Practical Application of Statistics in Nursing Essay

Statistics is a fundamental part of human knowledge. It is known to be the exact science of collection, interpretation, analysis and presentation of data. It is a mathematical science that gathers and explains causal phenomenon or relationship, analyzes and presents measurements, collects and analyzes information base on factual sources and presents data as accurate as possible. As Fowler, Chevannes and Jarvis (2002) put it, â€Å"Statistics looks at ways of organizing, summarizing and describing quantifiable data, and methods of drawing inferences and generalizing upon them† (p. 1). The application of statistics in nursing curriculum is important because nurses, like other medical professionals, deal with a variety of information that needs statistical treatment of the data. For example, on their everyday encounter with patients, nurses need to apply statistics to calculate the average number of patients examined per day, week, month or year. Measuring the average number of patient examination would enable nurses to predict as to what month health consultation is at its peak. Without knowledge in statistics, nurses would be clueless on what to expect during the incoming month or season. Another example, when giving medicine to the patient, nurses must be able to determine the time interval when a patient should take the prescribed medicine. Nurses, too, must be able to identify what percentage of the admitted patients are carriers of transferable diseases, victims of chronic diseases and others. Moreover, application of statistics such as econometric statistical techniques is helpful in analyzing the cause-effect relationships of diseases and the severity of diseases through correlation and regression principles. History of Statistics Application in Nursing  The demand for statistical literacy among nurses was brought by the growing importance of nursing researches which started on Florence Nightingale’s â€Å"Notes of Nursing† published in 1859. Nightingale was able to describe the factors that affected the performance of soldiers who were involved in the Crimean war. She was able to determine that other illness contracted off the field of war and caused unattended wounds. Nightingale’s notes then became the basis for a review of what and how much amount of care the soldiers should receive (Lipsey, 1993). Following Nightingale’s notes, nursing research became an important part of the nursing curriculum which led to the establishment of the American Journal of Nursing. This journal started to publish nursing research studies as early as 1930s. In 1970s, the focus of research was on the investigation of nursing practice and the outcomes of nursing. This required an in-depth knowledge of research design and statistical methods where clinical problems and issues related to nursing practices were subject to investigation. Uses of Statistics in Nursing In evaluating the use of statistics in nursing, Fowler, Chevannes and Jarvis (2002) identified two reasons why nurses need to be statistically equipped. One of the reason is that statistical literacy is required if nurses are to read and evaluate critical and intelligent data, reports and other literature related to managing health care. Another reason is that knowledge in statistics would help nurses whenever they would decide to undertake an investigation that includes the collection, processing, interpretation and analysis of data and reports on their own account. However, statistics have limitations; it does not prove anything, instead it presents the likelihood of the things to happen based on the result of an investigation (Fowler, Chevannes and Jarvis, 2002). Statistics and the Health Care Investigation Health Care investigation generally involves a five-stage process: 1) identifying the problems and objective; 2) planning; 3) collection of data; 4) interpretation and analysis of the data; and 5) presenting and reporting the result of investigation. In doing health care investigation, the following methodologies are usually utilized: sample survey, clinical trials and epidemiological studies. Usually, getting a sample population is needed to conduct such methodology. In statistics, population means a group or collection of individuals who are the subject of investigation. Variables entails the different characteristics of individuals such as age, weight, height, number of heart beat, manifestation of symptoms and economic status which relate to the health condition of individual. Since it is hard to get all the population to be involved in health care investigation, nurses may use smaller groups or sub-set who will represent the group as a whole. This group is known as sample. Each individual or unit in the sample can provide a data like measurement. This record is called an observation (Fowler, Chevannes and Jarvis, 2002). For example, the nurse wanted to find out whether Generation Y babies (which is the sample unit) are malnourished or just on average weight. The nurse must first identify the duration of the investigation, number of babies to be investigated, and the age and gender of the infants. This would be the variables. Observations would be based on the measurement of each sample infant included in the health investigation. Explanatory Nursing Studies and Inferential Statistics Researches which aim to explain the elucidate the relationship among the variables are more complex than other descriptive studies. Lines of inquiry for this study are often based on establishing theories from other research literature. Example of questions could be: Are people born with mental disease more likely to survive Post Traumatic Syndrome Disorder than people with chronic diseases? Are chronically ill patients more likely to improved under the care of nursing home than on the care of their family? In explanatory study, are not being investigated based on the cause-effect relationship rather it attempt to understand how the given variables are related to each other. Thus, inferential statistics are utilized to analyze or explanatory elucidate the relationship of the variables (Plichta and Garzon, 2009). Prediction and Control Nursing Studies and Statistics Statistics, like medicine, is also an important tool to prevent and control diseases. In prediction and control studies, nurses aim to determine which variables are able to determine causality and are predictive. Such studies are usually quasi-experimental whereas the researcher is bound to introduce an intervention. Experimental designs involve random selection, an intervention, two different groups – one group that receive an intervention and another group that do not receive an intervention – and random assignment of the study participants to either the intervention or the control group. Like explanatory studies, prediction and control studies uses inferential statistics to examine the data and provide answer to the research questions (Plichta and Garzon, 2009). The Statistical Analysis of Health Data  Without the use of statistics, it will be hard to identify which diseases or ill conditions are critical or not. On any instance, medical professionals, particularly the nurses, rely on the result of clinically proven studies on attending to the needs of their patients. Nurses need not only rely on doctor’s order but also they need to be well equipped when dealing with patients. Most of the time, nurses are the primary person who attend to emergency situation. Thus, they should also be knowledgeable in analyzing their patients’ condition based on the medical variables related on the illness or disease being experienced by the patient. However, there are studies with similar topic but posses different results. For example, there are studies that prove the effectiveness of applying chemotherapy to cancer patients. On the other hand, there are studies that show how doctors negatively react on the use of chemotherapy to cure cancer patients. For nurses to avoid being trapped on ethical dilemmas, they must know how to critically analyze those studies that are of their concern, particularly those with statistical measurements. Research studies with statistical analysis of the data usually undertake three stages. First, the data should be cleaned. By cleaning the data, it means that all the variables in the study must have valid and usable values. Running frequencies and examining these frequencies must be done for the researcher to be able to identify the valid values, the amount of missing data and the adequate variability. Nurses, when reading and analyzing such data, must also be able to examine the frequencies used by medical researchers. They should be able to identify the missing data and the validity of the values presented in the studies. The second step in statistical analysis is describing the sample. Here, the researcher employs descriptive statistics with a table that displays the sample’s characteristics are presented. For example, the medical researcher uses a graph, a chart or a table to present the sociodemographic characteristics (e. g. age, weight, height and gender) of the sample patients. Such description enables not only the medical professionals but also the common people to understand the sample population involved in the study. Moreover, in describing the statistical analysis, the key dependent and independent variables are given enough presentation. Nurses must be able to categorize which variables are independent and which are dependent. The last step in statistical analysis of health data is to be able to identify the list of inferential statistics that will be used to test the hypotheses. Application of inferential statistics depends on the research design, size of the sample and the distribution of variables (normal vs. non-normal), scale measurement of the variables (ratio, nominal, interval, ordinal) in the hypothesis and the type of comparison that needs to be made. It is also important to note that for small sample population and for variables which are not normally distributed, nonparametric statistics are used while for large sample population and for normally distributed variables, parametric statistics are utilized (Polit, 1996). In order to not to be deceived by the validity of the hypothesis presented by medical professionals, nurses must be knowledgeable on the application of statistics and its variation. Generally, nurses of today’s generation must be well statistically equipped. They should be able to distinguish which studies are applicable on their field of practice and on the nature of their workplace or community. Not all nurses are working with advanced health facilities thus they should be able to manually learn the basic principles of statistics which will be helpful on every part of their duty – from giving medicine to their patient to reporting the results of treatment, generating research studies, predicting and controlling diseases and applying the fundamental results of valid health studies. Without knowledge in statistics, nurses would fail to give enough care and treatment needed by the patient. Moreover, without knowledge in statistics, nurses, who works directly and personally with their patients, would fail to understand the different conditions being experienced by the patients. With the aid of statistics, nurses would be able to contribute to the growing number of medical researches particularly those which relate to the vocation of nursing.

Babysitting: Game and Kids

No matter how much a person loves kids or the money received from the job, babysitting for an entire night can take you to hell and back; if not done right. Babysitting is a tough job, and it takes a lot of effort and patience. Being prepared and doing the job right can save a lot of time and trouble. Some ways to maintain a person's sanity and do the job correct include; being prepared beforehand, having a schedule, and making sure you have time to relax after all the kids are in bed. Before arriving to the house, be sure to have appropriate â€Å"play† clothes on. Anytime a person baby-sits, they risk having their clothes stained with snacks, or even tugged and pulled on. Also, taking off your flip flops or wearing tennis shoes could help while you're chasing that cute little scoundrel around the house. Your handbag should contain snacks, coloring books, toys, and maybe even a schedule if one is not provided at the house. The snacks for you as the babysitter should be healthy and energizing, and the kids should consume food that's not too high in sugar. Just so they don't have an urge to play tag all night. Coloring books are a great activity to calm the kids down, which can be relieving. New toys are always exhilarating to kids at any age and could keep them entertained, which would help time go by faster. As you arrive at the front door, you should have a schedule planned out in your head if the guardians don't have one for you. Having activities planned and knowing when certain things should be done can save a lot of stress. The activities for the kids should be entertaining as well as safe. You don't want the kids getting boo boos. When babysitting at night, it usually means the kids need to be put to bed. That means they have to get their pajamas on, brush their tiny teeth, and maybe even bathe. At this point your exhausted and just want them to be perfect little angels, but in reality that doesn't always happen. The trick is for the you as the babysitter to keep them entertained while they do it. A kid could use a mouthwash that colors their teeth. You could even find a way to play a game or sing a song while they brush. When it comes to bathing, good luck. That depends on the child, but toys and bubbles are always helpful in the bathtub. After all the kids have fallen asleep, it is time for the babysitter to take a quick break. Sit down for a little, and relax. After a couple minutes, its time to clean up all the little messes that were made. Cleaning up is very important, especially if the you want to be asked to come back. As a babysitter you should always try to make sure that the kids and parents are satisfied. Once you know how to keep everything under control, babysitting will be enjoyable. Kids are full of life and entertaining. Babysitting is always fun when everything is under control. It has its pro's and con's, but as long as you like the kid your taking care of and have everything under control; it will be a breeze.

Summary response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Summary response - Essay Example Romano lists both â€Å"strengths and weaknesses† (Romano, 405) of Statsky’s argument. She gives credit to Statsky for her strong defense and authoritative evidence. At the same time, she points out the shortcomings in Statsky’s argument. The intended audience is parents who are the main stakeholders in the welfare of their children. It is through the lens of their â€Å"worries and hopes† (Romano, 402) that Romano views Statsky’s essay. Romano also bases her criticism of Statsky’s writing on its failure to completely address the questions of those parents who disagree, fully or partly, with her thesis. Romano’s thesis is that, while Statsky’s argument is very effective in reaffirming the beliefs of those parents who share her stand, Statsky weakens her argument by not providing enough evidence to refute the objections of those parents who differ from her. Statsky also fails to address non-contact sports, which form a basic part of children’s

Market Structure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Market Structure - Essay Example However, further he adds that the PeopleSoft products will not be integrated into Oracle offerings and PeopleSoft programmers would have to rewriter the most important functions from the scratch as part of the new Oracle software. Following these two contradicting claims, the conclusion can be made that Oracle just wants to eliminate the dangerous competitor while the interests of PeopleSoft customers are not taken into account at all. In addition, Ellison has claimed that mergers with other smaller rivals are of no interest for Oracle, probably because they do not present the threat for Oracle market standing. Nevertheless, in the long run the merge will prove to be beneficial for the consumers because the company will be able to use specialists of PeopleSoft as the tool to develop new programs aimed at making data easier to manage. Both Oracle and PeopleSoft focus on stand-alone products and probably would not survive and meet growing demands of customers. The PeopleSoft have limited offerings and merge with Oracle provides the opportunity to become the team within the larger structure and accelerate the consolidation among the vendors.

Assignment1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Assignment1 - Assignment Example The crisis management process shown by the Northern Illinois University is effective and efficient; because after one year it is undisputable that the university’s reputation is intact (Russell 87). One of the major targets of the crisis management effort is; to increase campus emergency preparedness, through organizing staff training on crisis communication. The outcome objectives of the crisis management involved: 1) to eliminate future campus emergencies, this can the through putting in place appropriate prevention mechanisms or resources; 2) to improve the reputation of the university, this was realized through proper crisis management communication; and 3) to minimize or eliminate legal suits on learning institutions during emergency cases. The Output objectives of the crisis management exercise at the university entailed: 1) to utilize the university website in providing the crisis updates to the audiences and the media; 2) to ensure institutional reputation and credibility through effective and efficient disclosure; 3) and to give emergency alerts to all the stakeholders, as quickly as possible (Jay, et al. 17). Both the quantitative and qualitative measures were used in determining the effectiveness of the crisis management approach, which was used by the Northern Illinois University. The quantitative measure indicated that; the university did not receive any law suit which relates to the gunman crisis; the financial gifts given to the university to fund sponsorships and memorial programs exceeded $1 million; and only 19 students who were personally affected by the gunman incident left the campus. The qualitative method used to indicate effectiveness involve; the Task Force on Campus Security formed by the Governor of Illinois made a report showing excellence of the university in crisis management; NBC Nightly News

Formal Analysis of theVase, Bottle, and Fruit by Henri Matisse Essay

Formal Analysis of theVase, Bottle, and Fruit by Henri Matisse - Essay Example In 1906, Henri Matisse presented yet another still life masterpiece called ‘Vase, Bottle, and Fruit’. This painting made with oils on canvas reflects post-impressionist style of Fauvism, of which Matisse was crowned the King. As an innovation, Matisse did not place the various 2-D still life objects on top of the table. The still life objects seem to be floating within the painting, and absolutely merged in the atmosphere. Although, the subject matter is reality-based, that is various objects on a table yet we see that Matisse has not produced a slavish copy of reality. Instead of painting the still life objects and background to correspond with reality, he presents distorted images to work out pictorial harmony. In fact, the patterns and shapes in this painting successfully depict his surreal interpretation of the subject matter. He employs a dark palette for the background, combined with vibrant colors for the still life objects. This contrast focuses the audience†™s attention more on the objects than the gloomy, dark background. The interior is absolutely ambiguous, capturing greater attention as a viewer tries to identify the objects and make out the background. The contrasted flat areas do not only add harmony, but also an effect of space to the painting. The clear boundaries of the table combined with the darker colors around it establish the spatial coordinates of the interior. The interior is devoid of shadows and unlike the background is entirely filled with light. The fabric presented here, depicts both, the tablecloth and background, Matisse accentuated the two-dimensional picture surface, which is highlighted even more due to the lack of shadows. He has subjugated the ordinary subject matter to his own artistic desires by constantly evolving the colors and patterns in it. Undeniably this painting is a classic illustration of the rich interplay between forms and colors Paragraph 3: Pure colors and dynamic brushstrokes give life to the painting. He ignores details, and has used vibrant and bright colors and strong lines to produce a feeling of movement. Pattern is the basic philosophy behind the painting. His use of pattern is akin to his use of colors, aimed at in-depth representation of the subject matter, regardless of the elements being still life, figure, and interior. This painting is an evidence of Matisse’s dexterity in the use of bold colors, and organic kinds that is evocatively apparent in it. Essentially, these patterns of the toile de juoy bear resemblance to flora, fauna, and vegetables and are organic. Matisse has used textiles as symbolic depictions and later termed them as ‘signs’. The blue tablecloth presented in this painting is in fact based on a textile fabric, an early nineteenth century printed French fabric made of cotton and linen. Matisse admired this fabric and termed it as his ‘toile de Jouy’. In actual, the fabric comprised of a delft blue design ma de on a white backdrop; however, in the painting, Matisse transformed the white into an aqua and grey shades to enrich the overall harmony. The blue and cyan hues add a powerful and bold edge to the overall painting, yet not an overpowering element. His imaginative makeover of the real life theme prime has enabled him to create oriental fantasies based on patterns. This painting incorporates the decorative element of eastern art and also uses a vast array of colors like the French Impressionists. In addition, Matisse has employed fauvism in this painting, as is evident from the wild brush strokes, strident colours, simplified theme, and abstract interpretation of

Tax in general Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tax in general - Essay Example There are many forms of tax, and they vary in the tax rates. This difference in the types and rates of tax is for the distribution of the tax burden among many individuals and classes that exist in the population. These individuals are involved in various businesses and taxable activities in history the noble people were supported by the taxes that were imposed on the poor people, in the modern social settings, the taxes are intended for the support of the poor people, the retired and the disabled people, this is managed through the taxation of the working class individuals. Some countries use tax to fund military and foreign aid, and influencing the macroeconomic performance of the economy (Smith et al 56). The taxation system of any country or nation is a reflection of the communal values and the value of those in power. The government in determining the distribution of the taxes must make a critical choice and who is eligible for taxation. The government also has to determine how the tax collected will be utilized. In most democratic nations, the people elect members of the tax system who are in charge of the system. The choices made reflect the community, which the public wishes to create (Smith et al 90). The public is often dissatisfied with the way the government utilizes the funds collected fro taxation. Taxes that levied for the funding of government projects and programs are deviated later to the general government funds. In the other case, the taxes are collected using inefficient methodologies that leave the public dissatisfied (Hopkins 37). Taxation creates distortion in the market and these results in economic inefficiency. Other individuals argue that most, if not all, forms of taxations are immoral. This is because they are involuntary in nature and an individual does not have the option of forfeiting taxation. This is considered tax fraud and can lead to imprisonment

Comparing and contrasting Booker T. Washington's 'Up from Slavery' Essay

Comparing and contrasting Booker T. Washington's 'Up from Slavery' story and W.E.B. Du Bois 'The Souls of Black Folk' story - Essay Example Both men wrote extensively, and often from very different viewpoints, regarding the position of the black man in the post-Civil War American society, having a profound impact upon how these individuals were perceived by the greater American public and playing large roles in both establishing educational facilities for black children and in organizing advocacy groups for the black people. As can be seen in his autobiography, Up From Slavery, Washington felt that the best way to help the black man was to train him in ‘industrial’ type jobs while Du Bois, as can be seen in â€Å"Of the Training of Black Men† in The Souls of Black Folk, felt that the black man could best benefit from the same type of classical education deemed important for white men. Writing his autobiography in 1901, Washington details his rise from the ranks of slavery to the position of a degreed professor even as he highlights the various reasons why he feels an industrial education is the correct course of action for the majority of black men and women. Writing in an easy, flowing style, Washington works to present himself as clearly as possible, making it easy to understand the major events of his life as well as to see where the founding principles of his ideas came from. The concept of including technical education in with ‘book learning’ as he founded Tuskegee was one borrowed from Washington’s early educational experiences at the Hampton school, where students were encouraged to increase their academic knowledge while retaining a connection to their rural heritage. It was believed that by doing so, the students would be encouraged to re-invest their education into the communities from which they came, thereby helping to elevate the situation of the entire race. â€Å"We wanted to give them such a practical knowledge of some one industry, together

Globalization in the middle east Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Globalization in the middle east - Essay Example In recent times, participation in globalization has been a great contributing factor in obtaining stable economic growth in the Middle East. Globalization and its importance in economic development have had a great effect both on the stability of the region and the global financial system. The Middle East region should find a way to use globalization to their benefit. In order for the region to gain integration into the global economy, it is imperative to understand globalization and its impact on Middle East (Schaeffer 67). Thus, it is important to determine the impact of globalization and the perception from the Middle East region. Globalization refers to the spread of customs, attitudes, ideas that started off in a definite part of the world. The issue of globalization is seen to have originated from the Western countries. The Middle East has sound reasons as to why they did not embrace globalization. It is easy to equate globalization with westernization. Regions such as Africa, Europe and South America were to a lesser extent more open to westernization and globalization. They had the notion that they were already western components. The Middle East countries did not want any association to the West so this led to a delay in them embracing globalization. Globalization was related to what was previously termed as modernization. This was a set of beliefs that challenged the traditional norms. Therefore, globalization was perceived as a major threat to tradition and this was valued most by the Middle East region. Globalization is regarded as an inevitable force that changes the face of the world. The world is seen to be a small village where everybody learns to live and interact with each other. Since the conception of globalization, distance and time concepts have changed. Globalization is a trend; this can be perceived as an opportunity and also a threat. Most regimes in Middle East region did not welcome globalization very well. A major contributor was the lack of fundamental change and stability in the region (Schaeffer 109). There has been a long list of problems that been encountered by the Middle East religion, they face political, economical, social and military problems. Almost all the states in the Middle East started to rebuild in the last century. The region has been faced with years of disputes as nobody seems to accept their boundaries. There is a low intensity conflict that seems to be constant in this region. The state system in the Middle East region was based on the ground of the low intensity conflict so they had no hegemonic power. This led to an intervention of outside powers to come and resolve this conflict In order to safeguard the region’s stability. With reference to globalization, the United States in the leading in globalization whereas the Middle East is regarded one of the least globalized regions. The challenge to facilitate globalization is evident at the state level in the Middle East. This seems to be a critical issue with regard to the rest of the world. Probably there is no area in the world that has embraced globalization less than the Middle East. This is due to the fact that the opposition movements, majority of regimes and the intellectuals in the region have all been anti –globalization. It is a well known fact that the Middle East have always resorted to violence in their anti–globalization struggle. Most countries in this region have readily accepted the principle of

Self Evaluation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Self Evaluation - Essay Example I possess effective communication and listening skills, which are vital in any organization. I always listen carefully and make judgment after critical evaluation of the problem; thus likely to reduce conflicts that may arise in an origination. Besides communication and listening skills, I have learnt that effective teamwork, as well as controlling emotions is essential in the work environment. I am always read to work as a team and my future and I look forward to work in a dynamic organization that fully utilizes my potential and knowledge gained in classroom. Maxwell (34) argues that great leaders are the ones that embrace and work in a team; thus achieving success. Therefore, my aim is to deliver quality services and offer exemplary services; thus my biggest goal is to make clients happy since only if they are satisfied, then, I will also benefit from my work. My objective is to work in an organization that calls for total dedication, creativity, evaluation and effective decision; thus improving organizational performance

Rocking Horse Winner Essay Example for Free

Rocking Horse Winner Essay Lawrence son of a coal miner and a school teacher, was born and grew up in Nottinghamshire, England. Lawrence was rejected for the military service in World War 1 because of lung trouble. This story took place just years after World War 1. It took place near London; London’s Richmond Park. There are a couple of characters in this story. They are Paul, Hester, Paul’s father, Bassett, Oscar Creswell, Miss Wilmot, Paul’s two younger sisters and Chief Artist. In the story â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† Lawrence uses the setting, the point of view and tragic irony to illustrate the theme that Paul was on quest to gain wealth, but lost his life. Lawrence chose London because of the different things going on in the city such, as the major races he mentioned that took place in England. â€Å"The child had never been to a horse race meeting before, and his eyes were blue fire. †(Lawrence p. 105). The horses that raced were Daffodil who came in first, Lancelot who came in second and Mirza who came in third. Lawrence wrote this story in omniscient third person point of view. This young women artist earned several thousand pounds a year, but Paul’s mother only made several hundreds, and she was again dissatisfied. † (Lawrence p. 261). Paul’s mother wanted to make more money, so she wanted to be the first in something but did not succeed. The tragic irony was when Paul picks the winning horse in the Derby but he loses his life. â€Å"But, poor devil, poor devil, he’s best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking horse to find a winner. † (Lawrence p. 266). The money he had combined was about eighty thousand pounds which is the equivalent of a million dollars today and that became his misfortune. In the story â€Å"The Rocking Horse Winner† Lawrence uses the setting, the point of view and tragic irony to tell the story. The theme of the story is a quest to find a winner. â€Å"But, poor devil, poor devil, he’s best gone out of a life where he rides hid rocking horse to find a winner. † (Lawrence p. 266). Before Paul died he is on a quest to find a great prize, luck that will let him win money to bet on horses and win to help his mom. Paul dies while he riding his horse like a knight on a quest to find a winner.

Ethical Issues Unique To Group Therapy Social Work Essay

Ethical Issues Unique To Group Therapy Social Work Essay Group Therapy has a variety of ethical issues one of the main issues that maybe encountered is involuntary group members. Corey, Williams, and Moline (1995) explained that ethically a counselor should advise clienteles of theirs privileges and duties and advise them of any probable concerns they face if they choose to follow treatment. Informed consent is extremely important when participation is mandatory. Informed consent is something that all psychologist, counselor, and therapist have to obtain from clients. The consent is important because certain guidelines have to be followed by the counselor during the sessions. When a client becomes involuntary this puts the counselor in a comprising position. The counselor becomes comprised because the incorporation of the client places limits on the direction of the sessions in the group. The following is an example of legal issue where a patient refuses medical care. Website Merck (2007), stated People who have legal and clinical capacity may refuse any medical care. They may refuse care even if it is something almost everyone else would accept or something that is clearly life-saving. With that being said there is also a variety of issues related to right of refusal. The following is a list of some legal issues related to refusal of consent. American Bar Association (n.d.), stated religiously sponsored HMOs often do not cover prohibited services or provide information, counseling, or referrals to plan members who may want or need these services. Women in Medicaid managed care plans face particular challenges (Susan, Lourdes). Because of the risk of misdiagnosis financial factors have become an issue. Psychologist and therapist are avoiding working with some clients because of what insurance they have. The reason for this is because some insurance companies cannot be reimbursed for certain diagnosis. In addition insurance companies are starting to take practitioners to civil court for incompetence. Ethical Issues Unique to Individual Counseling Some of the ethical issues a counselor may encounter in individual counseling may range from dual relationships, involuntary client, moral dilemmas, breach of confidentiality, and other significant factors. Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling (2007), stated In the mid-1970s, New York Supreme Court Presiding Justice Markowitz recognized evidence that from the time of Freud to the present, the health care professions had agreed that therapist-patient sex harms patients (Pope, Vasquez, p. 174). The extent of sexual relationships has not been fully understood until recently. Within the past quarter century a diverse series of investigations have broaden the meaning of therapist client relationships in individual psychotherapy. Certain issues that were addressed in the investigation included how clients can be injured, physical contact with clients, and sexual attraction to patients. Studies that were conducted have concluded that certain outcomes for sexually abused clients. Clients who have been sexually involved with individual counselors produce negative outcomes. Therapist would choose Group Therapy Essentially, Group Therapy is targeted on assisting clients with data about specific categories in order to give supplementary means or data. Counselors believe that group therapy is more structured; in group therapy counselors also believe that clients are provided with precise categories or modules to debate and learn about. The intent is to supply individuals with access data about the categories, which is frequently recognized in the label of the group. the process group therapy is favored by counselors too. a process group is best explained as a group that targets on the experience of belonging to a group, itself, this recognition is part of the healing opportunity given within the group. An example would be the process of a client showing their ideas, emotions, and in the group, in the here and now can become the essential vehicle that finds change in group therapy. Counselors often choose group therapy to supplement individual therapy. Counselors believe group therapy will sup ply clients with access support, or as the primary part of healing work. On no account substance what issues a client may want to address in therapy, group therapy give clients the opportunity to share their thought which is part of their healing journey. Counselors believes that clients attending group gain a sense from the experience as a way to know that they are not alone and that there others, with similar experiences, who are supportive of them. Therapist would choose Individual Counseling Ethical decision making in professional psychology is important to regulate the practice of psychology. Individual counselors believe that ethical decision making procedures can produce positive psychological outcomes. In addition ethical decision making places a certain degree of accountability on the psychologist in individual counseling. Ethical guidelines and educational requirements ensure that clients receive adequate professional assistance on a one on one basis. Ethical decision making in a sense also causes a power shift. Paste psychological practices were controlled by the therapist. In modern times clients have a say so of what treatments and practices they want to receive. This is due to current ethical guidelines. Psychologists give numerous reasons why Multicultural psychology has become a subspecialty. With a society that is diverse in culture psychology had no choose but to be aware of these circumstances. Because of this factor training had to be given to researchers and psychologist in the career field. These measures were done to raise awareness of culture differences and to clarify that these differences had to be handled different individually. Cultural competence is best explained by CEO Services (2007), as the development of skills by individuals and systems to live and work with, educate and serve diverse individuals and communities. Â   Having multicultural psychology as a subspecialty eradicates negative beliefs about other cultures. In addition categories of discrimination, prejudice, lack of education, and ethical values are learned. A major issue with research done with past experiments was they were not culturally equal. Things like the above issue and other factors lead to the requirement of multicultural psychology as a subspecialty. If a professional is culturally competent they should see and understand cultural, economic, gender, and physical differences that another individual may have in society. Culturally competent professional should not be prejudiced in thought while considering another human being feelings and cultural traditions. Social Phobia has a connection with the stability-change issue. The Life -Span Development (2007) text explains the stability-change dispute consists of the point to which early traits and characteristics persist through life or change. In the stability-change issue Develo pmental psychologists acknowledge the concept as broken into two separate issues. On the stability side of the issue psychologist argue that early experiences in life can affect a persons stability or there heredity can cause change in stability. But on the change side of the spectrum psychologist are arguing that peoples later experiences can cause change. So in saying that the change concept is basically that people are is constantly being molded throughout their life span. Distinctive Features Some of the distinctive features that are associated with social phobia range in vary areas. Person with social phobia experience excessive fear of being humiliated or judged negatively in social or performance situations (Heimberg, G. R., Liebowitz, R. M., Hope, A. D., Schneier, R. F., 1995). Social anxiety and panic disorder are also qualified as features in the social phobia criterion. The different experiences an individual lives through and witness can mold their mind state. If an individual has had many experiences dealing with discrimination they may perceive the world as unfair. If an individual is or maybe was raised in poverty they may perceive the world as unfair and class based. A prime example would be a minority individual born during the civil rights era or earlier. These individuals had witnessed the inequality of America and seen the horror that come from inequality. A majority of individuals who lived during those times have negative views on white America. I have seen this in my grandmother who is 83. She can get along with other races but she is still to a degree stuck in the past. Often stating how minorities should watch they do because of inequality. Ethical Challenges I may Face Being a counselor some of the many ethical challenges I believe I will face will be as followed. Being a counselor whether the setting is for a group or individual counseling Being mentally aware is important for individuals so they can understand their personal ethical perspectives in life. If individuals have an understanding of their ethical perspective other attributes can be understood. Personal ethical views can influence emotions and reactive behavior in some individuals. Personal ethical perspectives are essential in formulating who an individual is and what they stand for. In addition understanding personal ethical perspective is necessary when choosing a career field. Ethical dilemmas can be frequent if professional ethics are opposite of an employees personal ethics. If personal ethics are misunderstood stress can manifest in individuals. Ethics in psychotherapy and counseling (2007), stated Uncertainty causes stress for some of us. We cannot find that magical book that wi ll tell us what to do, especially in a crisis (Pope, Vasquez, p. 2). The argument about personal and professional ethics has been debated for a while. But each ethic is unique and essentially a necessity to function in society. The United States has become a nation were ethical perspectives are revered. The evolution the United States has made is amazing. Manifesting from a primitive culture to what is now known as the ethical nation. Work ethics involve such characteristics as honesty and accountability. Basically, work ethics break down to what one does or would do in a particular situation ethics as guidelines restrict the abrasive production low safety, employees non-companies, non-compliance with legal regulations and even lawsuits. Ethical regulations decline tension; makes the environment more beneficial by fostering a goal focused climate of cooperation that even boost business. Ethical regulations purely boost a positive site for the future. Confidentiality Better Morale Worker safety Organized work environment All organizations have laws that they have to abide by, employees, board members, and those who work voluntarily must do the same. Regardless of personal feelings toward those laws, they are to obey all laws in the performance of their work on behalf of Community Services. Ethics is the central part, the heart of leading and include private duties of service and public duties to the common good. Therefore, personal, professional, and practical ethics are included into a multidimensional perspective of ethical leadership in human service organizations Development of Professional Ethics through Societal Norms Ethical standards have a role in societys developmental norms. Social norms are explained on Sociology Guide website. Sociology Guide (2006), stated Sociologists have offered the following definition. Social norms are rules developed by a group of people that specify how people must, should, may, should not, and must not behave in various situations. To better understand what ethical standards really mean, the Santa Clara University (2007), stated Ethics has to do with what my feelings tell me is right or wrong; Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs. Being ethical is doing what the law requires; Ethics consists of the standards of behavior our society accepts (Velasquez, Andre, Shanks, S.J., and Meyer). Evolution of cultural factors and beliefs has impacted ethical standards also. Some of these factors are responsibility, malpractice, ethical dilemmas, ethical judgment, reasoning, language, and justifications. American 18 or 1900s social norms seem barbaric compared to 21st century norms. A prime example of disturbing social norms and ethical codes are practices of psychology. Practices such as psychosurgery left permanent damage to areas of the brain. Other primitive methods used were insane asylums, electroconvulsive therapy, and Trepanation. Robert Todd Carroll (2007) states Trepanation is the process of cutting a hole in the skull. If those procedures were practiced today society would consider them cruel and legally incorrect. Ethical standards and codes have helped the American nation become civilized. Civilized behavior is a progression compared to when individuals would react by emotions. In addition the codes have formed this nation into a more business oriented society. Ethical standards have made equal right obtainable to women. Because ethical standards and codes affect social norms woman can vote, and get equal pay. Equal bus seating, right to vote, and other factors African Americans gained because of ethical standards. Disabled individuals have also gotten opportunities to work. Through the development of new ethics standards societal norms have also changed and quality of life for all individuals has improved. APA Ethics Code The American Psychological Associations Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct consist of an introduction, a preamble, five general principles and specific ethical standards. The general principles and preamble are not enforceable rules. However, they should be considered by psychologists in arriving at a professional and ethical course of action. The Ethical Standards are set enforceable rules for conduct of psychologists/psychiatrists. Most of these standards are written so they apply to psychologists that have various roles within the field. The American Psychological Association enforces members and student residents to comply with the standards of their ethics code and the procedures and rules that are used to enforce them. Misunderstanding or lack of awareness of the code is not considered a defense if a member and/or student resident is charged with unethical conduct. The APAs Ethics code ensures psychologies will protect the human and civil rights and the importance of freedom of inquiry and expression in teaching, research and publication. Psychologists perform many roles; such as educators, diagnosticians, researchers, supervisors, therapist, administrators, consultants, expert witnesses and social interventionists. The APAs Ethics codes provide a common set of standards and principles, in which psychologist, researcher, therapist, etc. build their scientific and professional work. APA Ethical Violations The impact of the American Psychological Associations (APA) ethical standards and codes on professional practice in the field of psychology includes how the ethical issues are resolved once one is accused. The ethical code deals with such matters as: misuse of psychologists work, conflicts between ethics and law, regulations, or other governing legal authority, informal resolution of ethical violations, reporting ethical violations, improper complaints, and unfair discrimination against complainants and respondents. (APA, 2002) Psychologists who learn of misuse or misrepresentation of their work may take reasonable steps to correct or minimize the misuse or misrepresentation through the APA. When there is a conflict between ethics and law, regulations, or other governing legal authority and a psychologists responsibilities they make known their commitment to the Ethics Code and take steps to resolve the conflict. If the conflict cannot be resolved via such means, psychologists may adhere to the requirements of the law, regulations, or other governing legal authority. (APA, 2002) Sometimes situations may call for informal resolution of ethical violations. If a psychologist believes that there may have been an ethical violation by another psychologist, they may attempt to resolve the issue by bringing it to the attention of that individual, if an informal resolution appears appropriate and the intervention does not violate any confidentiality rights that may be involved. Reporting ethical violations may be necessary when an apparent ethical violation has substantially harmed or is likely to substantially harm a person or organization. Psychologists may take further action appropriate to the situation such as referral to state or national committees on professional ethics, to state licensing boards, or to the appropriate institutional authorities. This standard does not apply when an intervention would violate confidentiality rights or when psychologists have been retained to review the work of another psychologist whose professional conduct is in question. (AP A, 2002) When a Psychologist does not file or encourage the filing of ethics complaints that are made with reckless disregard for or willful ignorance of facts that would disprove the allegation the ethics code allows for treatment of these improper complaints. Unfair discrimination against complainants and respondents in the APA ethics code demands that Psychologists do not deny persons employment, advancement, admissions to academic or other programs, tenure, or promotion, based solely upon their having made or their being the subject of an ethics complaint. This does not preclude taking action based upon the outcome of such proceedings or considering other appropriate information. (APA, 2002) Psychology and Professional Ethics Psychologists have an obligation to protect the people in which they counsel on a regular basis. Ethic codes have been created to protect the public and offer guidance to professionals in serving their clientele. Many different mental health organizations have their own set of ethical codes in which they follow on a day to day basis. Without these ethical codes, they would not be able to properly protect themselves or their clients in the unlikely event that they are accused or sued for malpractice. There is believed to be three main reasons that these ethical standards and codes have been created for professional psychologists to follow. The three standards and codes are the general reason is to educate professionals about adequate ethical conduct; consultants that comprehend the standards may acknowledge prolonged alertness, ideals-interpretation, and difficult-answering abilities. Next, ethical standards encourage responsibility, also, counselors need to preserve ethical conduct encourage such from colleagues as well. Third the code of ethics helps support in cultivating preparation by proposing answers to challenging inquiries and circumstances (Herlihy Corey, 1996). Ethical issues in mental-health are governed by professional codes and laws. Law defines the minimum standards of performance which society will tolerate and these standards are enforced by the government. Ethics illustrates maximum or ideal standards of performance set by the profession and are managed by professional associations, national certification boards, and government boards which regulate professions (Remley, 1996). Ethical codes that are used in mental- health organizations are revised when new issues in the psychological community arise. Providing a code of ethics to clients receiving psychological care has proven to be fundamental in the field of psychology. Not only to the psychologist providing treatment but also to the client who is receiving treatment on a daily, weekly, or even a monthly basis. Besides knowing these rules, a therapist must be able to think rationally and apply different ethical standards to each individual situation that may crop up while they are providing professional counseling services. Not every situation is covered under these individual codes and standards. Often a psychologist is forced to make their own decisions in regards to which way to best treat a client who is seeking help. Without these codes of ethics, a therapist would be unprotected should they provide the wrong type of treatment to one of the clients they are serving. This could often a therapist up to losing their license to practice and be sued which could end up costing them a fortune financially, professionally, and pers onally. Conclusion The APA ethics code systematically describes how psychologists and psychiatrists should behave in a professional environment. Societal norms have helped to define how professional ethics should be followed and has also contributed to how the APAs ethics code has developed. Through communication of this ethics code among psychologists, they can hope to have greater success with clients and better relationships with colleagues.

Organizational Structure and Competitive Advantage

Organizational Structure and Competitive Advantage In our fast-paced, ever-changing world, organizations are constantly seeking ways to gain and sustain effectiveness. Though there is no single thing that makes an organization successful no secret ingredient some concepts do universally apply. One fundamental is to create a right organizational structure for success by ensuring alignment in organization dynamic relative to core purposes, strategy, and culture. Organisational structure refers to the way tasks are divided up, how the work flows, how this flow is coordinated and the forces and mechanisms that allow this coordination to occur. It creates the framework within which organizations operate. It is the skeleton and later on becomes the engine of the business. Therefore an organization with a structure which does not fit into economic and business environment, differentiated from its core purposes cannot exist for a long time. The aim of this paper is to review an organizational structure as a competitive advantage. The objectives will be the guiding tour to achieve the goal: Review existing organizational structures and their respective Analyse relationship between organizational structure and strategy Define which organizational structure is relatively better for exporting companies As a case study, organizational structure of Hansa Flex was researched, and subject in question was applied to it to compare organizational theory in real business life. The paper starts formulating a unified theoretical framework by explaining what the organization is, and describing relationship within an organization. Then it defines common types of organizational structure, talks about their function principles, afterwards investigates organizational effectiveness and relationship between organizational structure and strategy. To describe how a company can gain a competitive advantage relying on this relationship, and to compare theoretical framework with real business life, at the end, organizational structure of Hansa Flex was studied and conclusion about comparison is described. Some have described organizational structure as a formal configuration of roles and procedures, the prescribed framework of the organization. Others have described structure as the patterned regularities and processes of interaction. Structure is important in organizations because it reduces ambiguity and clarifies tasks, expectations and goal. Bartol, Martin, Tein and Matthews (2001, p. 267) define organizational structure as the formal pattern of interactions and coordination that managers design to link the tasks of individuals and groups to achieve organizational goals. Different sources give different contingencies which define organizational structure. These contingencies change through the time due to economic and business environment, technology, innovation as well as designs of organizational structures. The elements that were main criteria for selecting organizational structure 20 years ago are not reliable nowadays. Contingencies like size of organization, role clarity, specialization and control, for example, have been replaced by speed, flexibility, integration and innovation (Ashkenas et al., 1995, p. 7). Methodology Before carrying out the research, it is reasonable to analyse particular method for a given study. There are two main points that the research process of the paper goes through, as the research is done to enlighten development of organizational structures and review organizational structures as a competitive advantage: Defining the resource for analysis of theoretical framework Applying the theory on particular case study (Hansa-Flex) Starting a new research paper is like starting a new project you have an idea of what you want to do, but are not sure how to start. Many writers, like many project planners and managers, find that outlining is frequently the most effective way to start writing (Keene, 1987, p. 2). So having this idea in mind, we started to draw a step-by-step methodology of the research. Following are the stages that paper went through. Formulating the research aim (Initiation). This is the first stage of our research process, and the purpose of this stage is for us to decide what we are writing about, therefore after this stage it is possible to know which are the other stages that are needed for the fulfilment of the paper. As it was mentioned, the aim of the paper is to review organizational structure as a competitive advantage. We want to analyse perspectives of modern organizational structures and see whether there is one best structure that exporting companies can use. Developing the objectives. Once the research aim is determined, the next stage of our research is to develop the objectives: Review existing organizational structures and their respective Analyse relationship between organizational structure and strategy Define which organizational structure is relatively better for exporting companies These objectives will keep the research study going on towards the aim of the paper. Resource selection. Having followed all the previous stages then is the next stage; determine how and where to collect the data that is crucial to draw inferences and conclusions for the study. Primary Data Secondary data Collection Purpose For the problem at hand For other problems Collection process Very involved Rapid easy Collection cost High Relatively low Collection Time Long Short Table 1. A Comparison of Primary and Secondary data Source. Malhotra (1996, p. 117) According to a source comparison table of Malhotra (1996, p. 117), due to absence of research budget and short time, secondary data was chosen to be relative as source. It was decided to use, for this area of study, the following sources: Books Records Journals Newspapers Internet articles Academic Papers Published censuses or other statistical data Company Hansa-Flex (interviews with representatives) Unfortunately, there were some difficulties using all the sources above. Since the research took place in Bremen, small town in North Germany, it was not easy to find physical books, journals or newspapers in English. Therefore, to help this situation, electronic versions of some of the books were downloaded from the Hochschule Bremens internet network. Also, not being able to have an interview with Hansa-Flexs representative had negative impact on the case study part of the research. Literature Review. After collecting necessary data, this stage is an integral part of the research methodology, because it makes important contribution to all the next stages of the methodology. This stage helps to understand the subject area as well as the research aim precisely and clearly. Although the secondary sources created a framework for the study, censuses and annual reports published by Hansa-Flex did not help a lot to analyse the organizational structure of the company and evaluate it as a competitive advantage. The company presentation of Hansa-Flex given at the Hochschule Bremen by the companys Development Manager was used to fill this lack. Interpretation. After collecting and analyzing the data, and also subsequent to the clarifying of the questionable points, the next stage for the study will be interpretation in which the raw data, clean of mistakes, will be applied to the research aim. In this case it will be related to the case study, which is organizational structure of Hansa-Flex. Results and formal write of conclusions reached. The last stage is writing the report, in which all the previous stages come together as one research study and with the principle of enlighten the reader what all the research is about and all the results achieved drawn from what all the previous stages have done. It will also help to finally come with the result, whether the research aim was achieved or not. Organization and organizational structure. Definitions As it was mentioned before, the purpose of this paper is to clarify the relationship between organizational structure and strategy, and describe organizational structure as a competitive advantage. However, the goal of this chapter, as a starting point, is to introduce some common view about an organization and organizational structure. What is an Organization? Organizations all over the world share the same characteristics; they are social entities that are goal-directed, are designed as deliberately structured and coordinated activity systems and are linked to the external environment. Not all organizations are the same, some are large, multinational corporations, others are small, family owned business, some manufacture products, others provide services. One key element of an organization is that indeed the organization will exist when people interact with one another to perform essential functions that will help the achievement of goals. One organization cannot exist without the interaction with customers, suppliers, competitors, and some other elements of the external environment like the government etc (Daft, 2007, p.10-11). Definitions of organizational structure Having defined the organization, it is next sensible to define organizational structure. The Morris describes organizational structure as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the framework around, and the systems that support, the work being done in an organization. Walton (1986) notes structure as the basis for organizing, to include hierarchical levels and spans of responsibility, roles and positions, and mechanisms for integration and problem solving. The similar definition is given in the Dictionary-Organizational Behavior (2003) as: the established pattern of relationships among the components of parts of a company; the way that a company is set-up; the formally defined framework of an organizations task and authority relationship. (p.2) The organizational structure is reflected in the organization chart (Daft, 2007, p. 190). It is the visual representation of the whole organization and its processes. The organization chart enables to see employees going about their duties, performing different tasks, and working in different locations. The organization chart is very useful in the understanding how a company works. In general, it refers to the way that an organization arranges people and their jobs so that the work can be done and its goals can be achieved. If the size of a work organization is not big and communication can be made face to face, formal structure may be not necessary, but in a large-scale organization the messengers have to be passed about the delegation of various tasks. Then, structure is established that distribute responsibilities for various functions. It is these decisions that determine the organizational structure. Organizational structure and effectiveness Having a common view about what an organization is, and saying that organizational structure refers to the way that an organization arranges people and their jobs, it is time to think about the impact of the structure on organizational effectiveness. Organizational structure and organizational effectiveness are interrelated, because organizational structure impacts organizational effectiveness based on organization creativity. Woodman explains that: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦in general, adaptive organizational forms (e.g. matrix, networks, collateral or parallel structures) increase the odds for creativity. Bureaucratic, mechanistic, or rigid structures decrease the probability of organizational creativity. (Morris, 1995, p.64) Peguin (2003) comments that organizational effectiveness and its relation to structure are determined by a fit between information processing requirements so people have either too little or too much irrelevant information (para. 3). Andrews (1995) supports his idea and notes without clearly defined roles and responsibilities of getting information, any organization structure becomes dysfunctional. (p. 1) In analyzing the difficulties of realizing the organizational effectiveness, on the one hand, Bedeian (1986) says, Although effectiveness is a central theme in the study of organizations, it remains one of the most frequently cited yet least understood concepts in organization theory. (p. 186). He continues to argue that failing to consider organizations goals, characteristics, and constituents lead to fault assumptions of performance. (p. 190). He also believes that the relationship and consequences between organizational design and structure choice. Organizations are incredibly complex. They are molded by increasingly fluid and disorderly environmental forces that constantly threaten their rationally ordered structures and stated goals. (p. 198) On the other hand, he emphasizes the possible result of wrong structure choice. Declining organizations face many problems. One of the most serious of these is the lack of flexibility at time when adaptiveness and agility are especially needed. Among the attributes most commonly affected are an organization leadership, innovative processes, work-force composition, and relationships with interest groups. (p. 197). Relation between organizational structure and strategy This chapter is divided in two parts, while first part describes how organizational structure and strategy are related via environmental conditions; second part explains how to build proper organizational structure that supports strategy and defines the authority for each manager. Nearly always, development of corporate strategy begins by analyzing the industry in which it operates and environmental conditions. Then having industry and competitive analyses, through research and benchmarking the strengths and weaknesses of competitors, executives set out to carve a distinctive strategic position where they can outperform their rivals by building a competitive advantage. To obtain such advantage, a company chooses a structure, which is supposed to group people due to their duties, tasks and responsibilities as well as hierarchy of decision making (Mouborgne, et al., 2009). Developing an organizational structure that supports the strategy is not easy, because of uncertainty in the global economys rapidly changing and dynamic competitive environments. When a structures elements, such as reporting relationships, procedures, etc., are properly aligned with one another the structure facilitates effective use of the strategy (Hitt, et al., 2009, p. 309). Choosing the most appropriate organizational structure that supports the strategy does not ensure an organization from future mismatches. As previous chapters describes organizations has to change and adopt to innovation and changing environment, and just as organizations strategy needs to change with changing external environment, so must a structure change for proper strategy implementation. In other hand companys strategic options are bounded by the environment. In other words, structure shapes strategy (Mouborgne, et al., 2009). So organizational structure and strategy are like two different sides of the same coin. In structure strategy relationship, organizations must be wide awake in their efforts to verify that the structure calls for work to be completed remains consistent with implementation requirement of chosen strategy. There is no perfect or ideal organizational structure that lasts forever. The strategy must be supported by the structure that provides the stability needed to use current competitive advantage as well as flexibility required to develop future advantages. Therefore, properly matching organizational structure and strategy can create competitive advantage (Hitt, et al., 2009). Characteristics of organizational structures After the impact of organizational structure on organizational effectiveness and strategy was described, based on the literature review of the definition and characteristics of organizational structure above, this part explores the types of organizational structure. There are different approaches to design the organizations activity. In the other word, that is different types of organizational structure. Common types of organizational structure Numerous international scholars are working on identifying the types of organizational structure. Thus, various literatures identify several dominant organizational structure types from different perspective. According to traditional organizational type of bureaucratic and other new forms, dominant organizational structure types include functional structure, divisional structure and matrix structure. The descriptions below are summarized and supported by reference to current literature. Functional structure. It refers to a set of people who work together and perform the same types of tasks or hold similar positions in an organization (Ledbetter, 2003, p.13). Organizations that grow too complex to be administered through a simple structure usually adopt the functional structure as a means of coping with the increased demands of differentiation (Hatch, 1997, p.183). As Raymond mentions also a functional organization is best suited as a producer of standardized goods and services at large volume and low cost. Coordination and specialization of tasks are centralized in a functional structure, which makes producing a limited amount of products or services efficient and predictable. Moreover, efficiencies can further be realized as functional organizations integrate their activities vertically so that products are sold and distributed quickly and at low cost. Divisional structure. It refers to an organizational structure that is divided along some criteria, and most commonly it is geographic location, but there can also be product, functional, or strategic divisions. (Ledbetter, 2003, p.13) Matrix structure. It refers to simultaneously groups people in two ways: by the function of which they are a member and by the product team on which they are currently working. (Ledbetter, 2003, p.13) According to Hatchs organization theory, the matrix structure was developed with the intention of providing the best of both the functional and multi-divisional alternatives. The sad truth is all these structures have their disadvantages parallel to their advantages. If one of the structures did not have any disadvantage, it would be automatically accepted without any need to consider the pros. Pros and Cons of each structure Which structure effects efficiency most and works best for an organization can be quite complicated because of the nature of different organizations themselves. Every way of designing an organization has pros and cons. However, this section describes some general advantages and disadvantages of each organizational structure. This will help us to analyze the case study in the next chapter and see whether a company can use its structure as an advantage. Functional structure. In the functional structure, as it was recently described, the employees are allocated in departments based on their skills and what they do. Common functional departments are purchasing, accounting, manufacturing, sales and marketing, human resources. Each department acts as its own entity and they are focused on activity performance rather than final result. It leads to centralization of specialized personnel, equipment and facilities, and results high development of skills, however, this major benefit can be a major pain for the communication with other departments. In manufacturing companies, for example, weak communication within departments may affect the quality of final product. It also does not allow for flexibility because of the centralization. Divisional structure. As Rao (2003) mentions, the main benefit this structure provides arise from, appositely from functional structure, from the fact that this type of structure tends to be more result oriented than activity oriented. Each division in this structure contains all the necessary resources and functions within it. The employees of each division know about the specific needs of the division, and are involved actively to achieve the goal. This structure creates an atmosphere of individual commitment and motivation. Divisional structure has its own disadvantages. As it is decentralized, it results duplication of facilities, equipment, and personnel usually leads to more costly processing. Although the employees are aware of specific needs of the division, they might not know organizations overall needs. As functional structure divisional structure also may lead to a weak communication between divisions. The lack of cooperation reduces improvement of techniques. Matrix structure. This type of structure tries to get the benefits of functional structure and of divisional structure, reducing their disadvantages. One of the benefits is resources can be used from all over the organization. Another benefit, as Rainey (2009) underlines, is à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the advantage of the ability to share or shift personnel or other resources rapidly across product lines. However, it is not easy to implement this structure because of the dual authority. Having two bosses may sometimes confuse the employees. But this fact can also have a positive impact, as two managers share responsibilities. Matrix structure requires heavy investment in coordination. Because such structure often produce high level of stress and conflict that must be resolved. It is important to remember that each managerial decision has its pros and cons. When designing an organizational structure management should take necessary actions to decrease the disadvantages of the chosen structure. Nowadays, many companies are based on mix of these structures. Whatever structure is chosen, management has to make sure that it supports organizations strategy and can be used as competitive advantage. Case study. Hansa-Flex As previous chapters suggest, when establishing an organizational structure a company has to make sure the structure supports companys strategy and fits into its culture. Having done this, a company can create sustainable resource for a competitive advantage. This chapter describes how Hansa-Flex, supplier of hydraulic hose, applies the theory of organizational structure to its business to achieve a competitive advantage over its rivals. Hansa-Flex. Company overview Since it was initiated in 1962 in the garage of the companys founder Joachim Armerding, Hansa-Flex Hydraulics has been Europes leading privately owned supplier of hydraulic hose, couplings, fittings, adapters and hydraulic accessories. Hansa-Flex offers replacement of spare parts due to customers require even at short notice. This can be done very efficiently as Hansa-Flex holds over 82,000 different parts permanently in its stock. With the expertise of committed workforce and focus on service Hansa-Flex provides fast, qualified help in any situation. Hansa-Flex equips more than 300,000 customers in various industries with hydraulic and metal hoses and components. Until now, it has more than 350 branch offices in 33 countries worldwide operations, has an annual turnover of 165 million à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ in year 2009 (Hansa-Flex Annual Report 2009). Furthermore, Hansa-Flex has a customer service fleet of 225 vehicles worldwide, of which 100 are in Germany on the road (Hansa-Flex Annual report 2009). The staff and training service in the fleet take FLEXXPRESS Services throughout the world around the clock repairs and install replacement parts. For instants, defective hydraulic hoses to forklifts and related fittings are replaced in the automobile production. In a word, the motto of Hansa-Flex is thinking globally acting locally, which means being positioned in Bremen with a worldwide network of branch offices. All of these branch offices guarantee great availability of their products throughout of world. For instants, by May 2010, the facility in Geisenfeld keeps about 150 branches in southern Germany (Hydraulikpresse 2010). In October 2010, Hansa-Flex opened their Operation Centre for the Asian market in Shanghai, China. This Operation Centre provides training program in training center and central warehouse as well as manufacturing and administrative space. Therefore, Hansa-Flex is well standing in Asian Market to take advantage of future developments. This is one of the last but not least successes for Hansa-Flex. Strategy of Hansa-Flex Hansa-Flex is also very well founded through all over world. Generally, in the process of globalization the competition between the companies is more disastrous. More customer attraction and more market share are the main targets of companies. In other words, the company needs the appropriate strategy for the organizational structure in different environment conditions, especially an international company. Well-designed structure provides effective outcome. This is the reason why Hansa-Flex has developed very fast in its founding in Germany and in Europe. Hansa-Flex believes that The whole is greater than the sum of its parts (Aristotle). It considers that it is more than just the number of its branches; more than the sum of its products and services. To be considered as a whole, Hansa-Flex has to include the totality of the experience and skills of every employee. Based on this point view Hansa-Flex sets a very important and interesting Strategy for the Company. It has opened the training center for their employees and potential employees early in 2001 when Hansa-Flex merely focused on local. Besides that, as a glocal  [1]  company, Hansa-Flex sees customer proximity as part of its responsibility for ensuring smooth processes in hydraulics. To sustain the proximity the company has chosen strategy of growth through diversification acquisition, subsidiary, partnership. This strategy makes sure Hansa-Flex is maintaining international growth while at the same time enlarging their product range. Figure 1. Number of branches Source. Hansa-Flex Annual Report 2003 According to the researches which are made by the majority of international scholars we find this growth strategy highly appropriate reflexed the following theory. The strategy must be supported by the structure that provides the stability to current competitive advantage as well as flexibility required to develop future advantages (Hitt, et al., 2009). In briefly, Hansa-Flex has a deeply understanding about how could organizational structure and strategy be related via environmental conditions and how to build proper organizational structure that supports their strategy to grow the market share and enter a new market. Hansa-Flex never stops changing and always thinks forward such as their catchword Think globally act locally. Organizational structure of Hansa-Flex Interesting point here is how the company controls such a large network of branches. How is the company organized to provide a strong communication between departments, and basically between warehouses to keep customers satisfied? This section answers this question by analyzing organizational structure of Hansa-Flex, and finds out whether or not the company uses it as a competitive advantage in the market. Obviously, as many other starter companies, Hansa-Flex was founded based on simple structure. Later on, as we see on figure 1, it starts opening branches in different regions of Germany, and so created functional structure. Starting from 1992, Hansa-Flex goes international. Being international and offering products in different countries is always a big deal and requires a lot of research. Nowadays, Hansa-Flex has established a mix of functional and divisional structures and customized it by its strategy and culture. The structured is divisioned by geographic location to push the company toward being bounderless organization. Basically it has centralized functional areas, such as purchasing, quality management, warehousing, human resources, marketing; and decentralized sales and local marketing. Most significant advantage of centralized purchasing is that it speeds up the purchasing cycle. Thanks to centralized purchasing Hansa-Flex can complete this process very fast, sometimes even within one day. It is because purchasing data is stored and accessible via the internet. The company can access the necessary order information and place an order much more quickly. It also saves a lot of time on conducting the correlation between supplier and Hansa-Flex. This way the company can easily forecast how it could suffer if the supplier goes bankrupt unexpectedly. This is easier to be done, because the company does not need to collect all the purchasing data from different branches. Another advantage is centralized purchasing makes it easy for everyone who needs to track the information even across multiple branches and corporate divisions. For Hansa-Flex this means insurance of customer proximity, and results on less time waste between branches and subsidiaries on tracking down the data. Thus, centralized warehouse again gives an advantage to Hansa-Flex to satisfy its customers faster than competitors. Having centralized HR, first of all Hansa-Flex ensures to have most qualified applicants for work. Because centralized HR decision making promotes a more equitable treatment of employees, and is political abuse. Therefore, HR experts review and rank job candidates very carefully and transparent. Using the advantage of purchasing power centralized marketing continue to create even better brand image among customers. The company also needs a local marketing on destination point. Because local employee knows local market better than foreigners employees. Therefore, central marketing transfer knowledge to local marketing to continue the whole process of marketing. Following the same logic Hansa-Flex has divisional sale force that is in charge of sales in specific regions. This gives the company flexibility to react and adapt to local environment changes. Conclusion Due to the globalization the concept of competitive advantage of a product or service has recently changed. It is not easy to sustain this sort of advantage, because of high competition and growing number of follower companies. Therefore, companies like Hansa-Flex use their organizational structure as a competitive advantage. As most of economic writers and managers say, there is no one ideal organizational structure. Each structure has its own advantages and disadvantages. It is also true that, due to its mission, organizational culture, and history, two companies in the same market can apply the same one structure, but still get totally different outcome. In our fast changing world, sticking into one classic structure is not enough. Establishing a structure needs a lot of creativity, knowledge, experience, and customization of the structure to the companys indicators. Following this logic Hansa-Flex designed a customized mix structure of functional and divisional structures. It efficiently uses advantages of both structures, reduces disadvantages. Therefore, having structure that supports strategy, Hansa-Flex can easily achieve its goals towards its mission. The model which Hansa-Flex constructs may not be applied in other companies; however, it provides a practical experience concerning the organizational structure, which is considered as the crucial factor for organizational effectiveness.

Employees Motivation Essay -- GCSE Business Marketing Coursework

Employees Motivation A business seeks profit by provided customers with goods and services (Schoell, et al 15). There are various types of businesses that differ according to their ownership. The three basic forms of private ownership businesses are the sole proprietorship (i.e. sole trader), partnership, and corporation (Schoell, et al 132). The type of ownership that a business organization would apply is dependent on the owner's financial status and objectives. Apart from the different types of ownerships, there are various styles of management and leadership. The organization's management and leadership style has a great effect on the working environment and the employees' motivation. The development of an optimal leadership style and managerial skills that is the most appropriate to an organization is crucial, having a major effect on its life span. The working environment affects the employees' motivation, which in turn influences the overall progress and well being of the organization. A ccording to a management consultant, called Peter Economy, "It all comes down to keeping employees enthusiastic and energized," which is accomplished by developing a leadership style that would endorse the ideal environment in the business firm (Buchanan 1). A Manager's leadership style contributes directly to the subordinates' motivation and work satisfaction, and the work progress in the organization. There are two types of leadership styles, one that is task-oriented and the other that is employee-oriented. A manager with a task-oriented style will have work results as his biggest concerns; and therefore, he will develop rigid regulations that would lead the subordinates into working their tasks, exactly as he taught them, to reach his desired results. On the other hand, the manager with an employee-oriented manner will be concerned with the employees' condition. This manager's objective is to boost the employees' self-esteem and persuade them on working together to help him in decision-making and on ways to solve problems. However, not all leaders develop a style that is an absolute task-oriented or employee-oriented, their style is consisted of different characteristics from each styles. Hence a manager would be referred to as a more task-oriented or a more employee-oriented, rather than solely describing him as either one (Schoell, et al... ...level needs. As these needs are satisfied, one pursues the safety needs. The safety needs are the needs for security, the protection from deprivation and from danger. The social needs come after the fist two needs have been met. They are the needs for affection, friendship and companionship. Once these levels of needs are satisfied, one seeks for recognition so as to satisfy his ego needs. Self-actualization needs are at the highest level of the hierarchy, the hardest to reach, and never completely achieved (Schoell, et al 293-4). Herzberg's two-factor theory is a further step of Maslow's theory. Fredrick Herzberg, who is also a psychologist, divided Maslow's hierarchy of needs into two sets of needs, a higher-level set of needs and a lower-level set of needs. He named the hygienes to be the incentive factors that would satisfy the lower set of needs (Schoell, et al 294). They are factors in the working environment itself, such as the working conditions, regulations, interpersonal relations, pay, and supervision. For example, (Bovee, et al 443). However, the incentives that would fulfill the higher-level of needs are called the motivators (Schoell, et al 294).

Early America :: essays research papers

Everyone always talks about the early America, how it started the thinking of people today. Throughout this report you will understand more about early America. People always say America is a land of beginnings, well after Europeans discovered America, the New World became peoples hope for a new life. They tried to escape from poverty and just to start over. So we know that America started with hope but does the American writers? In order for something to begin there needs to have experiences. So the writers looked back on American history. They even had to go as far as before Christopher Columbus, and even before the year 1000. At that time the Native Americans lived here. They each had a tribe and their writings were very personal to how they lived their life and how they knew of America. They also had to think about all their fears and even the excitement in life itself. Some of the people lived and died horrible lives so the ones that survived it told others all about it. Some unforgettable and some hard to even believe, but that's how the people of the early America lived. The New World had lots of experiences for the new writers to tell. Some of the new writers included John Smith; he only spent two in a half years in America. Jonathan Edward's, he thought that a revolution would create a world of literature. He was the first major writer to be educated and lived his whole life in the New World. When he was eleven he wrote science essays on insects. Then when he was thirteen we went to Yale for religious experience. He wrote Sinners in the Hands of an angry God and still is one of the most famous literary monuments to the "great Awakenings" The first book published in America was the Bay Psalm Book; it was a translation of the biblical psalms. Many of the puritans kept journals to help they with their relationship with god. The journals and diaries were usually meant to be private. But somehow they got out to the public. Even when it did get out to the public the puritans said that none of it had ever happened. They did not write to entertai n the public they wrote for themselves, and for God. They wrote no fiction, and they didn't even want to read it.

othello Essay example -- essays research papers

jealousy In the play Othello, jealousy is shown to be very evident through the actions of the characters. Jealousy is an emotion that everyone shares, and it is ultimately responsible for the tragic ending of the play. Everyone feels jealous at certain times of their lives, and this feeling can cause people to do irrational things. This human emotion also shows people to be weak in the sense that they are never happy with what they have. Shakespeare shows through Othello, Iago, Roderigo, and Brabantio that jealousy is the most corrupt and destructive emotion. Othello is horribly jealous of what he thinks is going on between his wife and Cassio. This poisonous feeling turns Othello into a mad man and he strikes his wife. Jealousy causes people to act incredibly different. People that are almost always reserved and sincere can become crazy because of jealousy. Othello kills his wife because he feels that if he can’t have her, nobody can. This is a very selfish action that Othello takes. He determines his wife’s fatal fate just because he is jealous. People often think only for themselves when they are jealous. This shows humans to be selfish when their emotions are intense.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is almost no worse feeling that being very jealous of someone or something. People will risk almost anything to get rid of this disastrous feeling. Jealously causes people to act irrationally and irresponsibly. This is a feeling that always comes up throughout everybody...

Cause Marketing Essay

As the world progresses towards globalization and markets integrate to enhance global trading, there is a constant increase in the competition among businesses. Marketing is tool that is used by every business in order to create a name for it and promote its brand among the consumers. The non-profit goals to promote the well being of the society and its people are often foregone by businesses during their quest for a larger market share. This paper would be focusing upon cause marketing. This marketing essay would be analyzing two businesses that implement cause marketing. Moreover, it would elaborate the benefits that this scheme provides to a ‘for profit’ business and a non-profit organization. Discussion Cause marketing is basically the mutual effort of two types of organizations with two contradicting objectives. Cause marketing combines the motives of the non profit organizations with the resources of a business. The motive is generally a social or charitable cause that requires large scale marketing. Cause marketing is a distinction from the normal profit oriented market and it is a positive steps towards working for a good cause, benefiting the society and at the same time benefiting the organization. One of the oldest examples of cause marketing would be the relationship that the Boston Red Sox baseball team and the jimmy fund share. Jimmy fund is a charity that supports cancer care and research at the Dana-Farber cancer institute. The jimmy fund and the Red sox have been collaborating for charity events since almost 6 decades and have worked on numerous projects. The jimmy fund/red sox license plates help to raise funds to fight cancer. The money earned from the sale of these license plates adds the amount to charity. This collaboration is one of the most successful and long lasting examples of cause marketing. The jimmy fund has been gathering charity to work on cancer patients with the help of the promotion made through the Red sox team. Conversely, the team has gained a encouraging and heartfelt support from the people and have managed to maintain their self image in a more compassionate and empathetic fashion. Another company that can be taken as an example for cause marketing can be fisher-price. Fisher-price is a company that produces toys for children and infants. It is a well-known and attractive retailer of children toys, baby gear and parenting guides and aims on projecting a friendly and kindhearted image. Since children have an affinity for animals and are naturally fascinated by them, fisher-price has seized this opportunity to collaborate with an organization that protects the wild life and wild places through conducting educational programs and conservation across the globe, the wild life conservation society. Fisher-price carries out this partnership by creating a new line of ‘precious planet’ toys and baby gear. The sale of these items would set aside amount for donation to sustain the wildlife conservation society. With the help of the financial resources from fisher-price, the wildlife conservation society gains the benefit of having an increased capacity to promote their organization and also, to create greater awareness with the support of fisher-price customer-base. On the other hand, fisher-price gains a positive public image and relations. It would provide the company to improve its customer relations and also help it gain perspective on other marketing prospects. Conclusion Cause marketing is a friendly collaboration of the wellbeing of the society and the achievement of business goals. Non-profit organizations often face the problem of creating awareness and promoting their cause but with the help of large scale well established businesses a larger number of people can be reached. Works Cited Adkins, S. Cause related marketing. Butterworth-Heinemann, 1999. Daw , J. Cause marketing for Nonprofits. Wiley-interscience, 2006.

Consumer Traits and Behavior Paper

The practice of making a secure or the persuade of acquire habits inhabits of several(prenominal) unseen processes. Most of these processes consist of consumer traits, accessible, psychological, decision, and behavior processes, which atomic number 18 in inquire of research. Organized study has gathered several theories and reasons concerning how, and why consumer traits and behavior have square off concerning the purchasing process. The consumer psychologist propose that each purchase made by consumers ar in a number of ship crowd outal influenced by components, such as cultural influences, psychological, and tender processes, internal, and external factors.Consumers of today argon demonstrating a desire for fresh harvestings and services. Beca function of these desires, doors of opportunity are opened for consumers, marketplaceing providers, and businesses to approve or disapprove new concepts. Organizations impart contract to conduct nationwide research concerning t he consumers behavior, and his or her decision- making processes. The research will support a variety of roles and ideas for product development. A conquestful marketer understands the many causes, motivation, and influences of consumer purchasing.A psychological process occurs in the minds of individuals, and usually falls the individuals behavior. Concerning this topic, psychological process determines the consumers behavior. The team member will establish three psychological processes, and three social processes. The team member will mystify with psychological processes. Motivation The internal hurtle that encourages the consumer to take certain actions, Memory Consumers use this process to store, acquire, retain, and retrieve information sometimes later.Perception by perception, consumers interpret, and organize sensations that affect him or her, and beta to his or her lives. A social process occurs in an individuals manner or surroundings. An individuals social life whi tethorn affect his or her patterns of behavior and interactions. fond influence processes include Family and role influences How individuals are raised and family roles often determine how he or she responds to the environment. Opinion leaders Individuals are usually affected by those who influenced his or her life.Culture Individuals may acquire identical or different interests, or likes. The richness of understanding consumer motivation will helper businesses to develop marketing strategies that work. Businesses can proclaim with his or her customer in ways that highlight his or her most Copernican attributes. A successful business relies upon its electrical capacity to draw and keep customers, eager to defile favourables and services at costs that will profit the business.Consumer perception explains how consumers and probable consumers spot other companies, and his or her goods and service. Consumer perception becomes world-shattering for a business because it can in fluence the customers behavior, which eventually affects the businesses profits. A variety of businesses spend huge quantities of roof to persuade customer awareness. Consumer perception can most times determine success or failure for a business.An pattern of this consists of an individual who own his or her extinguishing house, and the restaurant has a reputation for serving good food. The general perception would indicate that everyone should eat at this particular restaurant because it serves the outflank foods in town. This perception could boost taxation for the restaurant, but on the other take place if consumers had a negative perception active the restaurant, it could hinder profits. Consumer memory allows consumers to remember and target information for future use.Therefore, memory plays an important role concerning the decision- making process of consumers, by moving his or her awareness and memorial of marketing information. Consumers used information stored in his or her memory knowingly and inadvertently when making decisions. These decisions range from what brand and touch of soda to drink or what manufacture, and face of car to purchase. By understanding these important processes marketers can better prepare to market new product and services to consumers.