Emotional Skills In Social Work Practice

Emotional Skills In Social Work Practice Social Work Practice, a powerful modern day skill for social empowerment of the disadvantaged and excluded segments of society, is an occupation of enormous scope and an immensely stressful activity (Burgess Taylor, 2004). Educated and trained in social work theory and practice, these practitioners are required to constantly interact, assess and understand situations, as well engage in various actions aimed at providing appropriate relief and succour to their disadvantaged clients (Burgess Taylor, 2004). This calls for significant knowledge of the tenets of social work practice. However, social workers in the UK function in an increasingly management oriented setting which is more organisational and administrative, with an emphasis on private public participation, accountability and coordination (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 7 to 81). Increasing competition between social work providers, business-oriented standards for performance assessment, mounting work pressures and the need to micro manage and carefully control the distribution of services often lead to personal dilemmas, contradictory emotions and disorientation (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 7 to 81). Significant failures in social work have brought to the fore various challenges facing social workers in processing and comprehending their own emotions and actions, as well as those of others (Perez-Koenig Rock, 2001, P 25 to110). Modern day behavioural experts and psychologists feel that much of the reasons behind such failures lie in the inadequacies of traditionally followed training approaches, which deal primarily with the inculcation of practical and theoretical competencies and ignore broader and more holistic emotional issues (Perez-Koenig Rock, 2001, P 25 to110). Adequate attention to emotional issues in the training and development of social workers is felt to be critically important for (a) aligning the emotional dimensions of social work, which, while essential, is rendered invisible, with the natural caring roles of social workers (b) providing supportive agendas for individual and professional development (c) providing processes to define the emotional constituent of social work practice that is obliterated by the increase of managerial practices in the area, (d) tackling the disruptive power of emotions on thought, (e) creating an effective balance between rational and emotional reactions for making of sensible and wise decisions, and (f) bridging cultural differences (Turner, 2005). Whilst the origins of Emotional Intelligence (EI) can be traced back to the works of Darwin, its modern day emergence, as a serious and relevant issue for study and application in various areas of work that involve people, arose first with the work of Robert Maslow in 1960, followed by those of John Mayer and Peter Salovey in 1989. Peter Salovey described EI as the ability to monitor ones own and others feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide ones thinking and actions (Nelson Others, 2007, P 30). The concept of EI received a boost with the work of the psychologist Daniel Goleman, who popularised it, first with his 1995 book Emotional intelligence: why it can matter more than IQ and thereafter through constant research and work on the subject (Nelson Others, 2007, P 30). Goleman has developed a number of EI competencies in two specific areas of EI, personal competence and social competence, and has encouraged the inclusion of EI in the education and training module of social work (Nelson Others, 2007, P 30). This essay deals with the various ramifications of EI in social work and its use and application for fresh entrants, educated and trained in the area, principally in three specific disciplines; counselling, conflict management and social work practice, 2. EI in Counselling New entrants in the area of social work counselling will be required to help people of various ages from different segments of society to confront and overcome a diverse range of problems and challenges (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Counsellors aim to provide people with the guidance and support they require to alter their lives and move forward in a constructive manner. Social work counselling can loosely be segregated into (a) counselling and therapy (assisting clients with different emotional problems) (b) providing advice and information in areas related to jobs, employment choices, welfare, rights, debt, etc. (c) social and community care, (helping with providing of support to families, young and old people, and those without homes or with disabilities) and (d) charities and other voluntary organisations (providing support to workers to collect funds and organise volunteers in order to continue their operations (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Recent years have seen an increasing conflict between the managerial and administrative functions of social workers and their requirement to meet individuals at the time of their need, give them respect, battle disadvantages and unfairness, construct relationships that resolve problems, and support wellbeing (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). People in need of counselling have time and again requested to be treated with dignity and respect, to be patiently listened to and helped (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Effective counselling requires social workers to listen carefully, react effectively and build relationships with service users, colleagues and others (Payne Shardlow, 2002, P122 to 198). Golemans four core competencies, namely self awareness, self management, social awareness, and relationship management can be of immense help to new counsellors by enabling them to understand personal emotions and their effect on other people, as well as by developing the ability to control strong emotions that can upset service users (Druskat Others, 2006, P 72 to 145). Inculcation of social awareness enables new counsellors to recognise the emotional condition of their clients, bridge cultural and social distances and understand the challenges and difficulties experienced by service users (Druskat Others, 2006, P 72 to 145). Relationship management on the other hand equips counsellors to converse with service users, persuades them to listen to and understand the suggestions of the counsellor, and build strong bonds (Druskat Others, 2006, P 72 to 145). The principles of client centred therapy, popularised by Carl Rogers, require counsellors to refrain from unsettling clients with queries, evaluations, judgments, and explanations, but to focus upon providing secure, non-judgemental and caring environments, where the service users can control counselling sessions, decide what is discussed, and find their individual solutions to existing problems without requiring the counsellors to fix the course of therapy (Mulhauser, G, (2009, P 1). Carl Rogers based his framework on the belief that individuals become progressively more truthful and dependable once they realise that their subjective understanding is appreciated and accepted. Rogers core conditions, better known as CUE, consist of Congruence, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Empathy (Mulhauser, G, (2009, P 1). These three conditions are of extreme importance in client-centred counselling and new counsellors need to inculcate a deep understanding of them in order to provide requisite conditions for clients who have a strong desire to explore their feelings and who treasure personal responsibility. Such an approach may however be unsuitable for clients who wish to be provided with extensive advice, diagnosis of problems and analysis of their problems (Mulhauser, G, (2009, P 1). Clients who would like to address specific psychological habits or patterns of thinking may find some variation in the helpfulness of the person-centred approach, as the individual therapeutic styles of person-centred counsellors vary widely, and some will feel more able than others to engage directly with these types of concerns. (Mulhauser, 2009, P 1) Whilst newly inducted counsellors need to be careful about the requirement of their clients, the use of emotional skills is often necessary and needs to be fully inculcated by counsellors. 3. EI in Conflict Management Social workers, especially those taking up positions in social work organisations, understand that their work will often deal with conflict and that too in various roles, as advocates, negotiators and mediators (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Social work education comprises of a wide range of perspectives, (like environmental, radical and feminist), which in turn are based upon dissimilar premises regarding human relationships (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Social work practice requires different approaches from different perspectives in case of intervention for resolution or management of situations of conflict (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Examples of such situations (in terms of the above perspectives) could include interface between individuals and their social environments, confronting patriarchy, or challenging discrimination and oppression against a wide range of groups, including women, lesbians, gays and ethnic minorities (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Conflict resolution training for social workers provides numerous principles for successful conflict resolution, like (a) the need for different responses for different conflicts, (b) the availability of different responses like avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise or collaboration for bringing about solutions, (c) the need of people to feel secure from physical or emotional hazards, (d) the availability of various skills for conflict resolution skills like refraining, active listening, and identification of underlying interests, and (e) the need to balance emotions with rationality (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Social workers are undoubtedly aware of the lack of emotional intelligence being the main cause of conflict (Lenaghan Others, 2006, P 76+). Researchers in EI also argue that a lack of emotional intelligence is one of the leading causes of conflict in our society (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Contemporary training tools make significant use of Goldmans principles on EI, particularly self-confidence, emotional self-control, transparency, empathy, motivation and relationship management (Turner, 2005, P136 to 217). Golemans work makes a valuable contribution to conflict management theory and training, and a compelling case for the importance of emotion in what we believe to be rational decision-making processes (Bjerknes HYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bioHYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bio Paranica, 2002, P1). Golemans theories constructively help social workers understand the important role of emotion in life and the reliance placed upon emotional input for making decisions and prioritisation of information. This greatly helps in minimising conflict in personal and working life (Bjerknes HYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bioHYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bio Paranica, 2002, P1). Solid training that focuses on developing awareness about our strengths and weaknesses as mediators, facilitators and trainers is crucial to our development as culturally competent process workers, and is crucial in our pursuit to help clients achieve their potential. Openness to learning and reflecting about our role, about who we are, and about how we affect others is essential and will lead us down the path to success in life. (Bjerknes HYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bioHYPERLINK http://www.mediate.com/articles/bjerknes.cfm#bio Paranica, 2002, P1) 4. EI in Social Work Practice Social Work practitioners are required to interact with service users, social workers and other participants of the social care system like medical practitioners, teachers and members of local authorities (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). With the interaction between social workers and service users being the focal point of social work practice, the relationship between social worker and service user involves perception on the part of the practitioner, appreciation of the emotions of the client and usage of perceptions to handle situations and achieve efficiency in delivery of social care (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Such work demands a high degree of emotional intelligence (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Social work in the present context does not extend only to the assessment and fulfilment of perceived social needs (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172), but also to the realisation of and respect for the service users goals, choices, and preferences and the use of interdisciplinary resources available with the social worker to meet their emotional, social, physical and economic needs. Social workers need to engage in active introspection of events, try to obtain a clear psychological understanding of the challenges and needs of service users and inculcate genuine concern for the economically and socially disadvantaged and excluded (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Whilst such perceptions cannot be generalised because of the different needs of different people, the inculcation of empathy and service orientation facilitates the development of necessary perspectives and perceptions (Burgess Taylor, 2004, P 101 to 172). Social workers entering practice should recognise that they need to confront their own emotions as well as those of their service users, especially so in cases where the issues are extremely challenging and difficult to resolve. Goleman identifies five EQ domains as (a) knowledge of own, (b) management of own emotions, (c) motivating oneself, (d) recognising and understanding emotions of other people, and (e) management of relationships, i.e. the management of emotions of other people (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). Experts also agree that EI, along with reflective ability enables social workers to increase their resilience to stress (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). Self awareness and self management competencies help social workers to progressively develop self confidence, transparency, and optimism (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). Social awareness and relationship management on the other hand allow them to engage positively with their clients as well as with other participants in the social care structure (Druskat Others, 2006, P 152 to 189). It is unfortunate that current research reports still underline the need for social workers to have more empathy for their clients. They found that being listened to and understood was crucial for the carers. Staff who took time to ask questions and hear complex and long stories of how the family were coping was seen as the most helpful. These findings confirm previous ones and it is of great concern that people using services are still identifying that only some social workers are proficient in such crucial and basic skills. (Sedan, 2005, P 7) It is being constantly proved that the difference between the better social workers and the others can be narrowed down to skills like listening, non-critical acceptance, avoidance of moralistic or judgemental attitudes and other competencies directly related to EI. New social workers need to heed such findings and focus strongly on improving their EI and E skills. 5. Conclusions The principles of EI, when they were first elaborated by Mayor and Salovey raised significant interest in a world that was becoming increasingly competitive and insensitive; the possibility of people being able to adopt techniques and behaviours to work with greater cooperation, harmony and productivity was welcomed with enthusiasm. The path breaking work on the subject by Goleman in following years and the adoption of the tenets of EI in various areas of human endeavour, more noticeably in social work and in the HR functions of business firms, have resulted in its increasing popularity and application. As is evident, EI can be applied in numerous areas by social work practitioners; it is an extremely useful skill and can be used productively in counselling, conflict management and various other areas of social work practice. Whilst interest in the area of human needs and actualisation has increased since the publication of Maslows theories, the evolution of specific theory on the issue has added a new dimension to the area by developing methods for people to increase their E skills and improve the quality and productivity of their working and personal lives. Recent entrants to social work however need to realise that E skills and EI can increase only with constant inculcation and application of its principles and bare knowledge of theoretical tenets will not suffice in improving their EI competencies. With the tools and methods of improving EI still in the primary stages development, much more needs to be done to popularise the issue and encourage its application in various areas of social work. The Boston EI questionnaire provides a good method of assessing personal EI, which is in consonance with the Five Step Method for improvement of emotional quotient (Druskat Others, 2006, P 225). Younger social workers would be well advised to sincerely take the test and constantly improve their EI.

Physical And Cognitive Development Of Infants

Physical And Cognitive Development Of Infants Select one of the following age groups: infants, toddlers or young children. Focus on two developmental domains (select from: physical, social and emotional, language and/or cognitive development) of the child. Describe how these two domains develop within your chosen age group with the support of human development theories and concepts studied in this course. Identify a range of teaching strategies that promote a childs development in each of the two selected domains. Development describes the growth of humans throughout the lifespan, from conception to death. The study of human development helps to understand how and why people change throughout life. This includes all aspects of human growth, including physical, intellectual, language, social and emotional and spiritual development. Papalia and Olds (1998) define lifespan development as a lifelong process of development (p.10). This essay describes the physical and cognitive development of infants (birth-12 months) and also discuss about some teaching strategies that promote physical and cognitive development of infants in the early childcare centres. Physical development refers to progressively gaining control over large and small muscles. Gross motor (large muscle) skills allow a child to do things like roll over, sit, crawl, walk, and throw a ball. Fine motor (small muscle) skills enable children to do things like draw, and eat with spoon. The development of new motor skills allows children to make new discoveries. As they explore, they begin to make sense of their environment (Berger, 2001). The physical development of infants is very important. Although children develop at different rates, they learn to control their bodies in the same progression (Berk, 2006). Arnold Gesell, an American psychologist, is one of the first theorists who approached to determine developmental measure for children. He developed his theory by studying a number of children (Terry, 2008). Newborn babies have very few motor skills. Their muscles are not strong enough to control their body, while their sense of hearing and smell are keen. Infants move by reflex when they are newborns. They move automatically in response to various stimuli. Some reflexes help parents to make sure that infants will get what they need to survive (Berk, 2006). For instance, when the mother touches the cheek of a newborn, the baby starts moving his/her mouth in search of a nipple. When the mother touches his/her mouth or when his/her mouth touches the nipple, the baby starts sucking. Also, infants have other reflexes such as reciprocal kicking (Terry, 2008). In five months, most babies gain control of their arms and head. Gesell considered this process of physical growth a genetically determines series of events that unfolds automatically (Berk, 2006, p.14). He believed that physical development occurs to each child in a fixed order, and a certain development happens when an individuals inner system is prepared. Gesell also suggested head-to-tail and centre-to-edge sequence (Berk, 2006). In other words, control develops from head to toe, and from the centre of childrens bodies out through their arms and legs to their fingers and toes. For example, a child learns to lift his/her head first and then sit, crawl, walk and run (Terry, 2008). Gesell also stated that an infant gains control of the head before arms, and masters moving arms before fingers. According to milestones of motor development, infants can lift their upper body by using their arms two months after their birth, and sit by themselves a few months later. Then, infants become able to control their lower body to do things like walking and jumping (Berk, 2006). When the children are of nearly one year, they are gradually developing their fine motor skills like grabbing objects. They begin to stack blocks or other toys. Also they can pick up small pieces of cereal, open and close small boxes, and turn knobs on toys because their pincer grasp becomes more coordinated (Berk, 2006). Another aspect of physical development is shaping senses. A childs sense of taste, smell and hearing are more developed than sense of sight. Infants can recognize the difference of flavors, peoples smell and tones of voice, while their vision is unclear. In addition to these four senses (taste, smell, hear and vision), infants develop their sense of touch (Berk, 2006). Teachers play an important role in promoting childrens physical development. They should provide safe indoor and outdoor spaces for children to move their bodies. Educators should provide materials and equipments according to the age and developmental level of infants (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Educators can promote physical development of infants by reinforcing and encouraging them. Educators should help and encourage children when they are learning new skills (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). For example, when an infant is taking the feed from his/her bottle, educator should encourage him/her for holding the milk bottle (Terry, 2008). Educators should provide the opportunities for children to use their senses to explore, shape, volume and other characteristics of objects (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Educators can promote physical development of infants by providing equipments and opportunities for gross motor skills. To do this, educators should set up the room in a way that infants have the freedom to explore in a range of safe spaces (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). For instance, some infants have started crawling, so teachers should divide the space so that the infants, who do not crawl, wont get hurt. Educators should provide a range of materials and equipments that helps children to use their large muscles. For example, push bikes, tunnels and so on (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Educators can promote physical development of infants by providing equipments and opportunities for fine motor skills. To do this, educators should provide opportunities for infants that help them to develop small muscles by grasping, dropping, pulling and fingering (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Treasure basket is a good resource that teachers can use to develop fine motor skills of infants (Terry, 2008). As human beings grow, they gain knowledge and produce different thoughts, and also their ability of memorizing develops. This change of intelligence is called cognitive development. The early years of a childs life are crucial for cognitive development (Berger, 2001). Cognitive development of the baby means the learning process of memory, language, thinking and reasoning. Babies develop at their own pace. So, it is impossible to tell exactly when every child will learn a given skill. Jean piaget and Lev Vygotsky are two of the famous cognitive theorists (Tesar, 2008). After birth of a baby, their intelligence develops rapidly during the first two years. According to Piagets cognitive theory, infants explore and understand their world by using their senses. For example, smelling, sucking, throwing, and mouthing and so on. Piaget proposed four stages of cognitive development, which he believed occur in a certain order to everyone at individuals own rate (Berk, 2006). The first stage of development is called sensor motor stage that applies to children from birth to two year. During this stage, an infants knowledge of the world is limited, but developing, to their sensory perceptions and motor activities. Behaviors are limited to simple motor responses caused by sensory stimuli. Children utilize skills and abilities they born with, such as looking, sucking, grasping and listening, to learn more about the environment. This stage has further six sub-stages (Berk, 2006). During first sub-stage, which is reflexive schemes (0-1 month), the child understands the world through inborn reflexes such as sucking and looking. The second sub-stage, which is primary circular reactions (1-4 months), involves coordinating sensation and new schemes (Berk, 2006). For instance, if a child accidentally puts his/her finger in mouth and has started sucking it, then later on, that child intentionally repeat this action. By repeating these actions, infants find them pleasurable (Tesar, 2008). During third sub-stage, which is secondary circular reactions (4-8 months), infants start paying attention on the world around them and begins to intentionally repeat an action in order to trigger a response in the environment (Berk, 2006). For example, a child intentionally picks up a toy from the floor to put that toy in his/her mouth (Tesar, 2008). In the fourth sub-stage, which is coordination of secondary circular reactions (8-12 months), object permanence occurs, demonstrating that memory is developing. Infants realize that an object exists and they begin to recognize certain objects as having specific qualities (Berk, 2006). For example, if the mother shows the baby an attractive toy and then hides that toy under the blanket. The child in this sub-stage can find the toy (Tesar, 2008). According to Piaget, infants develop their memory and imitation skills through these sub-stages. New born babies respond to what they feel through senses and also imitate facial expressions. As children grow, they enjoy repeating actions as well as becoming able to remember familiar people and objects (Berk, 2006). The ways children adapt to situations were described by Piaget as assimilation and accommodation. Children organize their own experience when they encounter the similar events during assimilation, whereas in accommodation, the children adjust old knowledge to new understandings when unfamiliar situations come (Bruce Meggitt, 2005). According to Vygotsky, childrens learning is influenced by people in their society. His idea of zone of proximal development is that childrens intelligence expands more when they are supported by adults or older children than when they are working by themselves. Infants gain knowledge not only from their own discoveries but also from what other people illustrate to them (Nixon Gould, 2003). According to Piaget, the teacher should provide an environment where children can explore themselves. Teachers play an important role in the development of children. Teachers should create an environment where they can interact with the children and observe them closely (Tesar, 2008). Teachers should provide opportunities for infants to use all senses to explore the world around them. For example, providing treasure basket is a good example to promote infants cognitive development. By doing this, educators can help children develop new concepts and gain thinking and reasoning skills (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). By providing musical instruments, teachers can help children to acquire knowledge of different sounds and children know the difference of high and low volume (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Teachers should provide finger food to the infants. By doing this, children can smell, taste or squish the food. This helps infants to get familiar with the taste, hardness, softness and smell of the provided food (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). Teachers can promote infants cognitive development by interacting with them in different ways. This helps children to promote their confidence and curiousity. Educators can promote infants confidence and curiosity by praising their successess. For example, if a child roll over or hold a toy for the very first time, then the teacher should praise that child. By doing this, teachers can help children in buliding their self confidence and inceases their curiosity for achieving success for next time (Dodge, Dombro Koralek, 1991). In conclusion, physical development occurs to infants automatically according to genes in the fixed sequence. Also, babies gain control of their upper body before lower body. Infants gain knowledge of world through explorations by using their senses as well as organizing previous experiences when they face unfamiliar situations. According to Vygotskys point of view, an infants cognition expands with the support from people around them. Educators play a prominent role for the physical and cognitive development of infants.

The Hale Bopp Comet :: essays research papers

The Hale Bopp Comet As I am sure all of you know, we have recently been able to see a new but not permanent additon to the night sky. This addition is known as Hale-Bopp, a comet that is about 122 million miles (about 1.3 times the distance of the sun to the earth) from the earth and is approximately 25 miles wide. Hale-Bopp was discovered on July 23,1995 by two scientists named Alan Hale in New Mexico and Thomas Bopp in Arizona. This is the first discovery for both of them, although Alan Hale is one of the top visual comet observers in the world, having seen about 200 comet apparitions. That is one of the reasons they put his name first. Alan Hale comments, "I love the irony -- I've spent over 400 hours of my life looking for comets, and haven't found anything, and now, suddenly, when I'm not looking for one, I get one dumped in my lap. I had obtained an observation of P/Clark earlier, and needed to wait an hour or so before P/d'Arrest got high enough to look at, and was just passing the time til then, and I decided to look at some deep-sky objects in Sagittarius. When I turned to M70, I saw a fuzzy object in the same field, and almost immediately suspected a comet, since I had been looking at M70 last month, and *knew* there wasn't any other objects there." Thomas Bopp explains his story like this, "On the night of July 22, 1995 some friends and I headed out into the desert for a dark of the moon observing session. The site, which is west of Stanfield, AZ and a few mile south of Interstate 8 is about 90 miles southwest from my home. My friend Jim Stevens had brought his 17-1/2" Dobsonian. We started the evening observing some of the Messier objects such as the Veil and North American Nebulae in Cygnus, when Jim said " Let's look at some of the globulars in Sagittarius." We started our tour with M22 and M28, observing at 50X and then at 180X. Around 11:00 local time, we had M-70 in the field when Jim went to the charts to determine the next object of investigation. I continued watching M-70 slowly drift across the field, when it reached a point 3/4 of the way across a slight glow appeared on the eastern edge. I repositioned the scope to center on the new object but was unable to resolve it. I called to Jim and asked him if he knew what it might be, after a visual inspection he stated he wasn't familiar

Obesity In the U.S. Essay -- essays research papers

Obesity in the U.S. Subject Sentence: Obesity in general has become a major concern in the U.S. Mainly because of three major factors dealing with obesity how quickly it became a problem, the U.S. being the most overweight nation, and the increased health risks. Introduction: Are you overweight? Do have a little junk in the trunk? To answer these questions either you or someone you know has a problem with obesity. This has come to be a problem of epidemic proportions in the U.S. Body: I) To begin how is that obesity has become such a major problem in our country. A) One being the fact that we are the most agriculturally advanced nation. And unhealthy foods are so easily accessible with drive thrus and promotions of products in grocery stores. B) Unhealthy foods such as fast food have become easy, cheap, accessible, and convenient and that is what everyone wants convenience. C) And in response some fast food chains have now come up with ideas to keep their customers and have them eat healthier. Now fast food restaurants now serve personal size salads and other healthier alternatives and carbohydrate counting menus. II) Another reason for the U.S. obesity problem is that we are the most overweight nation in the world. A) People have been sacrificing healthy food for fast food and microwaveable meals. We and people in general do all if this is for the sake of less hassle and more convenience to parents for themselves and children this world is now becoming more and m...

Tension in Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge :: A View from the Bridge Arthur Miller Essays

Tension in Arthur Miller’s A View From The Bridge The whole of this play involves symbolism, on many different levels. The end scene, in which Eddie takes his own life with his own knife, is symbolic of the self-destructive nature that led to such an ending. As Arthur Miller wished to write 'a modern Greek tragedy ´ it is likely that the symbolism of the dagger is Eddie’s sexuality, which drove him to his drastic actions and eventually death. During the confrontation earlier in the play Marco raised a chair like a weapon, symbolic of the fight yet to come. Rudolpho danced with Catherine when she had previously been attending to Eddie, symbolic of him taking her from Eddie’s life. Therefore it seems natural to reason that Miller intended the title of the play to have some significance other than the geography of the location. The most obvious interpretation is of the audience sharing with Alfieri an unbiased overview of the unfolding of events. It is like being able to see from a bridge over a river, our vision uncluttered by opinions as it would be by the side of the river, or perhaps even as part of the river. The spray and swirling of currents of a river could represent the uncertain nature of life that clouds our perceptions and the flow of water the rush of emotions that carry us from birth to death. Though, even Alfieri is not completely removed from the happenings of the play, he takes an active part in the play as well as providing the 'chorus ´ character of the Greek format that Miller used. He is part of the American culture, but also part of the Italian culture, he also knew the family "I had represented his father in an accident case some years before, and I was acquainted with the family in a casual way." Perhaps this is why he is able to give a balanced opinion and to counsel Eddie (though his advice is unheeded). On the bridge we have time to form opinions, to judge other people, to 'settle for half ´. It was his American audience that Miller addressed through Alfieri: "Most of the time now we settle for half and I like it better. But the truth is holy, and even as I know how wrong he was and his death useless, I tremble for, I confess that something perversely pure calls to me from his memory--not purely good, but himself, purely, for he allowed himself to be wholly known and for that I think I will love him more than all my sensible clients." This dilutes the feeling of superiority and detachment that we are

Entrepreneurship Essay

Founder Of The Company The company was called KYK Automotive Inc. , and was started by Peter Yadav, the sole owner of the business. The business was started up as a partnership back in March of 1993, with the three partners being Peter Yadav, Ramesh Kapil, and Sam Kapil. They thought of the name KYK with the initials of all three last names. All three were previously working as car mechanics, with the two brothers, Ramesh and Sam working at one place, and Peter was working at a Petro Canada station, all in downtown Toronto. The three have known each other since they were all enrolled in the army together back in their homeland of India, and remained close friends ever since. Upon coming to Canada, they each found separate jobs as car mechanics, and helped out one another in finding better positions or better paying jobs. Once they were all settled down, they would always get together on the weekends and discuss about further opportunities that they could go into. Their initial thoughts were to open up a mechanic shop, with them three being the mechanics. It was through these small talks that the idea of opening up an Auto Parts retail store came about The Idea The three friends would always meet up on the weekends to relax and discuss about further opportunities for the future that would lead them to better profits and greater success. They thought hard about opening up a mechanic shop and having them three being the only mechanics their, which almost passed through. They had found a spot and were getting their capital together when one day, Peter suggested that he would be interested in something else. He wanted to go a step ahead and he had always noticed that the people who delivered the parts were always so busy, and had pretty much a work overload, where they were denying new clients because they just couldn’t handle all the workload. The mechanic shop would have been the easier route for the three, but they loved challenges and wanted to try something new as well, something a little less physically demanding, and something that would require them to use their brains a little more. When Peter suggested the idea, the other two were a bit hesitant because it was something they weren’t familiar with, and the idea of putting all their money into something that wasn’t 100% clear to them sounded a bit risky. Peter suggested though that they did know all the basics of the business since they were mechanics themselves, and that all they really needed to do was to learn about the software to look up different parts that mechanic shops needed, and that they would slowly start up and learn the rest of the business as they move along. He persuaded them on the fact that the business had a lot of demand and very few suppliers and since they already have three experienced people in the trade, they could start up the business right away. An advantage that these three had was the ability to troubleshoot as well for their customers, for instance, if the mechanic had trouble identifying what could be wrong with a customer’s car or what the part is called that he/she required, these three with their background and knowledge of the industry, could assist them in finding the exact part. The auto parts stores at that present time were unable to do this which was thought to be an excellent addition to their possible new venture, and would make their company stand out. With all these factors into play, they started to dig deeper into it and came up with an excellent choice and business decision when they decided the location. The Location During the time that they were all deciding on a location, and since they were all newlyweds and had family coming from their homelands, they needed to move out of the city and to a location in the suburbs, which was something they had decided before thinking of the new business. After months of searching for the best location that would bring in the most business, they found a location in the Mississauga/Brampton area, where there was a shortage of parts stores but an overload of mechanic shops. This would be their best opportunity to get in on the profits of the auto parts industry. The major breakthrough for them in particular was that in that time, there were many immigrants coming from their homeland of India, and a majority of them had settled down in the Mississauga/Brampton area, and a majority of them were mechanics and had opened up businesses in that area. This was a large part in the deciding factor of locations because what they had realized was that these mechanics were ordering from shops that barely understood what they were talking about, and half their parts would be delivered wrong with no fault of their own or the parts store, it just a communication problem. With Peter and the two brothers opening their shop near here, they could easily take all of this business away from other parts stores for the simple fact that they all speak the same language, are from the same place back home, and their would be no communication problems for either of them. This would save time for the mechanics because the amount of incorrect parts they receive would decrease and in turn, would increase profits for the new business. The location ended up being 1767 Drew Road, which is in an industrial area in Mississauga, and was close to many mechanic shops within a 5km radius. Day-To-Day Operations They had opened the store on March 1, 1993, with just the three of the partners working there. They had Peter as a counterperson, who would be answering calls and providing prices to customers, billing the customers and locating the parts. They had Ramesh delivering the parts to all the customers and marketing their business as he was on the road, kind of like a salesman. Then they had Sam helping out at the store, with all the walk in customers they had, along with order picking the parts for the different garages as Peter needed some help as well. The business started off with a boom right from the get go, and within a couple of months, they had realized that they would require more employees to be able to keep up with all the demand, and to keep their customers happy. They had learned that the number one factor in deciding auto parts suppliers to deal with for mechanic shops was speed and accuracy of parts, and that the price of the parts was after that. By knowing this, they had brought in two new delivery drivers so that they could get the parts out quicker to their customers, and that if they had new customers, they would be able to handle the additional workload. They now had all three of the partners handling the business at the store, and if need be, Ramesh would do some deliveries during the peak hours. Peter was doing most of the work inside the shop however, for example, he would be the one to answer most of the calls, he would be ordering most of the parts from various locations, and he would be stocking and picking parts as well. This didn’t sit too well with the other two partners and this is where the partnership would breakdown. The End of The Partnership As Peter started handling most of the business and the other two were being treated as employees rather than partners, they felt the urge to let their feelings be known since they all had an equal say in the company. After a few discussions, the two brothers decided that they did not want to be part of this business anymore, and wanted out. They did not leave on a sour note however, and waited until Peter could find employees to replace them, and after a couple of months, the other two partners had left the partnership and moved onto another venture. Peter now had sole ownership of the business from December, 1994. He had with him 2 delivery drivers, and one person assisting him inside the shop, answering calls and helping pick orders and stock shelves. Business was still going great for him, but he had to narrow his customers down to locations within a 5km radius because he didn’t want to expand anymore, and his main clients were within that area so his business wouldn’t suffer regardless. Business After The Partnership Peter continued to run the business successfully, and kept all of his customers happy. He made one significant change to the business which was to stop all sales to the general public. He realized that he was losing some trust in his mechanic shops because they were losing out on some profits. The way the business worked was for example, Peter would supply shop X with a part at a cost of $15. The shop would then charge the customer $30 for that part, and an additional rate for installation. Now when Peter would sell directly to the public for $15, the shops were losing out on the additional profit and when they realized Peter was selling it to them and taking away from their business, they felt betrayed and did not want to deal with Peter anymore. After a few complaints, Peter realized that the best business decision would be to keep the mechanic shops happy because they were his main repeat customers, not the occasional walk-in customers. This also gave him some more free time to handle other business operations so it worked out even better for him. After a couple of years, he decided he wanted to add something to the business. He realized that he had been receiving many calls about tires, especially throughout the winter months. He met up with a local tire shop that had bought few parts from him and struck a deal for some winter tires. He would certain things like this for seasonal parts and make up a small flyer to show his customers what he was adding to his inventory at different times and they would sell off very quickly. The End of The Business The business had been running extremely well up until 2006, where the profit levels were decreasing, not by a huge amount but a noticeable amount, due to all the competition now in the area. When the business started, there was only one other parts store in the 5km radius, and in 2006, there were 6, which easily explains why profit levels were decreasing. All the shops had their own suppliers, and there were price wars going on with all the auto parts stores. Peter stood firm on his stance that he would not participate in these price wars, and the price he had was the price you would get the part for. The business kept going with a decent profit up until 2008, and then he decided that it was not worth staying in business as the amount of stores opening up was still increasing, and the price for parts was decreasing. In November 2008, he decided to close the shop. New Opportunities  Peter had thought about retiring and took some time off from work, but after only a couple of months off, he had started on getting back into the parts business. He found an existing business for sale back in downtown, Toronto. The building is attached to a car body shop, which is coincidentally owned by Sam Kapil, his former partner from KYK. He has been going in to the parts store, which is called Khapco, and seeing how the business is doing and if he would be interested in it, and so far he hasn’t decided on anything, but he tells me he’s not done working yet.

Apple Management Essay

Why was Dubinsky initially successful? Her first 3 years at apple from July 1981 through the fall of 1984 was ones continuous success with increasing authority and recognition. She refined and formalized the apple product distribution policy. She exactly understood apple situation in market and create a marketing execution funnel that Apple Company didn’t have this system before. She and her group took all apple products from their respective manufacturing sites to the dealers. They improved warehousing, customer service, credit, repair service, order entry, and a technical group to assist dealers. She was risk taker. Maintained relationship with apple dealers. Willingly and ably fought for her subordinates and for apple dealers and customers. Focused primarily on her caring and honest relationship with her subordinates, Worked closely with 6 distribution centers across the country, She always supported company decision even if she didn’t agree with it. She always had a company’s interest at heart, she was extremely intelligent, had a great sense of humor, had a good ability in presentation, she was self confident, she was very direct. How and why did things unravel? Steve Jobs forced Coleman to do Dubinsky’s job and set up a new distribution plan, and it was more than new distribution system. It was a total change in distribution and manufacturing strategy, taking apple from supply-driven to demand-driven and reducing the distribution and warehouse centers from six to zero, it focused only on central processing units, ignoring apple’s other products, there was no provision for customer complaints and product returns; it was inconvenient for dealers who would be required to split their request between the two product divisions and their respective directors of manufacturing. How did Dubinsky react and why? It was unfair from the side of Dubinsky because it should have been his job to prepare a new system for distribution if required. She found the wrong parts in the distribution plan of Coleman but she could not persuade others to change the company marketing strategy and they did not give her a chance to change or improve that. It’s obvious that she took an emotional decision. But she decided and made an ultimatum: if Campbell did not agree to her terms, she would leave apple. And after that she wrote her letter of resignation, she told weaver about her ultimatum. How should she and others at apple handle the circumstances differently? Steve Jobs was forcing Coleman to do Dubinsky’s job and set up a new distribution plan, and Jobs was doing that because he could make Coleman think in Job’s way, since he was working in Jobs division as director of manufacturing. But that was unfair from the side of Dubinsky because it should have been his job to prepare a new system for distribution if required, since she was responsible for distribution. In that situation, we cannot blame Dubinsky for getting offended; but on the other hand, it’s obvious that she took an emotional decision. She should have acted more professionally. She had already found the wrong parts in the distribution plan of Coleman. Other then criticizing, she should have spent her time on setting up another and new distribution plan. It is obvious that, Apple could reduce its costs with a new distribution system, so that, change was required and it would be done so mehow. She could have harmonized the system that Apple was already using and the system which was proposed by Coleman. It seems like some of the products that Apple manufactured were not suitable for the Just-in-time distribution system, and some of them were suitable. So they could use just-in-time system for some products, but also use the existing distribution system for the required products. That could reduce the number of warehouses and reduce the costs. Probably she should have come up with a new plan. She didn’t want any interventions from the outside while setting up her plan, but, that was an emotional reaction too. The ultimatum she gave was a wrong attitude. She should took recommendations and advice and evaluate a new plan for distribution. How do you explain the success of the transformation? Transformation is successful if improved efficiency and outcome or simplified the way to achievement. In order to remain successful, most businesses need to continually transform and reinvent themselves. Companies who understand this principle are better prepared for the future, and can adjust if need be to the changing world around them. Here are four guidelines that are important to the business transformation process. In order to have a successful transformation we need to: Understand our Company and Its Values understand our goals, set ourselves apart from others, decide our own future. Products and services may come and go, but a company should always remain true to its core values. It is not enough just to have goals. You also have to understand and completely believe in them. Even if you are in the process of transforming certain parts of your business, it is important to stay focused on the primary goals. Make sure you understand why your business exists, and how it makes a difference to your customers. Successful companies almost always have something about them that is just a bit different from their competitors. This is where business transformation can really come into play. Many times a company can greatly increase their level of success and profitability by just revising a few small details. Stay true to your overall goals and mission, but never stop searching for ways to add value and innovation to your company. What was done well and what could have been done differently? AACP had been transformed from an unprofitable hierarchical and demoralized organization whose very existence was at stake, to a profitable, modern and existing company. Bringing in senior managers from outside the industry to replace the old guard revitalized the entire organization .significant effort went into developing new insurance products .expanding distribution and launching bold marketing campaigns, started to actively engage with the local community. Set out to regain AACP’s position as Thailand number two life insurer .finding a replacement for the former chief agency .major change in how agents get paid. Build relationships. Exchange sales techniques .listen to motivational speakers and insurance industry leaders. Reorganization the agency sales force, restructuring the product portfolio, rebuilding the management team, re designing the work environment, reinforcing people management and†¦ but all these changes was regardless to culture factors and there was not sufficient time for employees and customers to adopt with these abrupt changes. It was better first persuade employees and customers about changes. Preparation is necessary before change. What is different about how transformation change works (or not) in Southeast Asia? Each of the Southeast Asian states and the manifold societies of which they are composed are going through incisive processes of transformation. Southeast Asia has long been identified and recognized as one of the most promising and thriving economic regions in the world, and thus inevitably a potential attraction for companies that want to expand their business activities. Singapore, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Philippines and Vietnam are enlisted among the fastest growing economies in the world. millions people has earned Southeast Asia a huge base of purchasing power and enriched it in terms of infrastructure development, communication and information technology, power sectors and environment. The members of ASEAN are a great market export destination for Canada after China. The entire credit goes to the explosive economic expansion and an equally strong demand. This happens not only because Southeast Asia has a strong foothold in foreign markets, but also because it gets huge tax benefits from different foreign countries. The strategic location, pro-business environment, attractive tax regulations, skilled labor, technologically superior infrastructure, competent legal set up, upstart lifestyle and a government that is stable as well as proactive, together contribute to the business culture of Southeast Asia. . Southeast Asia attracts a large number of international firms every year. As compared to the other Asian countries, Southeast Asia calls for the least amount of operations. Apart from the tourism industry, huge revenue is generated from trades and expo Southeast Asia is witnessing a huge boom in the IT industry as well. The IT industry is making its hub there and reducing their operational cost substantially. A number of companies in this region derive immense benefit from the similarities in terms of culture, language and even accents. Over all, it can rightly be said that the business culture of Southeast Asia is such that the region is constantly moving high towards the pinnacle of economic growth and justifying itself as a region of increased importance in today’s world of globalization. Clusters of dynamic economies that include the ‘newly emerging’ as well as the ‘highly developed’ are constantly operating and growing as per their characteristic manners and disciplines. All major world religions were established in Southeast Asia. In the course of their introduction to local societies, Hinduism (Bali, Java), Theravada Buddhism (Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia), Sunni Islam (Indonesia, Malaysia), Christianity (Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam), Confucianism and Daoism (Vietnam) were adapted to, and transformed by, these societies’ beliefs and their ritually enacted ideas about the Socio-political, cosmological and moral order, with all these different in languages, cultures and religions. It is almost impossible to survive without change.