Competencies in HR

Core competencies an essential method for the company. It helps to develop the competitive advantage over other companies. The actual sources of advantage are to be found in the management’s capability to combine business varied technologies and production skills onto competencies that authorize and enable individual businesses to adapt rapidly to shifting opportunities. In short, core competencies are the combined learning in the organization, particularly how to organize various production skills and participate numerous streams of technology to accomplish interactions and generate unexpected products (Prahalad, and Hamel, 1990, p. 9-90). In other words, by selecting and focusing on an organization’s core competences, the management is talented to take significance which empowers the organization to attain a greater productivity. The preferred outputs for an organization are increased profits and revenues. The output for an army organization is mission achievement in battle fighting, solidity operations, or homeland protection. Senior management will consequently be judged on their capability to recognize, encourage, and exploit core competencies that create achievement potential progress and revenue for an organization; efficiency and mission success for a military. While great republics usually tend to develop large, all-purpose forces to cover all possibilities and army characters, smaller republics, with both smallest citizens and resources or budgets must consider what core competencies they should emphasis in order to deliver worth additional contributions as association followers, peacekeeping contributors, and ad-hoc partners. These competencies can suggest concentrating on sure position competences. for Volume 9, 2007 Baltic Security & Defence Review 222 What is Competency? Competencies are the fundamental elements of talent management practices. They are the demonstrable and assessable knowledge, skills, behaviors, individual characteristics that are allied with or predicative of excellent job performance. There are two types of competencies: 1) technical competencies and, 2) behavioral competencies. Why competencies importance: The first point is to link the competencies model with business or organizational strategies that make the managements understand and define the skills, attributes, attitude and knowledge leads to high performance. Through competencies model the organization sends a consistent message to the workforce about what it takes to be successful in the job. The importance of competencies matrix helps employees realize what helps drive successful performance. It is an approach concentrate on the â€Å"how† of the job. It means the competency model is behavioral rather than functional concentrate on the people rather than jobs. Moreover, competency models consider as an outcome driven rather than activities, for instance, the job description focus on activities while the competencies matrix focus on outcomes. Integrates HR strategy with organizational strategy both focus of outcomes. The competencies framework set in the heart of HR, it serves as the basis upon which all employees processes are constructed (Berger and Berger, 2011). On the other word, competencies model provides an organization with a common language and a consistent and measurable platform on which Human Resource systems can be based. In addition, the competencies model is important because it: †¢Defining the factors for success in jobs and work roles. Assessing the current performance and future development needs of persons holding jobs and roles. †¢Mapping succession possibilities for employees. †¢Selecting applicants using competency based interviewing & assessment techniques. †¢Designing and determining training solutions. The competency Model: The competency model classifies usually three clusters of competencies: 1-Core competencies: reflect the set of critical competencies required throughout t he company to shape the organizational abilities and culture required to accomplish the strategic goals. Time management, communication and result orientation are an example of core competencies. 2-Leadership competencies: this type of competencies designed for the managerial position of several level for selection, succession planning and development purpose. An example of leadership competencies are Conflict management, leadership skills and strategic thinking. 3-Functional or technical competencies: consider as a special type use specifically for each job family. For example budgeting and forecasting, policies and procedure and payable are an examples of technical competencies.

Crime and Best Glorification

The best glorification of crime and criminals seems to be portrayed in the news, TV, and movies. Often you will see how a bank robber will get away with the cash and never get caught. In movies criminals seem to get away with their crimes if in some way the crime is justified. In today’s world it sometimes appears to be easier if you’re the bad guy. This mind set is due to the portrayal of the criminal in movies and on the news. A prime example of glorifying a criminal would be CSI. CIS is a television show that is based on crime scenes and criminal minds. CSI goes into a criminals mind and show how and why I crime happens. This makes the criminal mind seem fascinating and sometimes portrays the criminal as a genius. I feel almost making the crime and criminal as famous and as powerful as the show it’s self. Another example would be Law Abiding Citizen. The main character goes on a killing spire on the justice center of Philadelphia. Even though he has killed so many people you still feel sympathetic towards him because his family was brutally raped and murdered and the justice center did nothing. Due to the circumstances he decided to take actions in to his own hands. This movie, in many ways, makes the crimes and the criminal more glorious as if he had done the right thing. The news is another example of glorifying crime and criminals. The news often talks about how cops can not control gangs, how the gangs are growing and becoming more powerful. This makes the gangs more glorious and, in ways, only adds power to the gang. For young children growing up in gang-ran areas this may push them to join because of the media’s portrayal of the power associated with gangs. The best glorification of crime and criminals seems to be portrayed in the news, TV, and movies. The media truly seems to make it look easier to be the bad guy. In today’s news and movies the criminals seems to be powerful or justified.

Culture and Ikea

International Management Bermet Kanybekova 20113658 Assignment 5: IKEA 1. What has allowed IKEA to be successful with a relatively standardized product and product line in a business with strong cultural influence? Did adaptations to this strategy in the North American market constitute a defeat to their approach? IKEA has become the world's largest home furnishing retail chain with its international expansion in three major phases. Its mission is to offer a wide variety, good design and value for â€Å"young people of all ages†.IKEA is determined to maintain a standardized product strategy with a universally accepted assortment around the world, now carrying a variety of different home furnishings. It has limited number of manufacturing, however, designs all of its furniture. IKEA's cost leadership strategy through high volume production and standardized items enabled it to sustain its business. Consumers are expected to become â€Å"prosumers†, in the meaning of half producers and half consumers, thus supplying their time for assembling work after their purchases.Consequently, IKEA's success is due to its customer focused strategy. The principal market target is composed of â€Å"people, who are young, highly educated, liberal in their cultural values, white-collar workers, and not especially concerned with status symbol†. Therefore, consumers with low status concern and low conservatism enabled IKEA's success in strong cultural influences. Moreover, high income groups have fewer cross-cultural differences and more open to adapt values to new beliefs.As a result, with their right consumer target, IKEA was able to succeed with their relatively standardized product line. North American market proved that standardization is not a key to success in an American market; therefore adaptions have been made that clearly changed IKEA’s strategy. IKEA with its standardized market changed to a global market strategy and implemented new ideas t hat fit American taste in their market. Adjustments were made to their furniture that created and targeted more American consumers.Moreover, some adaptions might have been transferable to other targeted markets around the world. Consequently, the North American experience has caused IKEA to blend in their ideas and start remixing its formula elsewhere. For instance, these changes were implemented to the European market, changing furnishing concepts such as making sofa beds in Europe. 2. Which features of the â€Å"young people of all ages† are universal and can be exploited by a global/regional strategy? The â€Å"young people of all ages† share similar features internationally that enabled IKEA to maintain its target universally.However, not all of the targeted features were shared among various cultures. Hence, there were some adaptations according to various cultures and the relative importance of these features varied between countries and their consumers. Nonethel ess, the majority of the targeted consumers liked to perceive themselves as practical, modern and non-traditional. In other words, these consumers didn’t stick to the traditional way of furniture, instead saw IKEA’s designs as good, modern and practical that allowed them to afford their products.In this sense, simplicity and practicality was more important than traditional styles of furniture. With this concept, IKEA was able to specifically target those consumers who vied their products as fitting their taste with different features. Therefore, this concept with being practical and simple instead of traditional is an example of universal feature that can be further developed. IKEA’s targeted market like shopping for good value; therefore, they are ready to contribute their time and energy to get satisfaction out of assembling their work.Consequently, this willingness to contribute more and achieve better value is another feature that is shared among IKEAâ€℠¢s universal target. These new changes in IKEA’s strategic plan have brought it to a new level of international business with better customer satisfaction and greater value. 3. Is IKEA destined to succeed everywhere it cares to establish itself? Is IKEA destined to succeed depends on how flexible its concept is in various countries. However, I believe that IKEA will not succeed everywhere it establishes itself.The concept of IKEA can slightly be changed and adapted according to various cultures, but I strongly believe that certain changes cannot be implemented fully. This changing concept will have limitations when it is further taken globally and need to meet the standards universally according to various economies of countries. For instance, value of a certain sofa in a certain country is totally different in another country. If we take a sofa in America for $300, the same product must be sold at a lower price in a developing country due to its value differences in their ec onomy.Therefore, not all of IKEA’s concepts can be fully changed if they want to maintain its original formula. Moreover, customer expectations are different in various countries, thus, IKEA would have to consider new changes and flexibility in their concept to meet customer expectations and their value for products offered. In conclusion, I would like to point out that there is always a limit in adapting and changing concepts to meet various customer values and their desires to create profitable sustainability.

Application of organizational behavior concepts Research Paper

Application of organizational behavior concepts - Research Paper Example There are many major problematic issues considered toxic for organizational behavior (OB) and employee turnover rate by the researchers and human resource managers and some among them happen to be motivational issues, leadership issues, and stress-related issues. All of these grave and toxic issues for turnover rate and OB will be discussed at length in this paper while the relationship shared by each of these issues with OB will also be identified and contemplated. This paper basically strives to describe these three problematic issues which are proposed to be especially dangerous for OB and also identify effective solutions for eliminating these issues from the workplace for the betterment of the organization and the workforce in context of a Healthcare Inc. which is facing a challenge with high employee turnover. This paper will also explain how I identified the issues that were at the root of the turnover issues and why I think the measures proposed by me to the Healthcare Inc. w ould turn out as effective and successful. This remains a solid fact that the importance of the interview process in finding out the root causes of employee turnover is exceptional and phenomenal. This is a kind of magic tool which is totally unavoidable and unforgettable if finding out the reasons behind employee turnover is seriously intended. Even the HR professionals frequently employ this very important tool in their investigatory processes. Likewise, I also began my investigation for discovering the issues behind turnover by interviewing the employees working at the Healthcare Inc. which is apparently exposed to certain pressures consequential of high turnover. I designed a questionnaire including five questions referring to how unmotivated the employees feel at work, how stressed they feel at work, how bad the leadership is, if the workplace diversity affects them much, and if power and political issues influence the workplace environment. These questions were asked by every employee. Though a broad range of factors is reportedly responsible for OB issues like employee turnover but the results of my interviewing process highlighted three issues to be largely responsible. These happened to be motivational, leadership, and stress-related issues. I found a majority of employees to be dissatisfied with the leadership at Healthcare Inc. Some blamed the uninvolved managing style for high turnover while the rest laid the blame on the authoritarian or bossy leadership. As mismanaged behavior directly influences the workplace environment so the rate of stress at workplace also happened to remain high all the time and the workers reported about feeling stresses out and unmotivated at work. If leadership is imperfect and inappropriate, the kind of which neglects the preferences and needs of the workforce, if the workers start feeling stressed out when managers refuse to give them their time to sort out certain confusions, and if the absenteeism rate shoots up when workers get unmotivated to work proficiently, then the structural framework of OB deteriorates rapidly. The damage done to OB is first identified often when employee turnover is noticed to be rising. A high employee turnover can cost a company millions of dollars annually which certainly is no small deal because not only does it damage the position of the company in the market but also it produces a direct bad influence on the morale of the employees. Work-related stress can be painful to the point of insanity and stress arrives on the surface when work-related pressures exceed the tolerance capacity of the workers which is when the work stress starts bursting at the seams. The arrival of stress, in the same way, is directly related to excessive work or persistent boredom which can be often seen at any workplace where there is an unchanging aura due to negative attitude reserved for changes. What makes the work-related stress a serious and hazardous issue is the worst kind of depre ssion it can lead a worker to. A

Appropriateness of the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy Essay

Appropriateness of the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy - Essay Example The motivating factors to changing tourism industry within Edinburgh have been the idea of changing social, economical, and cultural perspectives of the industry. Through changing tourism industry, the previously known season and leisure industry has turned into a rich, diverse, and all-year round thereby attracting many tourists, which has eventually transformed Edinburgh in many different ways and perspectives. From the concepts of the aforementioned facts, the following analysis attempts to create an understanding of the appropriateness of strategies applied in a bid to attract tourists within Edinburgh. The appropriateness of Edinburgh tourism strategy is evaluated in terms of suitability, acceptability, and feasibility. Synopsis of the Edinburgh Tourism Strategy Many transformations have taken place within Edinburgh tourism industry over the past two decades. Nonetheless, this has not been by accident. After realizing the significance of tourism industry, Edinburgh decided to de velop an effective strategy, which was to enhance the industry in a bid to attracting more visitors and income from the industry. Edinburgh tourism industry developed an effective strategy aiming at making the industry better for the next centuries. The strategy revolved around increasing number of visitors as well as income per visitor. The first step taken by Edinburgh in developing an effective tourism industry strategy was to create a vision, which was aimed at making the business within the industry an all seasoned. Evidently, an all seasoned industry was going to increase the number of visitors as well as income obtained. Edinburgh had two main aims that the strategy aimed at achieving through the vision; increasing tourism value as well as enhancing image and reputation of the city in respect to tourism. Three main objectives was developed and stated concisely in a bid to ensuring that the aims were obtained. These objectives included to increase number of visits, average spe nding of the visitors, as well as reducing seasonality across the industry of the sector. The main essence of the Edinburgh tourism industry was to achieve and maintain marketing segments mix that had the capacity and capability of delivering good high yield, all seasoned business activities, and promoting ‘virtuous circle’ (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). In addition, the Edinburgh tourism strategy considered some of the track records of success in a bid to making them better and greater. Over the past two decades, Edinburgh has been able to attain specific benefits and success in terms of growth in both the number of visitors as well as the income obtained from the same. It is through future investments that Edinburgh embarked on to achieve specific aims and objectives in the tourism industry. The strategy developed for Edinburgh tourism was to maintain momentum of the growth that has been achieved for the last two decades for the next decades to 2020 and even b eyond. Investing into the future as defined by this strategy involved continuous reinvesting in existing products as well as innovating in new product developed and other new forms of marketing. Marketing mix was an important aspect of the strategy aimed at making the tourism industry better and greater. Investing into the future also involved obtaining more resources such as human resource through enhanced employment strategies (Team Tourism Consulting, ETAG, 2011). The Edinburgh tourism strategy also identified strengths and challenges in attaining such visions, aims, and objectives. Product strengths

Character Comparison Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Character Comparison - Term Paper Example George Gibbs is the son of the Gibb couple whose father is a doctor and who has one sister, Rebecca. He excels in the field of sports specifically basketball and he dreams of studying at the State Agricultural School. His plan changes when he started a relationship with Emily Webb and married her. Emily Webb is George’s neighbor and later his wife. She is good in school and also a good daughter and sister of Wally. After marrying George, she dies of child birth. The lives that Emily and George lived exemplify normal lives devoid of too much excitement or important events, although in this case this is the perfect manner that the writer can point out the importance of appreciating everyday life. In relation to the main focus of the play, the stage manager is the bearer of the important quotations in the play which connects the audience to the author. Wilder uses methods within the play that can be considered unique but due to the fact that not many author uses the discussion of the play as part of the play itself as what the stage manager and the actors acting as part of the audience are doing, the people who are watching the play are clearly guided toward the main point of the whole plot. Without the said technique, the audience can miss the point of the play. Another method Wilder used is symbols. Throughout the play there are different symbols that can be found. The time capsule represents the importance of history and the past to humanity. Another is the symbolism of monotonous activities in the town through the activities of the milkman and the newspaper boy. Another focus of the play is the journey of George and Emily. Through the course of the plot they develop and grow. There are important quotations presented in the play that described the growth of the two characters and the different personalities in the plot. The first quote expressed â€Å"So†¦This is the way we were: in our growing up and

Marketing strategy as a concept Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing strategy as a concept - Essay Example The paper tells that marketing strategy defines the plan of the organization with reference to attracting new customers, expanding the existing market, or taking market lead. It is a comprehensive and succinct plan by the business that entails key details necessary to market the business. Formulating a marketing plan would realize the goal of creating a strong and desirable product reputation in the market. A marketing strategy provides a detailed description of the business in terms of its services or products in the market. A comprehensive marketing strategy that would ensure the targeted market consists of customers who have the highest demand for it. That helps the business to make a great investment in the market. It explains the market position of the business’ products or services and planned strategies for improvement. It outlines the customer profile and details in regards to factors that may affect the demand and services of the business. It outlines the viable tacti cs that the business may use to gain market dominance and customer rating. Among the details that may be applicable to a business is the strategy that the business plans to apply in reaching a new or currently dormant customer segment in the market. It outlines the approaches that the business intends to use in creating awareness of the products and services in the targeted or existing market. Strategic planning may be viewed in terms of strategy as design or plan in which the organization deliberate positioning through a process that involves analysis, rational structuring and attaining a directive.

Freud and psychoanalysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Freud and psychoanalysis - Research Paper Example No matter what level of education an individual might have, it is likely he or she is familiar with the name of Sigmund Freud. Freud’s name is now synonymous with the theory of psychoanalysis. It is a science he essentially invented near the beginning of the 19th century. Sigmund Freud began his career as a medical doctor. He worked in Vienna with mental patients and it is because of this work that he is today considered one of the founding fathers of modern day psychology. It was while working with these patients that Freud developed the psychoanalytic theory. Clearly, Freud’s original training was not in the field that he started. He originally worked as a neurologist, but the common method of treating patients was to use hypnosis, something Freud wasn’t very good at but which forced him to take a more imaginative approach to treating the mind that would revolutionize the way people thought about thought (Robbins, 1999). Although Freud was obviously not the fir st individual to study how the mind worked and he would obviously not be the last, Freud is given credit for making the first major break-through in treating the mind as an entity existing at least partially separate from the body. He identified that there were at least three different levels of thought and realized that these levels interacted and intertwined. Putting these pieces together led to his development of psychotherapy. Freud classified three major components as comprising an individual’s psyche. These were the id, the ego and the superego. This intuitive leap from biological function to mental processes did not occur by accident. To fully understand Freud’s theories, his theoretical model of the human mind and how these ideas translate into his theories regarding human culture, it is necessary to understand how these ideas developed as well as how Freud expressed

Marketing Communications Models and Their Application to Adidas Research Paper

Marketing Communications Models and Their Application to Adidas - Research Paper Example This research will begin with the statement that Adidas Company deals with sports shoes and clothing. It is a maker and a designer of sports ware. The company has its headquarters in Germany.   The company’s acquisition of Reebok was fundamental for its operations. This is because the acquisition gave the company a competitive advantage. The company managed to acquire a considerable market share. The company is responsible for the sale of products used in a variety of sporting activities including cricket, basketball, football and other activities. The products offered by the corporation are availed in all countries of the globe. The company employs strategic marketing, with an objective of improving the brand strength, acquiring a competitive advantage and raising its performance in terms of finances. The subsidiaries in other countries receive management information from the headquarters in Germany. Statistics on sports apparel usage indicate a possibility of an increase i n sports equipment market value. From 2008 to present, the market value has been rising, an implication that Adidas can benefit from the market growth by attracting customers through appropriate marketing plans. Situation analysis involves the analysis of the company by considering political, economic, social and technological factors. The analysis takes into account both the strengths plus weaknesses of Adidas. One of the current strengths of the company is the political stability that exists in the United Kingdom. This enables the company to performs well as the political environment plays a significant role in business operations. Political challenges that Adidas might face is the influence of regime policies on the purchase of goods. The company is subject to both the challenges and strengths that relate its economic environment. The company has already established a strong economic base thus; it is possible to maintain its status through adequate strategic management. Adidas en counters challenges in cases of unstable interest rates likely to result in inflation. The company benefits from the high population that exists in towns.

The Circumstances of Life and the Way People Live Largely Determine Essay

The Circumstances of Life and the Way People Live Largely Determine Their Health - Essay Example It is these types of circumstance which can lead to significant health problems, and it is these that the wider public health workforce needs to identify and address to improve public health. There are also much more secretive factors that are involved in health outcomes, such as marital status, income and the area in which you live (Blas et al, 2010). These types of areas also need to be involved in any significant discussion of the topic, as a good understanding of these factors could lead to an improvement in public health provisions as well as a reduction in hospitalizations and bad health for the general population. Taking this into account, it should be noted that the purpose of this essay is to cover the circumstances which affect public health outcomes, and how these are tackled by the literature. It will use this information to analyze and evaluate ways in which public health workers can build upon the knowledge provided to help prevent these problems and improve general pub lic health, with further references to relevant literature in the field. By doing this, it will become evident that there are areas in which public health workers can operate to tackle adverse life circumstances to improve the general health outcomes of the public. It has long been known that there are lifestyle factors that either decrease or increase the personal risk of disease and mortality. These have been an object of some interest by the public health community, as this type of epidemiology is, in theory, preventable and could bring several different benefits to the population, not least economically (Shaw, 1999). Research in this area is important because a focus on preventable health outcomes is one major way in which the wider public health force can identify and address adverse life circumstances to improve health.

Farm Financial Standards Council Case Study Essay

Farm Financial Standards Council Case Study - Essay Example Activity based costing on the basis of identified and mutually agreed activities and grouped under Production Cost Centers, Support Cost Centers and Profit Centers is definitely a more logical and inclusive approach as it traces the flow of all agricultural inputs and outputs. It is similar to process costing methods used in the manufacturing industries where the cost of every subsequent department is added to the previous ones and after elimination of waste products, we are left with the final cost of the finished products as they emerge from the last department into the finished goods inventory. For a farm the finished product would be the different crops produced. Although the first solution is more amenable to the situation at John and Mary’s Farm, the second is proposed as a better starting point for any type of agricultural enterprise. The benefits of the first solution are that it uses well regarded units such as acres for corn crop and bushels for soybean marketing whi ch are logical and make very good sense (Case Study, pp 6-7). The reports generated in the first solution are also quite detailed and show quarter-wise production costs and expenses for each crop planted and reaped. There are also reports of inventories of different crops produced and sold, which includes cost per bushel or acre as well as in dollar terms. Such type of management reporting and control is a farmer’s dream. He is able to know the costs and expenses on all that he has grown so that he can price it better in the marketplace. Of course the second solution just proposes an alternative and more logical starting point for all types of agricultural enterprises, and would be an invaluable guide to using the ABC method for newly established farming organizations. It is definitely more detailed and logical. ABC information can even be used to reengineer processes and make other improvements to quality while still cutting costs (www.prosci.com/abc1.htm). 2. If the Farm Co uncil Case did not use Activity Based Costing, identify several dysfunctional decisions that could be made using traditional cost allocation. Which solution do you prefer, the initial or alternative solution proposed in the case? Explain the difference between the suggested solution and alternative solution. As we already know, activity based costing and volume based costing are the two alternative methods in use today, in many enterprises across the world. The drawbacks of the traditional or volume based costing methods are well known. It seeks to allocate indirect costs or overheads on arbitrary bases like machine hours used or labor hours consumed that are not truly representative of costs incurred on various activities or products produced (Roztocki, 1998). ABC method on the other hand focuses on indirect costs or overheads, tracing each expense to a particular cost object. It makes indirect expenses more directly attributable to products and activities. ABC is particularly pref erred when overheads are high and products are diverse. The basic premise of ABC is that cost object consume activities and activities consume resources. Resource consumption drives costs, and understanding the relationship between resource consumption and activities is critical to managing overhead. If the farm chose to use traditional costing methods instead of activity

Bear Stearns Collapse Timeline Essay Example for Free

Bear Stearns Collapse Timeline Essay This week five years ago, JP Morgan announced it would buy Wall Street rival Bear Stearns in a deal worth $2 a share – this ultimately rose to $10. Here, Financial News looks at the events in the run-up to the fall of the 85-year old independent investment bank. Financial News compiled the timeline from press releases, contemporary media reports and William D Cohan’s account of the collapse of the bank, ‘House of Cards’. May 21, 2007 After months of growing instability in the US sub-prime mortgage market, Bear Stearns chairman Alan ‘Ace’ Greenberg offers reassurances that the firm, heavily exposed to the market, is on top of things. â€Å"The sub-prime (issue) has been blown completely out of proportion,† he says, in comments reported by Dow Jones Newswires. Mid-June 2007 Serious problems become apparent at two Bear Sterns hedge funds with a high exposure to sub-prime mortgages. Investors in the High-Grade Structured Credit Strategies Enhanced Leverage Fund, which managed $600m, are informed that the fund has lost 23% of its value over the year to April, reports The Wall Street Journal. The fund begins a fire-sale to minimise exposures. After the failure of a mooted rescue plan involving support from lenders, a new rescue scheme is announced by Bear Stearns, which offers $3. 2bn for a bailout of a second fund the High Grade Structured Credit Fund. The bank previously had only $45m invested in this fund’s equity, according to William D Cohan in House of Cards’. Bear Stearns later says it is providing $1. 6bn to the fund rather than the original $3. 2bn, citing the sale of assets. A decision is made not to rescue the High-Grade Structured Credit Strategies Enhanced Leverage Fund, according to Cohan. August 3, 2007 Standard Poor’s downgrades the bank’s outlook to negative. The bank says that concerns over its situation are â€Å"unwarranted† as the hedge fund fallout represented â€Å"isolated incidents† and â€Å"by no means a broader indication† of the bank’s performance, according to The Wall Street Journal. August 5, 2007 Bear Stearns president and co-chief operating officer Warren Spector resigns from the bank. Alan Schwartz is confirmed as sole president. Days later, the Associated Press reports that the bank sends letters to clients reassuring them of its financial position. September 10, 2007 British billionaire Joseph Lewis expresses his confidence in the future of the bank by acquiring a 7% stake, becoming one of the largest shareholders. October 5, 2007 Federal prosecutors launch an investigation into the collapse of the Bear Stearns hedge funds. November/December 2007 Chief financial officer Sam Molinaro says that the bank has been â€Å"very conservative and aggressive† in its revaluations, according to Dow Jones Newswires. On December 10, MarketWatch reports that the bank has written down $1. 9bn related to mortgage exposure. January 8, 2008 Chief executive Jimmy Cayne steps down after widespread criticism of his hands-off response to the events of the previous year. He remains as chairman. He is replaced at the top by Alan Schwartz. In the same month, the bank announces the closure of a third fund, the Bear Stearns Asset Backed Securities Fund. Bloomberg reports that this fund has suffered a decline of 39% of its value over a year. February, 2008 Hedge fund Peloton Partners, run by Goldman alumnus Ron Beller, collapses following its exposure to asset-backed securities. March 2008 Carlyle Capital, a hedge fund based in Amsterdam, collapses as concerns over exposures to mortgages begin to multiply, causing a squeeze on lines of funding. By March 5, insurance premiums on Bear Stearns debt have risen from $50,000 per $10m of debt at the beginning of 2005 to $350,000 per $10m debt, according to William D Cohan. It soon reaches $700,000. Monday, March 10, 2008 The company’s stock falls 11% to its lowest level in five years following a Moody’s downgrade of portions of its mortgage bond holdings, writes Cohan. The bank denies rumours that it is in trouble. Investors look for ways to bet on further falls in the bank’s stock. Tuesday, March 11, 2008 ING Groep, the Dutch bank, cancels $500m of short-term funding for Bear Stearns, according to The Wall Street Journal, following an example set by Rabobank. According to a press release, the Federal Reserve announces an unprecedented lending facility in which collateral can be exchanged for funding, but the scheme cannot be accessed until March 27. In another important incident, cited by Cohen in ‘House of Cards’, Goldman Sachs refuses to stand in for Hayman Capital in a trade with Bear Stearns, suggesting hemorrhaging confidence among major financial players. Wednesday. March 12, 2008 Overnight markets for funding begin to dry up, while institutions continue to deny short-term lending to Bear Stearns. Hedge funds and other investors continue in their attempts to extract their money from Bear Stearns, which is rapidly approaching a funding crisis. Thursday, March 13, 2008. As customers continue to withdraw funds, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the New York Federal Reserve begin discussions on the crisis. In a meeting on Thursday night, reported by Cohen, it is discovered that outgoings at the firm can no longer be maintained, with the firm effectively running out of cash during the afternoon. Lawyers are summoned to discuss the options for bankruptcy, while a deal with JP Morgan Chase is sought. After late night negotiations, JP Morgan agrees in conjunction with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that it will provide secured funding to Bear Sterns for an initial period of up to 28 days. Friday, March 14, 2008 The cobbled-together deal fails to assuage the markets. Investors continue to pull money from the bank over the course of the day. By the evening, it is clear that a solution will have to be devised over the weekend if the bank is to survive. Saturday, March 15- Sunday, March 16, 2008 JP Morgan says it cannot do a deal without support from the Federal Reserve, due to the large number of toxic securities on the books of Bear Stearns. In response, the Fed approves a loan of $30bn saying that it is necessary to avoid â€Å"serious disruptions in the financial markets†. JP Morgan offers just $2 per share for the bank, a large loss for those whose stock was worth $30 on Friday, $60 the week before and over $150 a year before. Bondholders will be rescued by the deal, which is accepted by the board of Bear Stearns on Sunday morning. Wrangles with JP Morgan over a contract situation which potentially leaves the bank liable for funding Bear Stearns without claiming full ownership result in brinkmanship from Bear Sterns. A final price of $10 per share is agreed, with a value of $1. 45bn attached to the equity. March 25 Bear Stearns chief executive Jimmy Cayne and his wife sell 5. 66 million shares in the bank for $61. 34m, which, according to Cohan, represented a $1bn loss on the bank’s stock. May 29 The final Bear Stearns shareholder meeting takes place, at which former CEO Cayne speaks of his sadness at the firm’s demise, according to The Wall Street Journal, citing guests present.

Continuous Personal Development Criteria

Continuous Personal Development Criteria Continuous professional development (CPD) A case study to examine why we need to have set criteria as to what constitutes continuous professional development. This paper sets out a proposal to establish the means by which certain hypotheses around Social Work CPD may be tested, through primary research. It does so substantively through a limited, ‘pilot’ survey of the views of Social Workers themselves, focusing on the value and nature of their own current and previous CPD experience. The latter were also invited to comment on proposals for alternative frameworks for SW CPD. The objective of this process was to evolve specific lines of enquiry and areas of interest for wider research. As recent research by Doel et al. argues, ‘At an individual level there is clear evidence that professional development is highly valued, and that participating in these opportunities is more likely to increase confidence, but not for everyone.’ (Doel et al., 2008: p.563) The question is, what kind of CPD is most valued by practitioners themselves, and who determines the types of development paths they follow? Does the element of c hoice determine the utility of particular CPD for individual practitioners? How far does the current atmosphere of assessment and ‘managerialism’ impinge upon self-determination in professional development? The issue of self-determination is a theme from the secondary literature which is embedded in this research. As MacDonald et al. argue, ‘†¦social work as an activity can be understood as an integral part of the modernist project of governance developed and institutionalised in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (MacDonald et al., 2003: p.195). Whilst this can be readily accepted, it arguably masks the dynamic of client age which government maintained, not only over social work, but other professional groups. The latter were invariably involved in some form of campaign to exert leverage on official circles for recognition in institutional terms. ‘In Britain, social work looked directly to the state for its legitimization†¦Accordingly, the political opportunity provided by the publication of the Kilbrandon and Seebohm Reports was seized by proponents of the professional social work project, who campaigned for the implementation of the Reports, f or example through the Seebohm Implementation Action Group.’ (MacDonald et al. 2003: p.198). As this suggests, Social Work was liable to be co-opted into the social projects of the state on a utilitarian basis, with reciprocal implications for the independence of the profession. As Jordan and Jordan point out, ‘In essence, social work is not a means of implementing policy formally and directly, but of mediating the local conflicts generated by new programmes, and engaging with service users over how to fit new measures to their needs.’ They further argue that, ‘It is a waste of its potential for these tasks to treat it as a crude instrument for the imposition of government rules or the quasi-scientific application of research findings.’ (Jordan and Jordan, 2000: p.10). What are the implications of this tension for CPD in SW? Potentially considerable, it is argued here. The debate around Social Work education has become focused on whether †¦Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthere has been the supplanting of education by training: the sequestering of discourses of depth by those of surface: the setting aside of knowledge for skills, and the general triumph†¦of ‘competencies’ over the complexities of abstraction.’ (Webb, 1996: p.186) It follows from this that the definition of ‘useful’ CPD represents a continuation of such debates through other means: another area through which to contest who exactly defines what is relevant, or ‘best’ practice, in terms of developing solutions for practitioners and service users. How far, for example, do such resources merely reflect the ideas of Lisham, that official ideas about practice ‘†¦tend to be externally imposed and based more on the requirements of managerial control and less on the professional responsibility to evaluate practice and policy and thereby increase their effectiveness.’ (Lisham 1999: p.4). Subsumed within this is a more subliminal question, which is, where is the space in which SW practitioners can express their views or develop dialogues about professional issues? It would appear that we now have a situation where the parameters defined by the GSSC represent the only ‘legitimate’ channels for debat e. Methodology and Research Issues In essence the research enquiry followed two themes, one evaluative, one predictive. Within both, it was intended to elicit views without any leading or rhetorical influence, although current conditions in public sector SW may make this difficult to achieve, as will be discussed below. The specific evaluative enquiry offered practitioners the opportunity to briefly assess their own level of satisfaction with their current and previous CPD. The specific predictive proposal made was that CPD be more focused, through the establishment of an agreed range of activities, designed to augment and enhance SW practice. The overall theme of this was to explore the idea that CPD could be more relevant to SW practice, in the perception of practitioners themselves. This proposal acknowledges the necessity for inclusion of both positivist (quantitative) and phenomenological (qualitative) elements in the enquiry. These labels are arguably less important than the characteristics they represent however. These will explored in more detail below, but it is important here to identify the positivist paradigm as supposedly value-free, and the phenomenological as (in relative terms) value bearing. Obviously, these two model absolutes represent the research ideal, and should not, in any case, be assumed to correlate with the parallel categories of objectivity and subjectivity. Research paradigms in either category would arguably rely on objectivity for their integrity and utility. It is here that the design and operation of a particular model will attract the most stringent scrutiny, especially from its assessors or counter-theorists. Also, when ascribing the different paradigm labels to particular research strands and evidence, it is perhaps important to consider Collis and Hussey’s idea of an unavoidable symbiosis between the two. ‘Although we have identified two main paradigms, it is best to regard them as the two extremes of a continuum. As you move along the continuum, the features and assumptions of one paradigm are gradually relaxed and replaced by those of the other paradigm.’ (Collis and Hussey 2008: p.48). In other words, the quantitative and qualitative paradigms become less discrete and more difficult to distinguish, once the process of interpretation begins. Absolute objectivity is maintained with difficulty, even in the context of an exacting statistical survey: meanwhile purely qualitative work starts to move along the continuum, as soon as repetitive patterns are sought for collateral in phenomenological terms. Various interpretations are possible in any statistical model, whilst even the clearest qualitative conclusions are arguably subject to bias, as soon as a possible conclusion begins to fram e subsequent enquiries. As Patton argues, ‘A paradigm of choices rejects methodological orthodoxy in favour of methodological appropriateness as the primary criterion for judging methodological quality.’ (Patton 1990: pp.38-39). In terms of this study, the methodological issues are basically two-fold. In the first instance, we have a very small sample of data in proportion to the overall scale of what is potentially a national issue. The sample employed here was obtained from one area, and so is immediately vulnerable to the charge that it fails to analyse possible regional variations in both strategy and best practice. Although it reflects differentiated levels of satisfaction with the CPD process, it does not incorporate the views of those who might express – with varying objectivity – the most exacting critiques: i.e., those who have left the profession due to dissatisfaction with the career structure, or CPD possibilities. In the second instance, we have three discrete form of data to integrate, i.e. binary yes/no questionnaire responses, written answers, and more in-depth, qualitative interviews, as well as information from secondary sources. The necessary fusion of these sources in a coge nt form inevitably becomes an editorial process, vulnerable to charges of subjectivity and bias. This is arguably what Ely refers to as the ‘teasing out’ what is considered the ‘essential meaning’ of the data obtained. (Ely, 1991,p.140). (Quoted in Wright et al 1995). This, arguably, is especially pertinent because we are researching a matter of public policy, where positivist data tends to be adapted to value judgements by governments, and governing bodies. As Denzin and Lincoln point out, ‘Qualitative research is inherently multi-method in focus†¦However, the use of multiple methods†¦reflects an attempt to secure an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon in question. Objective reality can never be captured. We know a thing only through its representations.’ (Denzin and Lincoln, 2005: p.5). In term of representation, the specific enquiries made here are designed to produce data at micro level, although their collective implications may have a meso function in terms of the local negotiation of control over CPD standards and access. Only a numerically wider and more varied study could produce data which might function at macro level. However, the eventual connection between micro and macro is implicitly accepted here: as Strauss and Corbin point out, ‘†¦the distinction between micro and macro is an artificial one.’ (Strauss and Corbin, 1998: p.185). The point is though that this limited sample cannot establish such tautology in absolute terms, only suggest ways in which it may be researched further. To these two empirical issues may be added more complex ethical issues around confidentiality and contractual obligation. To employ the current parlance of Human Resources Management, all employees have a ‘psychological contract’ with their management, wherein informally agreed tenets of ‘fairness’ operate. As Williams indicates. ‘..this interpersonal aspect to fairness reminds us that there is a social basis to the exchange relationship between employer and employee and we might expect this to be part of the psychological contract.’ (Williams, 1998: p.183). It has to be conceded that any debate engendered around CPD has the potential to impinge upon the either side of the psychological contract, a fact which may influence and limit the format of questions. 30 brief questionnaires were sent out, of which 22 were returned: three of these respondents agreed to be interviewed, and the same interview pro-forma was employed in each context. There were 14 female respondents and 8 male: in keeping with contemporary guidelines, age was not elicited. The criteria for subject selection was that the respondent should be an established practitioner, i.e. have at least two years service, but no managerial responsibilities. The interviewees were invited to participate and the customary protocols followed in terms of permission to use the material, based on anonymity and the right to withold use of the material. Analysis and Findings The mode of analysis employed was substantially one of triangulation. The binary responses were tallied and are expressed as percentages. In Question 4 the written responses were sorted into those supportive, unsupportive and uncomitted with regard to the proposal (of an agreed ten-part choice of CPD activities). Based on this polarisation, qualitiative responses were then taken from the interview transcripts to illustrate and expand upon the themes identified. 22.75 per cent of respondents agreed that 90 hours of CPD was sufficient for SW’s over a three year period: 18.2 per cent thought it insufficient, whilst a majority, 59.15 per cent thought the whole idea of a prescribed amount of hours too arbitrary. 18.2 per cent considered that the current SW guidelines were effective, with an equal amount disagreeing with this proposition. A majority – 63.7 per cent expressed the view that some kind of change was necessary. Only 13.65 per cent of respondents thought that the CPD options available to them personally had been sufficient for their needs as a practitioner. 27.3 per cent meanwhile thought such resources had been insufficient. 22.75 per cent thought the available CPD had at least been consistent, whilst 36.4% disagreed with this idea. The written responses still produced a fairly polarised set of information. 35 per cent of those who answered supported the idea of being able to select their own CPD activities from a ten choice range. Of the latter, a majority gave some kind of indication that they saw within such a development the opportunity for gaining more control over their own professional development. This was evident from responses such as ‘Yes, great idea, assuming practitioners are involved in drawing it up’, and ‘Yes, perfect. If we get to choose what’s on the list, otherwise its just another form of management control, and we already have too much of that.’ (Appendix 3). Interestingly, the same concern underpinned the rationale of the 55 per cent who did not support the idea. As one respondent put it, ‘I don’t think it could work because CPD is all about standardisation, this idea involves too much individual choice for the ‘powers that be’ to a ccept it.’ This was expressed more directly in the views of another, who remarked that No. CPD just ticks a management box, it doesn’t really help me, so I don’t want four or ten or whatever it is boxes to tick.’ (Appendix 3). The 10 per cent who were uncommitted raised concerns about relevance and the numbers of available options. (Appendix 3) The twenty two tallied responses to Question 5, about practitioners preferences for CPD areas, produced an overwhelming choice for a specific vocational focus in the form of Multi Agency Working, at 36.4 per cent. All of the nine other activities suggested scored 9.1 and 4.5 per cent respectively. (Appendix 3) As might be expected, the interview questions produced the most detailed qualitative data. When asked to evaluate the personal importance of CPD for them, two respondents identified pressure of work rather than management imposition as the main impediment to their pursuing more professional development. The first respondent stated that it was ‘Very Important. I know I don’t spend enough time doing it very often, but that’s just the nature of the job at the moment, where we are all running to stand still. It’s very difficult to commit a worthwhile timetable of CPD when you know for a fact that you won’t actually do half of it, due to unforeseen commitments.’ . The second respondent meanwhile acknowledged that it was ‘†¦Not as important as it probably should be. It’s a box I know I should tick, but in a department where we can’t even recruit at the moment, it’s not a priority. Sorry.’ (Appendix 5). The third respondent explained their lack of commitment to CPD in terms of their lack of control over it: ‘I know it’s vital, but who is it for exactly? If it’s just stuff they think I should be doing, rather than what I want to do, then I could well live without it.’ (Appendix 5). In terms of the specific proposal, i.e. that of providing practitioners with a framework of choice for CPD, the responses were varied. Respondent 1 replied, ‘I can’t think of ten†¦.for me personally at the moment, it would be team-building, and risk assessment, plus maybe multi-agency working.’ (Appendix 5). Respondent 2 indicated ‘Communication, risk assessment, leadership, policy development’ as their preferred foci. Respondent 3 indicated interest in ‘IT skills, communication, multi-agency working, risk assessment’, adding that ‘†¦.the list is endless!’ (Appendix 5) Provisional Conclusions Concerns about who would take responsibility for more liberal and diffuse CPD should be noted here, as in the response , ‘Who would supervise it? I’ll bet it would just be an extra job dumped on somebody like me.’ (Appendix 3) Such objections reflect trends in management which have already been highlighted in the related literature. As Watson points out, ‘The drive for local and central government to modernise and become more accountable has led to a rise in responsibilities of managers for performance management and transparency in decision making.’ (Watson, 2008: p.330) The extent of interest in multi-agency working as a useful area for practitioner CPD, is something which has already been noted in the related literature. As Farmakopoulou has indicated, ‘The main inter-organizational inhibitory factors were related to structural difficulties and lack of joint training. Education and social work departments embody different statutory responsibilities†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Farmakopoulou 2002: p.1064). Whilst this specific point is obviously vocationally limited, a wider one about inter-professional cooperation may arguably be abstracted from it. In terms of generalisability, it has to be acknowledged that this research and its findings is vulnerable to usual charges of subjectivity which may be levelled at triangulation. As Denzin and Lincoln concede, ‘Triangulation is the simultaneous display of multiple, refracted realities. Each of the metaphors â€Å"works† to create simultaneity rather than the sequential or linear. Readers and audiences are then invited to explore competing visions of the context, to become immersed in and merge with new realities to comprehend.’ (Denzin and Lincoln 2005: p.6). However, in terms of putative research questions, enough areas of potential interest have arguably been identified to warrant further investigation. Themes would be†¦ Involve a larger cohort of respondents. Involve local management as respondents, to obtain views from both sides of the ‘psychological contract’. Involve the GSCC on their views about possible change. APPENDIX ONE: Questionnaire. Are you male †¦.. female†¦.. For each question, please indicate the statement with which you agree most by ticking it. Question 1. a. 90 hours CPD is sufficient for a SW Practitioner over three years. b. 90 hours CPD is insufficient for a SW Practitioner over three years. c. 90 hours is far too arbitrary an amount of CPD for a SW   practitioner: it should be varied for individuals. Question 2. a. Would you agree that the current SW CPD guidelines are effective? b. Would you disagree with the idea that the current SW CPD   guidelines are effective? c. Do you think that changes are necessary in current SW CPD? Question 3. a. Has the available SW CPD been sufficient for your needs as a   practitioner? b. Has the available SW CPD been insufficient for your needs as   practitioner? c. Has the available SW CPD been consistent? Inconsistent? à ¯Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   Question 4 : Please explain why you would support OR not support the idea of a ten-criteria list from which to select SW CPD activities? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Question 5 : Which areas of professional competence would you include in a ten-criteria list? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ APPENDIX 2: Tables of Questionnaire Results. Question 1. 90 hours CPD is sufficient for a SW Practitioner over three years. 90 hours CPD is insufficient for a SW Practitioner over three years. 90 hours is far too arbitrary an amount of CPD for a SW practitioner: it should be varied for individuals. 5 4 13 Question 2. Would you agree that the current SW CPD guidelines are effective? Would you disagree with the idea that the current SW CPD guidelines are effective? Do you think that changes are necessary in current SW CPD? 4 4 14 Question 3. Has the available SW CPD been sufficient for your needs as a practitioner? Has the available SW CPD been insufficient for your needs as practitioner? Has the available SW CPD been consistent? Has the available SW CPD been inconsistent? 3 6 5 8 APPENDIX 3 Question 4 : Please explain why you would support OR not support the idea of a ten-criteria list from which to select SW CPD activities? Why ten? It should be about relevance, not a number. Yes I would, but only if I got to choose them, so they were relevant to my needs. No, because it would expand what is already a drain on my time. I don’t think it could work because CPD is all about standardisation, this idea involves too much individual choice for the ‘powers that be’ to accept it. No: who would enforce or administer it? Yes, although why settle on that number? Yes, great idea, assuming practitioners are involved in drawing it up. Yes, perfect. If we get to choose what’s on the list, otherwise its just another form of management control, and we already have too much of that. Yes, if we can get everyone to agree on it. No. It sounds to me like the thin end of a very large wedge which I’ll have to fit into my diary. No. I’m still trying to catch up with my existing CPD, so I definitely don’t need any more. No. One CPD target is enough, I wouldn’t want any more than that. Yes, if it happens, but I can’t see it. No. Wouldn’t this just be more ‘big brother’ stuff from the GSSC? No. I imagine the bureaucracy the government would create around it. No. Who would supervise it? I’ll bet it would just be an extra job dumped on somebody like me. I like the idea in principle, but I think a smaller number of options would be more helpful. No, because I think the current system is OK, and manageable within realistic constraints of time. No. CPD just ticks a management box, it doesn’t really help me, so I don’t want four or ten or whatever it is boxes to tick. Yes, its just what we need to give us more of a voice in our own professional development. The 20 written responses obtained for Question 4, though qualitative in nature, have been sorted into three categories: supportive, unsupportive, and uncommitted. Supportive: 35% 2.Yes I would, but only if I got to choose them, so they were relevant to my needs 6. Yes, although why settle on that number? 7. Yes, great idea, assuming practitioners are involved in drawing it up. 8. Yes, perfect. If we get to choose what’s on the list, otherwise its just another form of management control, and we already have too much of that. 9. Yes, if we can get everyone to agree on it. 13. Yes, if it happens, but I can’t see it. 20. Yes, its just what we need to give us more of a voice in our own professional development. Unsupportive 55% 3. No, because it would expand what is already a drain on my time. 4. I don’t think it could work because CPD is all about standardisation, this idea involves too much individual choice for the ‘powers that be’ to accept it. 5. No: who would enforce or administer it? 10. No. It sounds to me like the thin end of a very large wedge which I’ll have to fit into my diary. 11. No. I’m still trying to catch up with my existing CPD, so I definitely don’t need any more. 12. No. One CPD target is enough, I wouldn’t want any more than that. 14. No. Wouldn’t this just be more ‘big brother’ stuff from the GSSC? 15. No. I imagine the bureaucracy the government would create around it. 16. No. Who would supervise it? I’ll bet it would just be an extra job dumped on somebody like me. 18. No, because I think the current system is OK, and manageable within realistic constraints of time. 19. No. CPD just ticks a management box, it doesn’t really help me, so I don’t want four or ten or whatever it is boxes to tick. Uncommitted 10% 1.Why ten? It should be about relevance, not a number. 17. I like the idea in principle, but I think a smaller number of options would be more helpful. Question 5 : Which areas of professional competence would you include in a ten-criteria list? Team Building skills 2 Leadership skills. 2 Multi-Agency Working. 8 IT skills. 1 Risk Assessment. 2 Intercultural Skills. 2 Communication Skills. 1 Policy Development. 2 Strategic Development. 1 Self-Reflection: being a reflective practitioner. 1 APPENDIX 4: Interview Pro-Forma. Time in SW†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Current Post†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Question 1. How important is CPD to you as a Practitioner? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Question 2. Would you change any aspect of current CPD practice? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Question 3. What do you see as the principal issues in current SW CPD practice? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Question 4. Could you identify some of the areas you would include in a ten-item range of activities for SW CPD? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚ ¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ APPENDIX 5: INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS. Question 1. How important is CPD to you as a Practitioner? Respondent One: Very Important. I know I don’t spend enough time doing it very often, but that’s just the nature of the job at the moment, where we are all running to stand still. It’s very difficult to commit a worthwhile timetable of CPD when you know for a fact that you won’t actually do half of it, due to unforeseen commitments. Respondent Two: Not as important as it probably should be. It’s a box I know I should tick, but in a department where we can’t even recruit at the moment, it’s not a priority. Sorry. Respondent Three: I know it’s vital, but who is it for exactly? If it’s just stuff they think I should be doing, rather than what I want to do, then I could well live without it. Question 2. Would you change any aspect of current CPD practice? Respondent One: Not all of it, as some of it can be very good. I would definitely give people more choice, and the group/team learning idea is a very good one. Respondent Two: Personally, I think it’s all about resources: I mean, I’d let people timetable for it, and relate it closely to what they needed as practitioners†¦but†¦that would cost money: money which, as far as I can see, we just don’t have at the moment. Respondent Three: Yep†¦I’d I either get rid of it†¦.or do it properly†¦I can’t see either happening at the moment though. Question 3. What do you see as the principal issues in current SW CPD practice? Respondent One: Time. All the time it’s an add-on, when it really needs to be a practice-centred activity which you could timetable for, and really concentrate on. Respondent Two: For me its all about relevance and real value. I can spend any amount of time becoming a more reflective practitioner, but that doesn’t help me if my case-load is increasing while I’m doing it. Respondent Three: Well, I can only comment on what they are for me†¦.the real issue is, a lot of what I get given – or I should say, is inflicted upon me – as CPD, has very little to do with my case-load and the real problems I face. Maybe its because I’m old-school, pre-graduate and all that. Yes it’s all very interesting, but, well, I’m not an academic! There, I’ve said it! This is what I do, and no amount of CPD seems to change that. Question 4. Could you identify some of the areas you would include in a ten-item range of activities for SW CPD? Respondent One: I can’t think of ten†¦.for me personally at the moment, it would be team-building, and risk assessment, plus maybe multi-agency working. Respondent Two: Communication, risk assessment, leadership, policy development. Respondent Three: IT skills, communication, multi-agency working, risk assessment†¦.the list is endless! Bibliography Brown, K., and Keen, S., (2004), ‘Post Qualifying Awards in Social Work (Part 1): Necessary Evil or Panacea?’ Social Work Education, vol. 23, No 1: pp.77-92. Bryman, A., (1998), Doing Research in Organisations, London Routledge. Bryman, A., (2007), Social Research Methods Oxford, Oxford University Press. Bryant, A., Charmaz, K., (2007), The Sage Handbook of Grounded Theory, London, Sage Publications. Collis, J and Hussey, R., (2003), Business Research: A practical guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students, London, Palgrave Macmillan. Crombie I 1996 Pocket Guide to Critical Appraisal London BMJ Publication Group Department of Health (1998) Modernising Social Services London H.M.S.O www.doh.gov.uk Accessed 19-01-2006 Department of Health, (2000), Strategy for Social Car,e H.M.S.O., London www.doh.gov.uk Accessed 01-11-2006 Denzin, N.K., and Lincoln, Y.S., (eds), (2005), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, Thousand Oaks, California, Sage Publications. Doel, M., Nelson

Mankind Is The Earths Biggest Threat Environmental Sciences Essay

Mankind Is The Earths Biggest Threat Environmental Sciences Essay Climate change brought about by global warming is one of the biggest threats to mankinds survival. Due to human activity the temperature of the earths surface has increased by about 1.4 °F during the last 90-100 years. Scientists have identified that greenhouse gases are the main reason we are experiencing global warming. The last government was attempting to combat climate change by setting annual targets for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions until 2050 by placing duties on the Prime Minister regarding the reporting on and achievement of those targets; to specify procedures to be followed if the targets are not met; to specify certain functions of and provide certain powers to Members of Parliament with regard to ensuring carbon dioxide emissions are reduced and to set sectored reduction targets and targets for energy efficiency. This seems very easy in principal but in reality the government has failed since the Kyoto Protocol. One key area where they are failing is in th e housing sector as the aims are primarily focused on new homes rather than the existing housing stock. By the year 2050 there will be 21 million homes in need of an upgrade to reduce the carbon emissions being released into the atmosphere. In this dissertation we will examine the reasons for global warming and climate change, what government initiatives have been introduced and what solutions can, have and will be implemented to reduce carbon emissions with an emphasis on renewable technologies. Declaration I declare that the work contained in this dissertation is my own original work and that no part has been plagiarised from any source whatsoever. Where work, ideas or concepts have been taken or adapted from authors, these will be properly cited and referenced. This dissertation is approximately 10000 words in length. Signedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Print Nameà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Dateà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Contents The following proposes how my dissertation will be structured. These titles are in conjunction with my aims and objectives and are self explanatory. Introduction Aim Objectives Research Methodology Literature Review Global Warming and Climate Change Energy Use Background to climate change mitigation The Kyoto Protocol European union context United Kingdom Context EU Directive Alternative and Renewable Energy Ground Source Heat Pumps Biomass Energy Solar Energy Types of Systems 5.1(a) Solar Hot Water Systems 5.1(b) Photovoltaics 6. Micro Combined Heat Power 7. Wind Energy Technology Introduction The government and industry must reduce their carbon emissions from the United Kingdoms domestic sector in order to meet their climate change targets. 30% of all the United Kingdoms energy comes from the domestic sector and in turn accounts 45% of all emissions. (2008 Energy Technologies Institute LLP-Part of the low carbon innovation group). By the year 2050 there will be approximately 32 million dwellings of which 21 million will require refurbishment as they will be the existing housing stock. The government have set a target of an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050 and in order to achieve this goal they will have to install insulation, educate householders on ways to use energy more efficiently, use more low energy products and supply energy from renewable sources. Aim The main aim of this study is to examine ways to reduce carbon emissions from the United Kingdoms existing housing stock. Objectives The main objectives of this study to examine: A brief history of global warming and climate change What government legislation is in place to reduce carbon emissions The current energy efficiency of the United Kingdoms existing housing stock What contribution renewable energy can make towards reducing carbon emissions Research methodology The objectives outlined previously will give the reader a better understanding of the subject areas. The research carried out will be a 50 50 split between qualitative and quantitative research. Qualitative research is subjective in nature. It is research that cannot be measured because it is not based on facts. It is based on people beliefs, their feelings and their own personal opinions and experiences. (Naoum 2007 second edition) Quantitative research is objective in nature. It is research that is based on factual information that can be proven. It could be results from tests, surveys etc that can be analysed. (Naoum 2007 second edition) Primary literature is research that includes academic journal, published original work and technical papers. AND secondary literature sources are sources such as text books and newspaper articles ((Naoum 2007 second edition) Dissertation Structure The research into my aim and objective will provide a greater depth of understanding of each subject area. The study will give a background into the need for an energy efficient housing stock including looking at reasons for global warming and climate change. It will also discuss government initiatives and energy use in the domestic sector as well as the reasons why it is difficult to achieve the aims. The existing housing stock will be researched to ascertain their energy efficiency before and after refurbishment. Some of the primary literature I plan to use include; Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change The EUs Contribution to Shaping A Future Global Climate Change Regime The Sixth Environment Action Programme of the European Community 2002-2012 Our Energy Future Creating a Low Carbon Economy Action in the UK The UK Climate Change Programme European Buildings Directive Met office action on co2 Planning for micro renewables Renewable energy technologies, Scottish Executive, Development Department HM Government- Renewable Energy Strategy Some of the Secondary Sources I plan to use include; Environmental science in buildings 6th Edition (Randall McMullan) CIBSE Energy and carbon emissions regulations A guide to implementation The scope for reducing carbon emissions from housing (J.Henderson L. Shorrock) Literature Review Global warming and Climate Change People are the main cause of climate change. 40% of all co2 emissions come from greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and methane through energy use in the home, driving and air travel. Global climate change occurs naturally through oceans, changes in the earths orbit and the suns energy but there is evidence that the greenhouse effect is made worse by mans actions. What changes have been observed? global temperature increase: +0.75 °C over the past century with 2000-2010 the warmest decade on record rainfall patterns: wet regions of the world are getting wetter, and dry regions getting drier humidity: increases over the last  two to three  decades make extreme rainfall and flooding more likely warming oceans: temperature increases in the last 50 years in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans are not linked natural variations salinity: increased evaporation is making the Atlantic saltier in sub-tropical latitudes sea-ice: summer Arctic sea-ice is declining by 600,000 km ² per decade (the area of Madagascar), a long-term trend only explicable by human influences How the evidence stacks up Scientists have used sophisticated methods to identify these long-term changes, and to then consider: are these changes due to natural variability? (changes in energy from the sun, volcanic eruptions, or natural cycles such as El Nià ±o) if not, is there evidence that human activity could be to blame? Peter Stott, Head of Climate Monitoring and Attribution at the Met Office, said: The science reveals a consistent picture of global change that clearly bears the fingerprint of man-made greenhouse gas emissions. This shows the evidence of climate change has gone beyond temperature increases   it is now visible across our climate system and all regions of the planet. The average person thinks that the weather and climate change are the same but this is not the case. Weather is rain, hail, sleet, snow and wind with varying temperatures that change daily, where as climate change is a study of the weather and it changes over time. The greenhouse consequence is the natural process of the earths atmosphere allowing in some of the energy we receive from the sun (ultraviolet and visible light) and stopping it being transmitted back out into space (infrared radiation the greenhouse effect is the natural process. This makes the Earth warm enough for people to live. Although there have been quite stable levels of greenhouse gases for many years, industrial and domestic energy use has upset the balance with the evidence of climate change now being seen right across the planet with temperature increases and melting ice caps causing havoc with our eco-system. Energy Use Humans use energy such as coal, gas and oil everyday and everytime they do so carbon monoxide and other gases are absorbed by the atmosphere. The natural cycle was for the carbon dioxide to be reabsorbed by the plants and trees. However, we are burning so much fuel, and with humans cutting down our rainforests. the trees and plants can no longer cope. As the increased carbon dioxide levels rise they are being trapped within our atmosphere causing the temperature to rise. This is global warming. As the global temperature is rising daily we are seeing more floods and extreme weather such as tornados and hurricanes. To try to combat this we have to reduce the amount of fossil fuels we are using. (The Carbon

The Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome Essays -- traumatic, neurogenic

There is a variety of different types of shock and each type can be caused by many different things. â€Å"Shock is classified as cardiogenic (caused by heart failure); neurogenic or vasogenic (caused by alterations in vascular smooth muscle tone); anaphylactic (caused by hypersensitivity); septic (caused by infection); or hypovolemic (caused by insufficient intravascular fluid volume)† (Huether, McCance, 2010, pp.1696-1697). There is also traumatic shock which is similar to hypovolemic shock and septic shock. Each case of shock is important and needs to be monitored carefully. One type of shock to consider is neurogenic shock. Neurogenic shock is often referred to as vasogenic shock. This type of shock generally occurs from an imbalance of stimulation of vascular smooth muscle. â€Å"Neurogenic shock can be caused by any factor that stimulates parasympathetic activity or inhibits sympathetic activity of vascular smooth muscle† (Huether, McCance, 2010, pp. 1702). One of the factors that can cause neurogenic shock is trauma to the spinal cord. For example, a man named John Jackson suffered a spinal cord injury after being involved in a motorcycle accident; he will likely suffer from neurogenic shock as well. While he is in neurogenic shock however, he has not lost any fluid from vasculature. This is possible because when the spinal cord is injured there can also be injury to the nerve that controls the blood vessels width (Shock, 2013). This leads to a drop in blood pressure because the blood vessels relax and expand, thus leading to a lack of loss of fluid from vasculature. Even though the individu al is in neurogenic shock, the type of injury that is causing the shock can alter what the patient is experiencing. A patient that has a diff... ...6, January). From Inflammation to MODS: Stopping Sepsis in its Tracks. In Lippincott's Nursing Center. Retrieved December 11, 2013, from http://www.nursingcenter.com/lnc/static?pageid=733523 Huether, S. E., & McCance, K. L. (2010). Pathophysiology- The Biologic Basis for Disease in Adults and Children (sixth ed., pp. 1696-1727). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier. Marshall, J. C. (2001). The Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome. In NCBI. Retrieved December 11, 2013, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK6868/ Sheridan, R. L. (2013, June 10). Initial Evaluation and Management of the Burn Patient. In Medscape. Retrieved December 11, 2013, from http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/435402-overview#showall Shock. (2013, February). In Better Health Channel. Retrieved December 11, 2013, from http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Shock

Security on the Internet Essay example -- essays research papers

Security on the Internet Today's information is highly interconnected by the internet. With this interconnection of computer systems through the internet comes computer crime. Breaking into computer systems, damaging information, and stealing information, more commonly known as hacking, has become extremely common on the internet. As hacking becomes more frequent, and as some would say, more of a problem, should we consider hacking a criminal activity? Information from across the world is stored on computer systems-most of which are connected, networked, to other computer systems through the internet. â€Å"In the ideal situation, this interconnection of information enables others from outside a specific computer network to access that specific computer network and its information.† (Amoroso, 2003) This has created a world in which information is extremely important and extremely easy to access, which in turn has created a government, business, and personal society that is dependant on and successful from the networked information. But this network also has its drawbacks. Besides enabling people who need to use the information for legitimate business or personal use to gain access, the network also-often unknowingly-enables unauthorized people to gain access to the information; in one way or another, no matter what kind of network security they have implemented. Gaining access to a computer system that does not intentionally allow you access is called hacking. Microsoft's Internet Explorer has it’s flaws, and criminal hackers cracker know it. In recent weeks, these evildoers have staged several well-orchestrated Internet Explorer attacks designed to steal your banking and credit card information. The result has been that you can't trust the internet. How will you know if a secure site is truly safe? Here's a look at what's wrong with internet security and what you can do to keep your data under lock and key. That issue is not the only one, but several flaws are contained within internet. Some well known and some not so well known so-called zero day attacks. All of the serious attacks also use tiny apps called keystroke-logging Trojan horses, which capture IDs, passwords, and credit card information as you type them. And all of the attacks so far happen without users even suspecting there's anything wrong. Elements of the Russian mafia coordinated a brilliant... ...more regulation comes more policing, and with more policing less freedom and privacy. Other non-hackers believe that hackers need to be caught and punished, but without taking away the freedom and privacy that the Internet offers now. They do not want the government or law enforcement to monitor the Internet. They only want better laws to prosecute the hackers after they are caught, and better ways of catching the hackers without infringing on the general public's security. References Amoroso, Edward. 2003 â€Å"Fundamentals of Internet Security Technology† Publisher: P T R Prentice Hall. Cohen, Frederick B. 2004 â€Å"Protection and Security on the Information Superhighway† Publisher: New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Fream, Anne M. 2001 â€Å"A Social Learning Theory Analysis of Computer Crime Among College Students† Publisher: Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency Schwartau, Winn. 2002 â€Å"Information Warfare: Chaos on the Electronic Superhighway† Publisher: New York: Thunder's Mouth Press. Sullivan, A. 2005. Hackers aren’t just picking on Microsoft: study. Retrieved May 2, 2005, from http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=domesticNews&storyID=8359040

Huckleberry Finn Analysis Essay

Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has been regarded as one of the greatest novels in American regionalism. So many Americans have read it, and many have enjoyed it and many believe that it is worthy of the highest praise, and deserves to be included in the canon of Great American literature. As a piece of regionalist literature, the novel shines out amongst other novels. Twain vividly describes the Mississippi river and surrounding area of Missouri with detail unrivaled. His characters’ dialogue accurately depicts the dialogue of the area, and their attitudes, especially towards African Americans, are also historically accurate. However, as Huck and Jim move farther south down the river, Twain loses touch with his style of writing. The regionalist aspect suddenly crumbles, and his plot line gets outrageously unbelievable. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not deserving of inclusion in the canon of Great American literature. As Jane Smiley said in her essay Say It Ain’t So, Huck, â€Å"There is more to be learned about the American character from its canonization than through its canonization(Smiley 61). If Twain had kept the story line in his territory of familiarity the outcome may be different, but as his setting moves south, his writing moves right along with it. To clearly see how Twain’s writing deteriorates as the novel progresses one must compare quotes from when the novel is set in Missouri to when the novel is set farther south. Here is a quote from the beginning of the novel, describing the area around Jackson Island, â€Å"†¦but mostly it was big trees all about, and gloomy in there amongst them. There was freckled Boyer 2 freckled places on the ground where the light sifted down through the leaves, and the freckled places swapped about a little, showing there was a little breeze up there†(Twain, 51). The way he describes nature in this excerpt shows his true talent. The personification of the ground and the light, giving it the human-like characteristics of freckles gives the passage a personal touch. His diction and prose make the reader feel like they are watching the golden beams of light dance before their eyes. This is why Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn are recognized across America. However, in Chapter 31, when Jim ends up on the Phelps’ plantation, and the Phelps end up being Tom Sawyer’s family, and the Phelps mistake Huck for Tom and Tom for Sid, Twain is really pushing the believability of his novel, and from this excerpt we can see that the beauty of his prose is gone, as though he’s lost touch with the regionalist touch that makes his writing great, â€Å"‘Phelps’s was one of these little one-horse cotton plantations, and they all look alike. A rail fence round a two-acre yard; a stile made out of logs sawed off and up-ended in steps, like barrels of different length†¦(Twain, 273)† and on and on about the buildings of the plantation. There is nothing here that even remotely sounds like it came from someone who knows the area. Twain even says, â€Å"†¦and they all look alike† in the passage. He really lost his essence and creativity. He wrote out of his sphere of knowledge, and his novel suffers for it. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a wonderful piece of literature. Twain captures the true essence of being a teenage boy on a big adventure on the lazy Mississippi river. However, the end of his novel switches settings from Missouri, to further south, on a plantation coincidentally owned by Tow Sawyer’s family, and the reader can clearly see that Twain was out of his element, and he lost the wonderful sense of regionalism that made his Boyer 3 his works, and his era, influential in American literature, mainly because he wasn’t writing about the region he knew, grew up in, and loved. This is why Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is not deserving of inclusion into the great canon of American literature.

Non Financial Compensation

Satisfied minds per piddle well . Non fiscal compensation which is not in the form of direct pay has great uninterruptedise on employees motivation, performance and job satisfaction. cadence is as precious as gold and that encouraged many an(prenominal) employees to request for a flexible benefits like flex condemnation, tight establish week, telecommuting, part season effect on, job sharing, circumscribed retirement. According to a nationwide check into of U. S. forgeers release by Gallup Organization and Carlson merchandising Group(Mondy, R. Wayne (2010), Human Resource Management (9th ed. ) ) indicates that around every seven out of tenner employees say nonmonetary forms of recognition provide the best(p) motivation and satisfaction which is directly connect to the raise in company profits. The work life balance is a divulge factor for many employers in attracting and retaining the knowing employees. This paper focuses on body of work flexibleness at SSM IHT(In tegrated health Technologies), which include flex clock, compressed work week, telecommuting and part time work.SSM IHT provides Information technology serve wells to the SSM health C be organization which has group of hospitals in four states. Workplace tractability plays a major role in routine lives of the employees here. Providing flexible work time for employees allows them to work at their most productive time, flextime. This creates rose-cheeked atmosphere and sparks employees to perform well. Everyone has privilegeences and commitments towards work & life, more than or less prefers to work 4 geezerhood a week, by compressing the 40 regular hours, than the regular 5 days a week and happen remaining time with their familys.A 56 years old egg-producing(prenominal) employee at SSM IHT starts her work daily at 6am and ends day at 5pm, she works 10 hours a day for four days in a week and takes a day off either Friday or Monday, that dash she wants to spend quality ti me with her family and also help her handicapped aunt. Her land site is a perfect example for a flextime and compressed workweek. However this tractability has disadvantages, it adds pointless load on other employees when she is not at work.Telecommuting is an essential way of doing the work from any remote location development computers which ar connected through meshwork to their office, it is called as Work From Home(WFH) here at SSM IHT. Most of the Information technology service providers now provide telecommuting. At SSM IHT employees are provided with option of working from home more than a day , on whatever special cases they run through provided WFH all five days a week for virtually employees. Telecommuting provides more flexibility and encourages employees to have work-life balance.Mainly during disasters and bad weathers SSM encourages employees to stay home and work, that way safety of the employees are addressed effectively by the organization and at the aki n time daily services are not interrupted. Also telecommuting addresses the argufy of ever growing work hug and office space, this also saves the employees travel expences and promotes greener planet. underemployed work employees work for less hours than across-the-board time work employees, usually students and parents with children prefer to work part time.Employees utilize this flexibility when they want to spend time in managing their personal business or managing their children. A manager of SAP Finance and BW ,who is parent of three children, opted to go from fulltime to parttime and only works from Tuesday to Thursday, she wanted to spend more time with children in educating them. This flexibility made her to stay back at this organization. In Summary, Non monetary benefits like workplace flexibility provide satisfaction and motivate employees at SSM IHT to perform well which increases the productivity.Due to these flexibilities employee holding is very high at SSM IHT w here many employees are working for more than 20 years. Like every coin has both sides, these flexibilities also have its own pitfalls which adds supererogatory load on employees, who has to take up the tasks in their absence, results in extra fatigue. exclusively these flexibilities enhances the organizations image and encourages new employees towards this organization.