, it can be stated that the revitalization of demand for the commodity in the recovery period of 2010-2011 led to the sustained and rapid rise in gold price. With gradually stabilizing demand along with the Customer Price Index (CPI) in major economies including US and UK, the purchase rate of gold also increased which further augmented gold prices to maintain balances in its supply and demand ratios. With reference to the above presented chart, it can be apparently noted that gold price augmented rapidly during the month of August, 2011. For instance, the average gold price was recorded as USD 1572.81 per OZ for the month of July 2011 which increased to USD 1755.81 per OZ in the month of August 2011. It is in this context that gold suppliers intended to foster the reserves of the commodity encouraging production as well as recycling following the recovery of the financial market. Although, a 7% increase in the mine production was witnessed, the recycling activity made negative contribution of 3% in comparison to the previous year. On the similar context, the demand for gold was also rising steeply in the previous quarters of the year, i.e. 971.70 tons in Q1 and 919.80 tons in Q2. Therefore, in order to maintain the balance in the supply of gold having lesser growth rate than the demand, the price of the commodity increased rapidly during the month of August 2011.

An analytical managerial review of In or Outsourcing in the IT Research Proposal

An analytical managerial review of In or Outsourcing in the IT industry - Research Proposal Example the basis of its enormous importance, it was important to choose the Information technology industry as the basis of this research project; it will serve as a dynamic topic of discussion that will have immense importance in the future. Also, information technology is my field of career; working on information technology will benefit my employer as well. It will help me increase my knowledge on a subject that I have immense interest in. In order to work on analytical managerial review of an organization in IT industry, I have chosen my organization as the subject. The research on information technology will not only help me enhance my capabilities in this area, but will also greatly help my organization. With the advent of numerous outsourcing options; the question today is not about to outsource or not to outsource. The new dilemma is to introduce the right kind of IT System at the right time with the right price point. The right decision at the right time about the right system is the key. Therefore, the tile of this research proposal is In or Out? – using the words from in sourcing or out sourcing; which management strategy works better for organization. As the head of ICT services, the project is extremely close to my interest, my line of career and will greatly benefit my organization and the field of IT as a whole. As mentioned above, it is not about outsourcing, it is about the time and price at which outsourcing decisions should be taken. As the environment is changing with each passing day, so is the development of the field of IT and its relative importance to the business technology. This changing environment can be greatly noticed in the information technology industry. In the current global financial environment, organizations are required to produce immaculate synergy; producing more than ever from the limited resources put in the system. The geographical location is more of a limitation that is mitigated by operations all across the

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Case reading 'Power as Domination' Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reading 'Power as Domination' - Case Study Example This essay aims to provide more insight on the communication practices that were employed by TWA to dominate Ozark airlines employees, during and after the acquisition of the airline back in 1986. Primarily it is imperative to acknowledge the fact that effective communication plays a significant role in ensuring that an acquisition accomplishes the expected results. Overtime, surveys have pointed towards the fact that organizations that have embraced effective communication in the course of and after acquiring other businesses have often realized their objectives and stayed in the market for a considerable duration. On the other hand, those that have failed to embrace effective communication have always ended up with failed ventures. Taking the TWA acquisition of Ozark airlines for example, there is no doubt that during the acquisition process, there was bad blood between Ozark and TWA employees, this resulted in tension and created an inefficient environment in which the employees could not bring the best out of themselves (Tamyra et.al 17-21). At the beginning of the venture, there was less employee satisfaction. Employee commitment was similarly lacking from the Ozark empl oyees and the perception of them staying with the organization for a considerable duration of time was similarly lacking. Nevertheless, the management of TWA did not despair, they came up with structures of power and embraced effective communication and these practices played a significant role in the acquisition being a success. To dominate Ozark airlines employees, the TWA management team resorted to being clear in the course of all their communications. This is to imply that they took into account the perspectives held by employees of Ozark airlines. This was achieved by reducing the technical terms in their communication, implying that they employed the use of

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

US-Iran Conflict Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

US-Iran Conflict - Essay Example Accordingly, the following discussion will provide a detailed overview and step-by-step analysis of the chronological progression of Iran’s nuclear program and the means by which its relations with the United States and other global powers has become strained as a result. The first internationally reported news concerning Iran’s nuclear program came from a dissident group known as the national Council of resistance of Iran. Accordingly, this particular group revealed the fact that they were in fact to nuclear sites that were under construction within a run at the current time; one uranium enrichment facility and one heavy water facility. It is been speculated by many individuals that these facilities and their existence had been leaked to this particular group by powerful intelligence agencies that had long known of their existence (Ezeozue, 2013). As a direct result of this admission, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) demanded that Iran provide access to these sites so that monitoring could be conducted. Iran initially noted that such a request was irrelevant as the international treaties that were established concerning monitoring of nuclear facilities stipulated that they should only be monitored six months prior to coming online; something that Iran noted was not yet a reality for the facilities in question (Aghazadeh, 2013). Regardless of this the human denial, Iran eventually gave way and provided the IAEA inspectors access anyway. In May 2003, and â€Å"grand bargain† was suggested. This grand bargain was one in which full and transparent access to the nuclear program of Iran would be provided in exchange for security guarantees and the normalization of diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States. The underlying reason for this offer had to do with the fact that Iran was

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Summary of Intervierw Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Summary of Intervierw - Assignment Example Riffle, noted that she had to carry out her roles in a certain way. As a coordinator, one has to ensure that they have a Master’s of Science, Development and cognitive disabilities and a Bachelor’s degree in Arts. In addition, it is necessary to have eight years of experience as a teacher teaching special education students. Like most Special Needs Coordinators in campuses, getting one year training as a NISD special Education Coordinator is critical. As a coordinator with such qualification, it is easier to manage special needs students if a coordinator has the skills and the qualifications (Wearmouth, 2013). In addition, parents are more likely to trust experienced professionals with their special needs children (Westwood, 2010). It is not only any special needs children that qualify for the programs, but those who are visually and emotionally impaired. Additionally, those with orthopedic, speech and auditory impairments are also included. Students with traumatic brain injuries and learning and intellectual disabilities are also qual ified. To admit these students into the special needs programs in the school, they have to do tests to check their adaptive behavior, cognitive and language skills (Wearmouth, 2008). Earlier tests used in special education schools were not suitable when it came to testing students with special needs (Frederickson & Cline, 2009). However, today, it is the work of the General Education Teacher to refer the students to the tests, but a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) carries out the testing. For the school district to get the testing process done, they have to follow the Federal timelines. The Full Individual Evaluation (FIE) or The Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARD) meetings where the parents of the students, special and general education teachers are present are a requirement. Without these meetings, it would not be possible to admit students without allowing the Admission, Review and Dismissal (ARDC) to

Monday, July 22, 2019

The Views of Adam Smith Essay Example for Free

The Views of Adam Smith Essay The views of Adam Smith, the Declaration of the Rights of Women, Declaration of Independence, and the Declaration of the Rights of Men have a few similarities and some differences. The similarities were difficult to find based on most of what Smith thinking was centered on economics. However, the works of Adam Smith and these three declarations all share a common theme on rights of human beings. For instance, Adam Smith was against slavery and his views were that he wanted it to be abolished. The thinking was on the same level thinking as was the three declaration views toward how men and women should be treated. The thoughts of all the authors were geared to place the individual before all; including profit. Adam Smith and the three declarations were quite different in many ways. One major difference among them were that the declaration were mainly concerning how individual should be treated. The declaration sought the government to be fair and just towards the treatment of both men and women. Whereas Adam Smith was in the infant stage of early economics and how capitalism could and would be fueled by human self-interest. Smith placed a lot of emphasis on what he termed as laws of the market; specifically addressing issues pertaining to goods that are produced for society. The declarations are pleading to the government for equal treatment in all phases of society, however the importance of the market is not the main concern in the declarations. Adam Smith is simply interested in how society managed to sustain itself through mechanism that are somewhat â€Å"invisible hand.† As Heilbroner 1999 questions, â€Å"How is it possible for a community in which everyone is busily following his self-interest not fly apart from sheer centrifugal force?† From these questions Smith was able to construct the laws of the market. Smith interest was in relation to how the individual interest and passion of men are in line with what society is in agreement with. The laws of the market is what Smith believes is the most influential part of society and its success or failure is based and dependent upon it. Smith see how an individual that is driven by self-interest in society coupled with similar motivated individuals will consequently end in competition. This competition directly leads to goods and quantities that society wants and desires. His intellect along years of studies and debating with some of the most gifted scholars of his time has granted to the conclusion that the self-interest and motivation of man solely for profit has to have a regulator to control the greed of profiteers. The regulator to which he defers to is called competition. Smith is able to see that for each man that wants to do the best for himself and reap maximum profits, will always be met the a similar individual with the same motives in mind. Smith views confirms with the views and demands of the authors of the three declarations. Smith was not in agreement with all the practices in his day as he displayed his understanding of the market and pre-capitalism. Even his day there those who would cheat the markets by rigging prices. He understood the exploitation of children for labor in the cotton mills were wrong. These practices was not his ideal way that the market and the future of should proceed but he knew that this the approach and the path in which it was following. It also confirm that even with the negatives that accompanied the market, these activities continued because society including felt that they were necessary evils attached to the overall progression of society. The Declaration of Man best describes the world as we know it today. This is based on the articles that are attached to this document. Although this declaration was drafted and written in 1789, some if not most of the pleas and demands are still being sought in today’s society. One of articles states, â€Å"That men are born and remain free and equal in rights.† However, this particle article was evident in society as late as the 1960s. During this time the Civil Rights struggle was need to simply grant Black (Negros) the right to vote, attend integrated schools, sit at the same lunch tables, or simply sit in the front of a public bus. The seventeenth article of the Declaration of Man states, â€Å"Since property is inviolable and sacred right, no one should be deprived thereof except where public necessity†¦..† This article also was not enforced until almost a one hundred years later and even then people of color ran into many obstacles when approaching property ownership. Even Smith time there was the rich who sole goal was to accumulate more wealth. Smith himself did not approve of giving to the needy or donation to charities. However Smith was not vain to believe in the accumulation of wealth simply to have more; Smith felt that capital was better suited to be invested into machinery to further the progress of the society.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Evaluation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Experience

Evaluation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Experience Critically analyse and evaluate your experience of using a cognitive behavioural approach to work on a project of a personal challenge or change, integrating commentary on theory, research and practice. Introduction This work discusses in an analytical and evaluative way my experience of the use of a cognitive behavioural approach towards addressing the personal challenge of being extremely anxious when using personal computers. Firstly, a project summary provides an overview of the situation with references to relevant theory and research. Then the process of cognitive behavioural assessment is illustrated. Next is a discussion of the rationale of the planned interventions and an overall evaluation of the approach. Finally, the application of cognitive behavioural approaches in my work as a psychologist at an NHS psychology centre for adults is provided with some concluding remarks. Project summary My personal challenge is to control my anxiety and dread whenever I have to use a computer. I tend to think of myself as a generally relaxed person unless I have to use a computer, then I become anxious with clammy hands and feel my heart throbbing in my chest. Although I understand that the use of computers is world wide and that using the computer is essential at most workplaces I feel anxious and sometimes sheer panic if I have to use a computer therefore at most times I avoid using a computer. This problem is affecting negatively my work and it is embarrassing to feel computer anxiety in a world full of computers. Literature review Howard Smith (1986) defined computer anxiety as the fear felt towards interacting with a computer that is disproportionate to the actual threat presented by a computer. Tseng, Tiplady, Macleod Wright (1997) observed that approximately 30% 40% of the population is too anxious to use a computer. Recent research by Smith Caputi (2001) emphasises that there is a link between computer anxiety in undergraduate psychology students and debilitating thoughts suggesting further research is needed in order to develop more thorough cognitive models of anxiety. What is anxiety or stress? There is a growing body of knowledge about stress, which has been accumulating since Dr. Hans Selye (Szabo, 1985) who has spent most of his life in anxiety stress research first developed a theory of stress. Many other physicians and psychologists are conducting research on stress, contributing to our understanding and developing promising methods of stress management. The stress researchers are beginning to provide insights into how mind and body work together to produce psychosomatic illness and how this knowledge can be used for prevention. Definition of Stress the General Adaptation Syndrome (in relation to my computer anxiety) As a result of his stress research (Szabo, 1985), Selye developed a definition of stress suggesting that stress is the bodys non-specific response to any demand placed on it whether that demand is pleasant or not and this definition is relevant to my personal challenge of being stressed about using computers. This definition means that the body has a three-stage reaction to stress: (1) alarm, (2) resistance and (3) exhaustion. This three ­-stage response is the stress syndrome called the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS). (1) In the alarm stage, the body recognises the stressor, which for me is the computer and prepares for fight or flight. My body achieves this state by sending messages from the hypothalamus section of the brain, which stimulates the pituitary gland to release its hormones, which then trigger the adrenal glands to pour out adrenaline. As a result, the rate of my breathing and my heartbeat are quickened, my blood sugar level is raised, my rate of perspiration is increased, my pupils become dilated, and the digestive processes are slowed down. These factors create a huge burst of energy, an increase in muscular strength, and a heightening of vision and hearing natural aids to fight or flight. (2) In the resistance stage, the body must remain alert, leading to the stage of exhaustion. (3) The exhaustion stage means much more than being physically and mentally tired out. When somebody is tired in body and mind, a little extra rest or a change of scene will often quickly restore the person to full vigour; then the person has not reached physiological depletion. When somebody is physiologically exhausted, the body has lost its ability to continue to resist the continuing stress. It has used up its supply of adaptive energy and its defence mechanisms, such as its immune response, are no longer functional. The body is now vulnerable to the stress diseases, including high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, migraine headaches, gastrointestinal disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, and asthma. The body may even give up during this stage and die. Most physical or emotional stressors do not last long and produce changes in somebody from being in the first and second stage. Usually people go through the first two stages frequently during the course of our lives, as part of our successful adaptation to the many demands of living. I tend to feel alarmed and pressurised to not use a computer being anxious about using the computer and sometimes I get headaches thinking that I should be using computers like everybody else. Positive Stress Versus Distress From what has been outlined above one might think that stress of any king is bad, but that is not the case. According to Selye (1974) there is a need to experience some stress all the time. Even when somebody is asleep our dreams produce stress. I have woken up from nightmares being in front of a huge computer unable to go back to sleep. Thinking about stressors (the computer) and situations I have experienced when my father tried to teach me how to use a computer made me realise that those were the first times I experienced stress to use a computer. This type of stressor is classified by Selye (Szabo, 1985) as damaging and liable to distress, while other stressors such as horse riding I find pleasurable. Situations then are subject to different interpretations. For example using computers is stressful for me, but a delight for others. A key idea that Selye (1974) presents is that what matters is not so much what happens to us, but the way we take it. Herein lays the key to stress ma nagement, which will be considered further later on. Selye (1974) calls the stress that we need for our survival and well-being positive stress. Examples of positive stress include those times when our bodies stress-response mechanisms stimulate us enough to produce a peak performance for an important job or to come through despite a bad cold or a lack of energy. At times, we have performed feats of strength in emergency situations even the seemingly impossible, like single handily moving a huge weight, such as getting a stalled car to the side of the road. Other examples of life situations generating positive stress are going on a first date, taking an examination, and when we are infants, learning to walk. We also get excited and enjoy watching our favourite team in a match. Pleasurable emotions produce positive feelings of exhilaration. For reasons not yet understood, these positive stresses energise us produce healthy relaxation. I would like to be able to feel positive stress and enjoy using computers instead of being distressed. A medium level of pressure and stress leads to peak performance. The performance curve (please see next page) shows that as tension and pressure increase, so our performance increases to a certain point. If pressure continues to increase to a level that is beyond our ability to cope then it soon becomes unhealthy and it can lead to exhaustion and breakdown. It is important to recognise that stress and pressure are different. Pressure is the demands that are placed upon an individual. Pressure itself is not a bad thing and can help to motivate individuals. Stress is the negative experience that results when individuals feel unable to meet the demands upon them. Performance anxiety curve The kind of stress that is bad for us and can be harmful is called distress. Distress results when the stress continues so that we need to keep adapting to it. If the distress continues long enough, it can result in exhaustion. Exhaustion usually affects only parts of the body, a runner in a marathon produces severe stress on her muscles and cardiovascular system which leads to the exhaustion stage, but after a good rest she is back to normal and looking forward to the next race (Malmo, 1959). Computer anxiety Having reviewed the types of stress and the stage responses to stress in terms of neurophysiologic responses, behaviours, thoughts and feelings I find Selye’s (1974) description of the negative stressors best describes my reaction towards using computers. Furthermore, Rosen and Weil claim that one third of college student population feel some anxiety towards using computers (DeLoughry, 1993). Although the literature suggests that I’m not the only one being anxious towards the use of computers I often feel anxious about it and this has a negative influence on how I feel about myself. Assessment What is CBT in relation to assessment and therapy of computer anxiety or stress? Cognitive behavioural assessment is a continuous process of evaluation and monitoring during the length of therapy. According to Kirk (1994) there is a clearly set process to follow aiming to reach agreement with the client about what is the target problem; then to obtain enough detailed information about what factors are responsible for the continuity of the problem and then a process of change with high client involvement. Often clients come for a CBT assessment without any prior knowledge and it is useful to illustrate the main aspects of CBT. Primarily cognitive behavioural therapy assumes that a person’s feelings and behaviour are influenced by his thinking therefore emotional problems are the outcome of debilitating, negative and unrealistic thinking and therapy starts by increasing the person’s awareness of their debilitating thoughts and changing them. CBT is a combination of cognitive therapy, behaviour therapy and learning in way that explains thoughts, feelings and behaviours as the outcome of learning. This learning can be changed so people can change their old learning and gain new ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. Social learning is one approach to learning that postulates people learn by observing what others (role models) do and say (Bandura, 1986). Social learning theory attributes my computer anxiety and stress to when my father was teaching me how to use a computer and he wasn’t patient with my progress. Taking into account that in social learning theory rewards reinforce behaviou r for me then the absence of rewards and the punishment received for not learning by my father to use the computer made me computer averse and anxious. Datttilio Padesky (1990) showed how CBT is a holistic approach because it considers thoughts, feelings, behaviour, social environment, personal history and physiology that influence my computer anxiety – stress. Further, Beck (1995) described CBT as a procedure of guided discovery where the client discovers methods and techniques that will help them to identify and address their debilitating thoughts. The guided discovery works by the client having certain ‘homework’ to complete between CBT sessions in order that he understands which of his thoughts are based on reality he experiments by behaving in different ways that test the reality of his thoughts and he can discover which thoughts are true based on experience instead of mere assumptions. While discovering true thoughts based on his experiential learning the client is encouraged to learn new skills and behave differently in order that his behaviour matches his true thoughts. The assessment of my computer anxiety and stress was done by a behavioural interview and a stress assessment questionnaire (see appendix 1) followed by self-monitoring information. According to Kirk’s (1989) cognitive behavioural assessment framework during the first stage of assessment in the interview the questions I was asked aimed to capture exactly what I feel, think and how I behave when I suffer from computer anxiety – stress. A list of typical situations in which I became anxious and stressed at various degrees was made (see appendix 2). Having discussed my problem then the onset of my anxiety and my stress towards using computers was investigated taking into account the first time I remember being anxious towards using the computer, how it continued and the predisposition to anxiety. My anxiety was measured as a general anxiety – stress concept on Selye’s (1974) classic questionnaire (see appendix 1). I said how my anxiety to use computers started since my father tried to teach me as a teenager with strict rules and impatience. Since then I always felt apprehensive, anxious and sometimes stressed out when having to use a computer especially of others are looking to see how I’m getting on. Aiming to gain enough detail about the content of a problem, cognitive behavioural assessment focuses on the interaction of four ways of responding to a situation: cognitive; emotional; behavioural and physiological (Kirk, 1989). I was asked to remember a recent situation that I felt anxious and/or stressed when having to use a computer and describe what I was thinking (cognitive), feeling (emotional), did or said (behavioural) and any changes on how my body felt. I remember how two days ago I was asked by my tutor to attend a computer class because he thinks if I get to practice using computers I will feel less anxious about them. I became stressed out when the whole class looked at me because my computer was making a loud noise tha t wouldn’t stop because I pressed something. I discovered that although I could remember what I felt (emotional) what I did (behavioural) and how sweaty my hands were (physiological) it was difficult to remember what I was thinking. Because of that my ‘homework’ was to start using a self-monitoring anxiety diary. Self-monitoring information is often used to enhance the effect of behavioural interviewing because it provides the opportunity to describe a problem (my computer anxiety) over time getting specific information about every time I experienced computer anxiety. That makes it also possible to see how often I have computer anxiety. I was asked to record the situation that provoked my anxiety, when it happened and my response using the four systems (thoughts; emotions; behaviour; physiology) as soon as possible after the event for a week. A 0-10 rating scale was also used to measure the intensity of my anxiety (see appendix 3). Beck (1995) describes homework as an essential part of cognitive behavioural therapy and as a way to emphasise its collaborative and self-help principles. This anxiety diary was useful in examining my problem with sufficient detail becoming able to point out what might be holding my problem in place using two ways: a cognitive ABC (Antecedent-Belief-Consequence) model and a behavioural ABC (Antecedent-Behaviour-Consequence) model. Trower et al., (1988) illustrated the cognitive ABC model explaining behaviour in terms of processes that take place between an environmental stimulus and behaviour. According to this model something happens and then the client focuses his attention on it and this is called Antecedent (A). Then the interpretation of what happened occurs in the form of a belief (B) and a consequence (C) which may involve a behaviour and feeling(s) (see appendix 4). On appendix 3 a number of trigger situations are listed during the week of self-monitoring. The analysis of these situations using a cognitive ABC model identified a pattern of common thought processes linking the triggering event and my anxious-stressful consequence (see appendix 4). I also used the behavioural ABC model, based on operant conditioning (Skinner 1974 in Glassman, 2000) to examine why I repeatedly get computer anxiety (see appendix 5). Similarly to the cognitive model there is an antecedent (A) then the behaviour (B) response to the event and the consequence (C) is the outcome of the behaviour. The negative reinforcer I noticed is avoiding the use of computers when asked to use them which then follow negative self-talk about not being able to master the use of a computer. I found this model less useful because of its superficially descriptive nature it does not account for thoughts. Motivation to change Miller (1983) claims that a clients motivation to change is represented as a comparison between the advantages and the disadvantages of changing because both continuing and changing a behaviour is a choice having pros and cons. I’ve done that (see appendix 6). Then I considered Prochaska. DiClemente’s (1986) model of behavioural change where the client develops from an initial precontemplation stage (with no thoughts of change) to contemplation (where the client evaluates advantages and disadvantages of changing); to preparation (where planning and commitment occur) leading to taking action towards behavioural change. If the client takes action(s) to change their behaviour then they progress to maintenance (where efforts focus on long-term change). I discovered that I’m in the contemplation stage having done the comparison between the advantages and the disadvantages of eliminating my computer anxiety it is obvious that advantages are more than the disadvantages. Plan of interventions for eliminating computer anxiety I considered several possible solutions to eliminate my computer anxiety and have discussed with my doctor the possibility of taking medication to free myself from anxiety symptoms (e.g. palpitations) when thinking of computers and when addressing them. I will do: 1. Controlled breathing technique 2. Deep muscle relaxation 3. Set smart goals in order that I get one-to-one help with learning to use computers 4. Progressive relaxation 5. Self-monitoring Evaluation CBT is a very useful approach for dealing with stress because it offers clear methods to support clients by observing, analysing and learning coping skills to deal with anxiety. The use of medication to provide relief from anxiety symptoms can be combined with CBT in order to maximise the short-term outcome. Essential for CBT is the therapeutic relationship to have empathy, trust and respect so that the client does homework between sessions and feels empowered to help themselves. It is beyond the scope of this project to evaluate the therapeutic relationship. However, I certainly developed a self-help attitude and became more aware of my thought, behaviours, feelings and physiology during computer anxiety events having progressed through the Cycle for Change. I need to develop further my motivation in terms of smart goal setting with times, milestone, have a support network and reward myself for achieving milestones and the goal of eliminating computer anxiety. Conclusion Having implemented self-monitoring I discovered that by dominant behaviour is to avoid the use of computers but that does not eliminate my computer anxiety. This is a valuable insight also about the key role my thought processes have in suffering from computer anxiety. The plan to use relaxation techniques; design of smart goals and have one-to-one supportive advice when dealing with computers is what I’ll do in addition to self-monitoring in order to conquer my challenge of computer anxiety. This project provided me with more thorough understanding of CBT assessment and therapy which I will use in my life and at my clinical practice. References Bandura, A. (1986). Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive Theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. Beck, J. S. (1995). Cognitive Therapy: Basics and Beyond. New York: Guildford Press. Datttilio, F.M. Padesky, C. (1990). Cognitive Therapy With Couples. New York: Guilford Press. DeLoughry, T. J. (1993). Researchers Say ‘Technophobia May Afflict Millions of Students’, The Chronicle of Higher Education, 28 April, 25-26. Howard, G. S. Smith, R. D. (1986). Computer Anxiety in Management: Myth or Reality? Communications of the ACM, 29, 611-615. Kirk J. (1989). Cognitive behavioural assessment. In Hawton, K. Salkovskis, P. M. Kirk, J. and Clarke, D. M. (1989) editors. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Psychiatric Problems. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 13-51. Kirk J. (1994). Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Psychiatric Problems. Oxford: Oxford medical publications. Malmo, R. B. (1959). Activation: a Neurophysiological Dimension. Psychological Review, 66, 367-386. Miller, W. R. (1983). Motivational Interviewing with Problem Drinkers. Behavioural Psychotherapy, 11, 147-172. Prochaska, J. O. DiClemente, C. C. (1986). Towards a comprehensive model of change. In Miller, W. R. Rollnick, S. Motivational Interviewing: Preparing People for Change. New York: Guilford Press. Selye, H. (1974). The Stress of Life. New York: McGraw-Hill. Skinner, B. F. (1974). About Behaviourism. London: Cape. In Glassman, (2000) Approaches to Psychology. London: Open University Press, 25-47. Smith, B. Caputi, P. (2001). Behaviour and Information Technology, 20,Number 4, 1 July, 9, 265-273. Szabo, S. (1985). The Creative and Productive Life of Hans Selye: a Review of his Major Scientific Discoveries, Experientia, 41, 564–567. Tseng, H. M., Macleod, H. A. Wright, P. (1997). Computer Anxiety and Computerised Versus Paper and Pencil Assessment of Induced Mood Change. Computers and Human Behaviour 13, 305-316. Appendices Contents Appendix 1: Danger Signs and Symptoms of Stress, Selye (1974) Appendix 2: Typical situations that I’m anxious – stressed when using a computer Appendix 3: Anxiety diary Appendix 4: Cognitive ABC model Appendix 5: Behavioural ABC model Appendix 6: Motivational change – advantages disadvantages Appendix 1: Danger Signs and Symptoms of Stress, Selye (1974) The following checklists are not precise enough to provide an accurate assessment of you but they can be a beginning point for reflection. If you have more than two of these physical signs, you may be placing your body under high risk from excessive stress. More than four of the following mental symptoms (or a total of four physical and mental symptoms) also indicate that you are a high-risk candidate from excessive stress. Summary scores Appendix 2: Typical situations that I’m anxious – stressed when using a computer When I: Try to navigate through different programs Have to do something (I don’t know what) because the computer crashes Try to use the keyboard Place the cursor on a program icon to open it Should write an essay on Word Have to use the computer in front of others Attend a class to learn to use the computer Appendix 3: Anxiety diary Appendix 4: Cognitive ABC model Appendix 5: Behavioural ABC model Appendix 6: Motivational change – advantages disadva

Study On The Deprivation Trap Religion Essay

Study On The Deprivation Trap Religion Essay The government of South Africa has called in an expert in community development to assist a group of individuals who have created an NGO (Non- governmental organization) to help deal with the alien landing that has happened 20 years ago. The humans salvage the aliens and put them in a restricted zone on the outskirts of the city called District 9. In the beginning the MNU (multinational united), a multinational cooperation was in charge and was recently disbanded from service because the company ill-treating the alien group. It is the experts job to help the NGO better manage the aliens and treat them the way a typical community in South Africa would be treated, as many say that the very fact that they have traveled here means this particular species (or synthetic intelligence) is so far beyond us. The idea that the human race regards them, as low-grade life forms is not quite realistic. In summary, the main aim of the MNU was around the forced relocation of the aliens from District 9 to District 10, moving the aliens even further outside the outskirts of South Africa. Besides being constricted to the township and being forcibly relocated, they suffer various other kinds of oppression by MNU, very closely to the way blacks were treated during the time of apartheid, making the aliens fearful and unable to trust the human race further. According to Flora and Flora (1993) Community development unites the knowledge of community with development. Community being a group of people who share common characteristics, identity, Interests and perceived itself as separate in some regard from the larger society it exists. For this reason, community development depends on interaction between people and combined action, rather than individual activity. Cavaye (2000) added that putting the two terms together community development means that a community itself participates in a procedure intended to recover the social, economic and environmental situation of the community. While on the other hand development is the process of choice, different ways of thinking, anticipate change and try to improve quality of life for those living in the community. 2. The deprivation trap The concept of the deprivation trap (Refer to the Appendix) shows clusters of groups of deficiency that interact with each other (pentagon of interactive links between each) to form the trap the people find themselves in and trying to survive it. This traps framework consists of the following: Powerlessness, this purely means someone who does not have any power, who is helpless as they are lacking the necessary legal authority. People who fall in this heading are fearful to express their needs and are trying to hold on to what little they have without having that taken away from them, Heywood (2007) In short stated it is the lack of social and economical influence. The aliens are stranded in South Africa, as they are unable to find the necessary object needed to start their ship to take them back home. Therefore not only are they in a foreign place with no knowledge of the customs they are also unable to help themselves because they do not have the necessary resources. The humans therefore take advantage of this by forcing them to relocate to district 10 without giving them notice before hand. If the human did not like the answer, the aliens gave to their questions they would shout and threaten to shoot them and in some instances gloat at them. Isolation, people who live in remote, inaccessible, secluded and quarantined areas, where assess to health care facilities, job opportunities, clean water, security, education etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ is either out-of-the-way, scarce or in some cases non-existent. Therefore, their geographical area secluded them from the rest of civilization, where help is not easier to come across. There is a special section of Johannesburg that frosted the aliens (district 9), this keeps them away from the human civilizations; the humans do prefer it this way. An individual from the community says, They must fix the ship and go. Another state at least they kept away from us Poverty, Swanepoel and de Beer (2011) in short stated that poverty can roughly be seen as the lack of having necessary land, assets, jobs, money, skills etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ to be able to function properly to meet abstract (e.g. Human dignity), concrete (e.g. Clean Water) and most importantly basic needs (e.g. food) needs to function in society healthy both financially and mentally. They do not have money, human education, resources therefore they are taken advantage off and are treated like animals (served cat food as meals). Physical Weakness, a person is in a state of being weak; therefore, they do not have any physical strength to improve their lives. In some cases chronic illnesses are contracted which affect physical weakness even more. They are placed in an area that is not hygienic, there are piles of litter everywhere, they urinate in the opened, there are meat chopping in the middle of the road, over all the area looks like the slums. Therefore, they are not physically strong or have the energy to do anything about it. The only proper source of food that they could possibly purchase is cat food, if they are unable to afford that which are given in exchange for the aliens advance weapons, they have to eat the pile of dirty leftover food Vulnerability, this is where a person has limited choice and engagement, which makes them easy candidates to be intimidated, and taken advantage off. Since they had no power, and are living in poverty and isolation this makes the aliens vulnerable, Humans knowing this used ways of manipulations to get the aliens to do what they needed, they bribed with cat food and other occasions threatened to take way their children if they did not cooperate with what they wanted. In other cases, we see that they destroy the aliens eggs, which they call abortion. The deprivation trap is an interconnected trap, the only way a CDW (Community developer worker) can break the hold the trap has over the people is, according to Swanepoel and de Beer (2011) is to figuratively break the links in the chain and then the trap shall be broken or at least loosen that hold. With the above information, it is clear to see how easy it was for the humans to coerce the aliens into doing as they please. 3. Ethical and practical principles 3.1 Ethical Principles Van Heerden (2005) states that ethics is a set of rules or a standard that regulates the lives of people and are used to make decisions in some instances. Each individual have their own personal ethics and this helps them determine the rightness and wrongness of things. Swanepoel and de Beer (2011) mentioned six districted ethical principles that every community developer should consider when going into a community: 3.1.1. Human Orientation People who have fallen into the deprivation trap have not been successful in meeting their daily basic needs, therefore a CDW should help enable the community to live fulfilling life with all their needs met. The most important abstract need is human dignity; this is where they are aware that they are able to make decisions for themselves making them feel self-relevant and self-efficient. As they meet their internal potential, it motivates the community to fulfill their physical needs Human dignity according to Kleyn and Viljeon (2010) is one of the essential needs for individuals. Looking at the way the aliens where treated its clear that their human dignity has not been met. They aliens where unable to reach their full potential as the humans restricted their movements, this discouraging them even further. They where also treated as barbarians, given names such as prawn, constantly being swore at and treated as punching bags and humiliation around every corner, they are also shown publically urinating, savagely ripping meat apart, and fighting with each other constantly. 3.1.2. Participation When the community participate they become part of the decision making and planning process, which on return makes them feel empowered and in control of their surroundings. The humans avoided at all cost getting the aliens to be involved in maintaining the environment and having some say about their circumstances, thus encouraging the submissiveness of the aliens. 3.1.3. Empowerment Simply stated by Heywood (2007) empowerment refers to the political power, not having the necessary skills to complete a task but instead have power to make decisions. The aliens had no power in any circumstance, they where always watching their back and worried about a human encounter. When a human approached they had to go down on their needs to show that the humans had the authority, they where always being belittled and mocked and if they showed a sign of emancipation they where gun downed. 3.1.4. Ownership This helps people gain power to make decisions in their own life. According to Swanepoel and de Beer (2011), they mentioned that it is the persons own future and development no one else, as they are the main role- players. Mobilization is used to help trigger the people and allow them to take responsibilities of ownership and management in their future and future projects. Mobilization was not implemented at any point in the handling of the aliens. Humans preferred that they took the ownership away from the aliens so that they could be in charge of the alien community at all time, giving the humans a sense of authority. 3.1.5. Release The real goal of developmental projects is eliminate poverty, not to address poverty or deal with some of its manifestations of poverty. Therefore trying to release the hold the deprivation trap has on the community. They try to gradually improve the communities situation, as a result releasing them from poverty not relieving. As stated on the top, the goal of release is to try and rid the community from poverty, by the looks of the way MNU maintained district 9 it seems as if they where trying to keep the aliens in poverty. They did not try to produce means of improving their living circumstance, such as providing education so the aliens can learn necessary skills to help themselves. Instead, they left them living in slum-like living condition. 3.1.6. Sustainability If the natural environment is under threat or damaged, then individuals who are integrated part of the environment will also be under threat or in harm. Healthier natural environment means a gradual improvement of the communitys health. The aliens living condition proves the top true. The environment in which the aliens lived was constantly threating their ability to survive. It was rubbish dumb with aliens urinating everywhere, meat being cut in the opened, alien tug-of-war happening in the middle of the road, aliens fights, aliens vomiting in the opened etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 3.2 Practical Principles Swanepoel and de Beer (2011) mentioned four districted practical principles that every community developer should consider when going into a community. These practical principles need to be pursued and regarded in order to carry out the ethical principles (mentioned above): 3.2.1. Learning The learning process has an aim to meet needs for an adaptable, continuous, investigational, action-based and assistance. This helps the Community and the CDW to exchange knowledge and resources. Van Heerden (2005), states that people can lead their own change processes of learning, because of some of the success stories that she have taken note off. The main aim is to emphasis autonomy as the community is very capable to make their own decisions, as this would also give them a sense of empowerment. Firstly, MNU provided no learning opportunity for the aliens thus not giving them an opportunity to try to make a difference in their community and the human one. They had no autonomy or empowerment so they where unable to be adaptable and make decisions in their own lives. Secondly there was no CDWs or projects implements in attempts to help better their stay and encourage knowledge building in district 9 for the aliens. 3.2.2. Compassion CDW should pursue being able to be sympathetic or empathetic, this is especially useful when the community is in that deprivation trap and have lost hope. Baron, Branscombe and byrne (2009) states that Compassion helps them build trust, gain friendships and co-operation with the community members. Considering the other particle principle discussed it is accurate to say that compassion was one of the main practical principle that MNU fell short off. There was no compassion was so ever shown to the aliens, the aliens where constantly being called derogatory names, blasphemed, threatened usually for no reason, being captured, their baby eggs being burned, Nigerians kill and eat the aliens, the aliens held at gun point or being shot at from the sky. These principles are undeniably essential to make community development works as it works on freeing the people from the deprivation trap. 3.3 Conflict Van Heerden (2005) wrote that conflict is when two or more values, perspectives and options are contradictory in nature and have not been aligned or agreed about yet. The main reason conflict arises is by miscommunication, meaning messages that have been carried across wrongly. Since communication arises from miscommunication, the way to overcome it is by good communication. There are varies causes of conflict that Mersham and Skinner (2009) mentioned such as unclear boundaries which are definitions not being understood clearly, Clashing interests and personalities, situation, consensus needed, misunderstanding and unresolved prior conflict with the receiver. Cavaye (2004) went on saying that values are another reason why conflict arises. Community values are diverse and inherently involve conflict. Community members maintain very unusual values based on their own experience and background. The expression of values involves managing conflicting views and community power. There was definitely a communication barrier that arise between the humans and the aliens, which did in fact cause conflict which lead to hundred of aliens being killed. 3.4. Rights violation Each individual on this planet when born is entitled to rights. According to Kleyn and Viljoen (2010) rights are the core to humanity and is therefore inviolable, no one can take these rights away, people are born with them. Human rights are the formulation of the requisite for fairness, acceptance, mutual respect, and human dignity in all endeavors. Grech (2006) states ones human rights are not granted by the state and instead is an innate quality that each human been is granted when they are born. When it came to the handling of the aliens there where regrettably numerous areas of the rights that where violated, for instance the right that was most violated was the right of human dignity, this is according to Kleyn and Viljoen (2010) is having respect for the individual and regarding their self-respect. The aliens where treated with no respect, the humans manipulated them on many occasions and demoted them as individuals, there was even a derogatory names for them called Prawns, referring to them as bottom feeders and those who scavenge the leftovers and made the aliens basic food supply being cat food. Other right that where violated was the right to life, as the humans killed the aliens without second guessing and in one instance burned a house of eggs that was soon to hatch with baby aliens. The right to privacy, the aliens had the right to do as they please in their homes but the humans rampaged in their houses and accusing them of unnecessary allegations. The right of fre edom of movement which was demolished when the aliens where restricted and detained to living only in district 9 and where not allowed to move from that area or they would be killed. The right to nationality and a free and fair world, meaning everyone has the right to be a certain colour, gender, age etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the aliens where alienated because they where a different nationality from what the average human race is used to therefore being treated as felons and excluded from civilization. There was no free or fair treatment taken into consideration toward them. The right to food, shelter, and education, shelter was provided but not sufficient or safe enough. Food supply was only cat food, which is only appropriate for cats. In addition, education at no point in time was offered to help teach the aliens about the human customs. The right to live free, the humans killed the aliens without hesitation and made some of them into experimental lab rats. Freedom of expression, if the aliens Questioned the human authority they where held at gunpoint or manipulated in to giving in. The violation of rights leads to suffering and devastation which most of the time arises from conflict ( discussed in the previous section), in some cases it can cause physical and psychological harm and in the instance of the aliens political oppression of discrimination arise which made their basic needs easier to deny. Maises (2003) states war crimes as the laws of armed conflict forbid acts of hostility on people in a community and the use of firepower that triggers unnecessary suffering or long-term environmental damage, exactly what happened with the aliens in district 9. Lastly, genocide was is also an issue that arises especially with the aliens, when the humans coldly burnt the aliens baby eggs. 5. Recommendation for better handling of the aliens. It was clear that MNU handling of the aliens were cruel, vicious, brutal, merciless and appalling which made the aliens untrusting, fearful and skeptical of the humans. The new NGO group is trying to overcome this circumstance and make the planet livable for all. By doing this, the following recommendations should be taken into consideration: 5.1. The organization as an enabler of community development The main goal of any Community developer is to make the community enablers and an enabling environment. This simply means that it enables the community to adapt to the ever-changing environment that they live in. The aliens where unable to be involved in development previously, so it is essential that a CDW gets the aliens to be involved in community work, this contributes to helping them feel welcome and at the same time facilitating confidence building within. 5.2. The local development environment The local environment helps CDW become aware of the global context, as the existing situation being the environment is fundamentally valuable. By knowing these environments, it helps aid towards support and strengthens it. These environments also play a key role in communication, also being one of the fundamental aspects of an enabling community and improvement of the community. The following are the different environment that would be useful to the alien community we have: Social Environment, Baron, Branscombe and Byrne (2009) notes that this environment consists of bodies such as families, churches, clubs or formal institutions such as friendships. All communities are organized differently and a CDW should consider those when entering one. Some of the negative factors in this area could be power struggle, different group formations and crime. By understanding the way the aliens gather and group to form entitles it would make the CDW able to better communicate and make the necessary change that is needed. The social environment is very important and should be stable so that adaptation is successful to eradicate the negative aspects. Cultural Environment, this consists of societys values, morals and the person tradition. It is essential that a CDW creates an environment where the individuals space is true to the values they where brought up in. Cavaye (2004) states that values regulate progress significances. Additionally by understanding these traditions, it forms a framework of understanding the reasons behind the way people act and react to actual life. The aliens have come from a different cultural background therefore the CDW should broaden their knowledge on the aliens culture so that the aliens can feel part of a bigger picture. It is also important for the aliens to understand the South African culture if they would like to reside on the planet comfortably. Psychological Environment, every persons experience to life would be different from each other. Willian and Sheffe (1989) writes that abstract manifestation of their experience of reality is know as the psychological make-up of people. The negative aspects could be stress, psychological scars, fear, and feeling of rejection, lack of self-esteem and empowerment and apathy from outside community. Due to the unfortunate circumstance that the aliens had to deal with during MNU rein, which left the aliens scared, battered and fearful of any future endeavors. It is important that the CDW beings working on those abstract feeling so that trust can once again be integrated in their lives, which will motivate them into helping create a better future for themselves and the community alike. 5.3. Community as the main actor According to the Oxford study dictionary (2002) defines Community as a body of people living in a distinct place considered as a whole, they have common interests and values. According to the definition, it is easy to say that the community should be the main-role players as they have the expert community knowledge about their specific area they live in. The aliens where treated submissively since their arrival 20 years ago, therefore by creating a space where they feel they are in charge can bring some of their confidence back. It can also help the humans gain trust from the aliens and finally help the aliens to have some authority in terms of the living conditions they preferred, this would to help make them feel comfortable, as they are far away from their home. 5.4. Communication and Motivation Communication is a very intricate process that is unpredictable because different people use different codes of communication, hence why there can be barriers of communication that can arise. Swanepoel and de Beer (2011) mentioned some barriers that can arise is the receiver ( The target person) might be afraid of the sender (where the message originated), receiver may have expectations, the receiver at the moment may be preoccupied, there could be a physical disability, environmental interruptions If communication was done from the beginning, there would have never been that conflict between the aliens and the humans. Communication would have created understanding on both parts and thus interventions could have been installed to help sort out the novelty that has arise. Communication would of also made the human community a bit more open minded to the arrival of the aliens, therefore CDW aim should be to communicate effectively so that both side without a doubt understand each other till the very end. Motivation, communication is implemented for various reasons, one of those reasons are to motivate people. Van Heerden (2005) said that motivation could contain hope and a positive outlook on life, being enthusiastic and keen and help change the communities attitude in a progressive way. In summary motivation can lead a person to change their mindset in a positive and innovating way such as feeling a sense of triumph, being entrusted with responsibilities and achieving them. It is noted that due to the harsh after effects of MNU the aliens have lost all hope in the human race. It is the CDW job to try to change their perception about the human race, hence why motivation is the best tool for this instance. Motivation in all occasions in the aliens life can help push the aliens to start getting smart and adapt to the South African environment, and with the efforts from the aliens would push the humans to become more productive in trying to understand and fully accepting the aliens. 5.5. Goals of contact making The main goals are to get to know the people and being accepted in and analyze exactly what the community needs. Getting to know the people is all about understanding the circumstance of each person. The needs are what the individual want introduced to better their circumstances e.g. schools for the children. The needs of the aliens are to be accepted unconditionally and to live a normal life free to pursue their human rights and meet their basic needs on a regular basis. By making this possible, they shall gain a sense of empowerment that will help motivate them for further development in their lives and in the community. 5.6. Outcomes of community development Most CDW fail in their attempt to help develop the community, mainly because they are approaching the approach wrong. There are couple of positive attributes that needs to be followed to create a positive outcome for the community as stated by Swanepoel and de Beer (2011): Awareness creation, this approach is used to help the community become aware of their surrounds and therefore understanding it better. When the aliens becomes aware of themselves in terms of the environment, needs, resources etcà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ there are able to make some changes to their situation, and with that gaining knowledge. Further development, by becoming aware the community is able to recognize what needs to be done, therefore goals are set, some are reached, and therefore further development can be done When the Aliens become aware and are able to further develop they are able to fulfill abstract needs and gain confidence and optimism to approach new horizons. Demonstration effect, successes in certain places have influence on other areas and outside observes to participate in leading a hand. By a community accepting the aliens and attempting to bond with them, other would follow in their steps, according to Baron, Branscombe and Byrne (2009) this know as social influence. Community Building not only does the concept of community development aid in strengthening a community but is also helps support abstract and concrete needs and help them become more aware, creating dignity in which they can be self-sufficient and self-relevant. This helps the aliens become more involved and for that reason can teach them skills such as being adaptable, organized and becoming their own community developers. 5.7. Education and human rights As discussed in Part 1 by assigning human rights to the aliens and living up to those promises it would help the handling of the aliens become easier and developmental run smoothly. Rights are important as it provides the framework of security, which would give the aliens piece of mind knowing they have their rights to fall back on so a repeat of MNUs behaviors shall not be impose on them again. Education is also on of those very essential aspects of growth in any community. By educating, the aliens they will be better able to function in the community thus reduce their fighting among each other, their disempowerment and submissiveness, their demotivation, and lack of survival skills. With the correct education there are able to find jobs, better looks after their family, homes and better handle the community and the human race. Education can be seen as their green card into living and making it on planet earth. 6. Conclusion It was clear that MNU approached the whole situation wrongly from the beginning, not only did they violate the rights of the aliens, but they also did not attempt to effectively communicate and implement a peaceful society for all. Society was quick to judge and isolate those that where slightly different without attempting to make means to understand the aliens better. The aliens have arrived in a new planet many are unsure whether it was planned or not but it has happened so if positive interventions are laid out it shall be a interesting challenge to combine the alien and human races. This time using effective method to get the aliens educated and to get the human informed so that better communication is done and there will be no repeat of MNUs behavior. The real voyage of discovery consists not of seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. Marcel Proust