Annotated bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 6

Annotated Bibliography Example The method that has been used by the author is order to conduct the research is the case study with an authentic usage of parallelism. There are many cases and facts that have been brought to life by the author. The reason behind using this source for the paper is because it reveals many important reasons behind the development and transitions between older and modern communities. The second source taken for the purpose of research work is one that has been cited by various researchers. It is mainly because the source makes use of a wide array of cases, chronology, illustrations that indicate the readers about the history of Europe during 1648 till 1815. The objective of the source is to discuss the main conflicts that were noted or observed during the selected period. The religious factors, societal aspects and economic decline are the highlights of the book. The authors of the book have rather become the reason for high credibility of the book because they are well informed and professional able in the field of

Zara Technoligy can Change Everything Term Paper

Zara Technoligy can Change Everything - Term Paper Example So he integrated forward, opening the first Zara store in La Coruna in 1975(Mcafee et al., 2007, p.3). The growth of Zara was phenomenal since its establishment in 1975. The success of first Zara store encouraged Ortega to open more clothing stores across Spain. It is often said that the innovation and ability to produce new products and services are decisive factors in boosting the growth of an organization. Zara did succeed in introducing new clothing products and trends in the market quite rapidly. Moreover, Ortega gave more emphasize to the production of new designs based on the rapidly changing industry trends, which helped him to compete effectively in the market. 1985 was a year which has huge importance in the history of Zara. Two major events occurred in this year that changed the entire face of the company. â€Å"First, Inditex (Industria de Diseno Textil) was formed as a holding company atop Zara, other retail chains and a network of internally owned suppliers. Second, Jo se Maria Castellano Rios joined the company† (Mcafee et al., 2007, p.3). Being an expert in IT, Castellano did everything possible to incorporate computer related technologies at every corners of the company. He had realized that without computers and internet, no industry can look forward and he changed the face of the company from a low end clothing company to a high end technology based clothing company. It should be noted that the net margin of Inditex increased from 7.21% to 11.2% during the period of 1996 to 2002 (Mcafee et al., 2007, p.16). The above statistics clearly suggest that the company is growing in the right direction since the introduction as a result of the innovative business strategies and the judicious use of technology in all the functional departments. â€Å"At the beginning of 2003, Inditex operated 1,558 stores in 45 countries, of which nearly 550 were part of the Zara chain. For its fiscal-year 2002, Inditex had posted a net income of A438 millionâ⠂¬  (Mcafee et al., 2007, p.5). The growth of Zara can be better understood with the help of Michael Porter’s five forces model. Zara and Porter’s five forces model Michael Porter’s famous five forces model is used extensively at present in business sectors to analyze the competitive power of an organization in the market. It helps business people to realize their strengths and weaknesses. Since market is changing rapidly because of the rapid technological growth, no organization can secure their top spot in the market, if they are reluctant in making periodical changes in their business strategies. For example, the rivalry between Apple and Microsoft is famous. Even though Microsoft concentrated only in the operating system market, Apple diversified its portfolios to many other fields and they became the most valuable technology company in the world at present, pushing Microsoft far behind. In other words, organizations should make changes in their business st rategies based on the changes in the market in order to keep their competitive power intact all the time. Porter’s five force model helps organizations to measure their competitive power at a given time period. Porter model can be used to foresee the future threats and opportunities and the organizations can plan well accordingly. According to Michael Porter, five competitive forces that may affect an organization are; Threat of substitute products, Threat of new entrants, Intense rivalry among existing players, Bargaining power of suppliers and Bargaining power of Buyers (Porter’s Five Forces Model, 2009). The following illustration makes these points clearer. (Porter’

Solution Manual for Fundamentals of Investing Essay Example for Free

Solution Manual for Fundamentals of Investing Essay Key Concepts 1.The meaning of the term investment and the implications it has for individual investors 2.Review the factors used to differentiate between different types of investments 3.The importance of and basic steps involved in the investment process 4.Popular types of investment vehicles, including short-term vehicles, common stock, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, fixed‑income securities such as bonds, preferred stock, and convertibles 5.Derivative securities such as options and futures 6.Other popular investments such as real estate, tangibles, and tax-advantaged investments 7.Investment goals including income, major expenditures, retirement, and sheltering income from taxes; the latter includes analysis of tax-advantaged retirement vehicles 8.Building a diversified portfolio consistent with investment goals 9.Sources of taxation, types of taxable income, and the effect of taxes on the investor 10.Developing an investment program that considers differing economic environments and the life cycle 11.The use of short-term securities in meeting liquidity needs 12.The merits and suitability of various popular short‑term investments, including deposit accounts and money market securities Overview This chapter provides an overview of the scope and content of the text. 1.The term investment is defined, and the alternative investment opportunities available to investors are classified by types. 2.The structure of the investment process is examined. This section  explains how the marketplace brings together suppliers and demanders of investment funds. 3.The key participants in the investment process—government, business, and individuals—are described, as are institutional and individual investors. 4.Returns are defined as rewards for investing. Returns to an investor take two forms—current income and increased value of the investment over time. In this section, the instructor need only define return, since there will be another opportunity to develop the concept of return in Chapter 4; also, providing information about recent investment returns always engages students’ attention. 5.Next, the following investment vehicles available to individual investors are discussed: short-term vehicles, common stock, fixed‑income securities, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds, hedge funds, real estate, tangibles, tax-advantaged investments, and options and futures. The text describes their risk-return characteristics in a general way. The instructor may want to expand on the advantages and disadvantages of investing in each, although they will be treated in greater detail in subsequent chapters. It is vital for any investor to establish investment goals that are consistent with his or her overall financial objectives. 6.Once the investment goals have been well specified, the investor can adopt an investment plan consistent with these goals, select suitable investments, and build a diversified portfolio and manage it. 7.Personal taxes are discussed in terms of types of income and tax rates. The investment process is affected by current tax laws. Examples of tax shelters, especially tax-advantaged retirement vehicles, and tax planning are provided. 8.Once investment goals are established, it is important to understand how the investment process is affected by different economic environments. The chapter talks about types of investments such as stocks, bonds, and tangibles as they are affected by business cycles, interest rates, and inflation. 9.Liquidity is defined, and short-term securities that can be used to meet liquidity requirements are described. The discussion includes a look at short-term interest rates and the risk characteristics of various short-term securities. 10.The next section covers the various types of short-term vehicles available to today’s investor. The text provides enough detail about everything from passbook accounts to money market funds to commercial paper that students should get a good grasp of the differences between the vehicles. Information on current rates brings realism into the classroom and enhances student perception of the lecturer as a knowledgeable instructor. Answers to Concepts in Review 1.An investment is any asset into which funds can be placed with the expectation of preserving or increasing value and earning a positive rate of return. An investment can be a security or a property. Individuals invest because an investment has the potential to preserve or increase value and to earn income. It is important to stress that this does not imply that an investment will in fact preserve value or earn income. Bad investments do exist. 2.(a)Securities and property are simply two classes of investments. Securities are investments, commonly evidenced by certificates, that represent a legal claim. For example, a bond represents a legal claim on debt, and a stock represents a proportionate ownership in a firm. An option, on the other hand, represents the legal right to either buy or sell an asset at a predetermined price within a specified time period. Property constitutes investments in either real property (land and buildings) or tangible personal property (Rembrandt paintings, Ming vases, or antique cars). (b)With a direct investment, an individual acquires a direct claim on a security or property. For example, an investment in one share of IBM stock directly provides the stockholder a proportionate ownership in IBM. An indirect investment provides an indirect claim on a security or property. For example, if you bought one share of Fidelity Growth Fund (a mutual fund), you are in effect buying a portion of a portfol io of securities owned by the fund. Thus, you will have a claim on a fraction of an entire  portfolio of securities. (c)An investment in debt represents funds loaned in exchange for the receipt of interest income and repayment of the loan at a given future date. The bond, a common debt instrument, pays specified interest over a specified time period, then repays the face value of the loan. (Chapters 10 and 11 cover bonds in detail.) An equity investment provides an investor an ongoing fractional ownership interest in a firm. The most common example is an investment in a company’s common stock. We will study equity instruments in greater detail in Chapters 6 through 8. Derivative securities are securities derived from debt or equity securities and structured to exhibit characteristics different from the underlying securities. Options are derivative securities that allow an investor to sell or buy another security or asset at a specific price over a given time period. For example, an investor might purchase an option to buy Company X stock for $50 within nine months. (d)Short-term investments typically mature within one year while long-term investments have longer maturities, including common stock, which has no maturity at all. However, long-term investments can be used to satisfy short-term financial goals. 3.In finance, risk refers to the chance that the return from an investment will differ from its expected value. The broader the range of possible values (dispersion), the greater is the risk of the investment. Low-risk investments are those considered safe with respect to the return of funds invested and the receipt of a positive rate of return. High-risk investments are those that have more uncertain future values and levels of earnings. 4.Foreign investments are investments in the debt, equity, derivative securities of foreign-based companies, and property in a foreign country. Both direct and indirect foreign investments provide investors more attractive returns or lower-risk investments compared to purely domestic investments. They are useful instruments to diversify a purely domestic portfolio. 5.The investment process brings together suppliers and demanders of funds. This may occur directly (as with property investments). More often the investment process is aided by a financial institution (such as a bank,  savings and loan, savings bank, credit union, insurance company, or pension fund) that channels funds to investments and/or a financial market (either the money market or the capital market) where transactions occur between suppliers and demanders of funds. 6.(a)The various levels of government (federal, state, and local) require more funds for projects and debt repayment than they receive in revenues. Thus, governments are net demanders of funds. Governments also demand funds when the timing of their revenues does not match their expenditures. The term net refers to the fact that, while governments both supply and demand funds in the investment process, on balance they demand more than they supply. (b)Businesses are also net demanders, requiring funds to cover short‑ and long‑term operating needs. While business firms often supply funds, on balance they also demand more than they supply. (c)Individuals are the net suppliers of funds to the investment process. They put more funds into the investment process than they take out. Individuals play an important role in the investment process—supplying the funds needed to finance economic growth and development. 7.Institutional investors are investment professionals who are paid to manage other people’s money. They are employed by financial institutions like banks and insurance companies, by nonfinancial businesses, and by individuals. Individual investors manage their own personal funds in order to meet their financial goals. Generally, institutional investors tend to be more sophisticated because they handle much larger amounts of money, and they tend to have a broader knowledge of the investment process and available investment techniques and vehicles. 8.Short‑term investments usually have lives of less than one year. These vehicles may be used to â€Å"warehouse† temporarily idle funds until suitable long‑term vehicles are found. Due to their safety and convenience, they are popular with those who wish to earn a return on temporarily idle funds or with the very conservative investor who may use these short‑term vehicles as a primary investment outlet. In addition to their â€Å"warehousing† function, short-term vehicles provide liquidity—they can be converted into cash  quickly and with little or no loss in value. This characteristic is very useful when investors need to meet unexpected expenses or take advantage of attractive opportunities. 9.Common stock is an equity investment that represents a fractional ownership interest in a corporation. The return on a common stock investment derives from two sources: dividends, which are periodic payments made by the firm to its shareholders from current and past earnings, and capital gains, which result from selling the stock at a price above the original purchase price. Because common stock offers a broad range of return-risk combinations, it is one of the most popular investment vehicles. 10.a.Bonds are debt obligations of corporations or governments. A bondholder receives a known interest return, typically semi-annually, plus the face value at maturity. Bonds are usually issued in $1,000 denominations, pay semi-annual interest, and have 20- to 40-year maturities. Bonds offer fixed/certain returns, if held until maturity. b.A convertible security is a fixed-income security, either a bond or preferred stock, which has a conversion feature. Typically, it can be converted into a specified number of shares of common stock. Convertible securities are quasi-derivative securities, as their market value would depend on the price of the common stock and the conversion ratio. c.Preferred stock is very much like common stock in that it represents an ownership interest in a corporation. But preferred stock pays only a fixed stated dividend, which has precedence over common stock dividends, and does not share in other earnings of the firm. d.A mutual fund is a company that invests in a large portfolio of securities, whereas a money market mutual fund is a mutual fund that solely invests in short-term investment vehicles. Investors might find mutual funds appealing because a large portfolio may be more consistent with their investment goals in terms of risk and return. As we will see later, a mutual fund offers the investor the benefits of diversification and professional management. Mutual funds do not offer fixed/certain returns. Mutual funds are quasi-derivative securities, as their market value would depend on the price of the assets that make up the fund’s portfolio. Exchange-traded funds are similar to mutual funds but are traded throughout the day on exchanges and priced continuously. e.Similar to mutual funds,  hedge funds pool the investors’ funds to invest in securities but are open to a narrower group of investor than mutual funds and may employ high-risk strategies. They do not offer a fixed return and are most often not based on derivatives. Hedge funds usually employ a professional manager. f.Options are derivative securities that provide holders the right to buy or sell another security (typically stock) or property at a specified price over a given time period. Factors like the time until expiration, the underlying stock price behavior, and supply and demand conditions affect the returns. g.Futures represent contractual arrangements in which a seller will deliver or a buyer will take delivery of a specified quantity of a commodity at a given price by a certain date. Unlike an option, which gives the investor the right to purchase or sell another security, futures contracts obligate the investor to deliver or take delivery. Factors affecting returns on commodity contracts include changes in government policy, unpredictable weather, trade embargoes, and other events. 11.Before developing and executing an investment program, an investor must ensure the following: ï‚ ·Necessities of life such as funds for housing, food, transportation, taxes, etc. are fully provided for. The investor is adequately insured against the losses resulting from death, illness or disability, property damage, etc. Retirement goals are established. The seven steps in investing are as follows: (1)Meet investment prerequisites. Provide for the necessities of life, adequate protection against losses, and setting retirement goals. (2)Establish investment goals. Investment goals are the financial objectives that one wishes to achieve by investing. Common investment goals are: Accumulate retirement funds Enhance current income through interest income and dividends Save for major expenditures like home, education, etc. Shelter income from taxes (3)Adopt an investment plan. An investment plan is a written document describing how funds will be invested. The more specific your investment goal, the easier it will be to establish an investment plan consistent with  your goals. (4)Evaluate investment vehicles. In this step, the measures of risk and return are used to estimate the perceived worth of an investment vehicle. This process is called valuation. (5)Select suitable investments. This step involves careful selection of investments that are consistent with established goals and offer acceptable levels of return, risk, and value. (6)Construct a diversified portfolio. Diversification is the concept of forming a portfolio using different investments to reduce risk and increase return. This concept is central to constructing an effective portfolio. (7)Manage the portfolio. Portfolio management involves monitoring the portfolio and restructuring it as dictated by the actual behavior of the investments. 12.Investment goals are the financial objectives you wish to achieve by investing in any of a wide range of investment vehicles. Common investment goals are as follows: (1)Enhancing current income means choosing investment vehicles that regularly pay dividends and interest that can provide all or some of the money needed to meet living expenses. This is a common goal of retired persons and sometimes an important part of a normal family budget. (2)Saving for major expenditures includes money set aside for such things as the down payment on a home, college tuition, and even an expensive vacation. The amount of money needed and the time period over which one can save will determine the amount set aside and, frequently, the investment vehicle employed. (3)The single most important reason for investing is to accumulate retirement funds. The amount that must be set aside is determined by the level of expected expenditures, expected income from Social Security and other sources, and the amount of interest expected to be earned on savings. (4)Sheltering income from taxes involves taking advantage of certain tax provisions that permit reduction of the income reported to the government or direct reductions in taxes. Investments in certain assets, such as real estate, may be attractive due to their tax advantages. 13.Federal income taxes are charged against all income individuals receive from all sources (with the exception of interest received on some bonds issued by state and local governments). a.Active (ordinary â€Å"earned†) income is the broadest category and includes income from wages, salaries, bonuses, tips, pension income, and alimony. It is made up of income earned on the job as well as most other forms of noninvestment income. b.Portfolio (investment) income is earnings generated from various  types of investment holdings. For the most part, it consists of interest, dividends, and capital gains earned on most types of investments. Passive income is a special category that consists of income derived chiefly from real estate, limited partnerships, and other forms of tax shelters. c.Capital gains are the profits earned on the sale of capital assets—pleasure or investment. They are measured by the amount by which the proceeds from the sale of the capital asset exceed its original purchase price. Currently, long-term capital gains are taxed at preferential rates to ordinary income. Capital gains are appealing to investors because they are not taxed until they are actually realized. d.A capital loss is the amount by which the proceeds from the sale of a capital asset are less than its original purchase price. Up to $3,000 of net losses can be applied against ordinary income in any one year, with the unused portion carried forward to offset future income. e.Due to the opportunities and challenges created by the tax laws, tax planning is an important part of the investment process. Tax planning involves looking at an individual’s current and projected earnings and developing strategies that will defer or minimize the level of his or her taxes. Tax plans involve current income, capital gains, or tax-sheltered investments. For example, one strategy is to take losses as they occur and to delay taking profits in order to minimize current taxable income. f.In general, tax-advantaged retirement plans allow individuals to defer taxes on the contribution and/or portfolio earnings until some future date when retirement withdrawals take place. There are employer-sponsored plans (such as 401(k) accounts), individual-created plans (such as Keogh plans), and individual retirement accounts (IRAs). 14.Investors tend to follow different investment strategies as they move through different stages of their life cycle. a.Young investors, ages 20 to 45, tend to prefer growth-oriented investments that stress capital gains rather than income. These investors have little investable funds, and capital gains are seen as the quickest way to build up investment capital. b.By middle age, ages 45 to 60, there is a consolidation taking place as family demands and responsibilities change. While growth-oriented securities are still used, investing becomes less speculative. Quality-growth vehicles are employed, and more attention is given to current income. The foundation is being set for retirement. c.As the investor moves into the retirement years, age 60  on, preservation of capital and current income become the principal concerns. High-quality stocks and bonds and money market instruments are used as the investor’s objective is to live as comfortably as possible from the investment income. During retirement, one tries to reap the rewards of a lifetime of saving and investing. 15.Stocks and equity-related securities (such as mutual funds and convertibles) are highly responsive to the economic cycle. During recovery and expansion, stock prices are up. As the decline approaches, stock prices begin to decline as well. Growth-oriented and speculative stocks tend to do especially well in an expanding economy. Bonds and other fixed-income securities are sensitive to movements in interest rates. Bond prices also move in the opposite direction of interest rate changes. This means that if interest rates are expected to rise, bond prices would fall, and bonds would not be a good place to hold investment funds. Interest rates generally shift with the economic cycle. Rates rise during normal recovery and fall during economic declines. 16.An asset is liquid if it can be converted to cash (sold) easily and quickly, with little or no loss in value. You would want to hold liquid assets as emergency funds or to accumulate funds for some specific purpose. IBM stock is not considered a liquid investment even though it can be easily sold. As with stocks in general, you can never be sure that, when funds are needed, you can quickly sell the stock without taking a loss. 17.Purchasing power risk for short-term investments occurs when the rate of return on these investments falls short of the inflation rate. This generally happens to fixed-rate investments such as passbook savings accounts. Most other short-term investments have managed to provide rates of return about equal to the inflation rate when one looks at these short-term rates over long periods of time. Default (nonpayment) risk is very small with most short-term investments. The deposits in banks and other federally insured savings institutions are protected up to $100,000 per account by agencies of the federal government. U.S. Treasury bills are perfectly safe and sometimes called a risk-free investment. Commercial paper and repurchase agreements are extremely safe, based upon p ast experience, even though there have been rare instances of problems. These latter two instruments are also not insured. Money market mutual funds have also had an  exceptionally safe history. Of course, the safest money market funds are those that invest solely in government securities and are virtually default-risk-free. 18.Passbook savings accounts and NOW accounts (a checking account), offered by banks, generally pay a low rate of interest and have no minimum balance. Passbook savings and NOW accounts are primarily used by investors as savings accounts, providing the investor with a highly liquid pool of funds. MMDAs are bank deposit accounts with limited check-writing privileges. Central asset accounts are comprehensive deposit accounts and combine checking, investing, and borrowing activities. MMDAs and asset management accounts are more likely used by investors to earn a competitive short-term return while maintaining liquidity. Each type of account, except for asset management accounts, is insured. All but the passbook account typically require a minimum balance, which varies. 19.a. I bonds are savings bonds issued by the U.S. Treasury. They earn interest at a rate that varies with inflation. Interest is exempt from state and local taxes. They are issued in denominations that make them affordable to everyone and mature in 30 years but can be redeemed after one year. b.U.S. Treasury bills are short-term (less than one year) debt obligations of the federal government. T-bills are exempt from state and local income taxes, and federal taxes are deferred. They are regarded as the safest but generally lowest yielding of all investments, and the secondary market for T-bills is highly liquid. c.Certificates of deposits (CDs) are savings vehicles in which funds must remain on deposit for a specified period. Premature withdrawals incur interest penalties. Because of the requirement that they remain on deposit, CDs are less liquid than T-bills, but they are convenient to buy and hold, offer highly competitive returns, and have federal insurance protection. d.Commercial paper is unsecured short-term debt issued by corporations with very high credit standings. The secondary market for commercial paper is very limited and yields are comparable to yields on large-denomination CDs. Typically, only larger institutions deal directly in this market because the denominations range from $25,000 to the more commonly issued $100,000. Commercial paper is not federally insured. e.Bankers’ acceptances are short-term credit arrangements between business firms and banks. Firms use  banker’s acceptances to finance transactions, most often involving firms in foreign countries o r firms with unknown credit capacities. Banker’s acceptances typically are denominated in $100,000 units, are low-risk securities, and have active secondary markets. Yields are slightly below CD yields and commercial paper and above T-bills. f.Money market mutual funds (MMMFs) pool capital of many investors and invest it exclusively in high-yielding, short-term securities, such as T-bills, large CDs, commercial paper, and other similar securities. Because these high-yielding securities are in denominations of $10,000 to $1 million, the MMMF makes them available in a format that is affordable to individual investors. MMMFs are convenient, offer check writing privileges, and yields are based on the ability of the fund manager to invest in various short-term securities. Although they are not federally insured funds, their default risk is nearly zero because the securities they invest in are very low risk and the fund is relatively diversified. 20. The senior managers in a corporation, such as the chief financial officer (CFO), have the primary responsibility of managing the firm’s capital resources and investments. Because so much of the CFO’s primary responsibilities require an understanding of investment principles, a CFO must understand market forces but more importantly communicate in such a way that investors understand the value of the firm and the securities the firm has issued. 21.Because insurance companies have large sums of investment capital under management, they require the skills of a highly trained finance person in investment principles. Since this person is asked to manage risk for individuals as well as businesses, the decisions they make and the strategies they devise will assist the insurance companies’ customers in the creation of their individual successful asset and risk management strategies.

Organisational Design In Social Care Organisations Social Work Essay

Organisational Design In Social Care Organisations Social Work Essay Organisational design according to Mintzberg (1983) is defined as the ways in which labour is divided into distinct tasks and then its coordination is achieved among these tasks. Organisational design comprises of the component parts of an organisation such as the employees, the information and the technology and how they are integrated together. The relationship between the different parts of the organisation is a social construction. This social construction needs to be adequate to meet the goal of the organisation, in the case of social care organisations it needs to serve the service users best. [Social care is] a profession committed to the planning and delivery of quality care and other support services for individuals and groups with identified needs. Organisational design is used achieve the vision or mission of the organisation. The vision is defined by the managers and leaders of the organisation and the design is formulated around this vision. It is important to design an organisation around an agreed goal; this can be problematic if leaders cannot agree on a goal or they have different understandings of the goal. The Minister for Health, Mary Harney has a view of privatisation of service and more reliance on community involvement than state involvement in individuals care (such as care of the elderly) which conflicts with the policies in place for an equitable health care system (O Doherty, 2010). In many ways organisational structure and culture are interlinked and both must be addressed when examining organisational design. The design is often difficult to change because of the culture of agreed norms, values and expectancies within the organisation. Organisational design is integral in creating efficiency and effectiveness in the organisation therefore it is important in all organisations to implement a structure. Drucker (1999) argues that as situations vary there are no clear guidelines that can be given to identify the best structure to use and mangers must use their own judgement regarding which design to choose. The structure must however coincide with the service users needs and not what the organisation believes should be the structure. Having an identified structure in an organisation is important to contribute to its functions. There are a number of designs outlined that managers may choose from but mangers need to acknowledge elements of the organisation when deciding which model to choose. These elements include: the specialisation of work, the chain of command, the span of control required, degree of formalisation required etc. Bureaucracy is the evident design applied in modern society. This may be influenced by Scientific Management and the military structure from history. The bureaucratic design is controlled and involves standardisation. Hierarchy is an important element of bureaucratic organisations, with departmentalisation and sub-groups evident. Having too many levels of hierarchy however can slow the decision making process within organisations, particularly social care organisations (Jones, 2007). The Quality Assurance in the Social Care sector report (2010) identifies also that an organisational desi gn which values low levels of hierarchy is the best approach for effective communication between staff. According to Kolb (1988) reflective practice and supervision is an important element in social care work. As an organisation adopts a more bureaucratic style the level of good supervision declines (Ruch, 2005). It is important to recognise that supervision in the context of social care works requires the supervisor supporting and guiding the employee towards best professional practice. Supervision involves reflecting on practice and recognising strengths and weaknesses of the employee in a positive way so as to improve the overall service for the service user. The lack of acknowledgement of the function of supervision in this way may be detrimental to the overall organisational goal. Social care workers are not to be seen as bureaucrats simply there to carry out tasks assigned by management but as individual problem solvers with skills for decision making (Thompson and Thompson, 2008). Therefore it is important to have an organisational design in social care organisations which incor porates supervision. The health service in Ireland has undergone fundamental changes since EU pressure began in 1973. The Commission on Health Funding (1989) recognised that the health board system was failing due to management and administration and many layers of hierarchy and a new system needed to be implemented. Other recent reports also outline the need for changes and the need for clarity of decision making in the health care system such as the Quality and Fairness A Health system for you (2001) report. It was outlined that the health boards operated as separate entities which led to inconsistency and did not address best practice. The Health Service Executive (HSE) was formed in 2005; it joined the former 11 health boards together. It consisted of three main parts: the National Hospital Office (NHO), the Primary Community and Continuing Care (PCCC) and Population Health. Unfortunately the HSE was not fully planned or organised. It underwent another organisational structural change in 2008 when t he NHO and the PCCC were joined together under one manager. The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) was established in 2007, it incorporated the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) to work in collaboration with the HSE. HIQA can be viewed as an affixed type of organisation, quality should have been built into the organisations structure but instead HIQA was set up to add in quality into the services provided by inspecting the level that the standards are upheld. This shows that organisation design is an important issue to be addressed. Equally important is the setting of a vision or a goal. The HSEs budget plan is only up until 2014. Although the Quality and Fairness A Health system for you (2001) report outlined what needs to be done, some issues are still outstanding. The human element in social care organisations must be taken into consideration when applying a structure. Maslows (1943) theory of needs acknowledge that human need for self-actualisation is important for their well being. This would imply that organisations would need to involve employees in the decision making process within the structure as self actualisation means being involved in problem solving. Argysis (1957) argues that bureaucracies did not allow for this decision making process. Likert (year) also identifies that using design which involves open communications and trust is best used. There are arguments against this style of involving employees in decision making such as those by Vroom (1973) and Feidler (1967) who value the contingency style of management. Job satisfaction is difficult to access and achieve in service organisations. It is evident that work specialisation does not lead to job satisfaction in social care area; staffs need to be able to change their roles a nd rely on teams and supervision. The impact of staff burnout in social care is prominent. In the Roscommon Child Care Case recently reported there are clear problems with the structure of the organisation. During the period when the health professionals were working with the families the legislation in the child care area was changing with the introduction of the Child Care Act 1991 and Children First National Guidelines for the Protection and Welfare of Children, 1999 and new implementations arose. The staff were not trained in the new developments. If they had been trained then the Roscommon Child Care incident perhaps intervention would have occurred earlier. One of the objectives of the Quality and Fairness (2001) report was to protect children and the need for early intervention. The family in the Roscommon case were known to the HSE since 1989 and the children were not taken into care until 2004. The lack of continuing professional development (CPD) was highlighted as a reason why the mistakes of the past were not learned and as to why new legislation was not implem ented in this case. This can be seen as a failure of the system as well as the culture to provide CDP (Roscommon Child Care Case, 2010 4.16). The report also recognises the need for organisational change and identifies that the HSE has implemented systems of child protection in some areas but this highlights the need for it to be implemented across all organisations (Roscommon Child Care Case, 2010 5.1) Within social care work the need for interagency work is fundamental to provide the best service possible for the service users. However the communication between the agencies needs to be clear and consistent to ensure that the best service is provided and essentially that children are safe and protected (Julius et al, 1980). Julius outlines that the structure of the organisation may hinder the interagency work and it is important to recognise this in work. The structure and culture of the organisation have an impact on the behaviour and attitudes of employees. The structure must be designed so that the employees behave in a manner that best benefits the goal of the organisation, in the case of social care it would be to best serve the service users. When restructuring fails it leads to confusion and turmoil among those affected such as the managers, staff and service users. Models of design will unavoidably need to be changed according to the period of time. Organisations need to plan for the future, make predictions regarding changes that may need to be made by identifying opportunities and threats. Financial issues, new technology and changing population may require an organisation to change its structure. The structure needs to be examined to ensure that it is fulfilling its purpose and that is especially true in social care work where the impact of failure can lead to serious harm or even death to individuals.

White Privilege in America Essay -- Race Racial Racism Supremacy

What is privilege? What does it mean? Is privilege inherited or is it earned? As an American resident of color I’ve learned that privilege in this country is something that is innate and inherited. The privilege that I speak of is that of White privilege. There are two prominent writer/scholars who have taken the issue of white privilege to heart and have shared their expert analysis on the subject; these authors/writer-scholars are Peggy McIntosh, a white feminist, and Beverly Tatum, an African American Psychologist. McIntosh, in her article "Coming to See Correspondences," makes excellent observations about the privilege that she has experienced just by being a white female in America. The two most significant points made by McIntosh in this article are as follows. One, â€Å"A white skin in the United States opens many doors for whites whether or not we approve of the way dominance has been conferred on us†¦the silence and denials surrounding privilege are the key political tools here† (P. 104). The second and even more important point is that â€Å"the obliviousness about white advantage, like obliviousness about male advantage, is kept strongly inculturated in the United States so as to maintain the myth of meritocra cy, the myth that democratic choice is equally available to all†¦props up those in power and serves to keep power in the hands of the same groups that have most of it already† (105). Both points serve McIntosh’s objective of making clear that the notion of white privilege is not a myth. Due to the socially constructed and arbitrary nature of ideologies concerning race (a biological, phenotypic/ (physical) expression of human features) the highly immoral and nonsensical practice [whether recognized or not] of white supr... ... of â€Å"defeatism† in which people of color refuse to adhere to the demands and requirements of popular culture because they believe their efforts and accomplishments will go unrecognized. This psychological ditch works against the advancement of people of color and serves to further perpetuate the institutionalized practice of passive racism by influencing minority groups to remove themselves from the realm of socio-economic mobility, the attainment of education and involvement in political activity. Both authors have recognized the fundamental structures behind privilege –specifically white privilege in America. Their purpose and that of many civil right activists of our era is to bring awareness to those who are in positions of privilege to bring change that fosters the spirit of inclusion, reform and progression into America’s social and mainstream environments.

Your Attitude Is Showing :: Business Marketing

Your Attitude Is Showing: A Primer of Human Relations I enjoyed reading "Your Attitude Is Showing" a great deal more than I expected to. I normally hate to read because I am not very good at it, and I am usually uninterested in the subject. I found that this book to be quite easy to read. The language that the authors used was very easy to understand. Also, it was divided into many chapters with many sections in each chapter. This made it easy for me to keep my attention on the book. When reading I normally become tired and bored, but I was able to focus well on this book. The content of the book also helped keep me interested. I felt that the authors addressed many important points throughout the book. Though I knew much of the information discussed, I also learned a lot from it. This is why I enjoyed the book the most, because it taught me things that I will use, and that are very important for how successful my life is, professionally and personally. Key Points When reading this book I found there to be many important points that were addressed in each chapter. I found three points in particular to be more valuable to me than the others. The first key point that I found was in chapter 2. â€Å"All organizations are built around people. And when you build healthy relationships with your fellow workers and supervisors, you open doors that would otherwise be closed.† I found this statement to be very interesting. This section went on to explain how knowledge of a particular job is not all that is important to succeed in a career. I had previously not realized this in my life, even though I have had personal experiences that reflect this. I was recently offered a management position at my current job. I thought that it was strange because I had relatively no experience working in retail, and I had only been working with the company for a few months. But after reading this section I realized that, most likely, the reason why they off ered me the job was because of the strong relationships I had developed with my supervisors and co-workers in such a short period of time. From now on I plan on keeping this point in mind whenever I begin a new job. The second key point that I found was discussed in chapters 3 and 4.

Media Portrayals of Criminal Justice System

A limited number of people have interaction with or are having the real experience of what and how the criminal justice system works. This is because majority of our ideas are generally drawn from the various forms of mass media – news, television, movies, and print media. Generally, all media forms show a very positive representation of the attainment and honesty of the criminal justice system.   The media helps to mold the mental positions and impressions of the society. It also assists in shaping the public's perceptions regarding criminals, crime, and justice, as well as the people within the system. In fact, the media is a vital source of details and an effective tool of shaping one’s views on the criminal justice system.For the reasons that media builds a social reality, creates a public's plan of action, and designs the government's response toward crime and justice, suggest that there is a complicated interaction between media portrayals of crime itself and th e criminal justice system in general.Broadcast and Print News PortrayalsAn article by Shannon Petersen suggests that modern broadcast and print media portrayals of the criminal justice system unveil greatly about journalism. Petersen coined this as the yellow journalism due to the significantly and specifically shocking, challenging, and unreliable characteristics of the news it brings. This is also because the characteristics of yellow journalism were evident in news stories in broadcast media (television and radio) and in all the nation's major newspapers (Petersen, 1991).The article titled â€Å"Yellow Justice: Media Portrayal of Criminal Trials in the Progressive Era† also states that newspaper, television, and radio companies were motivated more by the financial gain instead of its justice awareness. This oftentimes led to misleading and inaccurate news reports (Petersen, 1991). Petersen (1991) also noted that yellow journalism was very apparent during industrialization boom of newspapers and broadcasting companies.The lack of internal restriction regarding the manner and topic to report also contributed to the wide practice of yellow journalism. In fact, Petersen (1991) reported that during the early part of the twentieth century, courts had not yet adopted judicial practices like jury segregation to avoid the presence and eventually limit the influence of media practitioners in the courtroom.Lastly, Petersen (1991) stated that media portrayals of the judicial trials in the early twentieth century promote more about an advance era of the society. For instance, even a credible newspaper such as the New York Times was tainted when it published a report which showed racism and sexism (Petersen, 1991). This is because the report strengthened tendencies in the society and the criminal justice system.Newspaper and broadcast reports which sensationalized the criminal justice system are stories which deal with racial and gender stereotypes, bigamy, divorc e and traffic violations (Petersen, 1991). According to Pterson (1991), these articles display a knowledgeable skepticism of the ability of the society to refuse the power of the media. Surprisingly, they even show the public's willingness to sacrifice the freedom of the press in the name of justice (Petersen, 1991).Television PortrayalsAltheide (1985), Gerbner and Gross (1976), and Gerbner (1993) presented a great relation between heavy television screening and the socialization of television-prejudiced ideas of reality (cited in McNeely, 1995). According to McNeely (1995), there is a significant involvement and study addressing the concern on violence on television and its influences on the viewers. A large number of works focuses on the issue of whether or not television portrayals of crime and violence have an effect to the viewing population on the aspect of engendering, rather than simply attesting similar mental positions and human conducts.McNeely (1995) suggested that telev ision programs should be utilized to ascertain public images of the criminal justice system itself and how those images might or might not change the knowledge, perspective, and basic understanding of the judicial system and its operation. He added that those said images and impressions can be compared with â€Å"reality† in order to add to one's understanding of the criminal law and social interaction (cited in McNeely, 1995).McNeely (1995), however, clarified that with television portrayals, people might expect to find a comparative match and an increasing level of influence on public notion of the criminal justice system. A growing level of television viewed by the â€Å"postmodern† individual may result in more television-defined public perspectives of criminal justice and law enforcement. McNeely (1995) added that the suggested research, aside from being distinctly absorbing and suggestive, can lead to a somewhat different and persuasive examination of the interac tion between the public and judicial system especially in terms of their interactive investigation. This is because of their significant abstract and experimental implications for related studies of the tradition, government, and the criminal justice studies in general (cited in McNeely, 1995).Movie PortrayalsIn his presentation of the movie portrayals of the criminal justice system, Myers (2006) said that movies reflect some realities about the judicial system regardless of the agreement of their screenplays to Hollywood's commercial mood. The movies shine an unflattering light on the justice system and which gives encouragement to its viewers. The movies tend to illustrate that the justice system is not essentially interested in finding the truth, despite the fact that seeking the truth is a necessary aspect of the crime victims' sense of justice (Myers, 2006).A lot of movie portrayals are critiques of the criminal justice system. Most of them show how the current system lacks in providing true justice to crime victims. This is because in movies, many crime victims and proponents of the legal system participants must resort to their personal and more risky manners of seeking justice for the crimes committed against them or their love ones. This is where the judicial practice fails which the movies apparently portray.First, it does not provide enough resources or counseling to victims that have suffered from the crime. Second, the criminal justice system legal system does not adapt the appropriate punishment for crime suspects. While the court is still wondering whether law is a reflection of the public or simply impacts the perspective of the people, there is no doubt that the justice system, with all its strengths and weaknesses, is portrayed most dramatically and largely on the silver screen.The various media portrayals of the criminal justice system as presented in this paper have true and important impacts on the behavior of the public and the society. B y knowing and understanding the ineffectiveness of the justice system as portrayed by the media, people can become more decisive consumers of media images.The various media forms are in the business of affecting how and what people think of the criminal justice system. Nowadays, it is quite hard to believe that people can just ignore everything they perceive in the media because the portrayals presented are not literally correct or because they are loosely staged models of reality.Although most people understand that what they are seeing in media is not a depiction of â€Å"real events,† the persuasive and powerful presentations of media have somehow affected how the human mind works. In order for a portrayal to be efficient, the audience must, in some way, identify with the characters and what they are doing, even if some aspects of the situation are â€Å"unrealistic.† This is where the media proves to be effective in presenting the true facet of the criminal justice system.ReferencesMcNeely, C. (1995). Perceptions of the Criminal Justice System: Television Imagery and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Public Knowledge in the United States. Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Culture, 3(1), 1-20.Myers, R. (2006). Movies About the Legal System and the Portrayal of Crime Victims. Fordham Law Forum on Law, Culture & Society. Retrieved February 5, 2008 from    Fordham Law and Culture Database.Petersen, S. (1999). Yellow Justice: Media Portrayal of Criminal Trials in the ProgressiveEra. Stanford Journal of Legal Studies, 1, 72.