How can community social work methods be used to tackle poverty and Essay

How can community social work methods be used to tackle poverty and social exclusion in england - Essay Example This is done through a number of methods through which they aim to the impact of these two dilemmas until hopefully they can be wholly eradicated from the community (Payne, 2011). Poverty can be defined as a state of meager means whether it is economically or in references in life (Cree, 2010). Social exclusion refers to the act of locking out the less privileged from things that they should be able to enjoy alongside everyone else mainly due to their social status. There are various methods that individuals who are involved in community social work have implemented in order to erase these two issues from the society (that is poverty and social exclusion). These methods are meant to handle the key cause of the problems so as to ascertain that they eradicated completely (Popple & Leighninger, 2008). Some of these methods include: Social workers often hold training sessions on various business subjects in underprivileged areas in a bid to provide them with means and ideas with which they will be able to support themselves with (Stepney & Popple, 2008). Teaching individuals skills such as carpentry and how to efficiently run a business will ensure that are able to improve their economic situation in the long run and is better than simply offering money which may be spent leaving them in the same place once it is over (Pierson, 2010). The main reason behind social exclusion can be said to the structure of various policies that have been set in place to only benefit the financially stable and thus it is important for such policies to be changed (Grinnell & Unrau, 2008). However, many of those suffering from social exclusion are not aware of this and thus there is a need for individuals to step up and fight for their rights on behalf of this population which is a task that social groups have taken upon themselves. A large number of the people who utilize public utilities

Fascist Government Essay Example for Free

Fascist Government Essay Fascist government is better compared to a communism government in that it seeks the reality of the society on strength and weaknesses of nations.   Historically, fascist governments opposed the class conflicts and emphasized that they would forever exist. Though fascists have been used pejoratively in the present setting, it is clear that communism was worse in history as it advocated for classless and stateless society that declared allegiance to the Marxism-Leninism a notion that was impossible to apply.   It is no doubt that communism orientation of social organization where totalitarians dominated and above all, the self perpetuating political party system was the major cause for excessive anarchy like that experienced under the soviet rule. Overview This paper explores fascist government as the better option to communism with greater focus on the historical events.   Through use of questions and answers, the paper explores the principles and theoretical considerations of the two systems of government.   It compares the major occurrences under the two systems of the government to support the thesis statements.   With reference to the period of application, the paper gives a clear analysis of the logistics behind the fascists’ governments as opposed to the communist administration. Questions and answers What are the principles of communism and how effectively did communism governments apply them? Communism government is guided by the main principle of a society that is egalitarian and classless mainly based on common ownership and control of the production means. The principles call for a stateless society with a form of government that declares allegiance to Marxism-Leninism.   Application of communism has and is always controversial in that the well outlined principles form a reciprocating platform for abuse by the same governments. Remarkably, it is communism that has made USSR to be remembered for its ruthlessness when dealing with the community.   In 1928, Joseph Stalin application of communism which he claimed to be directly under his predecessor Lenin innovation, were borne of mayhem and anarchy.   It was marred with extra judicial killings, spying and elimination of the political opponents (Lauren, 173-177). As indicated by fascism, it was important to acknowledge the need for the classes in the society as they were the ones that bore them.   Fascist governments therefore applied the correct principles of the time that were bound on the desire to grow and expand beyond their boundaries.   Though application of the survival for the fittest in the human realms was a major shenanigan, fascism has been credited for creating nationalism and enhancing identity.   Sir Osward Mosley, the leader of British Union of Fascists emphasized that communism was a major cause of suppression for democracy it claimed to advocate (Daniels, 38-45). What were the consequences of communism and abolishing private property ownership to ensure equality? Communism was mainly directed at seeking communal ownership of the production systems in the society.   Under this system however, the government was given a better operating platform to practice massive corruption to the people.   Though the concept was initially well thought of, its application mostly presented the reciprocal a notion that made the whole system to become a failure.   The death of Karl Marx at end of the 19th century has been cited to be the possible end of real communism. Historians indicate that fascist governments rose as a response to the events of World War I, a notion that cited the possible fallouts in democracy and liberalism for their favor of individualism or internationalism.   Historically, this concept was faulty and saw the establishments of the fascist governments like in Italy (Furet and Furet, 178-188). How effective was the system and what were the repercussions? Application of communism was a bloody notion that had far much reaching implication even to the current society.   During the World War II, the communists consolidated power through massive blood shed in most of the Eastern Europe.   In Russia, the struggle by many countries to get independence never bore fruits until the international community intervened later in the 20th century.   Though communist governments claimed to be borne by the people themselves, it is however ironical that most of the third world colonies that adopted the communist ideals like Cambodia, Lao, and Angola are still among the poorest in the world. Though fascist government promoted the growth of their empire beyond their own territories, they supported the nationalism and were mainly driven by charismatic leaders.   This gave the notion of the great capacity of the fascism governments to rationally reason out their application policies.   Nakano Seigo of Japan noted that fascist governments had the capacity to practice democracy than did communist governments (Furet Furet Deborah, 186-190).

Constantly Seeking To Improve Its Performance Management Essay

Constantly Seeking To Improve Its Performance Management Essay Any organisation needs to be constantly seeking to improve its performance, products, services and processes. It is part of the ongoing change process. Innovation and change are more than just words; they are critical challenges in todays workplace. It can make the difference between success and failure. Leaders and managers may experience some challenges when leading and managing innovative changes in multicultural and diverse organisations. One of these challenges may be that staff may not support the innovative idea. In an organisation in which staff are use to performing daily tasks in certain ways, there might be resistance when an innovative idea or change is introduce. Staff and others are afraid of change because of the increase in work demand and afraid of change in their daily routine in the workplace and the insecurity they may possibly have regarding innovation, it may cause increased level of stress, and such stress may affect the individual health of the staff. Because of the stress and feelings of insecurity that may come with an innovative idea, employees may find themselves against an innovation or change. Another challenge to managers are some staff may have difficulty in adapting to the new change may be because of their cultural backgrounds. Some staff may learn t he change faster than others; yet, consideration must be given to those who may be slow in understanding the new idea but such behaviour is natural human response. Managers and leaders must consider how employees will adapt to new changes. Managers and leaders need to involve staff in the innovative process to avoid certain challenges that may encounter from implementing new changes. If the staff is introduce to changes that may occur in the future, they more possible accept the changes because they have been informed. Participation in the innovation process may enable staff to understand the need for such innovation and change and also may provide information of how to introduce the innovative idea to their customers. This assignment will discuss the understanding and importance of innovation and change in the organisation. It also covers the propose innovative solutions to improve organisational performance and leading and managing change within the organisation. UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR INNOVATION AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT WITHIN AN ORGANISATION. Explain the importance of innovation for own organisation. According to the economist innovation is the application of new ideas to the products, processes, or other aspects of the activities of a firm that lead to increased value. It focused on two main types: product and process. (The nature and importance of innovation, p 1, Princeton.edu).A product innovation is the act of bringing something new to the market place that improves the range and quality of products on offer, for example in the nursing home bringing the updated equipment such as hoist, lifting or mobility aids. A process innovation is a new way of making or delivering goods or services, for example the services provided by the organisation such as the activities and resources needed to accomplish the work. Innovation is different from creativity because innovation is adding something new to an existing product while creativity is a process that produces an original product, service or process. As an aspiring manager innovation in the organisation like in the nursing home is important as it is the primary way to differentiate services to competitor. Innovative ideas is needed to make the organisation stand out or improve to enhance quality of care for Clients/ Service Users, reduce staff turnover and stimulate/motivate staff with interest and challenge of working. Alexander Court ensures that equipments such as hoist, lifting and mobility aids, etc are updated; it attracts the customer because it is hard to compete if using obsolete one. They also ensure staff have the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies by attending continuous programme of personal and professional development such as training and further study to provide the highest standard of care to every Service Users. Service Users are also provided with available resources and access to independent advocacy services. There is also technology that available within the organisation like introduction of electronic information system such as electronic Clients/Service Users record. This technology aimed to increase quality of care, reduce healthcare costs or solve workforce problem. The benefits of innovation to the organisation are making the staff more effective to provide quality care, which improve productivity and efficiency of the organisation by gaining new customers and re ceive recognition of the value of services like by word of mouth from loyal Clients/ customers. Innovation also leads to improvements in the way organisation operates and improves financial profit. The most common barrier to innovation in organisation is inadequate fund, even though the manager has some innovative ideas but because of lack of support from the management due to financial constraints the new ideas cannot be implemented. Another barrier to innovation is the time and resources because staff are so busy doing their regular work due to shortage of staff, they have insufficient time to create new ideas and they used to the old tradition and routine activities. There are some more barrier innovation can face such as lack of leadership, lack of cooperation, lack of technology and poor communication. The most effective way to overcome barriers is to have a group discussion and find out how to be able to work through problems. Working together to solve problems is an effective way to establish essential networks. An organisation may attempt radical and incremental innovation in both its process and product. For example, the process of doing nursing care plan to the disabled Service User instead of giving him/her an ordinary cutlery, they will provide the Good Grips designed utensils for him/her to be easy to use; good grip utensils would be the incremental innovation because it does not change his activity. On the other hand, radical innovation is like when encoding clients information before we have to write on paper but because of advance technology we encode it on computer, so computer or the new technology is the radical innovation. Explain the importance of managing change within own organisation. Change Management is an organized, systematic application of the knowledge, tools and resources of change that provides organization with a key process to achieve their business strategy. Lamarsh Change management is not an easy way of making changes in the organisation, a consultant or expert within this area is needed. The consultant will select area that needs attention and certain models, methods, techniques and tools are used for making these changes necessary for the organisation. It also requires a broad set of skills like analytical skills, people skills, system skills and business skills. Managing change is important for any organisation because, without change, businesses would lose their competitive edge and fail to meet the needs and requirement of the customers. It is also important to allow staff to learn new skills, explore new opportunities and exercise their creativity in ways that organisation benefit through new ideas and increased commitment. However, organisation should consider the pros and cons and effectiveness of change. Change management strategy or planning process should put into place before, during and after the change. Before the change organisation should make a survey if managers are ready to lead change, staff confidence level in ability to adapt change and staff confidence level in ability to determine short and long term career plans. During and after the change organisation should provide support and development for managers to lead staff through the change, provide coaching for managers who still need help and evaluate if they achieved the ir goals and objectives. To effectively manage change the organisation should implement a process that includes leadership support, development, effective communication and success measure. Prepare staff to deal with these changes involves analysis of the tools and training required to help them learn new skills. In the nursing home there are some factors that drive change like increasing complaints from Clients and their family, staff performance, high managers turnover and high competition. Changing management style is necessary to be able to solve those problems. Leadership style and management procedures must shift and adapt, and ways of relating with customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders need refining. Technological advances and capabilities must be introduced, and preparation of the team to work with the new structure. Organisations benefit from change results in new ways of looking at customer needs, new ways of delivering customer service, new ways of strengthening customer interactions. BE ABLE TO PROPOSE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO IMPROVE ORGANISATIONAL PERFORMANCE. Assess an opportunity for innovation and improvement in own organisation. Innovation and improvement approaches can be useful in the implementation of strategic planning goals and strategies. It is important that those in the organisation view improvement and innovation as approaches to move the organisation from where it is to where it wants to be. Alexander Court aim is to provide a high standard of individualised care to all its Service User in well invested facilities, seeking to be the home of choice in local community in which it operates. They provide opportunities for the staff to study and train for further personal and professional development and improvement. So to meet this goal the organisation strives for innovation and improvement because Care Quality Commission inspection rating is not good. As an aspiring manager, I assess the characteristics of the organisation by identifying their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT). I also examine the impact of the environment in which it functions such as political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal (PESTEL). The SWOT and PESTEL analysis of the organisation are listed in the table. (See appendices 1and 2 on page 11- 12) Justify the improvement identified, in the context of organisational objectives. To successfully build a culture for continuous improvement and innovation initiatives, people in the organisation need to be engaged and part of the process. As I have identify in the SWOT analysis the weakness of the organisation is more on the people in the organisation such as shortage of staff, managers turnover, lack of motivation, and financial constraints. A year ago the company who owned the Care Home is under financial chaos so they were affected by the crisis. Managers turnover increase and they have different leadership style so there is no familiarisation. This problem cause shortage of staff and increase staff turnover due to pressure, confusion and fear of losing their jobs so they are not effective in performing their duties. There is lack of motivation in the sense that supervision and appraisal for staff improvement is not regularly follow, although the organisation provide opportunities for staff to study and train, for me it is not enough because evaluation of perf ormance and guidance is essential to be able to know if we do things right. If given a chance to be a manager of the organisation, one of my main focuses is how to manage staff, it is important to ensure that the team have three factors knowledge, skill and motivation to be the most efficient and the best that they can be for the organisation. Knowledge and skill is important to improve performance by conducting training for each member of staff with the competencies that they need to have and achieve. Keep them updated to the latest training courses and accreditations available if needed. Motivating staff is more difficult because everyone is motivated by different things. Some are motivated not only by personal gain but also by feeling part of the team and contributing to its goals. Communication is also essential to establish a friendly, collaborative work environment. Regular Staff appraisal and supervision is also important to talk about their performance and if there is improvement and guidance needed. By having a more efficient team, it is likely to have a more efficient output of the business as a whole. 2.3 Use a range of techniques to generate innovative options to deliver the improvement identified. Feasibility study is an analysis of the ability to complete a project successfully, taking into account legal, economic, technological, scheduling and other factors. It also allows project managers to investigate the possible negative and positive outcomes of a project before investing too much time and money. Therefore, feasibility study is an effective way to safeguard against wastage of further investment or resources. FEASIBILITY STUDY Alexander Court considers its management team and staff to be the key ingredient in the delivery of a quality service and believe the future success of the organisation is dependent upon its skilled and educated workforce. While ACs number of Service Users gone down and lose potential Clients due to some problem that the organisation encountered such as complaints from service users and their family, increase managers turnover and shortage of staff. Even though the company continue to provide opportunities for staff to study and train for further career enhancement but still, it is not capable of solving the problem because managers are not staying for a longer period of time. Managers have the important role in managing staff in the organisation. They should take on more of a coaching role with their staff. Significant relationships exist between the effective provision of coaching and guidance by the manager and levels of employee satisfaction, commitment and motivation. As an aspi ring manager, I make a Feasibility study as a possible solution to solve the stated problem of the organisation. (Feasibility Study see appendix 3 on page 13-15) 2.4 Evaluate options for generating the proposed improvement to determine feasibility and viability. Management experts agree that the most important factor for success in any business is the management team that makes the decisions; yet it is the factor most often overlooked in determining the feasibility of the idea. A feasibility study is usually conducted after discussing a series of business ideas. This helps to frame and fresh out specific business options so they can be studied in depth. During the feasibility process you may investigate a variety of ways of organising the business and positioning the product or service. If the study indicates negative feedback it does not mean that the proposal can be abandon we need to look for alternatives to meet the goal. We have to explore things to ensure it appeals to the customer. The need for primary and secondary sources of information is important to determine feasibility of the proposed improvement. Secondary information is information that has already been collected and available to the organisation from internal or external sources. Examples include information published in websites, newspapers, magazines, trade journals and information about customer details that has been collected. Primary is information that gathered specifically for a project; the most familiar primary research methods are focus groups, surveys like telephone, questionnaires and feedback from stakeholders. This information is essential to evaluate the pros and cons in making decision. BE ABLE TO LEAD AND MANAGE CHANGE WITHIN AN ORGANISATION. Change management is the process, tools and techniques to manage the people aspects of change processes, to achieve the required outcomes and to realise the change effectively within individuals, teams, and organisations. (What is change management, project laneways.com/au) To effectively lead change, a project manager must ensure that change is accepted and implemented by a confident workforce. This means that staff must be aware of the change and the reasons behind it as well as fully informed and trained on what the change means to them. The project manager also has to be aware of the different ways stakeholders in the organisation prefer to deal with change. When expectations of the stakeholders are managed, the change gets higher chances of success. It is important to ensure stakeholders are engaged with the change and they are aware of the status of the change and they are provided with support level and the change can be implemented as expected. It is also important to generate action plans when conflicts are arise. 3.1 Create a change management plan that is designed to meet stakeholders expectations. Stakeholders are the people that are directly involved in and affected by the change project. They need to understand the reasons why the change is happening and its benefits. It is important that both internal and external stakeholders are kept informed and provided with messages and information that allow them to feel engaged, thus paving the way for involvement and adoption. Communication is the key way that stakeholders are engaged in the change. Stakeholders in the organisation should be aware of change because each stakeholder has different ideas about the change and its importance. The key stakeholders in the nursing home for example are the Service Users and their family, Staff, management, and professional staff. The Service Users and their family expectations are for quality service and satisfaction and low cost. The staffs (nurses, healthcare worker, chef, domestic, etc) expectations are primarily related to high quality and adequate support services and equipment. The expectations of management (owner, manager, deputy manager) cost containment, profitability and institutional leadership. The primary concern of professional staffs such as GPs, occupational therapist, dietician are also quality and availability of services and facilities. To successfully implement change, organisations need to support the performance of the staff with the change. To reinforce and sustain change, organisation must develop staff with skills that align with the change goals and to determine staff skills deficits that require development and strengthening. Organisation also need to implement on the job training, mentoring and classroom or computer based training strategies to improve competencies, and encourage professional development by setting aside budget for training. 3.2 Implement the change management plan, monitoring progress against agreed targets. Change originates within the organisation itself. Much of this change is part of natural process for example, as material resources such as buildings, equipment or machinery deteriorate or lose efficiency, or as human resources such as skills and abilities become outdated. Some of this change, can be managed through careful planning for example, regular repairs and maintenance, choice of introducing new technology or methods of work, effective human resource planning to prevent a large number of staff living at the same time, and management succession planning training and staff development. However, the main pressure of change is from external forces. The organisation must be properly prepared to face the demands of a changing environment. It must give attention to its future development and success and this includes public sector organisations. Every organisation concedes the importance of transforming their culture in order to survive in a competitive environment. Time, energy and money are invested to redirect the organisation through new systems and structures. The solution is to have a process to be follow when in need to make change. A process that will ensure you plan, test and incorporate feedback before committing implementation. A popular tool is the Plan-Do-Study-Act Cycle. This is often referred to as the Deming Cycle. It describes the activities a company needs to perform in order to incorporate continuous improvement in its operation. The circular nature of this cycle shows that continuous improvement is a never ending process. (The cycle chart see appendix 4 on page 15) PLAN Planning is a vital part of the process. Managers put more time and consideration into this stage. They assess current situation and make plans based on any problem they find. They need to collect data, identify problems and document all current procedures like the impact and potential problem of the change may encounter and identify methods to measure the outcome. DO In this stage the managers try out the change on the agreed sample and measure the impact. If the change is having a positive effect, they will implement the change, however if things are not doing well like resistance from other staff because they quite satisfied with the status quo. In this case, this will be valuable to consider the next steps. STUDY During the study phase of the cycle, managers need to evaluate the data collected from the previous phase, to see whether they have achieved the desired outcome establish in the plan phase. ACT The last phase of the cycle is to act on the basis of the results to other members in the organisation and then implement the new procedure if it has been successful. Note that it is a cycle; the next step is to plan again. After we have acted we need to continue evaluating the process planning and repeating the cycle again. To overcome the barriers and other problems in implementing change, strong communication strategy together will help avoid misunderstanding that can hinder the best-laid plans. Planned organisational change will not be effectively implemented unless it is communicated to an organisations staff in such a way that resistance is overcome, fears are prevented, confusion is minimised, and buy-in by all affected individuals is secured. Communication about change aids in the unfreezing of old behaviours, the transition during which new behaviours are adopted, and the refreezing of the new behaviour into habit. In fact, Ford and Ford (1995) claim that change does not occur except in that it is mediated by communication; in other words, communication is the context within which change occurs. CONCLUSION Leaders and staff are vital in moving the organisations forward. Without them, the foundations of organisation would be unbalance. Leaders influence followers, but followers also have some influence. They are both lead success to the organisation. As an aspiring manager, to be able to lead innovation and change I will ensure team members are aware of the changes and they receive training before implementing change. Explain that there is learning curve and they will be given full support during the process to avoid resistance. Effective communication with staff regarding change is essential to the success of implementing change. Managers also must be firm, yet fair in their approach because staff must see confidence. Confidence in teams ability to implement change and confidence in time scale set. REFERENCES Change management change management training from mindtools.com (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_87.htm Change management principles, process, tips and change theory and models (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.businessballs.com/changemanagement.htm (Accessed 28/06/2012) Change management theory (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/changemanagement.html (Accessed 29/06/20120 Definition of change management (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.change-management-coach.com/definition-of-change-management.html (27/06/2012) Feasibility Study Template (2012) (online) Available at: http://.www.projectmangementdocs.com/template/feasibility-study-template.html (Accessed 05/07/2012) Innovation benefits (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.referenceforbusinees.com/encyclopedia/Inc-Int/Innovation.html (accessed 29/06/2012) Leading innovation and change, ILM level 5 Qualification in Management Workbook (2008) Kent Learning Resources Management and Organizational behaviour 8th edition P 734 (2007) by Laurie J Mullins Market feasibility and Competitive Intelligence Market Research Analysis by Market Street Research (2004) (online) Available at: http://www.marketstreetresearch.com/capabilities/solution-feasibility.htm Accessed 10/07/2012) Managing Stakeholders Expectation (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.managingmanagementguide.com/guidelines.com (Accessed 19/07/2012) Overcoming the Barriers to change in healthcare system (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.isixsigma.com/implementation/change-management-implementation/overcoming-barriers-change-healthcare-system/htm Accessed 13/07/2012) The nature and importance of innovation (18/4/2012) (Online) Available at: http://press.princeton.edu/chapters/s9221.pdf (Accessed 21/6/2012) What is Innovation? (2012) (online) Available at: http://toolkit.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au/part14/69290 (Accessed 21/06/2012) Why is change important in an organization? (2012) (online) Available at: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/change-important-organization-728.html (Accessed 02/07/2012) Why is change management important? (2012) (online) Available at: http://www.maventraining.co.uk/media/26/1126-quick-guide-why-is-change-management-important.pdf (Accessed 03/07/2012) Why is innovation important? (December 2010) (Online) Available at: http://www.innovationforgrowth.co.uk/whyinnovationimportant.pdf (Accessed 22/06/12) Writing a Feasibility Study, Chapter 4, (2012) (online) Available at: http://nfsmi.org/documentlibraryfiles/PDF/20080212032917.pdf. (Accessed 06/07/12) APPENDICES APPENDIX 1 SWOT ANALYSIS STRENGHTS S Updated equipment Well-trained staff Resources Good customer care WEAKNESSES W Shortage of Staff Lack of motivation Increase Managers turnover Financial constraints OPPORTUNITIES O Quality improvement High aging population Use of technology to improve service Training and development THREATS T Economic / financial crisis Increase staff turnover / loss of key staff Competition Changes in policies, regulations, procedures and legislations APPENDIX 2 PESTEL ANALYSIS POLITICAL Government policies Stability and change Following regulations and legislations ECONOMIC Budget/ Financial Labour cost Tax increase Inflation and growth SOCIOLOGICAL Customer attitudes and opinions Ethnic / religious factors Population size / structure TECHNOLOGICAL Availability of technology Communication services Advances in equipments Increase automation ENVIRONMENTAL Proper disposal of waste Use recycled items Proper storage of chemicals Use of eco-friendly resources Global climate change LEGAL Documentation Policies and procedures Health and safety quality standard APPENDIX 3 FEASIBILITY STUDY Alexander Court aim is to provide high standard quality of care to all Service Users. They are committed to provide Service Users with a safe, comfortable and caring environment which addresses their needs and preserves their individuality, choice, rights, dignity, privacy and independence. Feasibility study is facilitating to meet this goal and improve quality service. Purpose / Description of the idea Staff management is the most important job that managers do in the organisation. Manager need to understand and perform the staff practices that keep them motivated, inspired, develop and attain goals with their guidance. Manager should controls the key environmental factors necessary to motivate staff. The most important factor manager control is his or her relationship with each staff. The second most significant factor is manager should create a work environment and organisational culture that foster staff motivation and engagement. Inspire and reward staff by training, appraisals, promotion and career progression to encourage staff to meet and exceed performance. Involve staff in decision making and try to create an open and mutual working environment. The organisation culture foundation is on trust, teamwork, and communication and shared goals. Advantages and Disadvantages of the propose system/services/idea For a business to be successful, it has to not only offer products and /or services that meet customers needs and wants, but also have staff that is loyal and committed. The advantages of leading and motivating staff helps the organisation bring about higher staff retention, higher levels of productivity, more innovation and creativity, higher profits and better reputation both among potential employees and customers. However, increase dependency of staff on to the manager lead to more supervision required and dissatisfaction in staff if bad decisions are made are the disadvantage Staffing Staff is required to attend training sessions organised during working hours to enhance quality of work and training skills. To ensure the safety and well-being of the Service Users and to comply with statutory obligations, staff must attend any relevant statutory training sessions. Failure to comply may lead to disciplinary action, including dismissal. To meet the legal requirement care staff must be trained to at least NVQ 2 or 3. Staff supervision and appraisal must be done regularly to assist, guide and motivate staff as part of home performance improvement plan. Competitive Advantage Investing in advanced education and training for employees benefits employers in many ways such as having competent staff and have impact on staff retention and satisfaction. Well-educated and highly trained staff/employees can be an incredible asset and are likely to bring new ideas and increased creativity into the workplace, which can be a positive impact on different aspect of any business. Business Model Employee continuing education can have direct, beneficial impact on the bottom line of any organisation in several ways. For example, staff who have a high degree of job satisfaction and loyal toward their employers are likely to have a high degree of productivity, which contribute to improved financial performance for the organisation and reduce turnover costs. Marketing Strategy Market strategy apart from promoting thru networking site, referral sources is important, word of mouth is powerful so make sure environment is attractive and then hold an extravagant open house for the resources. Train staff on proper communication to the referral sources like doctors, family and friends of the client, hospitals, etc. When doctors come in and visit your home, roll out the red carpet. That way they will send more clients

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I. - Là ©vi-Strauss’ â€Å"La Pensà ©e Sauvage†, scientific explanation is substitution of the more intelligible complexity for the less intelligible - The Enlightenment viewed human nature as all the same, regularly defined, did not account for the variability of all of man through history - Culture arose from the idea that man is inseparable from his surroundings - There must be balance between universal and local (culturally determined), not dualistic like the Balinese in their dissociated trances II. - â€Å"Stratigraphic† conception of human factors, wherein man is composed of layers of different factors of humanity - Anthropologists began search for â€Å"consensus gentium† (consensus of all mankind) - For universal/particular dualism to stand, universal aspects must be substantial, grounded in scientific processes, defensible; Geertz thinks gentium approach fails - No generalizations can be made of man, except that - Parsons & others said that cultural universals are human responses to realities all humans face - Common human action is much more meaningful than simple response to need III. - Universals are accepted to avoid relativism and historicism, but the specific can teach a lot about the general - Culture is not complexes of concrete behavior patterns, but a set of control mechanisms to govern behavior - Man depends on such control mechanisms, and they are not genetic - Humans use social symbols and ideas to create meaning - Culture did not suddenly appear, it evolved with humanity; genetics were not enough so men were guided by and completed through the creation of culture - Humans have a great capacity to learn, but there is also much to be learned; culture helps us to learn that which we need to know IV. - Enlightenment thinking... ...p in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?† So in the end, what does it matter that we are human? Maybe, as a Christians and humans, we must start viewing others as humans. We are so quick to apologize for what the church did to other humans in the crusades, or to humans before blacks were free. When we own up to our own humanness and stop the idea that we are the judge of who is human, maybe we will apologize to the gays, lesbians, bisexuals, pot smokers, democrats, republicans, and independents alike for what people have done to them in the name of the church. Against all odds, we are told that one man will never make a difference. I think the beauty of humanity is that it’s true. One man will never, ever make a difference by himself. But humanity as a whole, working together as one human race? That may just shake things up a bit. â€Æ'

Is it Right for the Government to Accept the Fine Now? Essay

The notion of free will is important when deciding whether the government should accept the fine now or later. Free will suggests that human beings are autonomous and are therefore free to decide how to live their lives. This includes decisions, such as John’s, about whether to speed drive or not. However, the governmental officials are human as well and therefore also possess free will. If John is considered a free agent capable of being free than it must also be assumed that government officials, also free agents, are also capable of being free. One caveat that accompanies free will is moral responsibility. Ultimately, this is what this entire case centers on. Is it right for the government to accept the fine before John commits a speed driving offense? This question will explored further as it relates to free will as well as how it relates to personal identity and mind body ideas. The government does not have the right to accept the fine prior to the speed driving offense. Whether or not it is known that John will speed drive tomorrow is not really the issue in this case. The issue is that the government should not accept that a person is going to commit a crime and accept a fine for it before it occurs but rather the government should rely on their sense of free will in order to stop the crime from happening in the first place. The capacity for the government to have free will also means that the government has a moral responsibility to society to ensure that John does not speed drive tomorrow. Further, if John is going to disappear forever after he speed drives anyway, is it really necessary to accept the fine and hope that this punishment deters John in the future? The mind body principle emphasizes that all human beings have a physical body as well as the capacity to think, feel and remember. This idea is connected to the idea of free will because human beings go beyond their biological characteristics to become creatures who want certain things, hate certain things and think about certain things in different ways. Therefore, there is a scientific reason that can explain why John may choose to speed tomorrow just as there is a scientific reason why the government may choose to accept the fine before the crime. Similarly, there are also internal reasons why these choices may be made that have more to do with feelings and thoughts than biological processes. This is the heart of Descartes famous phrase, â€Å"I think, therefore I am. † In other words, the way that human beings choose to operate and conduct themselves are direct results of the ability to think. This brings up a very important point with regards to punishing John for a future event. Perhaps John will use his mind to decide that his moral responsibility entails his decision to not speed after all. If John decides that his capacity for free will obligates him to refrain from speeding, then the government would be wrong in their acceptance of a fine before the crime was committed. Finally, philosophical behaviorists believe that human beings rely on their minds to behave in reaction to their physical environment. If this is the case, then John may still change his mind about speeding, but more likely John will go ahead and speed in response to the physical environment that accepted a fine for a future crime. In other words, John will go ahead and speed because he had already been punished for the crime so nothing was stopping him from doing it. Under personal identity theories, Thomas Reid suggests that just because human beings have the capacity to remember events does not mean that these events happened to them. Further, he suggests that if human beings cannot remember something that happened a week ago, does this mean they have become another person? This has direct relevance to this case because it can be assumed that if the government knows someone is planning to commit a crime they can get the punishment out of the way before the crime is even committed. This brings up a larger issue. Will punishing humans before they commit a crime truly deter them from that future crime or will it produce a drastic change in society based on the notion that if punishment has already been served then the crime is an accepted part of society? While it is certainly logical to conclude that punishing someone before the crime occurs may produce a safer society, it is also logical to conclude that this type of justice system will create a crime laden distrustful society. For example, if the government finds out that John will be speeding in order to find his next victim to murder they may lock him in prison before the crime can occur. This will, conceivably, produce a safer society. However, it will, at the same time, create a society where human beings accept criminal activity provided that punishment is handed down before the crime. Ultimately, the government has no right to punish John for a speeding offense that will occur tomorrow. Personal identity is important here because it provides an outlet for John to make a different decision and obey the posted speed limit after all. In the end, the government could hand down a fine for a future speeding offense, but would this truly deter any future crime? The most logical answer is no because without punishing the mind of the criminal, then the punishment ultimately means very little. The capacity to have free will means that John is unlikely to change his behavior even if he is punished. Further, just because John will disappear after he speeds does not mean he ceases to exist just because this government can no longer see him. John will continue to exist in another place and his mind will ensure him that if he pays his fine for speeding then that offense will be accepted and he will be welcome to speed whenever he wants to. According to the idea of free will, the government would be more successful if they were to teach John why he should not speed and provide him with compelling reasons to refrain from doing so. John’s internal human desire to please those in authority would win out thus being more effective in curbing the potential for speeding behavior. Finally, free will does not mean John is allowed to speed nor does it mean that the government can punish John before he speeds. It does mean that John is free to drive wherever and whenever he wants to but the government is free to punish him if he does not obey the rules of the road.

Ancient Maya Civilization Classic Era

Ancient Maya Civilization Classic Era The Maya culture began sometime around 1800 B.C. and in a sense, it has not ended: there are thousands of men and women in the Maya region still practicing traditional religion, speaking pre-colonial languages, and following ancient customs. Still, the Ancient Maya civilization reached its peak during the so-called â€Å"Classic Era† from around 300-900 A.D. It was during this time that the Maya civilization achieved its greatest achievements in art, culture, power, and influence. The Maya Civilization The Maya civilization thrived in the steamy jungles of present-day southern Mexico, the Yucatn Peninsula, Guatemala, Belize, and parts of Honduras. The Maya were never an Empire like the Aztecs in central Mexico or the Inca in the Andes: they were never unified politically. Rather, they were a series of city-states independent from one another politically but linked by cultural similarities such as language, religion, and trade. Some of the city-states became very large and powerful and were able to conquer vassal states and control them politically and militarily but none was ever strong enough to unite the Maya into a single Empire. Beginning in 700 A.D. or so, the great Maya cities fell into decline and by 900 A.D. most of the important ones had been abandoned and fell into ruin. Before the Classic Era There have been people in the Maya region for ages, but cultural characteristics that historians associate with the Maya began appearing in the area around 1800 B.C. By 1000 B.C. the Maya had occupied all of the lowlands currently associated with their culture and by 300 B.C. most of the great Maya cities had been founded. During the late Preclassic Period (300 B.C. – 300 A.D.) the Maya began building magnificent temples and records of the first Maya Kings began to appear. The Maya were well on their way to cultural greatness. Classic Era Maya Society As the Classic era dawned, Maya society was clearly defined. There was a king, royal family, and a ruling class. The Maya kings were powerful warlords who were in charge of warfare and who were considered to be descended from the gods. Maya priests interpreted the movements of the gods, as represented by the sun, moon, stars, and planets, telling the people when to plant and do other daily tasks. There was a middle class of sorts, artisans, and traders who enjoyed special privilege without being nobility themselves. The vast majority of Maya worked in basic agriculture, growing the corn, beans, and squash that still make up the staple diet in that part of the world. Maya Science and Math The Classic Era Maya were talented astronomers and mathematicians. They understood the concept of zero, but did not work with fractions. The astronomers could predict and calculate the movements of the planets and other celestial bodies: much of the information in the four surviving Maya codices (books) concerns these movements, accurately predicting eclipses and other celestial events. The Maya were literate and had their own spoken and written language. They wrote books on specially prepared fig tree bark and carved historical information into stone on their temples and palaces. The Maya used two overlapping calendars which were quite accurate. Maya Art and Architecture Historians mark 300 A.D. as the starting point for the Maya Classic era because it was around that time that stelae began to appear (the first one dates from 292 A.D.). A stela is a stylized stone statue of an important king or ruler. Stelae include not only a likeness of the ruler but a written record of his accomplishments in the formed of carved stone glyphs. Stelae are common at the larger Maya cities that thrived during this time. The Maya built multi-storied temples, pyramids, and palaces: many of the temples are aligned with the sun and stars and important ceremonies would take place at those times. Art thrived as well: finely carved pieces of jade, large painted murals, detailed stonecarvings, and painted ceramics and pottery from this time all survive. Warfare and Trade The Classic era saw an increase in contact between the rival Maya city-states - some of it good, some of it bad. The Maya had extensive trade networks and traded for prestige items such as obsidian, gold, jade, feathers and more. They also traded for food, salt and mundane items like tools and pottery. The Maya also fought bitterly with one another. Rival city-states would skirmish frequently. During these raids, prisoners would be taken to be used as slaves or sacrificed to the gods. Occasionally, all-out war would break out between neighboring city-states, such as the rivalry between Calakmul and Tikal in the fifth and sixth centuries A.D. After the Classic Era Between 700 and 900 A.D., most of the major Maya cities were abandoned and left to ruin. Why the Maya civilization collapsed is still a mystery although there is no shortage of theories. After 900 A.D., the Maya still existed: certain Maya cities in the Yucatn, such as Chichen Itza and Mayapan, thrived during the Postclassic era. The descendants of the Maya still used the writing system, the calendar and other vestiges of the peak of Maya culture: the four surviving Maya codices are thought to have all been created during the postclassic era. The different cultures in the region were rebuilding when the Spanish arrived in the early 1500s, but the combination of the bloody conquest and European diseases pretty much ended the Maya renaissance. Sources: Burland, Cottie with Irene Nicholson and Harold Osborne. Mythology of the Americas. London: Hamlyn, 1970. McKillop, Heather. The Ancient Maya: New Perspectives. New York: Norton, 2004. Recinos, Adrian (translator). Popol Vuh: the Sacred Text of the Ancient Quichà © Maya. Norman: the University of Oklahoma Press, 1950.